Sony EVI-D70 Camera Control

Hi All,
We've been looking at the Sony EVI-D70 the church has on the website, however I'm a little concerned about the best way to control it. I have about a 100 foot cable run that I will need to make. I'm assuming that I would need to use the RS-422 cable for that length. Does any one know if the camera includes the control software? Has anyone succesfully used this camera by interfacing RS-422 cable with a computer? Any other suggestions on controlling it (low cost)?
Thanks very much,
David

I have not used the RS-422 controls but have used the hand remote on one at three events. It works great. We had the camera sitting on a tripod on the 3rd clerks office and controlled it from the overflow area watching a TV.

I am also interested in the computer controls. The computer will need a RS-422 interface card to allow the communications.

PaulBB1 wrote:The computer will need a RS-422 interface card to allow the communications.

There's several ways that can be done. The difference between RS-422 and RS-232 is in the physical layer. Both are serial communications using the same protocol. So a simple adapter would work at well.

The real questions is what's the cost effective way to do it.

If I remember right the RS-232 connector is a D Connector 9 pin serial port. So a standard RS-232 serial card will work? Should be cheap. The problem as I see it is the putting a cable through conduit to the Library/satellite cabinet and then connecting the wires to the correct pins.

I wonder if I still have my pin removal tool?

And then there is the software. Your right is it worth it when the remote works great.

PaulBB1 wrote:If I remember right the RS-232 connector is a D Connector 9 pin serial port. So a standard RS-232 serial card will work?

With an adapter.

IIRC, the big difference between 232 and 422 is that 232 has a single ground wire and all signals reference it. 422 uses a differential pair - meaning that when one wire is driven positive, the other is driven negative. There is no "ground" line.

However, the whole concept of serial data, speed, start/stop bits, etc are all the same. So once you can adapt electrically, the higher layers of the protocol stack should work.

So your choice is to add a 422 card or to find a 232 to 422 adapter.

RussellHltn wrote:With an adapter.

IIRC, the big difference between 232 and 422 is that 232 has a single ground wire and all signals reference it. 422 uses a differential pair - meaning that when one wire is driven positive, the other is driven negative. There is no "ground" line.

However, the whole concept of serial data, speed, start/stop bits, etc are all the same. So once you can adapt electrically, the higher layers of the protocol stack should work.

So your choice is to add a 422 card or to find a 232 to 422 adapter.

All of the above is correct. If you can't find an adapter between 232 and 422, it is pretty easy to build one. I think I have the hand-drawn schematic for the one I built several years ago. Please inform if it is needed.

I have seen at least one implementation of 422 that included tri-state/buss arrangement. But since we're looking to interface the "master", I don't think it's an issue. It would be the cameras that would go tri-state.

RussellHltn wrote:I have seen at least one implementation of 422 that included tri-state/buss arrangement. But since we're looking to interface the "master", I don't think it's an issue. It would be the cameras that would go tri-state.

The form with the tristates is called RS-485, described in this page: http://www.rs485.com/rs485spec.html

Thank you for all the replys. Some of you have mentioned using the hand remote. I'm assuming this has to be line-of-site to use. Is this correct? Unfortunately for me my control room is not line of site to where the camera will be.

At one time IR extenders were quite popular.

RussellHltn wrote:At one time IR extenders were quite popular.

You're right. Great idea. I will look into an extender.

I am now understanding the problem. How to control the camera w/o the remote. If I we use the remote in the overflow area we will need a TV for the person to watch.

IR Blasters might work. Will they go 180 feet. I will do some searching.

RS-422 is the clean way to do it but what does software cost? This communications is just for controlling the camera? Right? I can't find any at a reasonable cost.

I've been searching the internet for information and I am getting frustrated and need some professional help in understanding how to remotely control the camera and some simple Windows based software.

Arlan

Just an update for those interested. I'm looking at using an IR extender that uses CAT 5. I've been looking at the Microsmith Hot Link XL which looks like it would work well for what I'm trying to do. I'll let you know what I finally decide on and how it works. Hope this info helps someone.

I hope there are no rules about putting in links.
I found this in the A/V forum makes the connection for IR a simple jack.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/pshowde ... tab=1#Tabs

The issue would be in my case the signal strength required to go over 170 feet. More power would be provided by this?

http://www.smarthome.com/8191/Four-Emit ... 100/p.aspx

The prices look good.

PaulBB1 wrote:I hope there are no rules about putting in links.

The manner in which you used links is appropriate. If you have any questions similar to this you can refer to the Code of Conduct. There are links at the bottom of each forum page for the CoC, Terms of Use and Privacy.

We have an EVI-D70 camera that we use for our webcasts.

I purchased a VISCA control cable for around $15 on Ebay that comes with a 20' cable and a serial adapter. The length of cable can be extended by adding a RJ-45 coupler and using a long Cat5 cable.

I have downloaded some free EVI-D30 control software on the internet and have successfully used it to remotely control the camera. The software gives greater control and precision than using the IR remote. The software is not advanced, but you do get what you pay for with it -- basic functionality (zoom control, pan control, memory position set and recall, etc.)

I run the S-video out of the camera to the webcast communicator and then I run the RCA video out into a USB Dazzle video capture device connected to the USB port on the same laptop that the VISCA/Serial cable is connected to for controlling the camera. That way I can see the real-time image on the laptop and run the camera control software at the same time. I simply tape the cables down along the floor to where I'm sitting with the controlling laptop -- which is either at the back of the chapel (in front of the cultural hall) or up on the stand at the clerk's table.

