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A101 User`s Manual

1. rz 4 5 us Readout Figure 3 8 Programmable Mode Flexible Timing with FVAL Low The rising edge of ExSync starts the exposure A single discharge pulse is generated Effective exposure starts after a delay of 2 us The end of exposure triggers the readout Readout starts 2 us subsequent to the end of the programmed exposure time Readout of the charges takes 5 us during which exposure continues Effective exposure n 5 us where n programmed exposure Minimum programmed exposure time is 20 us 9 ExSync must remain high for a minimum of 82 6 us The exposure time may jitter by 56 ns FVAL must have been low for at least 100 ns when exposure starts With very low exposures use flash light to prevent smearing BASLER A101 3 9 Operation and Features With Exposure Start During Image Output EXSYNC 1 programmed exposure lt lt FVAL 100ns e i i 1 1 LVAL 1027 1028 1029 1030 1 Wn ARTE effective exposure i i gt applied prog exposure 82 6 us Y i lt gt Discharge i i i i Readout Figure 3 9 Programmable Mode Flexible Timing with FVAL High If a frame is still being transferred when exposure starts it is not possible to generate a discharge pulse asynchronously In this case exposure starts at the end of the last regular
2. 1n nj ny where n3 n and ny are hexadecimal digits The value of the hexadecimal digits can range from 000 to 3ff 0 to 1023 decimal The factory default setting for the offset is approximately hex 200 decimal 512 Example of an Offset Command Assume that you want to set the offset to the decimal value 700 1 Convert 700 to a three digit hexadecimal value 700 decimal 2bc hex 2 Enter this command d12bc Reading the Current Offset Setting The a1 command reads the current offset setting from the Work Set and returns naning As explained in Section 4 2 3 the query command returns a list of all current parameter settings from the Work set The DAC1 naning entry shows the current setting for the offset BASLER A101 4 11 Configuring the Camera 4 12 4 2 9 Soft Clipper The format of the command used to set soft clipping is 32n25n n where nz n and ng are hexadecimal digits The value of the hexadecimal digits can range from 000 to OOf 0 to 15 decimal The factory default setting for soft clipping is hex OOf decimal 15 Example of a Soft Clipper Command Assume that you want to set soft clipping to the decimal value 10 1 Convert 10 to a three digit hexadecimal value 10 decimal 00a hex 2 Enter this command d200a Reading the Current Soft Clipper Setting The d2 command reads the current soft clipper setting from the Work Set and returns naning As explained in Section 4 2 3 the query c
3. 2 3 3 LVDS and RS 644 Information All video data and control signals on the A101 use LVDS technology as specified for RS 644 Basic RS 644 characteristics are outlined in Table 2 4 The A101 uses National Semiconductor DS90C031 differential line drivers to generate LVDS output signals and a National Semiconductor DS90C032 differential line receiver to receive LVDS input signals Detailed spec sheets for these devices are available at the National Semiconductor web site www national com Figure 2 7 shows a basic schematic for the input output stage of the BASLER A101 RS 644 RS 422 Low High Voltage Level 1 0 V 1 4 V 0 5 V 4 0 V min max Voltage Swing typical 0 35 V 3 0 V Receiver Threshold 0 10 V 0 20 V Receiver Input 0 0 V to 5 0 V M 0 0 V to 5 0 V Voltage Tolerance Termination 100 Ohm 100 Ohm Max Data Rate per Line Pair 655 MBits s 21 15 lt 30 Mbits s P transmitter receiver for 20 line pairs at 20 MBits s typical Max Cable Length 20m 5m at 20 MHz typical Max Cable Length 11m Not Possible at 40 MHz typical Power Requirements 0 93 W 3 75 W N Device dependent 5V devices handle this range 2 Device dependent 3 Bit rates greater than 15 MBits s are beyond the RS 422 standard l Note that the frequency refers to the pixel clock and not the number of pixels transferred per clock cycle Table 2 4 RS 644 422 Characteristics B
4. Framesisec X 82 6 us 1030 L x 5 7 us 44 8 us LVAL normally rises 7 us after the rising edge of FVAL This time increases with partial scan according to FVAL gt LVAL S 1 x 5 7 us 12 5 us where S is the number of lines skipped BASLER A101 3 21 Operation and Features The falling edge of FVAL normally occurs 3 7 us after the falling edge of the last LVAL pulse This time increases with partial scan according to LVAL gt FVAL 1030 L S x 5 7 us 32 2 us Table 3 1 shows the frame rates that can be achieved with a variety of scan area sizes Lines in Scan Area Frames sec Lines in Scan Area Frames sec 105 71 4 605 19 0 205 46 1 705 16 6 305 34 0 805 14 7 405 26 9 905 13 2 505 22 3 1005 12 0 Table 3 1 Frame Rates for Various Scan Area Sizes 3 11 2 Partial scan with binning The Al0lp monochrome camera is capable of using partial scan in combination with binning see Section 3 12 When horizontal binning is used partial scan operates as described on page 3 21 When vertical binning or full binning is used partial scan operates differently In these cases the minimum number of lines to skip is one and the number of lines skipped can be increased in mul tiples of four For example you can set the number of lines to skip to 1 5 9 13 17 The minimum number of lines that must be included in the partial scan area is 3 and the number included
5. 2 3 Video Data and Control Signals lille 2 6 23 1 Iniput Signals sie REM dees dee e Gene ef Bee pee tren Pe BE RS 2 6 2 3 1 1 ExSync Controls Frame Readout and Exposure Time 2 6 2 3 2 Qutput Signals i rer DE ee e De RE RR Gav Rp wen ees 2 6 2 3 2 1 FVAL Indicates a Valid Frame 2200000 0s 2 6 2 3 2 2 LVAL Indicates a Valid Line o o oooooooooooo 2 6 2 3 2 3 PCLK Indicates a Valid Pixel 2 0000000005 2 6 2 3 2 4 Video Data e e gt E RERUM RU Door 2 6 2 3 3 LVDS and RS 644 Information llle 2 8 2 3 3 1 RS 644 RS 422 Compatibility o o o o ooooooo 2 10 2 3 3 2 Converting TTL to RS 422 644 0 eee 2 10 2 4 SeilalPorf ie Fi es owed od EOP aah eden Gr dd og be etd Fae old eg dd 2 11 2 5 Power Supply sa EER KERR acd EE RE Re ME RE OS ORE RE ER RUE DE 2 11 2 6 Status LEDS De DS ik ES IR GER RE PEE a Se ee a 2 11 3 Basic Operation and Features 3 1 Functional Description 0 0 EE EE EE eee 3 1 3 2 Configuration Sets s s aba es Saeed gba an AUN ERR 3 3 3 3 Basic Exposure Time Control Modes oooccoccccooco 3 4 34Free Run Mode iii sarro gee sie eed oi be hee bed ea 3 4 3 5 Fixed and Flexible Timing Eren eE cece ete ee R RA 3 5 3 5 1 Flexible Timing EE EE EE Re EE Re ee a E Ee ee ke E eens 3 5 3 5 2 Fixed timing 4 00 SA iex A ERE A RR EE EA a 3 6 3 6 Dynamic exposure time control liliis
6. Basler Support Worldwide Americas 1 877 934 8472 vc support usa baslerweb com www basler vc com Europe 49 4102 463 500 vc support europe baslerweb com BASLER A101 User s Manual Document ID Number DA 037202 Revision Date July 10 2001 Subject to Change Without Notice Basler Vision Technologies Asia 65 425 0472 vc support asia baslerweb com 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 communica tions 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 Cla
7. Figure 3 10 Programmable Mode Fixed Timing The rising edge of ExSync starts the programmed exposure time The effective exposure time actually starts earlier that is at the last regular discharge pulse preceding the start of programmed exposure see Figure 3 10 Due to dynamic exposure time control the microcontroller detects that the effective exposure started earlier than the programmed exposure time and it makes a corresponding shift in the applied programmed exposure The discharge pulses during applied programmed exposure are suppressed The end of the applied exposure time triggers readout Readout occurs at the next regular readout pulse As a result effective exposure occurs in steps of 82 6 us even though exposure can be programmed in finer steps Effective exposure n x 82 6 us 57 us where n 1 2 Minimum effective exposure is 139 6 us d To obtain a constant exposure time ExSync must rise while LVAL is active The exposure time should be set to multiples of 82 6 us Otherwise the exposure time may vary by 82 6 us ExSync must remain high for a minimum of 82 6 us The exposure time may jitter by 1 2 time unit 1 Pclk 1 Pclk 56 ns FVAL must have been low for at least 100 ns before the end of exposure BASLER A101 3 11 Operation and Features 3 8 3 Level controlled mode flexible timing With Exposure Start After Image Output da EE H 100 ns lt lt ES 4
8. 0c ce eee eee ke 1 2 camera configuration tool apply button EE Ee Ee ee ee 4 3 closing the tool EE eee eae 4 2 explained lesser 4 2 opening the tool llle 4 2 refresh button 0 2000 ee eae 4 3 camera status sssn 3 24 4 6 cleaning the camera and sensor 1 4 C mount adapter 0 0 00 ce eee eee 5 4 color camera eme SEER eae ea 3 2 command format 0 eee ee eee eee 4 4 commands Id ge eet ed gs 4 16 programmimg with 0000 4 4 configuration sets explained 2 cece eee 3 3 storing loading with commands 4 15 viewing with commands 4 5 configuration tool see camera configuration tool configuring the camera with commands 02000 eee eee 4 4 with the config tool o oo o oo o 4 2 conformity 222 n a ess 1 2 D dark signal non uniformity lusu 1 2 dimensions ee RE ENE eS Ae RR 5 1 discharge pulse 0 00 eee eee eee 3 5 dynamic exposure time control 3 7 E environmental requirements 1 4 exposure time setting with commands 4 8 exposure time control mode explained EE eee eee 3 4 setting with commands 4 6 EXSynG eie bid tb aia Wee edt 2 6 BASLER A101 F factory sel uocem eel va ex eue 3 3 firmware version viewing with commands 4 5 fixed tim
9. 25 us FVAL i 4 7 us 82 6 us Discharge LVAL 1028 1029 1030 7 7 i l i effective exposure 82 6 us 2 USE lt gt Readout Figure 3 11 Level controlled Mode Flexible Timing with FVAL Low The falling edge of ExSync starts the exposure A single discharge pulse is generated Effective exposure starts at the end of the discharge pulse The end of exposure triggers readout Readout starts 2 us after the rising edge of ExSync Readout takes 5 us during which exposure continues Effective exposure n 5 us where n exposure set by ExSync Minimum exposure time is 20 us 9 The exposure time may jitter by 1 Pclk 1 Pclk 56 ns ExSync must remain high for a minimum of 82 6 us FVAL must have been low for at least 100 ns before the edge of ExSync falls With very low exposures use flash light to prevent smearing 3 12 BASLER A101 Operation and Features With Exposure Start During Image Output Discharge i i i EXSYNC exposure dr a I4 25 us FVAL 100ns Or k 7us 82 6 us LVAL H d d j T i a effective exposure i 82 6 us ig lt gt Readout Figure 3 12 Level controlled Mode Flexible Timing with FVAL High If the falling edge of ExSync occurs while a frame is still being transferred it is n
