Help please

[carinlynchin 0]

I bought a camera that uses 12v/500mA. The power supply is 12v/2A. I also bought some cables ... 4 150ft pieces all connected to a total of 600 ft. The camera works fine...during the day but the IR is horrendous at night. Advertised at over 100ft but only is like 10ft...and barely even that. I read that low power symptom is dim IR. So I don't have to replace all the cable.. can I just find a higher amperage power supply? I figured I could do higher voltage but someone said I'd fry the camera... I don't get it though because I figured they are relative... voltage * amps ... so if amps goes up then total power goes up... or if voltage goes up with same amps then total power goes up... I'm kind of lost. I'm not an electrician...took some courses while in the military but I'm not that good at it. Please help. I need to watch my pregnant horse at night and i just can't see her in there... there is no power at the barn. Please someone help... i've spent hours looking at calculators and trying to learn about the voltage drop but I can't get the numbers right and I don't want to fry my cam. Thanks in advance.

[tomcctv 190]

Hi can you list your camera.... 100f will be sales talk

 

Also list your cable type

[carinlynchin 0]

Hi can you list your camera.... 100f will be sales talk

 

Also list your cable type

 

This is it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J21DFGE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

These are the cables (totalling 600ft with 4 of them connected)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZDXCAAM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

and this is the power supply

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0147V94OA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[tomcctv 190]

Hi. The cable kits are useless for CCTV .........they don't work at short distance never mind the distance you need.

 

The power side of the cable is too small to carry your power. And just changing the power supply will not help.

 

Buy something like this and use red and yellow for + and black and green for - power

 

https://www.amazon.com/Security-Burglar-Alarm-Cable-Speaker/dp/B00CHPVC4Y/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496095019&sr=1-6&keywords=Alarm+cable

 

Also use a better power supply.

 

https://www.amazon.com/HDView-Certified-Transformer-Security-110-240V/dp/B019X48KK0/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496095305&sr=1-4&keywords=12v+5amp+power+supply

[GadgetAssistant 0]

Hello. Try powering the camera from an outlet as close to the camera as possible. The longer the cable run, the more likely that the current will drop in the cable due to attenuation.

[carinlynchin 0]

Thank you @tomcctv.... . I can't do that cable because I havent done cable in like 10+ years... i remember doing coax once and regular wiring but that was it. But I think i will go ahead and buy that one power supply. I mean it works....its just that i need a bit more juice to get the IR brighter. I'm pm'ing you

[carinlynchin 0]

Hello. Try powering the camera from an outlet as close to the camera as possible. The longer the cable run, the more likely that the current will drop in the cable due to attenuation.

 

 

The only issue is that its in a barn that has no power (yet). Thats why i was hoping for a power supply to add some juice because the cam works great on its own.. its only hwen the IR turns on that it is too low because the IR should be much much brighter. (I read that is one of the symptoms of not enough power.)...

[carinlynchin 0]

Hi. The cable kits are useless for CCTV .........they don't work at short distance never mind the distance you need.

 

The power side of the cable is too small to carry your power. And just changing the power supply will not help.

 

Buy something like this and use red and yellow for + and black and green for - power

 

https://www.amazon.com/Security-Burglar-Alarm-Cable-Speaker/dp/B00CHPVC4Y/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496095019&sr=1-6&keywords=Alarm+cable

 

Also use a better power supply.

 

https://www.amazon.com/HDView-Certified-Transformer-Security-110-240V/dp/B019X48KK0/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496095305&sr=1-4&keywords=12v+5amp+power+supply

 

 

 

wonder if this one is better? more amps?

 

https://www.amazon.com/BINZET-100-240V-Converter-Adapter-Transformer/dp/B00PK0N14M/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496115226&sr=1-13&keywords=power+supply+12v

[tomcctv 190]

Hi bigger amps will do nothing

 

If you have a 2amp cam it will only pull 2amp

 

In you cable kits ... power side ..... the cables are not thick enough to power your camera over that distance

 

Which is why I posted the link to cable that will (only power side

 

And the power supply link was only for one better than yours

 

But looking at specs ..... don't expect 120ft IR from that camera ... more like 60ft

[carinlynchin 0]

The barn is about 50ft long so that would be fine if I could just get the power right. I looked for some pre made cables since I don't have the right tools to put on the connectors. I can't find any like 14 gauge wire or anything. I looked at a chart online that said for 500mA to go about 700ft I'd need 12 gauge and to go about 480, a 14 gauge. Do u know where I can find those gauges in a premise Siamese?

