Security Camera Power Supply Help

Hello, everyone. I'm new to the forums and mainly signed up to ask a question about power supplies and amperages. I'm just not sure where else to turn!

I purchased a set of security cameras (Night Owl Scorpion) for use in my home, and it comes with 8 cameras, two power supplies and two 4-way splitters. The set comes with eight 60-foot wires that encompass the video cable and power cable. The video cables plug into the back of a DVR unit and the power ties into one of the cables from the splitter.

I pre-wired my home for video when it was built to avoid having to run cabling, so the video wires are already in place. However, I need to deal with the power supply to each camera. According to the manufacturer, the cameras are 12v systems. I have a plethora of 12v "soap-on-a-rope" power supplies I've collected through the years, but they have varying amperages. Some supply 200 mA, and some go up to 2000 mA. First, is there a way to determine the required amperage for the cameras? Will it say what it is on the unit? Secondly, I know I need to supply *enough* amps, but what if the camera requires, say, 300 mA and I use a 2000 mA power supply? Will it fry the camera, or will it just use what it needs of the 2000 mA? (Does a 2000 mA power supply mean that it's just capable of UP TO 2000 mA?). As you can see, my understanding of electronics is limited!

If needed, feel free to ask any questions if additional information is needed. Thanks!

Jonathan,

What type of camera ?
IP ? CMOS ?


+++

If I'm reading the specs right, it looks like CMOS. Let me post this message so I'll have two posts, and then I'll post the link to the specifications (when I tried posting the link before it said that I must have two posts in order to post a link).

---------- Post added at 16:36 ---------- Previous post was at 16:35 ----------

Here's the link:

**broken link removed**

Up to 300mA per camera if you are using the IR illumination. A power supply with a higher current rating will be fine - the camera will just take what it needs. Just make sure it is 12V DC not AC.

Keith

Thanks so much! This makes things quite a bit easier.

---------- Post added at 23:54 ---------- Previous post was at 23:47 ----------

Sorry... one question that may seem off the wall. I also ran CAT 5e cabling along with the video cabling to each room in the house (I have 5 quad-shielded RG6 coax cables and three CAT 5e cables to each room... was done primarily for HD distribution). Could I use the CAT 5e for the power transmission to each camera? Put an adaptor on both ends of one cable... one to plug into the splitter and one to plug into the camera? I know the wires are pretty tiny... would it work if I bundled 4 of the 8 wires for neutral and the other 4 for hot? Or could I use one of the other coax cables for power? I obviously want to be safe here... so if it won't work (or is dangerous) that's fine.

Absolutely. Just use 2 pair for the negative and 2 pair for the positive. You can use those cheesy plastic covered inline coaxial power jacks and plugs. To make your adapters more robust, after soldering and testing them, mix up a small batch of epoxy and pot the connections, screwing the cover in place over the fresh epoxy. Be sure to put the cover on the cable before soldering the connections!

Ordinarily, I'm loathe to recommend these guys but for what you need, it's the quickest to get. Just remember, Radio Shack connectors often have lousy tin platings that don't solder well without extra flux and the plastic portions tend to melt while you're soldering so use a clip on heatsink or forceps. Size M Coaxial DC Power Plug (2-Pack) - RadioShack.com
Size M Coaxial DC Power Plug - RadioShack.com

That is TERRIFIC news! And this will be safe--correct? I'm not going to burn the house down. 300 mA at 12 volts seems small, but it still concerns me. I'm assuming the plug to the cams will be that standard 12v plug (I can't descirbe it, but all 12v "soap-on-a-rope" adaptors I have seem to have the same connector). Would you happen to have a link to the "cheesy" connectors? Is there a special kind of non-conducting epoxy out there, or are all epoxies non-conductive?

One risk with using the network cable for power is if you might accidentally plug something else in to it (such as a proper network). The 12V may blow something up.

Keith

LOL! You must have talked to my wife I'll be sure to put a skull and crossbones sticker or something on both ends.

I'm assuming that your Cat-5 just has raw ends for now. If you have connectorized it with RJ-45 already then you have the problem Keith mentioned to deal with. The most common size DC coaxial connector is 2.1mm X 5.5mm. I gave you links in an edit on my last post.

Commonly available epoxy is non conductive unless it has some metal in it. I usually use the gray marine epoxy since it sticks well to ABS plastic such as are common in electronic enclosures.

Good deal. And no worries on the RJ-45 ends. I have well over 100 cables coming into my media closet, and I have every single wall plate and adaptor I need to do the job. But hey--it's only been 3 years. What's the rush?!??!

Thanks for the links... I'll browse them ASAP.

---------- Post added at 01:28 ---------- Previous post was at 01:27 ----------

Yup--looks just like the connectors on my "soap-on-a-rope". I'll be running a few of these about 100 feet... will that still work, or will I need to use 3 wires?

You'll be fine with the distance. There will be a negligible voltage drop. If you want to get fancy on the safety issue, you can build or buy a small power distribution box with separate fuses for each line. Many commercial camera system suppliers offer this type product. 9CH DC 12V 10A Power Box [PB-DC0910-PTC] - $59.00 : 4SafeSecurity, Reasonably Priced Surveillance Superstore This is just an example, not a recommendation.

Be sure to read the literature that came with your system. There may be some kind of resettable fusing built into the power supply or it's splitter.

What about in-line fuses? What would that be... about 4w? Don't fuses come with an amperage rating? Do they make a 12v 300 mA in-line fuse?

Whether a fuse is in-line or not is a matter of housing or mounting, not the fuse itself. Voltage ratings on fuses are for the maximum voltage that will not arc across the remains of a blown fuse so anything over 12 is safe. 32V and 250V ratings are typical. What you're interested in is the amperage rating. There are many fast acting fuses that have an amperage rating of 0.4A (400mA). If you want to make it an in-line configuration, you can get in-line fuse holders. You can find these at auto parts stores for 3AG sized fuses. Other sizes can be found at the usual online suppliers: Mouser, Digikey, etc.

So using a 32V or 250V 0.4A fuse is okay, but NOT a 6V 0.4A fuse--correct?

Correct. The commercial power distribution panels use PTC resettables like this MF-R030: https://www.bourns.com/data/global/pdfs/mfr.pdf. Of course you'd have to make a small panel to hold eight.

Thanks for everyone's input. I'll be sure and post back my results once I have everything in its place!