10. DC current of approximately 5 mA e EXSYNC RS644 EXSYNC Output eo EXSYNG 5V Figure 2 8 TTL to RS 644 Conversion BASLER A101 2 4 2 5 2 6 Camera Interface Serial Port A101 cameras are equipped with an RS 232 serial port for programming operation modes and parameters The data character format is 8N1 8 data bits no parity 1 stop bit Baud rate is 9600 bps others are available upon request See Section 2 2 2 for details on the RS 232 cable that must be used between your camera and your PC The Basler Camera Configuration Tool CCT can be used to change camera modes and parameters via the serial port Refer to the CCT installation guide that was delivered with your camera for instructions on installing the configuration tool See Section 4 1 and the configuration tool s on line help file for instructions on using the tool Camera modes and parameters can also be changed by issuing programming commands using a terminal emulation program and the serial port See Section 4 2 1 for instructions on setting up a terminal emulation program and Section 4 2 for details on changing settings with programming commands Programming commands can also be issued directly from your application via the serial port Power Supply The A101 requires a 24 V DC power supply Variations of 15 are allowed Typical current is 170 mA 15 Power is less than 5W Use of a 24 V power suppl
11. Port RXD TXD EXSYNC Digital Video Data Out 8 bit gt LVAL gt FVAL gt PCLK BASLER A101 Camera Interface 2 1 2 Pin Assignments The D Sub HD 44 pin receptacle is used to interface video data and control signals The pin assignments for the receptacle are shown in Table 2 1 The pins assigned to DOUT 8 DOUT 15 are not connected Pin Signal Pin Signal 1 DOUT 0 23 DOUT 7 2 DOUT 1 24 Not connected 3 DOUT2 25 Not connected 4 DOUT 3 26 Not connected 5 DOUT 4 27 Not connected 6 DOUT 5 28 Not connected 7 DOUT 6 29 Not connected 8 DOUT 7 30 Not connected 9 Not connected 31 Not connected 10 Not connected 32 Not connected 11 Not connected 33 LVAL 12 Not connected 34 LVAL 13 Not connected 35 PIXEL CLOCK 14 Not connected 36 PIXEL CLOCK 15 Not connected 37 ExSync 16 DOUT O 38 ExSync 17 DOUT 1 39 FVAL 18 DOUT 2 40 FVAL 19 DOUT 3 41 Not connected 20 DOUT 4 42 Not connected 21 DOUT 5 43 Shorted to pin 44 internally 22 DOUT 6 44 DC Gnd means an inverted signal with the LOW signal being active Pin 44 on the 44 pin receptacle pin 5 on the 9 pin plug and pin 1 on the 4 pin plug are tied together inside of the camera to ensure that the grounds are all at the same potential Table 2 1 A101 Pin Assignments D Sub HD 44 Pin Receptacle The camera housing is not grounded and is elec
12. Wavelength nm Figure 1 1 Al0lp Spectral Responsivity The color camera s spectral responsivity is shown in Figure 1 2 The curve excludes lens characteristics and light source characteristics Color Camera Relative Response 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 Wavelength nm Figure 1 2 Al0lcp Spectral Responsivity BASLER A101 1 3 Introduction 1 3 Precautions Read the manual Read the manual carefully before using the camera Keep foreign matter outside of the camera Do not open the casing Touching internal components may damage them Be careful not to allow liquid flammable or metallic material inside the camera housing If operated with any foreign matter inside the camera may fail or cause a fire Ventilation Allow sufficient air circulation around the camera or provide additional cooling to prevent internal heat build up Warning Without sufficient cooling the camera can get hot enough during operation to cause burning when touched Environmental Requirements Operation temperature 5 C 40 C 41 F 4104 F Operation humidity 5 85 relative non condensing Storage temperature 10 C 70 C 14 F 158 F Storage humidity 5 95 relative non condensing 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 pac
13. With VBin active 13 4 us 3 with VBin active 88 3 us Figure 3 7 Fixed Timing Readout of the charges is only possible 52 us after a discharge pulse Readout takes 5 us during which exposure continues So the effective exposure time is n x 82 6 us 574s n 1 2 Effective exposure can be set in steps of 82 6 us even though the programmed exposure can be set in very fine steps The frame is transferred 25 us after readout To avoid exposure variances of 82 6 us set the exposure timing so that exposure will start when LVAL is high and end when LVAL is high If these recommendations are observed the exposure time is very stable BASLER A101 3 6 3 7 Operation and Features Dynamic exposure time control In the programmable and free run modes the microcontroller in the camera detects the shift in the start of effective exposure time with respect to the programmed start of exposure The microcontroller compensates by reducing the end of the exposure time by the same shift This feature is called dynamic exposure time control What if the Previous Frame is Still Being Transferred at the End of Exposure It is possible to begin the exposure for the next image while a previously captured image is being transferred out of the camera see Figure 3 9 In this situation exposure for the next image must continue for at least 100 ns past the end of transfer of the previously captured image That is exposure must continue for at
14. a CCD array to skip see Figure 3 21 The min Aa imum number of lines to skip is one and the number of lines skipped can be increased in multiples of four For example you can set the number of lines to skip to 1 5 9 13 17 The size of the partial scan area is defined by specifying the number of lines to include in the Figure 3 21 Partial Scan partial scan area The minimum number of lines that must be included in the partial scan area is five and the number included can be in creased in multiples of four For example you can set the number of lines to be included in the partial scan area to 5 9 13 17 21 Information contained in the skipped lines and the lines below the partial scan area is discarded In partial scan four lines at the bottom of the array are not used so the number of lines skipped plus the number of lines in the partial scan area can equal a total of 1026 9 Partial scan can only be used with the flexible timing In the fixed timing partial scan settings are ignored Partial scan works differently if you are using it in combination with vertical or full bin ning See page 3 22 3 11 1 Changes to the timing in partial scan mode FVAL which is high for 85 176 ms in standard mode becomes shorter according to FVAL L x 82 6 us 1030 L x 5 7 us 44 8 us where L is the number of lines in the scan area As a result the frame rate increases and is 1 000 000 us
15. are present the yellow LED will blink see Section 6 2 BASLER A101 Configuring the Camera 4 Configuring the Camera The A101 is programmable via the serial port It comes factory set so that it will work properly for most applications with minor changes to the camera configuration For normal operation the following parameters are usually configured by the user exposure time control mode exposure time only for programmable and free run mode frame period for free run mode To customize operation for your particular application the following parameters can also be configured gain offset soft clipper partial scan e binning ATOIp only Two methods can be used to program the A101 The first and easier approach is to change the camera settings using the Camera Configuration Tool CCT See Section 4 1 and the CCT s on line help file for instructions on using the configuration tool You can also change the settings by programming the camera directly from a terminal emulation program or from your application For this purpose commands are provided to read and modify the settings Section 4 2 lists the commands and provides instructions for their use BASLER A101 4 1 Configuring the Camera 4 1 4 2 Configuring the camera with the Camera Configuration Tool The Camera Configuration Tool is a Windows based program used to easily configure the camera The tool communicates via the serial interface
16. can be increased in multiples of four For example you can set the number of lines to be included in the partial scan area to 3 5 7 9 11 With vertical binning or full binning enabled the number of lines reported out of the camera will be one half of the number of lines included in the partial scan area For example if the partial scan area includes 106 lines 53 lines will be reported out of the camera This occurs because with ver tical binning or full binning the camera combines information from two adjacent lines on the array and reports the results out of the camera as a single line 3 22 BASLER A101 Operation and Features 3 12 Binning Mode A101p only Binning increases the camera s sensitivity to light by sum ming up the charges from two or four adjacent pixels into one pixel Pixel combinations can be two adjacent pixels in da a line horizontal binning adjacent pixels in two rows ver tical binning or four adjacent pixels horizontal binning vertical binning also called full binning Note that with horizontal binning horizontal resolution re duces to 650 With vertical binning vertical resolution re mm aa be ma duces to 515 With full binning resolution reduces to 650 H by 515 V H bin V bin Hand V bin d With horizontal binning enabled frame grabbers often require the informati
17. discharge pulse Due to dynamic exposure time control the microcontroller detects that the effective exposure started earlier than the programmed exposure time and it makes a corresponding shift in the applied programmed exposure The discharge pulses during applied programmed exposure are suppressed The end of the applied exposure time triggers readout Readout occurs after a delay of 2 us Readout takes 5 us during which exposure continues Effective exposure n 7 us where n programmed exposure Minimum programmed exposure time is 20 us d To obtain a constant exposure time ExSync must rise while LVAL is active Other wise the exposure time may vary by 82 6 us ExSync must remain high for a minimum of 82 6 us The exposure time may jitter by 1 2 time unit 1 Pclk 1 Pclk 56 ns FVAL must have been low for at least 100 ns before the end of applied programmed exposure With very low exposures use flash light to prevent smearing 3 10 BASLER A101 Operation and Features 3 8 2 Programmable mode fixed timing EXSYNC 1 programmed exposure 4 4 25 us gt 100 ns P FVAL EF 1 1 1 1 1 1 H 1 1 1 T 1 1 MUUR PLP i effective exposure r T gt FRI prog exposure 82 6 us Discharge i i i pasa medie uim sie ele Es edele ES eie ele Readout
18. during readout the effective exposure time includes the time required for the readout procedure The frame is transferred after 25 us 9 Some frame grabbers will not synchronize to a camera that is set for flexible timing As a basic rule the end of exposure should only occur while LVAL is low An asynchronous discharge pulse can only be generated while no frame is being transferred that is while FVAL is low FVAL must have been low at least 100 ns be fore exposure starts Otherwise the additional discharge pulse is not generated and effective exposure starts at the end of the last regular discharge pulse as in the fixed timing 3 5 2 Fixed timing With fixed timing LVAL toggles continuously even while no image is being transferred These regular LVAL pulses make it easy for frame grabbers to get synchronized with the camera Exposure is accomplished by simply suppressing the pulses that are used to discharge the light sensitive elements Since discharge pulses occur every 82 6 us exposure time can only be set to increments of 82 6 us see Figure 3 7 FVAL gt 25 ys gt i le 7 us LVAL id 17 6 us 3 de TE j exposure time nes us 2 We ti E pe e R 1 Discharge _ J i ft it t ff I LI 52s 4 maar ys Readout 5 5 5 nis don 8 om f 3 8 5 5 With VBin active 12 5 us
