Very old surveillance camera

[Lloyd 0]

About 10 years ago, I made a swap with a friend of mine.

He got my very old Silver King chain saw.

I got his very old serveillance camera.

Years before that, he had got it from the place where he worked.

The company went belly up, and his boss told him he could have it.

It has just been sitting on a shelf since we made the swap.

Today I dragged it down from the shelf to look it over.

Maybe some of you guys will get a laugh out of it.

You could also explain a little more about exactly what I got.

 

The camera:

It's a Motorala 843M.

Model S1163A

117v - 60Hz - 17 Watts

The darn thing is large ... measures 13.5" X 6" X 2.5".

 

The lens:

Fujion Lens TV-2

1:1.8/20-100

C5X20

FUJI Photo Optical Co. 192369

Japan

This thing is also large.

The can comes off of it to expose all the gears and mechanisims.

The lens is large, and measures a good 2.5" across.

 

The case:

A weather box.

Not very weather tight, and the glass is missing.

 

The mount:

It came with a HUGE pan/tilt mechanism.

Motorola V330APT

24VAC - 70 Watts - max load = 35 lb.

The thing is so heavy, I can hardly pick it up.

There is also some cords, a joystick box, and a push button box for auto pan.

 

I found mention of the camera using Google, but no real info.

The lens data is very confusing for me.

Can someone explain to me what the numbers mean?

This is obviously a zoom lens, but what does it compare to?

The "20-100" is a refernce to the magnification?

When you look at camcorders, the magnification is listed in "X" zoom.

Like my present camcorder is listed as 22X zoom.

But when you look at CCTV cameras, the magnification is usually listed as "mm" varifocal.

I get confused.

Anybody got a conversion chart?

Any comments on the camera/lens/mount?

[Lloyd 0]

OK, I found some print on the lens cover ....

 

Fujinon TV zoom lens C5x20A - SND2

 

I found nothing on Google that would give me info on it.

[Cooperman 0]

Hi Lloyd,

 

The Motorola model number doesn't mean a thing to me, as we didn't have Motorola CCTV cameras over here. If the camera body itself is the physical dimensions you mentioned, it may well be a 1" format camera. If you remove the lens, and then measure the diameter of the shiny disc that you can see inside the camera, that would be the tube faceplate (assuming of course, it is a tube camera). There used to be an XQ 1163 tube which was 1", but I don't recognise the S 1163A number either.

 

The Pan and tilt head sounds like it may originally have been a Vicon; 35Kgs. capacity was not unusual, and certainly 1" cameras were often strapped onto 50Kgs. capacity heads if they were fitted with serious lenses.

 

The Fujinon lens you've got is actually quite a nice bit of glass ( 25+ years ago, I used to have the manual zoom version, and I may even still have a motorised one knocking around somewhere).

 

The 'C' bit means it was originally built to go on a 1" format camera.

20 - 100 mm is a 5:1 zoom ratio. The lens manufacturer wouldn't normally say what the magnification is going to be, unless they were quoting for a specific imager size.

 

On an original 1" camera, it would have given a maximum 4X magnification (if you fit it onto a modern 1/3" camera it will provide 2.5x - 12.5x magnification). Being a larger format lens, if it's in good working order, it can equally be used on a 2/3", 1/2", 1/3" or 1/4" format camera with very good results, if you so wish.

 

Incidentally, I'm certainly not laughing (a slight smile maybe), that's the type of cameras I used to have to work with when I started out

[Lloyd 0]

Thanks for the response!!

 

The Fujinon lens you've got is actually quite a nice bit of glass ( 25+ years ago, I used to have the manual zoom version, and I may even still have a motorised one knocking around somewhere).

Got any info on the wiring of that lens??

The cord from the lens plugs in the back of the camera.

I would have to know what the requirements are ... voltages, AC or DC, etc.

And what wires do what function.

I assume both the zoom and the focus are involved ... correct?

