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6

Connecting the camera to a PC/MAC desktop or MAC laptop Computer

Perform the following for connecting your camera.

Remove the FireWire cable from the camera box, and plug one end of the cable into one 
of the camera’s FireWire sockets (either socket is fine).

Figure 3— 

Camera FireWire Sockets.

Plug the other end of the cable into a FireWire port on your computer

Figure 4— 

Desktop Computer FireWire Connection

There are some cases when connecting to a PC or Mac desktop or Mac laptop computer where not 
enough power is supplied through the IEEE 1394 cable. If this is the case, you may receive an Error 

1 3 9 4

A U X

-

+

FIREWIRE PORTS

Camera

Computer

Summary of Contents for Intensified Retiga Fast 1394

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ...or service providers and are used herein for identification purposes only Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks in the U S and other countries of Microsoft Corporation and are used herein for identification purposes only Apple and Macintosh are registered in the U S and other countries by Apple Computer Inc and are used herein for identification purposes only QImaging Corporation Address...

Page 3: ... BASICS 9 Turning the Camera On and Off 9 Connecting the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 to your Optics 9 Understanding the LED Indicators 10 Capturing Images with the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 10 ADVANCED CAMERA CONTROLS 11 Integration Controls 11 Triggering the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 Extenally 14 Gain and Offset Controls 15 CARING FOR YOUR CAMERA 17 TROUBLESHOOTING 18 Resolving Problems wi...

Page 4: ... digital interface allows ease of use and installation with a single cable and requires no framegrabber A Software Development Kit SDK is available upon request for interfacing with custom software Power Requirements The Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 can be powered through a single IEEE 1394 FireWire cable Power 10 watts Input voltage range 8 24 volts Host Requirements For Windows PCs Pentium CPU r...

Page 5: ... port Some computers have 4 pin FireWire ports These ports may be used if they are OHCI compliant but you will need to purchase a 4 pin to 6 pin FireWire cable from your local computer store If you connect the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 to a 4 pin FireWire port you likely need to use an external power supply What is the difference between 4 pin and 6 pin FireWire ports FireWire cables are availa...

Page 6: ... Software for both systems is available at WWW QIMAGING COM The easy to use QCapture software gives you complete control over the camera s settings and image capture functions QCapture Suite also includes a TWAIN compliant interface that allows many Windows image editing applications to acquire images using QImaging cameras ...

Page 7: ... on your camera Figure 1 and Figure 2 Figure 1 6 pin to 6 pin FireWire IEEE 1394 Port connection Figure 2 6 pin to 4 pin FireWire IEEE 1394 Port connection IMPORTANT Follow these steps in order to complete the installation DO NOT CONNECT the camera until the camera driver is installed 1 Windows PC users only Install the IEEE 1394 PCI card only if necessary 2 Imaging Software Install the software a...

Page 8: ... is installed in your computer you are ready to install the FireWire drivers and imaging software See your Imaging Software User s Guide for complete installation instructions Step 3 Connect the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 Once your imaging software is installed connect your camera There are two different types of connections In most cases the FireWire cable provides the necessary power required ...

Page 9: ...reWire sockets either socket is fine Figure 3 Camera FireWire Sockets Plug the other end of the cable into a FireWire port on your computer Figure 4 Desktop Computer FireWire Connection There are some cases when connecting to a PC or Mac desktop or Mac laptop computer where not enough power is supplied through the IEEE 1394 cable If this is the case you may receive an Error 1 3 9 4 A U X FIREWIRE ...

Page 10: ...C laptop computer There are two common connection varieties for laptop computers 1 Built In Firewire port or 2 PCMCIA Card 1 Built In 4 pin or 6 pin Firewire Port There are cases with PC laptops where a built in 6 pin FireWire port is available If this is the case with your computer it is possible that the two power pins on the Firewire port have been disabled allowing only data communications If ...

Page 11: ...s allow an external connection directly to the card If this is the case and the PCMCIA connector is a 6 pin connector then you should connect the power to your PCMCIA card and connect your camera as per Figure 9 However if you have a 4 pin PCMCIA card Firewire port then you will need to connect your camera in the configuration of either Figure 7 or Figure 8 Figure 9 FireWire and 6 pin IEEE 1394 PC...

Page 12: ... 1394 off all you need to do is to flip the power switch to the O position This will turn your camera off The GREEN LED will turn off Figure 10 Power Switch on the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 Connecting the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 to your Optics The Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 connects directly to widely available C mount optics C mount optics which are standard on most microscopes and lens...

Page 13: ...rstanding the LED Indicators The LED indicators at the back of the camera give you important information about what your camera is doing GREEN The green LED is the power indicator This LED should always be lit when the camera is connected to your computer and is turned on RED The red LED is the gate indicator It flashes briefly when the photomultiplier s gate is open and able to accept incoming li...

Page 14: ...en the gate is open By using the gate as a shutter the camera can achieve very short exposure times The gate can be controlled either by the camera s electronics or directly by the user through the gate input CCD Electronic Shutter The Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 s CCD has an electronic shutter This shutter is relatively slow in comparison to the Image Intensifier tube s gate The CCD s shutter ca...

