Mini PTZ v2 - Time Zone Setting reverts after 24hrs

T

tommy1k

n3wb
Apr 21, 2017
4
0
I have a Mini PTZ v2 that's been working fine for years with the exception of two issues:

1) It randomly reboots every few weeks or so and

2) Sometimes the Time Zone setting reverts to a different zone every 24hrs or so. Other times it maintains the setting for months. Attached is a snapshot of my settings. I tried locking it to NTP but it didn't help, and those times when it seems to maintain settings for months I've used Manual.

I can live with the occasional reboots, but the Time Zone settings not sticking is annoying. As I remember these have a rechargeable RTC button battery (correct me if I'm wrong). I think I've tested it a year ago but maybe it's time to open it up and test and/or replace it.

It's curious because all my other settings persist thru power failures and reboots (PTZ position memories, focal lengths, Image Settings, Network Settings, etc) but sometimes it just doesn't feel like remembering the Time Zone I set it to.

FYI I connect to the camera thru IE on a Win10 computer or IE on a Win10 Virtual Machine on a MacBook, and get the same results. I seem to have the best success by selecting the Time Zone from the camera's drop-down, ticking Manual, and SAVEing, then waiting the 'Save Successful' message. It will maintain that Time Zone for about a day then suddenly go back again.

Has anyone else encountered this issue or have a remedy?

Firmware: v2.1.1 Build 20170314122826S
Control Vers: MiniPtx_V2.0.1build201701131443
Plugin Vers: 1.0.4.43
 

Attachments

  • MiniPtz v2 Time settings.png
    MiniPtz v2 Time settings.png
    66.1 KB · Views: 12
Not sure if this is related...but...../I found a similar time issue, when my NVR was 1 hour off because it wants to update back to 6:00 UTC Central America time, ( with no Daylight Savings Time) and my Blue iris was an hour ahead on CST with Daylight savings time.

So the camera kept going back to 1 hour behind after I synced camera with PC.

SO it seems the NVR is the "Time Boss" and So when I fixed the time on the NVR the cams followed.
Not all my cams are connected to the NVR.....So those seem to keep time with the NTP time server App.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JDreaming
Flintstone61 said:
Not sure if this is related...but...../I found a similar time issue, when my NVR was 1 hour off because it wants to update back to 6:00 UTC Central America time, ( with no Daylight Savings Time) and my Blue iris was an hour ahead on CST with Daylight savings time.

So the camera kept going back to 1 hour behind after I synced camera with PC.

SO it seems the NVR is the "Time Boss" and So when I fixed the time on the NVR the cams followed.
Not all my cams are connected to the NVR.....So those seem to keep time with the NTP time server App.
Click to expand...
I made some changes at the NVR end, we'll see in 24hrs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Flintstone61 and JDreaming
Well, my initial NVR changes didn't work. I checked after a few hours, and the cam time was still correct, but it defaulted to Beijing time the next day.
This is a PITA, because all the day/night times don't move relative to this time shift.
So, I did something else, which has seemed to have worked so far.
In the NVR System/General/Basic settings I changed this from the 24hr default to 1hr.
1683021730600.png
My hypothesis is that if it syncs more often it re-imposes the correct time.
 
I finally got around to replacing the backup battery in one of my 10X IP PTZ's but it didn't fix the problem. So yes it's possible this is a bug that manifested after a firmware update or maybe it's some other aging part (storage cap?) that's the culprit. I dunno.

FYI these are solder-tab coin batteries mounted on the Main PCB located in the middle of the camera. The full number was obscured by the solder tabs but these look to be 3V 5mah ML-621 rechargeable manganese lithium batteries. I opted to install 3V 11mah ML-920 batteries instead. They're slightly larger in diameter but there's enough room for them and the tabs still align well enough to fit perfectly.

ML-621: ML-920:
(If you decide to replace your batteries you'll need to extract the Main PCB so be careful with the 2 wide camera flex cables. Removing them is easy (they're held in place by push-pull clamps) but reinserting them can be tricky. Flex cables use flat conductors bonded to a plastic backing and it's possible to snag & lift their fingers off the backing at the connector when reinserting them. Always gently insert them flush & square and never at a diagonal. Generally when aligned correctly they'll just slip into the connector by themselves.)

If you're wondering whether you'll lose all your camera settings (network, PTZ positions, image adjustments, etc) by removing the backup battery, I didn't. I'm not certain but presumably all those settings are stored in NVRAM so not affected by power loss or reboots.

Also, there seem to be at least 2 different versions of the Main PCB: one has a microSD card holder ON the PCB while another version connects to an off-board microSD PCB by a flex cable. I have both versions and they use the same battery.

Strangely I -DID- manage to find a workaround that seems to be holding (except for reboots or power failures)

1) Login and go to the "Configuration" tab
2) Click "Time Settings"
3) Important: Let the camera default to whatever Time Zone it wants by opening & closing "Time Zone" a couple times (but don't selecting anything)
(collapse "Time Zone" by tapping in the white space outside the drop-down menu)
4) Tick: "Manual Time Sync"
5) Tick: "Sync with computer"
6) Click: SAVE

Since we know cameras with this problem will always override & load their default Time Zone after a Reboot or Power Failure, we just make sure it's already defaulted before we execute a manual "Sync to computer" to set our local time & date. Now every 24hrs when the camera reloads it's default Time Zone, the clock shouldn't change anymore.

It's been a few days and so far this seems to be working.
 

Attachments

  • Time Settings.png
    Time Settings.png
    86.7 KB · Views: 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom