Need to rewire camera for DIY night vision?
I have a homebrew NV setup that uses the following camera/dvr combo: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251100939498?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
It has been a decent setup, primarily because the camera is good. The dvr has been hit and miss – the battery would run out of juice fast, the date would randomly reset itself, and now the plug where the camera plugs in is only intermittently getting any signal from the camera. So I think I am going to go with the backup camera monitor and cctv battery option, as I don’t really need to record. The only hitch is that the plug in the dvr supplied the camera with power as well as provided a video input, and with the backup monitors, they are separate. Is there a special splitter I can get to solve this, or will I need to cut open the camera cord and splice some wires? If so, is there a tutorial somewhere that shows how it’s done?
Thanks,
Chris
All Replies
Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
Alrighty, here’s where I’m at tonight. I tore into the camera wire, and I found a 4th wire in there – black. So, I am guessing that the wires go Red+/Black- to power, and White+/Green- to camera. So, I could just cut these and splice on RCA plugs, and be good to go, and save myself the hassle of buying a new camera, right? If I did this, and I hooked BOTH the camera and the screen up to a 12 volt rechargeable battery, do both get 12 volts, or is it 6 volts apiece? Finding a 12 volt rechargeable is a snap, but finding a 6 volt one is proving to be a bit of a challenge. Is it worth the hassle to hunt down a 6 volt rechargeable battery, or would it just be easier/better/cost effective to just get a 12 volt camera? I have been eyeing this one:
Then all I would need is a battery, power splitter, and monitor, and to take the 12mm lens off my other camera and put it on this one.
Thanks again,
Chris
I went and looked at the setup again, the mic is on the cable not built into the camera, but on the cable.
Red is +5
White is +Vidio
Green has to be Ground (normally black)
so camera power 5V
Red to + battery
Green to –battery
So screen is
White for + vid
Green for – vid
A standard vid cable(the type on a tv, vcr,ect is or the one that comes with the new screen)
Center +vid (should be yellow)
Outside -vid (should be black)
Remember use a 6 volt supply..a 12v setup will trash the camera
screen again…cut a standard rca cable or the one that comes with the new screen)
White to yellow
Green to black
As a side note…I had that exact same camera…I had the exact same problem…bad connection.
So I just opened it up, and there are 3 wires going into the camera that I can see. The red is labeled power, the white one is video, and I cannot tell what the green one is, as it is all bunched up around the spot it is soldered to. All of the wires look to be in good condition, and the seem to have solid solder joints to the board. Do you think there is a fourth one jammed in there somewhere that I am not seeing?
I don’t have a voltmeter to see if the camera is getting any juice, but if I plug the camera into the jack on the dvr and wiggle the plug, I get a picture that blinks in and out. Based on this, I believe the camera is likely okay, and the DVR is the problem. Any ideas?
Thanks again,
Chris
Here is my best guess…on how that setup is wired. If you can take the camera apart and verify with a voltmeter before cutting any wires. It would be a good idea to do all your wiring from the camera end anyhow, that way you don’t bugger up the original cable and can save it.
4 wires inside to camera..
Red + 5
Black – or ground
Yellow = Video+ And Black=Video ground
White if present= Audio or mic+ once again Black= Audio ground
so you just take the Yellow and Black and send them over to your new screen, on its own battery
However Im sure that that camera is a 5 volt camera, and all those screens are all 12V.
I have been told that those screens will run off a 6V supply, but I have never tried it.
You could try to power it all off a 6v battery pack..I heard it works, but have not tried it.
Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
The Chinese don’t really follow our normal wiring system and color codes.
Everything gets a ground..period, everything.
Double ck the wires that go to the actual camera..is there a black at the camera?
The camera requires only 3 signals/3 wires,+v,-v or ground, and vid out.
We know red=5v,white=vid, that 3rd wire is it Green or Black
You said the camera pcb board was marked Vid=white, so it must be so.
How the camera should be.
Red=+5
Black=ground or -(or is it really green)
White=vid out
From the camera a RED+ and a BLACK- go to the 5V battery for camera
From the camera a WHITE and a BLACK go to the RCA connector (WHITE to CENTER, Black to OUTSIDE)
Now you need to figure out if GREEN is ground or BLACK is ground
If there is no BLACK going to camera ..the GREEN has to be ground
If there is a BLACK to Camera,,then green is for something else..like the microphone
Here is a better battery choice +5 and 12v.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Excellent-Quality-12V-5V-6800mAh-13000mAh-Blue-Super-Rechargeable-Li-ion-Battery-/251735708260?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item3a9c9e1264
The camera you picked looks pretty good. The IR filter needs to be removed. The IR filter need to be removed on every camera ever made. They don’t really make cameras for us NV guys, they are all designed for the masses and daytime usage.
With the IR filter removed you will get 100 yards easy with a decent light.