#1 My Bus Camera system is inoperative what should I do?
The term “Inoperative “ is subjective and means different things to different people.
The easiest way to resolve a functionality issue in a School Bus Camera System is to adopt the modular approach to solving the problems. In this way, we try to isolate the problem by replacing components until the system functions properly again, then we test the item we suspect on a test bench for verification.
Call, and we will walk you through a brief troubleshooting process to determine what might be wrong.
There is no charge, and in many cases, we can suggest a solution without the purchase of a new component of the system.
#2 My DVR no longer works what should we do?
Should the DVR, the heart of the School Bus Video Camera system, be lost, inoperative or damaged, all is not lost. Most companies will encourage you to purchase a new technology system with cameras and new cables, requiring a complete re-installation.
However, American Bus Video Inc (shameless plug) offers a “Customer Loyalty DVR Technology Upgrade” where you buy the new technology DVR but it is an AHD DVR meaning it is backward compatible with cameras FMI/ABV sold for the system over the last 30+ years, and the DVR is about 1/2 the cost of a new DVR as you have already purchased the system from us in the past, we do not charge the full DVR cost as a reward for your loyalty as a customer. ABV has offered Testudo Lifetime School Bus System Warranty for years to provide the apex of warranty coverage in the industry.
#3 Moving school bus video system to new bus any suggestions?
This is a very common question for Non-Emergency Medical Transport Camera system fleets as they tend to change vehicles frequently. When moving a School Bus Camera system from one vehicle to another my professional suggestion is to leave the camera extension cables in the old vehicle and buy new camera extension cables for the new vehicle. Extension cables are likely the weakest link in the system, the cameras are grossly over-engineered so they tend to last as long as the vehicle. Consider investing in School Bus Cameras w/Lifetime System Warranty, so when the cables wear out, DVRs or cameras fail, you get free replacements.
Extension cables are also the lowest cost part of the system, so it makes sense to replace them for the new vehicle installation to prevent issues relating to old damaged cables from the previous bus.
#4 Memory card issues any guidance?
Memory cards are Static RAM Devices, meaning they are susceptible to static electricity. Many memory cards have had their data files damaged of scrambled simply by putting them in your pockets, as pockets often have static electricity from the material's constant friction as we walk or move.
Keep memory cards in their plastic cases for transport.
Do not place them in your pockets unless in plastic transport cases.
They do not play well with water and detergent, so empty pockets before washing clothes.
They will be severely scrambled and possibly damaged by dryers, again check your pockets.
Fleet-based commercial-grade Mobile DVRs run on SDXC memory cards, not mini SD cards inserted into an SDXC memory card-sized adapter.
Lastly, most mobile DVRs require the Format of the SDXC cards to be FAT32, not the exFAT they may come with so all will likely need to be reformatted. When searching for a Low Cost Affordable School Bus Video Camera for school bus fleets, keep in mind the memory card is one component that may suffer the most physical abuse as it is handled and inserted over and over.
#5 Camera view tilted how do I fix that?
When searching for cameras for school bus video systems one of the primary concerns is vandalism and the camera's ability to prevent children from destroying the things that record their actions. Even the nonpublic school vehicles such as private shuttle vehicles and vans had similar problems that can be addressed by use of the Before & After Care School Child Day Care Pickup In-vehicle Shuttle Safety Cameras for their vehicles transporting children before and after school to daycare facilities until their parents are available for them to be driven home.
The solution was to use cameras from Prison Bus Inmate Transport Surveillance Video Camera systems. These are the same cameras used in Armored Cars that were the armored metal cases with anti-tampering set screws to deter convicts from hitting or kicking the cameras to push them out of alignment.
To adjust the camera view or tilt, loosen the security set screws, rotate the camera ball to the proper orientation, and screw in the security set screw to prevent it from moving. Many China-made DVRs used in Contractor Chartered Student School Bus Cameras adopted the Honeywell firmware menu template in the DVR programming menu, so you will often find by pressing #1, #2, #3, #4 the monitor screen will zoom in on that camera channel making it much easier to see the camera view selected. This also explains why a motion sense setting is incorporated into a device to be mounted on a vehicle where motion will be constant the entire time the vehicle is moving. The original firmware was to detect movement in a bank vault or secured area, it was never meant to be used in a moving vehicle application, but this feature is on most mobile DVR menus simply due to the lineage of the original firmware.
One would not expect Special Needs Wheelchair School Bus Video Surveillance Systems to suffer the same level of cameras pushed out of alignment as conventional student transportation camera systems, but oddly we seem to have just as many occurrences of them.
#6 Will “Post ignition delay” kill the battery?
This was a concern early on in Special Needs Wheelchair Camera systems, as well as Paratransit as well as Adult, Assisted Living Transport Camera systems as both have long periods where the passengers are getting off the bus or shuttle; in some cases, they require the assistance of the driver or aid to operate the wheelchair lifts, and this part of the transport is a high risk, so you want to ensure the camera captures all of this process.
The DVR draws about 1.5Amp of current for operation, so for the first 24 hours of operation; this is not much of an issue. However, if you set the DVRs to run all the time over a 3-day weekend, you will lose enough of the battery amperage to cause problems starting the bus.
Non-Emergency Medical Transport camera surveillance applications often added another twist to this concern by placing a “Kill switch” that turned off all accessories when the vehicle was not is n use to ensure nothing drained the battery of the vehicle. When “Kill switches” are incorporated, they cause the backup battery on the PC board to accelerate the power loss, and in 6 months to 1 year, you would have a dead battery that was supposed to last for ten years. The way to tell this is an issue is when the vehicle DVR starts losing all programmable data, Time, Date & vehicle ID# all resetting is a good indication this is the result of a dead battery on the DVR PC Motherboard.
#7 Do you offer a DVR for high moisture environments?
Over the last 35 years in this market, I have witnessed considerable damage to the Private Service Contractor Charter Transport School Bus Video Camera system DVR when the inside of the bus is washed. DVRs are electronic devices and do not function well with water inside them.
Some school districts have persons performing community service for criminal offenses, and on occasion, that might include cleaning school buses for the county. One such incident about 15 years ago involved work release inmates who were tasked to clean the inside and outside of the school buses. The 3,000PSI pressure washer wands they were provided for the outside of the bus were used by them to clean the inside of the bus as well, and the end result was completely destroying the in-dash electronic instrumentation of every bus they worked on. The judge who ordered the community service was not amused, and further services were ordered to compensate the county for the thousands of damage they did to each bus. This is one incidence where the Industrial Grade DVR Testudo School Bus Surveillance Cameras Lifetime System Warranty would have prevented the loss of thousands in county funds.
ABV now offers Industrial Grade DVRs that are made originally for extreme environments like:
- Industrial Lift Truck Camera Systems
- Mining Construction Equipment camera system
- Crane Safety Operator Surveillance Camera systems
- Agricultural Farming Operator Surveillance Camera systems
These SS4 DVRs are IP66 waterproof, are 100% Solid State to withstand extreme heat and cold, harmonic vibration that will crash a convention Hard Drives with a flimsy 7,000 RPM spinning platter, and have a steel locking faceplate to prevent unauthorized access. They cost more than the standard DVRs in School Bus Video Camera systems provided for school district use. Still, you get what you pay for as they will survive much more abuse and provide a longer service life due to the enhanced protection and higher quality components incorporated in their production. To learn more, visit our website: American Bus Video Inc.
