Hikvision DS-2CD2032 - Built-in IR vs IR Spotlight vs No IR

[bart]

Hi All,

My first post here. I just purchased a high-power IR illuminator and took some snapshots to test the differences of the different lighting scenarios. I needed something to light up a car parked on the street. I couldn't find any reviews on this illuminator, but the specs looked good. Hopefully these pictures will help others who might be looking for something similar.

In case anyone's wondering, the IR illuminator is the LBIR-850-35 from superbrightleds.com:


Here are the test pictures...

This first one is with NO IR at all:


Next is with the IR lights built into the Hikvision cameras:


Next is with the addition of the high power IR illuminator. I wanted an illuminator that could throw some light onto the car out by the sidewalk. I have the illuminator temporarily located inside in a window that is just a few feet above the porch light on the right side of the pictures. The car out there is about 70 feet away.


Lastly, here's a shot with just the high power illuminator on and the built-in IR LEDs turned off, just to see how well it performs alone. It's definitely a spotlight:


This light is definitely worth it. The cheap IR illuminators on the internet typically don't have any current-drivers built in. This one can take anywhere from 12 to 28 volts and it regulates the current so the LEDs don't burn out from being over-driven. Of course, I've only had a couple days. Time will tell, but I have a feeling it's built to last.

 

[bp2008]

Nice comparison pics. You can never have too much IR. And indoors even a cheap wide angle illuminator can do wonders for the overall brightness.

Here is my pitch-black garage as seen by a Hik 2032. During the day the only source of light is that little window. The cam sees much better at night than it does during the day



Beside the Hik is a CMVision IR30 (http://amzn.com/B001P2E4U4), and the bright spot in the upper left is another night vision cam.

You can see a small part of my networking rats nest in this pic I have since cleaned it up a little bit.

 

[Mike]

Great posts, both of you! @bart that looks like a nice illuminator, I'm going to have to check it out. Is the red glow of the LED's really noticeable at night?

 

[bombo]

Great Pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[vector18]

Nice comparison, thanks

 

[bart]

Great posts, both of you! @bart that looks like a nice illuminator, I'm going to have to check it out. Is the red glow of the LED's really noticeable at night?

Thanks! The illuminator is 850nm, so there is a red glow just like the LEDs built into the Hikvision cameras, and since the LEDs are higher power, it's more noticeable. To me, that's fine - even if the cameras were completely disguised, most people probably wouldn't know what the faint red glow is for; and if they did, it would keep them guessing and it would serve as a deterrent. If I get a chance, I'll snap a picture of the red glow and see if I can put it into some perspective. The glow is still pretty faint.

 

[Mike]

Thanks! The illuminator is 850nm, so there is a red glow just like the LEDs built into the Hikvision cameras, and since the LEDs are higher power, it's more noticeable. To me, that's fine - even if the cameras were completely disguised, most people probably wouldn't know what the faint red glow is for; and if they did, it would keep them guessing and it would serve as a deterrent. If I get a chance, I'll snap a picture of the red glow and see if I can put it into some perspective. The glow is still pretty faint.

Sounds good, thank you!

 

[networkcameracritic]

I tried a few inexpensive (and what I mean by inexpensive, less than the $900 paid for a Raytec RM100) and they all work well except they don't last more than a few months. All I can say is look for ones with a good warranty in the US (or what country you are in) because you may need it.

 

[bart]

I tried a few inexpensive (and what I mean by inexpensive, less than the $900 paid for a Raytec RM100) and they all work well except they don't last more than a few months. All I can say is look for ones with a good warranty in the US (or what country you are in) because you may need it.

"You get what you pay for" certainly applies to a lot of LED products - especially on Amazon or Ebay. Of course, those are probably significantly cheaper than the sub-$900 products you're talking about. I'm referring to the ones that are less than $100. One reason I went with the illuminator I got is that it has built-in current regulators to protect the LEDs, and since it's built for the automotive world, it should be able to handle the transient voltages in the chaotic automotive electrical environment. It seems like they have the LEDs underpowered. They're rated for 3 watts each, and are running at about 1 watt each according to the specs.

Do you have any info on your failed LED illuminators on your website?

