jack in oz

Jack, can you post a pic?

Hi, DIYer as well- so take this with a grain of salt. I have a similar front porch as you do and I'm about to fit a dome camera to that area. My current plan is to mount the dome to the roof of the porch centrally above the door looking down the stairs. That should catch visitors/intruders as they walk up the stairs. Can you mount a dome camera to the wall directly above the door? If you paint the housing of the dome camera a similar color to the wall it shouldn't be too noticeable.

Hi All, I have a Korean made Samsung SHC-735 box cam (made 2007) with a Computar 3.5-10mm 1:10 DC lens. It will be mounted outside under a decking and the area I'm monitoring will be in shade most of the day. I'm in the process of adjusting the settings via the OSD prior to installing it in its housing. I would like to get the settings as close as possible to optimum on the workbench, rather than try to adjust them while I'm up a ladder. Unfortunately the user manual is poorly written and doesn't give much (if any) background info for setup. I'm a bit confused by the LENS menu. There are 3 options under LENS. They are VIDEO, DC and MANUAL. When I select DC I get a submenu called BRIGHTNESS. The manual says I can set the display brightness between 1-70. In fact, I am only able to set it between 1-40. I guess this is a function of the lens? The next main menu is EXPOSURE with a submenu called SHUTTER. SHUTTER has potentially 3 settings: A/FLK, ESC and MANUAL. For ESC the user manual says: "Select this to control the shutter speed automatically. If ESC is selected, the shutter speed is automatically controlled depending on the ambient illumination of the subject." However, ESC is not available for selection if DC is selected in the LENS menu. It is only available if MANUAL is selected under LENS. The user manual confirms this. So, should I set the LENS to MANUAL and SHUTTER to ESC, or LENS to DC and SHUTTER to MANUAL? Cheers

Hi, the lens is auto-iris DC. It has a lead connected to the camera body. If I read your post correctly I should set LENS to DC and SHUTTER to MANUAL. Is that correct?

I have a Samsung box camera I intend to fit to my garage to monitor my driveway. It will be installed in an aluminium housing. My preference is to mount the housing to a TV antenna bracket bolted to the brick wall of the garage. This would allow me to mount the camera anywhere between 3m and 4.2m above the driveway. Here is the style of bracket I'm talking about: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=LT3200&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=1016#4 I will need to make an adaptor of some sort to fix the housing to the pole. I have a metal lathe, so that shouldn't be too difficult. I would run the Cat5 down the centre of the pole and thru the wall. I would appreciate any feedback on the pros and cons of this type of camera mount.

You are correct, that part number is the PAL version. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available in any English speaking country. No problem, I have a saved search for a used dome on EBay. I can also get a new Samsung (at a price ) if EBay doesn't turn up anything.

Thanks Soundy, I can see the pic now. It looks good in black. I wasn't aware that the monalisa was the chip-set. The camera you linked to has much better specs thah the one I linked. And it's cheaper. Pity it's NTSC. I'll see if I can source a PAL one from the UK.

cctvman, Thanks for the feedback. I saw similar poles to the one you linked during my initial googling, but I found they are very expensive. Soundy, True, the alarm box is pretty obvious, but I guess you WANT an alarm box to be obvious. No need to make matters any worse. The photo of the black dome you posted doesn't show up for me. I just get a little blue square with a question mark in it. I'm glad to hear you have done plenty of wall mounted domes. Just to confirm tho, do domes maintain their weatherproof rating when mounted on walls? As you can see, there are no eaves on the garage to protect the camera. Or are some models rated for vertical mount and others not? I found a CNB dealer in Oz that has a monalisa dome: http://www.bgwt.com.au/index.php?id=55 And also this vandal proof model: http://www.bgwt.com.au/assets/files/VBT-24_5_Z10F.pdf Waiting to hear back on prices. Are either of those models OK? There's also this samsung on ebay oz: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Samsung-SCC-931TP-Digital-Colour-Dome-Anti-Vandal-Dome-Camera-/400270965325?pt=AU_Security_Equipment&hash=item5d32023a4d#ht_10486wt_1075 1 Lux seems pretty poor though. EDIT: price of CNB vandal-proof dome model VCB25-VF is OZ$203 or USD215. How does that compare to where you are?

Thanks shockwave. I tend to agree. I can't envisage any way of mounting a box camera without it detracting from the look of the place. I might save the box cameras I have for the sides of the house that aren't visible from the driveway. If I buy a dome camera, would it be OK to mount it where I've drawn the red circle in the photo below?

