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CHAPTER 4
ADVANCED CAMERA CONTROLS
The QIClick offers the user an advanced method of synchronizing to external events. The
use of external triggering allows more advanced specialized applications of digital imaging. This
section explains external triggering for the QIClick as well as the operation and control
of electrical gain and offset.
Externally triggering the QIClick provides a sophisticated method of imaging and
synchronizing your camera to other parts of your system. To use this feature effectively, it is important
to understand the operation and configuration of your camera.
The External Trigger Port of the QIClick is a 6-pin miniature circular DIN connector. This
port accepts digital logic signals that are used to control the camera's integration. The External Trigger
Port is optically isolated from the camera's electronics. For this reason, the user must provide power
to the External Trigger Port. See Appendix A for a pinout and schematic diagram of the External
Trigger Port.
In externally triggered modes of operation, the user inputs a pulse on the External Trigger Port that
controls the camera's integration in one of two ways depending on the triggering mode.
Triggering Modes
When using External Triggering,there are two different types of triggering modes: Edge High/Low and
Pulse High/Low. The Edge mode allows the camera 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 duration
of the pulse. If “Pulse High” mode is used, then the time the pulse is high is the time of the integration
period. Vice versa for “Pulse Low” mode.
Connecting External Sources to the Camera
Before you can begin to externally trigger your camera, you need to connect the necessary trigger
signal source to the camera. To do this you need to ensure that you have a 6-pin miniature circular
din cable and ensure that the pinouts are set correctly from your trigger source. Refer to Appendix A
for further details on pin assignments and a diagram of the mini-din connector.
There are several ways that you can provide an external pulse to the camera, one of them being via
the QImaging External Trigger Board, which is available through QImaging, and another common
device is a function generator. To trigger the camera, you need to provide a 5V TTL pulse though the
pin stated in Appendix A.
Triggering the QIClick Externally