 

On an original 1" camera, it would have given a maximum 4X magnification (if you fit it onto a modern 1/3" camera it will provide 2.5x - 12.5x magnification). Being a larger format lens, if it's in good working order, it can equally be used on a 2/3", 1/2", 1/3" or 1/4" format camera with very good results, if you so wish.

I got an old camera, but not as old as the Motorola, I could use to test it with.

The camera spec sheet says it has a 2/3" image sensor".

The included lens is a 25mm, f1.4, C-mount, and the box says, "1" format".

Will the Fujinon lens mount on this camera?

 

When it comes to cameras & lens, I have very limited understanding.

But I can learn.

Thanks for the help!!

[Lloyd 0]

more info on the lens ....

 

When I removed the lens from the camera, I found a sticker that says 12 VDC.

 

The lens wiring has a cord, and a group of 4 wires coming out of it.

 

The cord is a shielded 2-wire cord, with a plug on the end that plugs into the camera. (focus?)

One wire is red, the other is white.

The shield is connected to the plug also. (ground?)

 

The group of 4 wires has a plug that does not plug into the camera. (zoom?)

The plug converts it to 3-wire, cause two of the wires, orange and brown, are soldered together on the same plug pin.

The other two wires, one red and one yellow, are on separate pins.

 

I would guess that the shielded 2-wire cord controls the focus, and it is done by putting 12VDC across the red and white wires.

Reversing the 12VDC reverses the direction.

Hopefully, there are internal endstop limits. ( Ya'd think there would be!! )

 

I would guess the other plug would control the zoom. ( How'm I doin so far? )

 

Now the zoom ...

This is where I am confused/cautious ...

I can see a couple of possibilities for how this could be connected.

12VDC arcoss Orange/brown and red = zoom one way ....

12VDC arcoss Orange/brown and yellow = zoom other way ....

But if that is true, what polarity is the 12DVC connected?

 

Hmmmm ..... any help there Cooperman?

[Cooperman 0]

Hi Lloyd,

 

Sounds like your having an interesting time trying to work out whats what!

 

I think you need to establish what the camera is first of all.

If you remove the lens, is the imager inside the camera a shiny circle. That would confirm whether it is a tubed camera. Have a look at the back of the camera - do you see any small holes / adjusters marked 'T', 'B' or 'F' ?

 

Next problem is whether it's a standard or low light imager.

 

If it is a low light camera, then the lens may be auto iris; if it is a standard imager, then it almost certainly would not be auto iris.

 

That said, some early auto iris lenses were of a type known as 'EE', which meant they used a photocell to measure the light level, and then adjust the iris accordingly. Some motorised iris lenses, used seperate amplifiers to drive the iris, but they were'nt AI lenses in the modern sense. If the lens has two accessible 'pots' marked with "Alc" and "Level", then it is a conventional AI type auto iris lens.

 

If you have a 25mm C mount lens, that was certainly built to work on a 1" camera, but as with any unknown lens / camera combination, you need to make absolutely sure that the rear of the lens doesn't project too far backwards from the mount, otherwise you could screw the lens onto the camera, and easily shatter the imager. (Incidentally, the 25mm lens should also work very well on the 2/3" camera).

 

If you want to test the lens motor functions, it's initially best to do it on a tabletop, and not screwed onto the camera.

 

It is tempting to make assumptions, but as a word of warning, lens motors could often be 6v DC, or 12v DC, and I've even got one old Canon optic which uses non standard AC motors (I can't even remember the last time I played with that one!).

 

The fact that you found a 12v sticker may be a very useful clue, but for the sake of the lens, it's often better to test it at a lower voltage first just to be on the safe side.

 

You could use a basic regulated voltage selectable power supply unit, and set it initially to 6v DC, just for initial testing. If the motors drive, you can then increase it to 9v, and finally 12v if you're happy you are not over driving it. All you'll find is that with the lower voltages, the zoom and focus functions will probably be much slower than normal (and yes they will physically stop moving when they reach the limits, but you should immediately disconnect the drive voltages when the function stops moving).

