What would be some reasons that CCTV cameras flicker constantly at night but not during the daytime?

CCTV manufacturers include an anti-flicker option in their software which is accessible via the recorders setup menu, or by connecting to the recorder via it’s ip address. You may need to log into each camera via ip address to enable this setting on each camera. The software option shifts frame capture point a very small amount in order to avoid capturing flickering caused by certain lighting sources. You may also try to change your recording frames per minute setting to a value that you cannot evenly divide into your main electrical frequency. For instance, if you’re in the USA you’re dealing with 60hz electrical power. Try and choose a frame rate to record on that will not evenly factor into 60 - ie avoid 5fps, 10fps, 15fps, 30pfs as each of these values may cause the camera to take a photo at the leading or falling edge that corresponds to the artificial lighting present at your location giving a flickering on your display.

If this does not solve your issue, continue - the solution will be listed here.

When designing a CCTV system, it’s important to know how much power each camera requires when IR-LED’s are illuminated, or when PTZ functions are implemented. These specifications are always available from a manufacturer as well they are typically printed on a label on the camera. Your power supply or PoE switch or integrated recorder will need to be able to provide at least 130% of the total wattage of all of your cameras. The extra 30% is important to consider as wire is not a perfect conductor and can present a more difficult pathway for electricity to flow depending on length, quality of connection, etcetera. You’re going to need to determine what type of cameras you have in your system, either composite or ip.

Composite will have a coaxial connection such as an BNC or RCA. An IP camera will have a modular RJ45 connector.

Flickering can be caused by an overload condition where your cameras need more power than your power supply can deliver; a DC power supply (composite cameras) or PoE switch (power over ethernet for IP cameras) or integrated PoE supply via some recorders, as some consumer grade camera systems supply their PoE camera power directly from the recording device. We see the flicker problem occur only at night because this is when the supply is overloaded as the current demand from the cameras is increased to support the IR-LED’s used to illuminate the field of view. This can often start happening after one or more cameras is replaced or new cameras are added when the cumulative total overall power requirement is greater than before.

Lets walk through how to check if this is what is going on. All of our testing will be done at night in the dark. If you have a recorder that is separate from the camera power supply make sure the power supply, recorder, and display are plugged into the same electrical supply outlet via a power strip. This may fix your problem, but most likely not. Follow the steps written below.

First, we want to see if a particular camera alone is causing the flickering due to a faulty camera or wiring drawing too much current. If each camera can be reconnected at night one at a time without recreating the flickering, we know the problem is not with a single camera. If you cannot recreate flickering with a single camera alone, try connecting that camera to each of the connection points available. If a single camera causes flickering or the flickering begins only when connecting to the same power port each time, suspect the port. If the flickering begins to occur no matter what port you use with a single camera but not every camera, you may have a camera that draws too much current for your supply to deliver, or you may have a faulty camera.

Second, begin to re-connect all the cameras one at a time, watching the display to see at what point the flickering returns. At the point your display shows flickering, remove the connection - this is the maximum number of cameras your power supply will support. Either replace the power supply with a higher current unit with greater capacity (such as a dedicated PoE switch with PoE+ or PoE (at) capacity) or add another power supply or switch for the remaining cameras. Don’t forget to connect the ground of each power supply together via the ground connection on the chassis of the supply. If the flickering begins immediately after connecting the first camera, continue to check each camera individually to be sure that the flickering occurs when connecting each camera alone to the power supply.

If all cameras flicker no matter what you try or how many cameras are attached to the supply, check and ensure your supply / PoE is rated for your country’s voltage and frequency. In the USA it would be 120/240vac 60hz while in Europe and Japan you’d want to be at 208–220v 50hz. There is often a small switch on your recorder, PoE switch, or composite power supply that enable you to choose the frequency. Your supply may be faulty, with leaky capacitors, a faulty transformer or switching supply, or your supply is not able to provide the level of current needed by your cameras. You can check this by disconnecting all cameras and connecting them to the power supply with short cables, remember to shut off the light in the room to trigger the IR-LED’s. If the problem goes away with all cameras connected this way, the problem is the length or type of wiring you’re using, or close proximity to a interfering source such as a metal halide ballast that is not grounded, or a metal halide lamp that has an unshielded socket.

