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1. Reset Readout Start of Exposure Exposure Time End of Exposure T Y l
2. Line 1726 Flash Trigger Signal offset 0 us Flash Trigger Signal offset 13 82 us 13 82 us NE i 1382 us Flash Trigger Signal offset 13 83 us HERI L 13 82 us zen L 1382 us Figure 2 5 Flash Trigger Signal Set at Different Offset Settings Basler A400k Camera Interface 2 5 1 3 Setting the Flash Trigger Signal Offset You can set the flash trigger signal offset using either the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or binary commands With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Flash Trigger Signal Offset setting in the Flash Trigger parameter group By Setting CSRs You can set the offset by writing a value to the Raw Flash Trigger Signal Offset field or to the Absolute Flash Trigger Signal Offset field of the Flash Trigger Signal Offset CSR see page 7 35 Section 7 2 2 explains CSRs and the difference between using the raw field and the absolute field in a CSR Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Basler A400k 2 13 Camera Interface 2 6 Camera Link Interface 2 14 The Camera Link interface on the A402k cameras is accessed via one 26 pin MDR connector on the back of the camera On
3. Figure 6 4 Area of Interest Sequence As explained above the sequencing can be triggered by the ExSync signal You can trigger each image capture in the sequence with a separate rising edge of the ExSync signal or you can use a single rising edge of the signal to trigger the complete sequence The camera can also run the complete sequence non stop free run In free run no ExSync signal is required Before you can run a predefined sequence of areas of interest you must first create an AOI list Sections 6 4 4 1 and 6 4 4 2 The AOI list defines the areas of interest the order in which they will run and some other parameters When the AOI list is complete you upload the list to the camera Section 6 4 4 3 To actually run the camera according to the defined sequence you must finally enable the AOI sequencer feature by enabling one of three trigger modes Section 6 4 4 4 Basler A400k Features 6 4 4 1 Setting Up an AOI List The AOI list defines the areas of interest to be run For each area of interest you define an exposure time and delay time You also define the number of times you want to run the area of interest within the sequence and whether you want the flash trigger signal to be enabled The order in which the areas of interest are run is determined by their position in the list The area of interest in the first position is performed first the area of int
4. j CMOS Sensor PIXEL ARRAY Column 1 2 3 4 2349 2350 2351 2352 Line 1 eee ue Line 2 gt ecc 3 2 Line 3 eng e amp s tine4 ten 2 oa eer I Line 1726 eee E vov vyv y Y yvy y y ml E Line ADC 4 Timing gt ADC l Memory Block Lt Controller v y y y y y y y gt ADC Register SRAM m I Read Output Register p Output Control A Ports 16x p Column Decoder 10 bit Digitized Pixel Data Figure 3 1 A400k Sensor Architecture LED Microcontroller Power Supply os lt 4 Power U Flash Memory 3 c t8 as 5 on BE Config p TTL Driver _Fiashout C3 es E a E Serial LVDS Serial aa y Sync AOI Gee ee gg DAC Control lt Sequencer a ExSync river 4 ExFlash 3 3 D ExFlash Receiver 4 ExSyne 3 3 l Internal Sync 9 5 tol Data Gain Image Sensor Sensor Timing Sensor Fiash window Flash 4 Image Data Camera MEME Offset PB MV40 ER Link Data DACs _Biases 99 3 3 i b 20 as Image Dat Test Shading Data or Te Img gt gt Formatter l SE amp Shifter M i A403k A404k 1 A405k and i A406k Only 1 FPGA a aaan i
5. mM ID Flash Window D Line 1726 Reset Runtime i j Total Runtime C 4 56 us A402k A403k amp A404k C 3 455 us A405k C 2 764 us A406k Figure 4 9 Flash Window Basler A400k 4 15 Frame Acquisition Control Basler A400k Video Data Output 5 Video Data Output 5 1 Video Data Output Modes The A402k can output video data using two different modes 2 tap 10 bit mode or 2 tap 8 bit mode In 2 tap 10 bit mode the camera outputs data for 2 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 10 bit depth In 2 tap 8 bit mode the camera outputs data for 2 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 8 bit depth The A403k can outp
6. 6 42 6 8 1 Camera Temperature Sensing 0 000 c eee eens 6 42 6 8 1 1 Reading the Camera Temperature 020 cee eae 6 42 6 8 2 Over Temperature Protection 00020 e eee ee eee 6 42 6 9 Configuration Sets 20 kee beeen ees 6 43 6 9 1Saving User Sets oe swae eee hae Se So eae Pee a eka rede 6 43 6 9 2 Activating a Saved User Set File 0 0 00 cece 6 44 6 9 3 Activating the Factory Set File 0 0 0 0 cece ee 6 45 6 9 4 Which Configuration Set File Will Load at Startup or at Reset 6 46 6 9 5 Saving a User Set to PC Loading a User Set from PC 6 46 6 10 Parameter Set Cache 2 2 tapaia bee e RR n 6 47 6 10 1 Enabling Disabling Parameter Set Cache 000 eee ee 6 47 6 11 Parameter Validation lille eh 6 48 6 12 Checking the Camera Status 6 48 60 13 Status EED dct E est ate e UB E em RATER LEE A UR ROC 6 48 6 14 Resetting the Camera s oeei ceras iene restaren d n 6 49 7 Configuring the Camera 7 1 Configuring the Camera with the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT 7 2 7 1 1 Opening the Configuration Tool aasa aaaeeeaa 7 2 7 1 2 Closing the Configuration Tool s a ssaa aaaeeeaa 7 2 7 1 3 Configuration Tool Basics saasaa aaae 7 2 7 1 4 Configuration Tool Help 2 6 eee 7 3 7 2 Configuring the Camera By Setting Registers aaua aaa 7 4 7 2 1 Inquiry Registers o e s
7. 10 How severe is the problem Camera can still be used Camera can be used after take this action l Camera can no longer be used 11 Did your application ever un Yes r No without problems 12 Parameter set Itis very important for Basler technical support to get a copy of the exact camera parameters that you were using when the problem occurred To make a copy of the parameters start the CCT select the File menu and click Dump Current Settings to File Send the generated file to Basler technical support If you cannot access the camera please try to state the following parameter settings Video data output mode Exposure time control mode Exposure time Gain Offset 13 Live image test image If you are having an image problem try to generate and save live images that show the prob lem Also generate and save test images Please save the images in BMP format zip them and send them to Basler technical support 8 10 Basler A400k Revision History Revision History Document Number Date Changes DA00062401 6 Feb2004 Initial release version covering prototype cameras only DA0006240b 7 Jun 2004 PRELIMINARY version covering series cameras DA00062402 16 Jul 2004 Initial release version covering series production cameras DA00062403 30 Aug 2004 Corrected the video data output types shown in Section 1 3 Corrected the maximum power consu
8. You can save up to one DSNU shading value file in the non volatile memory There is a restriction on naming the file that holds the saved set of DSNU shading values The file must be named offsetshading Basler A400k 7 47 Configuring the Camera PRNU Shading Value CSR See Section 7 2 3 1 for information about using bulk data control registers Register Base Address 0x2A00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Control Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field selects a bulk data control function 0x00 Enumerate 0x01 ENext 0x02 Read 0x03 Write 0x05 Activate 0x06 Create Field Name Info Offset 0x0002 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description If you are performing a bulk data read or write operation this field will indicate when no more data exists 0x00 More data exists 0x01 No more data exists 0x04 No more data exists and this is an activated file Field Name File Name Offset 0x0003 Size 20 Bytes Type Read Write Description Character string indicating the name of a bulk data file The field contains 20 charact
9. 0 00 cee eee 2 9 over temperature detection 6 42 P parameter set cache explained o esL Rel REP Reps 6 47 setting with binary commands 7 39 parameter sets saving 000 6 43 parameter validation described tesia siirt Ena a s 6 48 photo response non uniformity 1 3 1 5 pin assignments 4 pin receptacle 2 5 6 pin receptacle 0004 2 5 Camera Link connector1 2 3 Camera Link connector 2 2 4 pin numbering Camera ipa siae Hw eye GE e EXER 27s 2 2 pixel clock speed 6 00 8600065 1 3 1 5 pixel depth 000005 1 4 1 5 pixel size sci eee eae E ee 1 3 1 5 pixels oe jek ee EE E oe et 1 3 1 5 positioning accuracy of the sensor chip 1 8 power cable et Soa ie ee ee 2 6 power plug iue ueRreR he ee eats 2 5 power requirements Camera 22 seeder tuper ieu 1 4 1 6 2 7 precautions Camera 0 ise eS Rd PY On EE 1 11 PRN site ee ond eee ha ae Bae bate peed 1 3 1 5 product ID viewing with binary commands 7 6 Basler A400k programmable AOI sequencer explained vai ete Re eet 6 22 setting with binary commands 7 31 programmable exposure mode explained 0 000 cee eee eee 4 2 Q quantum efficiency 1 3 1 5 1 6 R read command error checking o socia aucuna ce eee eee 7 55 example i uem eb peers 7 56 expl
10. camergs vendor Name 2 Scroll down until you find the Model Name Camera Information group Product ID 04 This is the heading If there is a plus sign Serial Number 01234 Q camera beside the Camera Information Camera Version Fa j version group heading click on the Microcontroller Firmware Version 01 30 05 ID Number plus sign to show the list of FPGA Version PB 01 06 01 parameters in the group FPGA Version SB 01 04 01 3 Find the parameter called amsra tempersture p 61 Camera Version As shown in Camer Figure 1 1 the last two numbers of this parameter are the camera version ID number Camera Busy Figure 1 1 CCT Window You can also access the camera version ID number by using binary commands to read the Camera Version Inquiry register See Section 7 2 1 for an explanation of inquiry registers and Section 7 3 for information on using binary commands Basler A400k 1 1 Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 2 1 2 Camera Versions A400k series area scan cameras are available in different versions the version depends on the maximum frame rate and the Camera Link interface The cameras are only available in monochrome versions A402k A403k A404k A405k A406k Throughout the manual the camera will be called the A400k Passages that are only valid for a specific version will be so indicated Camera Version Max Frame Rate Camera Link Interface
11. A402k 24 fps Camera Link standard base configuration A403k 48 fps Camera Link standard medium configuration A404k 96 fps Camera Link standard full configuration A405k 167 fps Camera Link standard full configuration or Basler specific 8 tap configuration A406k 209 fps Basler specific 10 tap configuration Table 1 1 Versions of the A400k Series Camera Basler A400k 1 3 General Specifications Specifications Requirements and Precautions Specifications A402k A403k A404k Sensor Aptina MT9M440 formerly known as the Micron MV40 CMOS active pixel digital image sensor Number of Pixels 2352 H x 1726 V 4059552 pixels Pixel Size 7 0 um x 7 0 um 7 0 um pixel pitch Pixel Fill Factor 55 Sensor Imaging Area 16 46 mm H x 12 08 mm V 20 42 mm Diagonal Mono Color Mono Mono Mono Digital Responsivity 2500 LSB lux s Quantum Efficiency Figure 1 2 Figure 1 2 Figure 1 2 Dynamic Range 54 dB Shutter Fast electronic rolling shutter PRNU Photo Response Non uniformity Typically 1 96 rms according to the sensor manufacturer s specification Lower if PRNU shading correction is used at full resolution progressive scan progressive scan DSNU 0 1 rms if no DSNU shading correction is used Dark Signal Non Lower if DSNU shading correction is used uniformity Kdrk 100 8 C Dark Current Tem p
12. Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the mirror image mode 0x00 Mirror image disabled 0x01 Mirror image enabled See Section 6 6 for more information about the mirror image feature Field Name Mirror Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Test Image Mode CSR Register Base Address 0x1800 Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the test image mode 0x00 No test image 0x01 7 Test image one enabled vertical stripe pattern 0x02 Test image two enabled still diagonal stripe pattern 0x03 Test image three enabled moving diagonal stripe pattern 0x04 Test image four enabled horizontal stripe pattern See Section 6 7 for more information about test images Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write
13. Figure 3 2 A400k Block Diagram 3 2 Basler A400k 4 1 Frame Acquisition Control Frame Acquisition Control Exposure Time Control Modes A400k cameras can operate under the control of an external trigger signal ExSync signal or can operate in free run In free run the camera generates its own internal control signal and does not require an ExSync signal 4 1 1 ExSync Controlled Operation 4 1 1 1 Basics of ExSync Controlled Operation In ExSync operation the camera s frame rate and exposure time are controlled by an externally generated ExSync signal The ExSync signal is typically supplied to the camera by a frame grabber board You should refer to the manual supplied with your frame grabber board to determine how to set up the ExSync signal that is being supplied to the camera When the camera is operating under the control of an ExSync signal the length of the ExSync signal period determines the camera s frame rate Frame rate 1 Control signal period ExSync can be periodic or non periodic All cameras have four modes of exposure time control available when they are operating with an ExSync signal edge controlled mode level controlled mode programmable mode and flash window controlled mode n ExSync edge controlled mode the pixels are exposed and charge is accumulated over the full period of the ExSync signal rising edge to rising edge The falling edge of the ExSync signal is irrelevant The frame is r
14. A third stripe begins in column 2032 The pixels in column 2032 have a value of 0 the pixels in column 2033 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 2034 have a value of 2 and so on 6 34 Basler A400k Features A406k The stripes in the vertical stripe test pattern are formed with a gradient that ranges from 0 to 255 A full stripe is 256 columns wide As an exception the gray values of the first stripe range from 17 to 255 The pixels in column one of the first stripe all have a value of 17 The pixels in column two of the first stripe all have a value of 18 the pixels in column three of the first stripe all have a value of 19 and so on This pattern continues until column 239 where the pixels have a gray value of 255 A second stripe begins in column 240 The pixels in Figure 6 14 Test Image One 8 bit column 240 have a gray value of 0 the pixels in column 241 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 242 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until column 495 where the pixels have a gray value of 255 A third stripe begins in column 496 The pixels in column 496 have a gray value of 0 the pixels in column 497 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 498 have a value of 2 and so on Basler A400k 6 35 Features 6 7 2 Test Image Two Still Diagonal Stripe Pattern Test image two is useful for determining if your frame grabber has dropped any columns or lines from your image A402k A403k and A404k
15. Basler A400k 6 19 Features 6 20 In some exposure modes you must set the frame period in us To convert the calculated frame rate frames per second into the frame period us use the following formula Frame period us Frame isis x 1 000 000 Max Frame Rate with the Camera Set to the Short Frame Readout Delay To determine the maximum frame rate for a given AOI when the camera is set for the short frame readout delay use your AOI settings to calculate a result in the appropriate formula below These formulas take your AOI height into account The width setting does not affect the frame rate when the camera is set for short readout delay A402k 50 MHz Max frames per second approximated 1184 x AOI Height 1 x A403k and A404k at 4 tap output Max frames per second approximated LAR EET A404k at 8 tap output Max frames per second approximated 301 AOT HEHE On an A402k for example using the full AOI height of 1726 lines the frame rate cannot be higher than 24 4 fps frames per second With an AOI height of 200 lines the frame rate cannot be higher than 210 1 fps In some exposure modes you must set the frame period in us To convert the calculated frame rate frames per second into the frame period us use the following formula Frame period us Frame sei x 1 000 000 Basler A400k Features 6 4 3 2 A405k When the area of interest feature is used the camera s maximum ach
16. n ExSync flash window controlled mode the minimum flash window setting is 4 56 us The flash window can be set in multiples of 4 56 us that is 4 56 us 9 12 us 13 68 us and so on In ExSync flash window controlled mode the following rule also applies Flash Window Setting AOI Height x 4 564 us ExSync Signal Period 9 12 us A405k n ExSync edge controlled mode and programmable mode minimum high time for the ExSync signal is 2 us minimum low time 2 us In ExSync level controlled mode minimum high time for the ExSync signal is 6 910 us minimum low time 3 455 us n ExSync programmable mode the minimum exposure time setting is 3 455 us Due to the sensor design the exposure time can only be set in multiples of 3 455 us that is 3 455 us 6 910 us 10 365 us and so on In ExSync programmable mode the following rule also applies Exposure Time Setting ExSync Signal Period 6 910 us n ExSync flash window controlled mode the minimum flash window setting is 3 455 us The flash window can be set in multiples of 3 455 us that is 3 455 us 6 910 us 10 365 us and so on In ExSync flash window controlled mode the following rule also applies Flash Window Setting AOI Height x 3 455 us lt ExSync Signal Period 6 910 us Basler A400k 4 3 Frame Acquisition Control A406k n ExSync edge controlled mode and programmable mode minimum high time for the ExSync signal is 2 us minimum low time 2 us In
17. If you are using an A405k camera in the 8 tap 10 bit mode or if you are using an The A406k camera implements the full Camera Link configuration and has a Camera Link clock speed of 85 MHz The camera can output pixel data as a 10 tap 8 bit video data stream The 10 tap 8 bit mode is Basler specific i e not specifically defined in the Camera Link standard garding the way that the Camera Link interface is implemented on A400k cameras refer to the document called A400k Information for Frame Grabber Designers AW000886xx000 You can download the document from the Basler website http www baslerweb com If you plan to design your own frame grabber or if you would like specific details re 2 6 1 The ExSync Signal As specified by the Camera Link standard several camera control channels are built into the Camera Link interface On A400k cameras the CC1 camera control 1 channel is designated by default to receive an external sync ExSync signal from a frame grabber Camera Link compatible frame grabbers are typically designed to supply an ExSync signal to the camera via CC1 in the Camera Link interface For more information about the ExSync signal see Section 2 4 1 Basler A400k Camera Interface 2 6 2 RS 644 Serial Communication As specified in the Camera Link standard an RS 644 serial connection must be included on all Camera Link compliant frame grabbers Your PC and your camera are able to com
18. Removed all references to color cameras from the entire manual Changed program path for CTT tool Replaced Basler Vision Technologies by Basler in Section 1 1 and Section 7 1 1 Minor corrections throughout the manual Basler A400k Index A AOI list explained 42s eee eee eke upload to camera 002 0 eee area of interest explained 00000 cee eee eee programmable AOI sequencer setting with binary commands area of interest sequencer see programmable AO sequencer B Basler technical support binary command protocol binary commands error checking 7 52 examples lt 4 sccdachi eta peta Sees explained 0 000 cee eee read command 0 e0 eee tirneouts om SAR ees 4 write command 00e ee eee block check character Calculating unen ba defined airera e ee e an rep block diagram 6 ee Vee hs bulk data control and status registers explained lupe using bulk data lisse C cable Camera Link llle length 2 6 path eM Be NS POWEP sik ose eee pe ee paara uq ded Specification ek ee eee ee WDC 6 crane corrode ere aes ee camera configuration tool aut refreshi 4 poses sera closing the tool opening the tool parameter description window refresh button 0 00 00 eee ee eee s
19. The stripes in the still diagonal stripe test pattern are formed with repeated gray scale gradients ranging from 0 to 255 in 8 bit output mode or 0 to 1023 in 10 bit output mode As an exception the gray values of the first stripe range from 1 to 255 or from 1 to 1023 respectively The top line starts with a gray value of 1 on pixel 1 The second line starts with a gray value of 2 on pixel 1 The third line starts with a gray value of 3 on pixel 1 and so on Line 255 8 bit mode or 1023 10 Figure 6 15 Test Image Two A 4 bit mode starts with a gray value of 255 or 1023 on pixel 1 Line 256 8 bit mode or 1024 10 bit mode restarts with a gray value of 0 on pixel 1 and so on Depending on the output mode selected on the camera either the 8 bit test image or the 10 bit test image will be active The mathematical expression for the test image is as follows 8 bit Gray level x y 1 MOD 256 10 bit Gray level x y 1 MOD 1024 where x and y are natural numbers enumerating lines and columns respectively According to the number of pixels present x ranges in steps of 1 Figure 6 16 Test Image Two 10 Bit from 1 to 1726 and y ranges in steps of 1 from 1 to 2352 for A402k A403k and A404k cameras The expression is shown graphically in Figure 6 17 gray levels 8 bit 10 bit pixel 0 numbers Figure 6 17 Formation of Test Image Two on the A402k A403k or A404k 6 36 Basler A400k
20. When the frame readout delay mode is set to the short delay the delay time will be approximately 10 us When the frame readout delay mode is set to the standard delay the delay time will be determined by the following formula Frame Readout Delay 4 56 us x AOI Height 20 us For example assume that the current setting for the AOI Height is 100 In this case the frame readout delay would be Frame Readout Delay 4 56 us x 100 20 us Frame Readout Delay 476 us For most frame grabbers the standard frame readout delay will work fine But for some frame grabbers using the standard delay will cause errors such as time outs On these grabbers you should set the camera for the short delay When an A402k A403k or A404k camera is set to short frame readout delay mode there is no increase in the maximum allowed frame rate when the AOI width is de creased For more information about the AOI see Section 6 4 The A405k and A406k can only operate with a short frame readout delay Setting the Frame Readout Delay Mode You can set the frame readout delay mode using either the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or binary commands With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Frame Readout Delay Mode settings in the Output parameters group By Setting CSRs You can set the frame readout delay mode by writing a value to the Mode field of the Frame Readout Delay Mode CSR see page 7 20
21. llle 6 14 6 4 Area of Interest AOI orren cercen dia nnee e xy ehe 6 15 6 4 1 Area of Interest Setup Rules 0 00000 cee eee eee 6 17 6 4 2 Setting the Area of Interest llle 6 18 II Basler A400k Contents 6 4 3 Changes to the Max Frame Rate with Area of Interest 6 19 6 4 3 1 A402k A403k and A404k 0 ee 6 19 0 4 3 2 AAUBK tut staged tradet Ae ak agp at dig la ad dede poda 6 21 0 4 3 9 A406k ns ec ee he ee ae dnx Seed 6 21 6 4 4 Programmable AOI Sequencer 0 2 2 0 eee 6 22 6 4 4 1 Setting Up an AOI List 6 23 6 4 4 2 Creating an AOI List 0 000 eee 6 26 6 4 4 3 Uploading an AOI List to the Camera 004 6 28 6 4 4 4 Enabling Disabling the AOI List 20 00 000 6 29 6 5 Stamp lt 2 seated ald me beet pee et ehh date Smale ees WA sae 6 30 6 6 Mirron Image dete ae Race E t eee 6 32 oA Test Images 4e E Ee acne Sa eid Pewee Bc ak 6 33 6 7 1 Test Image One Vertical Stripe Pattern 0 0 0 eee ee 6 33 6 7 2 Test Image Two Still Diagonal Stripe Pattern 6 36 6 7 3 Test Image Three Moving Diagonal Stripe Pattern 6 39 6 7 4 Test Image Four Horizontal Stripe Pattern 000000 6 40 6 7 5 Guidelines When Using Test Images 0 0 00 eee eee 6 41 6 7 6 Enabling Disabling Test Images 0 00 eee eee 6 41 6 8 Temperature Sensing and Over Temperature Detection
22. 0x01 The register is available Field Name Serial Number Offset 0x0001 Size 20 Bytes Type Read only Description String containing the camera s serial number The string is zero terminated if less than 20 bytes are needed and unterminated if all 20 bytes are needed Camera Version Inquiry Register Base Address 0x0500 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Camera Version Offset 0x0001 Size 3 Bytes Type Read only Description The value in this field indicates the camera s version information The bytes in the field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the camera version BCD coded Byte 2 High byte of the camera version BCD coded Byte 3 Register layout ID BCD coded Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Microcontroller Firmware Version Inquiry Register Base Address 0x0700 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Microcontroller Firmware Version Offset 0x0001 Size 3 Bytes Type Read only Description The value in this field indicates t
23. A406k The stripes in the still diagonal stripe test pattern are formed with repeated gray scale gradients ranging from 0 to 255 As an exception the gray values of the first stripe range from 17 to 255 The top line starts with a gray value of 17 on pixel 1 The second line starts with a gray value of 18 on pixel 1 The third line starts with a gray value of 19 on pixel 1 and so on Line 239 starts with a gray value of 255 on pixel 1 Line 240 starts with a gray value of 0 on pixel 1 and so on The mathematical expression for the test image is Figure 6 21 Test Image Two Z 4 as follows Gray level x y 15 MOD 256 where x and y are natural numbers enumerating lines and columns respectively According to the number of pixels present x ranges in steps of 1 from 1 to 1726 and y ranges in steps of 1 from 1 to 2320 The expression is shown graphically in Figure 6 22 gray levels 255 8 bit pixel 0 numbers Figure 6 22 Formation of Test Image Two on the A406k 6 38 Basler A400k Features 6 7 3 Test Image Three Moving Diagonal Stripe Pattern Test image three is useful for determining if your camera is reacting to an ExSync signal stripe pattern as explained in Section 6 7 2 but the pattern of the image moves up by one pixel each time the ExSync signal cycles When you view the output of a camera that is set for test image three the pattern should appear to be gradually moving up the screen The basic
24. Connectors All versions One 26 pin female MDR connector data One 6 pin Hirose HR connector power One 4 pin Hirose HR connector flash trigger A403k and A404k Second 26 pin female MDR connector data Power 12 VDC 10 96 12 VDC 10 12 VDC x 10 96 Requirements Max 8 5 W 12 VDC Max 9 0 W 12 VDC Max 9 0 W 12 VDC Lens Adapter F mount Housing Size Without lens adapter 53 8 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm LxWxH With F mount adapter 85 3 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm Including Connectors Weight without lens adapter 500 g 510g 510g with F mount adapter 605 g 615g 615g Conformity CE FCC Table 1 2 A402k A403k and A404k Performance Specifications Basler A400k Specifications Requirements and Precautions Specifications A405k A406k Sensor Aptina MT9M440 formerly known as the Micron MV40 CMOS active pixel digital image sensor Number of Pixels 2320 H x 1726 V 4004320 pixels Pixel Size 7 0 um x 7 0 um 7 0 um pixel pitch Pixel Fill Factor 55 Sensor Imaging Area 16 24 mm H x 12 08 mm V 20 24 mm Diagonal Mono Color Mono Mono Digital Responsivity 2500 LSB lux s Quantum Efficiency Figure 1 2 Figure 1 2 Dynamic Range 54 dB Shutter Fast electronic rolling shutter PRNU Photo Response Non uniformity Typically lt 1 rms according to the sensor manufacturer s s
25. DSNU or PRNU Shading Value Generate CSR Register Base Address 0x2100 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range 0x82 The generation process failed Field Name Generate Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field will begin the routine that generates a set of DSNU or PRNU shading correction values 0x01 2 Generate DSNU correction values 0x02 Generate PRNU correction values See Section 6 2 for more information about shading correction DSNU and or PRNU Shading Correction Enable CSR Register Base Address 0x2000 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the shading correction mode 0x00 Shading correction off 0x01 Enable DSNU shading correction only 0x02 Enable PRNU shadin
26. 13 68 ps and SO On In free run flash window controlled mode the following rule also applies Flash Window Setting AOI Height x 4 56 us lt Frame Period Setting 9 12 us A405k n free run programmable mode the minimum exposure time setting is 3 455 us Due to the sensor design the exposure time can only be set in multiples of 3 455 us that is 3 455 us 6 910 us 10 365 us and so on In free run programmable mode the following rule also applies Exposure Time Setting lt Frame Period Setting 6 910 us Basler A400k 4 7 Frame Acquisition Control 4 8 In free run flash window controlled mode the minimum flash window setting is 3 455 us The flash window can be set in multiples of 3 455 us that is 3 455 us 6 910 us 10 365 us and so on In free run flash window controlled mode the following rule also applies Flash Window Setting AOI Height x 3 455 us lt Frame Period Setting 6 910 us A406k n free run programmable mode the minimum exposure time setting is 2 764 us Due to the sensor design the exposure time can only be set in multiples of 2 764 us that is 2 764 us 5 528 us 8 292 us and so on In free run programmable mode the following rule also applies Exposure Time Setting lt Frame Period Setting 5 528 us In free run flash window controlled mode the minimum flash window setting is 2 764 us The flash window can be set in multiples of 2 764 us that is 2 764 us 5 528 us 8 29
27. Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Byte 3 High byte of the max value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used Basler A400k 7 19 Configuring the Camera Frame Readout Delay Mode CSR Register Base Address 0x5200 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the frame readout delay mode 0x00 Short delay 0x01 Standard delay See Section 4 1 3 for descriptions of the frame readout delay modes 7 20 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Gain CSR Note The gain can be set by writing a floating point value to the Absolute Gain field or by writing an integer value to the Raw Gain field Refer to Section 7 2 2 1 for an explanation of the difference between these two fields Register Base Address 0x0E00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A valu
28. D ital shift are all below 64 If bit 9 or bit 8 is set to 1 all of the other bits will automatically be set to 1 This means that you should only use the shift twice setting when your pixel readings with no dig Basler A400k Features 6 3 3 Precautions When Using Digital Shift There are several checks and precautions that you must follow before using the digital shift feature The checks and precautions differ depending on whether you will be using the camera in 10 bit output mode or in 8 bit output mode If you will be using the camera in 10 bit output mode make this check 1 Use binary commands or the Camera Configuration Tool Plus to put the camera in 10 bit output mode 2 Use binary commands or the configuration tool to set the camera for no digital shift 3 Check the output of the camera under your normal lighting conditions with no digital shift and note the readings for the brightest pixels f any of the readings are above 512 do not use digital shift If all of the readings are below 512 you can safely use the 2X digital shift setting Ifall of the readings are below 256 you can safely use the 2X or 4X digital shift setting If you will be using the camera in 8 bit output mode make this check 1 Use binary commands or the Camera Configuration Tool Plus to put the camera in 8 bit output mode 2 Use the binary commands or the configuration tool to set the camera for no digital shift 3 Che
29. Shading Correction In theory when a digital camera captures an image of a uniform object the pixel values output from the camera should be uniform In practice however variations in optics and lighting and small variations in the sensor s performance can cause the camera output to be non uniform even when the camera is capturing images of a uniform object A400k cameras are equipped with a shading correction feature that lets the camera correct the captured image for variations caused by optics lighting and sensor variations There are three types of shading correction available on A400k cameras column FPN shading correction DSNU shading correction and PRNU shading correction 6 2 1 Column FPN Shading Correction In theory when an area scan camera with a digital sensor captures an image of a uniform object under homogeneous illumination the pixels should output the same gray value throughout the entire image In practice slight variations in the pixel column amplifiers in the sensor will cause some variation from pixel column to pixel column This variation is known as column Fixed Pattern Noise column FPN Column FPN appears as vertical stripes in the image The camera s sensor contains special self calibrating circuitry that enables it to reduce column FPN before the analog pixel data enters the analog to digital converters The column FPN shading correction feature on A400k cameras can further correct for the variations caused b
30. explains using read write commands 6 9 4 Which Configuration Set File Will Load at Startup or at Reset On the initial wake up after delivery the camera copies the factory set into the work set At each subsequent power on or reset the configuration set file that was last activated is copied into the work set If there is no activated file the factory set file will be copied into the work set 6 9 5 Saving a User Set to PC Loading a User Set from PC You can save a user set to the hard disk of your computer and load a user set from hard disk into your camera This is useful if you wish to use this user set on another camera of the same type Saving a User Set to PC or Loading a User Set from PC You can save a user set to PC or load a user set from PC by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s bulk data control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Save Work Set to File command in the File menu to save the work set to hard disk and you use the Load Work Set from File command in the File menu to load the work set from hard disk By Setting CSRs You can save a user set to PC or load a user set from PC by writing values to the bulk data CSR for configuration sets The bulk data download process is used to save a user set to PC The bulk data upload process is used to loa
31. if the value in this field is set to 4 0x00000004 then Frame Period 4 x 4 56 us 18 24 us A402k A403k A404k Frame Period 4 x 3 455 us 13 820 us A405k Frame Period 4 x 2 764 us 11 056 us A406k The minimum and maximum allowed raw frame period settings may vary depending on the AOI parameter settings and on the Video Data Output Mode setting To determine the cur rent minimum and maximum allowed values first set the AOI and output mode parameters and then check the value of the Raw Min and Raw Max fields in this register For more in formation about AOI settings see Section 6 4 For more information about output mode settings see Section 5 1 The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the raw value Byte 2 Mid byte of the raw value Byte 3 High byte of the raw value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used See Section 4 1 for more information about the frame period Field Name Raw Min Offset 0x0011 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the raw frame period setting The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the min value Byte 2 Mid byte of the min value Byte 3 High byte of the min value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used Field Name Raw Max Offset 0x0015 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the raw frame period setting The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows
32. parameters The first and easier approach is to change the parameters using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT See Section 7 1 for instructions on using the configuration tool You can also change the parameters directly from your application by using binary read write commands to set the camera s registers see Section 7 2 Basler A400k 7 1 Configuring the Camera 7 1 7 2 Configuring the Camera with the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT The Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT is a Windows based program used to easily change the camera s parameter settings The tool communicates via the RS 644 serial connection in the Camera Link interface between the frame grabber and the camera The tool automatically generates the binary programming commands that are described in Section 7 3 For instructions on installing the tool see the installation booklet that was shipped with the camera This manual assumes that you are familiar with Microsoft Windows and that you have a basic knowledge of how to use programs If not please refer to your Microsoft Windows manual 7 1 1 Opening the Configuration Tool 1 Make sure that the properties for the RS 644 serial port on your frame grabber are properly configured and that the camera has power 2 To start the CCT click Start click All Programs click Basler and click CCT default instal lation During start up a start up screen can be seen If start up is successful t