 

From what you've described, it sounds like the Zoom and Focus motors are each driven with a pair of conductors (so four wires in total).

 

So for example with the 4 core cable,

Red may be Zoom (or Focus), with possibly brown as the 2nd wire

Yellow may be Focus (or Zoom), with possibly orange as the 2nd wire

 

If you apply a positive DC voltage to the Red, and 0v to the brown, either the Zoom or Focus should start to move. If not, try the Red with the Yellow.

 

With this arrangement, the voltage would normally be reversed to drive the lens function backwards, using the switches on a control unit (so with this arrangement you only need a +ve supply to control the motors).

 

Where the Orange and Brown have been 'commoned' togethor, this suggests that they would have been grounded to 0v, and each of the other two conductors supplied with either +12v or -12v (or a lesser voltage) to drive the function forwards or backwards as required.

 

The other 'cord' you refer to, sounds like a standard AI lens Iris drive, so Red will be the +ve voltage (may possibly be 9v DC), White would be Video, and the stranded outer braid would be 0v Ground (earth). These wires would normally be fitted with a plug, that mates directly with a socket on the (rear of the ...?) camera (but only if it is a lowlight camera - hence the reason why I said it was important to work out what the camera is, before guessing too much further).

 

There is a reasonable chance that the camera can be made to work, although if you have any doubt at all as to what connections to make, don't try something to see if it will work. You may just end up killing it stone dead, and that would be a shame!

[Lloyd 0]

Sounds like your having an interesting time trying to work out whats what!

 

Ya, this is a very interesting lens ....

 

 

I think you need to establish what the camera is first of all.

 

OK, I will get some info together, maybe a pic or two, and get back to you.

 

 

There is a reasonable chance that the camera can be made to work, although if you have any doubt at all as to what connections to make, don't try something to see if it will work. You may just end up killing it stone dead, and that would be a shame!

 

I haven't applied voltage to anything yet.

I'm going to follow those wires around a little more first.

A closer look is in order here before doing anything.

 

I'll see what I got around for a power supply.

 

Thanks for all the help!

I'll be getting back to you.

[Lloyd 0]

Hey Cooperman .....

Check your PMs.

I sent ya a PM with lots of pics.

Let me know if ya didn't get it.

[Lloyd 0]

Ok, I'll try again ....

 

You wanted to identify the camera first.

 

Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like more pics, just let me know.

I have a very limited on-line file storage area.

So once your see these pics, save them if you want to view them again.

Then I will remove them to make room for more.

 

Now, to answer the rest of your questions in your last post ....

 

"If you remove the lens, is the imager inside the camera a shiny circle?"

 

Yes.

It is circular, looks flat, and appears to be a 'lens'.

 

"Have a look at the back of the camera - do you see any small holes / adjusters marked 'T', 'B' or 'F' ?"

 

No, I see none.

 

"If the lens has two accessible 'pots' marked with "Alc" and "Level", then it is a conventional AI type auto iris lens."

 

No. .... if by saying "accessible" you mean, "Can be adjusted thru a hole in the can cover"

There is one hole in the can cover that is meant for providing screwdriver adjustment on a pot located on a small pcb mounted inside the can.

That is the pcb that is connected to the 2-wire shielded cable that plugs in the back of the camera.

 

 

"You could use a basic regulated voltage selectable power supply unit, and set it initially to 6v DC, just for initial testing."

 

I don't have alot for regulated power supplies.

I know I do have a 12VDC regulated supply ...

A little digging around, and I may come up with something else.

What would the current requirement be for testing the motors?

 

"From what you've described, it sounds like the Zoom and Focus motors are each driven with a pair of conductors (so four wires in total)."

 

Yes, it appears that way.

I see 3 motors total.

One is smaller then the other two.

Those two look identical, and are fed from an identical looking pcb.

 

Looking at the 3 motors and their gearing, I see three separate functions.

 

The three motors and their associated gearing lead to three separate gear rings.

Here is a pic showing all three rings.

#1 = Focus?

#2 = Zoom?

#3 = Iris?

