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TonyNo
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| Posted: August 21 2004 at 17:09 | IP Logged
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Thursday night, when I returned from a business trip, I found that I needed to add more cameras to my house  , and, find an inexpensive way to switch between them.
I happened to find, at a local Menards, some low-cost security cameras (Philips Magnavox PM61760, $29 each). The cameras come in a nifty, black, spherical housing that allows for wall, or, ceiling mounting, and is rotationally adjustable in two axes. It is a wired camera with a microphone, comes with 60' of cord that has a PS2 connector on the end, and an adaptor that splits out video, audio, and power to three separate connectors.
I also picked up a Pinnacle Dazzle ($69) which digitizes video. When I installed it, I realized that this was a low-res (320x240) device. I have since found and ordered a different unit made by AVerMedia that is 720x480, and, USB2 to boot.
My plan is to tie the video outputs together through RCA-Y adaptors and selectively power each one up, using appliance modules, to select the desired one.
More later this weekend when I finish!
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TonyNo
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| Posted: August 22 2004 at 10:54 | IP Logged
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Well, everything works well!  I'm using a delay of three seconds to let each camera shut down before the next comes up; I'll need to see if I can reduce that time.
I also found another webcam program (www.yawcam.com) that handles FTP, HTTP, and streaming with a Java applet. The only problems I see is that it does not support passwords, and, when running, it uses ~40MB of RAM (compared to <4M using WebCam2000).
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mustangcoupe
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| Posted: August 26 2004 at 20:07 | IP Logged
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Tony,
check out tincam... I found that I liked that one when I was looking(I dont remember why though...) or you could use the streaming function to a pasword secured webpage
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Todd Hannemann
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 PowerHome - UPB - ELK
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TonyNo
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| Posted: August 26 2004 at 21:00 | IP Logged
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Todd,
Thanks for the tip; I'll check it out. I have been using WebCam2000 with good results.
Tony
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TonyNo
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| Posted: August 30 2004 at 20:47 | IP Logged
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I checked out tincam. It does not seem to support passwords, which I want. :(
Tony
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dhoward
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| Posted: September 02 2004 at 17:30 | IP Logged
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Thats the same problem I have. Webcam32 says it supports passwords but it never asks and serves up video anyway.
What you may be able to do is set the webcam port up so that it is unreachable from the internet (by configuring your router so that it doesnt route to that port) and then using the PowerHome redirect web command. This way you could make PowerHome require a password before it retrieves the camera graphic image. Im not sure if this would work with a java applet but shouldnt be a problem for the javascript auto refresh. After Frances (hurricane) is out of my way and the next release is out, I'll play with it and let everyone know.
Dave.
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TonyNo
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| Posted: September 02 2004 at 18:51 | IP Logged
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Sounds good. FYI, passwords work in WebCam2000.
I was able to reduce the switching delay to zero with no ill effects.
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hardwear wolf
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| Posted: September 30 2004 at 11:35 | IP Logged
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Does anyone have a pinout for the Philips Magnavox PM61760 camera (6 pin DIN connector ) Looking to hack a PM 61757 switcher for composite video but can't find any info. Any help will be appriciated !!!!!!!!!
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TonyNo
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| Posted: September 30 2004 at 13:10 | IP Logged
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Hey! I have those cams!  I guess you didn't get the breakout cable with it/them?
I'll try to check the pinout for you tonight.
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TonyNo
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| Posted: October 02 2004 at 19:16 | IP Logged
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This took longer to get around to doing than I thought...
1 - N/C
2 - N/C
3 - Com
4 - Power
5 - Video
6 - Audio
Here is a pinout pic courtesy of Google.
HTH
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hardwear wolf
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| Posted: October 02 2004 at 22:10 | IP Logged
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Thanks very much ! I picked up the switcher at a surplus place so there was no info at all.I want to switch cameras with RCA connector outputs so this helps greatly... Wolf.
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fanningp
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| Posted: October 05 2004 at 16:32 | IP Logged
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wow...I havent been in here in a LONG time......I've let my PH system go and my RF switches are out of whack...I've got to get back into shape....
Tony...are those Philips cameras from Menards working out ok? Did you have to convert the ends to RCA or are there adapters to go from PS2 to RCA?
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Pete Fanning
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TonyNo
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| Posted: October 05 2004 at 20:25 | IP Logged
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Pete,
Time to catch up!
The cameras are working great! Another good thing is that they are B/W, so, the high-power IR floodlight I'll be getting will work wonders at night. As for the ends, mine all came with adaptors that split out into two RCA's (video and audio) and jack for the wall wart; not sure what happened with hardwear wolf's.
Tony
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hardwear wolf
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| Posted: October 06 2004 at 22:36 | IP Logged
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Hi again,All I bought was the 4 camera SWITCHER,not the cameras.The cameras I want to use have RCA connectors only,hence,no breakout cables.I will replace the "ps2" connector with RCAs for the video only.This will eventually be used to automatically switch the cameras on a network "radio" site so listeners can see the DJ at work.
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TonyNo
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| Posted: October 07 2004 at 06:43 | IP Logged
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Ah! So, the switcher was apparently made for those cams?
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fanningp
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| Posted: October 07 2004 at 10:39 | IP Logged
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Quote: Originally posted by TonyNo on October 05 2004
As for the ends, mine all came with adaptors that split out into two RCA's (video and audio) and jack for the wall
Excellent.....I'll have to pay a visit over to Menards....oh...and we ARE entering THAT CHRISTMAS season too, arent we <evil grin>.....
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Pete Fanning
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hardwear wolf
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| Posted: October 07 2004 at 23:16 | IP Logged
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Hi TonyNo, Yes the switchers take 4 PM61760 cameras and will automatically or manually switch through them.There was no manual with the unit I bought so I'll have to play with it a bit.I'm going to see if I can get a couple more at the same price, so if you want one let me know ...(you also will need a 12v power source)
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fanningp
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| Posted: October 08 2004 at 14:10 | IP Logged
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Tony I stopped in at Menards and couldn't find those cameras....usually their in electrical by the home security stuff and the doorbell stuff but no go....was this stuff discontinued?
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Pete Fanning
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TonyNo
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| Posted: October 08 2004 at 14:35 | IP Logged
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Could be. It would certainly explain the low price!
I'll look around this weekend and see if I can find some more (I have a few stores in my area).
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hardwear wolf
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| Posted: October 08 2004 at 14:42 | IP Logged
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Hi,TonyNo,I picked up a couple more switchers today,if you want one to play with send me your mailing address through Private Messenger & I'll send you one (my treat!)...Wolf
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Topic: Weekend Security Camera Project