33. read write commands Basler A400k 6 9 Features Configuration Sets A configuration set is a set of values that contains all of Non volatile the parameters needed to control the camera There are Memory two basic types of configuration sets the work Flash Volatile configuration set and the factory configuration set Memory igurati ee Work Configuration Set UserSets uuu The work configuration set contains the camera s current p settings and thus determines the camera s performance that is what your image currently looks like If you use the CCT to change the camera settings or if you change F 23 settings by writing to the camera s registers you are Factory Set making changes to the work configuration set The work configuration set is located in the camera s volatile Figure 6 27 Configuration Sets memory and the settings are lost if the camera is reset or if power is switched off The work configuration set is usually just called the work set for short Factory Configuration Set When a camera is manufactured a test setup is performed on the camera and an optimized configuration is determined The factory configuration set contains the camera s factory optimized configuration The factory set is saved in a permanent file in the camera s non volatile memory The factory set can not be altered and since it is stored in non volatile memory it is not lost when the camera is reset or switched off The facto
34. 1 Modified description of PRNU in Table 1 2 Modified LED of low side switch labelled typically lt 5 V in Figure 2 4 Added Mirror Image Mode section Section 6 6 and Mirror Image Mode CSR page 7 37 Corrected Figure 5 1 Modified Figure 1 5 sensor tilt typically 0 25 Corrected maximum value in the Raw Exposure Time field of the Exposure Time CSR on page 7 16 Corrected maximum value in the Raw Frame Period field of the Frame Period CSR on page 7 18 DA00062409 13 Jul 2007 Updated the cover page and the contact information page to the current standards Added Section 1 6 1with storage stemperature and humidity specs Added a warning to Section 1 7 advising users not to remove the serial number label Corrected the connector part numbers stated in Section 2 1 4 Added a description of the Exposure Start Delay to Section 4 1 1 2 Corrected the stated bootup time stated in the note boxes on pages 6 7 and 6 10 Corrected the information for bit 7 in the Camera Status Inquiry Register description on page 7 9 Corrected the offset shown for the Reset field in the Camera Reset CSR description on page 7 39 DA00062410 27 Sep 2007 Removed repeated material regarding calling Basler technical support DA00062411 16 Nov 2007 Added Section 4 1 1 4 describing the Frame Readout Delay added the Frame Readout Delay mode CSR to page 7 20 and made related modifications wherever nece
35. 58 Hz 1 5 mm_58 500 Hz 20 g_1 Octave Minute sinusoidal 10 repetitions each axis Shock DIN EN 60068 2 27 20 g 11 ms 10 shocks positive each ee 20 g 11 ms 10 shocks negative Bump DIN EN 60068 2 29 20 g 11 ms 100 shocks positive SCIAS 20 g 11 ms 100 shocks negative Vibration DIN EN 60068 2 64 15 500 Hz 0 05 PSD ESS standard profile 00 10 h broad band random digital control each axis Table 1 4 Mechanical Stress Tests Basler A400k 1 9 Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 6 Environmental Requirements 1 6 1 Temperature and Humidity Housing temperature during operation 0 C 50 C 32 F 122 F Humidity during operation 20 96 80 relative non condensing Storage Temperature 20 C 80 C 4 F 176 F Storage Humidity 5 96 95 relative non condensing You can read out the camera s innertemperature via the temperature register page 7 8 The maximum recommended inner temperature is 65 C 149 F Note that the camera components life time and the image quality are higher the lower the temperature of the camera 1 6 2 Ventilation Allow sufficient air circulation around the camera to prevent internal heat build up in your system and to keep the camera housing temperature during operation below the maximum shown above Provide additional cooling such as fans or heat sinks if necessary Basler A400k Spec
36. 6 1 5 Mechanical Specifications 0000 cee llle 1 7 1 5 1 Camera Dimensions and Mounting Facilities llle 1 7 1 5 2 F Mount Adapter Dimensions llli 1 8 1 5 3 Positioning Accuracy of the Sensor Chip 0 000 e eee eee 1 8 1 5 4 Mechanical Stress Test Results 00 0000 e eee eee 1 9 1 6 Environmental Requirements 000 000 eee eee 1 10 1 6 1 Temperature and Humidity 0 00 00 0 eee eee 1 10 1 6 2 Ventilation 22 63 ee eee eR du ea ee 1 10 4 7 PreCautions sts ohio teu eh Pe wa sain as ena tela u 1 11 2 Camera Interface 2 7 Gonnectlorns S s ee Bate ded alent Ooh bak bate es eee olen ad 2 1 2 1 1 General Description liliis 2 1 2 1 2 Pin Assignments for Camera Link Connector One 005 2 3 2 1 3 Pin Assignments for Camera Link Connector Two sllsssssss 2 4 2 1 4 Pin Assignments for the 6 pin Micro Miniature Receptacle 2 5 2 1 5 Pin Assignments for the 4 pin Micro Miniature Receptacle 2 5 2 2 Cable Information liliis 2 6 2 2 1 Camera Link Cable 002 0000 c eee see 2 6 22 2 Power Cable 5 faa sha aia fates sg ax ha Say ree ERR RU E gr 2 6 2 3 Camera Power creso nia iene naoa Enae lle 2 7 24 PPUT Signals 2 2 o i eT re TEA EET CEASE NE ee 2 8 2 4 1 ExSync Controls Frame Readout and Exposure Time 2 8 2 4 2 ExFlash from the Frame Grabber 02
37. A403k A404k A405k and A406k cameras the Camera Link interface is accessed via two 26 pin MDR connectors on the back of the camera The cameras are designed to be essentially compatible with the Camera Link standard The A402k camera implements the base Camera Link configuration and has a Camera Link clock speed of 50 MHz The camera can output pixel data as either a 2 tap 10 bit or a 2 tap 8 bit video data stream The A403k camera implements the medium Camera Link configuration and has a Camera Link clock speed of 50 MHz The camera can output pixel data as either a 4 tap 10 bit or a 4 tap 8 bit video data stream The A404k camera implements the medium Camera Link configuration when it is set for 4 tap output mode and the full Camera Link configuration when it is set for 8 tap output mode The camera has a Camera Link clock speed of 50 MHz The camera can output pixel data as a 4 tap 10 bit a 4 tap 8 bit or an 8 tap 8 bit video data stream The A405k camera implements the full Camera Link configuration and has a Camera Link clock speed of 85 MHz The camera can output pixel data as an 8 tap 10 bit or an 8 tap 8 bit video data stream The 8 tap 10 bit mode is Basler specific i e not specifically defined in the Camera Link standard A406k camera your frame grabber must be equipped with at least a PCI Express x8 bus If you use a less capable frame grabber the grabber will not be able to trans fer pixel data at a high enough rate
38. Basler A400k 7 37 Configuring the Camera Serial Communication CSR An RS 644 serial connection is integrated into the Camera Link interface between the frame grabber installed in your computer and the camera This serial connection is used to issue commands to the camera for changing modes and parameters You can use this CSR to set the bit rate for the camera s RS 644 serial port The default setting is 9600 bps The setting is changed immediately after the successful receipt of this command Register Base Address 0x0D00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Bitrate Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the bit rate 0x01 50 bps OxOC 3600 bps 0x02 75 bps OxOD 4800 bps 0x03 110 bps OxOE 7200 bps 0x04 134 5 bps OxOF 9600 bps default 0x05 150 bps 0x10 14400 bps 0x06 200 bps 0x11 19200 bps 0x07 300 bps 0x12 38400 bps 0x08 600 bps 0x13 57600 bps 0x09 1200 bps 0x14 115200 bps OxOA 1800 bps OxOB 2400 bps When changing a setting for serial communication use the following procedure 1 Issue the wr
39. Basler A400k 8 5 Troubleshooting and Support 8 2 3 Interfacing Use the interfacing troubleshooting charts if you think that there is a problem with the cables between your devices or if you have been directed here from another chart Interfacing Chart Always switch off power to the system before making or breaking any connection If you have not already done so use a voltmeter to check the power source for the camera The output must be 12 VDC 1 2 V Also make Replace the sure that the power source meets the other specs shown in Section 2 3 No power source Is the power source OK Yes Reseat the cable connections at the camera and the frame grabber Eds After you reseated the connections is the problem still present No Yes Check all of the cables in the system Check Section 2 2 of this manual and make sure that you are using a cable that has the right characteristics and is nottoo long It is extremely important to use the proper cables when you are working with Camera Link based cameras No Exit this Use an ohm meter to check each wire to see if it is broken or shorted to any of the other chart wires in the cable After you checked the cables is the problem still present Yes If extra hardware is available try to locate the problem by substitution Substitute only one piece of hardware at a time and Exit this retry the system after each substitution No F After you finish
40. Byte 1 0000 00 01 New XOR sum 0000 00 0 1 Previous XOR sum 0001 1000 the binary representation of 0x18 Address Byte 2 0001 1001 New XOR sum 0001 1001 Previous XOR Sum 0000 0001 the binary representation of 0x01 Data 0001 1000 2 Final XOR sum 0001 100 0 0x18 the block check character Basler A400k Configuring the Camera 7 4 Binary Command Sample Code Sample code that illustrates how to use binary commands with A400k cameras is available at the Basler web site www baslerweb com Basler A400k 7 59 Configuring the Camera 7 60 Basler A400k 8 1 Troubleshooting and Support Troubleshooting and Support Fault Finding Using the Camera LED If the status LED on the back of the camera is not lit power to the camera is not present When the power supply to the camera is switched on the LED on the back of the camera will become green for several seconds As the microprocessor in the camera boots up the LED will blink green and orange The frequency of blinks will increase until the LED becomes continuously orange and then the blinks will start again A continuous orange LED indicates that bootup has been completed successfully Once bootup is complete the camera performs a continuous series of self checks If an error condition is detected the LED will begin to blink The number of blinks indicate the detected error as shown in Table 6 1 If several error states are present
41. ExSync level controlled mode minimum high time for the ExSync signal is 5 528 us minimum low time 2 764 us n ExSync programmable mode the minimum exposure time setting is 2 764 us Due to the sensor design the exposure time can only be set in multiples of 2 764 us that is 2 764 us 5 528 us 8 292 us and so on In ExSync programmable mode the following rule also applies Exposure Time Setting lt ExSync Signal Period 5 528 us n ExSync flash window controlled mode the minimum flash window setting is 2 764 us The flash window can be set in multiples of 2 764 us that is 2 764 us 5 528 us 8 292 us and so on In ExSync flash window controlled mode the following rule also applies Flash Window Setting AOI Height x 2 764 us lt ExSync Signal Period 5 528 us 4 1 1 3 Exposure Start Delay When an exposure is triggered by the ExSync signal the actual start of exposure will be slightly delayed This is commonly referred to as an exposure start delay The exposure start delay will vary from exposure to exposure For A402k A403k and A404k cameras it will always fall in a range from 200 ns to 4 76 us For A405k cameras it will always fall in a range from 200 ns to 3 655 ys For A406k cameras it will always fall in a range from 200 ns to 2 964 us 4 1 1 4 Frame Readout Delay On all A400k cameras there is a delay between the end of the exposure time for a frame and the point where the pixel data for the frame is ready
42. Features A405k The stripes in the still diagonal stripe test pattern are formed with repeated gray scale gradients ranging from 0 to 255 in 8 bit output mode or 0 to 1023 in 10 bit output mode As an exception the gray values of the first stripe range from 17 to 255 or from 17 to 1023 respectively The top line starts with a gray value of 17 on pixel 1 The second line starts with a gray value of 18 on pixel 1 The third line starts with a gray value of 19 on pixel 1 and so on Line 239 8 bit mode or 1007 Figure 6 18 Test Image Two A 4 10 bit mode starts with a gray value of 255 or 1023 on pixel 1 Line 240 8 bit mode or 1008 10 bit mode restarts with a gray value of 0 on pixel 1 and so on Depending on the output mode selected on the camera either the 8 bit test image or the 10 bit test image will be active The mathematical expression for the test image is as follows 8 bit Gray level x y 17 MOD 256 10 bit Gray level x y 17 MOD 1024 where x and y are natural numbers enumerating lines and columns respectively According to the number of pixels present x ranges in steps of 1 Figure 6 19 Test Image Two 10 Bit from 1 to 1726 and y ranges in steps of 1 from 1 to 2320 The expression is shown graphically in Figure 6 17 gray levels 255 1024 8 bit 10 bit pixel 0 numbers Figure 6 20 Formation of Test Image Two on the A405k Basler A400k 6 37 Features
43. Max fields in this register For more information about AOI settings see Section 6 4 For more informa tion about output mode settings see Section 5 1 The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number See Section 4 1 for more information about the frame period Field Name Absolute Min Offset 0x0005 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed floating point value for the absolute frame period setting The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Field Name Absolute Max Offset 0x0009 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed floating point value for the absolute frame period setting The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number 7 18 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Field Name Raw Frame Period Offset 0x000D Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the frame period The value can normally range from 1 0x00000001 to 4194303 0x003FFFFF The integer value represents a multiplier For A402k A403k and A404k cameras the ac tual frame period is equal to the value in this field x 4 56 us For A405k cameras the actual frame period is equal to the value in this field x 3 455 us For A406k cameras the actual frame period is equal to the value in this field x 2 764 us For example
44. See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Basler A400k Frame Acquisition Control 4 2 Rolling Shutter A rolling shutter is used to control the start and stop of exposure A rolling shutter requires less in pixel transistors than a non rolling shutter This allows a larger photosensitive area per pixel that is a higher fill factor and thus a higher sensitivity The rolling shutter resets exposes and reads out the pixel lines with a temporal offset from one line to the next The temporal offset is 4 56 us on A402k A403k and A404k cameras is 3 455 us on A405k cameras and is 2 764 us on A406k cameras When exposure is triggered the rolling shutter first resets the top line of pixels then the second line then the third line and so on The reset progresses down the image from one line to the next until the bottom line of pixels is reached see Figure 4 8 The time interval between a pixel line being reset and the pixel line being read out is the exposure time Exposure time is the same for all lines and determined by the exposure time setting Because the pixel lines are reset and read out with an offset the start of exposure has an offset from one line to next The sequence of pixel readout is timed identically to the reset starting from the top line and moving down the image until readout of the bottom line is complete
45. XOR sum of the relevant frame fields matches the block check character The camera also checks to see if the number of bytes in the data field is equal to the number specified in the DataLen field If all checks are correct an ACK is sent to the host If any check is incorrect a NAK is sent Byte Time outs The camera checks the time between the receipt of each byte in the frame If the time between any two bytes exceeds 0 5 seconds the camera enters a garbage state and discards any more incoming bytes The camera remains in this state until it sees a new BFS Read Commands In the normal case when a read command is sent to the camera the camera responds with an ACK and a returned frame The returned frame will contain the data requested If the camera receives a read command with an unknown or invalid address in the Address field of the frame it will respond with an ACK but will send no frame If the host sends a read command and gets no ACK NAK the host can assume that no camera is present or the camera is in a garbage state for some reason If the host sends a read command and gets an ACK NAK but does not receive a frame within 500 ms the host can assume that there was a problem with the read command Write Command In the normal case when a write command is sent to the camera the camera responds with an ACK If the camera receives a write command with an unknown or invalid address in the Address field of the f
46. area of interest will be skipped The flash trigger setting can be 1 or 0 where 1 enables the flash trigger signal and 0 disables the flash trigger signal see also Section 2 5 1 fthe flash trigger setting is 1 and the flash window signal is output via the flash trigger signal Sections 2 5 1 the exposure time setting in the AOI list must be equal to or higher than the sum of the height of the area of interest plus the width of the flash window Exposure Time Setting 2 AOI Height Setting Flash Window Width where the flash window width is calculated using the formula below Flash Window Width Exposure Time Setting AOI Height Setting x 4 56 us f AOI trigger mode 2 or 3 is selected see Section 6 4 4 4 the delay time setting must be equal to or higher than the AOI height setting to avoid overlapping exposures due to subse quent overlapping areas of interest Delay Time Setting AOI Height Setting The guidelines described in Section 4 1 must be observed to avoid overtriggering the cam era The setting for the Flash Trigger Signal Offset parameter see Section 2 5 1 3 will be applied to each entry in the AOI list You must check to make sure that this parameter setting is appropriate for each entry Flash Trigger Signal Offset Setting lt AOI Height 1 x 4 56 us For any entry in the AOI list where the offset setting is inappropriate the flash trigger signal will not operate correctly i e it will not change
47. available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Absolute Flash Trigger Offset Offset 0x0001 Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing a floating point value to this field sets the flash trigger signal offset in us For example if the value in this field is set to 4 56 the offset will be 4 56 us The value in this field can be either negative or positive The value is an IEEE Standard 754 single precision floating point number Use the sign bit to indicate whether the value is negative or positive The flash trigger signal offset can be set in increments of 4 56 us on A402k A403k and A404k in increments of 3 455 us on A405k cameras and in increments of 2 764 us on A406k cameras The value can be either negative or positive The minimum and maximum allowed values for the absolute flash trigger signal offset setting will vary depending on the setting of the AO Height parameter To determine the current minimum and maximum allowed values first set the AOI Height and then check the value of the Absolute Min and Absolute Max fields in this register See Sections 2 5 1 2 for more information about how the flash trigger offset setting is used Field Name Absolute Min Offset 0x0005 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed floating point value for the absolute flash trigger signal offset setting This field is upd
48. before you make or break connections to the camera Making or breaking connections when power is on can result in damage to the camera If you can not switch off power be sure that the power supply connector is the last connector plugged when you make connections to the camera and the first connector unplugged when you break connections The camera is equipped with an under voltage lockout An input voltage below 10 8 VDC will cause the camera to automatically switch off The camera has no over voltage protection An input voltage higher than 13 2 VDC will damage the camera Do not reverse the polarity of the input power to the camera Reversing the po larity of the input power can severely damage the camera and leave it non op erational The polarity of the input power to the camera must be as shown in Table 2 3 Basler A400k 2 7 Camera Interface 2 4 Input Signals The A400k receives the ExSync ExFlash and SerTC Serial to Camera RS 644 input signals Section 2 4 1 describes the function of the ExSync signal Section 2 4 2 describes the function of the ExFlash signal SerTC is described in Section 2 6 2 2 4 1 ExSync Controls Frame Readout and Exposure Time The ExSync input signal is used to control exposure and readout of the A400k ExSync is an LVDS signal as specified for RS 644 The ExSync input corresponds to the camera control signal CC1 as defined in the Camera Link standard CC2 and CCA are not use
49. by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Field Name Raw Offset Offset 0x000D Size 2 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the offset The value can normally range from 100 to 100 in increments of 1 The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set This is a 16 bit wide field that uses the twos complement method to represent negative values The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as 16 bit signed integer Byte 1 Low byte of the raw value Byte 2 High byte of the raw value See Section 6 1 2 for more information about offset Field Name Raw Min Offset Ox000F Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the raw offset setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as 16 bit signed integer Byte 1 Low byte of the minimum raw value Byte 2 High byte of the minimum raw value Field Name Raw Max Offset 0x0011 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the raw offset setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as 16 bit signed intege
50. by writing a value to the Reset field of the Camera Reset CSR see page 7 39 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Whenever the camera is powered on or when a camera reset is performed your PC may receive some random characters on the serial interface We recommend clear ing the serial input buffers in your PC after a camera power on or reset Basler A400k 6 49 Features 6 50 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera 7 Configuring the Camera A400k cameras come with a factory set of configuration parameters and they will work properly for most applications with only minor changes to the configuration For normal operation the following parameters are usually configured by the user Video data output mode Exposure time control mode Exposure time for ExSync programmable mode or free run programmable mode Frame period for ExSync programmable mode or free run programmable mode To customize operation for your particular application the following parameters can also be configured Gain Offset Shading Correction Digital Shift Area of Interest AOI Stamp Programmable AOI Sequencer Flash Trigger Mirror Image Parameter Set Cache The camera is programmable via the RS 644 serial connection in the Camera Link interface between the frame grabber and the camera Two methods can be used to change the camera s
51. can save the current PRNU values in the volatile memory to a file in the camera s non volatile memory Files saved in the non volatile memory are not lost at reset or power off You can save only one set of PRNU values to file in the non volatile memory A save will take approximately two minutes You can save the current shading values to a file in the non volatile memory by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs Basler A400k 6 9 Features With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Create PRNU Shading Values File parameter in the PRNU Shading Value File parameters group to save the PRNU shading set currently in the volatile memory to a file in the non volatile memory By Setting CSRs You can save the current shading correction values to a file in the non volatile memory by writing values to the bulk data CSR for PRNU shading values Section 7 2 3 explains the bulk data CSRs and explains how to use the CSRs to save the shading values to a file Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Section 6 9 1 To save the column PRNU shading values you must save them to a The PRNU shading correction values are not saved in the user sets described in file as described on the previous page If you save the set of PRNU values to a file enable the use of shading correction an
52. created between the activated user set file and the camera s volatile memory The values in the activated user set file will now be automatically copied into the work set when ever the camera is powered up or reset Activating a Stored User Set File You can activate a stored user set file by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s bulk data control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the File Name Select parameter and the Activate User Set parameter in the User Set Files parameters group to activate a saved user set file By Setting CSRs You can activate a stored user set file by writing values to the bulk data CSR for configuration sets The bulk data activate process is used to activate a file Section 7 2 3 explains bulk data CSRs and using the bulk data activate process Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Basler A400k Features 6 9 3 Activating the Factory Set File As explained on page 6 43 a factory configuration set containing an optimized set of parameters is created when the camera is manufactured The factory set is saved in a permanent file in the camera s non volatile memory The factory set file can not be altered or deleted and is not lost when the camera is switched off You can activate the factory set file ina manner that is similar to activa
53. exposure time is equal to the value in this field x C us Where C 4 56 us on A402k A403k and A404k cameras C 3 455 us on A405k cameras C 2 764 us on A406k cameras For example if the value in this field is set to 3 0x00000003 on an A402k camera Exposure Time 3 x 4 56 us 13 68 us The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the raw value Byte 2 Mid byte of the raw value Byte 3 High byte of the raw value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used See Section 4 1 for more information about exposure time Field Name Raw Min Offset 0x0011 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the raw exposure time setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the min value Byte 2 Mid byte of the min value Byte 3 High byte of the min value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used Field Name Raw Max Offset 0x0015 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the raw exposure time setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Byte 3 High byte of the max value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used Basler A400k 7 17 Configuring
54. for transmission to the frame grabber This delay is known as the frame readout delay For more information see Section 4 1 3 4 4 Basler A400k Frame Acquisition Control 4 1 1 5 Selecting an Exposure Time Control Mode and Setting the Associated Parameters On all cameras you can select an ExSync exposure time control mode set the exposure time for the ExSync programmable mode and set the flash window width for the ExSync flash window controlled mode by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT You use the Exposure Time Control Mode setting in the Exposure parameter group of the CCT see Section 7 1 to select the ExSync edge controlled ExSync level controlled ExSync programmable or ExSync flash windowed controlled exposure mode If you select the ExSync programmable mode the CCT will also let you enter an exposure time If you select the ExSync flash window controlled mode the CCT will also let you enter a flash window width By Setting CSRs You can select the exposure time control mode by writing a value to the Mode field of the Exposure Time Control Mode CSR see page 7 15 If you select the ExSync programmable mode you will also need to set the exposure time You can set the exposure time by writing a value to the Raw Exposure Time field or to the Absolute Exposure Time f
55. height of the area of interest AOI see Section 6 4 The formula below can be used to calculate the runtime Reset runtime Readout runtime 2 764 us x AOI Height 1 The formula below can be used to calculate the total time it takes to reset expose and read out a single frame Total frame exposure runtime 2 764 us x AOI Height 1 Exposure time Examples A The height of the area of interest AOI is 1726 lines full resolution Total runtime 2 764 us x 1726 1 Exposure time 4767 9 us Exposure time B The height of the area of interest AOI is only 200 lines Total runtime 2 764 us x 200 1 Exposure time 550 036 us Exposure time maging of fast moving objects requires a flash exposure within the camera s flash window see Section 4 2 2 Basler A400k 4 13 Frame Acquisition Control 4 2 2 Flash Exposure for Fast Moving Objects Imaging of fast moving objects requires a flash exposure If flash exposure is not used image distortions will occur due to the exposure start offset from one line to the next Due to the exposure start offset there is only a limited time interval where all pixel lines are open that is all pixels are exposed to light simultaneously This time interval is called the flash window of the camera see Figure 4 9 The flash window opens when exposure starts for the last pixel line within the area of interest AOI and it closes when readout starts for the first p
56. increments of 16 that is the width can be 16 32 48 and so on A405k The value for the width in columns can normally range from 16 0x0010 to 2320 0x0910 The width can only be set in increments of 16 that is the width can be 16 32 48 and so on A406k The value for the width in columns can normally range from 80 0x0050 to 2320 0x0910 The width can only be set in increments of 80 that is the width can be 80 160 240 and so on The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the width value Byte 2 High byte of the width value See Section 6 4 for more information about the AOI feature Field Name Min Offset 0x0003 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the width setting This field is updated to reflect limita tions caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the min value Byte 2 High byte of the min value Field Name Max Offset 0x0005 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the width setting This field is updated to reflect limita tions caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Basler A4
57. interest in third fourth and fifth position are run once each Then the sequence is repeated starting with the area of interest in first position and so on 1 0 1024 100 500 600 3000 1 1 2 160 512 600 300 400 2000 3 0 3 160 512 600 300 400 2000 1 1 4 800 1552 321 1406 1500 8000 1 1 5 0 2352 1 1726 1800 10000 1 0 H AOI AOI Height Delay Flash Time Trigger AOI AOI Exposure Runs Starting Column Starting Line Time Figure 6 5 AOI List A402k A403k A404k When setting up the AOI list On A402k A403k A404k cameras these guidelines must be observed When the AOI sequencer feature is enabled global area of interest exposure time frame period and parameter set cache parameter settings have no effect on the image If global area of interest exposure time frame period and or parameter set cache parameter settings Basler A400k 6 23 Features 6 24 are modified while the AOI sequencer feature is active the modifications will be saved but will only become active after the AOI sequencer feature is disabled The area of interest setup guidelines described in Section 6 4 1 must be observed Exposure time and delay time settings represent multipliers and the actual exposure time is equal to the setting x 4 56 us The range of possible settings is 1 to 4194303 for the exposure time 4 56 us to 19 12 s and 2 to 4194303 for the delay time 9 12 us to 19 12 s 0to255runs can be set If the runs setting is 0 the
58. is also reset to 0 when the stamp feature is disabled Stamp Pixels S4 through S11 Stamp pixels S4 and S5 S6 and S7 S8 and S9 and S10 and S11 represent the most significant byte and least significant byte respectively of the AOI starting column AOI width AOI starting line and AOI height bit values When the camera is operating in a 10 bit output mode the stamp pixels will be 10 bit values but only the 8 LSBs will carry information The two MSBs will be packed with zeros When the camera is operating in an 8 bit output mode the stamp pixels will be 8 Basler A400k Features Enabling Disabling the Stamp You can enable disable the stamp feature by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Stamp parameter in the Output parameters group to enable or disable the stamp feature By Setting CSRs You can enable disable the stamp feature by writing a value to the Mode field of the Stamp CSR see page 7 31 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Basler A400k 6 31 Features 6 6 6 32 Mirror Image When the mirror image feature is enabled the pixel values for each line will switch end for end about the line s center point If you use ful
59. parameter error occurs if the parameter is set out of range the parameter is set to an invalid value or the parameters which depend on each other are set in conflict Since the CCT automatically checks that parameters are set correctly you will not normally see a parameter error situation when you set parameters with the CCT When you set parameters using binary commands you may see parameter error situations if you inadvertently set parameters to values that are not allowed or are in conflict If you suspect that the camera is ina parameter error situation you can read the value in the Camera Status field of the Camera Status inquiry register see page 7 9 If the parameter error bit is set then a parameter error situation is present A simple way to recover from a parameter error situation is to activate the camera s factory configuration set see Section 6 9 3 Activating the factory set will load a set of factory determined optimal parameters into the camera If you are setting the camera s parameters by using binary commands to write to registers make sure you check the min max and increment fields of each register before you set the parameter values Setting the values within the min and max and using the specified increments will avoid parameter errors Checking the Camera Status A400k series cameras monitor their status by performing a regular series of self checks You can view the current camera status in several ways b
60. pattern of the test image is a diagonal y If the camera is set for free run each cycle of the camera s internal control signal will cause the pattern of the test image to move up by one pixel 4 Figure 6 23 Test Image Three 8 Bit P 4 Figure 6 24 Test Image Three 10 Bit Basler A400k 6 39 Features 6 7 4 Test Image Four Horizontal Stripe Pattern Test image four is useful for determining if your frame grabber has dropped the first line from your image The stripes in the horizontal stripe test pattern are formed with a gradient that ranges from 0 to 255 8 bit mode or 0 to 1023 10 bit mode A full stripe is 256 lines 8 bit mode or 1024 lines 10 bit mode high As an exception the gray values of the first stripe range from 1 to 255 or from 1 to 1023 respectively The pixels in line one of the first stripe all have a value of 1 The pixels in line two of the first stripe all have a value of 2 the pixels in line three of the first stripe all have a value of 3 and so on This pattern continues until line 255 8 bit mode where the pixels Figure 6 25 Test Image Four 8 bit have a gray value of 255 or line 1023 10 bit mode where the pixels have a value of 1023 In 8 bit mode a second stripe begins in line 256 The pixels in line 256 have a gray value of 0 the pixels in line 257 have a value of 1 the pixels in line 258 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until line 511 where the pixe
61. register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Control Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field selects a bulk data control function 0x00 Enumerate 0x01 EnumerateNext 0x02 Read 0x03 Write 0x05 Activate 0x06 Create Field Name Info Offset 0x0002 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description If you are performing a bulk data read or write operation this field will indicate when no more data exists 0x00 More data exists 0x01 No more data exists 0x04 No more data exists and this is an activated file Field Name File Name Offset 0x0003 Size 20 Bytes Type Read Write Description Character string indicating the name of a bulk data file The field contains 20 characters left aligned zero padded Field Name Size Offset 0x0017 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description If the file name refers to an already existing bulk data file this field will contain the file size in bytes Otherwise the field contains zeros Field Name Data Offset 0x001B Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Byte sized register that is used to sequentially write to or read from a bulk data file You can save up to one AOI list file in the non volatile memory There is a restriction on naming the file that holds the saved AOI lis