 

 

The small motor runs gear ring #3, and its circuity has the cable that plugs into the camera.

Gear ring #2 has the red & orange wires feeding its motor's circuitry.

Gear ring #1 has the yellow & brown wires feeding its motor's circuitry.

 

I noticed that all 3 motors say, "12VDC" on the motor end.

And the can has a sticker that says, "DC12V". (shown on one of the pics above)

 

 

Ok, enough for now ....whew ......

Thanks .....

[JMANOFNVS 0]

So before you took it apart I assume you tried to hook it up??

[Lloyd 0]

So before you took it apart I assume you tried to hook it up??

 

No, I have not put any power to it.

The only taking apart I have done is to remove the lens from the camera, and remove the can cover off the lens.

The focus and zoom are controlled from a plug connection.

I have nothing to plug it in to.

I may have to make a controller.

 

The camera may give some hints as to how the auto iris is controlled.

I'm pretty uneducated in the camera/lens area.

Cooperman is the man with the answers.

[JMANOFNVS 0]

Believe it or not I think a local family owned store has those exact cameras..not sure about the zoom lens though. Is that 3 prong plug used for the lens controls you are referring too??

[Lloyd 0]

Yes.

In the photo with the two plugs .... the lower plug labled "plugs into camera", appears to control the iris.

The other plug appears to control the zoom and focus.

[Cooperman 0]

Hi lloyd,

 

Sorry for the delay getting back to you, been a bit busy over the last few days!

 

From what you've posted so far, I have some good news, and some not so good news.

 

First off, the lens. The motor i.d. you came up with is spot on.

The front motor does indeed drive the focus ring, the mid engine is the zoom and the rear is for the iris motor. They will all be pulling tens of milliamps when operating, so any half decent regulated supply ( 300mA+ ) will be fine for testing.

 

The old square 4 pin connector used to be fairly common, although, I don't recall seeing one fitted onto a lens. It was probably a connector that the installer decided to use. In practice, you can either solder a couple of 'flying leads' to the rear of the connector (for testing), or just cut off the connector (after you've made a note of the connections - you never know if you might need to know later!).

 

The three pole 1/4" jack plug would indeed be used for the auto iris function, and that pot almost certainly controls the 'threshold' for opening the iris. If you look at the plug, the tip is one connection, the thin band behind it is the second, and the main shaft is the third.

 

If you're curious to see what's what, you can probably do a quick check with a test meter to confirm the connections (red would almost certainly be +Ve voltage, and White the Video connection.

 

Now to the camera, and this is where the less good news may kick in.

 

It does appear that the camera is a 1" tube model, but .... and this is possibly the killer, I can't see the tube!

 

You need to shine a torch (flashlight) into the front of the camera; if you just see a hollow black plastic tube, then the cameras imager has been removed. If you see a glass tube with metal bits inside, then the faceplate of the imager has been shattered. If you see the light reflecting back, then the tube is in place and you may be o.k.

 

To prove conclusively if the imager has been removed, take the top cover off the camera and look at the inside behind the lens mount.

 

You should see a large cylindrical block with a few wires coming off the back. If you see an 'octal' socket hanging on wires but not plugged on to anything, then the cameras imager is definately AWOL.

 

Incidentally, if you need a UHF plug (PL 259), I've got a whole box of them .... somewhere

[Lloyd 0]

Good to see ya back.

 

Yes .... it appears the camera imager is in place and whole.

I see a light shine back at me.

This is a B/W camera?

 

Now as far as the lens goes ....

Are you confident the focus and the zoom should be fed with 12VDC?

The lens can actually says, " DC12V ".

One would think if labeled on the outside of the device, it would reference the feed voltage for that device.

Do you feel I should go ahead and test the focus and zoom functions with 12VDC?

If possible, I would start with a lower voltage as you mentioned earlier.

 

Now the iris ...

 

"If you're curious to see what's what, you can probably do a quick check with a test meter to confirm the connections (red would almost certainly be +Ve voltage, and White the Video connection."

