Article. Redvision X-SERIES heat resilience. March 2016
Stay cool with Redvision X-SERIES™ cameras.|An electrical or electronic product’s life will dramatically shorten if either its operating temperature or the temperature tolerance of the components within it, are exceeded. |With this is mind, before entering the hotter African, Middle Eastern and Southern European markets, leading UK CCTV equipment manufacturer, Redvision, was keen to determine how well its X-SERIES™ cameras would fare. In-depth, heat testing showed exceptional performance, the result of using high quality components and good product design.
Paul Hucker, MD of Redvision, said, “Operating any electrical or electronic product in a hot environment adversely affects the mean time before failure (MTBF) of its components. Exceeding its operating temperature reduces its longevity and reliability, threatening its warranty.
“A product’s actual operating temperature will be above the ambient climatic temperature, due to the heat generated by its components. For X-SERIES™ cameras, the prime contributors to increased heat are the PTZ motor, LED illuminators and power supply. External influences, such as exposure to direct sunlight, also have a significant heating effect.”
Redvision approached TÜV SÜD, a world-leading provider of product testing and certification, to carry out a series of independent tests on the X-SERIES™, simulating operation in hotter climates. Redvision wanted to investigate how much additional heat would be generated within the cameras themselves, to ensure no detrimental effect on performance or longevity.
The test ran for 24 hours, with the ambient temperature rising to 44°C and solar radiation peaking at 1120 W/m². Temperature probes were used to record the internal, camera temperature. Three cameras were tested in different configurations. The first was without a sunshield and with the IR LEDs turned off; the second was with a sunshield and with IR LEDs turned on; and finally, the worst case scenario, without a sunshield and with the IRs on. Testing was carried out at full power, with drive motors running simultaneously and at maximum. The results were unprecedented and showed that in all three scenarios, the X-SERIES™ camera internal temperature only rose slightly above the ambient, climatic temperature.
Paul explains, “The X-SERIES™ has been used extensively in public space and local authority markets, where its total cost of ownership (TCO), carbon foot print and ‘green’ credentials are extremely important. This means the X-SERIES™ is designed to be highly energy efficient, producing minimal heat wastage through its use of high quality components with a wide temperature range tolerance. We also selected highly efficient LEDs which create maximum light with minimal heat generation. Effective mechanical design includes a sunshield to deflect direct sunlight and a cast aluminum body, which acts as a very efficient heatsink.
“Energy-saving performance features include economical power management. The X-SERIES™ draws 48W with the LED lights on and just 16 watts at rest. We use an efficient 24V dc power supply, which has little or no heating effect from AC conversion. We also reduced stationary torque to 50% to save power at rest. This feature has an override option for cameras subject to high winds and roosting birds, where high torque is still required.”
It seems that Redvision’s green, eco-design focus, which has successfully kept the total cost of ownership of X-SERIES™ cameras to a minimum, also serves to prevent adverse heat generation. The result is that the X-SERIES™ cameras demonstrate exceptional performance in hot climates. Redvision customers can be assured that the X-SERIES™ cameras lead the way in heat resilience, meeting the demands of hot climates with their warranties intact.