62. set for the short frame readout delay then the amount that the maximum frame rate increases depends on the number of lines included in the area of interest AOI Height and the width of the area of interest has no effect The fewer the number of lines in the area of interest the higher the maximum frame rate For more information about the frame readout delay see Section 4 1 3 Max Frame Rate with the Camera Set to the Standard Frame Readout Delay To determine the maximum frame rate for a given AOI when the camera is set for the standard frame readout delay use your AOI settings to calculate a result in each of the two formulas below These formulas take your AOI size into account The formula that returns the lowest value will determine the maximum frame rate for the given AOI Formula 1 A402k 50 MHz Max frames per second approximated AOI Width a 8 x AOI Height 1 A403k and A404k at 4 tap output Max frames per second approximated on ee Rot math 8 x AOI Height 1 A404k at 8 tap output 50 MHz Max frames per second approximated 7 x AOI Height 1 59 Width 8 Formula 2 Maximum frames per second approximated CETERE For example using the full AOI height of 1726 lines and the smallest allowed AOI width of 16 columns the frame rate cannot be higher than 126 9 fps frames per second With an AOI height of 200 lines and 16 columns the frame rate cannot be higher than 1085 6 fps
63. that ranges from 0 to 255 8 bit mode or 0 to 1023 10 bit mode A full stripe is 256 columns 8 bit mode or 1024 columns 10 bit mode wide As an exception the gray values of the first stripe range from 17 to 255 or from 17 to 1023 respectively The pixels in column one of the first stripe all have a value of 17 The pixels in column two of the first stripe all have a value of 18 the pixels in column three of the first stripe all have a value of 19 and so on This pattern continues until column 239 8 bit Figure 6 12 Test Image One 8 bit mode where the pixels have a gray value of 255 or column 1007 10 bit mode where the pixels have a value of 1023 In 8 bit mode a second stripe begins in column 240 The pixels in column 240 have a gray value of 0 the pixels in column 241 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 242 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until column 495 where the pixels have a gray value of 255 A third stripe begins in column 496 The pixels in column 496 have a gray value of 0 the pixels in column 497 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 498 have a value of 2 and so on Figure 6 13 Test Image One 10 bit In 10 bit mode a second stripe begins in column 1008 The pixels in column 1008 have a value of 0 the pixels in column 1009 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 1010 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until column 2031 where the pixels have a value of 1023
64. the Camera Frame Period CSR Note The frame period can be set by writing a floating point value to the Absolute Frame Period field or by writing an integer value to the Raw Frame Period field Refer to Section 7 2 2 1 for an explanation of the difference between these two fields Register Base Address 0x1680 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Absolute Frame Period Offset 0x0001 Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing a floating point value to this field sets the frame period in us For example if the value in this field is set to 68 4 the frame period will be 68 4 us On A402k A403k and A404k cameras the frame period can be set in increments of 4 56 ys On A405k cameras the frame period can be set in increments of 3 455 us On A406k cameras the frame period can be set in increments of 2 764 us The minimum and maximum allowed values for the absolute frame period setting may vary depending on the AOI parameter settings and on the Video Data Output Mode setting To determine the current minimum and maximum allowed values first set the AOI and output mode parameters and then check the value of the Absolute Min and Absolute
65. the first area of interest and create correction values under the illumination for the first area of interest so the values go into the set and then you would set the second area of interest and create correction values under the illumination for the second area of interest so these values also go into the set The set would then contain shading correction values for the two areas of interest Basler A400k 6 7 Features Generating a Set of PRNU Shading Values Before you can use PRNU shading correction you must generate a set of PRNU shading correction values If you have two or more areas of interest to be captured under different illumination repeat the below procedure for each area of interest Make sure that the areas do not overlap To generate a set of values perform the following steps 1 Make sure that a set of column FPN shading correction values and a set of DSNU shading correction values has been created before Doing PRNU shading correction before column FPN shading correction or before DSNU shading correction can result in significant image quality degradation Make sure that the area of interest is set to the area where you want to generate values Place a uniform white or light colored target in the field of view of the camera Adjust your lighting and optics as you would for normal system operation Set the gain on the camera to your normal operating setting Make sure that no part of the area of interest has rea
66. the material You can find detailed information about how to obtain an RMA number on the Basler website www baslerweb com 8 3 3 Before Contacting Basler Technical Support To help you as quickly and efficiently as possible when you have a problem with a Basler camera it is important that you collect several pieces of information before you contact Basler technical support Copy the form that appears on the next two pages fill it out and fax the pages to your local dealer or to your nearest Basler support center Or you can send an e mail listing the requested pieces of information with the requested files attached Our Basler technical support contact information is shown in the title section of this manual Basler A400k Troubleshooting and Support 1 The camera s product ID 2 The camera s serial number 3 The operating system 4 Frame grabber that you use with the camera 5 CCT version that you use with the camera 6 Describe the problem in as much detail as possible If you need more space use an extra sheet of paper 7 If known whats the cause of the problem 8 When did the problem occur After start While running After a certain action e g a change of parameters Basler A400k 8 9 Troubleshooting and Support 9 How often did does the prob Once Every time lem occur Regularly when Occasionally when
67. the same name As an example assume that you previously downloaded a configuration set bulk data file named UserSet02 to your PC Also assume that you now want to upload this file from your host PC to the camera To do so you would follow this procedure 1 Use a binary write command to write the file name UserSet02 to the Name field of the configuration set bulk data CSR 2 Use a binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the configuration set bulk data CSR to 0x03 Setting the value to 0x03 places the camera in write mode 3 Use a binary command to do a bulk data write to the camera The binary write command must have the following characteristics OpCode 0x04 This OpCode makes the command a bulk data write DataLen the number of bytes to be read Max is 255 characters Address 0x281B Base address for the configuration set bulk data CSR plus the offset for the Data field Data Bytes to be written 4 Repeat step 3 as many times as needed to write all of the data from the PC to the camera 5 Close the bulk data file in the camera To close the file use a binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the configuration set bulk data CSR to 0x02 Setting the value to 0x02 places the camera in read mode and closes the file Up to 255 characters can be read with a single binary bulk data read command If the file is larger than 255 characters repeated binary bulk data r
68. value for each frame 8 bit output mode For negative settings the effect of the offset on the pixel values depends on the gain setting With the camera in 8 bit output mode for example a 100 offset setting will result in a decrease of approximately 80 gray levels when the gain is set to 20 or a decrease in 100 gray levels when the gain is set to 40 If a negative offset is used in combination with a low gain setting the sensor s response to light may become non linear and or the maximum possible pixel values may never be reached If this happens increase the gain setting until the sensor s response to light just becomes linear At this point there will be no problems with saturation The default offset setting is 10 6 1 2 1 Setting the Offset You can set the offset by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Offset setting in the Gain amp Offset parameter group to set the offset By Setting CSRs You can set the offset by writing a value to the Raw Offset field or to the Absolute Offset field of the Offset CSR see page 7 22 Section 7 2 2 explains CSRs and the difference between using the raw field and the absolute field in a CSR Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Basler A400k 6 2 Features
69. when used in an area with severe ambient electromagnetic interference 2 2 2 Power Cable A Hirose 6 pin locking plug will be shipped with each camera This plug should be used to connect the power supply cable to the camera For proper EMI protection the power supply cable attached to this plug must be a twin cored shielded cable Also the housing of the Hirose plug must be connected to the cable shield and the cable must be connected to earth ground at the power supply Power requirements are given in Section 2 3 Basler A400k Camera Interface 2 3 Camera Power A400k cameras require 12 VDC 10 power The maximum power consumption is 8 5 9 0 9 0 10 5 12 0 W for the A402k A403k A404k A405k A406k respectively We recommend using 1 5 A power supplies Ripple must be less than 1 Also note the information about the 6 pin connector in Section 2 1 4 and on the power cable in Section 2 2 2 D A Hirose plug will be shipped with each camera This plug should be used to connect the power supply cable to the camera For proper EMI protection the power supply cable attached to this plug must be a twin core shielded cable Also the housing of the Hirose plug must be connected to the cable shield and the cable shield must be connected to earth ground at the power supply Make sure that the polarity is correct Caution Be sure that all power to your system is switched off
70. within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the File Name Select parameter and the Create User Set parameter in the User Set Files parameters group Make sure that you save the work set to user set 1 2 3 or 4 only Further user sets are offered but must not be used If you select to save it to user set 5 or higher the work set will not be saved By Setting CSRs You can save the current work set to a file in the non volatile memory by writing values to the bulk data CSR for configuration sets The bulk data save process is used to save the work set to a file Section 7 2 3 explains the bulk data CSRs and explains how to use the CSRs to save the work set to a file Section 7 3 explains using read write commands 6 9 2 Activating a Saved User Set File As explained in Section 6 9 1 you can save configuration sets to files in the camera s non volatile memory These saved configuration sets are commonly referred to as user configuration sets or user sets If you have saved one or more user set files you can choose to activate one of the stored files When you activate a stored user set file two things happen The values from the stored user set file are copied into the work set in the camera s volatile memory The camera will now use the configuration values that were copied into the work set A link is
71. writing values to the registers you can set camera parameters and control how the camera s features will operate There are three types of registers in an A400k Inquiry Registers these registers provide basic information about the camera Section 7 2 1 explains inquiry registers in more detail lists the inquiry registers in the camera and describes the function of each register Feature Control and Status Registers these registers let you set the parameters associated with the camera s features Section 7 2 2 explains feature control and status registers in more detail lists the feature control and status registers in the camera and describes the function of each register Bulk Data Control and Status Registers these registers let you store and recall sets of val ues that the camera uses as a group Section 7 2 3 explains bulk data and the bulk data con trol and status registers in more detail It also lists the bulk data registers in the camera and describes the function of each register A special binary read write command protocol is used to read from and write to the registers in the camera Read and write commands are sent to the camera via the standard serial link between the camera and the frame grabber Section 7 3 describes the binary read write command protocol in detail and also provides information on using the serial link Section 7 4 provides code samples which illustrate how to use the read write commands 7 4
72. you have a DSNU shading table in place you can enable and use DSNU shading correction With the DSNU correction feature enabled the camera will use the set of shading values to apply the appropriate offset to each pixel to correct for DSNU You can enable DSNU shading correction with the Camera Configuration Tool Plus or by using binary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the Camera Configuration Tool Plus see Section 7 1 you set the Shading Mode parameter in the Shading Correction parameters group to enable DSNU shading correction By Setting CSRs You can enable DSNU shading correction by writing a value to the Mode field of the DNSU and or PRNU Shading Correction Enable CSR see page 7 24 Section 7 2 2 explains CSRs Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Saving a Set of DSNU Shading Values to a File When you generate a set of DSNU shading correction values the values are placed in the camera s volatile memory and they overwrite any shading values that are already in the memory The current set of values in the volatile memory is used immediately by the camera Values placed in the camera s volatile memory are lost if the camera is reset or the camera power is switched off A400k cameras can save the current DSNU values in the volatile memory to a file in the camera s non volatile memory Files saved in the non volatile
73. 000 cece eee eeaee 2 8 2 5 OutputSiIGNalS 5 5 opus 3d uber eroe RO P pdt ebd ba bbs 2 9 2 5 1 Flash Trigger Signal rl sl rx 2 9 2 5 1 1 Setting the Flash Trigger Signal llle 2 11 2 5 1 2 Flash Trigger Signal Offset lille 2 11 2 5 1 3 Setting the Flash Trigger Signal Offset 2 13 2 6 Camera Link Interfasea ciaru nn e ae eee eee 2 14 2 6 1 The ExSync Signal ees EE whe tases ee agian ES 2 14 2 6 2 RS 644 Serial Communication 0 00 00 ee 2 15 2 6 2 1 Making the Serial Connection 0 0000 eee eee eee 2 15 3 Functional Description 3 J Description o5 ue EE EA em LS 3 1 Basler A400k Contents 4 Frame Acquisition Control 4 1 Exposure Time Control Modes 000 00 ceee eee eee eee 4 1 4 1 1 ExSync Controlled Operation 0 c eee 4 1 4 1 1 1 Basics of ExSync Controlled Operation 045 4 1 4 1 1 2 Guidelines When Using an ExSync Signal 4 3 4 1 1 3 Exposure Start Delay 4 4 4 1 1 4 Frame Readout Delay 00 eee 4 4 4 1 1 5 Selecting an Exposure Time Control Mode and Setting the Associated Parameters 0 000 eese 4 5 4 1 2 Eree RUD ea dh EP E det tale hte sat a 4 6 4 1 2 1 Basics of Free run Controlled Operation 4 6 4 1 2 2 Guidelines When Using Free run 0000 e eee eee 4 7 4 1 2 3 Frame Readout Delay llle 4 8 4 1 2 4 Selecting a Free
74. 00k 7 27 Configuring the Camera Field Name Increment Offset 0x0007 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description An integer value indicating the increment for the width setting The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value 7 28 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Area of Interest Starting Line CSR Register Base Address 0x1050 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range 0X81 The setting for the AOI starting line conflicts with the setting for the AOI height Field Name Starting Line Offset 0x0001 Size 2 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the starting line for the area of interest AOI feature The value for the starting line can normally range from line 1 0x0001 to line 1725 0x06BD The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set If the value is set to 1 the starting line of the AOI will be line 1 If the value is set to 2 the starting line of the AOI will be line 2 Etc The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the starting line
75. 01 no more data exists in the file Exit the procedure b If the value is 0x00 more data exists and this is not an activated file Return to step 4 c If the value is 0x04 more data exists and this is an activated file Return to step 4 Up to 255 characters can be read with a single binary bulk data read command If the file is larger than 255 characters repeated binary bulk data read commands are required When repeated bulk data read commands are required the file is read sequentially with each read command starting where the previous read stopped This procedure would download the data in the file to the host computer If you wanted to download an existing DSNU or PRNU shading value bulk data file to the host PC you would use a similar procedure but you would write to and read from the DSNU or PRNU shading value bulk data CSR instead If you wanted to download an existing AOI list bulk data file to the host PC you would use a similar procedure but you would write to and read from the AOI list bulk data CSR instead Sample code that illustrates how to download bulk data files is available from Basler see Section 7 4 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Uploading a Bulk Data File from a PC to the Camera You can upload a bulk data file from your host PC to the camera s non volatile memory When you upload a bulk data file from the PC to the camera it will overwrite any existing bulk data file in the camera that has
76. 2 us and so on In free run flash window controlled mode the following rule also applies Flash Window Setting AOI Height x 2 764 us lt Frame Period Setting 5 528 us 4 1 2 3 Frame Readout Delay On all A400k cameras there is a delay between the end of the exposure time for a frame and the point where the pixel data for the frame is ready for transmission to the frame grabber This delay is known as the frame readout delay For more information see Section 4 1 3 4 1 2 4 Selecting a Free run Exposure Mode and Setting the Associated Parameters On all cameras you can select a free run exposure time control mode set the frame period set the exposure time for the free run programmable mode and set the flash window width for the free run flash window controlled mode by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT You use the Exposure Time Control Mode setting in the Exposure parameter group of the CCT see Section 7 1 to select the free run edge controlled the free run programmable or the free run flash window controlled exposure control mode If you select the free run programmable mode the CCT will also let you enter an exposure time If you select the free run flash window controlled mode the CCT will also let you enter a flash window width By Setting CSRs You can select
77. 2710 poo1 pooo MR Filesize 100 Overw o Position AOI Width AOI Starting Starting Line Column AOI AOI Height Delay Time Exposure Time Flash Trigger Runs Figure 6 9 AOI List in Hexadecimal Editor Example for A402k A403k A404k Note that AOI runs and flash trigger must be 16 bit settings while exposure time and delay time must be 32 bit settings 3 Save the file 4 Proceed with Section 6 4 4 3 Basler A400k 6 27 Features 6 28 With the AOI Editor The AOI Editor is a convenient graphical interface for defining AOls with the relevant parameters and for solving conflicting parameter settings The AOI Editor can also be used for uploading an AOI list to the camera or for downloading an AOI list from the camera for editing AOls can be defined by decimal entries in an AOI list and in a graphical way by drag amp drop This can be done with reference to a full image taken by the camera You can download the AO Editor and the pertinent User s Manual free of charge from the Basler website www baslerweb com 6 4 4 3 Uploading an AOI List to the Camera Once you have an AOI list hex file in place you can upload the hex file to the camera With the hex file uploaded to the camera the camera will use the settings in the file as soon as the AOI sequencer feature is enabled Uploading the hex file will also save the file in the camer
78. 2c 0000 0190 0320 0610 0141 057E 0000 05Dpc 0000 0930 0001 O6BE 0000 0708 0001 0000 0001 0001 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 OBBS 07D0 07D0 ir40 2710 0001 0003 0001 0001 0001 Filesize 100 Overw Figure 6 7 AOI List in Hexadecimal Editor Example for A402k A403k A404k Once you have a hexadecimal editor available perform the following steps 1 Open the hexadecimal editor 2 Enter the settings of the AOI list one after the other in hexadecimal numbers For example to enter the list shown in Figure 6 8 you would enter the hexadecimal numbers as shown in Figure 6 9 Basler A400k 1 0 1024 100 500 600 3000 2 160 512 600 300 400 2000 3 160 512 600 300 400 2000 4 800 1552 321 1406 1500 8000 5 0 2352 1 1726 1800 10000 T AOI AO Height Delay Time AOI AOI Exposure Starting Column Starting Line Time Figure 6 8 AOI List Example for A402k A403k A404k 1 1 3 0 10 de 4 1 0 Flash Trigger Runs Features E DF HEXEditor 1 1 C AOI_Table_Doku hex ii Eile Edit Options Bookmarks Window Help C ta e aa e akWN Ra naa maa aa a amp Bl 0x00 0000 0400 0064 Oir4 0000 0xi4 00A0 0200 0258 012c 0000 0x28 0040 0200 0258 O12c 0000 x3c 0320 0610 0141 057E 0000 lpooo a 939 0001 pepe pooo 0258 0000 OBBS 0001 0001 0190 0000 07D0 0003 0000 0190 0000 O7D0 0001 0001 05pc 0000 ir40 0001 0001 o708 ooo0
79. 3 bi gt 42 10 1 d 8x MA 6 deep la 25 i e 9 E d n N eo O e __ A 4 Y hid _ 0 1 6 9 6 5 0 1 0 02 Photosensitive Surface of the Sensor 76 Tolerances are typical Drawings are not to scale 4x M4 7 deep Figure 1 3 A400k Mechanical Dimensions in mm Basler A400k 1 7 Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 5 2 F Mount Adapter Dimensions 85 3 46 5 31 5 d Drawings are not to scale Figure 1 4 F Mount Adapter Dimensions in mm 1 5 3 Positioning Accuracy of the Sensor Chip 0 5 a ee 0 25 typical 5 Reference plane gt a Drawings are not to scale Figure 1 5 Imaging Sensor Positioning Accuracy Basler A400k 1 8 Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 5 4 Mechanical Stress Test Results Cameras were submitted to an independent mechanical testing laboratory and subjected to the stress tests listed below The mechanical stress tests were performed on selected camera models with standard housings After mechanical testing the cameras exhibited no detectable physical damage and produced normal images during standard operational testing Test Standard Conditions Vibration DIN EN 60068 2 6 10
80. 4 in increments of 1 The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as 16 bit signed integer Byte 1 Low byte of the raw value Byte 2 High byte of the raw value See Section 6 1 1 for more information about gain Field Name Raw Min Offset Ox000F Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the raw gain setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as 16 bit signed integer Byte 1 Low byte of the minimum raw value Byte 2 High byte of the minimum raw value Basler A400k 7 21 Configuring the Camera 7 22 Field Name Raw Max Offset 0x0011 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the raw gain setting This field is updated to reflect lim itations caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as 16 bit signed integer Byte 1 Low byte of the maximum raw value Byte 2 High byte of the maximum raw value Offset CSR Note The offset can be set by writing a floating point value to the Absolute Offset field or by writing an integer value to the Raw Offset field Refer to Section 7 2 2 1 for an explanation of the difference between these two fields Register Base Address OxOFO00 Field Name Register Status Off
81. 400k cameras can correct for the variations caused by DSNU Generating a Set of DSNU Shading Correction Values Before you can use DSNU shading correction you must generate a set of DSNU shading correction values To generate a set of values perform the following steps 1 For optimum performance make sure that a set of column FPN shading correction values has been created before Doing DSNU shading correction before column FPN shading correction can result in image quality degradation 2 As DSNU varies depending on the temperature make sure that the camera has reached its operating temperature 3 Make sure that the area of interest is set to the area where you want to generate values 4 Cover the camera lens close the iris in the camera lens or darken the room so that the camera will be capturing frames in complete darkness 5 Set the gain as you would for normal system operation 6 Make sure that the offset is set so all gray values including the noise are around 16 8 bit mode or 64 10 bit mode or lower 7 Signal the camera to generate a set of DSNU shading values c You can start the generation of a set of DSNU shading values by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus see Section 7 1 With the CCT you set the Shading Value Generate parameter in the DSNU amp PRNU Shading Correction parameters group to start the generation of a set of DSNU shading values d You can also start the generation of the DSNU shadin
82. 44 Serial communication data transmit LVDS SerTFG Serial to Frame Grabber 21 SerTFG 9 CC1 Input RS 644 ExSync External trigger LVDS 22 CC1 10 CC2 Input RS 644 ExClk The input is not supported LVDS 23 CC2 11 CC3 Input RS 644 ExFlash External flash trigger LVDS 24 CC3 12 CC4 Input RS 644 Not used LVDS 25 CC4 Pins 1 13 14 and 26 are all tied together to Gnd inside of the camera Table 2 1 A400k Pin Assignments for Camera Link Connector 1 Basler A400k 2 3 Camera Interface 2 1 3 Pin Assignments for Camera Link Connector Two Camera Link connector 2 see Figure 2 1 on the camera is a 26 pin female 0 050 inch MDR connector as called for in the Camera Link Specification It is used to interface video data control signals and configuration data Camera Link Connector 2 is only present on A403k A404k A405k and A406k cameras The pin assignments for Camera Link Connector 2 are shown in Table 2 2 Pin Signal Number Name Direction Level 1 13 14 Gnd Input Ground Ground for the inner shield of the cable 26 2 YO Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 15 YO 3 Y1 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 16 Y1 4 Y2 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 17 Y2 6 Y3 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 1
83. 6 2 when you generate a set of shading values those values reside in the camera s volatile memory To save the DSNU shading values currently in the volatile memory to a file in the camera s non volatile memory you would follow this procedure 1 Use a binary write command to write the file name offsetshading to the Name field of the DNSU shading values bulk data CSR see page 7 47 2 Usea binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the DSNU shading values bulk data CSR to 0x06 Setting the value to 0x06 initiates a create function This procedure would create a file called offsetshading in the non volatile memory and would copy the current DSNU shading values from the camera s volatile memory into the new file Sample code that illustrates how to create a bulk data file is available from Basler see Section 7 4 There is a restriction on naming the file that holds the saved set of shading tables You can save one DSNU shading set file in the non volatile memory The file must be named offsetshading If the offsetshading file already exists it will be overwritten Basler A400k 7 41 Configuring the Camera 7 42 Saving a Set of PRNU Shading Values As mentioned in Section 6 2 when you generate a set of shading values those values reside in the camera s volatile memory To save the PRNU shading values currently in the volatile memory to a file in the camera s non volatile memory you w
84. 9 Y3 5 YCIk Output Camera Link Transmit clock from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 18 YClk 7 T Connected to T with 100R not used 20 T Connected to T with 100R not used 8 Z0 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 21 Z0 9 Z1 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 22 Z1 10 Z2 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 23 Z2 12 Z3 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 25 Z3 11 ZCIk Output Camera Link Transmit clock from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 24 ZCIk Pins 1 13 14 and 26 are all tied together to Gnd inside of the camera Table 2 2 Pin Assignments for Camera Link Connector 2 Basler A400k Camera Interface 2 1 4 Pin Assignments for the 6 pin Micro Miniature Receptacle The power input connector on the camera is a Hirose 6 pin micro miniature push pull locking receptacle part HR10A 7R 6PB or the equivalent The power supply should deliver 12 V at a minimum of 1 5 A with a voltage accuracy of 10 The pin assignment of the plug is given in Table 2 3 TRUM HU Direction Level Function 1 2 12 VDC Input 12 VDC x 10 Camera power input 3 4 Not connected 5 6 DC Gnd Input Ground DC ground Pins 1 and 2 are tied together inside of the camera Pins 5 and 6 are tied together inside of the camera Table 2 3 A400k Pin Assignments for the 6 pin Micro miniature Receptacle The rec
85. Basler A400k USER S MANUAL Document Number DA00062416 Release Date 07 August 2012 BASLER the power of sight For customers in the U S A This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful interference to radio communications Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense You are cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this equipment The shielded interface cable recommended in this manual must be used with this equipment in order to comply with the limits for a computing device pursuant to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules For customers in Canada This apparatus complies with the Class A limits for radio noise emissions set out in Radio Interference Regulations Pour utilisateurs au Canada Cet appareil est conforme aux normes Classe A pour bruits radio lectriques sp cifi es dans le R glement sur le brouillage radio lectriqu
86. Basler A400k Configuring the Camera 7 2 1 Inquiry Registers Inquiry registers contain basic information about the camera and information about the camera s current status Each inquiry register contains one or more fields and each field has an assigned address within the camera s memory space By using a binary read command you can read the data in a field and get information about the camera The address for any field within a register is equal to the register base address plus the offset for the field For example the Vendor Information Inquiry Register see below has a Vendor Name field with an address of 0x0101 the base address of 0x0100 plus an offset of 0x0001 By reading the data at address 0x0101 you can get information about the camera vendor s name Section 7 2 1 1 lists the inquiry registers in A400k cameras and shows detailed information about the use of each field within the registers 7 2 1 1 Inquiry Register Details Vendor Information Inquiry Register Base Address 0x0100 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Vendor Name Offset 0x0001 Size 20 Bytes Type Read only Description String containing the camera vendor s name The string is zero terminated if less than 20 bytes are needed and unt
87. Check the offset settings Check the digital shift setting Has the problem been corrected No Exit this chart One of the camera s settings was No significantly misadjusted Review the camera manual to make sure that you are setting the camera correctly Images look noisy Other image problems Do the following Make sure that you are using a DC light source Using an AC light Source can make images appear noisy Make sure that the camera has proper ventilation If the camera becomes extremely hot it may produce noisy images Check the exposure time If you use an extremely long exposure time the images can become noisy Check your gain setting Using a very low or a very high gain setting can cause noisy images Examine the objects that you are imaging Objects with characteristics such as changing surface texture or reflectance will produce images that appear noisy Check the long exposure compensation setting Check the digital shift setting Has the problem been corrected Yes No Exit this chart Contact Basler technical support The contact numbers appear after the title page of this manual Before you call for support be sure to make note of the camera settings and the frame grabber settings you are using You should also have a captured live image and a captured test image available Basler technical support will frequently request that you e mail copies of these captured images
88. Data field For read commands this field contains no data For write commands this field contains the data to be written to the CSR Size for read commands 0 bytes Size for write commands the number of bytes indicated in the DataLen field of the frame Block Check Character field The use of a block check character in read write commands is optional If bit 2 of the FTF field is O the BCC is not used and the BCC field will contain no data If bit 2 of the FTF field is 1 the BCC field will contain the block check character Size 0 bytes if bit 2 of the FTF field is 0 1 byte if bit 2 of the FTF field is 1 The block check character is the exclusive or sum XOR sum of the bytes in the FTF DataLen Address and Data fields see section 7 3 2 3 Binary Frame End field Identifies the end of a binary frame Size 1 byte The value of the BFE byte is always 0x03 ACK NAK Response Positive frame acknowledge negative frame acknowledge Size 1 byte The value for a positive frame acknowledgement ACK is 0x06 and for a negative frame acknowledgement NAK is 0x15 D Note All values are formatted as little endian Intel format Basler A400k Configuring the Camera 7 3 1 1 Error Checking and Responses ACK NAK When the camera receives a frame it checks to see if the order of the bytes in the frame is correct If the FTF field indicates that the frame includes a BCC the camera checks to see if the
89. For example you can use a write command to change the value of the Enable field of the Test Image control register When you issue a write command to the camera the value in the register field will be replaced and the camera will send a write response back to the host computer Each field within a control register or an inquiry register has a specific memory address When you issue a binary read or a binary write command the address for field you want to work with is included as part of the command Section 7 3 1 describes the binary read write command format in detail Section 7 4 provides code samples for a binary read and a binary write command Binary read write commands are issued to the A400k via the RS 644 serial connection in the Camera Link interface between the frame grabber and the camera A standard application programmer s interface API for asynchronous serial reading and writing via the RS 644 port on the frame grabber has been defined in the Camera Link standard Appendix B API Functions All Camera Link compatible frame grabbers provide a software library dll file named clser dll where is specific to the frame grabber vendor There are four functions exported by that DLL e clSeriallnit Initialize the serial communication for a specific board clSerialRead Read bytes from the camera clSerialWrite Write bytes to the camera clSerialClose Close the serial communication To execute the binary programmin
90. I width Field Name Starting Column Offset 0x0001 Size 2 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the starting column for the area of interest AOI feature The value for the starting column can normally range from column 1 0x0001 to column 2337 0x0921 for A402k A403k and A404k cameras from column 1 0x0001 to column 2305 0x0901 for A405k cameras and from column 1 0x0001 to column 2241 0x08C1 for A406k cameras Starting columns can only be selected in increments of 16 1 that is the starting column can be 1 17 33 and so on The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set If the value is set to 1 the starting column in the AOI will be column 1 If the value is set to 17 the starting column in the AOI will be column 17 Etc The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the starting column value Byte 2 High byte of the starting column value See Section 6 4 for more information about the AOI feature Field Name Min Offset 0x0003 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the starting column setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the min value Byte 2 High byte of the min value Field Name Max Offset 0x0005 Size 2 Bytes Type
91. If the bit is set to 0 the error is not present Bit Description No FPGA firmware available FPGA firmware is available but the firmware has failed to load The camera s maximum frame rate has been exceeded There is no ExSync signal The FPGA is not ready Parameter error for example a parameter has been set to a value that is out of range or not allowed or in conflict with other settings Reserved Reserved c1 0 NN Oo NO Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Sensor Board s FPGA Status Inquiry The camera has been programmed to detect several error conditions in its field programmable gate array FPGA on the sensor board When an error condition is detected a flag is set The FPGA status inquiry register lets you read the error flags Register Base Address 0x0C20 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Sensor FPGA Status Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description Each bit in this field specifies an error condition see table below Bit O is the least signifi cant bit If a bit is set to 1 the error condition assigned to that bit is present If the bit is set to 0 the error is not present Bit Description 0 No FPGA firmware available 1 FPGA firmware is available but the firm
