Bullet Camera with barrel diameter of 75mm?

TheWaterbug

Getting comfortable
Oct 20, 2017
895
1,879
Palos Verdes
TL;DR version:
  1. POE IP bullet with cylindrical housing of 75mm OD to fit inside a 3" ID ABS housing
  2. Close focus of 4" or better, as this will be looking at owlets inside a box
  3. RTSP, because I'm using ffmpeg to push this to YouTube
  4. Resolution, frame rate, and other features are not critical
  5. $100 - $150? Is that reasonable?
The camera looking into my OwlBox seems to have died, so I need to replace it. Here it was before I put it up a tree:

MicroSevenCamInsideOwlBox.jpg


The housing is a piece of 3" ABS pipe that measures right around 76mm ID. In a previous BeeCam project I'd had a Reolink RLC-411 in tube just like that, and it fit more or less perfectly, as its OD is 75mm:

InteriorCameraThruBaffle.jpg


I didn't/don't want to use a Reolink camera because they have problems in low light, especially with stuttering in the RTSP streams, and this is going to be looking into a box that's almost always dark inside.

The box is now 20' up a tree, and it would be very difficult to bring it down, so I need a camera that I can just connect to the cable and then slide into the housing with one hand, while my butt is hanging out in free space (e.g. modifying the housing is definitely not a preferred solution):

OwlBoxMountedFromBelow.jpg


So I used an old MicroSeven camera. It has a square profile, so I actually used a bunch of spray foam in an attempt to make it cylindrical, so that it would effectively "plug up" the ABS baffle and prevent drafts inside the box. I don't have a piece of glass to block the opening into the OwlBox because the IR lights would reflect off it it too horribly, which is why I want something with a round profile that's as close to 75mm OD as possible, without going over:

MicroSevenCamOutsideOwlBox.jpg

MicroSevenCameraSprayFoam.jpg


That worked OK, but good gawd it was fugly, and it makes the camera pretty much unusable in any other application. Of course any other application is now moot, since the camera seems to have died in the latest rain.I want to avoid having to modify the shape of my new camera, if at all possible.

Any recommendations for a camera with this form factor? In this particular application the form factor is really critical! Thanks!
 
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how about remove the pipe and try cram one of the IPC-T5442TM-AS 2.8mm without the base/skirt in the hole of box ? Great camera for night vision. Andy sells them on amazon.


looks like it’s 3-1/4” dia.
View attachment 78121

Thanks, but I am really, really trying to not modify the box, because of the reasons I noted above. I need some sort of baffle/tube to provide some level of enviromental isolation at the entrance to the box, because if it's too drafty the owls will not move in. That's why I want to camera to "plug up" the opening, and why the tube is quite long.

If I jammed a sphere into the hole, I would need to find some way to secure it, which means taking the 65 lb. box down out of the tree, which is very, very difficult.

I also will need to do camera maintenance from time to time (like right now!), so I'd like a "mounting" system that allow me to go up the steps, grab the camera with one hand, and pull it out, and then do the reverse to put it back in, without having to fiddle with any hardware.

So the form factor is really my main requirement for this application.

Anyone know of a cylindrical camera of the appropriate size?
 
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Thanks, but that doesn't have a cylindrical profile.
 
Lorex E891ab (dudemaar's second link) is exactly 75mm at the outer end ( abit skinnier further back from the front/lens)... 8mp with 1/1.8" sensor. has white and IR Leds. default lens is 2.8mm (m16) but can be swapped out or readily focused as needed. Open front and re-focus closer on the bench before climbing the ladder... Available used on that big auction site for $90 or less...

50788170198_da69790a80_k.jpg
 
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My second link above is.

Lorex E891ab (dudemaar's second link) is exactly 75mm at the outer end ( abit skinnier further back from the front/lens)... 8mp with 1/1.8" sensor. has white and IR Leds. default lens is 2.8mm (m16) but can be swapped out or readily focused as needed. Open front and re-focus closer on the bench before climbing the ladder... Available used on that big auction site for $90 or less...

View attachment 78526

Ah, thanks! Now that I'm looking at Lorex-branded cameras, I'm seeing a lot of cylindrical models.