It has worked very well -- the only challenge is making sure I have a laptop that has a serial port. It would probably work to use a USB to Serial adapter, but I have not tried that yet.

Cable -- search Ebay for "Sony EVI-D30 VISCA control cable"
Software -- search google for "evi-d30 software" or visit the following link:

http://www.elims.org/evi-d30.htm and download the "Camera control program from Sony" -- I have no affiliation with this website. This is the software that I have been using.

Great information! Thanks

Arlan

Can anyone who's using the EVID70 provide a link to your video? (By PM if that's the appropriate way by the forum's rules.)
I'm thinking about buying this camera but I'm having a hard time getting a look at the quality of its image.
Thank you in advance.

Maybe I can post a sample if it is OK with the administrators. Some over all and shoulder and head shots. No complete talks.

I'll have to wait for my son-in-law gets back from Mexico to have him edit some of it. No compression.

WE NEED MORE INPUT BY PEOPLE WHO ARE USING REMOTE CONTROLLING A EVID70. What software, how far and what cable and interfaces. I am interested in a USB to VISCA cable with converters cable.

In our installation we use a cat 5e run with punch down female jacks on each end - a standard network run. We then use a short cat5e patch cable with to an rj45 to db9 (female) adapter on each end. We run about 100' and control it from a computer serial port running the Sony EVI demonstration software. Sometimes we get an error where the camera misses one command - this is not a problem however as it always has caught a repeat of that command.
Troy

troywo wrote:In our installation we use a cat 5e run with punch down female jacks on each end - a standard network run. We then use a short cat5e patch cable with to an rj45 to db9 (female) adapter on each end. We run about 100' and control it from a computer serial port running the Sony EVI demonstration software. Sometimes we get an error where the camera misses one command - this is not a problem however as it always has caught a repeat of that command.
Troy

We are going ~150 feet. Would there be a balun or booster to help the missed commands. We used the baluns for s-video over Cat5 using the same punch downs connectors. Works great.

Is there any needed to match up the wires? Camera RS422 port to std Ethernet/cat5 port in wall to cat5 cable to Cat5 port in satellite cabinet to PC port USB or DB9 serial port

Did the software support the preset positions like the remote? Will it pan and zoom?

davidgil wrote: Has anyone succesfully used this camera by interfacing RS-422 cable with a computer? Any other suggestions on controlling it (low cost)?
Thanks very much,
David

I've used this great freeware software (BDLCAM) with a Sony EVI-D30 camera. As long as you get the serial connection made to a control computer, this software may work for you.
http://www.bdlcam.com

robm wrote:We have an EVI-D70 camera that we use for our webcasts.
...

I have downloaded some free EVI-D30 control software on the internet ...

Cable -- search Ebay for "Sony EVI-D30 VISCA control cable"
Software -- search google for "evi-d30 software" or visit the following link:

http://www.elims.org/evi-d30.htm and download the "Camera control program from Sony" -- I have no affiliation with this website. This is the software that I have been using.

I also found two sets of software provided as demo software for the Sony D70 and D30 cameras. We have been using these with our group for the last 2-3 years, but found that it was a bit clunky and also a bit buggy, in some cases not responding to commands and requiring a reconnect, and in other cases we would end up with a pan that would not stop until it reached the end of the camera range - not great during a live broadcast.

I've decided to create my own software for simple functionality required for our stake conference use in the Hillsboro, OR stake (and recently some separate live concert use). Our Stake presidency has mentioned I should let others know about this software so that others can benefit from my efforts. Let me know if you have questions - I'm more than willing to share this information with the church.

Our setup - 1 D70, 1 D30
- video is RCA -> coax (for ease of run) -> RCA into switcher at our satellite cabinet location
- camera control is currently via RS232 serial cable (VISCA) -> RJ45 (ease of run) -> RS232 into a control computer. We have utilized both physical serial port and USB to Serial devices successfully over 200+ feet. We control both cameras from the satellite cabinet location, and control the video output to satellite buildings, or alternate room viewing areas via a switcher. We can change the views by modifying the location of the standby camera, then fading to the new view during the transmission. This works great to avoid jerking the camera view around on the live camera to switch from the speaker view to the choir view and provides a much better viewing experience. Our tech group provides assistance for two stakes that are currently using same building. Each has now purchased their own D70 cameras and then shares them during the conference sessions to get the two views we utilize.

We have also now tested this software with RS422 and are creating a standard set of equipment that we'll use for our uses. I've been trying to figure out what features to throw into this and how to make this easier to use for church units, and would like to get this out to people to test out and get some more feedback.

mkisaacs wrote:...This works great to avoid jerking the camera view around on the live camera to switch from the speaker view to the choir view and provides a much better viewing experience.

Mkisaacs, can you please elaborate on the "jerking" of the camera? Is it possible to use the software with a single camera and allow for "slow pan"? Or do we really need to fade between 2 cameras?