19. exposure time mode the rising edge of ExSync starts the exposure time The exposure time is programmed to a predetermined time period via a microcontroller in the camera In this case accumulated charges are read out subsequent to the end of the exposure time The free run mode enables a continuous frame output without the use of an external ExSync signal Frame rate and exposure time can be programmed independently These three basic exposure time control modes occur in combination with either a flexible or a fixed timing Flexible timing allows asynchronous line readouts and very fine exposure time increments with very little jitter in the start and stop of exposure Fixed timing has continuous periodic output signals to which frame grabbers easily get synchronized at the price of larger exposure time increments The accumulated charges are transported from light sensitive sensor elements to vertical CCD shift registers see Figure 3 1 From there the charges are transferred to a horizontal shift register The charges then move from the horizontal shift register to an output amplifier where they are converted to voltages proportional to the accumulated charges All lines are read out in a single frame progressive scan The shifts are clocked according to the internal data rate The maximum overall output data rate is 11 75 frames per second at a pixel clock of 18 MHz The output voltages are digitized by the camera The video data is transfer
20. least 100 ns after FVAL goes low If FVAL has not been low for at least 100 ns when the exposure time for the next image ends the exposure time for the next image will be increased until the end of transfer for the previous frame During this extended exposure period any ExSync signals triggering the next start of exposure will be ignored As a result if ExSync triggers images at a rate higher than the specified frame rate one frame will be dropped It is thus impossible to achieve frame rates higher than the specified rate and the camera remains in a stable state BASLER A101 3 7 Operation and Features 3 8 Exposure Time Control Modes In Detail This section describes each combination of exposure time control mode and fixed or flexible timing It also provides timing diagrams for each combination d Note that an exposure time jitter of 56 ns frame to frame is possible in every expo sure time control mode Also note that minimum high and low level time of ExSync is 500 ns or higher depend ing on the mode selected 3 8 BASLER A101 Operation and Features 3 8 1 Programmable mode flexible timing With Exposure Start After Image Output EXSYNC programmed exposure s i ea NE 2 gt 100 ns Ei Y s 1 apttd RARE i effective exposure i a p gt 82 6 us 2 US iy lt gt Discharge ij
21. memory Any 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 go to the Sets Tab and save the mod ified Work Set into the camera User Set The User Set is stored in non volatile memory and will not be lost when the camera is switched off see Section 3 2 4 1 4 Configuration Tool Help The Camera Configuration Tool includes a complete on line help file which explains how to use each tab and how the settings on each tab will effect the camera s operation To access on line help press the F1 key whenever the configuration tool is active BASLER A101 4 3 Configuring the Camera 4 2 4 4 Configuring the Camera with Programming Commands Camera settings can be changed via the serial interface using a set of ASCII based programming commands The commands can be issued from a terminal emulation program or from your application Section 4 2 1 describes how a terminal emulation program must be set up when it is used to issue commands to a Basler camera Section 4 2 2 describes the general format that is used for commands Sections 4 2 3 through 4 2 12 describe each command in detail and Section 4 2 13 lists all commands available 4 2 1 Setting Up a Terminal Emulation Program You can also use a terminal emulation program such as Windows Hyperterminal along with the ASCII based commands described below to change the camera s s
22. must be made with 28 gauge AWG twisted pair wire and have a characteristic impedance of 100 ohms The maximum length of the cable is 20 meters 2 2 2 Camera to PC RS 232 Cable The RS 232 cable between the camera and the PC can be a null modem cable or a simple three wire connection as illustrated in Figure 2 4 The maximum length of the cable is 15 meters 9 Pin Serial Plug Port Null Modem Cable Dod Gnd Computer 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 c o 100 BOND 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Figure 2 4 Camera to PC RS 232 Interface d The cable between the camera and the PC must contain a twist so that pin 2 on the camera connects to pin 3 on the PC and pin 3 on the camera connects to pin 2 on the PC BASLER A101 2 5 Camera Interface 2 3 2 6 Video Data and Control Signals All video data and control signals on the A101 use LVDS technology as specified for RS 644 Detailed information on RS 644 appears in Section 2 3 3 2 3 1 Input Signals 2 3 1 1 ExSync Controls Frame Readout and Exposure Time The camera can be programmed to function in three basic exposure time control modes In two of these modes programmable and level controlled an external trigger ExSync signal is used to control exposure time and frame read out For more detailed information see Section 3 3 ExSync can be a periodic or non periodic function The frequency of the ExSync signal determ
23. power on a Work Set is automatically loaded into the RAM using the settings from the User Set If the User Set is corrupted the settings from the Factory Set are copied into the Work Set BASLER A101 3 3 Operation and Features 3 3 Basic Exposure Time Control Modes The camera can be programmed to function in two basic exposure time control modes In these modes an ExSync signal is used to control exposure time and frame read out In level controlled mode the exposure time of a frame being read out is determined by the time between the falling edge of ExSync and the next rising edge Charge is only accumu lated when ExSync is low The frame is read out and transferred on the rising edge of ExSync See Figure 3 3 frame period exposure time EXSYNC frame read out Figure 3 3 Exposure Time Level controlled Mode In programmable mode the rising edge of ExSync triggers exposure for a time period pro grammed via the serial interface The frame is read out and transferred subsequent to the programmed exposure time The falling edge of ExSync is irrelevant See Figure 3 4 frame period EXSYNC programmed exposure time frame read out Figure 3 4 Exposure Time Programmable Mode 3 4 Free Run Mode In free run mode the camera s operation is similar to programmable mode except that no ExSync signal is required the camera generates its own internal control signal With the rising edge
24. selected For example if n is set to 2 the 1000 ns time unit 0 250 ns will be selected 1 500 ns The nz nz n and ng digits are used to specify a multiplier 100M The value of these hexadecimal digits can range from 0000 to 3 2000 ns ffff 0 to 65535 decimal For fixed timing the minimum valid exposure time is 139 6 us and the maximum is 131072 us For flexible timing the minimum valid exposure is 20 us and the maximum is 131072 ps Table 4 4 Exposure Time Unit Example of an Exposure Time Command Assume that you want to set the time unit to 2000 ns and the multiplier to the decimal value 500 1 Check Table 4 4 and note that to select a time unit of 2000 ns n4 must be set to 3 2 Convert 500 to a four digit hexadecimal value 500 decimal 01f4 hex 3 Enter this command t301 4 Reading the Current Exposure Time Multiplier Setting The t command reads the current exposure time setting from the Work Set and returns H4113115111119 As explained in Section 4 2 3 the query command returns a list of all current parameter settings from the Work set The ExpTime n n3n2n ng entry shows the current setting for the exposure time 4 8 BASLER A101 Configuring the Camera 4 2 6 3 Frame Period for Free run Mode The frame period is effective only if free run mode is selected Otherwise it is ignored The period command allows you to set a time unit and a multiplier The camera determines the frame period by multiply
25. shaped to match the ADC in put voltage range The camera s default gain and offset are factory set so that black has a gray value of 1 and white has a gray value of 254 under optimal lighting conditions For most applications white should have a gray value of 254 Attempt to achieve this by varying exposure and illumination before changing the camera s gain The default gain is the optimal operating point mini mum noise and should be used if possible increasing gain increases the amplitude of the input signal 4 light intensity uJ cm2 Figure 3 17 Gain input signal to ADC V increasing offset moves the input Signal up the measurement scale offset light intensity uJ cm Figure 3 18 Offset d Because increasing gain increases both signal and noise the signal to noise ratio does not change significantly when gain is increased Gain settings in more detail The output signal of the CCD sensor normally ranges from 0 V when it has been exposed to no light to 0 4 V when it has been exposed to bright light Within that range the sensor characteristics are linear Saturation starts at 0 4 V Further exposure results in a higher sensor output signal but linearity is no longer guaranteed Peak to peak input voltage level of the ADC is 1 8 V Consequently the default gain is factory set so that the sensor s linear operating output signal of 0 V 0 4 V maps
26. with an additive color separation filter known as a Bayer filter As a consequence 2 x 2 pixels capture the RGB colors with the green pixel occurring twice The camera processes the color information of each pixel as an 8 bit value A DLL that can be used to convert the 8 bit information into RGB color information is available through Basler support BASLER A101 Operation and Features 3 2 Configuration Sets The camera s adjustable parameters are stored in configuration sets and each configuration set contains all of the parameters needed to control the camera There are EEPROM RAM three different configuration sets the Work Set the User Set and the Factory Set See Figure 3 2 User Set Z gt work The Work Set contains the current camera settings and thus Factory Set determines the camera s performance that is what your Set image currently looks like The Work Set is stored in the camera RAM The configuration parameters in the Work Set can be altered directly using the Camera Configuration Tool or programming commands Figure 3 2 Config Sets The Factory Set and the User Set are stored in a non volatile EEPROM in the camera The Factory Set contains the camera s default configuration and cannot be changed The User Set initially contains factory settings but can be modified permanently by storing the Work Set into the User Set When power to the camera is switched off the Work set in the RAM is lost At the next