92. Light Level Figure 6 1 Response at Various Gain Settings Increasing gain also increases noise The signal to noise ratio decreases as gain is increased Basler A400k Features 6 1 1 1 Setting the Gain You can set the gain by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Gain setting in the Gain amp Offset parameter group to set the gain By Setting CSRs You can set the gain by writing a value to the Raw Gain field or to the Absolute Gain field of the Gain CSR see page 7 21 Section 7 2 2 explains CSRs and the difference between using the raw field and the absolute field in a CSR Section 7 3 explains using read write commands 6 1 2 Offset Offset on A400k cameras is adjustable within a range from 100 to 100 where 0 correspond to an offset of 0 gray values and 100 correspond to an offset of approximately 32 gray values 8 bit output mode or 128 gray values 10 bit output mode For positive settings increasing the offset by 3 will result in an increase of approximately one gray value 8 bit output mode or four gray values 10 bit output mode in the average pixel value for each frame transmitted by the camera Decreasing the offset by 3 will result in a decrease of approximately one gray value in the average pixel
93. Line 9 Line 10 Line 11 Height Line 12 In Line 13 Line 14 Line 15 Line 16 Y Line 17 Line 18 Line 19 Line 20 1r4rarararj LILI EE ay EEE EEE n EH n Top xz pAP n p L1 Ld cd TUTTI rara rale r eo a r LI L1 L1 LIL Le GA aaa GA a DA a A o F a S o B aa G ms T s D a S 17 rr rra Figure 6 3 Area of Interest A406k of the pixels the starting column should be set to 1 the width in columns to 2320 In normal operation the camera is set to use all of the pixels in the array To use all the starting line to 1 and the height in lines to 1726 6 16 Basler A400k Features 6 4 1 Area of Interest Setup Rules A402k A403k and A404k When setting up the area of interest observe the following rules Starting columns can only be selected in multiples of 16 1 that is the starting column can be 1 17 33 and so on The width can only be multiples of 16 that is 16 32 48 and so on The sum of the setting for the starting column plus the setting for the width in columns can not exceed 2353 The sum of the setting for the st
94. Loading will take approxi mately 25 seconds After 25 seconds the camera will start image capture and be able to receive commands 6 2 3 PRNU Shading Correction In theory when an area scan camera with a digital sensor captures a frame with the camera viewing a uniform white target in bright light all of the pixel values in the frame should be near their maximum gray value and they should be equal In practice slight variations in the performance of the pixels in the sensor variations in the optics and variations in the lighting will cause some variation in the pixel values output from the camera This variation is known as Photo Response Non uniformity PRNU The PRNU shading correction feature on A400k cameras can correct for the variations caused by PRNU Shading correction values will only be generated for the pixels inside of the current area of interest No changes will be made to the pixels outside of the area of interest The camera can have only one set of shading correction values but you can have special shading correction values for each area of interest in the same set if the areas of interest do not overlap Creating different shading correction values for each area of interest will be necessary if you have two or more areas of interest to be captured after the other under different illumination For example in order to create special shading correction values for two areas of interest within the same set you would set
95. Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the starting column setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Field Name Increment Offset 0x0007 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description An integer value indicating the increment for the starting column setting The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value 7 26 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Area of Interest Width in Columns CSR Register Base Address 0x1020 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range 0X81 The setting for the AOI starting column conflicts with the setting for the AOI width Field Name Width Offset 0x0001 Size 2 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the width in columns for the area of interest AOI feature A402k A403k A404k The value for the width in columns can normally range from 16 0x0010 to 2352 0x0930 The width can only be set in
96. Sync signal facilitates periodic or non periodic pixel readout In any free run mode the camera generates its own internal control signal and the internal signal is used to control exposure and charge readout When operating in free run the camera outputs frames continuously When exposure is controlled by an ExSync signal exposure time can be either level controlled or programmable In level controlled mode charge is accumulated when the ExSync signal is low The rising edge of ExSync triggers the readout In programmable mode exposure time can be programmed to a predetermined time period In this case exposure begins on the rising edge of ExSync and accumulated charges are read out when the programmed exposure time ends At readout accumulated charges move out of the light sensitive sensor elements pixels Moveout is clocked according to the imaging sensor s clock rate As the charges move out of the pixels they are converted to voltages proportional to the size of each charge The sensor has a column parallel analog to digital converter ADC architecture that lets the array of 2352 ADCs 2320 in the A405k and A406k on the chip digitize simultaneously the analog data from an entire line of pixels The analog data is converted into 10 bit digital pixel data by the 10 bit ADCs shown in Figure 3 1 on page 3 2 The digitized data is then stored in column parallel 10 bit ADC registers Now the digitized pixel data is shifted in portio
97. a Freesun setting on the CCT or with binary commands in free run ExSync signal Binary Y CCT Commands Check the setup on your frame grabber and make sure that the ExSync signal is not too short The period of the ExSync signal must not be lower than shown in Section 4 1 1 2 On many frame grabbers the period of No the the ExSync signal is adjusted by settings changing a setting for the frame rate Your frame rate should not exceed the limit shown in Section 6 4 3 Is the ExSync period OK Check to make sure that Correct The exposure time is set no lower than shown in Section ALES Correct The frame period is set no the lower than shown in Section settings 4 1 2 2 Are the settings OK Yes Check your exposure setting The exposure time must be Correct the Go to the setting Switch on the test image one interfacing Can the test image be seen troubleshooting chart less than the ExSync period Is the exposure OK Yes Yes f Go to the Y Switch on test image one interfacing Can the test image be seen troubleshooting Replace the camera chart Yes Replace the camera 8 4 Basler A400k 8 2 2 Poor Quality Image Troubleshooting and Support Use this chart if the image is poor quality is completely white or is completely black If you get no image at all when you attempt to capture an image with the frame grabber use the chart that appe
98. a s non volatile memory If an AOI list file already exists it will be overwritten Uploading a HEX File to the Camera You can upload the hex file to the camera by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s bulk data control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Upload AOI List File setting in the AOI List File parameters group to upload the hex file to the camera By Setting CSRs You can upload the hex file to the camera by writing values to the bulk data CSR for the Programmable AO Sequencer feature Section 7 2 3 explains bulk data CSRs and using the bulk data activate process Section 7 3 explains using read write commands With the AOI Editor You can upload an AOI list using the AOI Editor see Section 6 4 4 2 Basler A400k Features 6 4 4 4 Enabling Disabling the AOI List Once you have uploaded an AOI list hex file to the camera you can enable the sequencer To enable the sequencer that is run the AOI list AOI trigger mode 1 2 or 3 must be set In modes 1 and 2 the ExSync signal triggers image capture Mode 3 activates free run To disable the feature mode 0 must be selected default Mode 0 Disabled Disables the AOI list Images are captured using the global area of interest exposure time frame period and parameter set cache parameter settings Mode 1 Image p
99. a saved configuration set file named UserSet01 and that you want to activate this file To do so you would follow this procedure 1 Use a binary write command to write the file name UserSet01 to the Name field of the configuration set bulk data CSR see page 7 46 2 Use a binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the configuration set bulk data CSR to 0x05 Setting the value to 0x05 initiates an activate function This procedure would find the UserSet01 file in the non volatile memory and would copy the values in the file into the camera s volatile memory It would also create a link to the file so that the values in the file would be loaded into volatile memory after a reset or a power up Sample code that illustrates how to activate a bulk data file is available from Basler see Section 7 4 If you want to activate the factory configuration set file use the procedure described above and use FactorySet as the file name Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Enumerating Saved Bulk Data Files Bulk data file enumeration lets you look through a list of existing saved bulk data files As an example assume that you want to see a list of all of the existing saved configuration set files To do so you would follow this procedure 1 Use a binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the configuration set bulk data CSR to 0x00 see page 7 46 Setting the value to 0x00 initia
100. accessed but the camera is not responding Make sure that The camera has power and that the power source meets the requirements in Section 2 3 Yes You are using the correct data cable between you camera and the frame grabber see Section 2 2 The wires in the data cable are continuous The cable connections are firmly seated After you made these checks is the problem still present The RS 644 port is operating No correctly Exit this chart Yes Contact Basler technical support The contact numbers appear after the title page of this manual Basler A400k 8 7 Troubleshooting and Support 8 3 8 8 Technical Support 8 3 1 Technical Support Resources If you need advice about your camera or if you need assistance troubleshooting a problem with your camera you can contact the Basler technical support team for your area Basler technical support contact information is located in the front pages of this manual You will also find helpful information such as frequently asked questions downloads and application notes on the Basler website www baslerweb com 8 3 2 Obtaining an RMA Number Whenever you want to return material to Basler you must request a Return Material Authorization RMA number before sending it back The RMA number must be stated in your delivery documents when you ship your material to us Please be aware that if you return material without an RMA number we reserve the right to reject
101. addition to the modes listed above four switching options are programmable TTL Open oollector or Low Side Switch 5 V max High Side Switch 5 V High Impedance The switching options are explained below The flash trigger receptacle see Section 2 1 5 provides a TTL signal for an external flash This signal can be programmed to be deactivated tied to a flash window signal generated internally tied to the external ExFlash input and it can be permanently on Figure 2 3 shows the timing diagram It can be set to high impedance default setting so that the flash trigger is disabled or it can be set to TTL Active High Low Side Switch Open Collector or High Side Switch Figure 2 4 shows the three variants of output schematics of the flash trigger connector Flash i Trigger l max 2 0 3 us r max 0 3 us m rh ox i max 1 3ps i max 1 3 us Internal Flash Window Figure 2 3 Flash Trigger Signal Timing Basler A400k 2 9 Camera Interface 2 10 TTL Active High Default Camera Flash A d i A TTL Active High output signal is Mir typically used together with a TTL Carbo MA amp CMOS Logic Device I Connector The TTL Active High output signal E Tds has the following characteristics Logic evice High output min 4 5 V at 10 mA output load shortcut current HR10 7R 4SA 0 0 50 mA 40 20 96 d BEA QD Low output max 0 5 V at 10 mA output load sh
102. age feature by writing a value to the Mirror Mode field of the Mirror Image Mode CSR see page 7 37 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Basler A400k 6 7 Features Test Images The test image mode is used to check the camera s basic functionality and its ability to transmit an image via the video data cable The test image can be used for service purposes and for failure diagnostics In test image mode the image is generated with a software program and the camera s digital devices and does not use the optics CMOS sensor or ADCs Four test images are available Note DSNU and PRNU shading correction produce distortion in the test image Disable DSNU and PRNU shading correction before you enable a test image 6 7 1 Test Image One Vertical Stripe Pattern Test image one is useful for determining if your frame grabber has dropped any columns from your image A402k A403k and A404k The stripes in the vertical stripe test pattern are formed with a gradient that ranges from O to 255 8 bit mode or 0 to 1023 10 bit mode A full stripe is 256 columns 8 bit mode or 1024 columns 10 bit mode wide As an exception the gray values of the first stripe range from 1 to 255 or from 1 to 1023 respectively The pixels in column one of the first stripe all have a value of 1 The pixels in column two of the first stripe all have a value o
103. ained 000 cee eee 7 52 readout delay see frame readout delay return material authorization 8 8 RMA number oe ie eet ee ees 8 8 rolling shutter explained 22i eden eee 4 11 rules aba ches oa prire tero EG er eH 4 12 RS 644 serial connection 2 15 S saving parameter sets 004 6 43 sensor architecture 0 000000 ee 3 2 sensor imaging area sss 1 3 1 5 sensor Type d he eek PR emn tee es 1 3 1 5 serial communication 4 2 15 serial number viewing with binary commands 7 6 serial port setting with binary commands 7 38 shading correction explained essen alte 6 3 generating with binary commands 7 23 shading correction mode setting with binary commands 7 24 Shutter oso ci ER btn Re ERA ERAS 1 3 1 5 specifications camera ios euet vue utere t event 1 3 stamp explained meer RE IER Ru 6 30 setting with binary commands 7 31 start delay exposure 2 0 004 4 4 SUPPOR rreta eine sabe ot eu dio st ao dex 8 8 synchronization 00 1 4 1 5 T taps explained siris 24 2h eek phd ve 3 1 technical support 0 0 e eee eee 8 8 temperature over temperature detection 6 42 sensing isi nuc eere eI mr Pe Pee 6 42 Basler A400k Index temperature requirements camera cu so al acu Dude tes e 1 10 test image e
104. ame contains a BCC field The AddrLen portion of the FTF field indicates the size of the command and status register CSR address to which the command is being sent AddrLen Length of the Address Field 0b00 16 bits 2 bytes 0b01 32 bits 4 bytes 0b10 48 bits 7 6 bytes 0b11 64 bits 7 8 bytes On A400k cameras all CSR addresses are 16 bits Example of an FTF field Assume that you are issuing a write command that you are using a BCC and that the CSR address you are writing to is a 16 bit address In this case the OpCode bits would be 0b00000 the BCC Code bit would be 0b1 and the AddrLen bits would be 0b00 This would result in a binary value of 0600000100 which translates to a hex value of 0x04 for the FTF field Basler A400k 7 53 Configuring the Camera 7 54 DataLen Address Data BCC BFE Data Length field For read commands the DataLen field indicates the number of bytes to read from the given CSR address For write commands the DataLen field indicates the number of bytes contained in the Data field Size 1 byte Range of possible settings 0 to 255 DataLen 0 will result in an ACK but no further command will be executed Address field For read commands indicates the CSR address for the read For write commands indicates the CSR address for the write Size Number of bytes indicated in the AddrLen portion of the FTF field
105. are Version Offset 0x0001 Size 3 Bytes Type Read only Description The value in this field indicates the firmware version of the camera s FPGA field program mable gate array that is used on the sensor board The bytes in the field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the firmware version BCD coded Byte 2 High byte of the firmware version BCD coded Byte 3 Register layout ID BCD coded Camera Temperature Inquiry Register Base Address 0x2600 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Camera Temperature Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The value in this field indicates the camera s inner temperature The result is given in C as 8 bit signed number 7 8 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Camera Status Inquiry The camera has been programmed to detect several error conditions When an error condition is detected a flag is set The camera status inquiry register lets you read the error flags Register Base Address 0x0C00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register
106. ars in Section 8 2 1 Use the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT to set the camera for test image one Use your frame grabber to capture an image and examine the image carefully Most frame grabbers include software tools that let you see the individual values of each pixel in the image and histograms that display distributions of the pixel values in the image The pixel values in your captured test image should be exactly as described in Section No Go to the interfacing 6 7 Also if you capture several test images the pixel values should be the same in troubleshooting chart all of the captured test images Are the test images OK Use the CCT to copy the Factory Set to the Work Set Take the camera out of test image mode and capture a normal image Is the problem still present Images are too bright or too dark Do the following Make sure that the lens cap has been removed Check the lens aperture If the images are too dark try opening the aperture Try closing the aperture if they are too bright Check the exposure time If the images are too dark try increasing the exposure Try decreasing the exposure if they are too bright Check your light source If the images are too dark try increasing your light intensity Try decreasing the intensity if they are too bright Check your gain setting If the images are too dark try increasing the gain Try decreasing the gain if they are too bright
107. arting line plus the setting for the height in lines can not exceed 1727 A405k When setting up the area of interest observe the following rules Starting columns can only be selected in multiples of 16 1 that is the starting column can be 1 17 33 and so on The width can only be multiples of 16 that is 16 32 48 and so on The sum of the setting for the starting column plus the setting for the width in columns can not exceed 2321 The sum of the setting for the starting line plus the setting for the height in lines can not exceed 1727 A406k When setting up the area of interest observe the following rules Basler A400k Starting columns can only be selected in multiples of 16 1 that is the starting column can be 1 17 33 and so on The width can only be multiples of 80 that is 80 160 240 and so on The sum of the setting for the starting column plus the setting for the width in columns can not exceed 2321 The sum of the setting for the starting line plus the setting for the height in lines can not exceed 1727 Features 6 4 2 Setting the Area of Interest You can set the area of interest by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs or by using the AOI Editor With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the AOI Starting Column AOI Width AOI Starting L
108. ary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the Camera Configuration Tool Plus see Section 7 1 you use the Shading Value Generate parameter in the Column FPN Shading Correction parameters group to reset column FPN shading correction By Setting CSRs You can start a reset by writing a value to the Generate field of the Column FPN Shading Correction CSR see page 7 23 Section 7 2 2 explains CSRs Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Saving a Set of Column FPN Shading Values to a File When you generate a set of column FPN shading correction values the values are placed in the camera s volatile memory and they overwrite any shading values that are already in the memory The current set of values in the volatile memory is used immediately by the camera Values placed in the camera s volatile memory are lost if the camera is reset or the camera power is switched off A400k cameras can save the current column FPN values in the volatile memory to a file in the camera s non volatile memory Files saved in the non volatile memory are not lost at reset or power off You can save only one set of column FPN values to file in the non volatile memory A save will take four to five minutes You can save the current shading values to a file in the non volatile memory by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read wr
109. asler A400k 8 2 Troubleshooting and Support Troubleshooting Charts The following pages contain several troubleshooting charts which can help you find the cause of problems that users sometimes encounter The charts assume that you are familiar with the camera s features and settings and with the settings for your frame grabber If you are not we suggest that you review the manuals for your camera and frame grabber before you troubleshoot a problem 8 2 1 No Image Use this chart if you see no image at all when you attempt to capture an image with your frame grabber in this situation you will usually get a message from the frame grabber such as time out If you see a poor quality image a completely black image or a completely white image use the chart in Section 8 2 2 Always switch off power to the system before making or breaking any connection Connect the power source to the camera and then check the LED on the back of the camera Use a voltmeter to check the power source for the camera The output must be 12 VDC Is the LED orange and lit constantly 1 2 V Also make sure that the No It is power source meets the other No Replace the always out specs shown in Section 2 3 power source or always Is the power source OK green Replace the camera Yes No It is blinking A repeated pattern of pulses indicates a problem with the camera Refer to Section 8 1 for information about using the p
110. ated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Field Name Absolute Max Offset 0x0009 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed floating point value for the absolute flash trigger signal offset setting This field is updated to reflect any limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Basler A400k 7 35 Configuring the Camera Field Name Raw Flash Trigger Signal Offset Offset Ox000D Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the flash trigger signal offset The value in this field can be either negative or positive This is a 32 bit wide field that uses the two s complement method to represent negative values The integer value represents a multiplier The actual flash trigger signal offset is equal to the value in this field x C us Where C 4 56 us on A402k A403k and A404k cameras C 3 455 us on A405k cameras C 2 764 us on A406k cameras For example if the value in this field is set to 3 0x00000003 on an A402k camera Flash Trigger Signal Offset 3 x 4 56 us 13 68 us The minimum and maximum allowed values for the raw flash trigger signal offset setting will vary depending on the setting of the AOI Height
111. attern to determine the problem a repeated pattern of 9 Several pulses No It is Call Basler technical support for assistance blinking The contact numbers appear after the title continuously page of this manual power source meets the other specs shown in Section 2 3 Use a voltmeter to check the power source for the camera The output must be 12 VDC x 1 2 V Also make sure that the No Replace the power source Is the power source OK Yes Basler A400k 8 3 Troubleshooting and Support Check to make sure that the RS 644 serial connection is working OK You can do this by starting the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT When you start the tool a startup graphic should appear and then a window that shows a list of parameter settings should appear Go to the If this is the first time that you are using the tool you will see an empty window with RS 644 a drop down menu at the top which says No port selected In this case use the serial drop down menu to select the RS 644 port that you want to use RS 644 ports are communications identified in the list by a port number and a dll library name Once you select the troubleshooting correct port the list of parameter settings should appear chart Did the list of parameter settings appear Are you controlling the camera with Did you set up free run using the Exposure Time Control Mode an ExSyne signal or is the camer
112. b00 for the AddrLen indicates that the Address field in this frame contains a 16 bit address If you check the table on page 7 37 you will find that the address for the Mode field of the Test Image CSR is 0x1801 a 16 bit address You are free to use any supported AddrLen as long as the CSR address will fit into it 0x04 Is the DataLen field This field indicates the data size in bytes that will be transferred by using this write command As shown in the table on page 7 37 the data size for the Mode field of the Test Image Mode CSR is 4 bytes 0x01 0x18 isthe Address field in little endian This field indicates the CSR address to which the data bytes will be written The little endian values of 0x01 0x18 in the address field translate to an address of 0x1801 If you check the table on page 7 37 you will find that 0x1801 is the address for the Mode field the Test Image Mode CSR The address for any field within an A400k CSR is equal to the base address for the CSR plus the offset for the CSR field In this case the base address of the Test Image Mode CSR is 1800 and the offset for the Mode field is 0001 This results in an address of 1801 for the Mode field 0x01 is the Data field This field contains the data that must be written to the register in order to activate Test Image One see the table on page 7 37 0x18 isthe BCC field See page 7 58 for instructions on calculating a BCC Note that the use of a BCC is optional In t
113. ble 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the video data output mode 0x01 2 tap 8 bit output A402k 0x03 2 tap 10 bit output A402k 0x10 4 tap 8 bit output A403k and A404k 0x12 4 tap 10 bit output A403k and A404k 0x11 8 tap 8 bit output A404k and A405k 0x14 10 tap 8 bit output A406k 0x15 8 tap 10 bit output A405k See Sections 5 1 for descriptions of the video data output modes Exposure Time Control Mode CSR Register Base Address 0x1400 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the exposure time control mode 0x00 Free run programmable 0x02 Free run edge controlled 0x03 Free run flash window controlled 0x04 ExSync level controlled 0x05 ExSync programmable 0x06 ExSync edge controlled 0x07 ExSync flash window controlled See Section 4 1 for descriptions of the exposure time cont
114. can only be selected in multiples of 16 1 that is the starting column can be 1 17 33 and so on The width can only be multiples of 16 that is 16 32 48 and so on Reference position is the top left corner of the image For example suppose that you specify the starting column as 17 the width in columns as 16 the starting line as 8 and the height in lines as 10 As shown in Figure 6 2 the camera will only transmit pixel data from within the defined area Information from the pixels outside of the area of interest is discarded Width in Columns gt EC Starting Column Coum 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 t7 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Starting Line 4 Line Hines The camera will Line 6 only transmit Line 7 the pixel data Line 8 from this area Line 9 EEEE Line 10 Bi Hi Line 11 E HB Height Line12 EEEE Lites Line 13 mM Line 14 m Line 15 E E Line 16 Line 17 Line 18 Line 19 Line 20 L LLpL gp ar1r r r r r r Io gr gm 1r Lr Lr ar1r Figure 6 2 Area of Interest A402k A403k A404
115. ceived see Section 7 3 1 A binary command with an incorrect BCC was received see Section 7 3 1 A binary command with an address error was received see Section 7 3 1 Reserved An unknown error has occurred NOOR WNH o Basler A400k Configuring the Camera 7 2 2 Feature Control and Status Registers The feature control and status registers CSRs let you set the parameters for camera features such as exposure mode gain offset and the AOI These registers also let you check the current parameter settings and the status for each feature Each feature has one or more CSRs associated with it The fields within a feature s CSR s are used to control how the feature operates By using a binary write command to write to fields within a feature s CSR s you can change the parameter settings for the feature By using binary read commands you can determine the current setting for the parameters and get information about the feature s status The address for any field within a register is equal to the register base address plus the offset for the field Look at the Video Data Output Mode CSR on page 7 15 as an example The Mode field of this register has an address of 0x1701 the base address of 0x1700 plus the offset of 0x0001 By writing a value to this address you can select the video data output mode By reading the value at this address you can determine the current output mode setting The Video Data Output Mode CSR
116. ched saturation that is all gray values are lower than 255 8 bit or 1023 10 bit Capture several frames and examine the pixel values returned from the camera The pixel values should be about 80 of maximum a Ifthe pixel values are not at 80 of maximum adjust your lighting and or lens aperture setting to achieve 80 b If you can not achieve 80 output by adjusting the lighting then adjust the gain setting to achieve the correct output Capture several frames and examine the pixel values returned from the camera In each frame the values for the darkest pixels must not be less than 1 2 of the value for the lightest pixels in the line If the values for the darkest pixels are less than 1 2 of the value for the lightest pixels the camera will not be able to fully correct for shading variations a Ifthe values for the darkest pixels are not less than 1 2 of the value for the lightest pixels go on to step 8 b If the values for the darkest pixels are less than 1 2 of the value for the lightest pixels it usually indicates extreme variations in lighting or poor quality optics Make corrections as required Signal the camera to generate a set of PRNU shading values a You can start the generation of a set of PRNU shading values by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus see Section 7 1 With the CCT you set the Shading Value Generate parameter in the DSNU amp PRNU Shading Correction parameters group to start the gen
117. ck the output of the camera under your normal lighting conditions with no digital shift and note the readings for the brightest pixels f any of the readings are above 128 do not use digital shift Ifall of the readings are below 128 you can safely use the 2X digital shift setting Ifall of the readings are below 64 you can safely use the 2X or 4X digital shift setting 6 3 4 Enabling Disabling Digital Shift You can enable or disable the digital shift feature by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Digital Shift setting in the Output parameter group to enable disable digital shift By Setting CSRs You can enable disable digital shift by writing a value to the Mode field of the Digital Shift CSR see page 7 25 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Basler A400k Features 6 4 Area of Interest AOI The area of interest feature lets you specify a portion of the CMOS array and during operation only the pixel information from the specified portion is transferred out of the camera A402k A403k and A404k The size of the area of interest is defined by declaring a starting column a width in columns a starting line and a height in lines Starting columns
118. cond area of interest on A406k cameras For the second area of interest the flash trigger signal will be disabled The areas of interest in third fourth and fifth position are run once each Then the sequence is repeated starting with the area of interest in first position and so on Basler A400k Features 1 0 1040 100 500 600 3000 1 1 2 160 480 600 300 400 2000 3 0 3 160 480 600 300 400 2000 1 1 4 800 1520 321 1406 1500 8000 1 1 5 0 2320 1 1726 1800 10000 1 0 d AOI AO Height Delay Flash Time Trigger AOI AOI Exposure Runs Starting Column Starting Line Time Figure 6 6 AOI List A405k and A406k When setting up an AOI list on A405k and A406k these guidelines must be observed When the AOI sequencer feature is enabled global area of interest exposure time frame period and parameter set cache parameter settings have no effect on the image If global area of interest exposure time frame period and or parameter set cache parameter settings are modified while the AOI sequencer feature is active the modifications will be saved but will only become active after the AO sequencer feature is disabled The area of interest setup guidelines described in Section 6 4 1 must be observed Exposure time and delay time settings represent multipliers and the actual exposure time is equal to the setting x 3 445 us on A405k cameras or equal to the setting x 2 764 us on A406k cameras The range of possible exposure tim
119. correction value generation is started the camera stops image capture and data output During generation 4 seconds the camera loads a special set of parameters no image is captured and no data is output from the camera The camera calculates the column FPN shading correction values and creates a table of correction values When column FPN shading correction value generation is complete the set of column FPN values will be placed in the camera s volatile memory This set of values will overwrite any shading values that are already in the memory After column FPN shading correction value generation is complete the camera reloads the original set of parameters and continues to capture images and output data Basler A400k 6 3 Features Enabling Column FPN Shading Correction Using Generated Values Generating a set of column FPN shading correction values automatically disables the column FPN shading correction that is normally done by the sensor s self calibrating circuitry Once you have generated a set of column FPN shading correction values the camera automatically starts to use the generated column FPN shading correction table to apply the appropriate offset to each pixel to correct for column FPN Resetting Column FPN Shading Correction To revert to FPN shading correction done by the sensor s self calibrating circuitry you must reset the column FPN shading correction feature with the Camera Configuration Tool Plus or by using bin
120. current set of values in the volatile memory is used whenever PRNU is enabled Enabling PRNU Shading Correction Once you have a PRNU shading table in place you can enable and use PRNU shading correction With the PRNU correction feature enabled the camera will use the set of shading values to apply the appropriate offset to each pixel to correct for PRNU You can enable PRNU shading correction with the Camera Configuration Tool Plus or by using binary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the Camera Configuration Tool Plus see Section 7 1 you set the Shading Mode parameter in the Shading Correction parameters group to enable PRNU shading correction By Setting CSRs You can enable PRNU shading correction by writing a value to the Mode field of the DSNU and or PRNU Shading Correction Enable CSR see page 7 24 Section 7 2 2 explains CSRs Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Saving a Set of Shading Values to a File When you generate a set of PRNU shading correction values the values are placed in the camera s volatile memory and they overwrite any shading values for the current AOI that are already in the memory The current set of values in the volatile memory is used immediately by the camera Values placed in the camera s volatile memory are lost if the camera is reset or the camera power is switched off A400k cameras
121. d a user set from PC Section 7 2 3 explains bulk data CSRs and using the bulk data download and upload processes Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Basler A400k Features 6 10 Parameter Set Cache When the parameter set cache feature is enabled you can modify the camera s parameter settings without the modifications becoming effective immediately The parameter set cache feature lets you continue valid image capture while you change your parameters For example while setting a new area of interest with the parameter set cache feature enabled you can still capture images using your old area of interest settings When the parameter set cache feature is enabled all modifications are written to the camera but they do not become active The camera continues to operate under the control of the old settings The modifications will only become active after the parameter set cache feature is disabled again When the parameter set cache feature is disabled again all modifications become active simultaneously after the last valid frame that used the old settings time control mode exposure time frame period area of interest and test image only Modifications to other parameter settings will become active immediately even if pa rameter set cache is enabled Parameter set cache is effective for modifications to the video data format exposure To avoid rejections see Section 6 11 make sure that your order of modifica