 

[networkcameracritic]

No, didn't do a review on it, but did post about it. It was awesome, cost about $40 bucks, rated for 80m, which means it worked well to 80' and had a nice wide spread, used 8 lights, it's this one on Amazon, they have a 12v and 110v version. I went through 2, one lasted a month, one lasted a few months - http://www.amazon.com/OKEBA-Vision-...94656997&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=263'+IR+8+lLED

 

[bart]

No, didn't do a review on it, but did post about it. It was awesome, cost about $40 bucks, rated for 80m, which means it worked well to 80' and had a nice wide spread, used 8 lights, it's this one on Amazon, they have a 12v and 110v version. I went through 2, one lasted a month, one lasted a few months - http://www.amazon.com/OKEBA-Vision-...94656997&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=263'+IR+8+lLED

That looks like a great deal if it would last. Based on the specs, I'm willing to bet, while they have the 120v to 12v converter, it doesn't have a current regulator. Current regulation is typically what makes the LED arrays more expensive. Without more pictures, it's hard to tell if there is enough thermal management. Maybe the LEDs were regulated correctly but didn't have proper heat sinking. For $40, I might give one of those a try but I'll probably take it apart first!

Sounds good, thank you!

Here are a couple pictures - one showing the little mini-bullet camera with the built-in IR LEDs, and the other showing the red glow in relation to the lighting on/in the house. The front porch light is just a 60watt equivalent CFL.

 

[networkcameracritic]

Heck, just been using it as a paperweight for over a year. PM me your address and I'll mail it to you. Maybe you can figure it out and get it working and tell us all the secret of how to make one last. I still have the other dead one mounted in my backyard, sad reminder.

 

[bart]

Heck, just been using it as a paperweight for over a year. PM me your address and I'll mail it to you. Maybe you can figure it out and get it working and tell us all the secret of how to make one last. I still have the other dead one mounted in my backyard, sad reminder.

Thank you for shipping it. I picked it up today and took it apart this evening. Before I get explain what I found, I understand this thread has become a bit off topic from the original intent - which was to show IR comparison shots. To the admin: If this thread needs to be moved to the Hardware > Accessories section, feel free to move it.

So anyways, on with the show. The construction is pretty cheap - definitely cutting corners to keep this at $40 or less. Here's the arrangement of the insides:



My first thought was terrible thermal management. The circuit board that the LEDs are mounted on is an aluminum substrate board. There are no other heat sinks so this board acts to dissipate all the heat generated by the LEDs; which, initially, doesn't seem like enough surface area to dissipate enough heat. Not only that, but in a sealed container, where does the heat go? I'm guessing that's why they don't offer these lights in black - the white is to reflect any outside sources of heat (like the sun). There is a small fan mounted between the current regulator circuit board and the LED board. I guess that's a makeshift attempt at an active thermal management solution. I really thought these LEDs were fried, but that is not the case. The LEDs still work. Here's the culprit:



This harness connects from the current regulator circuit board to the LED module board. The two outside wires (red and black) supply the LEDs while the inside wires (green and yellow) connect to the photo resistor (day/night sensor) on the LED board. Notice the red wire. For some reason, it took a beating. Typically RED = positive (+) and BLACK = negative (-), but this is reversed. That red wire is actually the negative/ground wire coming from the LEDs. This thing is definitely lacking quality control!



I powered the LEDs (without the current regulator) by stripping the wires and supplying about 7 volts (the LED array likely takes 7.6 volts) and they worked. So it turns out the LEDs seem to be just fine. Then, I thought the current regulator board was fried. I powered it up, temporarily connected the LED module, and it actually worked. I didn't connect the photo resistor, so since that circuit was open, it mimicked a night situation and defaulted the power to be on (night mode). I also didn't have the fan plugged in.

In conclusion, this unit does actually have a current regulating circuit (Anisem AS3145 buck converter) so the LEDs were generally protected. While the harness did have a bad connection due to the wire getting fried, that may not have been the only thing wrong. The AS3145 buck driver has a thermal cutoff circuit in it. If the driver overheats, it will temporarily shut off. Anyways, over all, the manufacturer needs to put in a bit more effort - even if the illuminator is only $40.

 

[networkcameracritic]

Good job. Is there anything that can make these last longer that can be done easily, maybe a heat sink, maybe lower the power to the LEDs.

 

[Mike]

Thank you for shipping it. I picked it up today and took it apart this evening. Before I get explain what I found, I understand this thread has become a bit off topic from the original intent - which was to show IR comparison shots. To the admin: If this thread needs to be moved to the Hardware > Accessories section, feel free to move it.