 

I guess I don't understand the "White the Video connection".

If video is on the white, then to operate the iris motor do you apply 12VDC across the red and the shield?

Is the voltage reversed to change directions ... like the focus and zoom?

If the camera is controlling the iris motor with the red and shield, what is the purpose of the white (video) wire?

Somehow I think I got this part wrong ....

[Cooperman 0]

Given the age of the camera, it would certainly be B/W!

 

If you are able to easily remove the camera top cover,I'd certainly suggest it's worth doing it now, for a couple of reasons.

 

Firstly, you can visually inspect the internal condition of the 'guts', just to make sure there is no obvious corrosion, wires hanging off etc. If you simply switch it on, without doing a couple of quick checks, it may just go pop and that would be that (it may in any case, but it doesn't hurt to take some simple precautions).

 

You can visually inspect the circuit boards for any obvious problems (mould growth, burn marks where components are failing or have failed, melted insulation on wires etc.).

 

Have a look for three specific trimmers / pots which will be marked as Target (T), Beam (B) and Focus (F). If the camera fires up o.k. when you eventually test it, you may well have to adjust these to try and get a usable picture (I can explain in more detail how you do that if necessary).

 

As I mentioned previously, double check that the imager is fixed in position. You should see the back end of the glass tube (perhaps 1" exposed and visible) projecting from the rear of the front block (called the scan coil). On the rear of the tube will be a push fit round plastic connector with about 8 wires soldered to it.

 

Incidentally, when first used, the camera would probably have produced a centre image resolution of perhaps 600 - 700 lines, and an edge of image resolution of perhaps 400 - 450 lines. Age is never kind to camera tubes, and depending on the type, they will still degrade with age, even if it has never been switched on.

 

I must mention at this point, that if you are in any way uncomfortable or unfamilier with working on exposed circuits, do not do so with the camera switched on. There are high voltage points on the main circuit boards, and an accidental contact can be very very unpleasant .... at best!!!

 

As to the lens, double check whether it clearly states 12v DC on the lens motors themselves. If it does, you should be o.k. to test. If in doubt, see if you can get hold of a 300mA regulated PSU, with switch selectable voltage output (probably only cost a few dollars). Initially do your testing with the PSU set to 6v DC, then 9v DC if it works o.k.

 

I'd suggest you test the focus first, as that's the most obvious to show movement in the large front ring. If you underdrive the lens motor (e.g. 6v on a 12v unit), it will simply move more slowly than its normal speed. In control systems, that is a standard trick for fine adjusting.

 

As to the iris, this is the basic explanation as to how it probably works in your situation.

 

The lens is supplied with a DC Voltage from the camera (usually 12v DC on Red), a 0v Ground connection (normally Black or shielding), and a stripped down video signal (usually a white wire).

 

The Iris Amp / Servo built in to the lens, uses the video signal to detect the level of the highlights (whites) in the image, and then automatically adjusts the output voltage to the iris motor, to drive it forward or backwards as required, to maintain the correct level of highlights in the image.

It's a circuit design which is technically quite crude, but generally very effective.

 

It's not normally a good policy to assume anything in this world, but having said that, if it is fairly obvious that the 1/4" jack has been soldered up a long time ago, and there are no obvious signs of it having been 'fiddled with', it's probably o.k. to risk connecting it to the camera.

 

Having said that, if you visually look through the lens from both directions, if you can see that the iris is part open (or part closed ), I would suggest that you do your initial testing without plugging in the iris connector.

 

The imager may well be a high sensitivity type (hence the need for an auto iris mechanism), but if you initially test it in low level room conditions, you won't do any damage and you may just get an acceptably exposed image. However, do not point the camera directly at a bright light source. If the tube is a Silicon Vidicon / Ultricon type, you would probably get away with it; if it's a Newvicon, Chalnicon or Saticon, you'll probably wish you hadn't!

 

The only other point to mention, is with regard to the lens mount. It is quite likely that the lens will need to be positioned correctly on it's mount, as that appears from your photo to be the primitive mechanism that is used to back focus the image.