We have the D70 and the IR Remote has proven to be bad for fine control especially during a live session. We only have 1 camera and tried using the IR Remote and found: (a) It is extremely difficult to get the right shot when zoomed in on say the speaker. In other words, you can't pan slowly in small increments. (b) The IR Remote in certain circumstances will cause the camera to freeze. I.e. If you select a saved setting and quickly press an arrow key followed by a zoom key, the camera will stop receiving the IR and we had to cycle the power to get it to work. I've not been able to reproduce the behavior consistently but by fussing with it can get it to freeze. (This behavior was found with a different camera we borrowed from our FM group.) (c) When moving between saved scenes, the camera moves very fast, we just couldn't get slow-smooth transitions.

I am trying to determine if I can purchase a hardware controller (recommended by Sony on their site) or some software controller that will allow us to use a single camera and smoothly pan from one saved scene to another. Or if I need to have 2 cameras and some sort of live video switch to fade between shots because the D70 simply can't be controlled smoothly.

There are postings earlier in this thread discussing the serial (RS-232 or RS-422) controls. I recall reading that the serial control path would give smoother and more precise pan/tilt than the IR.

Jerky nature explanation -
We have decided to place our cameras in an unobtrusive (and non-distracting) place by mounting the camera on the ceiling, directly behind where the curtain opens into the cultural hall. We have wired our building so that there is a drop for the control cable and the video cable directly at that spot. Because of the distance, the optical zoom on the D70 has to be pushed pretty far up, and so the slightest movement is accentuated which makes for the "jerky" feeling that I was describing in a previous post. When adjusting the camera, the software I've created allows for the slowest pan possible with the camera (speed 1) and unfortunately there is no ramp up/down speed to make the pan very smooth. It just starts moving and abruptly stops when you release it from the pan. It is a bit distracting. I also have a feature that allows you to move the camera head one increment at a time, allowing for very fine adjustment after the camera is in a good general position using the pan buttons. Again, this causes the camera to jerk in small increments and the picture to jiggle a bit from the small momentum of the camera head. We have two cameras to get around this, but it would not be a requirement if you are OK with the slight jerk, or if you are mostly using the camera for 2 views (speaker, choir shots) and the view change would only occur during normal breaks anyway.

I have considered pushing my camera controller work out as an open source project, or continuing my work and providing the basic version for free to church units. I haven't decided what to do with it. If anyone wants to give it a try to see if it might work for them, I'm willing to send you a copy to play with, if that seems appropriate. Right now I've added features as we have needed them for for stake conferences and concerts that our group does. It has ability to do brightness, pan (with speed adjustment), 'nudge' movement for slight increment tweaks, set/restore saved positions, autofocus on/off, and zoom. I'm looking to add additional features for manual focus and certain lighting settings that may come in handy, along with infinite saved positions. I have found that it would be nice to have a walk-in shot of the chapel, a rostrum shot (for use when switching speakers), a close in speaker shot, a wider speaker shot, a choir shot, a chorister shot (for the congregational hymn), and a presidency shot (for use during the sustainings). This is more complex than stakes need, but those of us involved are also part of an audio visual company so we end up doing a bit extra.

This ended up being a much longer answer than I expected, but I hope that it helps people out there.

Thanks for the detailed information, it was very helpful.

We too have been considering mounting our camera from the ceiling. I know this thread is about camera control but can you please share more about your camera mount? Pictures would be swell. Also, is there anything you would do differently with the mount?

Tom

I am very interested in getting the details of the RS422/232 connection down to the pin outs. I plan on running Cat5e to camera RS422 connection.

Would like to use your software because it will be for our exact needs.

How do we get the file and details?

Arlan

I realize this is an old thread, but I need to know... I built a nice computer with Vidblaster and Broadcam software to both stream and record our church services. Two years ago some wiring was being done at our church, and they installed CAT5 and coax along both sides of our church for future camera installation.

I am trying to figure out what the best configuration would be for the cameras. I intended initially to use the S-video out along with the RS - 422 for control. I was simply going to use the pinouts to wire directly from the camera to the capture card and serial ports via the CAT5. However, that would require nine conductors and the CAT5 only has 8.

So, with your experience, do you think I would be better off running the composite out through the coax and using the CAT5 for the controller?

I am looking for optimal video quality. Is there anyway to pair one of the grounds from the VISCA and the S-Video to only need 8 conductors?

Could I use the coax for the ground (9th conductor)?

I really don't want to have to spend more time and money in running another cable if possible.

Any help or advice on this would be appreciated..

Thanks,
Russ

Are you planning to run individual wires from the S-video on individual wires on the CAT5 cable? If so, I don't think that would work well. As I understand it, the S-video has two grounds and two signals lines (luminance and chroma)--the old Commodore Amiga signal scheme. Those signal lines are 75 ohm and need to be constant impedance down the line for proper signal transfer. There are 'balun' devices for sending composite over CAT5 with proper impedances and such, so I suspect there may be such devices available for sending S-video over CAT5. Most likely, they require at least two matched pairs.

If you're lookin at five wires for the RS-422 control, that's most likely RX+, RX-, TX+, TX-, and ground. If so, you could use the COAX for that ground (and not use the COAX for anything else). Just make sure to connect the ground before connecting the signal lines (and disconnect in reverse order) and put each direction (RX vs TX) on one pair to avoid crosstalk with any analog signals in the CAT5. You might also look into running RS-485, which is a half-duplex (and more) protocol on top of RS-422, if the equipment is friendly to that arrangement.

