PTZ Dome Recommendations

Cat5 should be fine for your RS485, normally I use a 4-Core Screened belden type cable for simplicity (power and data on the one cable, and I have it for other tasks as well you see). Depends on length really to be honest.

The new autodome is great. The

is great too. It makes getting the right part number to order a lot easier.

I don't know about RS432. I have heard of RS232, RS422, RS485 but not RS432. What are you going to use to control the dome? If it is a DiBos you can just use up the coax controls, if there is coax there now and you don't want to run new wire. Otherwise you should use the wire type the manufacturer specs for the communication protocol you plan to use. Bilinx or Bi-Phase are Bosch PTZ control protocols. If you're using a video switch that doesn't use those protocols, you may need to use a Bi-Phase converter to get all the features out of the dome.

I have used Pelco Spectra II and Pelco Spectra III. They are ok, with some of the older ones seeming to hold up a little better than the newer ones. Indoor installations seem to have almost no problems. I have not used the Bosch Autodomes, but there are some guys here who will swear by them.

I'm getting ready to install several of the Spectra IV domes in specialty indoor application. We shalls ee how they hold up, but like I said, I've had almost no problems with any of the indoor applications.

I think for outdoor applications I may spring the extra money (if the customer will pay for it) to try the pressurized domes next time around.

Not sure what RS432 is. I'm pretty sure the Pelco Spectra Domes all use RS422. Some other domes use RS485. I have not had any issue with upto

1500' combined length controlling Spectra II domes over 18ga Shielded with drain grounded at the recorder. One thing to bear in mind that might make your life easier. Spectra Domes can be controlled over the coax (coaxitron) also without using a seperate RS422 communication pair. Some DVRs support this control directly. Some only support a limited set of the commands over coaxitron. Its worth asking, and may save you some headaches.

Bob La Londe

Thank you all for the input. Sorry about the typo, I meant RS485. Since there is a DM Sprite 2 already I was planning on using the DM remote keyboard.

Are there other domes at the same level of quality that we should be considering?

I've installed a number of Spectra IIIs, they're good units; I hear the Spectra IVs are a good step up, but I've not used one yet.

I'd suggest running a single piece of Cat5e to the camera and using baluns to run control, video AND power over a single line -

for example. If you're using PTZ systems that use Coaxitron protocol (control signal is fed over the coax) you can use a solution like this: It costs a little more this way, but it's a hulluva lot simpler than pulling multiple wires of different types... plus, you then already have Cat5e in place if you ever upgrade to IP cameras later.

Whoops, meant RS485...

>

These are nice cameras:

Go to this website:

Go to Line 5, it's an American Dynamics Speeddome, he has it setup to control over the Internet. He's using just serial cable, it's a short run, so just RS-232. Line 4 is a Speeddome Optima, it's being controlled the same way.