So anyways, on with the show. The construction is pretty cheap - definitely cutting corners to keep this at $40 or less. Here's the arrangement of the insides:

View attachment 79

My first thought was terrible thermal management. The circuit board that the LEDs are mounted on is an aluminum substrate board. There are no other heat sinks so this board acts to dissipate all the heat generated by the LEDs; which, initially, doesn't seem like enough surface area to dissipate enough heat. Not only that, but in a sealed container, where does the heat go? I'm guessing that's why they don't offer these lights in black - the white is to reflect any outside sources of heat (like the sun). There is a small fan mounted between the current regulator circuit board and the LED board. I guess that's a makeshift attempt at an active thermal management solution. I really thought these LEDs were fried, but that is not the case. The LEDs still work. Here's the culprit:

View attachment 80

This harness connects from the current regulator circuit board to the LED module board. The two outside wires (red and black) supply the LEDs while the inside wires (green and yellow) connect to the photo resistor (day/night sensor) on the LED board. Notice the red wire. For some reason, it took a beating. Typically RED = positive (+) and BLACK = negative (-), but this is reversed. That red wire is actually the negative/ground wire coming from the LEDs. This thing is definitely lacking quality control!

View attachment 81 View attachment 82

I powered the LEDs (without the current regulator) by stripping the wires and supplying about 7 volts (the LED array likely takes 7.6 volts) and they worked. So it turns out the LEDs seem to be just fine. Then, I thought the current regulator board was fried. I powered it up, temporarily connected the LED module, and it actually worked. I didn't connect the photo resistor, so since that circuit was open, it mimicked a night situation and defaulted the power to be on (night mode). I also didn't have the fan plugged in.

In conclusion, this unit does actually have a current regulating circuit (Anisem AS3145 buck converter) so the LEDs were generally protected. While the harness did have a bad connection due to the wire getting fried, that may not have been the only thing wrong. The AS3145 buck driver has a thermal cutoff circuit in it. If the driver overheats, it will temporarily shut off. Anyways, over all, the manufacturer needs to put in a bit more effort - even if the illuminator is only $40.

Thanks for sharing your pictures and experience. No need to move this to a separate thread unless you want me to, you're the OP

 

[bart]

Good job. Is there anything that can make these last longer that can be done easily, maybe a heat sink, maybe lower the power to the LEDs.

Without knowing the exact manufacturer of the LEDs and how much overhead the current regulator, day-night switch, and fan take up, it's hard to come up with a good voltage. However, although the light indicates 12v, it wouldn't hurt to maybe use a 9 volt or 10 volt supply instead. The higher the input voltage, the more work the current regulator has to do drop that voltage and current down to the level required by the LEDs. I don't believe this current regulator is a switch-mode regulator so the amount of heat it generates is directly proportional to the difference between input and output voltages. If you minimize that difference, it should help keep the circuit cooler as long as it doesn't inadvertently slow down the fan. This would probably be the easiest thing to do. Maybe one of those universal power supplies from RadioShack would come in handy.

Something else that might help would be to ditch the harnesses and solder the wires directly to the circuit boards. Based on the burn marks, it appears the connection was loose and became intermittent, which caused it to heat up. Without any exact measurements, I'm estimating that the power going through the red and black wires is 7.6volts @ 1 Amp - which, I feel, is decent amount of power going through those tiny wires and harnesses.

Thanks for sharing your pictures and experience. No need to move this to a separate thread unless you want me to, you're the OP

Thank you! I'm fine with it staying put - but I wanted to throw it out there in case others felt it was too off topic.

 

[RDC]

Having never tested a separate illuminator can anyone tell me:
Can you position a illuminator anywhere, ie 20ft away from the camera - so long as its light is pointing into the cameras field of view? or are they designed to go next to the camera?

 

[n4gry]

Having never tested a separate illuminator can anyone tell me:
Can you position a illuminator anywhere, ie 20ft away from the camera - so long as its light is pointing into the cameras field of view? or are they designed to go next to the camera?

Put it any where you want so it is lighting up the area that the camera is looking at...

 

[bp2008]

Having never tested a separate illuminator can anyone tell me:
Can you position a illuminator anywhere, ie 20ft away from the camera - so long as its light is pointing into the cameras field of view? or are they designed to go next to the camera?

Infrared works just like any visible light, except human eyes are not sensitive to it. You want to illuminate the side of the subject that is facing the camera, of course, but besides that it doesn't really matter where you put the illuminator.

 

[bart]

It turns out the LEDs are working fine. They must have enough heat dissipated to keep going. The problem is with the day/night switch circuit. It's fried, so I just have it bypassed. I've been turning it on every night and it's been holding up. I took it apart again and the wires look ok, too. They aren't melted or burned like last time.