development of housings for domestic dome cameras at the Research Center “Technologies”

We already somehow they told about the development of cases for cameras of the “bullet” form factor, primarily in the context of the complexity of planning the development of even such a seemingly simple part. And so it is in everything – it seems, just spy on the giants of the industry, copy them and the job is in the bag. But no, if only everything were that simple…

From OEM case to own development

As well as last timeit all started with the development of our own modules for cameras, almost simultaneously with the start of the development of cylindrical cases. In fact, most of the configuration options are possible in both case form factors, the only difference is in the camera's tasks. Cylindrical cameras can fit a little more stuffing, heaters and a longer focal length lens, while dome cameras, due to their design, are less susceptible to mechanical damage and better tolerate dangerous proximity to the playful hands of hooligans or harmful old ladies.

*A good camera will withstand even this kind of treatment.*

But the main impetus was the development of a prototype of a tailless dome camera – it has no cable outlet and is connected via one RJ45 on the body, much like boxes. This is very convenient for neat installation indoors, but with an open connector the camera has no dust or moisture protection, which greatly limits its use.

*Conventional dome cameras have a fairly large tail, which must be attached and hidden somewhere.*

There is no protection class for such a camera as a phenomenon - you can't put it outside — *There is no protection class for such a camera as a phenomenon – you can't put it outside*

In general, tailless dome cameras have many advantages: no mounting boxes are required, hidden wiring can be installed, the installation itself is ideally sealed and neat, and the camera's overall vandal resistance is increased.

Here, the Asian market in principle could not offer anything suitable, since such execution is very rare (despite its prospects). It became clear that we had to roll up our sleeves and do everything ourselves again.

Development of tailless domes

Our old OEM case and domes from HiWatch and Milesight were used as references for the new case:

I wanted the following modules to fit into the case:

Processor module;
Sensor module;
Power module;
Backlight module;
Shock sensor;
Memory card slot;
UPS;
GLONASS and physical cryptographic protection modules;
An advanced connection interface, ideally not inferior in functionality to BOX cameras.

In addition, the internal volume had to be sufficient to accommodate zoom lenses with a focal length of 2.7 to 22 mm.

The old case lacked about 5 mm in diameter and 5 mm in height to accommodate all this wealth, so it had to be expanded.

This is how the first version of the case appeared. Externally, there was nothing special to distinguish it from the old case, but thanks to the optimization of the racks, slopes and thickness of the material, it was possible to increase the internal volume of the case quite a bit.

*The picture is schematic, in reality, to squeeze everything into the case even if everything matches on the drawings is a separate pain*

Now everything fits, but I wanted more savings and compactness – the ideal solution is always a compromise, the optimal ratio of price and functionality of the product. You can't just take and stuff the camera with all the best, with a reserve of power and megapixels – it will cost significantly more than its analogues and no one will buy it. The same with the cases – you can mill it from a solid piece of aluminum, but then the camera will be gold. Therefore, you need to try to save every gram of material, arrange the internal space as much as possible, make the walls as thin as possible, but in no case at the expense of strength.

The next iteration had an even more optimally organized internal space. More importantly, this iteration allowed us to identify problems at the assembly stage – the order of laying cables, modules, fastening features, and so on. Interestingly, there were two working versions of the case, and we could not decide which one to choose – voting helped in our telegram channelso the current design can be considered folk.

*In the vote for the final production version, the one on the right won, although it also changed a little.*

*New layout of modules, everything became a little denser*

If you pay attention, you will see that the cable entry plugs have changed. We tested about a dozen plugs made of different materials (this took about two months), the best ones were threaded cable glands, and, oddly enough, simple silicone plugs. They withstood both immersion and freezing, but it was unclear how they would behave in a year or two. Therefore, to improve reliability, it was decided to use threaded cable glands. They are not much more expensive, but they almost completely eliminate leaks during very long-term use.

*These cable glands turned out to be much more effective than it seemed at first glance.*

*We even went through a week of field testing with temperature fluctuations from -20 to +10*

Among the interesting solutions that made the camera in such a configuration possible, it is worth noting the mounting interface board.

*Mounting boards in small and large dome cameras*

It allows you to connect to the camera sound input and output, alarm outputs, dry contacts and most importantly – various additional modules such as a smoke sensor or pyroelectric sensor, that is, to combine a number of devices in one video surveillance camera. Most mass-market Asian cameras do not provide such an opportunity.

Be your own director

Well, where would we be without the traditional selection of fuck-ups that no one could have foreseen.

One of our favorites is radiators that are 10 times larger than needed. The new contractor was in such a hurry to place an order that he didn't bother reading the documentation, but simply sent the models to be cut. The result was almost 200 kilograms of spoiled material, a month of delay, and the incoming inspection department's stomachs bursting with laughter. The corrected batch of radiators from the same contractor arrived in the normal size, but with such terrible burrs that it also had to be rejected.

*The radiator is almost larger than the camera itself*

Radiators are generally shrouded in some kind of evil fate at all stages, for example, Last time we wrote how they couldn't bend the radiator fins at 90 degrees. It turns out that just painting them is also a problem. Another contractor took on making coated radiators, but instead of anodizing, he suggested powder coating with heat-resistant paint. We agreed to a trial batch, but the result exceeded all our wildest expectations.

*According to the supplier, a radiator painted in this way adds +100500% to heat exchange*

Well, one of the really interesting cases was the selection of a polycarbonate dome. The thing is that when stamping domes, most manufacturers leave a small technical strip at the base of the dome, which distorts the image.

In 99% of cases you won't see this, because a dome camera is very rarely installed at a 90 degree angle. But, as it turns out, it is installed anyway – one of the clients who got the trial cameras complained about the blurriness when installed this way.

*Some of the subjects, almost all of them have the same problem (some even have an additional one)*

We have no direct merit in solving this problem, we simply tried a dozen domes from different manufacturers until we found a completely transparent one. We had no idea about the existence of this problem until we came face to face with it.

The problem is solved, at any angle of rotation of the camera carriage - clearly — *The problem is solved, at any angle of rotation of the camera carriage – clearly*

What's next?

But now the case is ready, the test series of cameras is assembled, everything is wonderful, what's next? For full-scale serial production, it is necessary to make molds for stamping new cases, this is highly precise, complicated, and incredibly expensive for a thing of this size – literally at the price of a one-room apartment somewhere in Mytishchi. Of course, we are not a garage cooperative, but even for us, it is problematic to immediately pull such a sum out of circulation, so we always try to collect pre-orders for such new products.

This is a very effective tool, not only in software development, but also for electronics – the client gets a great discount, although the waiting time can be up to two or three months. Well, when the pre-order is collected, then the only thing left is to get stamped cases from partners and start assembling. Although, admittedly, many surprises can happen here – we try to write about them in our telegram blogbe sure to subscribe, it's interesting!

Also read our previous articles, for example about how we designed housings for cylindrical camerasor how tried to burn an IP camera with a powerful laser.