cctv camera no image

What could be the cause of a cctv camera suddenly having no image? There is still a power LED coming on, but no signal coming through. I have tested the voltage on the BNC output and it shows 0V.

Reply to
e.david6
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Well you should not have any voltage on the BNC connector. You should have 2 conductors for power. But if the led is on then you have power. So either the BNC end went bad especially if it is those junk twist on ones or something blew the camera. I have had that happen twice in the last couple weeks

Reply to
resistors4

Suddenly having no image? What brand of camera is this? How old is the camera? Was there a spike, surge or lightning event recently? Depending on your meter, what you have the meter set to measure, and what scale you have it set on, it shouldn't be reading 0 volts. Are you measuring right at the back of the camera or the cable to the camera? You might want to check to see if the camera is getting the proper voltage input per instructions (like 24 VAC) before checking the output. Is this the only camera on the system or are there other cameras working and this one is odd man out? If you have other working cameras you could move things around to see if the problem follows the cable/connector, the camera, the power supply or the port on the DVR/VCR/monitor.

Reply to
Just Looking

If there IS a voltage to be read on the BNC, it will be an AC voltage, but I wouldn't count on that as an indicator. Best way to test this is to hook up some sort of monitor or TV directly to the camera. If there's no picture, then the camera is likely dead.

One other possibility, however, if the camera has an auto-iris lens (ie. a wire runs from the lens to the camera), is that the iris driver is dead and the camera is working, but the lens is essentially blocked internally. A quick test for this is to take the lens off with the camera hooked up; if the iris is your problem, you'll get basically a big white blur.

Reply to
Matt Ion

A video signal on the camera output will have a 1 volt ptp signal. Hook it up to an O-scope if you have one. Could be that the CCD crapped out or some other part of the camera died.

I would make sure that the camera is the problem but if you have the specified incomeing power and nothing coming out, replace the camera.

Cheers

Reply to
jewellfish

What kind of connectors are you using? Have you tried re-doing them? What kind of camera is it? Does it have a separate power supply? Have you checked that the power to the camera is of the correct voltage?

Reply to
Frank Olson

checking your video cable port

Reply to
Brittany

Wow, what a response. The camera is Ademco acm574tpx. It's monochrome and I don't have the lens fitted. No idea of its age and no idea what happned to it as I got it from an online auction. There's some capacitors inside and I'm tempted to buy an Atlas ESR meter to test them.

When I first switched it on, I saw a fuzzy image on the screen and then it all went black. It has an internal power supply which is

20-29 V AC. I tested it with a DC supply. It would be nice to repair it as it's a decent camera.
Reply to
e.david6

Reply to
Roland Moore

That is incorrect. At the BNC connector you will typically see about

1V, P/P.

That is also incorrect. Twist-on connectors have been in use for years without failing. You have to strip the cable correctly to use them effectively. Soldered or press-on types are better for high def signals. However, very few CCTV systems are HD.

That or a loose connection are the most likely culprits. If there are other, functioning cameras in the system, swap the bad with a known good one. First try swapping BNC inputs at the DVR or monitor end. If the problem remains the same the DVR or monitor has a problem. This isn't as likely but it's the easiest thing to check so do that first.

If the problem follows the swapped input, restore it and swap the camera with a known good one. If the problem stays the same it's a bad cable or BNC connector. If the problem follows the swapped camera, then the camera is at fault.

Regards, Robert L Bass

formatting link

Reply to
robertlbass

Regards, Robert L Bass

formatting link

Reply to
robertlbass

Lets see if I have this straight, you switch it on, get a fuzzy image for a few seconds before it died and you think it's a decent camera?

Reply to
Mark Leuck

Try> > On Oct 29, 2:21 pm, snipped-for-privacy@ntlworld.com wrote: > >

Reply to
Roland Moore

Will you ladies be comparing penises next? Just let me know, so I can leave the room...

Reply to
Matt Ion

thought about getting one of those. what so you think, are they worth the price?

Reply to
Group Host

Reply to
Just Looking

When you have a dispute with a DVR manufacturer over issues like dropping a camera from the grabber card, or a recording freeze up, many times the DVR manufacturer blames the camera manufacturer (or the installation itself and therefore you). If you install ground isolation transformers and such to fix the problem, and nothing you try seems to be working to fix the issue, in many cases measurements with instruments like these are the only way for the higher level DVR tech support guys to take you or the problem seriously. On problem installations a meter like this can be a life saver. Fortunately those don't happen often. So I guess it is a function of the volume of installations you perform to decide whether or not to get a meter like that.

Reply to
Just Looking

That poster was wrong. However, it's rarely necessary to check the output voltage.

Nope. I usually used a small monitor to aim and focus cameras. CCTV wasn't a major part of my business until I started selling online. Now it accounts for around $500K a year in hardware sales but I don't install any more.

I've thought about that before but I really don't want the hassle of leasing equipment. Most jobs don't require anything special anyway. The usual tools are a basic meter, a couple of screwdrivers, a drill, a soldering gun and some wire cutters. Pros use more advanced tools mainly to save time but when you're only doing your own home you rarely need anything advanced.

Reply to
Robert L Bass

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