PHOTON FAQ - INTERFACE
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1. What is needed in order to create my own application to control and/or acquire digital data using Photon?

The SDK enables camera control using one of several programming languages, including VB6, VB.net, C#, and C++ (MFC). Code examples are included to help illustrate how some of the camera control functions can be used.

The Photon OEM GUI (refer to http://www.corebyindigo.com/service/softwareupdates.cfm) is an example of an application created using the Photon SDK.


2. What are the lens options and the minimum focus lengths for the Photon? What is the range of focus? Is it possible to adjust the focus of Photon lenses manually?

Focal Length 6.3mm 14.25mm 19mm 35mm 50mm
f/number 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.7
Field of View1          
320x240 - 46° x 36° 36° x 27° 20° x 15° 14° x 11°
160x120 52° x 40° - 18° x 14° - -
640x480 - - - 26° x 20° 18° x 14°
IFoV2 (milliradians)  
320, 160 6.032 2.667 2.000 1.086 0.760
640 - - - 0.714 0.500
Minimum Focus Distance ~5 inches ~5 inches ~12 inches ~27 inches ~72 inches
Hyperfocal Distance3 0.25m 5 meters 7.5 meters 26 meters 35 meters
Hyperfocal Depth of Field4 - 2.5 meters 3.8 meters 13 meters 18 meters
Weight (Lens & Lens Mount only) 55g 56g 33g 88.5g 128g
Length (Lens only) 0.377" 1.209" 0.769" 1.709" 2.632"
Diameter (maximum) 1.250" 1.654" 1.024" 1.654" 1.772"
Coating Type High Efficiency High Durability Hard Carbon5
Nominal Wavelength 8.0 to 14.0 microns

1 Field of View describes the angular measure of a scene imaged with the given pixel array, expressed as degrees in horizontal by vertical directions.
2 Instantaneous Field of View is the angular measure of a single pixel. Small angles are usually measured in milliradians. The IFoV is the pixel size (in microns) divided by the lens focal length
3 Hyperfocal distance is the distance beyond which all objects are acceptably sharp, for a lens focused at infinity.
4 Hyperfocal depth of field is the zone of acceptable sharpness. Increasing the depth of field increases the sharpness of an image. Smaller apertures (higher f/numbers) increase the depth of field.
5 Coating Type for 35mm and 50mm configurations of Photon 640 will be High Durability, not Hard Carbon.


3. Can two cameras be set up as master and slave for synchronization purposes?

Photon was designed to accept a 3-Volt signal and send a 3-Volt signal, so one Photon can drive one or more Photons in slave mode. There are serial commands to designate a Photon as the master or slave camera.

Photon provides the capability to synchronize the frame start sequence using an external input. The camera completes the frame sequence using internal timing and then waits for the synchronization pulse before starting the next frame. If the sync pulse rate exceeds the maximum FPA frame rate (nominally 30Hz), sync pulses will be ignored and there will be frames dropped from the stream. (Note: this will result in lost data). While operating in slave mode, the analog video output signal is dependent upon the input frame sync rate for compliance with video standards.

Slave mode in slow video mode cameras continues to require an external sync pulse at the nominal 30Hz/ 25Hz frame rate. Digital output frame rate and analog video update rate are both at one fourth the input external frame sync rate independent of video modes (NTSC/PAL).


4. Is there Linux support for Photon?

The Photon embedded SDK contains ‘C’ source code to compile in other operating systems such as Linux. There is a basic example in the SDK that would work in the Linux environment. The example contains the commands needed for a customer to write their own Photon control application. The Photon SDK part number is 110-0102-46.


5. What is the function of the 30-pin connector and the optional 15-pin connector on the Photon? What is the function of the 30-pin connector and the optional 26-pin connector on the Photon 640?

The 30-pin SAMTEC connector is the primary electrical interface to all Photon camera versions. This connector passes input power, output video, RS-232 commands, and serial digital data. The optional 15-pin D-Sub connector used on the Photon 320, 160, 120, and 80 cameras passes these same signals and voltages (power, video, RS-232, serial LVDS). The 30-pin connector provisions for external sync as well as a few spare leads that are reserved for factory and OEM customer use.

A description of the pin assignments for the 30-pin SAMTEC connector as well as the optional 15-pin D-Sub connector used on the Photon 320, 160, 120, and 80 cameras can be found at this link.

The 15-pin D-Sub connector (Photon 320) and the 26-pin D-Sub connector (Photon 640) configuration is required for compatibility with the respective Ethernet Module accessory.


6. Is there a recommended connector or cable harness that can be used to interface to the SAMTEC 30-pin connector?


SAMTEC now makes an SFSD Series mating connector that enables discrete wires to be brought out from the Photon 30-pin interface connector. An example part number of a mating connector fully populated with wires is SFSD-15-28-S-10.00-S. However, a cable harness can be made using only the wires needed. Power and video leads would likely be the minimum, then RS-232, then digital video.

The 10.00 designates 10" leads. The leads could be made any (practical) length desired since these cables are custom-built.

A friction lock option is available. See the –SL and –DL options on the product print, http://www.samtec.com/ftppub/cpdf/SFSD-XX-XX-X-XX.XX-XX-XXX-MKT.pdf



Also refer to:
www.samtec.com/technical_specifications/overview.aspx?series=SFSD

For more information, or to request pricing for a cable harness, contact:
SAMTEC USA
520 Park East Blvd.
New Albany, IN 47150-7251
800-726-8329


7. What is the voltage on the serial port? Do I need to access the serial port for normal operation? I am trying to connect to the camera via HyperTerminal and I can’t seem to get any control or response. I’ve tried a Null modem cable and a straight-thru cable and can’t seem to connect.

The serial port is only required to operate the camera in a non-autonomous mode. The camera is capable of being controlled remotely through an asynchronous serial interface consisting of the signals named RX, TX, and GND using 3.3 volt signal levels.

Note: The camera is compatible with most all RS-232 drivers/receivers but does not implement signaling levels (voltages) compliant with the RS-232 industry standard. However, it has been found fully functional in almost all implementations to date. There is no need for a NULL modem or to change the polarity when connecting Photon to a PC.

The Photon camera can understand camera commands set by the Photon Graphical User Interface (GUI) over an RS-232 link. The GUI can be downloaded here.

If you experience problems trying to communicate with a Photon over a serial port, we recommend trying this sequence of steps:
1. Close the GUI if it is open.
2. Remove power from the camera.
3. Check all cable connections to ensure they are secure, including the RS-232 connection from the PC to the I/O module.
4. Turn on or reapply power to the camera.
5. Start (or restart) the Photon camera control GUI.
6. The GUI should open in a single window and function normally. If a ‘Select Communication Parameters’ window appears, it usually means there is a configuration error, such as no cable from the PC to the I/O module (or unplugged at one end), or the wrong serial (COM) port is selected. You can try another COM port from the drop-down list.
7. If step 6. does not work, and the PC has more than one serial port, try a different port. You will need to select the matching COM port from the drop-down list in the Select Communication Parameters window.

If the above steps do not produce a successful result, then try another PC before contacting our Client Services group for help. The most common diagnosis we have seen is an anomaly with the serial port of the PC being used.