The E891ab looks pretty nice, especially if I can get it for <$100. It looks like it supports RTSP out of the box, despite Lorex not specifying such anywhere.

Do you know what the minimum focus distance is?

Is this camera worth re-flashing with Dahua firmware? Or is it better to leave as-is?
 
I have found no Dahua firmware yet for the E891ab. but figuring the Lorex firmware is from Dahua originally, it is stable, at least and should not give you ReoLink-type headaches in that department. I put a 6mm lens into mine and glued it in place, else i'd test how close the 2,8mm can be focused...
 
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Is the E891AB 802.3af-compliant? The Lorex documentation is conflicting:

The Quick Start Guide says, "A 12V DC power adapter is only required if connecting the camera’s Ethernet cable to a router or switch that does not support PoE", but it doesn't say what flavor of POE. It just shows a Lorex NVR with POE ports.

The Spec Sheet says "PoE (Power over Ethernet) Class 0 / 12V DC", which is troubling.

And then web page for the kit shows two of these cameras, and reads "Power over Ethernet: PoE (802.3af)" for the NVR, and "This 4K security camera system will be up and running in no time thanks to Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) technology. All that is required to connect each of your security cameras to your NVR is a single Cat5e ethernet cable run." which suggests that the camera is 802.3af.
 
Thanks! I think I'm going to try one of these.
 
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It arrived, and it's got a dent :rolleyes:

E891AB_Dented1.jpg



E891AB_Dented2.jpg


The camera seems to work fine, and I got it for $90, but would y'all be OK with a camera in this condition? The ebay description says, "Customer return. Fully tested and working. Minor scratches or small scuffs possible. Camera only"

Would you describe this as a "minor scratch or minor scuff"? I suppose I'm more concerned that the event that created this dent might have produced latent damage inside.

Also, how difficult is it to manually tweak the focus on this camera? This is going inside an OwlBox, so the objects of interest will be anywhere from 2" to 24" away, Right now anything closer than about 24" is badly OOF.

Of course I don't want to open this up until I know I'm going to keep it . . . .
 
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hm. if the ebay listing showed the dent already, then youre kinda stuck with it. if not, one migtht say it happened in shipping? or just live with it, if it's working OK.. the birds won't care. the big question is, how does it fit in your tube? and have you been able to focus it in nice & close like you need? it's easy on this cam. just pop that plastic cover off, 4 medium/small philips screws and viola. either scrape off the glue holding the lens from moving with an exacto, or just grab the lens with padded plyers and unscrew to loosen the glue, then remove it. you'll probably be unscrewing the lens anyways for closer focus. once focused, a dab of superglue, hot glur or bondic to keep it from un-focusing. note, you've also got a microphone to listen in. don't try pulling that cover by poking a dental pick into that hole... :)
 
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hm. if the ebay listing showed the dent already, then youre kinda stuck with it. if not, one migtht say it happened in shipping? or just live with it, if its' working OK.. the birds won't care. the big question is, how does it fit in your tube? and have you been able to focus it in nice & close like you need? it's easy on this cam. just pop that plastic cover off, 4 medium/small philips screws and viola. either scrape off the glue holding the lens from moving with an exacto, or just grab the lens with padded plyers and unscrew to loosen the glue, then remove it. you'll probably be unscrewing the lens anyways for closer focus. niote, you've also got a microphone to listen in. don't try pulling that cover by poking a dental pick into that hole... :).

Thanks!

The ebay listing was for multiple units, and the photo he showed looked pretty pristine. I'm torn. A cam in the hand is worth . . . .?

How does one pop off the plastic cover? Do I just pull? Or do I have to pry somewhere? I googled, and there are no results for "E891AB teardown" or "E891AB disassembly." In fact the first search results say, "Do not disassemble!" :rofl:
 
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you migth even be able to un-dent it a bit once you open it up. a few judicious taps with a small hammer on a forgving surface...
 
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just pry with small screwdriver in that slot below the LED's at the bottom left of your image.
 

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just pry with small screwdriver in that slot below the LED's at the bottom left of your image.
:rofl: :rofl:

Thanks! I was totally doing it wrong. But now I have it open.

Is this the glue that I need to break?

E891AB_Opened.jpg
 
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