[Boogieman 1]

It sounds to me like you're getting voltage drop along the cable due to the small gauge of the wire. They're really not designed for use over such a long distance.

 

If you are not able to make up custom cables, I have a suggestion for you. It is not an ideal, long term solution but would work for you until you are able to power the cameras locally. You said you'd be getting power to the barn in due course.

 

If the video signal is working fine then use the existing cable for that. Use some larger gauge wire (can be speaker wire if you have some) and use DC Plug/Socket connectors such as these:

 

https://www.orangesecurity.com/product/accessories/cat5-video-baluns/dc-plug-screw-terminals/ - Camera End

 

https://www.orangesecurity.com/product/accessories/cat5-video-baluns/dc-socket-screw-terminals/ - Recorder End

 

All you need is a screwdriver to fit these and a pair of wire cutters to strip a little bit from the end of the cable.

Rule number 1, never take advice from someone like orange security that spams a forum trying to promote their own site.

[Orange Security 0]

It sounds to me like you're getting voltage drop along the cable due to the small gauge of the wire. They're really not designed for use over such a long distance.

 

If you are not able to make up custom cables, I have a suggestion for you. It is not an ideal, long term solution but would work for you until you are able to power the cameras locally. You said you'd be getting power to the barn in due course.

 

If the video signal is working fine then use the existing cable for that. Use some larger gauge wire (can be speaker wire if you have some) and use DC Plug/Socket connectors such as these:

 

https://www.orangesecurity.com/product/accessories/cat5-video-baluns/dc-plug-screw-terminals/ - Camera End

 

https://www.orangesecurity.com/product/accessories/cat5-video-baluns/dc-socket-screw-terminals/ - Recorder End

 

All you need is a screwdriver to fit these and a pair of wire cutters to strip a little bit from the end of the cable.

Rule number 1, never take advice from someone like orange security that spams a forum trying to promote their own site.

 

Spamming a forum would be going back into the archives and posting on long dead threads where the OP is likely doesn't even remember the forum! Anything I am offering advice on is relatively recent. Either that or it would be going through and posting on every thread. You'll notice I've not commented on every thread either.

 

I have come on here to offer helpful and constructive advice. In this particular post that is relatively recent, I have suggested a temporary solution to the OP that could well help given his current situation. It sounds like this is going to change soon (i.e. power being provided directly to the barn) and he doesn't want to be making up cable ends.

 

Rather than making unhelpful comments at me, why not attempt to help the original poster?

 

For the record, if it helps, I'm more than happy to remove the 2 links in this thread to products and find generic images on Google to show the chap what he needs to make my temporary suggestion work...that would mean you editing your post as well. Up to you?

[the toss 0]

carinlynchin you are right in your understanding that current , resistance & voltage are all inter-related. But its not that hard to understand. Think of your power supply as a water tank on a stand connected to a hose. The higher the stand is above ground (voltage) then the higher the amount of the water (current) that comes out the hose (resistance). Changing the height (voltage) or pipe diameter will cause a change in flow(current).

Now with your camera you have a power supply that is 12V and CAN DELIVER 2Amps. Now lets say your cable has a "return" resistance of 3 ohms and the camer a requires 0.4A (400mA) then the voltage that will be dropped over the cable length will be current x resistance 0.4A x 3^= 1.2V. So now the voltage at the camera is only 10.8V instead of 12V. The camera may well work at this voltage BUT things get worse when the IR comes on.When the IR comes on the camera may now require 0.8A (800mA) to function. 400mA for the camera AND 400mA for the IR. Do ing the same calculation the voltage drop over the cable run is now current (0.8A) X resistance (3^) = 2.4V. Now the voltage at the camera is only 9.6V.

The problem with having a higher voltage power supply to compensate for the voltage drop when the IR is ON is that when the IR is OFF the voltage will be high at the camera and may cause a problem.

 

Hope this helps