27. with several gray scale gradients ranging from O to 255 The first line starts with a gray value of 0 on the first pixel in the second line the first pixel has a gray value of 1 in the third line the first pixel has a gray value of 2 and so on The mathematical expression is gray level x yl MOD 256 gray levels 255 pixel 0 numbers If you are operating the camera in an exposure mode that requires an ExSync signal the ExSync signal must be present and must toggle in order to generate a test image If the camera is set for test free run each cycle of the camera s internal sync signal will trigger the output of a test image When the test image is active partial scan and binning will effect the image but the gain offset and exposure settings have no effect on the image 3 14 Camera Status 3 24 A101 cameras monitor their status by performing a regular series of self checks The current status of the camera can be viewed in several ways with the Camera Configuration Tool You can use the Status Tab see Section 4 1 and the configuration tool s on line help file to check a list of several possible errors and an indica tion of whether those errors are present with ASCII based programming commands You can use the Camera Status command see Section 4 2 5 to check if the camera has detected any errors by checking the yellow LED on the back of the camera If certain error conditions
28. 3 7 3 7 What if the Previous Frame is Still Being Transferred at the End of Exposure 3 7 3 8 Exposure Time Control Modes In Detail 0 0 ce eee ee 3 8 3 8 1 Programmable mode flexible timing llle 3 9 3 8 2 Programmable mode fixed timing llle 3 11 3 8 3 Level controlled mode flexible timing llle 3 12 BASLER A101 3 8 4 Level controlled mode fixed timing 22020ee eee Ee ee 3 14 3 8 5 Free run mode flexible timing 00000 eee eee 3 15 3 8 6 Free run mode fixed tiMin9 oooooococoooo 3 17 3 9 Gaim and Offset EE RE i eatin wha ame p a eS 3 18 3 10 Soft Clon cara od bea added age aiden bee 3 20 3 TT Partial Scan iege e EC eld gay pete ath aay gh ta 3 21 3 11 1 Changes to the timing in partial scan mode 00 000 3 21 3 11 2 Partial scan with binning 0 00 eee 3 22 3 12 Binning Mode A101p only EE Ee eee 3 23 3 12 1 Changes to the timing in binning mode 0 0 00 EE Ese 3 23 3 18 TestImage sues bat ta ee ARX Be ee Ax 3 24 3 14 Camera Status aoreet ecu UE E Rd WEN RN A M ame Seine 3 24 4 Configuring the Camera 4 1 Configuring the camera with the Camera Configuration Tool 4 2 4 1 1 Opening the Configuration Tool l l 4 2 4 1 2 Closing the Configuration Tool 2 0 2 0 0 cee ee 4 2 4 1 3 Configuration Tool Basics 1 6 0 EE EE ES EE EE ee 4 2 4 1 4 Configuration Tool
29. ASLER A101 BASLER A101 6 Troubleshooting 6 1 Quick Checklist EE EE cec ue OE 6 1 6 2 Fault Finding Using Camera Flags EE ES Ee ee es 6 2 6 3 Fault Finding Using the Configuration Tool ii EE EE Ee ee ee 6 2 Revision History asses SE SG ee PE ea de De Oda ad Se Eed i Index A a OE S dde we wie oce ca Qe Dade a Romi ii BASLER A101 Introduction 1 Introduction The BASLER A101 high resolution progressive scan camera is a versatile camera designed for industrial use Superb image sensing features are combined with a robust high precision machined housing Important features are High spatial resolution High sensitivity Anti blooming Asynchronous full frame shutter via electronic exposure time control Square sensor cells High Signal to Noise ratio Programmable via an RS 232 serial port Partial scan Binning mode A101p only Correlated double sampling Industrial housing manufactured with high planar parallel and angular precision Compact size 1 1 Camera Models There are two camera models currently available a monochrome model the AlOlp and a color model the AlOlcp Throughout the manual the camera will be called the A101 Passages that are only valid for a specific model will be so indicated 1 1 1 Camera Name Change In June 2000 several Basler camera models were renamed Before June 2000 the A101 was known as the ATIS BASLER A101 1 1 Introduction 1 2 Performa
30. ASLER A101 Camera Interface DOUTO 2 DOUTO m 90C031 90C031 LValOut LValOut R1 10 Syncln Ed ee FValOut B MM E GND 90C032 Figure 2 7 A101 Input Output Connections Video Data and Control Signals BASLER A101 2 9 Camera Interface 2 10 2 3 3 1 RS 644 RS 422 Compatibility Typically RS 644 and RS 422 devices are compatible As shown in Table 2 4 the RS 422 receiver threshold is 0 20 V This threshold is well within the RS 644 voltage swing of 0 35 V For this reason an RS 422 receiver can handle RS 644 inputs On the other side because RS 644 receivers typically tolerate the voltages generated by RS 422 drivers an RS 644 receiver can handle RS 422 signals as input With RS 422 cable length has a strong impact on signal integrity Long cables should not be used 2 3 3 2 Converting TTL to RS 422 644 In many cases ExSync signals in RS 644 format are generated by a frame grabber board In some situations however you may want to generate an ExSync signal directly from a TTL device such as a sensor Figure 2 8 illustrates a simple circuit that can be used to convert TTL signals to RS 422 644 compatible signals The circuit produces a symmetric 200mV output The 5V power required for the circuit can be found on many frame grabbers on the GPIO port There is no significant time delay due to the TTL to RS 422 644 conversion A disadvantage to this circuit is the constantly existing
31. E EE chet geet 2 6 performance specifications 1 2 photo response non uniformity 1 2 pixel clock 0 00 ce eee eee 1 2 2 6 PIXELS iZ esc GaN selene RU rn ss idee PARE 1 2 positioning accuracy of sensor chip 5 3 power requirements isses lesse 1 2 power supply sse 2 11 precautions lessen 1 4 programmable mode ococccococ 3 4 programming commands list of 4 16 progressive scan camera 02 05 3 1 protocol version viewing with commands 4 5 R refresh button 0 0 0 0 e eee eee eee 4 3 RS 232 serial port cable used with o ooooooo oo oo 2 5 changing parameters via 2 11 RS 644 compatibility with RS 422 2 10 converting TTL to 2 e eee 2 10 general information 0 2 8 S sensor chip positioning accuracy 04 5 8 S nsor TYPO ELE EE dea 1 2 serial number camera viewing with commands 4 5 serial port see RS 232 serial port soft clipping explained lesser 3 20 setting with commands 4 12 spectral responsivity color camera coo 1 3 monochrome camera 1 3 Statuss ME E PEERS 3 24 4 6 status LEDS eru al AEE 2 11 T test image enabling with commands 4 7 explained 0 0 0 2 a eee 3 24 timing explained 0 0 cece eee 3 5 settin
32. Help 0 0 cee ee 4 3 4 2 Configuring the Camera with ProgrammingCommands llus 4 4 4 2 1 Setting Up a Terminal Emulation Program 0 0 005 4 4 42 2 Command Format sees coge us oe Sve te Se Rule RE er xs 4 4 4 2 3 Reading Configuration Parameters llli elles 4 5 4 2 4 Reading the Protocol and Firmware Version 000ee aes 4 5 4 2 5 Camera Status esee in uu Ee EE AE ESE Rueda Eg abe ape ERA TRIS 4 6 4 2 6 Programming Exposure Time Control lille elles 4 6 4 2 6 1 Mode Command cc eee eee 4 6 4 2 6 2 Exposure Time 6 cece eee ee 4 8 4 2 6 3 Frame Period for Free run Mode e0 eee eee eee 4 9 42 7 GAIN AE NE bep ec ee ae e abes Wh ades dee ES ger 4 10 42 8 OfSet uu RES RE ee ee ede ed e IE ie EE Ge es 4 11 4 29 Soft ClIDDOr cis unb ke ep Hed Pes RR OE OE ER N 4 12 4 20 Partal Seam etes VER EE exiens x Re UR RH ed 4 13 4 2 11 Storing a Modified Configuration lll llle 4 15 4 2 12 Loading the User Set and Factory Set 0 0002 ese 4 15 4 2 13 List of Commands EE o EE EE ene 4 16 5 Mechanical Considerations 5 1 Dimensions EE ee see qr sodes DY a 5 1 5 2 Mounting Facilities nihit DEERE BEE DER ER RE EG DRR RR ER EG RR Rg 5 1 5 3 Positioning Accuracy of the Sensor Chip EE ee eee es 5 3 5 4 Optical Interface EES Ee SE a Re Re nes 5 4 5 4 1 Adapter Mounting Feature lille 5 4 B
33. Set To permanently store the changes you make to the Work set use the zi command The z1 command copies the Work set into the camera s User Set The User Set is stored in non volatile memory on camera s EEPROM and will not be lost when power to the camera is switched off Storing a complete configuration set takes approximately 500ms Direct programming of configuration parameters in the User Set or the Factory Set is not possible 4 2 12 Loading the User Set and Factory Set The c1 command loads the User set into the Work set and the c2 command loads the Factory set into the Work set BASLER A101 4 15 Configuring the Camera 4 16 4 2 13 List of Commands Description Command Reading camera configuration Read Work set Read camera model 0 Read serial number 1 Read ID 2 Read serial interface protocol version 3 Read firmware version 4 Read camera status flags f Loading storing configuration sets Load User set to Work set cl Load Factory set to Work set c2 Store Work set as User set Z1 Gain Read gain value from the Work Set do Write gain value to the Work set dOnonjng Offset Read offset value from the Work Set d1 Write offset value to Work set dinjnjng Soft clipper Read soft clipper value from the Work Set d2 Write soft clipper value to Work set d2non4ng Exposure time con
34. able 4 2 and note that to select programmable mode with fixed timing ng should be set to 2 3 Enter this command x02 Example Two Assume that you want to generate a test image using an ExSync signal 1 Check Table 4 3 and note that to generate a test image based on an ExSync signal n should be set to 8 and n should be set to 1 2 Enter this command x81 Reading the Current Exposure Mode Setting The x command reads the current exposure mode setting from the Work Set and returns nn As explained in Section 4 2 3 the query command returns a list of all current parameter settings from the Work set The ExpMode n n entry shows the current setting for the exposure mode BASLER A101 4 7 Configuring the Camera 4 2 6 2 Exposure Time When the camera is operating in programmable or free run mode an exposure time must be specified The exposure time command allows you to set a time unit and a multiplier The camera determines the exposure time by multiplying the time unit by the multiplier For example if the time unit is set to 500 ns and the multiplier is set to 1000 hex 03e8 the exposure time will be 500 000 ns The format of the command used to set the exposure time is tn4n3n5n ng where ng n3 na n4 and ng are hexadecimal digits The n digit is used to select the time unit Table 4 4 lists the n4 Time unit allowed settings for n and shows the time unit that will be will be
35. and automatically generates the manual programming commands that are described in Section 4 2 For instructions on installing the tool see the CCT installation guide that was delivered with your camera This section assumes that you are familiar with Microsoft Windows and that you have a basic knowledge on how to use programs If not please refer to your Microsoft Windows manual 4 1 1 Opening the Configuration Tool 1 Make sure that the serial interface is connected to your camera and that the camera has power 2 Click Start click Basler Vision Technologies and then click Camera Config Tool default installation If start up was successful the Model Tab is displayed If start up was not successful the Connection Tab or a Select Camera dialog box will appear For possible causes refer to the Camera Configuration Tool installation guide that was deliv ered with your camera 4 1 2 Closing the Configuration Tool Close the Configuration Tool by clicking on the X button in the upper right corner of the window 4 1 3 Configuration Tool Basics The RAM memory in the camera contains the set of parameters that controls the B 7j current operation of the camera This set VISION TECHNOLOGIES 1 Model Load Save Configuration Exposure Timi Test Ima of parameters is known as the Work Set eh m m l see Section 3 2 The Camera Configuration Tool is used to view the present settings for the parameters in the Work Set or t