Combining analog signal and control in a single CAT5 _MAY_ introduce noise from the control bit stream into the analog signal, especially if any of the signals is not properly balanced or is not properly paired. Combining digital and analog grounds makes it very likely you will see noise injection. You might be lucky and find a combination that works for your installation, but YMMV.

Eventually, and probably not many years distant, cameras will likely switch from analog output to IP output. If you can find a high enough quality USB camera, you could also consider a USB camera, a USB-over-IP device for the video signal, an RS-422-over-IP adapter for the controls, and an ethernet switch at the camera location. If needed, you could run class-2 DC power over the coax or maybe use POE (power over ethernet).

Hope that helps.

What about just running composite through the coax and using the cat5 to control... since I am only doing 470 lines of resolution with the cameras, would s-video give me any significant benefit?

rmrichesjr wrote:Are you planning to run individual wires from the S-video on individual wires on the CAT5 cable? If so, I don't think that would work well. As I understand it, the S-video has two grounds and two signals lines (luminance and chroma)--the old Commodore Amiga signal scheme. Those signal lines are 75 ohm and need to be constant impedance down the line for proper signal transfer. There are 'balun' devices for sending composite over CAT5 with proper impedances and such, so I suspect there may be such devices available for sending S-video over CAT5. Most likely, they require at least two matched pairs.

There are such devices. We have had good luck with 2 pairs of these: http://www.knollsystems.com/prod-svideo.html. They are IR and S-Video only, but the quality is pretty good.

rmrichesjr wrote:If you're lookin at five wires for the RS-422 control, that's most likely RX+, RX-, TX+, TX-, and ground. If so, you could use the COAX for that ground (and not use the COAX for anything else). Just make sure to connect the ground before connecting the signal lines (and disconnect in reverse order) and put each direction (RX vs TX) on one pair to avoid crosstalk with any analog signals in the CAT5. You might also look into running RS-485, which is a half-duplex (and more) protocol on top of RS-422, if the equipment is friendly to that arrangement.

IIRC, the EVI-D70 only supports RS-422 and RS-232, otherwise, that sounds good to me.

rmrichesjr wrote:Combining analog signal and control in a single CAT5 _MAY_ introduce noise from the control bit stream into the analog signal, especially if any of the signals is not properly balanced or is not properly paired. Combining digital and analog grounds makes it very likely you will see noise injection. You might be lucky and find a combination that works for your installation, but YMMV.

Mixing digital and analog grounds is touchy (at best) in my limited experience... If you can get a demo of the system (or return it at no cost), I might try it, but I think you will have issues with it.

rmrichesjr wrote:Eventually, and probably not many years distant, cameras will likely switch from analog output to IP output. If you can find a high enough quality USB camera, you could also consider a USB camera, a USB-over-IP device for the video signal, an RS-422-over-IP adapter for the controls, and an ethernet switch at the camera location. If needed, you could run class-2 DC power over the coax or maybe use POE (power over ethernet).

If you can live with IR control, the Knoll system I linked to above will give you S-Video and control over a single CAT5/6 cable.
We have been happy with it so far, but I am debating switching to serial control as IR gets twitchy when on zoom.

Aaron Z

We have three cables coax to the camera composite output and Cat5e for s-video (using two MuxLab 500016 S-Video Videoease CAT5 Balun). Plugged into video capture card for best webcast video. composite is connected to building channel 5 for cultural hall, Primary and RS rooms. It works.

The third Cat5e cable is used for RS422 connection. Direct connect to the camera and the other end requires a Cat5e to RS422 serial port adapter (Http://www.hexin-technology.com). We tried to use the serial to USB adapter which didn't work. Going to try without USB adapter now that we have an older laptop with a 9 pin serial port.

The remote works well most of the time so there has not been a lot of pressure to getting it done.

rubantin wrote:What about just running composite through the coax and using the cat5 to control... since I am only doing 470 lines of resolution with the cameras, would s-video give me any significant benefit?

That would be the simplest option. In theory, using composite rather than S-video will give poorer quality. In practice, you might not be able to tell the difference. Most likely, most of the non-technical people wouldn't notice the difference.

rmrichesjr wrote:That would be the simplest option. In theory, using composite rather than S-video will give poorer quality. In practice, you might not be able to tell the difference. Most likely, most of the non-technical people wouldn't notice the difference.

By the time the webcast box/software compresses the stream and the reciving computers decompress it, you will probbaly not be able to tell the difference.

Aaron Z

Paulbb1 wrote:We have three cables coax to the camera composite output and Cat5e for s-video (using two MuxLab 500016 S-Video Videoease CAT5 Balun). Plugged into video capture card for best webcast video. composite is connected to building channel 5 for cultural hall, Primary and RS rooms. It works.

The third Cat5e cable is used for RS422 connection. Direct connect to the camera and the other end requires a Cat5e to RS422 serial port adapter (Http://www.hexin-technology.com). We tried to use the serial to USB adapter which didn't work. Going to try without USB adapter now that we have an older laptop with a 9 pin serial port.

The remote works well most of the time so there has not been a lot of pressure to getting it done.

Regarding the USB adapter that did not work well, were you using the USB to RS-422 or to RS-232? If you use a laptop's 9-pin serial port (RS-232), you'll need an RS-232 to RS-422 converter. As long as the CAT5 cable for RS-422 is used only for that and not for IP, you should just be able to wire it up to an appropriate connector, as long as the electronics on both ends does RS-422.

rmrichesjr wrote:If you're lookin at five wires for the RS-422 control, that's most likely RX+, RX-, TX+, TX-, and ground.

