Review- New Design Tendelux 10 Watt IR illuminator.

[Parley]

I have been waiting for one of those California Retro plates with the bad reflection to come by so I could check out how the newly installed Speco IR illuminator would work on my LP4 camera. Well last night one did, and I was successful in reading it. It came by twice and I got a front and rear plate photo.

Here is the front plate which came by first.



Here is the rear plate which came by 5 minutes later.

 

[Parley]

Here is what the license plate looks like after it loses the extra IR light as it moves out of range. It becomes unreadable. This is what it looked like on my fully zoomed out camera LP1 after I checked that camera to see how the plate looked as the car went by it the other night. So, I have come to the conclusion that these non-reflective California plates need extra, extra IR light to make them readable. It causes enough of a "contrast" that it does make them readable, at least here in California. I am not sure how this would work in some of the other states with their non-reflective plates. So, as I stated above, I am going to add yet another Speco 60 degree IR Illuminator to two of my other LPR cameras that are fully zoomed out. Here is the picture of the plate as the IR light is fading as the car moves out of range.

 

[Parley]

I was searching for a more powerful IR illuminator today and found this one which is at least twice as powerful as the one I am using. I just ordered one from B&H photo and they are special order. Looks like the same package as the one I am currently using. It does not mention the LUX rating but does draw four times the current as the one I am using now.

Microsoft Word - IRC99 Series v2.0 (iluminarinc.com)

Edit: I found this specification interesting.

"* Viewing distance tested using Sony 1/3” CCD camera with 0.01lux. To achieve the distance needed, please pay attention to your camera and lens specifications prior to purchase. IR illuminators require true day/night camera with mechanical IR cut filter. Distances realized may vary due to different camera and lens specifications."

 

[Mike A.]

Tendelux on sale @ $24.76 and $36.78:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HV2LS2N

https://www.amazon.com/Tendelux-Illuminator-Infrared-Security-Adapter/dp/B09FQB2K78

 

[Parley]

Some news today and a little recap. The more powerful Illuminar IRC99-A60-24 IR illuminator came in today. It takes 1 amp @ 12vdc to run it compared to the Speco IR60 which I am currently using that draws 4/10 of an amp @ 12vdc. So theoretically it should be twice as powerful. Funny thing is they are both on the exact same body style and virtually identical.

It has been my quest to get as many license plates as possible. When I first added the Speco IR 60 illuminator it made a big difference in my ability to capture license plates. It put me up to around 98% at night. From that experience I decided to add some more IR light and see what happens. I was going to order more of the Speco IR illuminator, but as I was searching around I ran across the Illuminar version which puts out even more IR light in the exact same package. So, I decided to order one and give it a try.

What I did today is replace the Speco illuminator in the pine tree with the Illuminar version. I swapped them out. The illuminator in the pine tree is closest to the street and most likely does not need as much IR as my other locations. I then took the Speco illuminator that I previously had in the pine tree and put it next to the Speco Illuminator already installed for my LP3 camera on the eave of the house. I have a picture of that installation. So tonight, we shall see how this all works out. Hopefully it will not be too much IR light and have too much glare. So, if this all works out, I will order 2 more Illuminar IRC99-A60-24 illuminators for LPR cameras 1 & 2. LPR4 camera is in the pine tree and LPR3 is the one on the eave of the house and shown in the picture with the two Speco units.

 

[Parley]

First review of the night. The Illuminar IRC99-A60-24 IR illuminator wins hands down. It even lights up the sidewalk across the street somewhat and does not overpower the license plates. Here is a photo of the first dirty plate of the night.

 

[Parley]

2nd dirty plate of the night. This one is even worse, however I can read it. I am really impressed with this Illuminar unit. I will be ordering two more tomorrow. Plate number, 8ZXD574

 

[Mike A.]

What's causing the motion "steps" like that? Don't think that I've ever seen that same stepped effect before. I don't see it in your earlier images.

Look at, for example, in the first image behind the left rear pillar and behind the front tire. You can see the same trailing the car in the second image.

 

[wittaj]

What's causing the motion "steps" like that? Don't think that I've ever seen that same stepped effect before. I don't see it in your earlier images.