If a single camera is isolated as causing the flicker when it is connected, and the flicker is present no matter if other cameras are connected or not, check that camera connection at both the camera and it’s power supply. Ensure the connectors are clean and not corroded. You may need to follow the wiring path to ensure nothing has pierced or cut the wiring. Try switching the camera with another camera that is working correctly. If the camera that was working correctly is now flickering when connected to the previously identified bad camera circuit, we know the problem is with either the wiring, connectors, or a device that is causing electrical or magnetic disturbance in close proximity to that wiring circuit. If the camera that is flickering is connected to a previously good circuit, and continues to flicker, replace the camera or note it’s current consumption - it may be a camera that requires more power than your system is able to deliver to any single device. In that case replace the camera or add a power supply that can provide the power requirements that particular camera needs.

While these steps may seem complicated, they’re really not. Just take them a single step at a time and you’ll figure this out and gain some valuable experience while you’re at it.

Can you make hemp grow faster?

Faster than what?

A dandelion?

Look, photosynthesis and mineralization with nutrient uptake and tissue growth occurs at a maximum rate when proper lighting energy, correct water pH, correct nutrient macros, and proper air quality is maintained. The finish time for cannabis once it enters flower is a genetic factor which is not hastened as lighting cycle control has not shown itself to able to hasten the finishing and maximum yield of trichome THC production.

Can you make cannabis grow faster?

Not in the true sense of the word. You can force it to go into flower as a cutting by manipulating the light cycle but your yield would be essentially non-existent as your veg time was too short to allow proper structure and nodes to occur.

You could try hydroponics but once again your yield will be diminutive unless you are vegging the plant for a time, and as the medium used will not readily support a larger yielding plant you need to grow more of the plants to achieve similar yield as plants in soil. You could try aeroponics but once again you still are limited to the size of your veg plant and an aeroponics tank limits the size of the plant you can grow due to the size of the tank.

Total yield and time are linked together. As you shorten vegetative time, the overall yield is lessened.

Does it matter if CBD is extracted from cannabis or industrial hemp?

Cannabis and industrial hemp are the same thing. Strains of cannabis with THC concentrations .3 percent and lower are legal to grow as agricultural hemp.

Depending on the strain, CBD can be extracted from cannabis. Some strains bear more CBD than other strains.

Anecdotal evidence exists that suggests that without THC being present in some quantity, CBD is not properly activated. There are many adherents to this belief. Keep in mind that there are many who believe in magical deities who are all places at once.

CBD extracted from cannabis is the same thing no matter what level of THC is present in a given strain. THC may be a force multiplier when combined with CBD.

There is limited data available at this time which can scientifically explain exactly how CBD functions in the human body.

What are the pros and cons of propagating hemp from clones as opposed to growing hemp from seeds?

No serious commercial grower will use seeds as they would quickly find themselves out of business. On the other hand, if you just like to watch plants grow and you enjoy killing plants that you’ve spent time and money growing because they’re male, hermaphrodite, or they express poorly, great, grow from seed.

If you’re growing cannabis from seeds, you’re only doing it for fun, not because you’re intending to produce buds more cheaply than buying it from someone. With seeds you will have plants exhibiting many different characteristics, while all being from the same breeding. Think of it like a couple of humans who have twelve children. Of those twelve kids - all raised in the same environment by the two successful parents - you’ll have 12 distinct personalities. One kid will be a doctor, another a lawyer, still another an ameteur boxer, while another will die in a drunk driving accident, another will be divorced six times with four kids not in her custody, etc.

In agriculture this is referred to as a specific plant’s phenotype. If you are at all serious about growing cannabis you should grow strain that has been carefully phenotype selected for good characteristics, such as: resistance to pests, excellent yield, high THC content and most importantly a terpene profile that is appealing to that individual.

None of these characteristics is identical amongst perhaps twenty cannabis plants raised from seeds procured from the same breeding. Acquiring clones from a reliable grower is a simpler method for a beginner - it’s rather easy to acquire a well bred and selected plant - and you can clone this plant over and over and have the exact same characteristics to repeat while you’re learning to perfect your growing style.

