PTZ Camera has no Control
From EZWatch Wiki
A lack of responsiveness or control from a PTZ camera can have a large number of potential causes. This article will go through each of the causes in depth.
The potential reasons for lacking control are :
- Not enough Power reaching the PTZ Camera
- Camera and Controller are not using identical Protocol/Baud Rate
- Camera and controller are not communicating on the correct channel
- The communication wires have become disconnected, were mis-wired, or suffered damage
- The camera internal motors or circuitry have failed
Diagnosing the issue is absolutely critical - RMA's can be time consuming and may not fix an issue, re-wiring can be expensive and difficult. Please follow through each step as it is presented here; this guide will walk you through each of the fixes for this solution in the best order.
Not enough power reaching the PTZ Camera
This issue is fairly common when using certain types of cable or when not using the included Power Supply with the camera. If the camera says 'Camera Error' or 'System Initializing' and that message does not disappear after a few minutes, please see ou r[EZ-TRACK Won't Initialize] page.
Otherwise, ensure that the camera power wire is thick enough for your run using the System Wiring Guide. We do not recommend using any pre-made cables with any of our PTZ cameras, with one sole exception : You CAN use the WSD-120 premade PTZ cable with the ASH56 and CD55 series cameras, because those cameras use 24V power. The EZ-TRACK uses 12V power and as such the WSD-120 will NOT suffice to power that camera.
Camera and Controller are not using identical Protocol/Baud Rate
This is an extremely common issue which affects half to three-quarters of the total number of PTZ control problems. This occurs when the camera or controller are not communicating using the same language and speed.
The first step is to determine what protocol and baud rate that your camera is using. The easiest way to do this is to disconnect your controller, and power cycle the camera (Unplug power, wait 10 seconds, plug power back in). After the camera initializes, it will tell you the protocol and baud rate that the camera is operating on.
For the ASH56' and CD55 cameras the protocol will be displayed as 'P003' or 'P004'. P003 refers to the PELCO-D protocol and P004 refers to the PELCO-P protocol. For the EZ-TRACK camera the Protocol is listed as plain text (It will say Pelco-P or Pelco-D on the screen). The BAUD rate should appear as 2400, 4800, 9600, or 19200.
Check your controller settings to adjust the controller to match the camera's protocol and baud rate. Instructions for the various controllers are here :
- Configuring an AU40E or AU40Z joystick
- Configuring a TRP-C08 Control Module
- If you are using a 3rd party controller please consult the manual that it came with for instructions on chanting those settings.
Camera and controller are not communicating on the correct channel
Assuming that the camera and controller are now both on the same baud rate and protocol, the controller you are using must be controlling the correct address. With most cameras this is very straight forward, but with some cameras it may be more difficult to set up.
To identify the camera address, power cycle the camera as stated previously. Among the protocol and baud rate info, the camera address will be listed. Be sure to mark this address down.
When using the PELCO-D Protocol :
All cameras are configured the same, where the controller address MATCHES the camera address exactly.
When using the PELCO-P Protocol :
The CD55 and ASH56 cameras are set up such that the controller address should match the camera address exactly.
The EZ-TRACK cameras will have the controller address and the camera address off by a single digit. What this means is that if your camera address is address 00, then the controller will control that as if it were camera 01. If your address if 04, then the controller should be set to camera 05.
The communication wires have become disconnected, were mis-wired, or suffered damage
If there has been work done on or near the camera's mounting location, it is possible that the cable running from the camera to the controller could have come loose or been disconnected. It's also possible if it has been disconnected, then re-connected then it may not have been connected correctly.
Ensure that the communication wires running the RS485 signal from the camera are securely fastened on both sides of the wire. Ensure that they have not been reversed by accident (That + still runs to +, and - still runs to -). If you need to test the cable for continuity (to make certain it hasn't been cut or broken somewhere between the two points, disconnect the cable on both sides and place a 12V power source on one end of the cable, and a multimeter on the other to determine if the power is reaching the whole way. So long as some voltage is being received from the power supply then the cable should be unbroken.
The camera internal motors or circuitry have failed
If all other steps have failed then it is recommended that you Contact Us and speak with a technical support representative who will be able to judge if the camera itself needs to be replaced. A damaged camera motor or circuit could case the issues described in this article but cannot be repaired except by an EZ Watch Pro authorized technician, and as such the unit will likely need to be sent in to us for servicing.