36. e exposure time Readout is at the next regular readout pulse which occurs at least 2 us after the end of exposure time Exposure continues to the end of readout As a result effective exposure occurs in steps of 82 6 us even though exposure can be programmed in finer steps Effective exposure n x 82 6 us 57 us where n 1 2 Minimum effective exposure time is 139 6 us 9 To obtain a constant exposure time make sure that the falling edge of ExSync occurs while LVAL is high and that the rising edge occurs while LVAL is high Otherwise the exposure time may vary by 82 6 us ExSync must remain high for a minimum of 82 6 us The exposure time may jitter by 1 Pclk 1 Pclk 56 ns If the conditions described above are met this mode provides a very exact exposure time even if the falling and rising edge of ExSync jitter Note that FVAL must have been low for at least 100 ns before ExSync rises 3 14 BASLER A101 Operation and Features 3 8 5 Free run mode flexible timing With Exposure Start After Image Output period Internal Sync programmed Signal exposure H gt 100 ns 4 25 us FVAL a T gt 7 us 2 3 4 Y 1027 1028 1029 1030 i i LVAL 1028 1029 1030 i 1 i i y d i i effective 1 exposure S 2 us re i Discharge Sus Readout EE me IN Figure 3 14 Free run Mode Flexible Timing with FVAL L
37. etermined by the result of the formula ines skipped 4a 1 with a being n n and a 0 1 2 The formula for determining the number of lines in the scan area is different The number of lines in the scan area is now given by the result of lines scanned 4b 6 with b being n n and b 071 2 9 Be aware that when using partial scan with vertical binning or with full binning the re sults from two adjacent lines are combined This means that the number of lines re ported out of the camera will be equal to one half of the lines that you include in the scan area For example if you set your scan area to include 806 lines 403 lines will be reported out of the camera Example of a Partial Scan Command with vertical or full binning Suppose you want to skip the first 101 lines and to include the next 806 lines in the partial scan area 1 Find the value for a lines skipped 4a 1 101 24a 1 25 a 2 Find the value for b lines scanned 4b 6 806 4b 6 200 b 3 To determine the values for ns and n5 convert a to a two digit hexadecimal number a 25 19 hex 4 To determine the values for n and ng convert b to a two digit hexadecimal number b 200 c8 hex 5 Enter this command rl19c8 BASLER A101 Configuring the Camera 4 2 11 Storing a Modified Configuration When you use commands to modify the gain offset exposure mode etc you are modifying the values stored in the camera s Work
38. ettings If you will be using a terminal program make sure that it has the following settings Data character format 8N1 8 data bits no parity 1 stop bit Baudrate 9600 bps Local echo On Ifa field is offered for a delay after LF set it to 10 ms Add line feeds after carriage returns On No software or hardware protocols XON XOFF RTS CTS 4 2 2 Command Format Communication via the serial port uses ASCII characters exclusively A command to the camera starts with a colon and ends with a carriage return CR or a line feed LF for example x01 1 In the example above the colon indicates that a command follows The x indicates the type of command and in this case is followed by two hexadecimal numbers which represent a value When sent via the serial interface each of the 5 characters in the command would be ASCII coded Leading zeros must not be omitted The CR indicates the end of the command If the command is a query the camera answers with data followed by a CR Wait for the CR before you send the next command If the camera is not able to process a command it returns a question mark and a CR d Note that the camera accepts only lowercase letters If capitals are used the camera replies with a At 9600Bd each character in a command takes about 1 ms to be transmitted So for example the command d0060 would take about 7 ms for transmission Maximum time for a single comma
39. g with commands 4 6 troubleshooting eee eee eee eee 6 1 U UuSerSet oos d Gali RE ies SSeS ices 3 3 V ventilation 3 9 sd edt bee ered EY 1 4 vertical binning leslie 3 23 video data output EE Ee EE Ee se 2 6 W Weight csi dried Mees NE DE dander NGN 1 2 white compression 0000 eee eee 3 20 work set explained 0 0 0 cece eee 3 3 relationship to the config tool 4 2 BASLER A101
40. h each setting For example if ng is set to 2 the camera will op erate in the programmable mode with fixed tim ing ng Exposure Time Control Mode Programmable mode flexible Timing Level controlled mode flexible timing Programmable mode fixed timing Level controlled mode fixed timing Free run mode flexible timing o A N O Free run mode fixed timing Table 4 2 Mode Settings BASLER A101 Configuring the Camera The test image is enabled using a combination of the n and n digits n ng Test Image Table 4 3 shows how the digits should be set to 8 1 Test image with ExSync enable test image with ExSync or test with free run When test image with ExSync is enabled an ExSync signal must be provided to the camera and generation of the test image will be triggered by the ExSync signal When test image with free run is enabled generation of the test image will be triggered by the camera s internal sync signal 8 4 Test Image with free run Table 4 3 Test Image Settings When the test image is active gain offset and exposure settings have no effect on the image Examples of Exposure mode commands Example One Assume that you want to operate the camera in programmable mode with fixed timing Also assume that you do not want binning enabled 1 Check Table 4 1 and note that for binning to be disabled n should be set to 0 2 Check T
41. ical Considerations 45 te NO I o 14 9 EN Sp s v 7 No e t Y 4 1 YE 0 20 Y 8x M4 8 deep i through hole for bolt M3x70 o gt 60 00 f9 i seas Dim Tolerances S Lx ML 8 deep Figure 5 1 Mechanical Dimensions in mm 5 2 BASLER A101 Mechanical Considerations 5 3 Positioning Accuracy of the Sensor Chip Positioning accuracy of the sensor chip in the horizontal and vertical direction is 0 15 mm Rotational positioning accuracy is as shown in Figure 5 2 Reference position is the center of the camera housing Since the translatory and rotational positioning tolerance depend on each other the worst case of maximum rotational and horizontal vertical mis positioning cannot occur at the same time Sensor Alignment nce He 2 0250 0 7 Figure 5 2 Sensor Alignment BASLER A101 5 3 Mechanical Considerations 5 4 Optical Interface A C mount lens adapter and an F mount lens adapter is available for each A101 model Caution To avoid collecting dust on the sensor moun
42. ines the camera s frame rate 2 3 2 Output Signals 2 3 2 1 FVAL Indicates a Valid Frame Frame valid FVAL indicates a valid frame as illustrated in Figure 2 5 for fixed timing and Figure 2 6 for flexible timing Video data is only valid if FVAL is high The timing for FVAL depends on the exposure time control mode selected and is described in Section 3 8 The edge of FVAL rises 25 6 us after readout of the charges FVAL remains high for 85 1 ms This value changes with vertical binning or partial scan active 2 3 2 2 LVAL Indicates a Valid Line Line valid LVAL indicates a valid line of data as illustrated in Figure 2 5 for fixed timing and Figure 2 6 for flexible timing Video data is only valid when LVAL is high LVAL has its first rising edge 7 us after the rising edge of FVAL LVAL periodically rises every 82 6 us It is low for 10 4 us and high for 72 2 us With fixed timing LVAL continues to toggle even when FVAL is low and the LVAL signal is always periodic With flexible timing LVAL is only active when FVAL is high thus enabling asynchronous line readouts 2 3 2 3 PCLK Indicates a Valid Pixel Pixel clock PCLK indicates a valid pixel of data as illustrated in Figures 2 5 and 2 6 The FVAL LVAL and the PCLK signals are used to clock the digital video output data into external circuitry Digital data is valid on the rising edge of the pixel clock signal with FVAL and LVAL high The pixel clock frequency during standard o
43. ing explained n iee redda iaaa esee 3 6 setting with commands 4 6 flags e oes cep Sew Seat ete edt Dart 6 2 flexible timing explained sess autre RETE 3 5 setting with commands 4 6 F mount adapter 000 c eee eee eee 5 4 frame period setting with commands 4 9 framerate sta N ee eed VEE ee 1 2 frame Valid 25 ERGE an bre ES 2 6 free run mode eee eee 3 4 fullbinning sssese nn 3 23 functional description o o o ooo 3 1 EVALD ft men na PENE CET edes 2 6 G gain explained i cR EE epe AS 3 18 setting with commands 4 10 H horizontal binning EE EE EE EE ee 3 23 housing size ie EE else 1 2 l input sighals ie ve BERE aa vus 2 6 interfacing the camera EE EE Ee Ee o 2 1 L LEDS 75 EE EE 6 2 lens adapters cht eG cee RR eus 1 2 level controlled mode sells 3 4 line validi peiseai ee enne tette ncc 2 6 B7 2 6 EN DSA ster cut matter oen bei ture train de cs 2 8 M models camera SESSE ee es 1 1 mounting facilities 5 1 N name change 0 cece eee eee eee 1 1 O offset explained lesser 3 18 setting with commands 4 11 optical interface 02 eee eee eee 5 4 output signals 00 cee eee eee 2 6 P partial scan explained ond nr RR 3 21 setting with commands 4 13 POLI iet EE et E
44. ing the time unit by the multiplier For example if the time unit is set to 1024 us and the multiplier is set to 100 hex 64 the exposure time will be 102 400 us The format of the command used to set the frame period is pnzn n where nz n and n are hexadecimal digits The n5 digit is used to select the time unit Table 4 5 lists the allowed settings for n and shows the time unit that will be will be selected For example if n is set to 2 the 3072 us time unit will be selected The n and n digits are used to specify a multiplier The value of these hexadecimal digits can range from 00 to ff 0 to 255 decimal no Time Unit no Time Unit no Time Unit 0 1024 us 6 7168 us C 13312 us 1 2048 us 7 8192 us d 14336 us 2 3072 us 8 9216 us e 15360 us 3 4096 us 9 10240 us f 16384 us 4 5120 us a 11264 us 5 6144 us b 12288 us Table 4 5 Frame Period Time Unit Example of a Frame Period Command Assume that you want to set the time unit to 2048 us and the multiplier to the decimal value 60 1 Check Table 4 5 and note that to select a time unit of 2048 us n must be set to 1 2 Convert 60 to a two digit hexadecimal value 60 decimal 3c hex 3 Enter this command pl3c Reading the Current Frame Period Multiplier Setting The p command reads the current frame period setting from the work set and returns n2n ng As explained in Section 4 2 3 the query command returns a lis
