PTZ DS-2DE4425iW-DE(T5) not panning? (tilt and zoom ok)

[fport]

Hi,

I have had some PTZ DS-2DE4425iW-DE(T5) installed lately, and some of them are not panning.
I can see from the switch that PoE power draw increases when I select pan button from web interface, but the camera does not pan.
Tilt and zoom work as expected.

Unfortunately it is a very remote site and have not had a chance to visit and establish if on power up sequence the usual ptz self movement checks are carried out.

I am trying to control it from the camera's web interface.

Image looks fine and there are no other indications of issues.

What could be possible issues?
Is it common for gearing, motor or such internal mechanical parts to not work? The installers are new and not me, so could be issue, ie rough handling.
Could rotating the dome by hand break internals?
Fact power is drawn seems to suggest motor runs but not engaged with housing?

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions to try!


FP

 

[Kyle]

Hi @fport - if it's an issue that's affecting multiple of these cameras, then it is worth making sure you are running the most up-to-date firmware in case it is a bug with an early version.

If you check the System > System Settings > Basic Information page for the cameras, the version currently installed will be listed there.

The latest firmware available is V5.8.0_231109, which can be downloaded here.
If you need them, here are the instructions for updating the cameras' firmware.

 

[fport]

Thank you Kyle for the prompt reply.

I was not very clear on it: only some cameras seem affected.

The on screen osd pan indicator changes, but no physical movement takes place.

If there was not enough power to the cam could this explain it?

 

[Kyle]

Yes, there's a chance it's a power issue so it's worth checking you have enough power budget on your POE or alternative power source.
If you're using POE, are the cable runs to your cameras all within 100m?
It's definitely worth checking the firmware and your browser is up to date in the first instance anyway.
You could also test in iVMS-4200, as you can add cameras from remote sites to it, in case it's linked to the browser access.

 

[fport]

Hi,

I have some more information.

When booting the cameras up the affected cameras show this on the OSD:
'PanTilt checking failed'
What can be reasons for this to be reported?

Also worth noting that the OSD shows the pan angle changing on command, but there is no physical rotation of the dome.
Tilt and zoom do work.

Can manually rotating the dome break it?
Unlikely but if something got snagged at some point, say a wire, can the mechanism also break?

I do not think it is a power issue because I turned off all the other cams on the same PoE switch, and the issue still persists.
Cables are less than 100m yes.
Software version is 5.8.0, camera version 2.00. Browser is latest Chrome.

FP

 

[Phil]

Are these new cameras?

There may be a pan drive belt, which may have come off or snapped.
But, we have never known of issues with this / never seen this fault or error text reported.
I doubt that normal manual handling would break the belt or cause it to come off.

It's very unusual that you are experiencing this issue with multiple cameras newly installed at a single site ...

 

[fport]

Hi Phil,

These are brand new cameras yes.

FP

 

[fport]

Hi,

Finally managed to get a a hold of the cameras. I opened a few up and they all have the same issue.

Here is a description of the image in case it is not showing: the pan gear is shattered in all cases, about 3-4 pieces. The broken surfaces are clean and shiny, almost like broken glass, or hard plastic being hit with a hammer for example. There are bits of gear plastic still attached to the housing around centre of the gear and cable entry. There is no evidence of wear, ie ground plastic or metal.


These cameras are panning all the time. They are about 4 metres up and not easy to reach at all. They were working when installed.
The environment they are in gets pressure washed once a month. Been installed for about 7 months.

My only theory is that accidentally or on purpose they get a water jet that is powerful enough to give the camera a torque shock and break/crack the gear. Intentional or malicious we do not know.

Because of the volume of data we discard video and have not been able to check this theory.


Anyone seen anything like this before?

Really appreciate any input!

FP

 

[Phil]

Nope, never seen that happen before!
Your theory sounds feasible.

 

[fport]

Hi all,

Hik support say they have never seen this before. This is very surprising to me but will take as true.
My next step is to try and prove my theory by trying to break the gear when the camera is panning.

Did some numbers on how we use the cams: we pan 360 deg over 30s, with 4 stops spaced 90 deg.
We control the cams by the ISAPI interface (not great API, and docs are awful with lots of hidden stuff too).
We give the cam a full speed command until we hit the desired pan angle, wait a few seconds then repeat.
Rough calculations give me 23k start and stops per day.

We were wondering if these start+stop events are too sharp and can lead to torque shocks.
If there is any crack/defect in the plastic it can grow like fatigue failure till break.
I add another closer pic of the broken surfaces.

Any theory at this point is welcome!

Thanks
FP