Swollen capacitors return...

[FlyingPenguin]

In my LTS CCTV camera power supply.

Not even two years old. First one failed after 4 years, this one barely made it 2. I never opened the first one, but I bet it had bad caps too.

This is a 12 volt DC, 12 amp PSU, with 18 barrier strip terminals to connect the power to each CCTV camera (analog cameras). I noticed half the cameras had stopped working, checked the voltage, and it was barely putting out 8 volts. I'm guessing the cams on the longest cables just weren't getting enough voltage.

Amazing that 20 years after the capacitor fiasco, some manufacturer still has a stash of defective caps they're using.

Instead of buying another LTS box, I checked Amazon and found a different manufacturer, with good reviews, and they had a 29 amp model. A lot of reviews were from techs who also had problems with 12 amp models, and felt that with a full 16 cameras, with the extra current drawn by the UV lights at night, needed some more amperage headroom, especially with voltage loss on long cables. I also like that this new box has an adjustable voltage. One of the techs that wrote a review says he bumps the voltage up to 12.3 volts so the cameras see closer to 12 after cable loss. I also like the build quality compared to the old one, which didn't even have a master fuse.

At the same time I noticed the CMOS battery in the CCTV DVR was dead, so replaced that. Seagate 4TB HDD still going strong, with good stats after a SMART test.

[FlyingPenguin]

Swollen caps in the old PSU:


New PSU. Being OCD I also stripped back and solder tinned all the wires, and labelled them with camera numbers.

[Losbot]

I have a higher amp model and it's been working fine for about 9yrs now. No complaints. I might want to check the CMOS battery on the DVR though, now that y'all got that crap on my mind. LOL

[FlyingPenguin]

Mine is on a UPS, so the battery may have died a while ago, and I never knew it. It was down to less than a volt.

I only noticed when I powered it down to replace the PSU, and the clock reset back to 1990 or something, and the playback was telling me there were no recordings. Just a standard coin lithium battery on mine, a CR1220.

Dusted the unit while I was at it, although it was pretty clean. I've noticed not much dust gets into that pantry closet for some reason.

[Pugsley]

That looks like a Mean Well PS. They are higher quality industrial power supplies. Surprised to see that.

[FlyingPenguin]

Yeah, it is a Mean Well PSU. The box is branded InstallerCCTV, but the power supply itself has a Mean Well label on it.

[Losbot]

Same. DVR and PSU have both been on a UPS since day one.