Page 15: ...ow Note that both the CCD s Electronic Shutter and the Image Intensifier Gate must be opened simultaneously in order for events to be captured Figure 12 User Control Gate Mode Timing Diagram Triggering Integration The Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 integration can be triggered either by the camera s electronics or externally by the user through the External Trigger Port and Gate Input When operating...

Page 16: ...ternal Trigger Port controls the CCD s electronic shutter directly That is the shutter is open for the duration that the pulse is active If the camera is busy it will ignore the pulse Figure 12 shows a timing diagram of the camera s operation in this mode Gate Input The Gate Input of the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 is a BNC connector that accepts fast negative TTL pulses This port is electrically...

Page 17: ...amera to start integrating on the rising or falling edge of the trigger pulse with the integration time controlled internally by the camera Using this method allows you to externally trigger the camera as fast as possible and allows you to take advantage of the simultaneous readout and exposure function Pulse Mode allows the user to control the integration period where the time is dictated by the ...

Page 18: ...iggering mode you require for you application Are you sure the settings in the camera have been set correctly For instance are your monitoring the SYNCB output and if so have you set the correct output mode for your system The above list should be used as a guide and should be consulted before contacting QImaging Technical Support Gain and Offset Controls The Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 has three...

Page 19: ... avoids the quantization errors incurred when the mapping is performed in the digital domain Most users wish to operate the camera in a mode that maximizes dynamic range The factory default electrical gain and offset are calibrated values that maximize the dynamic range The electrical gain and offset can be controlled in software by the CCD Gain and Offset controls CCD Window Fiber Optic Taper Inc...

Page 20: ...r cleaning supplies to dust the photomultiplier window CAUTION Do not use acetone If the image still appears dirty gently wipe the face of the photomultiplier window with a small amount of optical grade isopropyl alchohol and lens paper Apply forced air again to remove any loose particles Protecting the intensifier and CCD Do not operate the camera in environments that exceed 10 4 foot candles in ...

Page 21: ...sensor Point the camera at something in the far distance Loosen the set screw of the C mount ring there are three one on the side and two on the top Adjust the C mount ring until the image is in focus Then tighten the set screw so that the C mount ring does not move This effect may also be caused by excessive infrared IR illumination Verify that your camera or optical system is blocking the IR Con...

Page 22: ...QImaging Technical Support for further assistance Unresolved Problems Contacting QImaging Support If you are still unable to resolve your problem contact QImaging Support for assistance in one of four ways Visit HTTP WWW QIMAGING COM SUPPORT FAQ for a list of all frequently asked questions Your issue may be resolved in one of these faqs Visit HTTP WWW QIMAGING COM SUPPORT CONTACT and fill out a su...

Page 23: ...a camera CCD Charge Coupled Device abbr CCD Gain The amount of analog signal amplification The gain is factory optimized for the camera s maximum dynamic range Charge Coupled Device The light sensitive silicon chip near the optical interface of the camera that converts light intensities into electrical signals These are typically made up of many pixel elements whose intensities are interpreted by ...

Page 24: ...r Iris A diaphragm in the lens that opens or closes to set the aperture the amount of light that passes through the lens to the CCD ms millisecond abbr unit of measure for exposure time ns nanosecond abbr unit of measure for exposure time Offset The offset value adjusts the CCD blacklevel relative to the analog to digital converter zero It is factory optimized for the camera s maximum dynamic rang...

Page 25: ...t for the connector is as follows 5VDC pin 1 and GROUND pin 4 pin 6 must be connected in order for SYNC A SYNC B or TRIGGER to be live Pin Number Signal Name Signal Source Description 1 5 VDC User Power for Optocoupler trigger 2 Trigger input User Active Low Trigger Input 3 SYNC A output Camera Indicates CCD Read out 4 Ground User Ground Reference for Optocoupler 5 SYNC B output Camera Exposure or...

Page 26: ...1A R33 357R R32 357R C37 0 1uF R31 357R 5 V 8 7 6 5 2 3 2 3 8 7 6 5 HCPL 061A HCPL 061A U13 U14 R35 237R R36 237R R38 237R R39 237R VCC VCC GND GND C38 0 1uF C39 0 1uF R34 357R R37 357R SYNCB SYNCA VCC TRIGGER MINI DIN CN8 CN8 PIN REFERENCE 1 USER VCC 2 TRIGGER input 3 SYNCA output 4 GROUND 5 SYNCB output 6 GROUND ...

Page 27: ...r information on setting these parameters Expose Mode If this modes is selected the signal will indicate the exposure pulse of the camera This signal is active high and may be used to synchronize an external shuttering device Trigger Mask If this mode is selected the signal will indicate the time at which another trigger signal will not be accepted by the camera This signal is also active high Sig...

Page 28: ...to provide a ground Figure 17 Gate Input Connection Gate Input Schematic The following figure illustrates the gate input schematic internal to the Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 Figure 18 Schematic of Gate Input internal to Intensified Retiga Fast 1394 BNC Isolated Ground 50Ω Isolated 5V Isolation Buffer To Image Intensifier Gate ...

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