November 2013

(NOTE: This article applies to hybrid ExacqVision systems with Stretch boards, manufactured from June 2012 to September 2013 as described in TAB 2013-01. If you need to replace the SATA power cable to an optical drive and hard drive please visit Article 2320.)

To replace a SATA power cable to a Stretch (sDVR) board in an ExacqVision system, complete the following steps:

1. Shut down the system through the operating system (instead of using the power switch), and then remove the system power cable from the power supply on the back panel.

2. Remove the system lid.

3. Locate the sDVR board. The board could be installed vertically or horizontally, and there could be one or two of these boards.

4. Remove the SATA power cable from each sDVR board. The following images show the location of the sDVR boards (both vertical and horizontal) and the cables that need to be removed.

Vertical sDVR Board

Horizontal sDVR Board

5. Trace the SATA power cable back to the 4-pin Molex connector.

Vertical sDVR Board

Horizontal sDVR Board

6. Disconnect the the 4-pin Molex connector.

7. Remove the faulty SATA power cable and set it aside.

8. Connect the new SATA power cable at the 4-pin Molex connector side first. The following image shows a faulty cable (left) and a replacement cable (right).

9. Connect the new SATA power cable at the power side to each SDVR board.

10. Replace and secure the system lid.

11. Plug the system power cable back into system’s power supply and turn the system on.

Related article: Replacing SATA Power Cable in exacqVision System

Issue

Some cameras are capable of creating large frame sizes. There are two issues that can be encountered by unreasonably large frame sizes.

As frame size increases the likelihood of the exacqVision recorder throttling increases.

A frame size > 4MB will cause exacqVision to display “Acquiring Video” message instead of the actual video stream. This has been known to be an issue with certain Arecont Cameras which are capable of producing large frame sizes.

Resolution

To reduce frame sizes:

Use H.264 encoding

Reduce the image quality level

Ensure lighting is adequate, (natural or IR)

For Arecont Cameras check the following settings:

Increase the low-light noise filter from the default (50) to the maximum (100). This setting can be changed on the Image tab for a single-sensor camera, or the Settings window for panoramics. (http://{IPADDRESS}/set?spacialfilter=100 works for both types)
Change the exposure mode from the default (Balanced) to Quality. This setting can be changed in the same location as the low-light noise filter. (http://{IPADDRESS}/set?lowlight=quality for single-sensor cameras, or http://{IPADDRESS}/set{n}?lowlight=quality, where “{n}” is a setting from 1-4, for panoramics)
Turn on binning mode in night mode. This setting can be changed on the Image tab for a single-sensor camera, or the Settings window for panoramics.

Arecont-Camera-Video-Loss-with-Large-Frame-Sizes.pdf