122. d in this camera The camera can be programmed to function under the control of an externally generated sync signal ExSync in two exposure time control modes In these modes level controlled and programmable the ExSync signal is used to control exposure time and frame readout For more detailed information on the two modes see Section 4 1 ExSync can be a periodic or non periodic function The frequency of the ExSync signal determines the camera s frame rate in these modes 1 Maximum frame rate Minimum ExSync signal period Note that ExSync is edge sensitive and therefore must toggle See Section 4 1 1 2 for information about the minimum high time and minimum low time for the ExSync signal The ExSync signal is typically supplied to the camera by a frame grabber board Refer to the manual supplied with your frame grabber to determine how to set up the ExSync signal 2 4 2 ExFlash from the Frame Grabber Camera Link connector one includes an LVDS input for the ExFlash signal The ExFlash input corresponds to the CC3 camera control signal as defined in the Camera Link standard The camera s flash trigger signal feature see Section 2 5 1 can be set so that the ExFlash input will be tied to the output signal of the camera s flash trigger connector The ExFlash signal from the frame grabber is not directly used by the camera for any control functions The minimum pulse width of ExFlash i
123. d save the current work set to your standard user set the camera will automati cally load and use shading correction at next power on Loading will take approxi mately 25 seconds After 25 seconds the camera will start image capture and be able to receive commands 6 2 4 Guidelines When Using Shading Correction When using the shading correction feature make sure to take the following guidelines into account Any time that you make a change to the optics or lighting or if you change the camera s gain setting you must generate a new set of PRNU shading values Using an out of date PRNU shading set can result in poor image quality When you generate the DSNU and PRNU shading tables correction values will be calcu lated for the pixels in the current area of interest only If you change the AOI settings you need to generate new shading values 6 10 Basler A400k 6 3 Digital Shift Features The digital shift feature lets you change the group of bits that is output from the ADC Using the digital shift feature will effectively multiply the output of the CMOS sensor by 2 times or 4 times Section 6 3 1 describes how digital shift works when the camera is operating in 10 bit output mode and Section 6 3 2 describes how digital shift works when the camera is operating in 8 bit output mode Before you use digital shift also observe the precautions described in Section 6 3 3 6 3 1 Digital Shift in 10 Bit Ou
124. d the FPGA Status Inquiry registers 18 Reserved 19 The last column FPN shading value generation process failed The column FPN shading value generation process can fail if the pixel val ues in the frames captured during the generation process are too high The process should be performed in darkness or in very low light conditions This bit will clear when you perform a successful shading value generation procedure 20 An over temperature condition has been detected This bit clears when the camera is reset or is powered off and back on 21 31 Reserved Basler A400k 7 9 Configuring the Camera 7 10 Processing Board s FPGA Status Inquiry The camera has been programmed to detect several error conditions in its field programmable gate array FPGA on the processing board When an error condition is detected a flag is set The FPGA status inquiry register lets you read the error flags Register Base Address 0x0C10 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Main FPGA Status Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description Each bit in this field specifies an error condition see table below Bit O is the least signifi cant bit If a bit is set to 1 the error condition assigned to that bit is present
125. download an existing saved bulk data file from the camera s non volatile memory to your host PC As an example assume that the camera has an existing saved configuration set file named UserSet02 and that you want to download this file from the camera to your host PC To do so you would follow this procedure 1 Use a binary write command to write the file name UserSet02 to the Name field of the configuration set bulk data CSR 2 Use a binary read command to read the Size field of the configuration set bulk data CSR If the file exists this field will tell you the file size If the file does not exist this field will be O 3 Use a binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the configuration set bulk data CSR to 0x02 Setting the value to 0x02 places the camera in read mode 4 Use a binary command to do a bulk data read from the camera The binary command must have the following characteristics OpCode 0x05 This OpCode makes the binary command a bulk data read DataLen the number of bytes to be read Max is 255 characters Address 0x281B Base address for the configuration set bulk data CSR plus the offset for the Data field Data none 5 You receive a bulk data response frame from the camera The amount of data in the response will be as specified by the DataLen in step 4 6 Use a binary read command to read the value in the Info field of the configuration set bulk data CSR a Ifthe value is 0x
126. e 6 7 6 Enabling Disabling Test Images You can enable disable a test image by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Test Image setting in the Output parameter group to enable disable a test image By Setting CSRs You can enable disable a test image by writing a value to the Mode field of the Test Image Mode CSR see page 7 37 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Basler A400k 6 41 Features 6 8 6 42 Temperature Sensing and Over Temperature Detection 6 8 1 Camera Temperature Sensing A400k series cameras include a sensor that measures the temperature on one of the electronic boards inside of the camera The sensor s readings let you monitor whether ventilation is working correctly 6 8 1 1 Reading the Camera Temperature You can read out the current temperature by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read commands from within your own application to read the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Camera Temperature setting in the Camera Information parameter group to read the camera s inner temperature By Reading CSRs You can read the camera s
127. e Life Support Applications These products are not designed for use in life support appliances devices or systems where malfunction of these products can reasonably be expected to result in personal injury Basler customers using or selling these products for use in such applications do so at their own risk and agree to fully indemnify Basler for any damages resulting from such improper use or sale Warranty Note Do not open the housing of the camera The warranty becomes void if the housing is opened All material in this publication is subject to change without notice and is copyright Basler AG Contacting Basler Support Worldwide Europe Basler AG An der Strusbek 60 62 22926 Ahrensburg Germany Tel 49 4102 463 515 Fax 49 4102 463 599 bc support europe baslerweb com Americas Basler Inc 855 Springdale Drive Suite 203 Exton PA 19341 U S A Tel 1 610 280 0171 Fax 1 610 280 7608 bc support usa baslerweb com Asia Basler Asia Pte Ltd 8 Boon Lay Way 03 03 Tradehub 21 Singapore 609964 Tel 65 6425 0472 Fax 65 6425 0473 bc support asia baslerweb com www baslerweb com Contents Table of Contents 1 Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 1 Document Applicability llle 1 1 1 2 Camera Versions 2o guste dU Pee dase Vda Eben ia eed Ea ds 1 2 1 3 General Specifications illie ses 1 3 1 4 Spectral Response lsssslllll lere 1
128. e Raw Min Offset 0x0011 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the raw flash window width setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the min value Byte 2 Mid byte of the min value Byte 3 High byte of the min value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used Field Name Raw Max Offset 0x0015 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the raw flash window width setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Byte 3 High byte of the max value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used 7 34 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Flash Trigger Signal Offset CSR Note The flash trigger signal offset can be set by writing a floating point value to the Absolute Flash Trigger Offset field or by writing an integer value to the Raw Flash Trigger Offset field Refer to Section 7 2 2 1 for an explanation of the difference between these two fields Register Base Address 0x1F00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not
129. e exposure time was set to 10 365 the camera would be set for 10 365 us of exposure If you enter a value in the absolute exposure time field on A405k cameras the value should be a multiple of 3 455 If the value that you enter is not a multiple of 3 455 the camera will automatically change your entry to the nearest multiple of 3 455 Due to rounding it may not be an exact multiple of 3 455 A406k You can write a floating point value from 2 764 to 11591528 291 decimal For example if the absolute exposure time was set to 8 292 the camera would be set for 8 292 us of exposure If you enter a value in the absolute exposure time field on A406k cameras the value should be a multiple of 2 764 If the value that you enter is not a multiple of 2 764 the camera will automatically change your entry to the nearest multiple of 2 764 Due to rounding it may not be an exact multiple of 3 455 Note You do not need to enter values in both the raw field and the absolute field En tering just one value is sufficient and you can choose the field that best meets your needs Basler A400k Configuring the Camera 7 2 2 2 Feature Control and Status Register Details Video Data Output Mode CSR Register Base Address 0x1700 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not availa
130. e by writing a value to the Mode field of the Video Data Output Mode CSR see page 7 15 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Basler A400k 6 1 Features Gain and Offset 6 1 1 Gain On A400k cameras gain can be set within a range from 0 to 100 where 0 corresponds to the minimum gain and 100 corresponds to the maximum gain The level of amplification achieved when the gain is set to O is always 0 dB The level of amplification that the camera will achieve at the 100 96 setting depends on the current setting of the camera s offset parameter As shown in Table 6 1 the amplification that the camera can achieve at the 100 setting decreases as the setting of the offset parameter increases The default gain setting is 20 96 Offset Gain in dB at the Setting 100 Gain Setting 0 96 13dB 100 96 8dB Table 6 1 Max Gain As shown in the graphs in Figure 6 1 increasing the gain setting increases the slope of the camera s response curve and results in a higher camera output for a given amount of light Decreasing the gain setting decreases the slope of the response curve and results in a lower camera output for a given amount of light Features 255 192 0 dB Camera Output in 8 bit 128 mode 64 0 Low Medium High Light Level 255 6dB 192 Camera Output in d bit 128 mode 64 0 Low Medium High
131. e delay time settings have an effect that is there will be the defined delay between the end of exposure of the previous image and the start of exposure of the next image Mode 3 Free run The AOI list is started run and repeated non stop After the last position in the AOI list is done the sequence restarts with the first position and so on In this mode the delay time settings have an effect that is there will be the defined delay between the end of exposure of the previous image and the start of exposure of the next image You can set mode 1 2 3 or 4 by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the AOI List Trigger Mode setting in the AOI List parameter group to disable the use of the AOI list or select the trigger mode By Setting CSRs You can set mode 1 2 3 or 4 by writing a value to the Mode field of the Programmable AOI Sequencer CSR see page 7 31 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Basler A400k 6 29 Features 6 5 6 30 Stamp The stamp feature provides the user with information about the area of interest settings of each captured image When the stamp feature is enabled the video data of the last 11 pixels of the last image line that is the bot
132. e in this register is set out of range Field Name Absolute Gain Offset 0x0001 Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing a floating point value to this field sets the gain in For example if the value in this field is set to 10 the gain would be 10 The gain can normally range from 0 to 100 in increments of 1 The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number See Section 6 1 1 for more information about gain Field Name Absolute Min Offset 0x0005 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed floating point value for the absolute gain setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Field Name Absolute Max Offset 0x0009 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed floating point value for the absolute gain setting This field is updated to reflect any limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Field Name Raw Gain Offset 0x000D Size 2 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the gain The value can normally range from 0 0x00 to 100 0x6
133. e settings is 1 to 4194303 3 455 us to 14 49s on A405k cameras or 2 764 us to 11 59 s on A406k cameras The range of possible delay time settings is 2 to 4194303 6 91 us to 14 49 s on A405k cameras or 5 528 ys to 11 59 s on A406k cameras 0to255runs can be set If the runs setting is 0 the area of interest will be skipped The flash trigger setting can be 1 or 0 where 1 enables the flash trigger signal and 0 disables the flash trigger signal see also Section 2 5 1 fthe flash trigger setting is 1 and the flash window signal is output via the flash trigger signal Sections 2 5 1 the exposure time setting in the AOI list must be equal to or higher than the sum of the height of the area of interest plus the width of the flash window Exposure Time Setting gt AOI Height Setting Flash Window Width where the flash window width is calculated using the formula below Flash Window Width Exposure Time Setting AOI Height Setting x C Where C 3 455 us for A405k cameras C 2 764 us for A406k cameras f AOI trigger mode 2 or 3 is selected see Section 6 4 4 4 the delay time setting must be equal to or higher than the AOI height setting to avoid overlapping exposures due to subse quent overlapping areas of interest Delay Time Setting AOI Height Setting The guidelines described in Section 4 1 must be observed to avoid overtriggering the camera Basler A400k 6 25 Features 6 26 The setting for the Flash Trigg
134. ead commands are required When repeated bulk data read commands are required the file is read sequentially with each write command starting where the previous write stopped This procedure would upload the data in the file to the camera If you wanted to upload existing DSNU or PRNU shading value bulk data files stored in the camera you would use a similar procedure but you would write to and read from the DSNU or PRNU shading table bulk data CSR instead If you wanted to upload existing AOI list bulk data files stored in the camera you would use a similar procedure but you would write to and read from the AOI list bulk data CSR instead Sample code that illustrates how to download bulk data files is available from Basler see Section 7 4 Basler A400k 7 45 Configuring the Camera 7 2 3 2 Bulk Data Control and Status Register Details Configuration Set CSR See Section 7 2 3 1 for information about using bulk data control registers Register Base Address 0x2800 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Control Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field selects a bulk data contr
135. ead out and transferred on the rising edge of ExSync see Figure 4 1 ExSync Period Exposure lt ExSync Frame Readout Figure 4 1 ExSync Edge Controlled Mode Basler A400k 4 1 Frame Acquisition Control n ExSync level controlled mode the exposure time is determined by the time between the falling edge of ExSync and the next rising edge The pixels are exposed and charge is accu mulated only when ExSync is low The frame is read out and transferred on the rising edge of the ExSync signal see Figure 4 2 ExSync Period lt gt Exposure ExSync Frame Readout Figure 4 2 ExSync Level controlled Mode n ExSync programmable mode the rising edge of ExSync triggers the start of exposure Exposure and charge accumulation continue for a pre programmed length of time The frame is read out and transferred at the end of the pre programmed exposure time The length of the pre programmed exposure time is determined by the exposure time setting The falling edge of ExSync is not relevant see Figure 4 3 ExSync Period i ExSync Exposure programmed by user Frame Readout Figure 4 3 ExSync Programmable Mode n ExSync flash window controlled mode the rising edge of ExSync triggers the start of exposure and charge accumulation The frame is read out and transferred at the end of an exposure time calculated by the camera The falling edge of ExSync is n
136. ecimal Writing an integer value to the exposure time register sets the exposure time but it doesn t directly tell you how many microseconds of exposure time you will be getting from the camera at that setting To determine the microseconds of exposure time you are getting at a particular raw exposure time setting you must use the formula Microseconds Raw setting x C us Where C 4 56 us for the A402k A403k and A404k C 3 455 us for the A405k C 2 764 us for the A406k For example if the Raw Exposure Time field is set to 3 decimal on an A402k camera microseconds raw setting x 4 56 us microseconds 3 x 4 56 us microseconds 13 68 us Basler A400k 7 13 Configuring the Camera 7 14 Setting the Absolute Exposure Time Writing a floating point value to the Absolute Exposure Time field of the Exposure Time CSR sets the exposure time directly in microseconds A402k A403k A404k You can write a floating point value from 4 56 to 19126021 68 decimal For example if the absolute exposure time was set to 13 68 the camera would be set for 13 68 us of exposure If you enter a value in the absolute exposure time field on A402k A403k and A404k cameras the value should be a multiple of 4 56 If the value that you enter is not a multiple of 4 56 the camera will automatically change your entry to the nearest multiple of 4 56 A405k You can write a floating point value from 3 455 to 14489410 364 For example if the absolut
137. ed making substitutions is the problem still present Yes Check the configuration file that you are using with your frame grabber These files are sometimes referred to as DCF CCA CCI or ICD files depending on the frame grabber manufacturer Make sure that the frame grabber configuration file is the correct file for your Basler A400k model Be aware that sometimes different configuration files must be c No Exit this used depending on which of the camera s features you have enabled chart After you checked the configuration file is the problem still present Yes Contact Basler technical support The contact numbers appear after the title page of this manual Before you call for support be sure to make note of the camera settings and the frame grabber settings you are using You should also have a captured live image and a captured test image available Basler technical support will frequently request that you e mail copies of these captured images 8 6 Basler A400k Troubleshooting and Support 8 2 4 RS 644 Serial Communication Use the serial communication troubleshooting charts if you think that there is a problem with RS 644 serial communication or if you have been directed here from another chart Serial Communication Chart without a k BIC Always switch off power to the system before making or breaking any connection The RS 644 port used by the A400k is located on the frame grabber Check the documentat
138. electing a port 00000 camera reset explained s ize vrta erra c eR with binary commands camera version wersie csi aga cee eee eee cleaning the camera and sensor CMOS senso e RR ARREST commands see binary commands Basler A400k Index configuration sets bulk data transfer 0 7 46 explained is kee ty REG Red 6 43 configuration tool see camera configuration tool configuring the camera by setting CSRs lille 7 4 with binary commands 7 51 with the config tool 7 2 conformity sese eee 1 4 1 6 D digital responsivity SPCC iua vele quels epe qs 1 3 1 5 digital shift explained pelle IRR 6 11 setting with binary commands 7 25 dimensions Camera eL sra Se alee ae 1 7 F mount adapter 0 000 1 8 document applicability 1 1 DSNU geet siti nme E Cbr en 1 3 1 5 dynamic range e eee eee 1 3 1 5 E environmental requirements camera x bale i eese oleo oe ote oh a 1 10 ExFlash input signal explained m inst Paths Genoese es 2 8 output via flash trigger connector 2 9 exposure control modes exsync edge controlled 4 1 exsync flash window controlled 4 2 exsync level controlled 4 2 exsync programmable 4 2 free run edge controlled 4 6 free run flash wind
139. er Signal Offset parameter see Section 2 5 1 2 will be applied to each entry in the AOI list You must check to make sure that this parameter setting is appropriate for each entry Flash Trigger Signal Offset Setting lt AOI Height 1 x C Where C 3 455 us for A405k cameras C 2 764 us for A406k cameras For any entry in the AOI list where the offset setting is inappropriate the flash trigger signal will not operate correctly i e it will not change state when the flash window opens and closes 6 4 4 2 Creating an AOI List You can create an AOI list by setting up a list in hexadecimal format or by using the AOI Editor By Setting up a List in Hexadecimal Format If you create the AOI list in the hexadecimal format you must create a HEX file To create a HEX file you need a hexadecimal editor If you do not have a hexadecimal editor you can download a freeware editor from the web For example you can download DF Hex Editor from www del net com frmDFHEXEditorE html The values shown in the following AOI lists Figures 6 7 to 6 9 apply to A402k A403k and A404k cameras AOI lists for A406k cameras are set up in a similar fashion the values however must adhere to the limits that are specific to the A406k fag DF HEXEditor 1 1 C MOI Table Doku hex jM Ele Edt Options Bookmarks Window Help E Diae e ata ole S EJ 0x00 0000 0400 0064 OiF4 0000 0258 0xi4 00A0 0200 0258 012c 0000 0190 xz8 00A0 0200 0258 Oi1
140. er Trigger Each rising edge of the ExSync signal triggers an image capture If this mode is applied to the example shown in Figure 6 8 on the first rising edge of the ExSync signal the image will be captured according to the area of interest settings that are in first position in the AOI list On the next three rising edges of the ExSync signal three images will be captured according to the area of interest settings that are in second position in the AOI list since 3 runs have been defined and So on In this mode the delay time settings have no effect on the image capture that is there will be no delay between the rising edge of the ExSync signal and the start of exposure Mode 2 List per Trigger Each rising edge of the ExSync signal triggers execution of the complete AOI list If this mode is applied to the example shown in Figure 6 8 on page 6 27 on the first rising edge of the ExSync signal seven images will be captured according to the area of interest settings in the AOI list that is the first image will be captured according to the area of interest settings in first position the next three images will be captured according to the area of interest settings in second position and so on The seventh image will be captured according to the area of interest settings in fifth position and then image capture will be stopped On the rising edge of the next ExSync signal the whole sequence will be done again and so on In this mode th
141. er is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range 0X81 The setting for the AOI starting line conflicts with the setting for the AOI height Field Name Height Offset 0x0001 Size 2 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the height in lines for the area of interest AOI feature The value for the height in lines can normally range from 2 lines 0x0002 to 1726 lines OxO6BE The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parame ters are set If the value is set to 20 the height of the AOI will be 20 lines If the value is set to 48 the height of the AOI will be 48 lines etc The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the length value Byte 2 High byte of the length value See Section 6 4 for more information about the AOI feature Field Name Min Offset 0x0003 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the height setting This field is updated to reflect limita tions caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the min value Byte 2 High byte of the min value Field Name Max Offset 0x0005 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the height setting This field is updated to reflect limita tions caused by the way any related featu
142. eration of a set of PRNU shading values b You can also start the generation of the PRNU shading table by using a binary write command see Section 7 3 to write a value to the Generate field of the DSNU or PRNU Shading Value Generate CSR see page 7 24 The camera must capture at least eight frames to generate a set of PRNU shading correction values If your camera is set to control exposure with an ExSync signal you must generate at least eight ExSync signal cycles after you signal the camera to begin generating the values If you are running the camera in a free run exposure mode you must wait long enough for the camera to capture at least eight frames Basler A400k Features 10 Once eight frames have been captured the camera calculates the PRNU shading correction values a The camera uses the data from the eight captured frames to calculate an average gray value for each pixel in the frame b The camera finds the pixel with the highest average gray value in the frame c For each of the other pixels in the frame the camera determines the additional gain that would be needed to make the pixel s average value equal to the average value for the highest pixel d The camera creates a set of PRNU shading correction values that contains the calculated gain adjustments The set of PRNU values will be placed in the camera s volatile memory This set of values will overwrite any shading values that are already in the memory The
143. erature Coefficient Pixel Clock Speed 50 MHz Frame Rate 24 fps 48 fps 48 fps in 4 tap mode 96 fps in 8 tap mode prog ressive scan Video Data Output Type Camera Link LVDS Base configuration RS 644 LVDS when used with the optional Basler Interface Con verter k BIC Camera Link LVDS Medium configuration Camera Link LVDS Medium configuration in 4 tap mode Camera Link LVDS Full configuration in 8 tap mode Table 1 2 A402k A403k and A404k Performance Specifications Basler A400k 1 3 Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 4 Specifications A402k A403k A404k Video Data Output Mode s 2 taps 2 pixels clock cycle Selectable 8 or 10 bit depth 4 taps 4 pixels clock cycle Selectable 8 or 10 bit depth 4 taps 4 pixels clock cycle Selectable 8 or 10 bit depth 8 taps 8 pixels clock cycle 8 bit depth Net Output Data Rate 1 MB 109 Bytes 99 3 MB s 2 taps 8 bit depth 124 1 MB s 2 taps 10 bit depth 197 2 MB s 4 taps 8 bit depth 246 5 MB s 4 taps 10 bit depth 197 2 MB s 4 taps 8 bit depth 246 5 MB s 4 taps 10 bit depth 390 5 MB s 8 taps 8 bit depth Synchronization Via external ExSync signal or free run Exposure Time Control Edge controlled level controlled or programmable Gain and Offset Programmable via a serial link on the frame grabber
144. erest in second position is performed second and so on Up to 32 areas of interest can be defined After the last area of interest in the list has been run the sequence restarts with the first area of interest and so on A402k A403k and A404k Figure 6 5 assumes that standard frame readout is selected and shows an AOI list that defines five areas of interest In the AOI list values of the starting columns must be entered as the value of the actual starting column minus one The first area of interest s starting column is 1 the entry is 1 170 the width is 1024 pixels the starting line is 100 and the height in lines is 500 This area of interest will be captured using an exposure time of 600 x 4 56 us Exposure of the second area of interest will start 3000 x 4 56 us after exposure of the first area of interest The first area of interest will be run once then the area of interest in second position will follow For the first area of interest the flash trigger signal will be enabled The second area of interest s starting column is 161 the entry is 161 12 160 the width is 512 pixels the starting line is 600 and the height in lines is 300 The second area of interest will be run three times with a delay of 2000 x 4 56 us between each exposure The third area of interest will be run 2000 x 4 56 ys after the last exposure for the second area of interest For the second area of interest the flash trigger signal will be disabled The areas of
145. erminated if all 20 bytes are needed Model Information Inquiry Register Base Address 0x0200 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Model Info Offset 0x0001 Size 20 Bytes Type Read only Description String containing the camera s model number The string is zero terminated if less than 20 bytes are needed and unterminated if all 20 bytes are needed Basler A400k 7 5 Configuring the Camera 7 6 Product ID Inquiry Register Base Address 0x0300 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Product ID Offset 0x0001 Size 20 Bytes Type Read only Description String containing the camera s product ID number The string is zero terminated if less than 20 bytes are needed and unterminated if all 20 bytes are needed Serial Number Inquiry Register Base Address 0x0400 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available
146. ers left aligned zero padded Field Name Size Offset 0x0017 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description If the file name refers to an already existing bulk data file this field will contain the file size in bytes Otherwise the field contains zeros Field Name Data Offset 0x001B Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Byte sized register that is used to sequentially write to or read from a bulk data file You can save up to one PRNU shading value file in the non volatile memory There is a restriction on naming the file that holds the saved set of PRNU shading values The file must be named gainshading 7 48 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Column FPN Shading Value CSR See Section 7 2 3 1 for information about using bulk data control registers Register Base Address 0x2C00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Control Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field selects a bulk data control function 0x00 Enumerate 0x01 ENext 0x02 Read 0x03 Write 0x05 Activate 0x06 Create Field Name Info Offset 0x0002 S
147. escription The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 7 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field enables disables parameter set cache 0x00 Parameter set cache disabled 0x01 Parameter set cache enabled See Section 6 10 for more information about parameter set cache Basler A400k 7 39 Configuring the Camera 7 40 7 2 3 Bulk Data and the Bulk Data Control and Status Registers The term bulk data refers to a collection of values used by the camera as a block A configuration set see Section 6 9 is an example of one type of bulk data A single configuration set contains values for all of the normal parameters needed to configure the camera and the values within a configuration set are used by the camera as a block On A400k cameras a set of shading values see Section 6 2 is an example of another type of bulk data A set of shading values contains all of the values needed to do column FPN DSNU and PSNU shading correction Another example of a type of bulk data is the programmable AOI list that is uploaded to the camera to perform a pre defined sequence of areas of interest A400k cameras have a file system similar to the file system used on PCs A400k ca
148. f 2 the pixels in column three of the first stripe all have a value of 3 and so on This pattern continues until column 255 8 bit mode Figure 6 10 Test Image One 8 bit where the pixels have a gray value of 255 or column 1023 10 bit mode where the pixels have a value of 1023 In 8 bit mode a second stripe begins in column 256 The pixels in column 256 have a gray value of 0 the pixels in column 257 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 258 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until column 511 where the pixels have a gray value of 255 A third stripe begins in column 512 The pixels in column 512 have a gray value of 0 the pixels in column 513 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 514 have a value of 2 and so on Basler A400k 6 33 Features In 10 bit mode a second stripe begins in column 1024 The pixels in column 1024 have a value of 0 the pixels in column 1025 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 1026 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until column 2047 where the pixels have a value of 1023 A third stripe begins in column 2048 The pixels in column 2048 have a value of 0 the pixels in column 2049 have a value of 1 the pixels in column 2050 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until column 2352 where the pixels have a value of 304 Figure 6 11 Test Image One 10 bit A405k The stripes in the vertical stripe test pattern are formed with a gradient
149. g commands you can call up the functions exported by the DLL When the camera is powered on or when a camera reset is performed your PC may receive some random characters on the serial interface We recommend clearing the serial input buffers in your PC after a camera power on or reset If you are using your camera with an optional Basler Interface Converter k BIC you can use binary commands to configure the camera via the RS 232 serial connection between your PC and the k BIC Basler A400k 7 51 Configuring the Camera 7 3 1 The Binary Read Write Command Protocol With the binary read write command protocol data is placed into a frame and sent to the camera When the frame is received it is checked for validity If valid the data is extracted from the frame and the command is executed This section describes the basic layout of a binary command frame Figure 7 2 shows a graphical representation of the fields within a binary command frame The text below the graphic describes each field of the command frame in detail i 1 Frame T it BFS FTF DataLen Address DATA BCC BFE ransmit g pits 8 bits 8 bits Length specified in FTF Length specified in DataLen 8 bits 8 bits Response Mabie Figure 7 2 Representation of a Command Frame and Response BFS Binary Frame Start field Identifies the start of a binary frame Size 1 byte The value of the BFS byte is alway
150. g correction only 0x03 Enable DSNU and PRNU shading correction See Section 6 2 for more information about shading correction 7 24 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Digital Shift CSR Register Base Address 0x1900 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field enables disables digital shift 0x00 No digital shift 0x01 Digital shift once multiplies output 2X 0x02 Digital shift twice multiplies output 4X See Section 6 3 for more information about digital shift and precautions you must consider Basler A400k 7 25 Configuring the Camera Area of Interest Starting Column CSR Register Base Address 0x1040 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range 0X81 The setting for the AOI starting column conflicts with the setting for the AO
151. g table by using a binary write command see Section 7 3 to write a value to the Generate field of the DSNU or PRNU Shading Value Generate CSR see page 7 24 8 The camera must capture at least eight frames to create a set of DSNU shading correction values If your camera is set to control exposure with an ExSync signal you must generate at least eight ExSync signal cycles after you signal the camera to begin generating the values Basler A400k 6 5 Features If you are running the camera in a free run exposure mode you must wait long enough for the camera to capture at least eight frames 9 Once eight frames have been captured the camera calculates the DSNU shading correction values a The camera uses the data from the eight captured frames to calculate an average gray value for each pixel in the frame b The camera finds the pixel with the highest average gray value in the frame c For each of the other pixels in the frame the camera determines the offset that would be needed to make the pixel s average value equal to the average value for the highest pixel d The camera creates a set of DSNU shading values that contains the calculated offsets The set of DSNU values will be placed in the camera s volatile memory This set of values will overwrite any shading values that are already in the memory The current set of values in the volatile memory is used whenever DSNU is enabled Enabling DSNU Shading Correction Once