Hmmm, 34 views and no responses yet. I assume most of you guys don't mount cameras on poles then? So, how DO you mount cameras on low buildings and keep them high enough to be safe from being deliberately damaged? I could easily mount the camera on a wall bracket, but it would be reasonably easy for a burglar to reach up and tear the camera off the wall. Should I be worried about that possibility? Anyone coming down the driveway has already been recorded on the DVR anyway, so maybe it's not an issue?

I've taken a couple of pics which I hope will help. Plan A is to bolt the antenna bracket to the wall next to the alarm box in the photo. The camera will be pointed up the driveway towards where I took the photos from. My concern with this type of bracket is that they aren't very sturdy. They are certainly strong enough to support the weight of the camera, but I don't know how much it will sway in the wind. Plan B is to cut a hole in the metal roof and use a thicker pole (say 32mm galvanised steel pipe) with a dektite flashing. The pole can then be secured to the timber trusses at two points which would be very rigid. One problem with this plan is if I ever want to move (or remove) the camera, I'm left with a hole in my garage roof that has to be sealed somehow. Over to you.

I'm using one of these for the IR extension: http://axium.co.nz/products/IR/ It works well. I was given it, so I don't know how much they cost.

according to this website, up to 135m: http://www.avaustralia.com.au/products/VGA-Over-Cat5-Balun-Pair-(up-to-135m).html cheers

yes, that is with a computer monitor connected. I'll try plugging something else in and see if the options change.

I need to buy a monitor for my CCTV system. It will be mounted in an alcove above my kitchen fridge. The largest monitor that will fit in this space is a 32”. As I won’t be able to reach the monitor to switch it on and off, it will need a remote. That rules out a computer monitor, so I’m looking at a 32” LCD TV. My no-name brand DVR (8ch, D1) has 2 video outputs. One is a BNC connector labeled “CVBS” and the other is VGA. From what I’ve read in previous threads, I will get better resolution if I use the VGA output. There are plenty of big-brand TVs with VGA inputs. The DVR and monitor are about 10m apart, so I will need a long VGA cable. The resolution of the TVs I have researched is 1368x768 (16:9). My DVR setup menu has only one selection for HD Output. That is labeled “VGA (1280x1024).” My research indicates this is actually SXGA with an aspect ratio of 5:4. So, I’m confused. What is a 32” LCD TV going to do with the DVR’s 5:4 aspect ratio? Will it attempt to stretch the picture to 16:9, or will it letterbox the picture? I don’t really care either way, so long as the picture is not distorted too badly.

Soundy, My DVR outputs 1280x1024 from the VGA port. According to the setup menu, this is the only resolution available from the VGA port. I don't think it has DDC. Stanislav, I will try to test the TV with a VGA signal.

I'd say it depends on the type of PS you are using. If it's a switchmode PS I wouldn't be adding any capacitance to the output. If it's includes a linear regulator like an LM338 it should already have a capacitor at the output. In fact, any properly designed PS should not need "tweaking".

I need to buy a monitor for my residential CCTV system. I would like to install the monitor in the alcove above the fridge in my kitchen. The space is 870mm wide. The DVR is in a cupboard about 8m away, so the cable from the DVR to the monitor will be about 12m long. The DVR has both VGA and video (BNC) outputs. So, my options seem to be either a small LCD TV or large LCD computer monitor. The monitor seems like the cheapest option, but I’m not sure how I would go about drawing a VGA socket through the two wall cavities. I’m also unsure about how long a VGA cable can be without excessive loss of signal. What do you guys recommend? Jack

Thanks and sorry for the late reply. Will look into both options

Hi there, How are you going to do the voltage conversion? Is that 24VAC for the camera and 12VDC for the LEDs? Sounds like a good solution.

Thanks again. I ordered the Rhino crimping tool today. It should arrive Monday.

Thanks Numb-nuts, I'll buy the Rhinotools kit. I wish I'd bought one 20 years ago. Cheers, Jack

Where do you get these ferrules from and what type of crimping tool do you use?

Hi, I've been offered a used one of these cameras. Can anyone with experience of this unit comment on its quality and suitability for outdoor surveillance? Jack

My camera enclosure has two vent holes in the bottom. They look like good places for bugs to enter. Can I seal them over, or are they required for cooling?