Additionally, growing cannabis from seeds means that half of your seeds are going to be male - and half are female. Unless you have control of your lighting cycle you’re not going to be able to see which are which and you’re going to work twice as hard to raise these plants because eventually you’re going to see which are male and which are female (after months.) When you cull the males to ensure that they do not pollinate your females so you get the highest, seedless yield possible it will be with a sense of regret as you spent a lot of time and effort taking care of ALL your plants - and half that effort is for naught.

You could purchase feminized seeds where 98 of 100 seeds are female - but then you’re looking at the same issue with phenotyping again. Additionally, 1 or 2 out of every hundred seeds will turn out male or even worse, hermaphrodite - and express bud and pollen sacks which can create catastrophic results by seeding your entire garden. So is that worth it? I have lain awake many, many nights after finding one single hermaphrodite in a garden with over six thousand plants. Why was I laying awake? Because that garden was planted entirely from seed.

The seed sales guys will poo poo on my answer. Let them. They use un-natural methods to propagate female “only” seeds. They have an enormous profit margin, they essentially breed a pair of plants together and can easily come up with two or three thousand seeds which they sell for $2 bucks or more each. Its nonsense to purchase seeds. You may hear seed vendors say something stupid like “you won’t get problems if you buy your seeds from a reputable breeder” while none of them knows what reputable means. Still, others will blame me for growing technique or whatever else. Truth be told, none of the seed vendors has more than a small little basement where totally unnatural events take place to create their feminized seeds - using caustic poison sprayed on the mother plant.

Without phenotype control, only one in ten of the plants from seed produced cannabis with bag appeal.

How much hemp grows in 22000 square feet?

This is a loaded question. There are endless variables - but I’ve built more than forty indoor / greenhouse / outdoor facilities and I can partially answer.

Lets assume you’re referring to 22,000 square feet of canopy and not a 22,000 square foot space.

If growing in a warehouse

With proper HVAC and humidity control

With artificial lighting at 24 square foot layout for each 1000w lighting source

Given 30% for vegetative growth, 70% for flowering space:

Gives 14,520 square feet of flowering canopy / 24 sq feet per light = 605 lights in flower

The gold standard is for 2lbs of dried bud per light, however with proper nutrients and good genetics I regularly see 2.5lbs of dried bud per light.

605 Lights if harvested at once would be 1210lbs ~ 1512lbs - however you couldn’t harvest this all at once as your veg canopy size is too small to propagate your entire flower area so one would typically propagate 25% of their flower room per two weeks and harvest 25% of their flower room every two weeks.

For a continual harvest cycle one would assume half of the previously mentioned yields per month (605lbs ~ 756lbs).

Total number of plants using this method would be be dependent on strains of course, but an average would be between 4 and 8 plants per light at 24sq feet.

If you’re growing outdoors:

With the sun as your light source in an arid climate

Given 100% of your canopy space for flowering space

One can assume plants to be between 5 ~ 8 feet in diameter or 19.6 ~ 50 square feet in canopy for each plant. If the plants have an abundance of good nutrients, good soil, room for roots, properly pH water, and good sun AND your weather holds out for at least 65 days after the daylight drops below 14.5 hrs per day without freezing and too much rain then…perhaps you can see a yield of the radius of the plant in pounds. Example, 6 foot diameter plant, 3′ radius, 3lbs of dried bud.

There are many other factors to consider in both of these situations, however, I give advice to people who are looking to grow cannabis professionally in legal states. We are happy to answer questions and give our best advice to anyone who inquires.

How do I grow hemp from seeds?

If you’re growing cannabis from seeds, you’re only doing it for fun, not because you’re intending to produce buds more cheaply than buying it from someone. With seeds you will have plants exhibiting many different characteristics, while all being from the same breeding.

Think of it like a couple of humans who have twelve children. Of those twelve kids - all raised in the same environment by the two successful parents - you’ll have 12 distinct personalities. One kid will be a doctor, another a lawyer, still another an ameteur boxer, while another will die in a drunk driving accident, another will be divorced six times with four kids not in her custody, etc. In agriculture this is referred to as a specific plant’s phenotype. If you are at all serious about growing cannabis you should grow strain that has been carefully phenotype selected for good characteristics, such as: resistance to pests, excellent yield, high THC content and most importantly a terpene profile that is appealing to that individual.