152. ge Exposure To get an overview of all parameters Gain amp Offset available on the connected camera Area Of Interest maximize the CCT window and click the flash Trigger sign beside each group Samaa oaan The camera parameter names always appear in the left column of the list The current setting for each parameter appears in the right column Figure 7 1 Output Group By default a Parameter Description window is displayed In this window you can find basic information on the selected parameter and if present on the dependencies that may exist between the selected parameter and other parameter s Modifiable parameter settings and available commands appear in black while read only settings and unavailable commands appear in gray If you make a change to one of the parameter settings that change will immediately be transmitted from the CCT to the camera s Work Set Because the parameters in the Work Set control the current operation of the camera you will see an immediate change in the camera s operation If the change limits the range of available settings for other parameters the available ranges will automatically be refreshed By default the CCT also automatically updates the displayed settings every 5 seconds The feature behind this behavior is called Auto Refresh If auto refresh is not enabled the display will not update when a camera setting is changed using another tool when powe
153. ge The falling edge of the control signal is irrelevant The frame is read out and transferred on the rising edge of the internal control signal see Figure 4 5 Control Signal Period 4 gt Exposure Internal Control Signal Frame Readout Figure 4 5 Free run Edge controlled Mode n free run programmable mode the camera generates a continuous internal control signal based on two programmable parameters Exposure Time and Frame Period The Exposure Time setting determines how long the internal control signal will remain low Pixels are exposed and charge is accumulated when the internal control signal is low The Frame Period setting determines the control signal period The frame is read out and transferred on the rising edge of the internal control signal see Figure 4 6 Control Signal Period gt Exposure Internal programmed by user Control SS Signal Frame Readout Figure 4 6 Free run Programmable Mode 4 6 Basler A400k Frame Acquisition Control n free run flash window controlled mode the camera generates a continuous internal control signal based on two programmable parameters Flash Window Width and Frame Period An exposure time calculated by the camera will determine how long the internal control signal will remain low Pixels are exposed and charge is accumulated when the internal control signal is low The frame is read out and transferred on the rising edge of t
154. he camera s microcontroller firmware version information The bytes in the field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the firmware version BCD coded Byte 2 High byte of the firmware version BCD coded Byte 3 Register layout ID BCD coded Processing Board s FPGA Firmware Version Inquiry Register Base Address 0x0800 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Main FPGA Firmware Version Offset 0x0001 Size 3 Bytes Type Read only Description The value in this field indicates the firmware version of the camera s FPGA field program mable gate array that is used on the processing board The bytes in the field are inter preted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the firmware version BCD coded Byte 2 High byte of the firmware version BCD coded Byte 3 Register layout ID BCD coded Basler A400k 7 7 Configuring the Camera Sensor Board s FPGA Firmware Version Inquiry Register Base Address 0x0900 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Sensor FPGA Firmw
155. he exposure time setting on the camera is lower than the minimum flash ex posure time required no flash trigger signal will be output The light intensity of the flash must be considerably higher than the light intensity in the scene when no flash is present Exposure of the next frame can be started while the previous frame is still being read out 4 14 Basler A400k Frame Acquisition Control trolled exposure time control mode the camera will let you enter a flash window width and will automatically calculate the exposure time needed to achieve your de sired flash window width For more information about exposure time control modes see Section 4 1 1 1 and 4 1 2 1 If you use the ExSync flash window controlled or the free run flash window con Reset Readout Start of Exposure Exposure Time End of Exposure T v Line 1 ete oun m Readout Runtime lt C us
156. he internal control signal see Figure 4 6 The Frame Period setting determines the control signal period The length of the calculated exposure time is determined by the setting of the Flash Window Width parameter You should set the Flash Window Width parameter to a value that represents how long you want the flash window to be open during each exposure see Section 4 2 for detailed information about the flash window Once you have entered a setting for the flash window width the camera will automatically calculate the exposure time that will result in the desired flash window open time To determine when the flash window is actually open you should monitor the flash trigger signal see Sections 2 5 1 Control Signal Period Exposure Internal calculated by camera Control lt gt Signal Frame Readout Figure 4 7 Free run Flash Window Controlled Mode 4 1 2 2 Guidelines When Using Free run A402k A403k and A404k n free run programmable mode the minimum exposure time setting is 4 56 us Due to the sensor design the exposure time can only be set in multiples of 4 56 us that is 4 56 us 9 12 us 13 68 ps and so on In free run programmable mode the following rule also applies Exposure Time Setting lt Frame Period Setting 9 12 us n free run flash window controlled mode the minimum flash window setting is 4 56 us The flash window can only be set in multiples of 4 56 ps that is 4 56 us 9 12 us
157. he tool will open To familiarize yourself with using the tool press the F1 key and look through the online help included with the tool If an error occurs the tool is automatically closed after start up Refer to the CCT Installation Guide for possible causes 7 1 2 Closing the Configuration Tool Close the CCT by clicking on the button in the upper right corner of the window 7 1 3 Configuration Tool Basics The volatile RAM memory in the camera contains the set of parameters that controls the current operation of the camera This set of parameters is known as the work configuration set or work set see Section 6 9 The CCT is used to view the present settings for the parameters in the work set or to change the settings When the CCT is opened and a port is selected it queries the camera and displays a list of the current settings for the parameters in the work set Basler A400k Configuring the Camera To simplify navigation parameters are organized in related groups For example all parameters related to the camera output can Basler CCT A402k File Camera View Options Help be found in the Output group Li 7 Output When you click on the plus or minus sign Video Data Output Mode 2 Taps 8 Bil CL Base Configuration v beside a group or the parameters in this Digital Shift No digital shit group will be shown or hidden respectively Test Image No test ima
158. his example we assume that a BCC is used 0x03 isthe BFE field The value in the BFE field is always 0x03 Basler A400k 7 57 Configuring the Camera 7 58 7 3 2 3 Calculating the Block Check Character BCC The use of a block check character BCC in A400k commands is optional see pages 7 52 and 7 53 If you choose to use a BCC the BCC will be the exclusive or sum XOR sum of the bytes in the FTF field the DataLen field the Address field and the Data field of the command frame For the write command example shown in Section 7 3 2 2 the block check character is 0x18 Let s consider how this block check character was calculated Calculating XOR sums is most easily understood when numbers are shown in their binary form so in the example calculations shown below the hexadecimal digits in our command have been converted to binary To find the XOR sum of two binary numbers you add the two digits in each column using the following rules If both digits are O the result is O If both digits are 1 the result is O If one of the digits is a 1 and the other is a 0 the result is 1 With all of this in mind here is how the check digit for the write command shown in Section 7 3 2 2 would be calculated 0000 0100 2 the binary representation of 0x04 FTF 0000 0100 2 the binary representation of 0x04 DataLen 0000 00 0 0 XOR sum 0000 00 0 0 Previous XOR Sum 0000 000 1 the binary representation of 0x00 Address
159. ield of the Exposure Time CSR see page 7 16 If you select the ExSync flash window controlled mode you will also need to set the flash window width by writing a value to the Raw Flash Window Width field or to the Absolute Flash Window Width field of the Flash Window Width CSR see page 7 33 Section 7 2 2 explains CSRs and the difference between using the raw field and the absolute field in a CSR Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Basler A400k 4 5 Frame Acquisition Control 4 1 2 Free Run 4 1 2 1 Basics of Free run Controlled Operation In free run no ExSync signal is required The camera generates a continuous internal control signal When the camera is operating in free run it exposes and outputs frames continuously When the camera is operating in free run the length of the control signal period determines the camera s frame rate 1 F te pile es Control signal period The control signal period is equal to the frame period setting All cameras have three modes of exposure time control available when they are operating in free run edge controlled mode programmable mode and flash window controlled mode n free run edge controlled mode the camera generates a continuous internal control signal based on the Frame Period parameter The pixels are exposed and charge is accumulated over the full period of the internal control signal rising edge to rising ed
160. ieveable frame rate depends on the number of lines included in the area of interest AOI Height The fewer the number of lines in the area of interest the higher the maximum frame rate To determine the maximum frame rate for a given AOI use your AOI settings 85 MHz Max frames per second approximated 750 AOI Height x 294 x For example using the full AOI height of 1726 lines the frame rate cannot be higher than 167 5 fps frames per second With an AOI height of 200 lines the frame rate cannot be higher than 1441 9 fps In some exposure modes you must set the frame period in us To convert the calculated frame rate frames per second into the frame period us use the following formula Frame period us SETCPTTEN x 1 000 000 6 4 3 3 A406k When the area of interest feature is used the camera s maximum achieveable frame rate depends on the number of lines included in the area of interest AOI Height The fewer the number of lines in the area of interest the higher the maximum frame rate To determine the maximum frame rate for a given AOI use your AOI settings Max frames per second approximated 335 ROL Height 238 x For example using the full AOI height of 1726 lines the frame rate cannot be higher than 209 4 fps frames per second With an AOI height of 200 lines the frame rate cannot be higher than 1795 7 fps In some exposure modes you must set the frame period in us To convert the calcu
161. if you are using an The A406k can output video data in 10 tap 8 bit mode The camera outputs data for ten pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 8 bit depth Basler A400k 5 1 Video Data Output You can select the video data output mode using either the Camera Configuration Tool Plus see Section 7 1 and the configuration tool s on line help or binary commands see Section 7 3 With the configuration tool you use the Video Data Output Mode setting in the Output group to select the data output mode and with binary commands you use the Video Data Output Mode binary command like complete details of the output mode and the way that pixel data is handled by the cameras refer to the document called A400k Information for Frame Grabber De signers AW000886xx000 You can download the document from the Basler web site http www baslerweb com The descriptions on this page are only an overview of the output modes If you would 5 1 1 Setting the Video Data Output Mode You can set the video data output mode by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Video Data Output Mode setting in the Output parameter group to set the output mode By Setting CSRs You can select the video data output mod
162. ifications Requirements and Precautions 1 7 Precautions Power Caution Be sure that all power to your system is switched off before you make or break connections to the camera Making or breaking connections when power is on can result in damage to the camera If you can not switch off power be sure that the power supply connector is the last connector plugged when you make connections to the camera and the first connector unplugged when you break connections The camera is equipped with an under voltage lockout An input voltage below 10 8 VDC will cause the camera to automatically switch off The camera has no over voltage protection An input voltage higher than 13 2 VDC will damage the camera Do not reverse the polarity of the input power to the camera Reversing the po larity of the input power can severely damage the camera and leave it non op erational To ensure that your warranty remains in force Do not remove the camera s serial number label If the label is removed and the serial number can t be read from the camera s registers the warranty is void Read the manual Read the manual carefully before using the camera Keep foreign matter outside of the camera Do not open the camera housing Touching internal components may damage them Be careful not to allow liquids dust sand flammable or metallic material inside the camera housing If operated with any foreign matter inside the came
163. igure 2 1 A400k Connectors and LED The camera housing is not grounded and is electrically isolated from the circuit boards inside of the camera Note that the connectors at the camera are described NOT the connectors re quired at the connecting cables Figure 2 2 A400k Pin Numbering 2 2 Basler A400k Camera Interface 2 1 2 Pin Assignments for Camera Link Connector One Camera Link connector 1 see Figure 2 1 on the camera is a 26 pin female 0 050 inch MDR connector as called for in the Camera Link Specification It is used to interface video data control signals and configuration data Camera Link connector 1 is present on all A400k cameras The pin assignments for Camera Link Connector 1 are shown in Table 2 1 Pin Signal Number Name Direction Level Function 1 13 14 Gnd Input Ground Ground for the inner shield of the cable 26 2 X0 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 15 X0 3 X1 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 16 X1 4 X2 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 17 X2 6 X3 Output Camera Link Data from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 19 X3 5 XCIk Output Camera Link Transmit clock from Camera Link transmitter LVDS 18 XCIk 7 SerTC Input RS 644 Serial communication data receive LVDS SerTC Serial to Camera 20 SerTC 8 SerTFG Output RS 6
164. ine and AOI Height settings in the Area of Interest parameters group to set the area of interest By Setting CSRs You can set the AOI starting column by writing a value to the Starting Column field of the AOI Starting Column CSR see page 7 26 You can set the AOI width by writing a value to the Width field of the AOI Width CSR see page 7 27 You can set the AOI starting line by writing a value to the Line field of the AOI Starting Line CSR see page 7 29 You can set the AOI height by writing a value to the Height field of the AOI Height CSR see page 7 30 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands With the AOI Editor You can set an AOI using the AOI Editor see Section 6 4 4 2 This involves entering the settings of one AOI in the AOI list of the AOI Editor Basler A400k Features 6 4 3 Changes to the Max Frame Rate with Area of Interest 6 4 3 1 A402k A403k and A404k When the area of interest feature is used the camera s maximum achieveable frame rate typically increases If the camera is set for the standard frame readout delay then the amount that the maximum frame rate increases depends on the number of lines included in the area of interest AOI Height and the width of the area of interest AOI Width The fewer the number of lines in the area of interest and the smaller the width the higher the maximum frame rate If the camera is
165. inner temperature by reading a value from the Camera Temperature field of the Camera Temperature CSR see page 7 8 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of inquiry CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands 6 8 2 Over Temperature Protection A400k series cameras have over temperature protection If the internal temperature of the camera rises above 75 C the main circuitry for the camera will be switched off In this situation you will still be able to communicate with the camera You can check to see if the camera has detected an over temperature condition with the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read commands from within your own application to read the camera s inquiry registers You must let the camera cool and then reset it or power it off and back on to return it to normal operation With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Overtemperature parameter in the Camera Information parameters group to determine if an over temperature condition has been detected If the value is 1 an over temperature condition has been detected By Reading CSRs You check for an over temperature condition by reading the value of bit 20 in the Camera Status field of the Camera Status Inquiry Register see page 7 9 If the bit is set to 1 an over temperature condition has been detected See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of inquiry CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using
166. ion llle 8 7 8 3 Technical Support 4 ax sende ade e Eee a a us te cea de 8 8 8 3 1 Technical Support Resources 0 0 00 e eee 8 8 8 3 2 Obtaining an RMA Number lsssseseee es 8 8 8 3 3 Before Contacting Basler Technical Support 4 8 8 REVISION HISLOFV soo adip v k by pee dissbbxu etae s oae xd i Index Aene orena Ret wl aye wane ee Eea a a aeo E a Recs Ms d v IV Basler A400k Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 1 Document Applicability This User s Manual applies to A402k A403k and A404k cameras with a camera version ID number of 08 to A405k cameras with the version number 01 and to A406k cameras with a camera version ID number of 03 Cameras with a lower or a higher ID number may have fewer features or have more features than described in this manual Features on cameras with a lower or a higher ID number may not operate exactly as described in this manual An easy way to see the camera version ID number for an A400k camera is by using the CCT To see the camera version ID number 1 Double click the CCT icon on your desktop or click Start gt All Programs gt Basler gt CCT gt CCT The CCT window will open and the software will connect to your N Basler CCT A404kc BAX File Camera View Options Help clsercor Port 0 v Refresh I User Set Files Camera Information
167. ion for your frame grabber Make sure that you have installed Make corrections all software related to the port and that the port has the following settings No and then restart 8 data bits no parity 1 stop bit and bitrate 9600 bps Is the port software installed and are the port settings correct your computer Start the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT and click on the port selector drop down menu that appears below the menu bar A list will show any RS 644 The RS 644 port s available on the frame grabber RS 644 ports are identified in the list by a port is port number and a dll library name Click on an RS 644 port in the list Yes working 2 correctly Exit Does a list of camera settings appear this chart Does a Can t connect to the port because the Yes The portis present but the CCT can not access the port port is in use message appear Make sure that no other program has access to the port You may need to update the CCT To download the latest version of the tool go to www baslerweb com Once you have downloaded the latest version of the tool uninstall the old version of the tool from your computer and install the new version Start the CCT click the No port selected button and select an RS 644 port from the list Does a list of camera parameters appear Does a This type of camera is not supported message appear Yes No The port is present and can be
168. is a simple CSR with only two fields Most of the other feature CSRs have several read write fields that let you set the parameters associated with the feature They may also have read only fields that contain information about the minimum and maximum allowed setting for each parameter Section 7 2 2 2 lists the feature CSRs in A400k cameras and shows detailed information about the use of each field within the register 7 2 2 1 Raw Value Fields vs Absolute Value Fields As you look through the descriptions of the feature CSRs you will notice that some CSRs have a parameter that can be set by writing a value to a raw field or by writing a value to an absolute field You will find this to be true for the Exposure Time Frame Period Gain and Offset parameters The common characteristic among these parameters is that they are expressed as rational numbers These numbers are on a continuous scale rather than on a scale of discrete integers Any one of the parameters expressed as rational numbers can be set on a raw scale or on an absolute scale A raw scale is simply a range of integer values that has no defined units An absolute scale is a range of floating point values that has defined units Let s look at the Exposure Time parameter as an example Setting the Raw Exposure Time If you adjust the exposure time by writing a value to the Raw Exposure Time field of the Exposure Time CSR you can write any integer value from 1 to 4194303 d
169. is available Field Name Camera Status Offset 0x0001 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Each bit in this field specifies an error condition see table below Bit 0 is the least signifi cant bit If a bit is set to 1 the error condition assigned to that bit is present If the bit is set to 0 the error is not present Bit Description 0 The camera is unlocked 1 The camera is booting or is busy performing an internal operation such as generating shading values 2 A reset has occurred This bit is auto cleared on read 3 Parameter error for example a parameter has been set to a value that is out of range or not allowed or in conflict with other settings 4 A user set load has failed 5 A file operation has failed 6 Reserved 7 A binary read write command protocol error has been detected For more in formation about the error read the Binary Command Protocol Status Inquiry register see page 7 12 This bit clears when you read the Binary Command Protocol Status Inquiry register 8 15 Reserved 16 An FPGA not ready error has occurred For more information about the error read the FPGA Status Inquiry registers see pages 7 10 and 7 11 This bit clears when you read the FPGA Status Inquiry registers 17 A trigger error has occurred Either the frame rate has been exceeded or the ExSync signal is missing For more information about the error read the FPGA Status Inquiry registers see pages 7 10 and 7 11 This bit clears when you rea
170. ister Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Control Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field selects a bulk data control function 0x00 Enumerate 0x01 ENext 0x02 Read 0x03 Write 0x05 Activate 0x06 Create Field Name Info Offset 0x0002 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description If you are performing a bulk data read or write operation this field will indicate when no more data exists 0x00 More data exists 0x01 No more data exists 0x04 No more data exists and this is an activated file Field Name File Name Offset 0x0003 Size 20 Bytes Type Read Write Description Character string indicating the name of a bulk data file The field contains 20 characters left aligned zero padded Field Name Size Offset 0x0017 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description If the file name refers to an already existing bulk data file this field will contain the file size in bytes Otherwise the field contains zeros Field Name Data Offset 0x001B Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Byte sized register that is used to sequentially write to or read from a bulk data file
171. ite command with the new setting 2 Wait one second 3 Change the setting on the serial port that the camera is using a If you are using a Camera Link frame grabber change the setting on the frame grabber s RS 644 serial port b If you are using the camera with a k BIC change the bit rate on your PC s RS 232 serial port A402k only 4 Resume communication The RS 644 serial port on some Camera Link frame grabbers will only support a bit rate of 9600 If you are using a Camera Link frame grabber check the grabber s documentation before attempting to change the bit rate At reset or power off on the camera returns to the 9600 bps setting 7 38 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Camera Reset CSR Register Base Address 0x0B00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Reset Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Write only Description Writing an integer value of 1 0x01 to this field will initiate a camera reset The reset behavior is similar to a power up reset Parameter Set Cache CSR Register Base Address 0x3000 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only D
172. ite commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Create Column FPN Shading Values File parameter in the Column FPN Shading Value File parameters group to save the column FPN shading set currently in the volatile memory to a file in the non volatile memory Basler A400k Features By Setting CSRs You can save the current shading correction values to a file in the non volatile memory by writing values to the bulk data CSR for column FPN shading values Section 7 2 3 explains the bulk data CSRs and explains how to use the CSRs to save the shading values to a file Section 7 3 explains using read write commands scribed in Section 6 9 1 To save the column FPN shading values you must save The column FPN shading correction values are not saved in the user sets de them to a file as described on the previous page 6 2 2 DSNU Shading Correction In theory when an area scan camera with a digital sensor captures a frame in complete darkness all of the pixel values in the frame should be near zero and they should be equal In practice slight variations in the performance of the pixels in the sensor will cause some variation in the pixel values output from the camera when the camera is capturing frames in darkness This variation is known as Dark Signal Non uniformity DSNU The DSNU shading correction feature on A
173. ixel line within the AOI The width of the flash window can calculated using the below formula Flash window width us Exposure time us AOI Height x C us Where C 4 56 us for the A402k A403k and A404k C 3 455us for the A405k C 2 764us for the A406k A400k cameras output a flash trigger signal that can be used to trigger flash exposure The flash trigger signal can be programmed to be high as long as the flash window is open that is all pixel lines are exposed to light and the flash should occur see Section 2 5 1 To effectively use the flash exposure the guidelines below must be observed The flash must occur while the flash window is open that is the flash trigger signal is high The exposure time setting on the camera and the duration of the flash must be equal to or higher than the minimum flash exposure time required The minimum flash exposure time required is calculated using the below formula Minimum flash exposure C ys x AOI Height 1 Trash where Teiash is the time interval between when the flash is triggered until the flash reaches zero intensity again and C is as defined above Examples for the A402k A The height of the area of interest AOI is 1726 lines full resolution Minimum flash exposure 4 56 us x 1726 1 Trash 7866 us Triash B The height of the area of interest AOI is only 200 lines Minimum flash exposure 4 56 ps x 200 1 TFlash 907 4 us Trias If t
174. ize 1 Byte Type Read only Description If you are performing a bulk data read or write operation this field will indicate when no more data exists 0x00 More data exists 0x01 No more data exists 0x04 No more data exists and this is an activated file Field Name File Name Offset 0x0003 Size 20 Bytes Type Read Write Description Character string indicating the name of a bulk data file The field contains 20 characters left aligned zero padded Field Name Size Offset 0x0017 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description If the file name refers to an already existing bulk data file this field will contain the file size in bytes Otherwise the field contains zeros Field Name Data Offset 0x001B Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Byte sized register that is used to sequentially write to or read from a bulk data file You can save up to one column FPN shading value file in the non volatile memory There is a restriction on naming the file that holds the saved set of column FPN shading values The file must be named columnshading Basler A400k 7 49 Configuring the Camera AOI List CSR See Section 7 2 3 1 for information about using bulk data control registers Register Base Address 0x2D00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The
175. k of the pixels the starting column should be set to 1 the width in columns to 2352 In normal operation the camera is set to use all of the pixels in the array To use all the starting line to 1 and the height in lines to 1726 Basler A400k 6 15 Features A405k and A406k The size of the area of interest is defined by declaring a starting column a width in columns a starting line and a height in lines Starting columns can only be selected in multiples of 16 1 that is the starting column can be 1 17 33 and so on On A405k cameras the width can only be multiples of 16 that is 16 32 48 and so on On A406k cameras the width can only be multiples of 80 that is 80 160 240 and so on Reference position is the top left corner of the image For example suppose that you specify the starting column on an A406k as 17 the width in columns as 80 the starting line as 8 and the height in lines as 10 As shown in Figure 6 3 the camera will only transmit pixel data from within the defined area Information from the pixels outside of the area of interest is discarded Width in Columns F Starting Column Column 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 95 96 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Starting Line4 Line Line 5 The camera will only transmit the pixel data from this area Line 6 Line 7 4 Line 8
176. k the table on page 7 37 you will find that 0x1800 is the address for the Status field of the Test Image CSR 0x15 isthe BCC field See page 7 58 for instructions on calculating a BCC Note that the use of a BCC is optional In this example we assume that a BCC is used 0x03 is the BFE The value in the BFE field is always 0x03 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera 7 3 2 2 Write Command This section includes a text description of the hex digits included in a command message used to write a value of 0x01 to the Mode field of the Test Image Mode CSR see page 7 37 The purpose of this section is to give you a basic understanding of the elements included in a write command Section 7 4 includes actual samples of the code used to send a write command The hex digits included in the write command are 0x01 0x04 0x04 0x01 0x18 0x01 0x18 0x03 0x01 is the BFS field The value in the BFS field is always 0x01 0x04 isthe FTF field The hex value of 0x04 in the FTF field converts to a binary value of 0b00000100 Bits 7 through 3 of the binary value indicate the OpCode As shown in the table on page 7 53 an OpCode value of 0b00000 indicates that this is a write command frame Bit 2 indicates the presence or absence of a BCC in the frame As shown in the table on page 7 53 when this bit is set to 0b1 it indicates that a BCC is present Bits 1 through 0 indicate the AddrLen As shown in the table on page 7 53 a value of 0
177. l resolution for A402k A403k and A404k cameras on each line the value for pixel 1 will be swapped with the value for pixel 2352 the value for pixel 2 will be swapped with the value for pixel 2351 the value for pixel 3 will be swapped with the value for pixel 2350 and so on For A406k cameras on each line the value for pixel 1 will be swapped with the value for pixel 2320 the value for pixel 2 will be swapped with the value for pixel 2319 the value for pixel 3 will be swapped with the value for pixel 2318 and so on The mirror image feature also works for AOls The swapping of pixel values is analogous to the swapping at full resolution On each line the value of the first pixel is swapped with the value of the last pixel the value of the second pixel is swapped with the value of the next to last pixel and so on Note If you run a sequence of AOls and if you have enabled the mirror image feature the mirror image feature will be applied to all AOls Enabling Disabling the Mirror Image You can enable disable the mirror image feature by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the mirror mode parameter in the Output parameters group to enable or disable the mirror image feature By Setting CSRs You can enable disable the mirror im
178. lable 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the stamp mode 0x00 Stamp off 0x01 Stamp enabled See Section 6 5 for more information about the stamp feature Basler A400k 7 31 Configuring the Camera Flash Trigger Output Mode CSR Register Base Address 0x1D00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Operating Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the mode of the flash trigger output signal 0x00 The flash trigger signal is always low 0x01 The flash trigger signal is high while the sensor s flash window is open 0x02 The flash trigger signal is high while the ExFlash signal from the frame grabber is high 0x03 The flash trigger signal is always high 0x05 The flash trigger signal is low while sensor s the flash window is open 0x06 The flash trigger signal is low while the ExFlash signal from the frame grabber is high See Section 2 5 1 f
179. lash Trigger Output Mode CSR and Flash Trigger Switching Mode CSR see page 7 32 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands 2 5 1 2 Flash Trigger Signal Offset As described in Section 2 5 1 the camera can output a flash trigger signal The flash trigger signal can operate in several modes including these two The signal goes high when the sensor s flash window opens and goes low when the window closes The signal goes low when the sensor s flash window opens and goes high when the window closes If the camera is set to operate in either of these modes the Flash Trigger Signal Offset parameter lets you apply an offset that will cause the flash trigger signal transitions to occur either earlier or later than normally expected Setting the offset to a negative value will cause the transitions to occur earlier than normal Setting the offset to a positive value will cause the transitions to occur later than normal Setting the offset to zero will cause no change in normal operation The flash trigger signal offset feature is useful for example to compensate for the reaction time of a flash illumination system The Flash Trigger Signal Offset can be set in increments of 4 56 us on A402k A403k and A404k cameras in increments of 3 455 on A405k cameras or in increments of 2 764 us on A406k cameras The minimum and the maximum settings allowed for the parameter depend
180. lated frame rate frames per second into the frame period us use the following formula Frame period us Frame sei x 1 000 000 Basler A400k 6 21 Features 6 22 6 4 4 Programmable AOI Sequencer The programmable area of interest sequencer feature lets the camera run a predefined sequence of two or more areas of interest The sequence can be triggered by the ExSync signal or the camera s internal control signal free run Up to 32 areas of interest can be included in one sequence Figure 6 4 illustrates a sequence that includes two areas of interest The camera repeats the sequence as long as the AOI sequencer feature is enabled Column 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Line 5 Line 6 Line 7 Line 8 Line 9 Line 10 Line 11 Line 12 EERE a a a a g Line 13 Line 14 Line 15 Line 16 Line 17 Line 18 Line 19 Line 20 Line 21 W Line 22 Line 23 ji Line 24 LR Line 25 Line 26 Line 27 Line 28 Line 29 Line 30 Line 31 Line 32
181. lay setting with binary commands 7 20 shortdelay ssoi e o irate iaa 4 10 standard delay 00 000 4 10 free run explained E RID ELSE 4 6 guidelines iru aye ese Se ett e 4 7 free run edge controlled exposure mode 4 6 free run flash window controlled exposure mode 4 7 free run programmable exposure mode 4 6 functional description camera 200 00 e eee 3 1 5 1 6 1 G gain explained ise es Fee eR Rez 6 1 setting with binary commands 7 21 H high side switch 0 0 0 0 2 10 humidity requirements CAME A cT c npRIS CRT E 1 10 l input signals tothe camera eee eee eee 2 8 inquiry registers 0 0 00 eee eee eee 7 5 interfacing the camera 2 1 K Kdrk o sy eae he ees C ERREYS 1 3 1 5 vi L LED error codes explained 8 1 explained LR Bee eae Eas 6 48 lens adapter occa c au drones inetga sai 1 4 1 6 low side switch 0 0 llle eese 2 10 M MDR 26 Camera Link connector 2 3 2 4 mirror image mode explained 0 0 eee eee 6 32 setting with binary commands 7 37 model number viewing with binary commands 7 5 model tab iina erede 7 3 O offset explained denote oe En I n us 6 1 setting with binary commands 7 22 open collector sc se Sea peru 2 10 output data rate 0 1 4 1 5 output signals from the camera
