Strange Problem -- Need Help

[ajay 0]

Hi,

 

Recently I bought a 23x day/night/infrared PTZ camera. Yes, it's a China no-name special but I'm not sure if it is part of the problem or not. I installed it about a week ago with the intended purpose of using it as a wildlife camera. For the first five days, I had it connected to a Dazzle video converter attached to a pc via a usb interface. Worked fine. (Actually I am very impressed with the camera.)

 

Then yesterday I installed a Zavio IP server to convert the analog camera into an IP camera. (I bought this to control the PTZ and stream video via the Internet.) Worked fine throughout the day and into the evening. The Zavio server has a video-in and video-out. I connected the video-in to the PTZ camera and connected the video-out to the Dazzle/PC. (The reason for having both is to make it easy to stream the video to Ustream. Ustream works great with analog cameras, but IP-based is a PITA. The Dazzle works great for this.)

 

At about 2 in the morning the camera stopped working...at least the video signal appeared as if it had lost sync. I disconnected/reconnected all connections in the house. I totally disconnected the cable from the video server and just used the Dazzle. Still it would not work. Unplugged the camera from power. Rebooted. Still, I received a signal that looked like it had lost video sync.

 

This is what the screen looks like:

 

I finally unplugged everything and went to bed.

 

Today, I plugged everything back in, checked the connections out at the camera and worked like a charm all day.

 

This evening (now in night mode) the same problem occurred. This time however, I disconnect the bnc connector out at the camera and replugged it in. It's now working fine again.

 

Any ideas as to why this might be occurring? Does it have anything to do with night mode? I did various searches here and elsewhere on the Internet and could not find anyone else running into this problem.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

AJ

[Neutech 0]

First thing i would do is take the video feed direct from the camera into a composite input in TV so your working with direct feed

Second you mention this PTZ has IR onboard and the issue appears at night?

How far is the PSU located from the camera?

What have you used to take a feed from PTZ to location and how far is the run?

Have you measured the voltage for drop at the PTZ?

To me it looks like power issue, is there a heater in the unit?

Daytime is fine as no IR are active so less current

[ssnapier 0]

Yup Neutech beat me to it, I was going to suggest a power issue. Try a larger gauge of wire... but obviously first take measurements to see if that is the issue.

[ajay 0]

Thank you for the replies. After a few days of fiddling, I have found the problem to occur during the day as well as night and it appears that it might be related to a bad connection out at the camera. It's been running for a few days now w/o an issue after I reseated the connections out at the camera. Can anyone recommend a product that is good at preventing oxidation for outdoor connectors? Even though the connectors are shielded from direct rain, humidity/moisture might be the culprit. I have some kind of "goop" that is suppose to work for electrical connections, but not sure if I should try it on these connectors.

 

Thanks again,

 

Alan

[ssnapier 0]

Silicone!

[vector18 1]

If it's impossible to put the wire directly to the camera in seal tight or pipe, than like said previously silicone works wonders. Sometimes I put the connections inside a ziplock bag, close it up, tape it up, than silicone the end. But and outdoor weatherproof

box with gaskets always works well for future servicing so you don't have to scrap the silicone off if you need to service.

[ajay 0]

Hi,

 

Yup. Silicone will work to seal the connection, but I was wondering about applying something directly to the electrical contacts of the BNC connector as well as the power plug. There's a grease that is used by electricians for preventing oxidation on power connections. I was thinking of gooping that on the connectors.

 

Thanks again,

 

Alan

[Kawboy12R 0]

Dielectric grease. I use it all the time on outdoor 12v connections.

[Numb-nuts 1]

I swear by Contralube 770, since using it I never get called out to water corroded connections

I have even used this in the low voltage connections of ornamental fish ponds. It is also recommended for CCTV

 

This is why:

Contralube

A medium viscosity synthetic grease for the protection of electrical

and electronic connectors and contact surfaces. Water washout resistant,

including saltwater.