Look at, for example, in the first image behind the left rear pillar and behind the front tire. You can see the same trailing the car in the second image.

Some of us would notice Z12E would suffer in some situations with a trailing tail or fish gill type look. Here is an example of what it looked like with the previous Z12E – notice this fish gill look in red and comet trail in yellow:



Annoying, but the plate can still be read. I think it is an issue with the settings for some of the sensors. My older Z12E doesn't suffer from it.

 

[Mike A.]

Interesting. Never noticed that before. Mine doesn't seem to either. I do see the same now looking back though some of his other images posted here.

 

[Parley]

As long as I can get a good reading of the plate, that is all that matters to me. Maybe it has to do with the more powerful IR illuminator that I just installed. I will be going over last nights video later this morning and I will post up what I find. By the way, I just placed an order with B & H Photo for two more of the Illuminar IRC99-A60-24 IR illuminators. They are that good.

 

[The Automation Guy]

As long as I can get a good reading of the plate, that is all that matters to me. Maybe it has to do with the more powerful IR illuminator that I just installed. I will be going over last nights video later this morning and I will post up what I find. By the way, I just placed an order with B & H Photo for two more of the Illuminar IRC99-A60-24 IR illuminators. They are that good.

I think the more powerful illuminator simply highlights the "issue". Previously the image was so dark that you wouldn't/didn't notice any trail effect. Now that the overall image is brighter, the trailing artifacts are bright enough to notice. I agree that as long as the plate is readable, that is all that matters. We all know that to reading plates requires some unique settings and I bet that some of those settings are causing the trails.

 

[The Automation Guy]

Parley - remind me again how far away your camera and IR illuminator is from the plates? That models is spec'd for 90', but likely for "normal" viewing and not specifically for license plates which are reflective. What are you seeing?

 

[Parley]

Parley - remind me again how far away your camera and IR illuminator is from the plates? That models is spec'd for 90', but likely for "normal" viewing and not specifically for license plates which are reflective. What are you seeing?

With my LP4 camera located next to the street, I would say the distance for this camera is maybe 25' from the camera at the closest. The far distances are probably around 65'. The ratings for this IR illuminator are based on a camera with a 1/3" sensor. So, if your camera has say a 1/2.8" or a 1/1.8" sensor then the distance can be increased. All my LPR cameras are the Dahua 5442E-Z4E and of course have the 1/1.8" sensor. Also, this IR illuminator has a 60 degree angle. If I had a LPR camera that was over 75' from the vehicle I would be looking at a sharper angle. Maybe one at 30 degrees. Also, one that draws 12 watts or more. I do believe that this illuminator was designed with license plates in mind according to what I was reading up on. Now my next locations will be a solid 60+ feet away. In fact, with my LP2 camera focused up the street it can see a good 100 feet even though the plates are getting on the small side at that range with this camera.

 

[Parley]

Ok, I just reviewed 3 hours of video from last night with maybe a 100 cars going by. Busier than normal for some reason. I did get a variety of plates. I will post a bright plate, dirty plate, worst of the paper plates, a normally hard to read retro plate and a couple of others. There were also a few cars with no front plate. Everything else was easy to read.

Here is a bright plate and not too far from being washed out by the IR light.



Here is the worst of the temporary paper plates. The other two were easier to read.



Here is a dark plate that is not too reflective. I think this one has a "spray" on it.



Here is the only hard to read retro plate to go by last night. No trouble reading it with this set up. I do not know if this is one of the 3M plates or not.



Now this car does not have a front plate and this the only chance to get a plate number. I do not know if this is a retro plate or not. Number is BW75G44.



I have no idea what this plate is. Maybe a manufacturer plate?

 

[Parley]

Here is one from early this morning of someone applying a "coating" of some nature to try and prevent the IR light feedback from their plate. IMHO in this case the extra IR that I now have provides a nice contrast to the plate and makes it readable. You will notice that all of these are on rear plates that I have posted. With the front plates I have had no problems reading them except for those that do have a front plate.