 

You can move an object from very close to the front lens, to well away, and see if it comes into focus at a given point. If it is seen to be working, then we can worry about some of the fine tuning and adjustments later.

 

Fingers crossed and good luck!

[Lloyd 0]

WOW! Lots of good info! Thanks!

 

Cover removed ...

All looks well, nobody living in there .... no 'dark brown' smell ....

 

I founds some pots.

 

VERT. SIZE

VERT.CENTER'G

HOR. SIZE

BEAM

FOCUS

GAIN

HI PEAK'G

SETUP

 

 

The tube looks fine.

Here is a pic of some data on the tube.

I didn't know if that would help you identify it.

 

 

I have no problem working around exposed circuits, etc.

 

All three lens motors are tagged on the motor end caps as "DC 12V".

 

Thanks for the explaination of the iris control.

I think I understand it now.

 

The iris motor is smaller then the other two motors.

Do you have a guess as to how much current the iris motor draws?

 

I have an older color CCTV color camera that has an auto iris output. ( Javelin Model JE3362 )

It's spec says,

"Video: luma video signal (Y only) 0.7V p-p/high impedance"

"Power: DC+12V (40mA max)"

 

It would be great if I could get this color camera to work with the big lens.

 

The Javelin camera data:

Image sensor: He98241 2/3" single layer MOS color image sensor. 576 (H) X 485 (V) pixels.

Horiz. resolution: 340 lines or more.

Minimum illumination: 15 lux.

Lens mount: C-mount.

 

Think I could get these two to play nice together?

What would I need to get my lens to mount on this C-mount camera?

[rory 0]

Looks like fun .. that thing is huge, reminds me of some of the really old cameras they have mounted at the hotels here .. one has a PTZ that is almost the size of me! Anyway, for the cost of a new camera that would outperform these old ones (probably under $50)... they would make a nice artificial reef .

 

But if anything at least its worth learning the hardware ..

[Cooperman 0]

The marking on the tube, specifically relates to an operating voltage for that unit. I may be wrong, but I think from memory it possibly relates to the "heater" voltage, which was specific for that model tube.

 

It was important not to deviate from the tubes correct operating voltages otherwise it could be irreperably damaged.

 

Whilst there is an agreeable amount of tube visible (the other 5" is buried deep inside the scan coil), and it does look remarkably clean, visual appearance is no guarantee that it's in any type of working order.

 

It's quite curious that whilst the PCB is dated as 1975, it is showing a number of IC's which would make it quite advanced for it's day. Like the tube and socket, it all looks remarkably clean, which is one very big plus point.

 

Directly below the "Beam" pot, there is a marking for "TAR. VOLT" which is the 'Target' voltage, but there doesn't appear to be any adjuster for the voltage level. It's possible this is an automated function, but to be honest, I don't recall using any cameras with anything other than a manual Target control. Best not to worry about that one just yet

 

The two adjusters you may well need to use, are the "Beam", and the "Focus", but you won't touch those until you've first powered up the camera (waited up to 30 seconds for a picture to appear), and then report back on what you see. If the picture looks reasonable, they probably won't need adjusting (but I'm betting they probably will ).

 

If I were you, I'd try and get the lens working on the tubed camera first, and then worry about using it on the Javelin. Finding a way of mounting a non standard lens onto a "C" mount is possibly going to be your biggest problem. That said, the iris motor is probably only drawing a few tens of milliamps, so it should be o.k. on the Javelin (If I have a moment, I'll see if I have any brochures for that camera).

 

Incidentally, I used to use a 2/3" CMOS colour camera which probably had the same imager inside. Overall picture quality was not bad, but it did have a tendency to produce somewhat yucky blues!

[Lloyd 0]

OK, I'll put the camera back together, and remount the lens.

I'll test it with the iris plug removed from its jack, and away from bright lights.

 

To test the video, do I run the camera output to the 'RCA In' on a VCR or TV?

What is the voltage on the video out of this camera?

