Pelco Spectra III se 'walk about'

[Karmarock 0]

First some warnings:

Long story ahead! (even if kept short)

Beginner ahead!

Poor English!

 

I’m experiencing a strange problem with my Pelco Spectra III se driven by a Geovision GV1120 card.

Driving the dome (It happens both from the DVR and from remote) I experience that after some commands the dome start wondering around, change focus/iris and then make crazy things like ‘recording pattern’? ‘downloading bios’? ‘reboot’ …

 

It’s a while I’m after this and here is the full story.

End of Last year added a Pelco Spectra III se (used) to my home dvr system based on geovision (reliably running since 2006).

Installation was 60 feet from the server running the DVR and telemetry was given with the GV-Net geovision card (rs-232 to rs-485)

Everything worked fine (patterns were driven from geovision card).

The only issue I had was that I needed to switch down to 2400 baud as with higher rates the dome was loosing alignment of the preset sent from the dvr after some running time.

 

This summer I started experiencing problems on the video.

On the hottest time of the day white stripes (I could describe it as washed out white zone with noise on the perimeter) started appearing up to the point that the DVR sometimes for short period loosed video connections to the dome (video lost).

This problem never occurred in the night and was not related to movements of the dome (started also on static views).

I serviced the camera.

 

In the mean time I’d been given a Spectra IV.

I set it up and run great through the Summer (with patterns and preset) with no issue also in the hottest days (this appeared to me a confirmation about problem being not with the backbox but with the Spectra III as backbox has not been changed).

 

Early October my Spectra III came back, no repair made, it seems for convenience It has been substituted with a new one (urrah!).

Now all the weird things started to happen.

After plugging in the new unit and reinstalled the old driver, I noticed some noise in the video, actually different from the old one I experienced.

This time it happened only on rs-485 commands.

It was not white washed and it was more like ‘static’ starting from the upper/lower part of the screen right the moment the command was given.

Keeping the camera in motion with commands from the DVR the noise could raise giving a ‘video lost’ message which then stops after stopping sending commands.

Puzzled, if it was a problem with the new unit, after some checking I disconnected telemetry from the GV-net and used telemetry from the Standalone battery powered monitor of my installer keeping the video connected to the geovision DVR and the problem completely disappeared.

I ended up considering the new unit could be OK, but I just had some grounding problem (?).

Substituted the GV-Net with a Roline converter RS232-RS485 with galvanic isolation and grounded it to the same power circuitry of the dome.

Checked again, but the problem was still there!

Added a video RFI filter before the DVR and noise problem on RS485 command was gone (actually to isolate the problem I installed back the old gv-net and actually problem didn’t arise back, so it was video line related (?))

Spectra III worked flawlessly for some hours (recorded presets and started patterns) then it started going crazy.

The problem now I’m facing is the dome's ‘walk about’ problem described at the beginning (thanks for the patience in reading all of this!)

 

Now I don’t know what to do:

1) Service again the Serie III? (it worked with telemetry from the standalone monitor, but maybe the device was better isolated and I didn’t stressed it enough to trigger the ‘walk about’ problem)

2) Service the BackBox? (Actually worked with the Serie IV. Maybe Serie IV is more solid and less prone to this problems than Serie III)

3) Concentrate on groundloop problem? (Serie IV has less issues regarding ground problems???… )

4) Other smart suggestions…

 

actual dome version:

Spectra III SE

Version: 1.34

BIOS: 1.12

Camera Module Model: DD59C22-X

 

Following a list of what I already checked with no results:

- The dome is under UPS, changed it and powered directly from main

- Switched off ‘proportional panning’ and ‘autoflip’

- Checked all of the contacts/wires

- Removed and reinserted Dome into Backbox several times

- Comm configuration 2400 8 N 1 (none)

- Checked on this forum for similar problems

On it’s own pattern the Serie III can go on forever fine, the problem is with commands from RS485!

[survtech 0]

Did you have to return the Spectra IV or do you still have it?

 

I would bet the Spectra III has an internal power supply issue. There is basically no difference between the two dome drives that would show up as you describe if both dome drives were working correctly.

[Karmarock 0]

Did you have to return the Spectra IV or do you still have it?

 

I would bet the Spectra III has an internal power supply issue. There is basically no difference between the two dome drives that would show up as you describe if both dome drives were working correctly.

 

Thanks Survetch for the reply!

Isn't it possible any damage in the active part of the backbox? (Looking around it seems that backbox has some circuit inside).

My installer was oriented in changing it ...

 

Thanks for your advice. I'll ask the installer to take with them also the Spectra IV in case the problem were not resolved just changing the blackbox!

[survtech 0]

Possible but not likely. The only times I've seen a back box fail was when water got inside and when lightning damaged the circuitry.