45. ith the firmware version number for example 0100 BASLER A101 4 5 Configuring the Camera 4 6 4 2 5 Camera Status To check the current status of the camera use the command The camera replies with the current status flags See Section 6 2 for a more detailed explanation of status flags and a list of the flags d After any change is made that can effect the camera s status the status flags can take several seconds to update If you make a change that can effect the camera s status wait at least 5 seconds before using the status command 4 2 6 Programming Exposure Time Control 4 2 6 1 Mode Command The exposure mode command is used to select the exposure time control mode Select fixed or flexible timing enable binning and select a binning type enable the test image The format of the mode command is xn ng where n and n are hexadecimal digits The n digit is used to enable binning Table 4 1 lists the allowed settings for the n digit and shows the binning mode that will be ar Eining enabled For example if n is set to 1 vertical binning will be O Disabled enable 1 Vertical 2 Horizontal 3 Full Table 4 1 Binning Settings The ng digit is used to select the exposure time control mode and fixed or flexible timing Table 4 2 lists the allowed settings for the n digit and shows the exposure time control mode and the timing that will be associated wit
46. kaging Do not discard the packaging Cleaning Avoid cleaning the surface of the CCD sensor if possible If you must clean it use a soft lint free cloth dampened with a small quantity of pure alcohol Do not use methylated alcohol Because electrostatic discharge can damage the CCD 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 A101 Camera Interface 2 Camera Interface 2 1 Connections 2 1 1 General Description The BASLER A101 progressive scan camera is interfaced to external circuitry via three connectors located on the back of the camera Figure 2 1 shows the connector types used on the camera and Figure 2 2 provides a general description of the function of each connector As shown in Figure 2 2 there are also two status LEDs on the back of the camera which indicate signal integrity and power OK Subminiature Round 4 pin plug 9 pin plug D Sub HD 44 Pin Receptacle Figure 2 1 A101 Connectors BASLER A101 2 1 Camera Interface 2 2 Figure 2 2 A101 Connectors and Signals LED Yellow Signal Integrity LED Green Power OK 24 V Power Supply gt Serial
47. l scan use the command r fff On the AlOlcp using partial scan shifts the Bayer color filer mask by one vertically You may need to change the vertical offset in your frame grabber settings to compensate Example of a Partial Scan Command Assume you want to skip the first 401 lines and to include the next 505 lines in the partial scan area 1 Find the value for a lines skipped 4a 1 401 4a 1 100 a 2 Find the value for b lines scanned 4b 5 505 4b 5 125 b 3 To determine the values for ns and n5 convert a to a two digit hexadecimal number a 100 64 hex 4 To determine the values for n and ng convert b to a two digit hexadecimal number b 125 7d hex 5 Enter this command r647d BASLER A101 4 13 Configuring the Camera 4 14 Reading the Current Partial Scan Settings The x command reads the current partial scan setting from the Work Set and returns n3n5n ng As explained in Section 4 2 3 the query command returns a list of all current parameter settings from the Work set The PartScan n3nan ng entry shows the current setting for partial Scan Partial Scan With Vertical or Full Binning The AlOIp monochrome camera is capable of using partial scan in combination with binning When horizontal binning is used partial scan is programmed as described on page 4 13 When vertical binning or full binning is used partial scan operates differently The number of lines skipped is still d
48. me 6 1 Troubleshooting 6 2 6 3 6 2 Fault Finding Using Camera Flags The A101 regularly performs self tests Detected errors are signaled by blinking of the yellow LED on the back of the camera The number of pulses indicate the detected error If several error states are present the LED outputs the error codes in succession To get more information about an error use the command to determine which camera flag has been set Each flag is given as a hexadecimal number For example if the ExSync signal has not changed state in five seconds or longer the command would return 10 If more than one error is present the values of the flags are added for example if the camera was just switched on and the User Set could not be loaded the command would return 41 See Table 6 1 for the description of the pulses and the flags LED Flag Description On 00 The camera is OK Continuous On 40 This is the normal state after power on The flag is reset to 00 once the Continuous or the command has been issued The flag can be used to recognize a camera reset 3 pulses 10 ExSync has not changed state for 5 seconds or longer If you are not sup plying an ExSync signal to the camera this is a normal condition and should be ignored Otherwise check the cable and the ExSync generating device 5 pulses 04 The Work Set could not be stored into the User Set Please contact BASLER
49. nce Specifications 1 2 Specification BASLER Al0lp AlOlcp Sensor Type 1300 H x 1030 V pixels 2 8 inch HAD interline transfer progressive scan CCD Pixel Size 6 7 um H x 6 7 um V Lens Adapter C mount or F mount Spectral Response Al0lp 400 1000 nm peak at 510 nm See Figure 1 1 AlOlcp see Figure 1 2 Anti Blooming 1 100 or better Dark Signal Non uniformity t 1 gray value Photo Response Non uniformity t 12 Pixel Clock 18 MHz 9 MHz when horizontal binning or full binning is used Max Frame Rates 11 75 frames sec in normal operation 22 frames sec with vertical or full binning up to 157 frames sec with partial scan Video Output 8 bit RS 644 Synchronization External via ExSync signal Exposure Time Control Modes Level controlled programmable or free run Gain and Offset Programmable via RS 232 Power Requirements 24 V DC 15 max 5 W without lens adapter Max Cable Lengths RS 232 15m RS 644 20m Conformity CE FCC Housing Size 45 mm x 62 mm x 62 mm LxWxH Weight with C mount adapter 320 g with F mount adapter 380g Table 1 1 A101 Performance Specifications BASLER A101 Introduction The monochrome camera s spectral responsivity is shown in Figure 1 1 It includes lens characteristics Monochrome Camera Relative Response 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
50. nd such as a changed gain to take effect is 1 ms after the camera has decoded the command Loading and saving entire configuration sets takes approximately 500 ms BASLER A101 Configuring the Camera 4 2 3 Reading Configuration Parameters To view all current configuration parameters use the query command The camera replies with the current configuration of the Work set for example Model A101P Sn 123456123456 Id CF017302 ExpMode 06 ExpTime 007e0 Period 062 PartScan ffff Flags 00 DACO 063 DAC1 302 DAC2 OOf The first line displays the camera model the camera s serial number afactory ID number These settings can also be read individually using the 0 1 2 commands respectively These values do not effect camera performance The second line displays the exposure time control mode the exposure time the period of the free run mode the partial scan settings the camera flags The third line displays DACO which represents the gain setting DACI which represents the offset setting DAC2 Which represents the soft clipper value for white compression All numbers in lines two and three are hexadecimal 4 2 4 Reading the Protocol and Firmware Version The protocol version of the serial interface is viewed by using the 3 command The camera replies with the interface version number for example 01 The firmware version can be viewed by using the 4 command The camera replies w
51. nge The soft clipper gradient of 66 is fixed The soft clipper parameter determines the flexion point in the gain curve where the gradient changes to 6696 The flexion point can be moved in 16 steps from 40 to 100 of the gain curve This corresponds to gray values of 102 for 4096 and 255 for 100 If the value is set to 0 soft clipping starts at 40 If it is set to the end of the scale 15 the entire gain curve is linear Figure 3 19 shows a block diagram for the soft clipper circuit and Figure 3 20 illustrates how the soft clipper setting effects the gain gradient The default setting for soft clipping is 15 hex 00f meaning that soft clipping is deactivated CCD Soft Image f ADC Sensor Clipper AGC Variable Gain Control ADC Analog to Digital Converter Figure 3 19 Soft Clipper Block Diagram im 2 3 4 pper output 10096 1 DAC2 15 hex 00F 2 DAC2 10 hex 00A 3 DAC2 5 hex 005 4 DAC2 0 hex 000 4096 40 100 130 soft clipper input Figure 3 20 Soft Clipper Flexion Point 3 20 BASLER A101 Operation and Features 3 11 Partial Scan A block of lines can be addressed on the CCD chip and read out in partial scan mode Partial m E j scan can be used to look at elongated objects Lines It also allows higher frame rates depending on Skipped how many lines are active The starting point of the partial scan area is de fined by specifying a number of lines of the
52. o change the settings The configuration tool organizes the parameters into related groups and displays each related group on a tab For example the Gain and Offset Tab contains Refresh Appl all of the parameters related to setting the jE ort opene gain and the offset Elide When the configuration tool is opened it Figure 4 1 Gain and Offset Tab queries the camera and displays the current settings for the parameters in the Work Set BASLER A101 Configuring the Camera Using the Refresh and Apply Buttons Two buttons always appear at the bottom of the configuration tool window the Refresh button and the Apply button Typically if you make a change to one or more of the settings on a tab you must click the Apply Refresh Apply button for that change to be transmitted from the EA Bee configuration tool to the camera s Work Set Be Port opened COMI cause the parameters in the Work Set control the current operation of the camera when you click the Apply button you will see an immediate change in the camera s operation The Refresh button can be used at any time to make sure that the configuration tool is displaying the current settings for the parameters in the Work Set When you click the Refresh button the configuration tool queries the camera to determine the current setting for each parameter in the Work Set and updates the display on each tab Keep in mind that the Work Set is stored in a volatile
53. of this internal frame period signal exposure is triggered for a time period programmed via the serial interface The frame is read out and transferred at the end of the programmed exposure time see Figure 3 5 Subsequent frames are automatically transferred to the output of the camera free run period Internal is gt Sync Signal programmed exposure lt frame read out Figure 3 5 Exposure Time Free run Mode 3 4 BASLER A101 Operation and Features 3 5 Fixed and Flexible Timing Each of the three basic exposure time control modes can be used in combination with a fixed timing or a flexible timing The effective exposure time and the time of readout differ according to the timing selected The basic difference between the two timing types is that fixed timing allows easy integration with most frame grabbers due to continuous periodic LVAL signals while flexible timing enables adjustment of exposure time in very fine increments In addition partial scan is only possible with flexible timing Internally the camera uses discharge pulses to discharge the light sensitive elements Discharge pulse timing depends on LVAL pulses can only occur during the low time of LVAL 7 6 us before LVAL rises 13 4 us if VBin is active Discharge takes 2 us To obtain exposure times of more than 82 6 us these discharge pulses are suppressed during the exposure time d Due to its convenience and flexibility we suggest that
