Cctv Tech Help Required

[Def Cougar]

Arthur Ritus

 

I would have bought an extra cam, but engineers put them in and rush rush rush, bish bash bosh, move out of the way, take your money and run,  if you're an oldie.  That's what this company did, ran right out of business. lol.  Didn't even teach me how to use the DVR, so taught myself! Best way. I used to build and repair computers once upon a time.

 

[alarmingmark]

Ok …it’s connected via twisted pair cat 5 ….  A cctv camera is normally connected by a coax and power source, these days 12v dc….the negative is common with the ground  eg the outer shell of the bnc ….in other words if you get the negative of the bnc balun the wrong way round it can cause issues with all the other cameras …

[Def Cougar]

Hi

 

Checked above, made sure all whites (ground) in negative ballun slots across all connectors both ends (cams and power connectors) and colours all in positive slots.

Checked for any shorting of spare pair (not used) ends on Cam 5 shared pair sheath (not connected up to anything)...all taped up not bare. 

 

The only thing I found which I assumed to be a bit odd was an unconnected spare 2 pairs connector (connected to pairs) and its matching power jack.  Not connected to each other.  I thought the power jack might short out if accidentally touching my metal perforated shelves on which stands my DVR with open back. But it only seemed to have power running through it when  connected to the connector, because I tested it with my tester. So didn't know whether to leave it connected up or leave it unconnected as I found it. Connecting it had no affect on cams at all. (Spare for future expansion).

 

The sooner this site is sold the better, then possibly improvements can be made to the design.  The time out settings are rubbish for oldies typing technical problems.  Have to keep signing out and in again.

[Def Cougar]

Hi all

 

Just to finish of the sorry tale, so as not to leave anyone with a genuine interest or similar fault hanging.  After all my experiments and tests, including climbing up and looking into a camera finding no damp, and much frustration, I went online to various forums, and the more I read, the more I thought the power adapter might be the cause.  So I rang a CCTV security company to come out, and bingo!  One test of his amp meter and it confirmed it was the power adapter failing, hence why 1, 2 and 5 came on fully functional when the power to 3 and 4 was unplugged.  The shared reduced ampage (?) output couldn't supply all 5 at once any longer.  As soon as the new QVIS power adapter with 4-way splitter was attached, all 5 cameras came on, fully functioning.  The guy got my CCTV service business, and  servicing of the alarm  for the future, and I allowed him to put new boxes on front and rear for my alarm too. He's working on something else for me now too. Not expensive either. A rare find in the CCTV/alarm contract world in Sheffield. He didn't make me go wireless either, with either system, with some newfangled alarm system you can set when you're at the other side of the world. Useless to OAPs who don't go anywhere.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Def Cougar