Guest Posted October 3, 2007 Hi! I am now working on setting together a new camera program/camera range. Personally I like Dual Voltage best and then 24V AC and then 12V DC. It would be intresting to know what other like/dislike when it comes to what voltage too choose for cameras. As I see it; First it dosent matter what voltage it is, then is it that most outdoor cameras and then PTZ in special is almost always a 24V AC, so then you need to have 2 different voltages if having a mix of 24V and 12V. I always use a centralized power supply, if not to long distance, so then I need 2 instead of 1. So that is the main reason I like Dual Voltage/24V AC best. Also I have a feeling that 24V AC is more stable, but that I have no reason only a feeling to think! JD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rory 0 Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) 24VAC, longer runs and wire can go either way (reverse polarity). You can get dual voltage PSUs also. Edited October 3, 2007 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CCTV_Suppliers 0 Posted October 3, 2007 24VAC, longer runs and wire can go either way. You can get dual voltage PSUs also. Like this one? http://www.altronix.com/index.php?pid=2&model_num=ALTV1224C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rory 0 Posted October 3, 2007 24VAC, longer runs and wire can go either way. You can get dual voltage PSUs also. Like this one? http://www.altronix.com/index.php?pid=2&model_num=ALTV1224C Yup, only thing is limited to the amount of cameras per supply, sometimes you have no choice but to use multiple supplies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CollinR 0 Posted October 3, 2007 I like dual. (We are in the cam section guys. ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
survtech 0 Posted October 3, 2007 99.9% of the cameras we use are 24VAC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CCTV_Suppliers 0 Posted October 3, 2007 99.9% of the cameras we use are 24VAC. In our case, 0.1% of the cameras we use are 12VDC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scorpion 0 Posted October 4, 2007 I plug my cameras in to 120 volt AC. I have not been able to get any of my cameras to work so I do not have an opinion as of yet, but I will keep you posted. Maybe I will try the 24/12 as an option? LOL! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RickA 0 Posted October 4, 2007 dual voltage, then 24vac and 12vdc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kensplace 0 Posted October 4, 2007 I like dual voltage, with a wide dc range (say 12 to 30v dc allowable), easy to replace fuses and robust screw terminals for the wires. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RickA 0 Posted October 4, 2007 Scorpion, this may seem like a stupid query, but when you plug the cameras into 120 was there a funny smell and smoke? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted October 4, 2007 Scorpion, this may seem like a stupid query, but when you plug the cameras into 120 was there a funny smell and smoke? Since I think we got it now, with 24/Dual on the top. What about stories we could tell about mistakes and things that did happend and that brake stuff, made a lot of smoke and smell and even big bangs? JD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
survtech 0 Posted October 5, 2007 I plug my cameras in to 120 volt AC. I have not been able to get any of my cameras to work so I do not have an opinion as of yet, but I will keep you posted. Maybe I will try the 24/12 as an option? LOL! You may laugh, but I have worked on 120VAC cameras. The Panasonic WV14xx series of Newvicon cameras came in 24VAC, 120VAC and (I seem to recall) 220VAC. They used to be fairly popular around here. A grocery chain that I serviced in '95/'96 still had a few of them in some stores. Some of those were 120VAC. Remarkably, at the time they were paying a company many thousands of dollars a year to rebuild the cameras instead of replacing them when the tube died or had burn-in (a common problem with all tube sensors). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scorpion 0 Posted October 6, 2007 Hey RickA, How did you know???? LOL! The only problem that I have is most manufactures of pigtails will put a marking stripe on the +, and once in a blue moon I will run it to a batch that has the stripe on -. There I stand scratching my head trying to figure why one of the cameras are not working! It may also be that someone cut off the power lead to a bad xmfr, and threw it in the mix, and I just ended up with it on an install. Some of the techs think that it is funny that I do a continuity check when I cut the power lead of a xmfr. It makes it a lot easier for troubleshooting later if I precheck everything as I go. I do not trust the stripes! I get the last laugh when I call other installs to ask hows it going? OH yea? Too bad! Me? I am on my way back to the shop! Call me, and let me know how it works out!! Now who get the last laugh! If you want to have some fun insert an electrolytic cap in to the extension cords, and watch the face of the new hires as they plug them in, and they here a pop!! Now you can ask the new guy Hey! What did you do to my drill?? If you are working on a rack, and you are firing it up for the first time you can do the cap trick, or you can take a piece of card board, and go to the back side of the rack where the tech cannot see you as he hits the on switch. Light the piece of cardboard, and then fan the flame out right away. As the tech smells "smoke" you get to watch their wild stepping dance as they rush back to the rack to turn it off, or they run for the wall plate to unplug it!! LOL! Oh my goodness I am so demented! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SureVeillance 0 Posted October 6, 2007 Since I think we got it now, with 24/Dual on the top. What about stories we could tell about mistakes and things that did happend and that brake stuff, made a lot of smoke and smell and even big bangs? JD Well, this is a little off topic, but as long as you brought it up. I was using a CAT5 cable to access a GE/Kalatel DVMRe remotely using a KTD-405 keyboard. It combines signal and power over the cat 5. I was in a hurry and needed to re-purpose the cable for a network connection. I unplugged it from my keyboard and plugged into my network switch and promptly blew out my switch because the other end was still trying to send power to the keyboard. Expensive lesson. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scorpion 0 Posted October 6, 2007 Ouch! In 1981, I was trying to set up a second monitor to a video game called Donkey Kong. Everyone was crowded around it trying to watch the game play. I set up a second monitor on top of the game, and I learned a new catch phrase. "Isolation transformer"! New loan for $2000.00, extra monitor $600.00, owning the best gameroom in town, blowing the video game, and losing a friday nights worth of income, learning a electronics on the job; PRICELESS! I paralleled all of the wires to included the monitor's AC. I learned a second phrase "faux pax"! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kifertech 0 Posted October 7, 2007 yeah, AC 24V is more useful for clients, bank project always use AC 24V, but Dual power is more convenient. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kao 0 Posted October 12, 2007 We pretty much use dual voltage cameras and 24v power panels all the time now, however we have installed a fair number of 12v installs. For those installations the clients had independant electricians or on-site staff pull the cabling...which meant a lot of the cables crossed lights and ran parallel to line voltage. We had speced the job for 24v but many of the pictures were distorted due to the poor cabling job. Before telling them to have some of the cables re-done, we plugged in 12v cameras and installed a 12v panel. For whatever reason, the 12v cams/panels came thru nice and clear. All those installations are up and running to this day and looking good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