54. ommand returns a list of all current parameter settings from the Work set The DAC2 nnno entry shows the current setting for the soft clipper BASLER A101 Configuring the Camera 4 2 10 Partial Scan As explained in Section 3 11 partial scan is set up by defining a number of lines to skip and a number of lines to include in the scan area To determine the number of lines that will be skipped the camera s internal program uses the equation lines skipped da 1 where a 0 1 2 3 To determine the number of lines that will be included in the scan area the camera s internal pro gram uses the equation lines scanned 4b 5 where b 0 1 2 3 The partial sean command allows you to set a value for a and a value for b The format of the command used to set up partial scan is rnsnazning where nz n5 n and ny are hexadecimal digits The n3 and n digits are used to establish the value for a in the equation lines skipped 4a 1 The value of the hexadecimal digits can range from 00 to ff 0 to 255 decimal The n and ng digits are used to establish the value for b in the equation lines scanned 4b 5 The value of the hexadecimal digits can range from 00 to ff 0 to 255 decimal 9 The sum of the number of lines skipped plus the number of lines in the partial scan area must not exceed 1026 Partial scan can only be used with the flexible timing In fixed timing partial scan set tings are ignored To deactivate partia
55. on that the number of pixels in the X direction is 650 With vertical binning enabled frame grab bers often require the information that the number of pixels in the Y direction is 515 Failure to change the settings on your frame grabber can result in synchronization problems Binning generally increases the sensitivity by up to four times normal After switching on binning the image might look overexposed Reduce the aperture light intensity or exposure in this case 3 12 1 Changes to the timing in binning mode With horizontal binning or full binning enabled the Pclk is reduced to 9 MHz and the exposure time jitter is reduced to 28 ns With vertical binning enabled BASLER A101 the maximum frame rate is 22 Frames s FVAL is high for 45 ms LVAL rises 12 5 us after the rising edge of FVAL LVAL is low for 16 1 us as a result the full LVAL period is now 88 3 us the time between the falling edge of the discharge pulse and the rising edge of LVAL is 13 4 us 3 23 Operation and Features 3 13 Test Image The test image mode is used to check the cam era 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 mode the image is generated with a soft ware program and the camera s digital devices and does not use the optics CCD sensor gain offset circuit or the ADC The test image consists of lines
56. onto the ADC input voltage range of 0 V 1 8 V This corresponds to a factor of 4 5 and is equivalent to 13 dB Gain is adjustable and can be programmed on a decimal scale that ranges from 0 to 319 hex 000 to 13f The settings result in the following amplification e 023 5 dB 319 33 5 dB n between the change in dB settings is linear The gain can be adjusted in steps of 0 09 dB BASLER A101 Operation and Features The desired 13 dB minimum gain is achieved when the gain is programmed to 101 hex 065 You will find that the default gain setting on your camera is near to this value Reducing the gain below 101 hex 065 results in mapping more than the linear operating range of the sensor to the ADC Increasing the gain to more than 101 maps a smaller range to the ADC If you know the decimal number setting for the gain on your camera the equivalent decibel value can be calculated as follows 33 5 3 5 dB 319 x DN 3 5 If you know the decibels of gain that you want to achieve the appropriate decimal number gain setting can be calculated as follows 319 UN 33 5 35 x dB 3 5 with dB gt 3 5 BASLER A101 3 19 Operation and Features 3 10 Soft Clipper Soft clipper is a white compression function that reduces the gain gradient of higher gray values to 6696 The soft clipper is useful in applications where better resolution of low gray values is needed without sacrificing dynamic ra
57. ot possible to generate a discharge pulse asynchronously In this case exposure starts at the end of the last regular discharge pulse The following discharge pulses are suppressed The rising edge of ExSync triggers readout which starts after a delay of 2 us Readout takes 5 us during which exposure continues Effective exposure n d 7us where n exposure set by ExSync where d time to last discharge pulse Minimum exposure time is 20 us d To obtain a constant exposure time make sure that the falling edge of ExSync occurs while LVAL is high Otherwise the exposure time may vary by 82 6 us ExSync must remain high for a minimum of 82 6 us The exposure time may jitter by 41 3 us 1 Pclk 1 Pclk 56 ns FVAL must have been low for at least 100 ns before the next rising edge of ExSync With very low exposures use flash light to prevent smearing BASLER A101 3 13 Operation and Features 3 8 4 Level controlled mode fixed timing EXSYNC le exposure A 4 25 us gt 100 ns me FVAL P 27 us 826ps 1027 1028 1029 1030 LVAL nnnm effective exposure 82 6 us sae LL LL E PPPPLELLI Readout Figure 3 13 Level controlled Mode Fixed Timing The falling edge of ExSync starts the exposure Effective exposure starts earlier at the end of the last regular discharge pulse The discharge pulses during exposure are suppressed The rising edge of ExSync ends th
58. ow The start of the free run period starts the exposure and a discharge pulse is generated Effective exposure starts at the end of the discharge pulse Readout occurs after the end of the programmed exposure time It takes 2 us for readout to start Effective exposure ends after readout Effective exposure n 5 us where n programmed exposure Minimum programmed exposure time is 20 us 9 The programmed exposure time plus 85 2 us must be smaller than the programmed period The exposure time may jitter by 41 3 us 1 2 time unit 1 Pclk 1 Pclk 56 ns FVAL must have been low for at least 100 ns at the start of a period With very low exposures use flash light to prevent smearing BASLER A101 3 15 Operation and Features With Exposure Start During Image Output period Internal Sync Signal B programmed exposure Ej JE L FVAL Do r gt 100 ns 1 1026 1027 1028 1029 1030 M m 826 ks 1 LVAL T M 1029 1030 i 1 1 1 1 effective exposure applied prog exposure lt n n Discharge Eo Readout A HE Figure 3 15 Free run Mode Flexible with FVAL High If a frame is still being transferred when exposure starts it is not possible to generate a discharge pulse asynchronously In this case exposure starts at the end of the last regular discharge pulse Due to dynamic exposure time control the microcontroller detect
59. peration is 18 MHz If the camera is using horizontal binning or full binning the pixel clock frequency is 9 MHz 2 3 2 4 Video Data Figures 2 5 and 2 6 illustrate the output timing for pixels lines and frames The lines are output sequentially in a progressive scan so that one full frame is obtained The video data for each pixel is output as a digital value in an 8 bit format Thus the range of intensity for each pixel includes 256 gray values The digital gray value 0 corresponds to black and the digital gray value 255 to white BASLER A101 gt 104 us Camera Interface 85 1 ms 72 2 us F 82 6 us EE dE re e by JOOOOOOSSOOOOOOOSSQOOOOOOOOOOO N 1300 Figure 2 5 Pixel timing fixed timing 85 1 ms FVAL 104 pu 72 2 us B 37 use LVAL o AAA Eg 82 6 us e em A Video Out b bo OLOOELEEOGDOEOOBEYOOOODOLOOGO N 1300 Figure 2 6 Pixel Timing Flexible Timing 1 With VBin active 45 ms 2 With VBin active 12 5 us with Partial scan active only flexible timing 12 5 us 5 7 us per ignored line 3 With VBin active 16 1 us 4 With Partial scan active only flexible timing see formula in Section 3 11 1 5 with VBin active 88 3 us 8 with fixed timing LVAL toggles continuously even when no image is being transferred With flexible timing LVAL only toggles while an image is being transferred BASLER A101 2 7 Camera Interface 2 8
60. red as an 8 bit video data stream All output signals use LVDS technology according to RS 644 For optimal digitization gain and offset are programmable via an RS 232 serial port Exposure time control modes partial scan and binning mode are also programmable via the serial port The maximum achieveable frame rate increases to 22 frames per second with vertical binning and up to 157 frames per second with partial scan BASLER A101 3 1 Operation and Features 3 2 CCD Sensor Vert Vert Vert Vert Rog Pixels Sht Pixels RMT Pixels SUL Pixels d lt lt a pa y Yy Hy HY H lt lt Le pa Y Hy HY H lt lt 4 pal pa Y Hy o3 Bot L4 dE lt lt gt El Ta rn 4 a lt q pl Y Hy Hy Hy Lp t a lt q pl i Hy HYT LM oot Ln d a a pa Y HY Hy HY VGC il Di M PE ADC amplifier Horizontal lt lt L Shift Register Figure 3 1 Shift Registers BASLER AlOlcp Color Camera The AlOlcp color camera is based on the same sensor chip as the monochrome camera and therefore has similar features An exception is that binning is not possible with the color camera The color chip is equipped
61. s at the next regular readout pulse subsequent to the end of the exposure time As a result effective exposure occurs in steps of 82 6 us even though exposure can be programmed in finer steps Effective exposure n x 82 6 us 57 us where n 1 2 Minimum exposure time is 139 6 us d The exposure time should be set to multiples of 82 6 us Otherwise the exposure time may vary by 43 3 us The exposure time may jitter by 1 2 time unit 1 Pclk 1 Pclk 2 56 ns The programmed exposure time plus 86 uis must be smaller than the programmed pe riod BASLER A101 3 17 Operation and Features 3 9 3 18 Gain and Offset The major components in the camera electronics in clude a CCD sensor a variable gain control VGC and an analog to digital converter ADC The CCD sen sor outputs a voltage signal when it is exposed to light This voltage is amplified by the VGC and transferred to the ADC which converts it to a digital output signal Two parameters gain and offset are associated with the VGC and its supporting circuitry As shown in Figure 3 17 increasing or decreasing the gain increases or decreases the amplitude of the signal that is input into the ADC As Figure 3 18 shows increasing or decreas ing the offset moves the signal up or down the mea surement scale but does not change the signal amplitude By adjusting gain and offset the CCD sensor signal for a given application can be
