We respond to criticism regarding IP cameras of the Research Center “Technology”

Hello, friends!

Unfortunately, it was not possible to promptly respond to criticism, so of course we will try to justify ourselves, but most of the complaints are from reviews Sergei And Maxima already fixed. Therefore, this will not be a response to criticism, but rather a report on the work done.

We will respond to comments in chronological order so as not to violate the logic of the story.

So, 5BBNN-27135. This is exactly what the camera I ordered is called on the manufacturer’s website. But the camera that arrived is called differently 5BBIS-27135. Of course, I tried to find a camera with my name. This camera does not exist on the manufacturer's website.

We produce a wide range of cameras, and despite their similar appearance, they have different fillings. More precisely, our development paradigm is such that the client can assemble his own modification of cameras for his specific tasks: there are a huge number of options to choose from, allowing you to flexibly select a camera for the customer. The website shows only basic models, but when ordering it is better to use configuratorso that there are no problems.

5BB in the article means that the camera has a resolution of 5 MP and is assembled in a Big Bullet body (cylindrical camera), but the letters NN mean the board and firmware, in this case the boards of the Research Center “Technology” and the NEXUS firmware. The camera that Maxim received was from an old series, assembled on a contract board and flashed with firmware for this SoC.

Some time ago we produced such cameras as a budget line, but now we are replacing it with products on our own EcoNova boards. As a rule, if the client does not specify a specific model, then the manager puts the most inexpensive package in the commercial offer, so as not to scare off clients with the price, especially when it comes to a clearly household order from one camera. This happened this time too, although for some reason the manager explained his mistake by the stability of the firmware.

In principle, there is no point in commenting on this version of the firmware, since for more than a year now all new cameras have been released on our own NEXUS firmware, and the commercial release of another of our RUVER firmware is approaching – it was completely written from scratch. It has a different interface and functionality is implemented differently, although there is still enough work on expansion and pre-release polishing with it.

The video module is based on the SigmaStar SSC337DE processor. Very good Chinese(Taiwanese etc. editor) CPU. But there is one huge drawback – the processor is soldered on the same board as the matrix.

Single-board video modules are cheaper to manufacture and easier to operate, although they give rise to a number of problems, for example, artifacts and noise under overheating conditions. Despite this, they cannot be called a huge disadvantage; a very large number of cameras from the budget segment and some from the middle segment are designed using a single-board design. We used such a solution as economically necessary, but as soon as the opportunity arose to separate the processor and matrix into different boards, we immediately did it.

The separation into two boards was done not so much for the sake of reducing thermal illumination of the matrix, but for versatility: in the future, mastering many sensors, including Sony Starvis 2, and designing a separate video module board for each processor/sensor combination is long, expensive and inefficient, it is much easier make a line of processor boards and a line of sensor boards, and then simply combine them in any way.

In addition to these major complaints, in the reviews of Maxim and Sergey there were a number of small constructive comments, such as sizing of connectors and the like. There is a very real explanation for gluing the connectors – standard picoblades can fall out due to vibration, during camera operation, for example on a bridge or near a railway. We encountered this during testing, and although the problem cannot be called frequent, it is easier to glue it and forget it than to allow the possibility of disconnection. About the inseparability after gluing is an exaggeration, since hot-melt adhesive is used, it will not be difficult for any service technician to remove it.

Now let's move on to Sergei's doubts about locating production in Russia.

Let's summarize: a case of unknown, probably Chinese origin, a Chinese video module, Chinese firmware, a domestic power board, a domestic backlight, probably a domestic assembly – that's already something. To design any modules, a design bureau is required, that is, a certain material and technical base and competent engineers. In this case, I see no reason why not to design processor boards or sensor boards yourself.

Here Sergey was in heaven, since we design both boards and cases here in Krasnodar, where we assemble them. And we are proud of the fact that the Research Center “Technology” is, first of all, a developer of electronics with a full (well, almost:) production cycle. Setting up production is easier than developing electronics; in the case of contract manufacturing of Chinese products, this is not a problem at all, the Chinese will provide both money and technologists. But we walked this path ourselves, at our own expense and gaining our own experience. We literally have no living space left from the stuffed cones.

Of course, not the entire component base is easily available in domestic versions; the biggest problems are with the processor and matrix. However, with a strong desire and enough money, you can design and assemble a “Juche” camera entirely from Russian components, on Russian firmware, and soldered by the hands of beautiful MIPT graduates in kokoshniks.

Another thing is that there will be no one to buy it, so you have to maneuver between the price of the Chinese and the quality of premium brands, look for compromises, order a contract for the production of some modules. However, these are still entirely our developments, and in case of any problems with the availability of components or sanctions restrictions, we will easily make changes to the design and adapt to the situation. We've done this more than once.

And of course, we invite both Maxim and Sergey to visit our production site in Krasnodar to dispel any doubts about the domestic origin of our cameras. And in general, if we are read by experts in the field of electronics design, we will be happy to invite you to visit, we will tell and show you everything!

For everyone else, we have a video tour of our facility.

And for the completely impenetrable skeptics, we have created microblog in telegramwhere we share the everyday life of a Russian electronics developer – a must subscribewe will be glad to see you!