[Karmarock 0]

Possible but not likely. The only times I've seen a back box fail was when water got inside and when lightning damaged the circuitry.

 

Installation is on the top of the roof!

What about a 'mild' lightning (?) that hit chirurgically the backbox and Spectra III yet saving all of the other (many) electric devices connected?

 

The Spectra IV is not available anymore. Will check the backbox this week, earlyt next week at least to exclude it.

If the problem remains I'll service again the Spectra III

 

I'll keep updated on the findings

[aruegger 0]

I read this post a few days ago after Google-ing for help with my Spectra III problem, I was having some issues with properly programming my window blanking areas (I know unrelated) but after a few calls which didn't resolve my issues I got directed to their online community, which I didn't know existed, and an engineer helped me resolve my issues in almost immediately (improper software update). You have to create a log-in but I received a lot more help there than I received through the phone. Hope this helps, I know how frustrating random hardware/network issues can be. Good luck!

[Karmarock 0]

I read this post a few days ago after Google-ing for help with my Spectra III problem, I was having some issues with properly programming my window blanking areas (I know unrelated) but after a few calls which didn't resolve my issues I got directed to their online community, which I didn't know existed, and an engineer helped me resolve my issues in almost immediately (improper software update). You have to create a log-in but I received a lot more help there than I received through the phone. Hope this helps, I know how frustrating random hardware/network issues can be. Good luck!

 

 

Thanks for the advice, ill come back on this forum with the findings...

 

Just an update:

 

Changed the back-box with no result (problem same as before so reinstalled the old back-box).

 

Discovered that the wandering happens with the video filtert installed.

Without the filter I only have sparks on each ptz command, but actually ptz commands are always precise and correct (no wandering since yesterday).

 

To sum-up:

- No filter on Pelco spectra III video -> sparks on each rs485 PTZ command

- Filter on Pelco spectra III video -> after few PTZ commands camera start wandering, doing strange things up to resetting/restarting...

 

????

 

 

 

Anything to do with coaxitron command?

[Horizon 0]

Hello Karmarock.

 

What are you using to connect the Spectra to the DVR? Coax or Cat-5?

I wonder if you have a problem with your wiring? You should be able to go faster than 2400 baud over that distance.

 

Also, do you have between 18 and 30 VAC at the camera? If it drops below 18V when the Spectra is moving, the Spectra may become erratic.

[Karmarock 0]

Hello Karmarock.

 

What are you using to connect the Spectra to the DVR? Coax or Cat-5?

I wonder if you have a problem with your wiring? You should be able to go faster than 2400 baud over that distance.

 

Also, do you have between 18 and 30 VAC at the camera? If it drops below 18V when the Spectra is moving, the Spectra may become erratic.

 

I'm using cat-5 UTP with UTP-111VL from Hesavision.

It walks on the roof far from any power line. I'm gonna check with tensions...

[Horizon 0]

The cat-5 has 4 twisted-pairs. So have you used them like this:

 ==xxxxxxxx== is one of the four twisted pairs
--------+
       | --> UTP-11VL --> ==xxxxxx== --> UTP-11VL --> GV1120 (VIDEO)
Spectra | --> ==xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx== --> GV-NET/IO (RS485)
Dome    | --> ==xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx== --> 24 V AC power
       | --> ==xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx== --> Spare, or 2nd pair 24 VAC
--------+ 

So video and telemetry do not share the same twisted-pair?

 

After more thinking, I suspect your GV-NET/IO card is faulty. I don't think it is sending the correct RS485 telemetry to the Spectra.

It's not the software driver, or a ground loop. I think the actual card is at fault, because the Spectra works with the telemetry from the battery powered monitor.

Open up the DVR, and check that the GV-NET card is connected correctly.

 

Also, have you turned on the telemetry termination at the Spectra? It's SW2, described on page 3 here: www.fitch.ca/word/Pelco/spectra_ptz_quick.pdf

[Karmarock 0]

UTP wiring are correct, apart that I used dedicated wiring for 24V (not UTP)

About GV-net I already checked it using instead an optoisolated RS232 to rs 485 card grounding it.

Actually the problem is still there!

Additional clue! With the optoisolated card I get an additional 'issue': from off state server doesn't want to boot until I unplug the dedicated power adaptor of the optoisolated card. Once unplugged the system boot and I can plug it back!

 

[aruegger 0]

I'm telling you man go ask one of Pelco's tech guys on their community - www.pelco.com/community - they are very helpful. I was gonna try to float your question over there because I feel for you, but this thread is so long and I don't understand some of what your saying >

[Karmarock 0]

I already thanked you aruegger. I already joined theyr forum and they are helpful, but my problem is not yet solved. So keeping alive both posts fishing for a solution. Will update the other with the solution as soon as I find it on one of the two.

Hope I'm not breaking any netiquette with this!