CDC2555 & CDC2550LX Controllers: Add 3rd party PTZ cameras to the system

Issue: 

You have a PTZ system that is mainly Costar equipment, but you need to replace an older Analog dome camera that has failed with a 3rd party PTZ camera.  The controllers have a section in the menu where you can add 3rd party PTZ cameras to the system if they use the F2 or Pelco P or D Protocol.  

Both Controllers use the same login information from the Factory.  Once the Keyboards are turned on you will be asked for a password to continue.  The "user" password is 1,1,1,1.  The Admin password is 9,9,9,9.  To get into the controller menu you must sign in as Admin with 9,9,9,9.  

To access the controller menu you press and hold the CTRL key then press Menu while still holding the CTRL key down.  This menu below pops up on the full-sized display of the CDC2555 or the 2 line display of the CDC2550LX controller.  

CDC2550LX Menu

Resolution: 

To add the 3rd party PTZ camera to the system you must know the physical address of the PTZ camera and the protocol it will be using and the Baud Rate it uses.  A lot of 3rd party PTZ cameras use a protocol called AUTO that allows the use of the Pelco protocol.  Once this information is obtained you can add the 3rd party PTZ camera to the system.  

To add the camera get into the controller menu.  To navigate through the menu you use the controller's joystick to move through the menus.  Using the joystick scroll down to menu #3 Camera.  To enter the Camera menu scroll right with the joystick to enter Menu #3.  You will be presented with a view such as this below.

Cam means the physical address of the PTZ camera.

PR means Protocol.

PT means Port.

BR means Baud Rate

To add the 3rd party PTZ camera you start with its address.  To change the address you twist the joystick upper knob as if zooming in and out.  Twisting the zoom knob get the address where you need it to be at.  To move right, joystick right to the PR setting. here you again twist the zoom knob to select the protocol.  The protocol choices are F2, F2E (on LX controller), P-D, and P-P.  PD means Pelco "D" protocol and P-P means Pelco "P" protocol.  Twist the zoom knob to the right to go to the PT setting.  The port setting means which RS485 port are you using?  Both controllers have an RS485 output on Port #1 or Port #2.  This is asking which port is your RS485 control wires at.  Twist the zoom knob to change the settings.  Joystick's right to move to the BR settings.  P-D used 2400 but some do work as high as 9600 Baud Rate.  P-P started at 9600 but can go up as high as 19,200 Baud.  Select the correct baud rate by twisting the zoom knob. To add another camera twist the joystick to get to a blank line to add the new information.  

To save the information that has been inputted, on the CDC2555 controller press the key marked CTRL/PGM, and on the CDC2550LX press CTRL.  This keypress saves the 3rdparty camera information to the controller.  

To exit out of the menu use the joystick to scroll down to Save and Exit.

Now when you press that particular camera number to control it, you should now have control over the 3rd party PTZ camera.  

***NOTE*** Any added 3rd party cameras will NOT come up in the controller's auto-scan mode for domes.