I don't think there's any need for a ground line in RS-422. In fact it may introduce problems with the video. I'd be tempted to leave it out.

rubantin wrote:since I am only doing 470 lines of resolution with the cameras, would s-video give me any significant benefit?

A good question. The idea behind S-video is to avoid any degradation by trying to separate the two signals with a comb filter. (Which is necessary before the signal can be displayed.) But that only works if the two components are internally constructed to take advantage of that. To do that, the sender has to develop the two signals separately in it's internal process. (If the camera chip develops only composite, then there's a comb filter in the camera to create the S-video. In which case there's an advantage only if the camera has a superior filter to one in the receiver.) Likewise, the receiver has to be able to take advantage of the two signals and not just combine them back together.

I believe S-video was introduces with the SVHS VCRs because they stored the two signals separately on the tape and wanted to give the sharpest signal to the TV screen by bypassing the TV set's comb filter. But at the end of the day, it's still SD video. Perhaps a little crisper, but still SD.

But the best way to find out is run some tests using the equipment in question.

rmrichesjr wrote:Regarding the USB adapter that did not work well, were you using the USB to RS-422 or to RS-232? If you use a laptop's 9-pin serial port (RS-232), you'll need an RS-232 to RS-422 converter. As long as the CAT5 cable for RS-422 is used only for that and not for IP, you should just be able to wire it up to an appropriate connector, as long as the electronics on both ends does RS-422.

Your correct the PC board for connecting wires to 9 pin D connector is just that. It connects the wires and a RS-422 to RS-232 converter is required. ( http://www.hexin-technology.com/RS-232_ ... t-245.html )
Thank you for pointing that out. I will have to buy one. The Sony SW doesn't work with the USB adapter from my experience. But will SW work with a RS232 port? Anyone get it to work since 9 Pin serial ports are going away?

Paulbb1 wrote:The Sony SW doesn't work with the USB adapter from my experience.

Getting any software to work with a USB serial port is a hit-or-miss affair. Many devices do not fully support all the signal lines. You can verify that by looking at any GPS forum. The trick is to find a brand of converter that works and stick with it. Surprisingly, some of the cheaper ones work best.

RussellHltn wrote:Getting any software to work with a USB serial port is a hit-or-miss affair. Many devices do not fully support all the signal lines. You can verify that by looking at any GPS forum. The trick is to find a brand of converter that works and stick with it. Surprisingly, some of the cheaper ones work best.

Can we start a list of RS422 to USB converters that work with the Sony SW or the one talked about here in forum? Or does the Wiki have a list?

Paulbb1 wrote:Can we start a list of RS422 to USB converters that work with the Sony SW or the one talked about here in forum? Or does the Wiki have a list?

How about this one?
http://www.usconverters.com/index.php?m ... cts_id=280

I have installed several of these professionaly. They can be controlled IR of course, but they can also be controlled RS-232 OR RS-422 you select which one you want to use via some dip switches. The Camera has a 9 pin Din Connector on it that can be hard to find if you don't know where to get them. I have the Pin out if anyone is interested. If you have more money to throw at it you can buy this http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-bro... ... t-RMBR300/. We have typically installed them in LDS chapels using IR repeaters, another option is to get some type on controls system like Crestron, AMX, etc... but that can be costly.

RussellHltn wrote:I don't think there's any need for a ground line in RS-422.

Tried running a loop using CAT5 with four wires sending and the other four wires for return. The picture had bad artifacts. When I switched to shielded CAT5, looping just as before but using the shield for the ground, the artifacts disappeared.

Bottom line: there is a need for the ground line in RS-422.

michaelfish wrote:Tried running a loop using CAT5 with four wires sending and the other four wires for return. The picture has bad artifacts. When I switched to shielded CAT5, looping just as before but using the shield for the ground, the artifacts disappeared.

Bottom line: there is a need for the ground line in RS-422.

The RS-422 is just for control, right? You didn't mention how well the control channel worked. How were you connecting the video? If the video needs a ground, it would be better for that line to provide the ground, not an auxiliary connection.

Paulbb1 wrote:Can we start a list of RS422 to USB converters that work with the Sony SW or the one talked about here in forum? Or does the Wiki have a list?

We use the Edgeport 8i and it works great. It is a bit expensive, and we only needed one port, but we found it used for an amazing deal.

RussellHltn wrote:The RS-422 is just for control, right? You didn't mention how well the control channel worked. How were you connecting the video? If the video needs a ground, it would be better for that line to provide the ground, not an auxiliary connection.

Video was connected via S-Video baluns. Whenever the CAT5 cable (RS-422 control) was connected to the camera, the picture degraded. The only change made (which fixed the picture problem) was to replace CAT5 with shielded CAT5 and use the 9th wire (shield) as the ground.

Sounds like a lack of isolation between the RS-422 and the rest of to circuitry in the camera. It may be the long unshielded run, or the ungrounded controller (or worse, a controller connected to a different ground) was the cause.

While the RS-422 ground provided a workable solution, I don't believe that RS-422 inherently needs a ground.

RussellHltn wrote:...or the ungrounded controller (or worse, a controller connected to a different ground) was the cause.

Please help me to understand.