None of these characteristics is identical amongst perhaps twenty cannabis plants raised from seeds procured from the same breeding.

Acquiring clones from a reliable grower is a simpler method for a beginner - it’s rather easy to acquire a well bred and selected plant - and you can clone this plant over and over and have the exact same characteristics to repeat while you’re learning to perfect your growing style.

Additionally, growing cannabis from seeds means that half of your seeds are going to be male - and half are female. Unless you have control of your lighting cycle you’re not going to be able to see which are which and you’re going to work twice as hard to raise these plants because eventually you’re going to see which are male and which are female (after months.) When you cull the males to ensure that they do not pollinate your females so you get the best, seedless yield possible it will be with a sense of regret as you spent a lot of time and effort taking care of ALL your plants - and half that effort is for naught.

You could purchase feminized seeds - but then you’re looking at the same issue with phenotyping again.

What kind of ballast is good for indoor grow lights?

An integral electronic ballast with a power factor of .9 or better (1 being perfect) with the ability to operate on 277–480vac and that is able to maintain current regulation +/- 2% with input fluctuation of 25% per second and an ability to be dimmed via maintaining constant voltage, consume less than 3% of total current usage for internal operation while carrying a true UL, ETL, CE/CSA registration, and finally can be easily networked via UTP with a minimum of 254 additional fixtures plus controller.

We get all of this from Hortilux Schrader or PL Lighting in Canada. We like the durability of their NXT2 1000W professional agriculture fixture with lifetime coated German optics and Philips electronic ballast, commonly referred to as the “driver.”

How do you specify and install security cameras effectively?

Several factors need to be considered:

• Overall Budget

• Residential or Commercial Location

• Type and value of material at Location

As with everything you get what you pay for. Cameras used for security have a method that is applied to the clarity of their field of view called DORI. The letters stand for Detect, Observe, Recognize, Identify - and the DORI specification is something one should critically review prior to any purchase. Each level increases the amount of detail and information that is able to be identified. These levels of detail increase from 12.5 pixels/meter (4 pixels/foot) to 1000 pixels/meter (305 pixels/foot).

Detect: where it is obvious what is being observed, a human or a vehicle in the field of view (FOV)

Observe: able to detect color of clothing, make of vehicle in FOV

Recognize: determine with a high level of certainty if an individual in the FOV is someone you’ve seen before

Identify: facial recognition level, without a shadow of a doubt a person can be identified by anyone who compares the facial characteristics in the FOV with a mug shot or other ID.

The DORI levels change dramatically depending on combinations of the following:

• Type/Size of Object of interest

• Distance to Object of Interest

• Scene Lighting

• Camera Resolution/Imager Size

• Camera Lens Focal Length

• Expected Purpose of Camera

Cameras intended to capture only observational data cannot be expected to produce inspection level information. For example, a camera chosen to view a parking lot will not be able to reliably capture license plates. The expected purpose of each camera of a system must chosen carefully to meet the expectation set once the system is commissioned.

An example of DORI in use would be as follows: a wide FOV low-light capable camera may be mounted at the roof of the building with an overview of the individuals parking their cars and walking to the entrance for Detect, while another camera is located under a soffit at the exterior building entrance for Observe, a 12mp fisheye on the ceiling in a lobby gather views of the entire room for Recognize, while another cameras with a narrow FOV at 6mp could be employed covering a single elevator or single stairwell opening for Identify. In this manner, we know who it was who went up in the building and may have an idea of the car they drove and where it was parked as well as the number of other individuals arrived or left with and if the others entered the building, who those individuals may be.

We design and implement high quality systems for data centers, corrections facilities, cannabis facilities, armory and other law enforcement facilities. If you’re looking for help without hype, feel free to contact me.

GREENLEAF launches it's new package of cannabis industry services at Cannacon this weekend.

Cannacon is Washington's biggest trade show for the cannabis industry.  Obviously we are going to be there making new friends and spreading our enthusiasm about new equipment and lighting and growing techniques that our innovation has impacted.