Dog-robot as a courier?

Automotive company Continental from Germany, generally known as a tire manufacturer, at CES 2019 presented a vision of the future: a dog-robot delivering packages. During the demonstration at the fair one could see how one of the four-legged robots emerges from the truck and covers the route from the vehicle to the house, overcoming an obstacle encountered on its way. Then it goes up the stairs, calls to the door and leaves the package beneath. At the end, he performs a dance of joy and returns to the truck. This project was created thanks to the cooperation with ANYbotics company, which has extensive experience in the robotics industry.

A dog-robot delivering shipments

Can couriers feel threatened? Fortunately, not yet. As one can guess, there is still a long way to go until such services become reliable enough to be permanently present in everyday life. If such robots do not become faster and less unreliable, companies will still use traditional courier services.

Surge protector or galvanic isolator in antenna system?

Signal TV-Sat Surge Protector R48602 protects TV/SAT devices against surges caused by lightning storms. A good practice is to use this type of protectors at the inputs of the first active devices in the system (directly after the antennas). These are usually terrestrial TV amplifiers, satellite amplifiers and multiswitches.

Everyone should know that the use of this type of elements in ungrounded systems is meaningless. The protection works on the principle that the built-in varistor directs the excessive charge to the ground. In the case of Signal R48602, the breakdown voltage at 100 V/s is about 230 V. In the case of properly grounded system, it protects the connected devices against higher voltages.

The overvoltage protection works regardless of the type of the excessive voltage, also blocking an alternating voltage. As a curiosity we may mention the fact that Signal protectors have been even used in prisons, where bored prisoners were sometimes connecting TV antenna cables directly to 230 VAC electrical outlets, thus damaging some devices in the antenna systems.

The Signal R48605 galvanic isolator eliminates the negative influence of potential differences between the grounds of different components of antenna systems on their reliability, the comfort and safety of use, and the quality of received signals (strips and/or flickers in the image, 50 Hz hum or noise interference in the sound). The isolator is equipped with capacitors responsible for cutting the DC and low frequency voltage components both in the signal and neutral (ground) paths, which eliminates the unwanted interference and the above-mentioned phenomena.

Such problems can occur in bigger installations, where the differences of potentials between individual parts of the antenna/cable networks may cause overvoltages, surge and ground loop currents effecting in sparks and even light electric shocks to the people connecting the equipment. This is usually the result of the negligence on the part of the cable network operator or the designer of the antenna system. It may also be the reason of unexpected failures of the active pieces of the equipment like RF amplifiers or even televisions. In the case of electrical installations with residual current protective devices, it may also result in often power-off incidents. The Signal R48605 isolator is an antidote to such situations.

How to connect IP camera to a mobile Protect DVR?

Mobile Protect DVRs M80114 and M80115 (with GPS) by default support four AHD camera with resolution up to 720p. To use CVBS cameras, the user has to change the mode of operation (possibility to use 4 x CVBS or 2 x CVBS + 2 x 720p cameras). Another interesting mode is the hybrid one (IP + CVBS), supporting 4 analog CVBS 960H channels and one IP 1080p channel. This solution is very convenient when one channel should provide high quality recordings, e.g. the from a front 1080p camera, and in the case of rest cameras the 960H resolution is sufficient. Additionally, this mode allows for connecting 5 cameras, instead of only 4 in other modes.

Setting channel mode of Protect DVRs

Adding an IP camera (only one can be selected)

The DVRs support Onvif protocol. They cooperate with Hikvision and Sunell IP cameras.

Connections with IP cameras and IP NVRs without additional plugins.

Hikvision IP cameras from EasyIP 2.0 plus, EasyIP 3.0 series and Hikvision NVRs from I series can be upgraded with firmware allowing for access to the video streams from the cameras in any browser without a need for installing WebComponents plugins. The firmware enables users to use the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox that have not already support NPAPI (Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface). In the case of cameras the firmware supporting the new feature is 5.5.61 or higher, for NVRs - 4.1.50 or higher.

View of the configuration window with WebSocket(s) controls in DS-2CD2125FWD-I K17292 (firmware 5.5.61)
in Google Chrome (version 71.0.3578.98).
Path: Configuration->Network->Advanced Settings->Network services

To enable live preview without additional plugins, using Google Chrome ver. 45 or higher or Mozilla Firefox ver. 52 or higher, it is necessary to activate WedSocket (HTTP) or WebSockets (HTTPS) protocol. Otherwise, the functions of live preview, capturing screenshots and digital zooming will not be available.

Transmission of HD-TVI/AHD signals over optical fiber.

Modern analog CCTV standards allow for transmission of video signals from 1080p cameras over distances up to 300 meters, using high-quality coaxial cables. In the case of longer distances between cameras and the DVR (e.g. video surveillance systems in large warehouses, factories, big office buildings etc.) the transmission has to be done with other means.

The best solution is to employ fiber optic video converters and and fiber-optic cables. The maximum transmission distance can be easily increased even to 20 kilometers. Additionally, fiber-optic technology ensures ideal electrical insulation between cameras and the DVR as well as insensitivity to interference from power lines, RF systems, other devices.

The diagram below shows the architecture of the solution based on two-channel TVI-FO video converter ULTIMODE HDTVI-202 L2030. Ultimode video converters are multi-purpose devices, i.e. they can transmit analog video signals of any kind: TVI, AHD, CVI, CVBS/PAL.

Typical application of ULTIMODE L2030 fiber-optic video converter

Configuration tool for RACK cabinets.

When choosing accessories for rack cabinets, the user should pay attention to their compatibility with the specific models of the cabinets. Some components may be dedicated to other models, e.g. with greater depth or with a different way of mounting the accessory (e.g. a fan).

DIPOL e-Store offers a simple mechanism that provides a list of compatible accessories for a selected RACK cabinet. Simply, in the lower part of the catalog page of the RACK cabinet click on this button:

The new window shows the list of compatible accessories.

The new page with the selection of compatible accessories

Switch for extended fiber-optic networks. The TP-LINK JetStream T2600G-28SQ switch is equipped with 24 gigabit SFP slots, four 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45 ports and four 10G SFP+ slots, which enables the creation of a stable network environment and the use of fast and efficient connections. The switch ensures high performance, advanced QoS support, threat protection strategies, and network layer 2 and 2+ management features... >>>more

Example application diagram

Vertical mounting system in 19" RACK cabinets