182. ld converts to a binary value of 0600001100 Bits 7 through 3 of the binary value indicate the OpCode As shown in the table on page 7 53 an OpCode value of 0b00001 indicates that this is a read command frame Bit 2 indicates the presence or absence of a BCC in the frame As shown in the table on page 7 53 when this bit is set to 0b1 it indicates that a BCC is present Bits 1 and 0 indicate the AddrLen As shown in the table on page 7 53 a value of 0b00 for the AddrLen indicates that the address portion of this frame contains a 16 bit address If you check the table on page 7 37 you will find that the address for the Status field of the Test Image CSR is 0x1800 a 16 bit address You are free to use any supported AddrLen as long as the CSR address will fit into it 0x01 is the DataLen field This field indicates the data size in bytes that will be transferred by using this read command As shown in the table on page 7 37 the data size for the Status field of the Test Image CSR is 1 byte Note that for read commands the data size specified in the DataLen field represents the number of bytes of data that you expect to see in the response frame No data bytes are actually included in the read command 0x00 0x18 isthe Address field in little endian This field indicates the CSR address from which the data bytes will be read The little endian values of 0x00 0x18 in the address field translate to an address of 0x1800 If you chec
183. ls have a gray value of 255 A third stripe begins in line 512 The pixels in line 512 have a gray value of 0 the pixels in line 513 have a value of 1 the pixels in line 514 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until line 1726 where the pixels have a value of 190 In 10 bit mode a second stripe begins in line 1024 The pixels in line 1024 have a value of 0 the pixels in line 1025 have a value of 1 the pixels in line 1026 have a value of 2 and so on This pattern continues until line 1726 where the pixels have a value of 702 Figure 6 26 Test Image Four 10 bit 6 40 Basler A400k Features 6 7 5 Guidelines When Using Test Images When using a test image please take the following guidelines into account When atest image is active the gain offset and exposure time have no effect on the image DSNU and PRNU shading correction produce distortion in the test image Disable DSNU and PRNU shading correction before you enable a test image Digital shift makes test images appear very light Disable digital shift when a test image is active Use of the area of interest feature will effect the appearance of test images f the camera is set for an exposure mode that uses an ExSync signal the ExSync signal must be present and must toggle in order for the camera to output test images If the camera is set for free run each cycle of the camera s internal sync signal will trigger the output of a test imag
184. memory are not lost at reset or power off You can save only one set of DSNU values to file in the non volatile memory A save will take approximately two minutes You can save the current shading values to a file in the non volatile memory by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs Basler A400k Features With the CCT With the CCT see Section Figure 7 1 you use the Create DSNU Shading Values File parameter in the DSNU Shading Value File parameters group to save the DSNU shading set currently in the volatile memory to a file in the non volatile memory By Setting CSRs You can save the current shading correction values to a file in the non volatile memory by writing values to the bulk data CSR for DSNU shading values Section 7 2 3 explains the bulk data CSRs and explains how to use the CSRs to save the shading values to a file Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Section 6 9 1 To save the column DSNU shading values you must save them to a The DSNU shading correction values are not saved in the user sets described in file as described on the previous page If you save the set of DSNU values to a file enable the use of shading correction and save the current work set to your standard user set the camera will automati cally load and use shading correction at next power on
185. meras can store blocks of bulk data such as configuration sets a set of shading values or an AOI list in named files within the camera s non volatile memory The camera s bulk data control and status registers CSRs are used to save blocks of bulk data to files in the non volatile memory For example you can use the configuration set bulk data control register to create a named file in the camera and to store the settings from the current work configuration set in that file In the case of the A400k there are three types of bulk data configuration sets a set of shading values and an AOI list There is a separate bulk data control and status register for each type of bulk data The configuration set bulk data CSR is used to work with configuration sets the shading value CSR is used to work with a set of shading values and the AOI list CSR is used to upload an AOI list By writing to fields within a bulk data CSR you can do things such as saving a block of bulk data to a file in the non volatile memory copying a saved bulk data file from the camera to a PC and creating a list of existing saved bulk data files Section 7 2 3 2 lists the bulk data CSRs in A400k cameras and provides a general description of the use of each field within the registers The best way to understand the use of the bulk data CSRs is to read about the different tasks that you can perform with them Section 7 2 3 1 describes the tasks that are normally performed by manip
186. mption stated in Sections 1 3 and 2 3 Corrected the length of the camera housing stated in Section 1 3 Corrected the mechanical specification drawings in Section 1 5 Added a note to Section 6 7 DA00062404 7 Oct 2004 Added A404k info DA00062405 18 Mar 2005 Added A400kc info Corrected Table 2 1 Corrected Sections 6 7 1 6 7 2 and 6 7 4 Modified descriptions in Section 6 1 1 of raw gain and raw offset set tings from 0 to 100 DA00062406 14 Apr 2005 On page 7 32 corrected the ID for the flash trigger output mode Al ways high is 0x03 and not 0x04 DA00062407 21 Jul 2005 General Removed Monochrome Versions Only in PRNU Shading Correction description Replaced Figure 1 3 In Section 6 2 3 added In the color version PRNU shading cor rection is executed for each color separately Replaced Effective Exposure Time with Exposure Time in Figures 4 8 Corrected starting column entries in the AOI list actual value minus one in Section 6 4 4 Introduced the AOI Editor in Section 6 4 4 2 Replaced The 4 bytes in this field with The 2 bytes in this field in the Area of Interest Width in Columns CSR description on page 7 27 and Area of Interest Height in Line CSR description on 7 30 Added a Technical Support section Section 8 Basler A400k Revision History Document Number Date Changes DA00062408 16 Nov 2005 Added a Document Applicability section Section 1
187. municate via this serial port built into the frame grabber The A400k is equipped for RS 644 serial communication via the frame grabber as specified in the standard The RS 644 serial connection SerTC SerTFG in the Camera Link interface is used to issue commands to the camera for changing modes and parameters The serial link can also be used to query the camera about its current setup The Basler Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT is a convenient graphical interface that can be used to change camera modes and parameters via the serial connection The configuration tool is installed as part of the camera installation procedure shown in the booklet that is shipped with the camera Section 7 1 provides some basic information about the configuration tool Detailed instructions for using the tool are included in the on line help file that is installed with the tool Basler has also developed a binary read write command format that can be used to change camera modes and parameters directly from your own application via the serial connection using the API delivered with the frame grabber See Section 7 3 for details on the binary read write command format 2 6 2 1 Making the Serial Connection Frame grabbers compliant with the Camera Link specification are equipped with a serial port integrated into the Camera Link interface that can be used for RS 644 serial communication The characteristics of the serial port can vary from manufacturer If yo
188. n and the flash trigger signal offset is set to zero set to 13 82 us and to 13 82 us D Reset D Readout Start of Exposure Exposure Time End of Exposure lt gt Y Y Column 1 Column 2320 Line 1 DW Flash Window
189. ncrements of 2 764 uis and can nor mally range from 2 764 us to 11591528 291 us The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number See Section 4 1 for more information about exposure time Field Name Absolute Min Offset 0x0005 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed floating point value for the absolute exposure time setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point num ber Field Name Absolute Max Offset 0x0009 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed floating point value for the absolute exposure time setting This field is updated to reflect any limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number 7 16 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Field Name Raw Exposure Time Offset 0x000D Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the exposure time The value can normally range from 1 0x00000001 to 4194303 0x003FFFFF The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set The integer value represents a multiplier The actual
190. ns of 160 bits from the ADC registers to the output registers and output in ascending numerical order from pixel 1 through pixel 2352 2320 in the A405k and A406k and from the first line through the last line via 16 output ports that each transmit 10 bit pixel data in parallel with each cycle Finally the output data is reformatted and transferred out of the camera as shown below n the A402k the data is reformatted to be output in 2 data streams in parallel 2 taps n the A403k the data is reformatted to be output in 4 data streams in parallel 4 taps n the A404k the data is reformatted to be output in 4 data streams in parallel 4 taps or in eight data streams in parallel 8 taps n the A405k the data is reformatted to be output in 8 data streams in parallel 8 taps n the A406k the data is reformatted to be output in 10 data streams in parallel 10 taps The 8 bit or 10 bit video data is transmitted from the camera to the frame grabber using a Camera Link defined transmission format The camera can transmit video at eight bit depth or ten bit depth eight bit depth only in the A406k For optimal digitization gain and offset are programmable via a serial port Basler A400k 3 1 Functional Description
191. ol function 0x00 Enumerate 0x01 ENext 0x02 Read 0x03 Write 0x05 Activate 0x06 Create Field Name Info Offset 0x0002 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description If you are performing a bulk data read or write operation this field will indicate when no more data exists 0x00 More data exists 0x01 No more data exists 0x04 No more data exists and this is an activated file Field Name File Name Offset 0x0003 Size 20 Bytes Type Read Write Description Character string indicating the name of a bulk data file The field contains 20 characters left aligned zero padded Field Name Size Offset 0x0017 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description If the file name refers to an already existing bulk data file this field will contain the file size in bytes Otherwise the field contains zeros Field Name Data Offset 0x001B Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Byte sized register that is used to sequentially write to or read from a bulk data file You can save up to four configuration set files in the non volatile memory There is a restriction on naming the files that hold the saved configuration sets They must be named UserSet01 UserSet02 UserSet03 or UserSet04 7 46 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera DSNU Shading Value CSR See Section 7 2 3 1 for information about using bulk data control registers Register Base Address 0x2A80 Field Name Reg
192. ome gray values is commonly called Basler A400k Features Shift Twice When the camera is set to shift twice the output from the camera will include bit 7 through bit 0 from each ADC along with two zeros as LSBs The result of shifting twice is that the output of the camera is effectively multiplied by four For example assume that the camera is set for no shift that it is viewing a uniform white target and that under these conditions the reading for the brightest pixel is 100 If you changed the digital shift setting to shift twice the reading would increase to 400 lu S S B Shifted Twice B l4 gt ital shift are all below 256 and so forth If bit 9 or bit 8 is set to 1 all of the other bits will automatically be set to 1 This means that you should only use the shift twice setting when your pixel readings with no dig Since the shift twice setting requires that the two least significant bits always be 0 the gray value scale will only include every 4th gray value For example 4 8 16 Basler A400k Features 6 3 2 Digital Shift in 8 Bit Output Mode No Shift As mentioned in Section 6 the A400k uses 10 bit ADCs to digitize the output from the CMOS sensor When the camera is operating in 8 bit output mode by default it drops the two least significant bits from the ADC and transmits the 8 most significant bits bit 9 through bit 2 Shift Once When the camera is set
193. ommended mating connector is the Hirose micro miniature locking plug part HR10A 7P 6S A plug of this type will be shipped with each camera The plug should be used to terminate the cable on the power supply for the camera 2 1 5 Pin Assignments for the 4 pin Micro Miniature Receptacle The flash trigger output connector type is a micro miniature push pull locking connector the Hirose HR10A 7R 4S The pin assignment is given in Table 2 4 o Sand Direction Level Function 2 Flash Trigger Output TTL signal Flash trigger the HIGH signal is current limited to 50 mA 20 96 1 3 Not connected 4 DC Gnd Output Ground DC ground Table 2 4 A400k Pin Assignments for the 4 pin Micro miniature Receptacle The recommended mating connector is the Hirose HR10A 7P 4P The flash trigger signal is short circuit proof Insulation voltage is 100 V Basler A400k 2 5 Camera Interface 2 2 2 6 Cable Information 2 2 1 Camera Link Cable Camera Link compatible MDR cable assemblies are available from Basler as a stock item Alternatively you can use the Camera Link cable assemblies manufactured by 3M The maximum allowed length for the MDR cable used with A400k cameras is 10 meters With A405k and A406k cameras you must use 85 MHz certified Camera Link cables These cables are available from Basler Please contact your Basler sales partner for more information The maximum cable length will decrease
194. on the current setting of the AOI Height parameter see Section 6 4 and can be determined by these formulas Flash Trigger Signal Offset Min 7 AOI Height 1 x C us Flash Trigger Signal Offset Max AOI Height 1 x C us Where C 4 56 for A402k A403k and A404k cameras C 3 455 for A405k cameras C 2 764 for A406k cameras ExSync level controlled exposure control mode or the ExSync Edge controlled ex The flash trigger signal offset feature is not available when the camera is set for the posure control mode For more information about exposure control modes see Section 4 1 Basler A400k 2 11 Camera Interface 2 12 Trigger Signal Offset parameter will be applied to each entry in the list You must check to make sure that this parameter setting is appropriate for each entry If you are using the AOI List feature see Section 6 4 4 2 the setting for the Flash Flash Trigger Signal Offset Setting lt AOI Height 1 x C us Where C 4 56 for A402k A403k and A404k cameras C 3 455 for A405k cameras C 2 764 for A406k cameras For any entry in the AOI list where the offset setting is inappropriate the flash trigger signal will not operate correctly i e it will not change state when the flash window opens and closes Figure 2 5 illustrates how the flash trigger signal will operate on an A406k camera if the flash trigger signal is set to be high while the flash window is ope
195. or more information about the flash trigger signal Flash Trigger Switching Mode CSR Register Base Address 0x1E00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Switching Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the switching of the flash trigger output signal 0x00 TTL 0x01 Open collector or Low Side Switch 5 V max 0x02 High Side Switch 5 V 0x03 High impedance default See Section 2 5 1 for more information about the flash trigger signal 7 32 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Flash Window Width CSR Note The flash window width can be set by writing a floating point value to the Absolute Flash Window Width field or by writing an integer value to the Raw Flash Window Width field Refer to Section 7 2 2 1 for an explanation of the difference between these two fields Register Base Address 0x1540 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All rela
196. ortcut current Y Y Y 50 mA 40 20 96 ISOGND ISOGND ISOGND Low Side Switch Camera typically s 5 V Open Collector A A When you select this output signal variant the upper transistor is deac tivated which is shown by grayed S lines in the schematic genius 17 2 4 The schematic shows a sample circuit for your flash device HR10 7R 4SA Calculate your devices so that the maximum output current is 50 mA V V ISOGND ISOGND ISOGND Flash device High Side Switch Camera Flash When you select this output signal Sosy device variant the lower transistor is deac tivated which is shown by grayed lines in the schematic Gonnector The schematic shows a sample cir amsa Y cuit for your flash device Calculate your devices so that the maximum output current is 50 mA V V ISOGND ISOGND GND Figure 2 4 Flash Trigger Output Schematics If the exposure time setting on the camera is lower than the minimum flash exposure required see Section 4 2 2 no flash trigger signal will be output Basler A400k Camera Interface 2 5 1 1 Setting the Flash Trigger Signal You can set the flash trigger signal using either the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or binary commands With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the settings in the Flash Trigger parameter group By Setting CSRs You can program the flash trigger signal by writing a value to the Mode field of the F
197. ot relevant see Figure 4 3 The length of the calculated exposure time is determined by the setting of the Flash Window Width parameter You should set the Flash Window Width parameter to a value that represents how long you want the flash window to be open during each exposure see Section 4 2 for detailed information about the flash window Once you have entered a setting for the flash window width the camera will automatically calculate the exposure time that will result in the desired flash window open time To determine when the flash window is actually open you should monitor the flash trigger signal see Section 2 5 1 4 2 Basler A400k Frame Acquisition Control ExSync Period calculated by camera l Exposure Frame Readout Figure 4 4 ExSync Flash Window Controlled Mode 4 1 1 2 Guidelines When Using an ExSync Signal A402k A403k and A404k n ExSync edge controlled mode and programmable mode minimum high time for the ExSync signal is 2 us minimum low time 2 us In ExSync level controlled mode minimum high time for the ExSync signal is 9 12 us minimum low time 4 56 us n ExSync programmable mode the minimum exposure time setting is 4 56 us Due to the sensor design the exposure time can only be set in multiples of 4 56 us that is 4 56 us 9 12 us 13 68 us and so on In ExSync programmable mode the following rule also applies Exposure Time Setting lt ExSync Signal Period 9 12 us
198. ould follow this procedure 1 Use a binary write command to write the file name gainshading to the Name field of the PRNU shading values bulk data CSR see page 7 48 2 Use a binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the PRNU shading values bulk data CSR to 0x06 Setting the value to 0x06 initiates a create function This procedure would create a file called gainshading in the non volatile memory and would copy the current PRNU shading values from the camera s volatile memory into the new file Sample code that illustrates how to create a bulk data file is available from Basler see Section 7 4 You can save one PRNU shading set file in the non volatile memory There is a restriction on naming the file that holds the saved set of shading tables The file must be named gainshading If the gainshading file already exists it will be overwritten Activating a Saved Configuration Set File The process of activating an existing configuration set file accomplishes two things t copies the values from the saved file into the camera s volatile memory This means that the values will now be actively used by the camera It creates a link to the activated file If the camera is reset or if it is powered off and then back on the values from the activated file will be loaded into volatile memory of the camera and actively used by the camera As an example assume that the camera already has
199. ow controlled 4 7 free run programmable 4 6 exposure start delay 005 4 4 exposure time relation to exp time control modes 4 1 4 7 setting with binary commands exposure time control mode s 7 16 7 33 7 35 explained so reete genes 4 1 4 9 setting with binary commands 7 15 exsync edge controlled exposure mode 4 1 exsync level controlled exposure mode 4 2 exsync programmable exposure mode 4 2 ExSyncsignal 0 eee eee 2 14 explained 6 eee eee eee es 2 8 4 1 Quidelines ee a eS eae eee oe 4 3 F factory set activating with binary commands 7 42 explained silo eI ce er 6 43 feature control and status registers 7 13 V Index fill factor Js ciere terse terse reri 1 3 1 5 firmware versions reading with binary commands 7 6 7 7 flash trigger signal CONNECION n a es de RE 2 5 high side switch lesse 2 10 low side switch open collector 2 10 setting with binary commands 7 32 ELE 25r esie eo dette d 2 10 flash trigger signal offset sn 2 11 flash window eseenns 4 14 F mount adapter 0 0c eee eee 1 8 frame COUNTER ena beet ak aie 6 30 frame period setting with binary commands 7 18 frame rate changes with area of interest 6 19 specifled oss cen ERES 1 3 1 5 frame readout de
200. ow pulses Parameter error For example an unavailable parameter setting has been made Repeated pattern of 4 slow pulses One of the following errors is present A byte time out has occurred see Section 7 3 1 1 Invalid opcode in a read or write command see Section 7 3 1 Incoming data has been discarded since no BFS was included see Section 7 3 1 Invalid BCC in a read or write command see Section 7 3 1 Invalid address in a read or write command see Section 7 3 1 Invalid data length in a read or write command see Section 7 3 1 An unknown error has occurred Please contact Basler technical support Repeated pattern of 3 slow pulses The last column FPN shading value generation has failed The column FPN shading value generation process can fail if the pixel values in the frames captured during the generation process are too high The process should be performed in darkness or in very low light conditions Check your setup and repeat generation see Section 6 2 1 Repeated pattern of 2 slow pulses One of the following errors is present The maximum allowed frame rate has been exceeded see Section 6 4 3 ExSync has not changed state for 5 seconds or longer If you are not supplying an ExSync signal to the camera this is a normal condition and should be ignored Otherwise check the cable and the ExSync generating device 9 lowest Table 8 1 Camera Status Indicators B
201. parameter To determine the current minimum and maximum allowed values first set the AO Height and then check the value of the Raw Min and Raw Max fields in this register The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the raw value Byte 2 Mid byte of the raw value Byte 3 High byte of the raw value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used See Sections 4 2 2 for more information about how the flash window width setting is used Field Name Raw Min Offset 0x0011 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the raw flash trigger signal offset setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the min value Byte 2 Mid byte of the min value Byte 3 High byte of the min value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used Field Name Raw Max Offset 0x0015 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the raw flash trigger signal offset setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Byte 3 High byte of the max value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used 7 36 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera Mirror Image Mode CSR Register Base Address 0x3500
202. pecification Lower if PRNU shading correction is used Dark Current Tem perature Coefficient DSNU 0 1 9o rms if no DSNU shading correction is used Dark Signal Non Lower if DSNU shading correction is used uniformity Kdrk 100 8 C Pixel Clock Speed 85 MHz Frame Rate at full resolution 167 fps progressive scan 209 fps progressive scan Video Data Output Type Camera Link LVDS Full configuration Basler specific 8 tap configuration Basler specific 10 tap configuration Video Data Output Mode s 8 taps 8 pixels clock cycle 8 bit depth Camera Link standard 8 taps 8 pixels clock cycle 10 bit depth Basler specific 10 taps 10 pixels clock cycle 8 bit depth Basler specific Net Output Data Rate 1 MB 109 Bytes 670 6 MB s 8 taps 8 bit depth 838 2 MB s 8 taps 10 bit depth 838 5 MB s 10 taps 8 bit depth Synchronization Via external ExSync signal or free run Exposure Time Control Edge controlled level controlled programmable or flash window controlled Gain and Offset Programmable via a serial link on the frame grabber Table 1 3 A405k Performance Specifications Basler A400k 1 5 Specifications Requirements and Precautions Specifications A405k A406k Connectors Two 26 pin female MDR connector data One 6 pin Hirose HR connector power One 4 pin Hirose HR connector fla
203. quires a flash exposure within the camera s flash window see Section 4 2 2 A405k Exposure time can only be set incrementally in multiples of 3 455 us Formula Exposure time N x 3 455 us where N must be an integer and 0 Exposure time can range from 3 455 ys to 14 49 s The runtime of the sensor reset and readout depends on the height of the area of interest AOI see Section 6 4 The formula below can be used to calculate the runtime Reset runtime Readout runtime 3 455 ys x AOI Height 1 The formula below can be used to calculate the total time it takes to reset expose and read out a single frame Total frame exposure runtime 3 455 us x AOI Height 1 Exposure time 4 12 Basler A400k Frame Acquisition Control Examples A The height of the area of interest AOI is 1726 lines full resolution Total runtime 3 455 us x 1726 1 Exposure time 5959 875 us Exposure time B The height of the area of interest AOI is only 200 lines Total runtime 3 455 us x 200 1 Exposure time 687 545 us Exposure time Imaging of fast moving objects requires a flash exposure within the camera s flash window see Section 4 2 2 A406k Exposure time can only be set incrementally in multiples of 2 764 us Formula Exposure time N x 2 764 us where N must be an integer and gt 0 Exposure time can range from 2 764 us to 11 59 s The runtime of the sensor reset and readout depends on the
204. r Byte 1 Low byte of the maximum raw value Byte 2 High byte of the maximum raw value Column FPN Shading Correction CSR Register Base Address 0x2180 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range 0x82 The generation process failed Field Name Generate Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field will either begin the routine that makes the camera generate a set of column FPN shading correction values or make the ADCs in the sensor self calibrate so the FPN shading correction values are reset to their original values 0x00 After a generate or a reset has been performed the value of the Generate field will revert to 0x00 Writing a value of 0x00 to the field will have no effect on cam era operation 0x01 2 Generate a set of column FPN shading correction values and then use the generated values to perform column shading correction 0x02 Reset the column FPN shading correction values and then use the camera s self calibrating mechanism to perform shading correction See Section 6 2 for more information about shading correction Basler A400k 7 23 Configuring the Camera
205. r to the camera is switched off and on or when the connected camera is exchanged while the CCT is displaying the camera settings To manually refresh the display you can use the Refresh button in the top right corner of the tool changes you make to the work set using the configuration tool will be lost when the camera is switched off To save changes you make to the work set save the modified work set to one of the camera s four user set files The user set files are stored in non volatile memory and will not be lost when the camera is switched off see Sec tion 6 9 Alternatively you can also save the Work Set to the hard disk of your computer and load it from hard disk Keep in mind that the work set is stored in the camera s volatile memory Any 7 1 4 Configuration Tool Help The CCT includes a complete on line help file which explains how to change parameter settings It also explains how to copy the work set to a saved user set file and how to copy a saved user set file or the factory set file to the work set To access on line help press the F1 key whenever the configuration tool is active Basler A400k 7 3 Configuring the Camera 7 2 Configuring the Camera By Setting Registers A400k cameras have blocks of mapped memory space known as registers By reading values from the registers you can determine basic information about the camera and information about the camera s current parameter settings By
206. ra may fail or cause a fire Electromagnetic fields Do not operate the camera in the vicinity of strong electromagnetic fields Avoid electrostatic charging Transporting Only transport the camera in its original packaging Do not discard the packaging Cleaning Avoid cleaning the surface of the CMOS sensor if possible If you must clean it use a soft lint free cloth dampened with a small quantity of isopropyl pure alcohol Do not use methylated alcohol Because electrostatic discharge can damage the CMOS sensor you must use a cloth that will not generate static during cleaning cotton is a good choice To clean the surface of the camera housing use a soft dry cloth To remove severe stains use a soft cloth dampened with a small quantity of neutral detergent then wipe dry Do not use volatile solvents such as benzine and thinners they can damage the surface finish Basler A400k 1 11 Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 12 Basler A400k 2 1 Camera Interface Camera Interface Connections 2 1 1 General Description All A400k area scan cameras are interfaced to external circuitry via three connectors located on the back of the camera e a 26 pin 0 050 inch Mini D Ribbon MDR female connector used to transmit video data control data and configuration data a6 pin micro miniature push pull receptacle used to provide power to the camera a4 pin micro miniature push pull receptacle used to ou
207. rame it will respond with an ACK but will not perform the write After a write command has been issued by the host the host can verify the write by issuing a corresponding read command and checking that the returned data is as expected unless the address is write only The host can read the Camera Status fields in the Camera Status inquiry register see page 7 9 and check the returned data to see if an error condition has been detected only data within a specified range or a specified group of values is valid If the data in a write command is not within the allowed range or specified group of allowed values the camera will not execute the write command For many of the write commands listed in the tables on pages 7 39 through 7 50 Basler A400k 7 55 Configuring the Camera 7 56 7 3 2 Basic Read Write Command Explanations 7 3 2 1 Read Command This section includes a text description of the hex digits included in a command message used to read the Status field of the Test Image Mode CSR see page 7 37 The purpose of this section is to give you a basic understanding of the elements included in a read command Section 7 4 includes actual samples of the code used to send a read command The hex digits included in the read command are 0x01 Ox0C 0x01 0x00 0x18 0x01 0x15 0x03 0x01 is the BFS field The value in the BFS field is always 0x01 OxOC isthe FTF field The hex value of OxOC in the FTF fie
208. res are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Field Name Increment Offset 0x0007 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description An integer value indicating the increment for the height setting The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value 7 30 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera AOI List Trigger Mode CSR Register Base Address 0x2E00 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Mode Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the programmable AOI sequencer mode 0x00 Programmable AOI sequencer off 0x01 7 Image per trigger 0x02 List per trigger 0x03 Free run See Section 6 4 4 for more information about the programmable AOI sequencer feature Stamp CSR Register Base Address 0x2400 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not avai
209. rol modes Basler A400k 7 15 Configuring the Camera Exposure Time CSR Note The exposure time can be set by writing a floating point value to the Absolute Exposure Time field or by writing an integer value to the Raw Exposure Time field Refer to Section 7 2 2 1 for an explanation of the difference between these two fields Register Base Address 0x1500 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Absolute Exposure Time Offset 0x0001 Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing a floating point value to this field sets the exposure time in us For example if the value in this field is set to 9 12 the exposure time will be 9 12 us On A402k A403k and A404k cameras the exposure time must be set in increments of 4 56 us and can normally range from 4 56 us to 19126021 68 us The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set On A405k cameras the exposure time must be set in increments of 3 455 us and can nor mally range from 3 455 us to 14489410 364 us The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set On A406k cameras the exposure time must be set in i
210. run Exposure Mode and Setting the Associated Parameters esee ao etu Ha NET Piece E cbe as ctl 4 8 4 1 3 Frame Readout Delay 0 0 0 eee 4 10 4 2 Rolling Shutter 2 2202 5608 etek seed rA eR kas pres e su oe aaa 4 11 4 2 1 Guidelines for Successful Use of the Rolling Shutter 4 12 4 2 2 Flash Exposure for Fast Moving Objects 0 000 e ee eee 4 14 5 Video Data Output 5 1 Video Data Output Modes 2 0 00 cece eee 5 1 5 1 1 Setting the Video Data Output Mode 0 0 cee 5 2 6 Features 6 1 Galhi and Offset ore ann Bante een ap dea prete Fete SAE ak aa aks 6 1 MEC EE DE C EE ERE 6 1 6 1 1 1 Setting the Gain za2ssii e ded eae YvrGGey WOES 6 2 G12 Offset send wird lotion de AREE S E euet eM ebd d ds 6 2 6 1 2 1 Setting the Offset o o croacia cia coia e eee 6 2 6 2 Shadirig Correctlom 2 2o pa t e a e E ete G A 6 3 6 2 1 Column FPN Shading Correction assau uaaa aaaea 6 3 6 2 2 DSNU Shading Correction liliis 6 5 6 2 3 PRNU Shading Correction llle 6 7 6 2 4 Guidelines When Using Shading Correction 000 eae 6 10 6 3 Digital Shift 5 2 btt bd ADs Ped eU IDA ide ru etis Ep Dg 6 11 6 3 1 Digital Shift in 10 Bit Output Mode A402k 403k A404k and A405k Only 6 11 6 3 2 Digital Shift in 8 Bit Output Mode liliis else 6 13 6 3 3 Precautions When Using Digital Shift llle 6 14 6 3 4 Enabling Disabling Digital Shift
211. ry configuration set is usually just called the factory set for short 6 9 1 Saving User Sets As mentioned above the work configuration set is located in the camera s volatile memory and the settings are lost if the camera is reset or if power is switched off AA00k cameras can save the current work set values in the volatile memory to a file in the camera s non volatile memory Files saved in the non volatile memory are not lost at reset or power off You can save up to four configuration sets to files in the non volatile memory These saved configuration sets are commonly referred to as user sets The following settings are stored in each saved user set AOI Start Column Exposure Time Gain AOI Start Line Flash Trigger Delay Mirror Mode AO Width Flash Trigger Mode Offset AO Height Flash Trigger Switch Shading Mode AOI List Trigger Mode Flash Window Width Stamp Mode Digital Shift Mode Frame Period Test Image Mode Exposure Mode Frame Readout Delay Video Data Output Mode Note that the column FPN shading correction values the DSNU shading correction values and the PRNU shading correction values are not stored with a user set These values can be stored in separate files as described in Section 6 2 Basler A400k 6 43 Features 6 44 Saving a User Set You can save the current work set to a user set file in the non volatile memory by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read write commands from
