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Installing DVR in a safe

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I think you just did. You trying to kill your own business or what.

 

They still have to be a good shot.

 

I think the Moderator should delete that.

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Just making a point ..

 

Also, if theive has cap, shades, bulky coat, as many do when they do armed robberies ... very very difficult to ever identify them .. so look into more vandal domes, more locations such as outdoors to catch any vehicles they may have come in, audio to pick up their voice, in case they call names, or give something else away, higher quality cameras and zoomed in closer on priority locations, and lastly, a high quality DVR ... no point in locking it down if it doesnt do the job right .. also with higher end DVRs you can set them up to email or ftp on motion detection.

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Very good point.

 

The whole setup is not real helpful if it is not thought out correctly and implemented. Many times budget constraints mess people up and that is where prioritizing comes in.

 

I need to run to the store and get a paint gun and drag out some of my heavy dark clothing so I can go get some money to do this project A litlte canister of heilum with a tube into my mouth while I talk will disguise my voice. I want to do right.

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You haven't described it very well and no pics at all, we'll help but we need more to go on. I could build a safe that fits in the truck of your car or one a semi couldn't move. The design makes a pretty good difference too.

 

From first post

"

Custom built gun safe is roughly 36"W x 60"H x 30"D.

Safe is sealed with gasket around door and grommets at

all locations where cables/wires come into the safe.

"

 

What else do you need to know?

Shell is 3/16" mild steel plate. Door is 1/4" mild steel plate (recessed).

Bolted to concrete with 5/8" x 2" anchors.

There is some additional steel plates in key locations and angled plates

beyond shell. There is also some insulation. No need to go into more detail.

 

The safe is to protect the valuables inside.

The dvr in the safe gives me better odds that I will get a person on "tape".

If someone wants in your safe or house they are getting in no matter what

you do.

 

I have neighbors that are home all the time. Usually outside, they keep a

good eye out for those who don't belong. They just caught a few guys a

couple weeks ago breaking into the neighbors house.

 

Basically the question is how hot do these dvr's get?

If they are in a sealed cabinet that is roughly 35 cu. ft. will they be able to

stay cool?

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DVR's get hot. Even Standalone units I would imagine. No doublt about PC DVR's. You've got the power supply producing heat, Intel Based CPU get extremely hot, Hard drives also and Video card all contribute to the majority of the heat.

 

You could use water cooling to keep the critical components like the CPU, Hard drives and Video card chips cool. Put the cooler on the outside of the safe to keep the water cool.

 

Then just ventilate the safe well so the DVR can pull air in an exhasut air back out. You will need ventilation even if you use a water cooler. Capacitors easily fail when they get overheated.

 

The DVR can still get wet, damged by smoke or fire, but more than likely data off the hard drive(s) will be recoverable.

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I still perfer the Dummy VCR trick.

 

All Electronics generate heat. Some generate heat more then others but in an area that has no ventilation you are going to get heat build up. Opening the door for a few hours will lower the tempature but not by as much as you think.

 

Can I make a sugesstion? If storage is this important, use a PC DVR and a NAS box to store the video on. Even if they steal the DVR you still have a copy on the NAS box. Or a USB Hard drive hiden in a crawl space.

 

Phoenix, if I may be so bold to make a suggestion, it's cards on the table time. One post with budget, needs, situation, etc and let the pros shred it. If you decide to do it yourself then you will have been told what not to do at least. But to be honest, I hope they convince you that it's worth the money to hire a pro. I have seen alot of do-it yourself jobs and they make me cringe.

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ahh now we are getting somewhere. Does the safe have a floor or is the concrete exposed? If that is the slab it would be a killer heatsink and almost totally uneffected by a reasonable fire.

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I still perfer the Dummy VCR trick.

 

If storage is this important, use a PC DVR and a NAS box to store the video on. Even if they steal the DVR you still have a copy on the NAS box. Or a USB Hard drive hiden in a crawl space.

 

 

Totally DITTO, if not NAS then just space on another networked machine.

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Is that what this was?

 

Well just secure the hard drive away from the DVR. Then you don't have to worry about losing the recorded data. And the VCR trick is sounding better and better all the time.

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thats more than I think he wants to spend on the whole job including DVR and cameras ... it was specified as a budget install in a couple other threads ...

 

Anyway he has the safe .. question is ... which DVR will he be putting in there .. more than likely it will be a budget 4 channel stand alone, so real question is, will that survive in the safe ...?? Will the HDD make it in that heat .. with no air? We put fans on our hDDs down here to make them run smoother and last longer as it gets so hot 99% of the year ... but not me, i just leave the sides off the PC and the HDDs hanging out the side ... food for thought //

Edited by Guest

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He can use an Active USB cables and extend the hard drive(s) far away from the DVR. That would solve the problem with costs of destroying a safe and any extra money wasted in that scenario.

 

Active USB cable to a hard drive my be right for you.

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After drilling with the hole saw I bevel the sharp edges & burrs with a Dremel tool and grindstone. Then I put electrical tape around the hole to protect the coax. If would be better to use a short piece of vinyl tubing or hose as a short conduit past the sharp edges, and run your coax in that. I don't seal the holes since I haven't done a fireproof safe for DVR use.

 

A fireproof safe is usually lined with a gypsum like material in the walls. In the event of fire the gypsum releases moisture that helps to cool the safe contents, and it acts as an insulator too.

 

If the fire gets so hot the safe is ruined, I think that's the least of your worries.

 

Ideally the safe should be installed over a concrete footing poured with 3/4" studs inserted in the wet concrete, bolted to the interior. That way the crooks don't cart the safe off.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CSG when you install a dvr in a safe do you keep the holes open?

Or do you use grommets or seals?

Most safe doors have a plastic looking gasket. Doesn't look like it will

seal the door, but during a fire the heat makes the gasket expand and

completely seal the door from smoke. Usually if the gasket expands

the safe has been exposed to too much heat and you need to get a new

safe.

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Darn Tony, we need to start a forum section just for this kind of thing ...

Sounds like you are talented in that area .. between you and CachecreekCCTV .. we could get a really decent "manufacturing" / building forum section going ...

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