Mains 240v cable to 12v microphone

[aab203]

Hi,

I have a mains cable coming into the ceiling of my porch/entrance. This will hook up to a PIR which will in turn power a couple of lights either side of the entrance.

Separate to this I will have an IP camera, running of PoE, for which I already have an ethernet cable laid.

I was looking at attaching an external microphone to the camera (this one), which comes with an audio connection cable. The microphone needs a dedicated power source and won't run off the PoE.

I was thinking if it would be possible to draw power from the mains cable coming into the PIR.

Would it be possible to run the mains cable to a terminal strip (like this) and wire the microphone power cable into this strip, or do I need some sort of transformer? Or is there a different / better alternative?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Spark123]

It's a bit messy, why not just run another cat 5 cable in and use that for 12v and audio? Of course you'll need a 12v supply.

 

[aab203]

It's a bit messy, why not just run another cat 5 cable in and use that for 12v and audio? Of course you'll need a 12v supply.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately everything was laid a while back in anticipation of what I was going to do in the porch, and now the inside has all been finished. I only though about the microphone recently but its more of a bit of fun than a real need. I thought as I already have a mains cable in the area I could do something with it.

 

[Spark123]

What voltage is the poe for the camera?

 

[aab203]

I'm not 100% sure, this is from the manual - 5W, but not sure about voltage.

Does that help?

 

[Iggifer]

12VDC. Says it right above 5W

You could feasibly steal the power from the POE, even if it's not in the form of an RJ45 plug

 

[OwainDIYer]

Probably the best option would be to use an IP camera with either a built in microphone or an input for an external microphone (quite a few cameras have speaker connections as well in case you want two-way intercom or to shout at an intruder)

To power the microphone you mention would need a mains to 12 volt power supply together with suitable connectors and enclosure.

Terminal strips must NOT be used for mains unless in a suitable enclosure.

 

[aab203]

12VDC. Says it right above 5W

You could feasibly steal the power from the POE, even if it's not in the form of an RJ45 plug

Ah, I thought that just related to the optional power cable if you wanted to power the camera via a dedicated power supply

Probably the best option would be to use an IP camera with either a built in microphone or an input for an external microphone (quite a few cameras have speaker connections as well in case you want two-way intercom or to shout at an intruder)

To power the microphone you mention would need a mains to 12 volt power supply together with suitable connectors and enclosure.

Terminal strips must NOT be used for mains unless in a suitable enclosure.

I can't see an entry / mid-range one with these in built and have read that they are not that good anyway for external cameras. The camera I am getting is this one. It has connections for speaker / mic etc - see here; http://www.networkcameracritic.com/Hikvision/ds-2cd2132f-is camera insides.jpg. Maybe those connections allow power too?

I would have put the terminal strips inside a choc box. Doesn't look as simple as I was hoping it would be

 

[OwainDIYer]

The camera spec will be 12 V dc on separate terminals, or POE. The POE 802.3af is actually about 48 volts and the 12 volt microphone cannot be connected directly to the POE supply.

 

[aab203]

and the 12 volt camera cannot be connected directly to the POE supply.

I'm not quite sure what that means, sorry. I have another camera which has the ethernet cable plugged straight into it and the other end goes to the PoE switch. Probably I have misunderstood?

 

[OwainDIYer]

You can get POE active splitters / regulated taps, which will convert POE 48 volts own to 12 volts eg
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001PS4NWW/
I don't know if this particular one will pass-through POE to simultaneously supply a POE camera and an external 12 volt device.

 

[OwainDIYer]

I have another camera which has the ethernet cable plugged straight into it and the other end goes to the PoE switch. Probably I have misunderstood?

That will be running on 48 volts PoE which the camera will convert internally to whatever voltage(s) it needs.

The microphone is 12 volts and cannot be connected directly to the PoE supply.

 

[aab203]

Thanks for all the info. So I guess there are a few options:

1. See if there is a PoE splitter which can do simultaneous PoE and 12v split power
2. Use a converter like this to bring the voltage down and wire the microphone straight into this
3. Use a passive microphone which doesn't need dedicated power (likely option)

Next is to see if I want to hook a speaker up too

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Would it be possible to run the mains cable to a terminal strip (like this) and wire the microphone power cable into this strip

Yes, it would be possible.

It would of course destroy the microphone, but it would be possible to do.

Seriously - if you don't know that the mains supply to your house is 230V AC, and don't know that that means you can't connect a 12V DC appliance to it, you have absolutely no business ever fiddling with your wiring. Stop now before you kill someone.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

not sure about voltage.

FGS.