 

The camera came with a short section of cable with PL259 at both ends.

I will cut one plug off and put on a new BNC.

From there, I can convert to RCA.

[Cooperman 0]

Lloyd,

 

For initial testing, it's worth putting the cover back on the camera, but if you don't fix it on properly at this stage, you may get some slight 'crosshatch' interference on the picture (nothing to worry about though!).

 

If the picture doesn't appear correctly after 60 seconds, then it will need to be adjusted with the cover removed. Best to switch it off first though.

 

The lens Iris plug can only be left out, if the iris is already part or fully open. If it's closed, then obviously you won't see anything anyway.

 

The video output would have been 1v p-p same as most cameras, and yes you can connect it to the AV input on a television.

 

One quick tip for you - if you connect the camera to the TV, don't power up the camera unless you are watching the screen.

 

You should see a momentary glitch as you power up (which confirms that the camera is receiving juice), then you may see some wavy horizontal lines that quickly settle into a blank screen (raster), followed (ideally) about 15 seconds later by a soft negative image that rapidly converts to a well exposed picture (we hope!). Don't expect it to be in focus though ... that would be asking a lot.

 

If you want to pop in for a coffee, you can borrow one of my PL259 (UHF): BNC adaptors ... now where did I put them ?

[Lloyd 0]

I did the testing today ... not very good results.

 

The camera powered up with a grey screen.

There is a darker grey horizontal line across the screen.

It's wide ... about 1/5th the total screen height.

It slowly floats from top to bottom.

That's about all it does.

No change on the screen when I pass my hand in front of the lens.

 

----

 

I tested the focus and zoom functions with 12VDC.

 

The zoom motor did not run.

 

The focus motor does run, and the gears rotate ... to a point.

There is a shaft with multiple gears on it that is acting like a slip clutch ... and it's slipping.

I tried to rotate the focus by hand expecting to see a little gear slop as I changed directions.

The assembly appears tight .... doesn't want to rotate at all.

I think the gears would do there job if the lens was free to move.

 

I plugged the iris contol into the camera, and turned on the camera.

The iris motor made a small movement and stopped.

That is what it does everytime power is cycled on.

 

Not looking good .....

[Cooperman 0]

Hi Lloyd,

 

It doesn't sound very good at the moment, but you need to tickle the circuits to see if there is any life in the tube.

 

At this stage, don't worry too much about the horizontal band.

 

Make sure that the lens iris is open; if you can manually open it to maximum (with the iris plug disconnected from the camera) do so, or at least leave it at around 50% open (only test in a room with normal room lighting).

 

When you power up the camera, wait approx. 1 minute, then very slowly adjust the "Beam" trimmer pot., and see if the screen changes in intensity.

DO NOT TOUCH ANY PART OF THE CIRCUIT BOARDS whilst the camera is powered up (I know you won't!).

 

You may see a 'solarised' part positive part negative image appear which will rapidly correct to a full positive image if you continue to turn the trimmer a few more degrees.

 

If you start to see an image appearing, but it is very soft or still part negative, then try a very slight adjustment on the "Set Up" pot. Try not to move too far off the current setting. Ideally you would want to adjust the "Target" setting, but I can't see a trimmer on the photo.

 

If you manage to achieve something approximating an out of focus image, you will need to adjust the optical focus (again by hand), and then if necessary, gently adjust the electronic "Focus" pot until the image is sharp across the screen.

 

If the camera were on the desk in front of me, I could probably tell within 60 seconds whether you are going to be able to revive it, but at this distance, remote control will inevitably be a little slower!

 

Incidentally, if you want to check the function of the lens motors, you can always remove the retaining screws and detach the motors for testing, so that you can see if they will turn without a load.

 

If none of this works, you may need to remove the tube to check the condition of the faceplate (target) contact, but that is not something to do just yet!

[mrlard 0]

Hello, have you found out any more information about your lens.

I have a Rediffusion camera with the same lens, and want to get it up and running for surveillance at the rear of my property.