I'm thinking that if the RM-BR300 controller is connected to the cameras only via T+, T-, etc., and not a ground, and if the cable is a really long run, wouldn't that induce noise into the system and the ground connection's purpose be used to suppress the noise?

The reason I'm thinking this is because (according to the Sony pin-out) the camera's RS-422 and controller's RS-422 conntectors have pin #5 designated for ground. And when I grounded this pin, the problem went away.

Furthermore, the power packs (for cameras and controller) are not grounded, so I assume the camera grounds to the other equipment through the negative video connection, but how is the controller grounded?

michaelfish wrote:but how is the controller grounded?

Have you connected the shield of the CAT 5 to the controller? I assumed you did, but in re-reading, I don't see where you said you have.

Standard UTP (no shield) wiring was used.

The controller had #5 contact (GND) connected to solid green of the CAT5, The 1st camera also had contact #5 (GND) connected. Camera #2 did NOT have contact #5 GND (solid green) connected. Camera #3 was connected to contact #5 GND.

Picture degration was fixed when I connected camera #2's contact #5 (GND) to the other cameras. In order to do this with one cable, I swapped out the UPT (from Cam1 to Cam2 to Cam3) with STP (from Cam1 to Cam2 to Cam3). UTP was used from controller to Cam1.

michaelfish wrote:Please help me to understand.

I'm thinking that if the RM-BR300 controller is connected to the cameras only via T+, T-, etc., and not a ground, and if the cable is a really long run, wouldn't that induce noise into the system and the ground connection's purpose be used to suppress the noise?

...

Provided the equipment design and wiring is correct, a long run of RS-422 should not induce any noise. The transmitter on each end should be truly symmetrical in the voltage waveform it puts out, so that if you looked at the sum of T+ and T- (or R+ and R-) there would be NO signal voltage present. The wiring should be done so that T+ and T- are on one twisted pair, and R+ and R- are on another twisted pair. The receiver should present the same impedance to its + and - input lines to avoid breaking the symmetry of the voltage and current waveforms.

If a transmitter outputs an asymmetrical voltage waveform, if a receiver presents mismatched impedance to create an asymmetrical current waveform, or if the wiring puts T+ and T- on different pairs (or R+ and R- on different pairs), then a long run could induce noise. In that case, the noise is the fault of a flawed piece of equipment or wiring.

Telephone landlines are an example of a system with long wiring runs and extremely little noise crossover. With proper symmetrical voltages and currents on carefully paired wiring, 90V ring voltage on some pairs does not leak to other pairs with sub-volt talk signals.

michaelfish wrote:The controller had #5 contact (GND) connected to solid green of the CAT5, The 1st camera also had contact #5 (GND) connected. Camera #2 did NOT have contact #5 GND (solid green) connected. Camera #3 was connected to contact #5 GND.

Picture degration was fixed when I connected camera #2's contact #5 (GND) to the other cameras. In order to do this with one cable, I swapped out the UPT (from Cam1 to Cam2 to Cam3) with STP (from Cam1 to Cam2 to Cam3). UTP was used from controller to Cam1.

I'm still not getting a clear picture. When you say "solid green" is that the shield, or the "mostly green with white strip" wire? (At least that's what I usually see in CAT 5).

And I take it that this is a "bus" topology, where the layout is Controller -> Cam 1 -> Cam 2 -> Cam 3 and not "home run" were each camera has it's own line back to the controller?

And which cameras did you have the degradation on? Just Cam 2 or all of them?

I am just getting ready to do our first stake conference webcast. We are doing our camera control of video balun from the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Control-Video-Pow ... -d70+balun

All I needed was a cat5 run from the camera to the satellite cabinet. With this balun , you plug in power at the cabinet and it feeds video and camera control to you. I have a laptop with this sofware that I found on the wiki
https://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.p ... l+software

http://www.cwshop.com/LDSSoftware
Connect the usb connection to the laptop. Video out to the webcast communicator. Power, video and camera control all in one package.

The software allows you to have 6 preset camera positions and 4 lines of text you can add on screen.

I use an IR extender and it works well!

Gutknecht wrote:I use an IR extender and it works well!

Yes, the one thing that disappointed me in my experience of using a borrowed EVI-D70 was the dismal IR range of (if I recall) about 10'-15'. Can you elaborate on which IR extender you used? I know some are definitely better than others. Did you experience any additional lag time while using it?

Mikerowaved wrote:Yes, the one thing that disappointed me in my experience of using a borrowed EVI-D70 was the dismal IR range of (if I recall) about 10'-15'. Can you elaborate on which IR extender you used? I know some are definitely better than others. Did you experience any additional lag time while using it?

Different situation here, but we used a S-Video/IR extender system from Knoll Systems (someone in the stake does commercial AV installations and he recommended them). We have a US-SVID in the camera box, that runs through a CAT6 cable to a UR-SVID in the "control room" (Stake Clerks Office). That feeds a 1x4 S-Video splitter which goes into another US-SVID that runs through a CAT6 cable to a UR-SVID in the library that ties into the building CCTV system.


Aaron Z

Mikerowaved wrote:Yes, the one thing that disappointed me in my experience of using a borrowed EVI-D70 was the dismal IR range of (if I recall) about 10'-15'. Can you elaborate on which IR extender you used? I know some are definitely better than others. Did you experience any additional lag time while using it?

