Tech Forum

You guys need to understand that 1) your forum is on the web, not in a closed network, and 2) you allow guest to join the forum. Even though I knew the thread was on the LDS website, I made the huge mistake of assuming the thread was a general thread about helping each other setup PTZ cameras. Instead I found out that it was about rule breaking, and what right did I have to purchase the equipment I have. I'm with a completely different domination. I have nothing to do with LDS. So you need to put an a big fat note that the top of your forum that lets outsiders know this is all about rules and not about learning to improve camera system in a church regardless of your domination.

Your last poster and Michael are the only ones who posted some good meaningful information on the topic of cameras. I will look elsewhere for my information while ya'll ponder your rule book :0

tdurhamjr, I tried to personal message (PM) you but there was no option to do so.

I have a passion for what you are doing and I'd like to find out more about your set up.

Do you have the PM option to message me...Mike

If not, try this link PM

(edit: I just checked my box and found your previous one. Look for my reply...Mike)

michaelfish wrote:

tdurhamjr wrote:Do u know the realistic longest length the rs232 cable can be? I was planning on using cat5 or cat6 wire for the rs232.

It depends on the bauld rate and cable qualtity/type. The second post in this topic shows a chart listing the maximum length as 500 feet if you use 9600 buad (which is typical) over a category 5 cable.

And you can probably exceed that if you switch to RS-422. The camera supports that, you just need a RS-422 card or adapter on the computer.

tdurhamjr wrote:You guys need to understand that 1) your forum is on the web, not in a closed network, and 2) you allow guest to join the forum.

True and true.

tdurhamjr wrote:Even though I knew the thread was on the LDS website, I made the huge mistake of assuming the thread was a general thread about helping each other setup PTZ cameras.

That's not something we really considered. The general assumption is that everyone here is LDS. I think you're the first technical visitor that wasn't.

tdurhamjr wrote:Instead I found out that it was about rule breaking, and what right did I have to purchase the equipment I have.

As LDS, we have to work under rules that apply to all of LDS. We don't help each other break the rules. Had we known up front that you weren't LDS, you probably would have had a different experience. I suspected you weren't a member (we don't have sanctuaries) and tried to draw that out of you but failed to do so.

tdurhamjr,

I did not realize that you were not of our domination. I should have realized that when you said sanctuary. However, I thank you for the information you have provided and I will look into the items. We of the church have guidelines that we need to follow. Our leaders want us to keep the sanctity and the sacredness of the meetings we hold. So we have a limited budget and limited ability of what we can do.

I'm sorry if my post offended you, I was just reacting to the setup you have and I would love to have a setup like that, but again, I must follow what my church leaders allow me to do. I have to work within their frame work.

Terry

We just installed a new cat 5e cable going from our av rack to the camera, if you do some searching you can solder your own adapters to link the Sony viscapinout for db9 to rj45, and then on the camera end you make a rj45 to mini din connector using the 8 pin mini din pinout. Once that's done just take any old computer and plug in a USB serial adapter. We used control software from serial port tools website. $99 gets you the software licence for there ptz controller. This software allows you to use a joystick, save camera positions, and adjust most settings on the any Sony ptz camera. If you have more than 1 camera just run a cat 5 cable between the cameras solder on the mini dins using the Sony pinouts for camera to camera daisy chaining the signal. You can run up to 7 sony devices on one chain.

Please note that it is easier for you to start by building a db9 to camera cable, cut it in half, and than crimp on your 2 rj45 connectors on each of the halfs ensuring that all wires are terminated in the exact location of each rj45, when you install the cable be sure to terminate the cable with jacks, not the rj 45 mod connectors. This ensures that your control cable doesn't have a built in "possible point of failure. When adding more cameras to your chain, simply use the pinouts on the middle left hand side of the Immage below. Make the cable mini din to mini din, cut in half and terminate again exact locations on 2 rj45 connectors make sure to label the " din to rj45 dongles" control, cam1 in, cam1 out, cam2in ext. This is because all the dongles will have tere own separate pinouts


Also note that this pinouts works with and Sony evi camera, this covers the evi d30, d70, d80, and d100 cameras. All of which can communicate on the visca protocol.

