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[belvedere]

Hi folks,

The IR cut filter on one of my DCS-942L's seems to be sticking.  The audible "CLACK" of the engagement is noticeably muted.  Sometimes the night vision works over part of the image, and sometimes it doesn't work at all.  If I rapidly toggle the Manual IR mode, I can sometimes get part of the image to illuminate from the IR.

Has anyone disassembled one of these without breaking it?  Any idea if this is something that might be fixable with some lubrication, or if it's typically a problem with the driver circuit for the solenoid?

[RYAT3]

Hi folks,

The IR cut filter on one of my DCS-942L's seems to be sticking.  The audible "CLACK" of the engagement is noticeably muted.  Sometimes the night vision works over part of the image, and sometimes it doesn't work at all.  If I rapidly toggle the Manual IR mode, I can sometimes get part of the image to illuminate from the IR.

Has anyone disassembled one of these without breaking it?  Any idea if this is something that might be fixable with some lubrication, or if it's typically a problem with the driver circuit for the solenoid?

http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=52839.msg200085#msg200085

[skeletor]

Hi folks,

The IR cut filter on one of my DCS-942L's seems to be sticking.  The audible "CLACK" of the engagement is noticeably muted.  Sometimes the night vision works over part of the image, and sometimes it doesn't work at all.  If I rapidly toggle the Manual IR mode, I can sometimes get part of the image to illuminate from the IR.

Has anyone disassembled one of these without breaking it?  Any idea if this is something that might be fixable with some lubrication, or if it's typically a problem with the driver circuit for the solenoid?

If you don't mind voiding your warranty, it's easy to pop it open:
http://imgur.com/a/0UbeF

[belvedere]

That's exactly what I had been looking for.  Thank you!

I'm going to give D-Link another day to respond to my support request.  My experience with them is that they respond to almost everything by telling you to reset the software to default settings. 

Cheers!

[JavaLawyer]

Have they gotten back to you at all?  Is the product still under warranty?

[belvedere]

JavaLawyer,

It's been over a week and D-Link did not get back to me.  This is consistent with my past experiences with them.  They either don't respond at all or they send a pre-formulated response, usually saying to reset the firmware.  I have had the camera for 6 months--so it was absolutely still under warranty.

I found the sliding filter shuttle was getting caught halfway, so I disassembled the camera, removed the filter assembly, and took it apart.  There are two solenoids, one at each end, wired together to pull the shuttle left and right depending on the polarity.  There are two small magnets, one on either end of the shuttle.  The solenoid is energized for only a fraction of a second, so any impediment to movement will cause the shuttle to stop mid-way, where it is difficult for the solenoid to grab it.  A firm tap on the side of the camera can free it, but there is basically no margin for any kind of friction in there.

The magnets and glass pieces (one clear, one blue tinted to filter IR) are all attached to the plastic shuttle frame with small globs of silicone.  If you attempt to clean the camera from the outside using a Q-tip, you will pop the glass pieces off the frame and the whole assembly will get stuck.  In my case, the plastic shuttle frame was warped ever so slightly and creating friction.  I removed the glass pieces and magnets, cleaned everything, straightened the plastic shuttle, and reattached the components  with extremely small drops of superglue applied with a very fine point.  (I cut a sliver off an old credit card.)

I'm sure the warranty is beyond void at this point, but with tiny screwdrivers and ample patience, it took maybe 2 hours to fix.

[JavaLawyer]

I'm glad you were able to fix the camera. Were your communications through email or phone support? My personal experience with phone support is that when you call with an in-warranty product and there is a physical issue with the device (i.e. something clearly outside of the scope of firmware), D-Link is very responsive to RMA requests.

[JavaLawyer]

I'm glad you were able to fix the camera. Were your communications through email or phone support? What Country are you located in?

My personal experience with phone support in the U.S. is that when I've called with an in-warranty product issue that was clearly a physical defect (i.e. something clearly outside of the scope of firmware), D-Link was very responsive to my RMA requests.

[belvedere]

JavaLaywer,

My communication was via the support link on mydlink.com.  I never did hear from them.  It's good to know that they are better on the phone.  I couldn't find a way to check the status of the ticket, so it appears to have gone to the bit bucket of eternity. 

I still like the versatility of these cameras, but I will continue to recommend them to folks with the disclaimer that they are not for the timid.