Here is a link to the Terk IR Extender we are using, there may be cheaper suppliers, this is just to help you see the device we are using.

http://www.buy.com/prod/audiovox-terk-l ... 05352.html

I worked with Lewis, the author of the link above

Following these instructions, for $18 bucks, and CAT5 from your camera to your PC, you are controlling your EVI-D70 with a laptop with USB. It works great. We literally finished the documentation last week. I can verify it works.

Hi,
I want to control Sony EVID70 from RS422. for this purpose I am using USB to RS 485/422 converter ( http://www.usconverters.com/index.php?m ... cts_id=280)
but it is not working. Can anyone suggest me a way.

More detail about what doesn't work would be helpful. What are the symptoms? Does it appear that there is simply no communication? Or, does it do something but not what it should?

Finding the root cause of the problem will require some debugging effort. Here are some simple suggestions that might get you started:

First, are you sure the wiring is connected correctly? If the transmitters are talking to each other and the receivers are listening to each other, there will be no communication. If the polarities are reversed, plus vs. minus, on either or both pairs, there might be odd symptoms or no communication.

Second, are you sure you have the converter in the right mode? IIRC, RS-485 uses a protocol to control access to the shared bus, while RS-422 is full duplex with no need for collision avoidance. Do you have the baud rate, number of bits, number of stop bits, and such set correctly? (Serial communication is not as simple as plug and talk.)

Third, does the software give you any indication of what is or is not happening?

Fourth, is there enough documentation on the camera's over-the-wire language that you could use a terminal emulator program to see if there are bytes going back and forth?

Fifth, if you have access to any RS-422 debugging tools, what does it show happening on the line? Are bits going in one or both directions? If you have an oscilloscope, that can be used to see whether the wires are wiggling. With a bit of care and maybe a few resistors, a stereo audio line input could be used to check for wiggles if you have a program that displays a view similar to an oscilloscope. Look for the wires in a differential pair to trade voltages. If you need, I have a very simple oscilloscope program that runs on Linux; you could use a Live-CD to run it.

Has anyone tried an Ethernet to RS-422 server device? I am looking at this one in particular http://www.startech.com/Networking-IO/S ... NETRS2321E
We are likely only going to have a one camera so no video switching/mixing will be needed. I figure if I connect a temporary WiFi AP to the wired building ethernet that is secure (since the LDSAccess WiFi will be disabled for the webcast) then I could be anywhere in range of the AP controlling the camera.

Anyone have experience with this?

rogerscr wrote:Has anyone tried an Ethernet to RS-422 server device?
[. . .]
Anyone have experience with this?

I don't know about that particular one, but I use one from GridConnect for a different application nearly every day. I works great for me. I believe this one is RS232, nor RS-422. But they do have other products including some that use WIFI rather than Ethernet.

http://gridconnect.com/rs232-rj45.html

I just got the Camera and Webcast Communicator today. I connected a monitor and checked out the hardware (Intel Atom Dual Core with Hyperthreading). One thought, has anyone connected a USB to RS-232/422 adapter and the camera control software to the Webcast Communicator?

I figure with remote control software like VNC installed it should be possible to remotely control the camera without concern about driver compatibility. What do you think?

Instead of forking out $1,800 for a Vaddio or $1,300 for a Precision Joystick Servo controller, check out the 3 Axis keyboard control for PTZ cameras. This device has all of the precision of the Vaddio and Sony controller for only $350 and fully supports Sony EVI-D70 PTZ control as well as other brands. You can find them on eBay. Although it does not have picture controls (iris, gain, AWB, red, blue, detail, etc.), it DOES have the same precision joystick servo control found on the Vaddio or Sony as well as multiple-camera support and camera presets. It supports both RS-232 and RS-422 VISCA protocol communication using the easy to connect Phoenix connector.

It is made in China but I've tested this out and it is a great value. It sure beats I/R or computer control.

Search eBay for "3 Axis keyboard control for PTZ camera Sony VISCA"

Supports SONY BRC-H700/Z700 BRC-300/300P EVI-D100/D100P/S EVI-D70/D70P/W EVI-D30/D30P SNC-RZ30N/RZ30P EVI-HD1 EVI-HD3V SONY EVI-HD7V HD BRC-Z330 DXC-390/390P DXC-990/990P Polycom MPTZ-6、MPTZ-9 CISCO Camera 720P/1080P Panasonic AW-HE50S/H,AW-HE100;AW-PH300-650 Protocols: VISCA、POLYCOM、CISCO、CANON、Panasonic、PELCOD、PELCO-P

I purchased a "3 Axis keyboard control for PTZ camera Sony VISCA" but have not been able to get it to work. I connected the 2 connectors on the RS485 B-, A+ connector to the Sony VISCA RS-422 connectors 3 and 4 as shown in the instruction manual. However the joystick does not control the camera at all.

The manual is very cryptic to say the least. It gives almost NO instructions. It is more a poorly translated technical specification sheet, from the Chinese language, than a user's manual.

Are there better instructions somewhere? I am not familiar with RS-422 or how to debug the problem.

Do you have a URL to the instruction manual or only a paper version? Please send the URL if you have one. If you have a model or product number, that might help us find the instructions. Are there diagrams you could attach that might help us understand how to help? Unless there's somebody with specifically relevant experience, we'll need more info on what you have connected to what.