212. s 0x01 FTF Frame Type and Format field Identifies the frame type and format Size 1 byte The bits in the FTF field are assigned as follows 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 OpCode BCC AddrLen Code The MSB of the FTF field is on the left highest bit of the opcode and the LSB of the field is on the right lowest bit of the address length 7 52 Basler A400k Configuring the Camera The value in the OpCode portion of the FTF field defines the function of the binary command that is whether it is a read command or a write command The following OpCodes are available OpCode Function 0b00000 This is a write command used to write a single setting to the camera 0b00001 This is a read command used to read a single setting from the camera 0b00010 This is a read response frame without an address field The AddrLen bits are don t care 0b00100 This is a bulk write command used to upload a file into the camera 0b00101 This is a bulk read command used to download a file from the camera 0b00110 This is a bulk read response frame without an address field The AddrLen bits are don t care The BCC Code portion of the FTF field indicates the presence of a Block Check Character BCC the use of a BCC is optional BCC Code Function ObO This frame and also the response frame contains no BCC field 0b1 This frame and also the response fr
213. s 1 us there are no further restrictions Basler A400k 2 5 Camera Interface Output Signals 2 5 1 Flash Trigger Signal A400k cameras output a flash trigger signal that can be used to trigger a flash exposure The flash trigger output connector is described in Section 2 1 5 The flash trigger signal can be programmed to operate in one of several different modes The signal is always low that is deactivated The signal is always high The signal is high as long as the sensor s flash window is open that is all pixel lines are exposed to light The signal goes high when exposure starts in the last pixel line of the area of interest and the signal goes low when exposure ends in the first pixel line The signal is ow as long as the sensor s flash window is open that is all pixel lines are exposed to light The signal goes low when exposure starts in the last pixel line of the area of interest and the signal goes high when exposure ends in the first pixel line The signal is tied to the ExFlash input signal provided by the frame grabber and the signal is high while the ExFlash signal from the frame grabber is high The signal is tied to the ExFlash input signal provided by the frame grabber and the signal is low while the ExFlash signal from the frame grabber is high Note that on A406k cameras in some of these modes an offset can be applied to the flash trigger signal See Section 2 5 1 2 for more information In
214. set 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available All related settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Absolute Offset Offset 0x0001 Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing a floating point value to this field sets the offset in For example if the value in this field is set to 20 the offset would be 20 The offset can normally range from 100 to 100 in increments of 1 The actual available range may be limited by the way any related parameters are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Use the sign bit to indicate whether the value is negative or positive See Section 6 1 2 for more information about offset Field Name Absolute Min Offset 0x0005 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed floating point value for the absolute offset setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Field Name Absolute Max Offset 0x0009 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed floating point value for the absolute offset setting This field is updated to reflect any limitations caused
215. sh trigger Power 12 VDC 10 12 VDC 10 Requirements Max 10 5 W 12 VDC Max 12 0 W 12 VDC Lens Adapter F mount Housing Size Without lens adapter 53 8 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm Lx W x H With F mount adapter 85 3 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm Including Connectors Weight without lens adapter 510g with F mount adapter 615g Conformity CE FCC 1 4 Spectral Response 1 6 Quantum Efficiency 96 wo CO oO C Table 1 3 A405k Performance Specifications c A A eo N oa N c1 EN a o 400 500 600 700 Wavelength nm 800 Figure 1 2 Quantum Efficiency for A400k Cameras 900 1000 Basler A400k Specifications Requirements and Precautions 1 5 Mechanical Specifications 1 5 1 Camera Dimensions and Mounting Facilities The A400k camera housing is manufactured with high precision Planar parallel and angular sides guarantee precise mounting with high repeatability A400k cameras are equipped with four M4 mounting holes on the front and two M4 mounting holes on each side as indicated in Figure 1 3 A tripod mount is available as an option Caution To avoid collecting dust on the sensor mount a lens on the camera immediately after unpacking it 90 p 2
216. sler web address DA00062413 19 Jun 2009 Updated the camera version ID numbers in Section 1 1 Revised Sections 2 5 1 2 4 1 1 4 1 2 and 6 4 4 1 the Flash Window Width CSR description on page 7 33 and the Flash Trigger Offset CSR description on page 7 35 to indicate that the flash trigger offset feature now applies to all camera models Added Section 6 8 2 describing the new over temperature feature and updated the Camera Status Inquiry CSR description on page 7 9 to include the new feature Added notes to Section 4 2 2 advising the customer about the ExSync flash window and free run flash window exposure time control modes Corrected the text describing the Generate field in the DSNU or PRNU Shading Value CSR on page 7 24 Basler A400k Revision History Document Number Date Changes DA00062414 5 Nov 2009 Integrated the new A405k cameras Removed the detailed frame grabber design information and placed it in a separate document Reorganized the number of chapters and the content included in each chapter DA00062415 6 Jun 2011 Updated the U S contact address Updated Camera version ID for A406k cameras in Section 1 1 Corrected field offset or size for the following registers In Section 7 2 2 2 Gain Offset In Section 7 2 3 2 Configuration Set Column FPN Shading Values AOI List Removed the feedback page DA00062416 07 Aug 2012
217. ssary Integrated the A406k prototype camera Minor modifications and corrections throughout the manual Basler A400k Revision History Document Number Date Changes DA00062412 14 Jan 2009 Integrated the new A406k cameras Updated the Camera Link cable recommendations in Section 2 2 Added Section 2 5 1 2 describing the new flash trigger offset feature Added the ExSync Flash Window Controlled exposure mode on page 4 3 Updated the guidelines in Sections 4 1 1 2 and 4 1 2 2 Added the Free run Flash Window Controlled exposure mode on page 4 7 Updated the default gain in Section 6 1 1 Updated the default offset in Section 6 1 2 Added notes to Section 6 2 indicating that shading correction values are not saved in the user configuration sets Added an entry regarding the flash trigger offset feature to the list of guidelines on page 6 25 for the AOI list feature Added a list of the settings saved within user sets to Section 6 9 Added the new flash window controlled exposure modes to the description of the Exposure Time Control Mode CSR on page 7 16 Added the Flash Window Width CSR description on page 7 33 Added the Flash Trigger Signal Offset CSR description on page 7 35 Added the Column FPN Shading Value CSR description on page 7 23 Added the mechanical stress test results in Section 1 5 4 Added Section 8 3 2 describing how to obtain an RMA number Updated all instances of the Ba
218. state when the flash window opens and closes A405k and A406k Figure 6 6 shows an AOI list that defines five areas of interest In the AOI list values of the starting columns must be entered as the value of the actual starting column minus one The first area of interest s starting column is 1 the entry is 1 17 0 the width is 1040 pixels the starting line is 100 and the height in lines is 500 This area of interest will be captured using an exposure time of 600 x 3 445 us on A405k cameras or 600 x 2 764 us on A406k cameras Exposure of the second area of interest will start 3000 x 3 445 us after exposure of the first area of interest on A405k cameras or will start 3000 x 2 764 ys after exposure of the first area of interest on A406k cameras The first area of interest will be run once then the area of interest in second position will follow For the first area of interest the flash trigger signal will be enabled The second area of interest s starting column is 161 the entry is 161 12 160 the width is 480 pixels the starting line is 600 and the height in lines is 300 The second area of interest will be run three times with a delay of 2000 x 3 445 us between each exposure on A405k cameras or of 2000 x 2 764 us between each exposure on A406k cameras The third area of interest will be run 2000 x 3 445 us after the last exposure for the second area of interest on A405k cameras or 2000 x 2 764 ys after the last exposure for the se
219. t The file must be named aoilist 7 50 Basler A400k 7 3 Configuring the Camera Using Binary Read Write Commands on the A400k As explained in Section 7 2 each A400k camera has control and status registers with one or more fields that are used to set the values for parameters associated with a camera feature For example the stamp control register has several fields used to set the parameters associated with the stamp feature By writing values to fields in the control registers you configure the camera and control how it operates By reading values from fields in the control registers you can determine how the camera is currently configured Each camera also has inquiry registers with fields that contain basic information such as the camera s serial number and software version numbers By reading values in the inquiry register fields you can determine some basic information about the camera A binary read write command protocol has been developed for use with A400k cameras You can read the data in a register field by sending a binary read command to the camera For example you can use a read command to determine the current value of the Enable field of the Test Image control and status register see page 7 37 When you issue a read command to the camera the camera responds by sending the requested data back to the host computer You can write data to a register field by sending a write command to the camera
220. t value for the flash window width setting This field is updated to reflect any limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Basler A400k 7 33 Configuring the Camera Field Name Raw Flash Window Width Offset 0x000D Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing an integer value to this field sets the flash window width The integer value represents a multiplier The actual flash window width is equal to the value in this field x C us Where C 4 56 us on A402k A403k and A404k cameras C 3 455 us on A405k cameras C 2 764 us on A406k cameras For example if the value in this field is set to 3 0x00000003 on an A402k camera Flash Window Width 3 x 4 56 us 13 68 us The minimum and maximum allowed values for the raw flash window width setting will vary depending on the setting of the Frame Period and the AOI Height parameters To deter mine the current minimum and maximum allowed values first set the Frame Period and AO Height and then check the value of the Raw Min and Raw Max fields in this register The 4 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the raw value Byte 2 Mid byte of the raw value Byte 3 High byte of the raw value Byte 4 Always 0x00 not used See Section 4 2 2 for more information about how the flash window width setting is used Field Nam
221. ted settings are OK 0x80 A value in this register is set out of range Field Name Absolute Flash Window Width Offset 0x0001 Size 4 Bytes Type Read Write Description Writing a floating point value to this field sets the width of the flash window in us For ex ample if the value in this field is set to 4 56 the flash window width will be 4 56 us The flash window width can be set in increments of 4 56 us on A402k A403k and A404k cameras in increments of 3 455 us on A405k cameras and in increments of 2 764 us on A406k cameras The minimum and maximum allowed values for the absolute flash window width setting will vary depending on the setting of the Frame Period and the AOI Height parameters To determine the current minimum and maximum allowed values first set the Frame Period and AOI Height and then check the value of the Absolute Min and Absolute Max fields in this register See Sections 4 2 2 for more information about how the flash window width setting is used Field Name Absolute Min Offset 0x0005 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed floating point value for the flash window width setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The value in this field is a standard IEEE 754 single precision 32 bits floating point number Field Name Absolute Max Offset 0x0009 Size 4 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed floating poin
222. tes an enumerate function 2 Use a binary read command to read the Name field of the configuration set bulk data CSR 3 Use a binary read command to read the value in the Info field of the configuration set bulk data CSR a Ifthe value is 0x00 it means that the file exists and it is not an activated file Continue to step 4 b Ifthe value is Ox04 it means that the file exists and it is an activated file Continue to step 4 c Ifthe value is 0x01 no more saved configuration set files exist Exit the procedure 4 Use a binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the configuration set bulk data CSR to 0x01 Setting the value to 0x01 initiates an enumerate next function 5 Return to step 2 This procedure would list all of the configuration set bulk data files stored in the computer If you wanted to enumerate existing DSNU or PRNU shading table bulk data files stored in the camera you would use a similar procedure but you would write to and read from the DSNU or PRNU shading table bulk data CSR instead If you wanted to enumerate the existing AOI list file stored in the camera you would use a similar procedure but you would write to and read from the AOI list bulk data CSR instead Sample code that illustrates how to enumerate bulk data files is available from Basler see Section 7 4 Basler A400k 7 43 Configuring the Camera 7 44 Downloading a Saved Bulk Data File from the Camera to a PC You can
223. the LED outputs the error code that has the highest priority To get more information about the camera s current condition you can check the camera status as described in Section 6 12 LED Description Priority Solid orange The camera has power and is OK Solid green The input voltage is less than 10 8 VDC and the camera automatically 1 switched off under voltage lockout To restart the camera raise the highest input voltage to the camera as specified in Section 2 3 Continuous fast An over temperature has been detected See Section 6 8 2 pulses Repeated pattern The camera is booting or is busy performing an internal operation 3 of green and such as generating shading values When the operation is complete orange pulses the pulses stop of increasing frequency Table 8 1 Camera Status Indicators Basler A400k 8 1 Troubleshooting and Support 8 2 LED Description Priority Continuous slow pulses One of the following errors is present No sensor board FPGA firmware available No processing board FPGA firmware available Firmware available but error when booting the sensor FPGA Firmware available but error when booting the processing board FPGA Please contact Basler technical support 4 Repeated pattern of 6 slow pulses An erroneous parameter set has been loaded Load another parameter set and delete the erroneous set Repeated pattern of 5 sl
224. the exposure time control mode by writing a value to the Mode field of the Exposure Time Control Mode CSR see page 7 15 Basler A400k Frame Acquisition Control You can set the frame period by writing a value to the Raw Frame Period field or to the Absolute Frame Period field of the Frame Period CSR see page 7 18 If you select the free run programmable mode you will also need to set the exposure time You can set the exposure time by writing a value to the Raw Exposure Time field or to the Absolute Exposure Time field of the Exposure Time CSR see page 7 16 If you select the free run flash window controlled mode you will also need to set the flash window width by writing a value to the Raw Flash Window Width field or to the Absolute Flash Window Width field of the Flash Window Width CSR see page 7 33 Section 7 2 2 explains CSRs and the difference between using the raw field and the absolute field in a CSR Section 7 3 explains using read write commands Basler A400k 4 9 Frame Acquisition Control 4 1 3 Frame Readout Delay On all A400k cameras there is a delay between the end of the exposure time for a frame and the point where the pixel data for the frame is ready for transmission to the frame grabber This delay is known as the frame readout delay A camera setting called the Frame Readout Delay Mode offers two settings standard delay or short delay that will let you change the behavior of the frame readout delay
225. ting one of your saved user set files Activating the factory set file is a good way to return the camera to normal operation if you have severely misadjusted some of the camera s parameters and you are not sure how to recover When you activate the factory set two things happen The values from the factory set file are copied into the work set in the camera s volatile mem ory The camera will now use the factory set values that were copied into the work set Alink is created between the factory set file and the camera s volatile memory The values in the factory set will now be automatically copied into the work set whenever the camera is powered up or reset Basler A400k 6 45 Features 6 46 Activating the Factory Set File You can activate the factory set file with the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary read write commands from within your own application to set the camera s bulk data control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the File Name Select parameter and the Activate User Set parameter in the User Set Files parameters group to activate the factory set file By Setting CSRs You can activate the factory set file by writing values to the bulk data CSR for configuration sets The bulk data activate process is used to activate the factory set file Section 7 2 3 explains bulk data CSRs and using the bulk data activate process Section 7 3
226. tions produces valid combinations after every modification For example to change the area of interest from starting column 861 width 512 to full resolution set the start ing column to 1 first and only afterwards the width e g for A402k A403k and A404k cameras to 2352 see Section 6 4 Setting the width first would cause the modifica tion to be rejected by the camera 6 10 1 Enabling Disabling Parameter Set Cache You can enable disable the parameter set cache feature by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 you use the Parameter Set Cache setting in the Parameter Set parameter group to enable disable parameter set cache By Setting CSRs You can enable disable parameter set cache by writing a value to the Mode field of the Parameter Set Cache CSR see page 7 39 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of CSRs and Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands Basler A400k 6 47 Features 6 11 6 12 6 13 6 48 Parameter Validation Before a modification to a parameter setting becomes active the microcontroller inside the camera automatically verifies that the setting causes no conflict If the camera detects a parameter error it will automatically discard the setting and the old setting remains valid A
227. to shift once the output from the camera will include bit 8 through bit 1 from the ADC The result of shifting once is that the output of the camera is effectively doubled For example assume that the camera is set for no shift that it is viewing a uniform white target and that under these conditions the reading for the brightest pixel is 20 If we changed the digital shift setting to shift once the reading would increase to 40 ADC bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 ND S S B Not Shifted B p gt ADC bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 uoz pu Shifted Once shift are all below 128 If bit 9 is set to 1 all of the other bits will automatically be set to 1 This means that you should only use the shift once setting when your pixel readings with no digital Shift Twice When the camera is set to shift twice the output from the camera will include bit 7 through bit 0 from the ADC The result of shifting twice is that the output of the camera is effectively multiplied by four For example assume that the camera is set for no shift that it is viewing a uniform white target and that under these conditions the reading for the brightest pixel is 20 If we changed the digital shift setting to shift twice the reading would increase to 80 ADC bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Shifted Twice 4 mox
228. tom right of each transmitted image is replaced by 11 stamp pixels Each stamp pixel carries an 8 bit value that conveys information about the area of interest of the transmitted image The table below shows the function of each stamp pixel by position A more detailed explanation of how to interpret the pixel values follows the table Position Function Position Function S1 AOI Sequence Position Number S7 AO Width LSByte S2 AOI Sequence Run Counter S8 AOI Starting Line MSByte 3 Frame Counter S9 AOI Starting Line LSByte S4 AOI Starting Column MSByte S10 AOI Height MSByte S5 AOI Starting Column LSByte S11 AO Height LSByte S6 AOI Width MSByte Table 6 2 Stamp Pixel Functions Stamp Pixels S1 and S2 Stamp pixels S1 and S2 are only active when the Programmable AOI Sequencer feature is used see Section 6 4 4 S1 represents the position number of the area of interest within the AOI sequence You can look up the position number in the AOI list so you know which settings were used to capture the image S2 represents the run counter If the Programmable Area of Interest Sequencer feature is disabled all bits are set to 0 Stamp Pixel S3 Stamp pixel S3 represents the 8 bit frame counter The frame counter increments by one for each image captured by the camera The counter starts at O and wraps at 255 decimal The frame counter is reset to 0 whenever the camera is switched off or reset It
229. tput Mode A402k 403k A404k and A405k Only No Shift As mentioned in Section 6 the A400k uses 10 bit ADCs to digitize the output from the CMOS sensor When the camera is operating in 10 bit output mode by default the camera transmits the 10 bits that are output from each ADC Shift Once When the camera is set to shift once the output from the camera will include bit 8 through bit 0 from each ADC along with a zero as an LSB The result of shifting once is that the output of the camera is effectively doubled For example assume that the camera is set for no shift that it is viewing a uniform white target and that under these conditions the reading for the brightest pixel is 100 If you changed the digital shift setting to shift once the reading would increase to 200 ADC bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit 5 3 2 1 0 M L S S B Not Shifted B p gt ADC bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit bit 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Shifted Once obs y Dor D shift are all below 512 Missing Codes If bit 9 is set to 1 all of the other bits will automatically be set to 1 This means that you should only use the shift once setting when your pixel readings with no digital Since the shift once setting requires that the least significant bit LSB always be 0 no odd gray values can be output The gray value scale will only include gray values of 2 4 6 and so forth The absence of s
230. tput a TTL flash trigger signal A403k A404k A405k and A406k area scan cameras have one additional connector a 26 pin 0 050 inch Mini D Ribbon MDR female connector used to transmit further image data A status LED located on the back of the camera is used to indicate power present and signal integrity See Section 8 1 for details Figure 2 1 shows the connectors and the LED Caution Be sure that all power to your system is switched off before you make or break connections to the camera Making or breaking connections when power is on can result in damage to the camera If you can not switch off power be sure that the power supply connector is the last connector plugged when you make connections to the camera and the first connector unplugged when you break connections The camera is equipped with an under voltage lockout An input voltage below 10 8 VDC will cause the camera to automatically switch off The camera has no over voltage protection An input voltage higher than 13 2 VDC will damage the camera Do not reverse the polarity of the input power to the camera Reversing the po larity of the input power can severely damage the camera and leave it non op erational Basler A400k 2 1 Camera Interface Status LED Camera Link Connector 1 present on all cameras Flash Trigger Camera Link Connector 2 present on A403k A404k A405k and A406k cameras 12 VDC Power only F
231. u are using the Basler CCT to configure the camera the tool will detect the characteristics of the serial port on the frame grabber and will determine the appropriate settings so that the tool can open and use the port acteristics of the port must comply with the Camera Link standard and the DLL called In order for the Camera Configuration Tool Plus to detect and use the port the char for in the standard must be present When the camera is powered on or when a camera reset is performed your PC may receive some random characters on the serial interface We recommend clearing the serial input buffers in your PC after a camera power on or reset If you are configuring the camera using binary commands from within your application software your software must be able to access the frame grabber serial port and to determine the appropriate settings so that it can open and use the port Please consult your frame grabber s documentation to determine the port access method and the port characteristics Basler A400k 2 15 Camera Interface 2 16 Basler A400k Functional Description Functional Description Description BASLER A400k area scan cameras employ a CMOS sensor chip which provides features such as an electronic rolling shutter and electronic exposure time control Exposure time is controlled either internally via an internal sync signal free run mode or externally via an external trigger ExSync signal The Ex
232. u s Column 2352 Readout Runtime _ gt C us gt C ps D Line 1726 Reset Runtime d Total Runtime C 4 56 us A402k A403k amp A404k C 3 455 us A405k C 2 764 us A406k Figure 4 8 Rolling Shutter Basler A400k 4 11 Frame Acquisition Control 4 2 1 Guidelines for Successful Use of the Rolling Shutter To successfully use the rolling shutter functionality of the camera make sure that you observe the guidelines listed below A402k A403k and A404k Exposure time can only be set incrementally in multiples of 4 56 us Formula Exposure time N x 4 56 us where N must be an integer and gt 0 Exposure time can range from 4 56 us to 19 12 s The runtime of the sensor reset and readout depends on the height of the area of interest AOI see Section 6 4 The formula below can be used to calculate the runtime Reset runtime Readout runtime 4 56 ys x AOI Height 1 The formula below can be used to calculate the total time it takes to reset expose and read out a single frame Total frame exposure runtime 4 56 us x AOI Height 1 Exposure time Examples A The height of the area of interest AOI is 1726 lines full resolution Total runtime 4 56 us x 1726 1 Exposure time 7866 us Exposure time B The height of the area of interest AOI is only 200 lines Total runtime 4 56 us x 200 1 Exposure time 907 4 us Exposure time maging of fast moving objects re
233. uc ed expand ce bane onec s Ea e Raps hc a 7 5 7 2 1 1 Inquiry Register Details llle 7 5 Basler A400k III Contents 7 2 2 Feature Control and Status Registers 0 00 0 eee eee 7 13 7 2 2 1 Raw Value Fields vs Absolute Value Fields 7 13 7 2 2 2 Feature Control and Status Register Details 7 15 7 2 3 Bulk Data and the Bulk Data Control and Status Registers 7 40 7 2 3 1 Using a Bulk Data CSR to Work with Bulk Data 7 41 7 2 3 2 Bulk Data Control and Status Register Details 7 46 7 3 Using Binary Read Write Commands on the A400k 2 0 000 7 51 7 3 1 The Binary Read Write Command Protocol 000 eee 7 52 7 3 1 1 Error Checking and Responses 000 lese eee 7 55 7 3 2 Basic Read Write Command Explanations 2 2 7 56 7 3 2 1 Read Command 0 00 aa E eae 7 56 7 3 2 2 Write Command oea y eria aae oa nn 7 57 7 3 2 3 Calculating the Block Check Character BCC 7 58 7 4 Binary Command Sample Code 0 00 tee 7 59 8 Troubleshooting and Support 8 1 Fault Finding Using the Camera LED auaa aaa 8 1 8 2 Troubleshooting Charts llilleee ee 8 3 8 21 No Image e T ER ecc neni Eos pale ce DERART 8 3 8 2 2 Poor Quality Image sraa i eni aa a LE eh 8 5 8 2 3 Interf cing aeaa pectet onset RE Pee ayn Sack RG 8 6 8 2 4 RS 644 Serial Communicat
234. ulating the bulk data CSRs and provides a procedure for performing each task Basler A400k Configuring the Camera 7 2 3 1 Using a Bulk Data CSR to Work with Bulk Data Saving a Configuration Set As mentioned in Section 6 9 the work configuration set resides in the camera s volatile memory Assume that you want to save the values in the current work set to a file named UserSet01 in the camera s non volatile memory To do so you would follow this procedure 1 Use a binary write command to write the file name UserSet01 to the Name field of the configuration set bulk data CSR see page 7 46 2 Use a binary write command to set the value of the Control field in the configuration set bulk data CSR to 0x06 Setting the value to 0x06 initiates a create function This procedure would create a file called UserSet01 in the non volatile memory and would copy the current work set settings from the camera s volatile memory into the new file Sample code that illustrates how to create a bulk data file is available from Basler see Section 7 4 You can save up to four configuration set files in the non volatile memory There is a restriction on naming the files that hold saved configuration sets They must be named UserSet01 UserSet02 UserSet03 or UserSet04 If you use the name of an existing file the data in the existing file will be overwritten Saving a Set of DSNU Shading Values As mentioned in Section
235. ut video data using two different modes 4 tap 10 bit mode or 4 tap 8 bit mode In 4 tap 10 bit mode the camera outputs data for 4 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 10 bit depth In 4 tap 8 bit mode the camera outputs data for 4 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 8 bit depth The A404k can output video data using three different modes 4 tap 10 bit mode 4 tap 8 bit mode or 8 tap 8 bit mode In 4 tap 10 bit mode the camera outputs data for 4 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 10 bit depth In 4 tap 8 bit mode the camera outputs data for 4 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 8 bit depth In 8 tap 8 bit mode the camera outputs data for 8 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 8 bit depth The A405k can output video data using two different modes 8 tap 10 bit mode or 8 tap 8 bit mode In 8 tap 10 bit mode the camera outputs data for 8 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 10 bit depth In 8 tap 8 bit mode the camera outputs data for 8 pixels on each cycle of the pixel clock and the pixel data is at 8 bit depth A406k camera your frame grabber must be equipped with at least a PCI Express x8 bus If you use a less capable frame grabber the grabber will not be able to trans fer pixel data at a high enough rate If you are using an A405k camera in the 8 tap 10 bit mode or
236. value Byte 2 High byte of the starting line value See Section 6 4 for more information about the AOI feature Field Name Min Offset 0x0003 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Minimum allowed integer value for the starting line setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the min value Byte 2 High byte of the min value Field Name Max Offset 0x0005 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description Maximum allowed integer value for the starting line setting This field is updated to reflect limitations caused by the way any related features are set The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Field Name Increment Offset 0x0007 Size 2 Bytes Type Read only Description An integer value indicating the increment for the starting line setting The 2 bytes in this field are interpreted as follows Byte 1 Low byte of the max value Byte 2 Mid byte of the max value Basler A400k 7 29 Configuring the Camera Area of Interest Height in Lines CSR Register Base Address 0x1030 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this control register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The regist
237. ware has failed to load 2 The camera s maximum frame rate has been exceeded 3 There is no ExSync signal 4 The last shading value generation process failed 5 The FPGA is not ready 6 Parameter error for example a parameter has been set to a value that is out of range or not allowed or in conflict with other settings 7 Reserved Basler A400k 7 11 Configuring the Camera 7 12 Binary Command Protocol Status Inquiry The camera has been programmed to detect several error conditions When a protocol error is detected a flag is set The protocol status inquiry register lets you read the error flags Register Base Address 0x0C30 Field Name Register Status Offset 0x0000 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description The integer value in this field indicates the status of this inquiry register 0x00 The register is not available 0x01 The register is available Field Name Protocol Status Offset 0x0001 Size 1 Byte Type Read only Description Each bit in this field specifies an error condition see table below Bit 0 is the least signifi cant bit If a bit is set to 1 the error condition assigned to that bit is present If the bit is set to 0 the error is not present Bit Description A binary command with no BFS was received see Section 7 3 1 A byte time out has occurred see Section 7 3 1 1 A binary command with an invalid OpCode was received see Section 7 3 1 A binary command with no BFE was re
238. xplained eee eee ete eee 6 33 test image mode setting with binary commands 7 37 troubleshooting 200 0000 8 1 troubleshooting chart interfacing o DRE ea Ped ee 8 6 noimage de Hee eee Pew Eee 8 3 poor quality image 0 8 5 RS 232 serial communication 8 7 TIE geek te ote ae ee een ee EIE D uwi 2 10 V vendor information viewing with binary commands 7 5 ventilation camera a vm ute oh leo C t A 1 10 video data output format 1 4 1 5 video data output mode setting with binary commands 7 15 video data output mode s OVeIVieW ck pes emer ese etus 5 1 video data output type 1 3 1 5 W weight camera sert tee eles on tet no a 1 4 1 6 work set explained ere Re Peds ned eer 6 43 relationship to the config tool 7 2 write command error checking esleesessss 7 55 example eee ee ee ee Rete eat 7 57 explained z so Ouse Gaerne ween SE 7 52 vii Index viii Basler A400k
239. y column FPN Column FPN shading correction overwrites the column FPN shading correction that is done by the sensor s self calibrating circuitry Generating a Set of Column FPN Shading Correction Values Before you can use column FPN shading correction you must generate a column FPN shading correction table To create the table perform the following steps 1 Because column FPN varies depending on the temperature make sure that the camera has reached its normal operating temperature 2 Cover the camera lens close the iris in the camera lens or darken the room so that the camera will be capturing frames in complete darkness 3 Signal the camera to generate a set of column FPN shading correction values a You can start the generation of a set of column FPN shading correction values by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus see Section 7 1 With the CCT you use the Shading Value Generate parameter in the Column FPN Shading Correction parameters group to start the generation of a set of column FPN shading correction values b You can also start the generation of the column FPN shading correction table by using a binary write command see Section 7 3 to write a value to the Generate field of the Column FPN Shading Value Generate CSR see page 7 23 After you have signalled the start of column FPN shading correction value generation gener ation is a fully automated process and requires no ExSync signal When column FPN shad ing
240. y using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus see Section 7 1 Check the Camera Status parameter in the Camera Information parameter group to see if any error codes are present by using binary read write commands from within your own application to read the value in the Camera Status field of the Camera Status inquiry register see page 7 9 See Section 7 2 2 for an explanation of inquiry registers See Section 7 3 for an explanation of using read write commands by checking the LED on the back of the camera If certain error conditions are present the LED will blink see Section 8 1 Status LED The A400k has a status LED on the back of the camera The LED is used to indicate that power is present and to indicate an error condition if one is detected See Section 8 1 for details Basler A400k Features 6 14 Resetting the Camera A400k cameras let the user initiate a camera reset A reset is the equivalent of switching off power to the camera and switching power back on You can initiate a camera reset by using the Camera Configuration Tool Plus CCT or by using binary write commands from within your own application to set the camera s control and status registers CSRs With the CCT With the CCT see Section 7 1 click on Camera in the menu at the top of the CCT window and a drop down list will appear Click on Reset Camera in the drop down list to initiate a reset By Setting CSRs You can initiate a reset

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