62. s that the effective exposure started earlier than the programmed exposure time and it makes a corresponding shift in the applied programmed exposure The discharge pulses during applied programmed exposure are suppressed The end of the applied exposure time triggers readout Readout occurs after a delay of 2 us Readout takes 5 us during which exposure continues Effective exposure n 7 us where n programmed exposure Minimum programmed exposure time is 20 us d The exposure time may jitter by 48 2 us 1 2 time unit 1 Pclk 1 Pclk 56 ns FVAL must have been low for at least 100 ns at the end of exposure time 3 16 BASLER A101 Operation and Features 3 8 6 Free run mode fixed timing period Internal Sync Signa programmed exposure j rt FVAL j Er r gt 100 ns lt 7 us 1 1026 1027 A 1029 1030 uud uuu LVAL 1027 1028 1029 1030 WUUUUUU 4 Discharge JL JL JL DL JL t m IL DL JL GN NE 52 us l ha Figure 3 16 Free run Mode Fixed Timing The start of the free run period starts the programmed exposure Effective exposure starts at the end of the last discharge pulse The discharge pulses during exposure are suppressed Due to dynamic exposure time control the applied programmed exposure ends earlier since the microcontroller detects the shift by which the effective exposure started earlier Readout i
63. ss A limits for radio noise emissions set out in Radio Inter ference 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 lectrique 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 cus tomers 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 Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 1 CGamera Models ote cssc Pe ecu ies HER dean delia fd RE ae 1 1 1 1 1 Camera Name Change EE EE es 1 1 1 2 Performance Specifications o oooooccoccconoo eee 1 2 1 3 Precautlorisz cuoco tcs Sugiere epu nde dc RI eg N ica 1 4 2 Camera Interface 2 1 Connectlons oes EIS RES ER cewek ee pue Dee es 2 1 2 1 1 General Description 20 0 RE EE RE EE Re eee 2 1 2 1 2 Pin Assignments x eet RERUM E ERR BAG he eh el eae ae 2 3 2 2 Cable Information 0 0 cence eee eens 2 5 2 2 1 Video Data Cable Between the Camera and the Frame Grabber 2 5 2 2 2 Camera to PC RS 232 Cable 0 EE EE EE Ee ee 2 5
64. t a lens on the camera immediately af ter removing the dust cap 5 4 1 Adapter Mounting Feature To turn the lens inscription to an appropriate rotary position required for your given application 1 Loosen the four screws that hold the adapter in the camera body 2 Turn the adapter to the desired position 3 Tighten the four screws C mount F Mount 5 4 BASLER A101 Troubleshooting 6 Troubleshooting 6 1 Quick Checklist If you are having trouble with the operation of your camera make a quick check of the following items BASLER A101 Power is applied to the camera and it meets the specifications shown in section 2 5 You are using the correct data cable for your frame grabber The data cable is plugged into the camera and the frame grabber The RS 232 cable is plugged into the camera is plugged into the proper serial port on the PC is wired according to the drawing shown in Section 2 2 2 The serial port s settings are correct 8 N 1 with a baud rate of 9600 bps The correct serial port is selected If you are using the Camera Configuration Tool make sure that the port selected on the connection tab matches the port that the camera is plugged into If you are using a terminal emulation program make sure that the emulation program s settings are as shown in Section 4 2 1 Also make sure that the port selected in the emulation program s settings and the port that the camera is plugged into are the sa
65. t of all current parameter settings from the Work set The Period nsning entry shows the current setting for the frame period BASLER A101 4 9 Configuring the Camera 4 10 4 2 7 Gain The format of the command used to set the gain is d0n5njn where nz n and ng are hexadecimal digits The value of the hexadecimal digits can range from 000 to 13f 0 to 319 decimal The factory default setting for the gain is approximately hex 065 101 decimal d Because increasing gain increases both signal and noise the signal to noise ratio does not change significantly when gain is increased Do not use a gain setting lower than the factory default usually around hex 065 If you set the gain lower than the default a non linear portion of the sensor s response curve could be mapped to the ADC input and result in increased PRNU Example of a Gain Command Assume that you want to set the gain to the decimal value 140 1 Convert 140 to a three digit hexadecimal value 140 decimal 08c hex 2 Enter this command d008c Reading the Current Gain Setting The do command reads the current gain setting from the Work Set and returns n5nng As explained in Section 4 2 3 the query command returns a list of all current parameter settings from the Work set The DACO nnno entry shows the current setting for the gain BASLER A101 Configuring the Camera 4 2 8 Offset The format of the command used to set the offset is
66. technical support 6 pulses 01 The User Set could not be loaded Please contact BASLER technical sup port 6 pulses 02 The Factory Set could not be loaded Please contact BASLER technical support Table 6 1 Camera Status Fault Finding Using the Configuration Tool If you are using the Camera Configuration Tool select the Status Tab to view a general description of the camera status You can also use the Presence Check feature on the Connection Tab to view the camera flags BASLER A101 Revision History Doc ID Number Date Changes DA 037201 15 June 2001 Initial release DA 037202 10 July 2001 Made revisions required by the new Camera Configuration Tool Removed the installation chapter and placed the installation informa tion in a separate camera installation guide and a separate Camera Configuration Tool installation guide Removed the detailed instructions for using the Camera Configuration Tool These detailed instructions are now contained in the configura tion tool s on line help Removed references to the A101 and the AlOlc These versions of the camera are no loner available BASLER A101 BASLER A101 Index A adapter cox ses ue LEER uer EE XXe 5 4 anti blooming 0 000 cece eene 1 2 apply button i 0 eee eee 4 3 B BINNING Ed eit amoto PS ono OE ee t 3 23 explained 2 0 ce eee eee 3 23 setting with commands 4 6 C cable lengths
67. trically isolated from the circuit boards inside of the camera BASLER A101 2 3 Camera Interface The D Sub 9 pin plug is used for RS 232 communication between the host computer and the camera The pin assignments for the plug are shown in Table 2 2 Pin Signal Pin Signal 1 Not connected 6 Shorted to pin 4 internally 2 RxD 7 Shorted to pin 8 internally 3 TxD 8 Shorted to pin 7 internally 4 Shorted to pin 6 internally 9 Not connected 5 DC Gnd Pin 5 on the 9 pin plug pin 44 on the 44 pin receptacle and pin 1 on the 4 pin plug are tied together inside of the camera to ensure that the grounds are all at the same potential Table 2 2 A101 Pin Assignments RS 232 D Sub 9 Pin Plug The subminiature round 4 pin plug is used for input power The pin assignments for the plug are shown in Table 2 3 Pin Signal Pin Signal 1 DC Gnd 3 24 V 2 Shorted to pin 1 internally 4 Shorted to pin 3 internally Pin 1 on the 4 pin plug pin 44 on the 44 pin receptacle and pin 5 on the 9 pin plug are tied together inside of the camera to ensure that the grounds are all at the same potential Table 2 3 A101 Pin Assignments Subminiature Round 4 Pin Plug Figure 2 3 A101 Pin Numbering 2 4 BASLER A101 Camera Interface 2 2 Cable Information 2 2 1 Video Data Cable Between the Camera and the Frame Grabber The video data cable between the camera and the frame grabber
68. trol mode Binning Test image Read exposure time control mode from the Work Set Xx Write exposure time control mode to Work set XDQno Exposure time Read exposure time value from the Work Set t Write exposure time value to Work set tn4n3n5njng Frame period for free run mode Read period value from the Work Set p Write period value to Work set pnaonjng Partial Scan Read partial scan value from Work Set Y Write partial scan value to Work set rnz3n2n ny Table 4 6 List of Commands BASLER A101 Mechanical Considerations 5 Mechanical Considerations 5 1 Dimensions The camera s sensor and electronics are housed in an aluminum case Dimensions are given in the diagram in Figure 5 1 All dimensions are in mm 5 2 Mounting Facilities The A101 camera housing is manufactured with high precision Planar parallel and angular sides guarantee precise mounting with high repeatability The A101 camera is equipped with four M4 mounting holes on the front plate and two M4 mounting holes on each side as indicated in Figure 5 1 The M4 holes on the sides of the camera also serve as through holes for 70 mm long M3 bolts The through holes provide an additional mounting option for precise rotational camera adjustment about one axis This can be accomplished by inserting an M3 bolt through one of the through holes and fixing the camera in the required position using bolts in the corresponding M4 holes BASLER A101 5 1 Mechan
69. y designed for at least 300 mA is recommended 9 Make sure that the voltage rises to at least 16 VDC within 20 ms after you apply power to the camera Status LEDs Green LED When the green LED is lit it indicates that power is OK Yellow LED The yellow LED indicates signal integrity In case of an error blinking signals from the yellow LED indicate that an error condition is present See Section 6 2 for further information BASLER A101 2 11 Camera Interface 2 12 BASLER A101 3 1 Operation and Features Basic Operation and Features Functional Description The BASLER A101 high resolution camera employs a progressive scan CCD sensor chip with a resolution of 1300 H x 1030 V pixels which provides features such as electronic exposure time control and anti blooming The camera also features an asynchronous full frame shutter that is the exposure time can be controlled via an external ExSync signal The ExSync signal facilitates asynchronous pixel readout There are three basic exposure time control modes two asynchronous ExSync controlled modes and a free run mode In the asynchronous modes the start of the exposure time is triggered by the ExSync signal In the level controlled exposure time mode the exposure time starts with the falling edge of ExSync and ends with the rising edge The rising edge then triggers readout of the charges from the sensor elements to the CCD shift registers In the programmable
70. you always try to use flexible timing Use fixed timing only if flexible timing does not work with your frame grabber 3 5 1 Flexible Timing With flexible timing LVAL only toggles while FVAL is high and lines are actually being transferred Flexible timing allows asynchronous LVAL and discharge pulses With flexible timing exposure time can be set in very fine increments of less than one ps If FVAL is low when the exposure time starts a discharge pulse is generated immediately This discharge pulse may occur at any time asynchronously to any previous timing see Figure 3 6 Effective exposure starts after a delay of 2 us due to the length of the discharge pulse The following discharge pulses are suppressed FVAL gt 25 us i gt 7 us LVAL M gt 7 6 us exposure time d 826 ys 2 us iy el gt 4 Discharge 2 us gt 4 5 us Readout 1 1 1 effective exposure time 4 I With VBin active 12 5 us with Partial scan active 12 5 us 5 7 us per ignored line With VBin active 13 4 us with Partial scan active see formula in Section 3 11 1 3 with VBin active 88 3 us Figure 3 6 Flexible Timing BASLER A101 3 5 Operation and Features 3 6 At the end of exposure time charges are read out Readout begins after a delay of 2 us and takes 5 us Readout can occur asynchronously to any previous timing Since exposure continues

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