 

[Parley]

Here is a good one from tonight and on a front plate this time. This is one of the California retro plates that are normally hard to read and this one is. No way I could have read this a couple of nights ago. By the way the plate number is 1ST4WRD. IMHO my 4K monitor helps in these situations. I was actually looking at my LPR1 camera when this truck went by. It had the rear view of the plate and no way I could even begin to read it. It will get the addition of the super IR illuminator when it shows up. So, I backed tracked the truck to my LPR4 Camera and got this photo.

 

[Parley]

Here is my installation tip for the day. It is for anyone installing these IR Illuminators. Awhile back I installed the Speco 60 units which are rated at 4/10 amp at 12VDC. Now the South end of my garage in the attic space is where my A/C power strips are located along with my NVRs and their monitors. At the Northeast corner of the garage and just outside the exterior wall is where I installed one of the Speco units. The cable was long enough to reach inside the garage and out of the weather. So, for power I ran around 25' of two conductor 18-gauge cable from the power strip where the 12VDC power supply was located to the cable from the illuminator and hooked it up. All was well.

Fast forward. Now I have decided to install the more powerful Illuminar IR illuminator which is rated at 1 amp at 12VDC. So, in anticipation I had 25' of the two conductor, 18 gauge wire left over and ran that out to the same location. Then I got to thinking about it and the voltage loss at that distance with the 18-gauge wire. So, I made a decision to move the 12VDC power supply out to the Northeast corner of the garage. I used an extension cord to do that. I also bought a two outlet power splitter cable, in 16 gauge at Amazon to hook up the Speco unit and the new Illuminar unit when it arrives. These are not easy to find. Most are of a smaller gauge. So, yesterday I hooked up the Speco unit to the power supply and everything is ready to go when the other unit arrives.

Last night I went out to make sure the illuminator lit up at dark and it did. Then I went inside to look at the license plates of the cars going by on my monitor. Hmmm, they looked a little brighter and clearer to read then what I was used to seeing from my LPR1 camera. So, I went back to look at the video from the previous night for comparison and sure enough things were indeed brighter and easier to read. I was getting more IR light. I must have been getting more of a voltage drop than I had thought using the 18-gauge cable. Bottom line, I would use at least a 16-gauge cable or larger if you are running any distance at 12VDC. Make sure that the power supply is as close as possible to the unit.

Now, I do have the new Illuminar unit located in the pine tree with my LPR4 camera. It has maybe around 35 feet of Cat6 23-gauge cable feeding it. I have the orange/white pair and the brown/white pair for the +12vdc. I have the blue/white pair and the green/white pair as the ground. It seems to be working just fine as there is an abundance of IR light. I also used a 16-gauge power splitter at its power supply in anticipation of installation another Illuminar unit for my LPR2 camera which is located right there by the power supply.

 

[Parley]

Doing a little "hot rodding" to my IR illuminators today. After the voltage drop across the 18 gauge cable that I had, I decided to shorten the power cable on the IR Illuminators. They are 39" in length or one meter. So, I took off 30-32" depending on the location of the illuminator. I am looking to get all the voltage I can to the illuminator. The power wire cable appears to be 22 gauge. Plus, it makes for a cleaner installation. I want to do some more research on the one in the pine tree before I modify it. That one has Cat6 cable out to it and then hooks up to the illuminator power cable using the RCA connectors. Any ideas appreciated. Here is a picture of one of the "hot rodded" illuminators.

 

[looney2ns]

Doing a little "hot rodding" to my IR illuminators today. After the voltage drop across the 18 gauge cable that I had, I decided to shorten the power cable on the IR Illuminators. They are 39" in length or one meter. So, I took off 30-32" depending on the location of the illuminator. I am looking to get all the voltage I can to the illuminator. The power wire cable appears to be 22 gauge. Plus, it makes for a cleaner installation. I want to do some more research on the one in the pine tree before I modify it. That one has Cat6 cable out to it and then hooks up to the illuminator power cable using the RCA connectors. Any ideas appreciated. Here is a picture of one of the "hot rodded" illuminators.

View attachment 175055

It's always the best option to solder the connections.