D70 installation - list of parts

We have a new D70 and the meetinghouse communicator device.

We need to feed the camera into the CCTV loop and webcast to other buildings. It is looking like the camera will be mounted about 30' off the ground at the back of the chapel so we need to use a hard-wired remote cable. The cry room on the 2nd floor has a protruding bay window overlooking the chapel and is only 20' away from the intended camera mount and just a few feet lower so this seems to be the logical place to use as a control booth during stake conference. Cat 6 runs from here to the satellite room which, after accounting for the jogs around an outdoor courtyard in the middle of the building is about 450' away. A switch is possible for the furnace room which is on the 2nd floor in about the geographic center of the building.

So the pieces:

1. Coax/composite adapter to run coax out of the camera and into the video distribution panel.

2. Composite audio cable from the audio distribution panel at the satellite box into the communicator.

3. S-video cable out of the camera, balun to convert to cat-6, 2nd balun to convert back to s-video and into the communicator. (Will I have any problems passing this signal through the switch?)

4. Mounting bracket.

5. Power supply to the camera. (Might have to be an extension cord from somewhere, but this would be running through the attic.)

This leaves only the problem of the remote control cable for the camera. Where do I find an RS-422 --> USB adapter? Or can I get an RS-232C --> USB adapter that can be used for pan/tilt/zoom?

Also, are there any suggestions on how to switch the feed between the camera and a laptop that is displaying the words to the hymns? Since the changeover would have to be displayed on both the internal feed (coax) and the communicator feed (s-video) I'm not sure how to do both at the same time.

aclawson wrote:3. S-video cable out of the camera, balun to convert to cat-6, 2nd balun to convert back to s-video and into the communicator. (Will I have any problems passing this signal through the switch?)

You're not going to get S-video though the switch. Switches and Hubs only work with Ethernet signals.

I was thinking that.. wasn't sure if the adapters I'm seeing were passive or not but it looks like you're telling me they are.

What is the signal range of svideo over cat6?

aclawson wrote:3. S-video cable out of the camera, balun to convert to cat-6, 2nd balun to convert back to s-video and into the communicator. (Will I have any problems passing this signal through the switch?)

What kind of switch are you describing?

According to your wiring description, (S-Video to Balun to CAT6 cable to Balun to Webcast Communicator) it will work.

Are you describing some kind of video switch?

What kind of video are you taking out of the laptop? Are you taking the laptop's composite video (RCA jack), S-Video (4-pin) or are you planning to use a VGA-to-Video Scan Converter?

aclawson wrote:I was thinking that.. wasn't sure if the adapters I'm seeing were passive or not but it looks like you're telling me they are.

I'm not sure what you have but by definition, a balun is a simple passive device.

aclawson wrote:What is the signal range of svideo over cat6?

You might check the claims for the device you have. A spot check suggested 1000ft. Since it's analog, it will degrade with distance, unlike digital were it will be fine until it's not. Of course this is assuming the camera will drive a line that long.

I'd do a mock setup just to make sure it's going to work before going to the trouble of installing everything.

aclawson wrote:What is the signal range of svideo over cat6?

The Muxlab 500016specifcations state 1000 feet (CAT5).

aclawson wrote:It is looking like the camera will be mounted about 30' off the ground

That's REALLY high. Once I mounted a camera 25' above the overflow and all we got were the tops of people's heads as they read their talks - shiny bald heads are the most distracting...

Unfortunately that's the lowest point in the center of the back of the room - nothing but an uninterrupted fire door below. If we want to mount the camera it is either that or put it on a very sharp angle that would guarantee that nobody ever looks into the camera and all you get is an ear.

I'm having a hard time visualizing your set up but I wanted to suggest that perhaps you could use a mount that allows the camera to hang lower.

I made this from a 1" wide, 4' long piece of steel I picked up from the local hardware store. I bent it at the appropriate places, drilled a hole in the bottom and secured the camera using a 1/4" x 20 bolt.


Perhaps a bracket could be attached using a keyhold in the bracket hanging from a firmly secured bolt...I don't know. I was just wondering.

Unfortunately if the camera hangs any lower it will appear to be free-floating in space. The chapel is in a rounded-triangle shape (you can see it here http://goo.gl/lKorC). At the back of the chapel there is one large opening into the overflow - not a single support column in the entire width (about 40' maybe?). The ceiling throughout is high enough to accommodate the full-sized pipe organ that is on the highest level of the dias at the front of the chapel, so if you can imagine the height of the ceiling you have a couple of feet from the congregation level to the speaker level, a few steps higher to the top of the dias so you can have a raised choir and then probably 20' above that for the tallest pipes plus a little bit of header above that.

aclawson wrote:This leaves only the problem of the remote control cable for the camera. Where do I find an RS-422 --> USB adapter? Or can I get an RS-232C --> USB adapter that can be used for pan/tilt/zoom?

RS-422 can be run 4000' while the specs for RS-232 is only 50'. If your run is 450', I'd recommend RS-422.

As far as USB adapters for P/T/Z, I put in about 40 hours and 4 different cards/USB/converters, etc. and was never able to get communications to work from the computer P/T/Z software.

A viable solution is to extend the I/R signal using an I/R Extenderover CAT6 and the I/R remote included with the EVI-D70, but I chose to invest in the RM-BR300(at $850, it was very expensive but so worth it).

Where did you find the RM-BR300 at $850? Most places have it listed about $1300+.

Thanks

Where did you find the RM-BR300 at $850? Most places have it listed about $1300+.

Off of eBay (used). I usually see 3 or 4 a year, so they don't come up very often. I've purchased two, and two neighboring stakes have purchased 1 each, also off of eBay.

See this ebay link for a list of recently sold Sony RM-BR300 units.

If you would like to download the user manual from Sony, click this link.

If you're interested, I can arrange for a demonstration. Send me an email or personal message.