NOCTURN XL: Getting Started For Win 7 Evaluation GUI Version 0.9.6 February 21, 2013 Frisco, Texas
Minimal Configuration to Operate Camera: Recommended minimal computer configuration Window 7 SP1 (32/64bits) i5 or i7 processor 4GB RAM memory 256MBytes dedicated memory on graphic card Min. 350 MB of free hard drive space to install the Software ExpressCard or PCMCIA Port (laptop) PCI or PCIe port (desktop) Frame grabber image acquisition software Caution: the PC USB port must be able to provide 500mA of current to power the camera using the USB interface NOCTURN with Lens SDR to frame grabber Camera Link cable Material needed to grab images Lens:1 CSlenswithmanualirisandfocus(use 5mm spacer for c mount lens) Frame grabber (Camera Link) SDR to frame grabber Camera Link cable Micro USB cable (for communication and power) Optional: AC to DC power adapter (mini USB cable only for communication) Optional: SMA to BNC cable for analog video output Camera Link grabber Computer 2
Tested Frame Grabbers: Laptop: ImperX: FrameLink Express 54mm VCE CLEX01 (PC Express) ImperX: FrameLink Express 34mm VCE CLEX02 (PC Express) ImperX: FrameLink VCE CLB01 (PCMCIA) Desktop: National Instruments: NI 1427 (PCI) National Instruments: NI 1429 (PCIe) 3
Unpacking the Camera: CAUTION Before getting started it should be noted that the Nocturn XL cameras contains electrostatic sensitive parts and assemblies and should be handled within protected areas and in accordance with industry standard electrostatic discharge (ESD) protective handling procedures. Under no circumstances, should the camera be disassembled unless directed to do so by Photonis personnel. Disassembly of the camera and damage to the anti tamper sticker on the side of the camera will void in full the warranty. Step 1: Inspect shipping container and notify Photonis personnel of any damage that may have occurred during shipping. Step 2: Record the camera serial number located on the side of the shipping container for your records. This number is also engraved on the bottom of the camera. Step 3: Open shipping container by breaking the Photonis seal and lifting the cardboard lid. 4
Unpacking the Camera: Step 4: Remove the antistatic bag containing the camera module from the suspended clear plastic clamshell. Step 5: Remove the companion CD ROM located underneath the clear plastic clamshell. Step 6: Unseal antistatic bag and remove camera module using proper ESD procedures. Step 7: Inspect camera module for proper configuration and potential shipping damage. Immediately report any problem to Photonis personnel. 5
Connectors on the Nocturn XL Camera: Back Side View of the Nocturn XL Camera 6
Getting Started: To evaluate the Nocturn XL camera features, Photonis has developed a simple graphical user interface (GUI) software for Windows 7 built on National Instruments LabVIEW. The GUI software is expressly provided for evaluation purposes only. Photonis assumes no responsibility whatsoever for the use of the GUI software and makes no guarantees or warranties, expressed or implied, about its quality, reliability, compatibility, or any other characteristics. Contact information for technical support in the US: Email: imaging@photonis.com, Website: http://www.nocturncamera.com 7
Getting Started: Step 1: install the USB drivers provided on the Nocturn XL CD Step 2: install the Win 7 Evaluation GUI if you are using Windows 7 operating system on a personal computer (PC) The Win 7 Evaluation GUI is meant to provide quick access to the top level functions of the camera and simplify functionality and firmware upgrades The Win 7 Evaluation GUI is built using National Instruments LabVIEW and requires the installation of the LabVIEW run time engine and National Instruments VISA drivers Step 3: set up your Camera Link frame grabber camera driver for the Nocturn XL: Parameter Value Unit Pixel Clock per Tap (with 60fps operation mode) 48 MHz Number of Taps 2 Interlaced Vertically NA Grayscale Resolution 10 bits Data Width pre Valid 0 pixels Data Height pre Valid 1 line Data Width Valid 1280 pixels Data Height Valid 1024 pixels Data Width post Valid 0 pixels Data Height post Valid 0 pixels Frame Grabber Configuration Details 8
Getting Started: Example Configuration for the ImperX FrameLink Express On the Framelink Express ribbon bar select the Camera Parameters Enter the configuration parameters as shown on the figure above Save the configuration file by pressing the Save button Exit the Camera configuration screen Note: the FrameLink Express software will use these settings as default until they are changed or a different configuration is loaded 9