I'm not acquainted with the VISCA protocol, but RS-422 is basically a differential version of RS-232 but (in my observations) with smaller voltage swings. IIUC, RS-485 adds a protocol to allow multi-directional communication over a single pair of wires. Please make sure the signal wires are connected in pairs. If it's pure RS-422, there may be two pairs, one pair for each direction. In that case, make sure you have talkers connected to listeners, rather than talkers to each other and listeners to each other. An oscilloscope can show bits being sent on a pair of wires.

(The instructions might be translated from Japanese if the device was designed in Japan and only manufactured in China. If that's the case, a Yoda-to-English translator might help. Yoda's word order is very close to Japanese word order.)

rmrichesjr wrote:In that case, make sure you have talkers connected to listeners, rather than talkers to each other and listeners to each other.

I seem to recall another thread where the connection that worked was completely backwards from anything we expected based on the labeling. I wouldn't be afraid to experiment in connecting the 4 wires in different ways.

1. Since I was the one who made the suggestion, I'll help you find the solution
2. Isn't this Forum Great? I know a couple of STS's here who use the controller and if you PM me, I can give you their contact information. They'll gladly help you over the phone.
3. The unit can be programmed for either RS-232 (two wires) or RS-422 (4 wires) but the camera will need to have it's DIP switch in the correct position, as well as the buad rate.

Mike

FYI, there is an Android app which claims to be able to control the Sony EVI series cameras such as the EVI-D70.

It is called CamRobot (http://www.videobotics.com/camrobot.html) and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. There are different versions from free and limited to paid and full-featured (pricing has not been announced yet), but there are some cool things it can do from your Android device.

YouTube video demo: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0pvo6xxuBk)

Is the sony d70 good for church live streaming and recording? I can get it on ebay for $100.00 also what exactly would I need to connect it to the windows 7 computer? I am useing OBS to live stream and record.

We use RS422 control that is carried by shielded CAT-6 cables. One cable runs to each of three Sony D70 cameras. All 8 wires in the CAT-6 cable plus the shield are used to make up the 9 pin control connections between the three cameras. The camera control cables and a RS422 to USB adapter are series connected via four shielded RJ45 connectors. We use "PTZ-Control" software on a PC with a simple game joy stick controller to run the cameras. Each camera has about six presets that we use. This has worked great for us for several conferences.

roblad wrote:We use "PTZ-Control" software on a PC with a simple game joy stick controller to run the cameras.

With the joy stick, how are your pan & tilt fine adjustments when zoomed in, such as when a taller speaker takes the stand?

The control of the camera with the gamepad is much better than it was with the IR remote.
I wish there was a way to slow down the max speed for the gamepad controls more. Not sure if its the software, or my gamepad, but if I try to "creep" the pan on the camera, sometimes it "sticks" and keeps moving. There is a max speed adjustment, but I it seems to be just for using the mouse to control the software as it doesn't seem to make a difference in how fast the camera moves when using the gamepad.
As such, I usually use the buttons in the software for fine control.

Aaron Z

kentjorgensen wrote:I purchased a "3 Axis keyboard control for PTZ camera Sony VISCA" but have not been able to get it to work. I connected the 2 connectors on the RS485 B-, A+ connector to the Sony VISCA RS-422 connectors 3 and 4 as shown in the instruction manual. However the joystick does not control the camera at all.

The manual is very cryptic to say the least. It gives almost NO instructions. It is more a poorly translated technical specification sheet, from the Chinese language, than a user's manual.

Are there better instructions somewhere? I am not familiar with RS-422 or how to debug the problem.

Were you able to get this to work? I have a similar controller but I can't seem to get the controller to work with the camera

I am using the evi-d70 connected to the S video connection. Can someone tell me how to set the presets using the remote I purchased, I can seem to find step by step functions to set them. Also, the commander software, is there a version that works with the s video?

Good morning,

It's an old post but can you share a link to the same controller you tested and point me to the right one? I can't find it on the specific text or I see 10 different controllers.

With kind regards,

michaelfish wrote:Instead of forking out $1,800 for a Vaddio or $1,300 for a Precision Joystick Servo controller, check out the 3 Axis keyboard control for PTZ cameras. This device has all of the precision of the Vaddio and Sony controller for only $350 and fully supports Sony EVI-D70 PTZ control as well as other brands. You can find them on eBay. Although it does not have picture controls (iris, gain, AWB, red, blue, detail, etc.), it DOES have the same precision joystick servo control found on the Vaddio or Sony as well as multiple-camera support and camera presets. It supports both RS-232 and RS-422 VISCA protocol communication using the easy to connect Phoenix connector.

It is made in China but I've tested this out and it is a great value. It sure beats I/R or computer control.

Search eBay for "3 Axis keyboard control for PTZ camera Sony VISCA"

Supports SONY BRC-H700/Z700 BRC-300/300P EVI-D100/D100P/S EVI-D70/D70P/W EVI-D30/D30P SNC-RZ30N/RZ30P EVI-HD1 EVI-HD3V SONY EVI-HD7V HD BRC-Z330 DXC-390/390P DXC-990/990P Polycom MPTZ-6、MPTZ-9 CISCO Camera 720P/1080P Panasonic AW-HE50S/H,AW-HE100;AW-PH300-650 Protocols: VISCA、POLYCOM、CISCO、CANON、Panasonic、PELCOD、PELCO-P