Also note that the cameras running thru visca automatically address themselves first camera in chain is cam1, second camera in chain is cam2 ext ext...

Once your done building the visca chain, check your cameras dip switches to ensure they will " play nicely" than bring up the software. I use



Note the settings tab in the lower right hand corner, simply click that button and select the protocol they will use, Sony visca, pelco, Panasonic.... And select add camera. After that your set up to control the cameras via computer, if your going to use a joystick be sure to install Microsoft direct x before trying to control the cameras via joystick.

If you don't want to pay the $99 for controller, check out http://www.rnl3c.com/ptzc . It does all that and more (exposure and color control), and I'm not charging for it.

Also, I recommend RS-422 for longer control wire runs. A USB to RS-422 converter is about the same cost as USB to RS-232, and you don't have to deal with the mini-din 8 connectors. I just made screw terminal to RJ-45 cables for connecting to the camera and the RS-422 converter.

I just updated the camera controller software to work with Windows 8 and later, for joystick/gamepad input to control the camera.
http://www.rnl3c.com/ptzc

I am new to this. I do not blog and rarely check boards but thought this one might be worth it.
I have been helping with our stake's webcasts for years. I am now the leader of our webcast group since the others have moved away. I am most curious if the Sony EVI D70 is the norm and if it will stay the camera of choice for a while.

We use three cameras for our stake conferences. We used to daisy chain them but we now have a controller that can work with them individually (thanks to a local college who upgraded, we now have a Vaddio ProductionView controller). We still have two cat5 cables at each camera location (left, center, right) and a coax with BNC connectors. I have started using a video balun which sends the video over the cat5 cable and the picture is better. The BNC connected to the composite (RCA) plug of the camera. However, the balun plugs into the S-Video plug and converts it to the RJ45 for the cat5 (MuxLab 500016 S-Video Balun). We use another balun to bring the signal back to S-Video to go into our switchboard. We then send the signal throughout our building (overflow and cry rooms) and webcast it to another building in our stake.

We use the Vidiu webcaster with the Atluna converter. We used to use the less expensive converted until we had so many problems. Everything seems to work very well (when I remember all the right plugs).

We had problems with our regional conference in February. We decided to use the satellite feed as our fourth camera feed. This made it simple to change from local programming to the SLC feed. However, we had several times where the image would glitch, jerk, then momentarily go black, then catch up to the live feed. The audio stayed good the whole time.
Our other building tried to change from our webcast to the SLC feed but had problems. The sound and picture were so jerky they could not even understand what the speaker said. We eventually turned our webcast back on and let them view our feed. I know we were instructed not to webcast the SLC feed but we saw no other choice.

We also have members speaking Spanish. So we set up a room where translators watch our stake conference feed and translate it. The members can wear headsets to hear the translation while they watch from any place in our stake center.

Do most stakes have one camera? What do you use for members using another language?

Welcome to the forum Jim,

I'm sure you'll be able to gain a lot of knowledge from the website and if you have questions, it's also a good place to ask.

The Sony EVI-D70 is now retired and Sony's replacement is the EVI-D80. The two cameras are pretty much the same but the new EVI-D80 model has better resolution. The EVI-D70 is still a great model and SUPER inexpensive if purchased used (link).

A lot of the stakes in my area have upgraded from EVI-D100 or EVI-D70 cameras to Sony's broadcast model BRC-300. This professional model's picture and servo zoom are superior to the EV-D70/80 and can be purchased used for less than a new EVI-D80 (link). It uses the same VISCA protocol as the EVI line, so PTZ is control is the same AND super smooth - the only difference is the video connector with BNC instead of RCA.