Getting Started: Protective Cap USB Communication & Power USB Power and Camera Link Step 4: removetheprotectivecapfromthecslensmount.installtheobjective lens (if using c mount lens, a 5mm spacer must be placed between the camera cs mount and the objective lens) Step 5: connect the Camera Link cable between the camera (S501 SDR connector) and the PC frame grabber 10 If the analog output is to be used instead of the digital video interface, an SMA to BNC cable should be connected between the J601 connector on the camera and the analog video monitor Note: by default the analog video output is turned off. This output can be enabled using the GUI or through the serial interface over the USB link Digital Video Camera Link Hardware Configuration with
Getting Started: Step 6: connect a micro USB cable (not supplied) between the Nocturn XL (J304) and the host PC with the installed drivers. The status LED on the back of the Nocturn XL should turn green Step 7: wait for the PC operating system to finish installing the necessary drivers Step 8: start the image acquisition software, the camera should be outputting video data. If using the analog video refer to the GUI instructions to enable that output Status LED on the Back of the Nocturn XL Start Grab with ImperX FrameLink Software 11
Launching the Evaluation GUI: To launch the Win 7 Evaluation GUI in Windows, go to Start and under All Programs find the PHOTONIS USA directory and click on the Nocturn XL icon Thesoftwarewillstartandthesplashscreen will appear showing the GUI version number and revision date When turning the Win 7 Evaluation GUI on for the first time, an error message will be displayed: Camera Not Responding! The error is returned because the camera did not respond to a status request message on the default communication port Click the OK button on the message window NOTE: Need to Setup the COM Port! 12
Main Screen Layout: Menu Communication Setup Main User Controls Save Camera Configuration Communication Error Notification 13
Setting up the Evaluation GUI: COM Port Baud Rate In the main GUI click once on the Communication Port icon Select the Nocturn XL camera COM port and set the Baud Rate to 115200 (camera power on default value) 14 The Nocturn XL USB Communication port will appear as a Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge device in Windows Device Manager.
Setting up the Evaluation GUI: Once the communication setup is complete the communication port can be opened to different ways: Exit (can either select Exit in the File menu or close the window) and restart the software. Upon restarting, the software will automatically open the selected communication port to the camera and update the controls and indicators of the GUI with the camera power on default. Under the Setup menu select Open under the Serial Port submenu 15
NOTE: If you keep getting the Camera Not Responding Message Window or the Communication Error Indicator turns red, try to reset up the communication port. If the problem persist, contact PHOTONIS USA technical support for assistance! WARNING: The Win 7 Evaluation GUI should be turned off or the serial port closed before disconnecting the camera USB connection from the PC! YOU SHOULD BE READY TO START USING THE EVALUATION GUI! 16
The Setup Menu: NOTE: When the GUI is started with communication enabled, the GUI will synchronize the controls/indicator with the current camera values. 17 Options: Serial Port Setup: Opens the Nocturn Setup window to select the com port and baud rate Serial Port Open: Opens the communication channel to the camera Serial Port Close: Closes the communication channel to the camera Synchronize Sensor Registers: Updates the GUI controls/indicators based on the camera CMOS sensor current settings. Option only valid if the engineering mode is enabled. Synchronize Camera Settings: Updates the GUI controls/indicators basedonthecamerasettings. Synchronize AGC Settings: Updates the GUI AGC controls based on the camera settings
The Setup Menu: Options: Engineering Mode: Enables additional tabs to adjust the CMOS control registers. Enables customizable GUI controls To be implemented Console Window: Enables the console window to send and read serial messages between the camera and PC. Additional Tab Selection for Camera Controls & CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) Categories Enabled in Engineering Mode Console Window 18 Control to Send Serial Messages to Camera (Press Enter on the Keyboard to send)
The Transfer Menu: Warning: Users should perform the Update command using update scripts provided and tested by PHOTONIS personnel! 19 Options: Send File: Uploads a file to the camera. This canbeusedtosendcustomimage processing filters etc Refer to the user guide for details. Receive File: Downloads a file from the camera. Thiscanbeusedtobackupcamera configuration, NUC tables etc Refer to the user guide for details. Load NUC Tables: This command is used to load and setup the NUC tables for the camera. Update: This command can be used to open and update scripts (*.uscr files) and to load new firmware and software in the camera or factory settings Execute Script: Execute command scripts to change or update camera settings
The Help Menu: Options: About This Software: Shows the splash screen with software version and last revision date (to be implemented). Camera Version Info: Query the camera and returns both the embedded firmware and software build details (to be implemented) Help Manual: OpenstheGUIhelpmanual(tobe implemented) Note: You will need the version info of the camera software and firmware when requesting technical support. This information can also be obtained via a hyper terminal interface by typing version followed by a carriage return 20
Camera Main: Noise Filter On/Off or Auto (turns on only at low light) AGC Enables ordisables Automatic Gain Control V FLIP Vertical Flip of the Video Output NUC Enables or Disables the non uniformity correction AV Power Enables ordisables the analog video output Sensor Initialization initialize the CMOS sensor CL Power Enables/Disables the Camera Link digital video Output 21 Adjustments Only Work if AGC is Off Integration Time Number of lines to integrate, default is 1066 for 60Hz Gain Low Gain (CMOS PGA Gain=1)or High Gain (CMOS PGA Gain=7)
Camera Main: Analog Video Setup 3 2 1 Note: By default the analog video on the Nocturn XL is turned off. Use the GUI or a hyper terminal software to enable it and Save the camera configuration for it to come on whenever the camera is turned on To enable the analog video output using the GUI: Step 1: click the AV Power button (1): should turn Blue Step 2: from the AV Format drop down menu (2) select the video format either NTSC or PAL Step 3: Save the camera configuration (3): will save value as power on default To enable the analog video output using hyper terminal: Step 1: make sure the camera is connected and responding to serial messages. Type? <CR> and the camera should return the help menu Step 2: type av power 1 <CR> to enable the analog video output power Step 3: type av set ntsc <CR> or av set pal <CR> to either set the NTSC or PAL output format Step 4: type save user <CR> to save the current configuration as the power on default 22
Camera Main: Digital Zoom Nocturn Full Field of View Image Pan +x Pan +y 4x Zoom Pan x = 220 Pan y = 40 Digital Zoom Controls Digital Zoom Value of 1 for full field and >1 zoomed in (max Value of 4) Pan x Coordinate move the center pixel of the zoomed in image by x pixels Pan y Coordinate move the center pixel of the zoomed in image by y pixels 4x Zoom Pan x = 0 Pan y =0 23
Camera Main: Gamma Can setup independent Gamma For both the analog and digital video channels Gamma=0.5 Gamma=1 Gamma=1.5 Note: By default the gamma settings for both the analog and digital video channels are set to a value of 1. If you want to save them to a different value as a power on default the Save button must be pressed after adjusting these settings 24
AGC Controls: Gain and Attenuation Maximum Percentages On Integration Time Per Updates Minimal Signal Swing that AGC will Maintain Number of Frames to Average To get AGC Statistics Defines Saturation Levels in DN Number of Frames to Wait Before Updating AGC Value Used to Calculate AGC Gain and Exposure Based on Target Brightness 25
AGC Controls: Low Gain Min. Int. Minimum integration time for the Low Gain Setting in lines Low Gain Max. Int. Maximum integration time for the Low Gain Setting in lines Low Gain Trans. Int. The Low Gain integration time value in lines when switching from High to Low gain setting High Gain Trans. Int. The High Gain integration time value in lines when switching from Low to High gain setting High Gain Min. Int. Minimum integration time for the High Gain Setting in lines High Gain Max. Int. Maximum integration time for the High Gain Setting in lines 26
Contrast Enhancement: Sets Region of Interest (ROI) For the Histogram Used in the Contrast Enhancements Top Left Right Bottom Note: The same ROI is used to calculate the AGC Statistics! 27
Contrast Enhancement: Applies Convolution Filter to the Digital Video Output (5x5 Kernel) By Default the Camera comes loaded with Three Filters: Laplacian, Sharp and Highlight Details No Filter Highlight Details PHOTONIS PHOTONIS Note: Refer to the user guide for instruction on how to generate custom Convolution Filters! 28
Contrast Enhancement: Stretching Mode Value of the cumulative histogram to use as maximum (1023DN) in the Stretching Minimum amount of histogram bins to use in stretching Raw Image Stretch Image Value of the cumulative histogram to use as minimum (0DN) in the Stretching Note: By default the camera ships with the Stretching mode enabled! 29
Contrast Enhancement: Equalization Mode Turns on the Histogram Equalization Raw Image Equalized Note: Any of the contrast enhancement modes can be setup as power on default by pressing the Save button 30
Temperature: CMOS Temperature in DN Read the Electronic s Temperature (C) Read CMOS Built in Temperature Sensor CMOS Temperature in C Based on Fitting Parameters 31