To which PCI bus specification should my mainboard correspond?
Use mainboards with PCI bus specification 2.1 and higher.
Which BIOS settings are relevant for operating the camera PCI-interface-board?
It is crucial that the PCI plug and play automatic of the card is able to allocate free interrupts (IRQs). In most cases, you can do this in the PnP/PCI SETUP of the BIOS. Lock all the IRQs for applying the PnP automatic for cards with ISA Bus. The automatic can not recognize, and therefore can not administrate the IRQs of ISA cards (mostly "Legacy ISA"). In many computers, the IRQs 9 through 12 are used for PCI cards and all other IRQs are locked for PCI by "Legacy ISA". Additionally, DMA channels which are used by ISA cards should be locked for the PCI automatic. In general, IRQs and DMA channels should only be given to one device.
Furthermore, in the case of FlashBIOS computers, we recommend to use the latest BIOS version of the mainboard manufacturer (go to their homepage on the Internet!), to turn off the power management in the BIOS and to deactivate all devices on the mainboard which are not needed, like e.g. SCSI controller, 2nd IDE interface, infra red interface, PS2 interface.
Some of the trigger settings can not be selected?
Probably you work with an older PCI-interface-board which needs an update. Please contact us to check whether an update is required. To check this, we need the serial number of the PCI-Interface-Board.
Does the dark current change when binning?
The dark current is multiplied by the binning factor. E.g., for a 2x4 binning the dark current will increase linearly 8-fold due to the 8-fold increased pixel surface.
The camera is overheating, the temperature display in the info line (Camera Control) reads more than 65 degree centigrade (117 degrees fahrenheit).
The ventilation slots of the camera (backside and bottom) are blocked or the temperature in your environment is unusually high.
Hint: The camera has an in-built safe shutdown feature which is activated at a temperature exceeding 65 degrees centigrade (117 degrees fahrenheit).
Can a too high light intensity (e.g. direct irradiation of a light source, sunlight) damage the camera?
No! The CCD sensor can not be destroyed in this way, unless, of course, thermal destruction...
Caution: This does not apply for image intensifier cameras!
I want to upgrade my computer to a new mainboard before using the camera PCI-interface-board. Which mainboard do you recommend?
The camera PCI-interface-board has been successfully tested on many mainboards by the Gigabyte company, as well as boards by, Elite-Group and QDS.
What to do if software can not find the camera, if there is a conflict with the PCI board, etc.?
in the system BIOS:
• in the PNP options should be an option PNP OS. Set it to NO, although you use a Plug&Play OS like Windows2000! (Check whether you get resources in the device properties)
• switch off all devices, that are not needed, like USB, IDE2, et.
• set all NonPNP device to 'Legacy ISA' in the PCI/PNP menu.
• no overclocking in the system BIOS, please. PCI clock must be 33MHz.
• PCI Latency Timer = 32
in Windows:
• check the device manager for any conflicts.
• disable virus scanner, screen savers, power management, etc.
• no other programs while working with camware.
• Use newest driver available on internet, http://http://www.pco.de
in camware:
• Try using camware with allocating only 50% of available memory (for testing purposes only)
in general:
• if possible change to another computer (best would be a different type!)
• try to downsize the computer, that means, if possible, uninstall all additional cards like network cards, sound cards, tv cards, I/O cards, etc. for testing purposes only.
• On some AMD Athlon Systems with AMD Chipsets (750,761) there are startup problems resulting in not starting the whole computer and you have to press the reset button after switching the computer on.
• Check cables, if coaxial, then make sure that it is right poled, if fibre optics, make sure, that it is clean (see manual for cleaning instructions).
• Check IRQ list at startup of the computer
Can you supply technical data or specifications of the pixelfly cover glasses (glass on the CCD image sensor and cover glass of the camera)?
The CCD image sensor cover glass has a thickness of d = 0.75 mm, and a refractive index of n = 1.5 (measured for Sony image sensors). The camera cover glass is made of fused silica (SuprasilTM of Heraeus) with a thickness of 1.05 mm (+/- 0.05 mm), a refractive index of n = 1.48 and a anti-reflective coating.
Can you give some hints, if there is not enough memory when using the pixelfly and camware?
• try using camware with allocating
only 50% of available memory (for
testing purposes only). See the
view/memory settings dialogue!
• If the fps rate is too slow, switch
off all display windows.
General hints in case of problems with installing the pixelfly into a PC
• try to downsize the computer, that
means, if possible, uninstall all
additional cards like network cards,
sound cards, tv cards, I/O cards,
etc. for testing purposes only.
• There are known problems with all-in-
one SIS chipsets like SIS 5598 single
chipset (integrated VGA that uses
system RAM for graphic memory)! The
standard BIOSes reduce the pci
transfer rates on these chipsets to a
minimum.
• if possible change to another
computer (best would be a different
type)
Do you have some tips or advices concerning the use of the pixelfly with Windows?
• check the device manager for any
conflicts.
• disable virus scanner, screen savers,
power management, etc.
• no other programs while working with
camware.
• use newest driver available on
internet: http://http://www.pco.de
Are there any general advices concerning the settings of the BIOS, when the pixelfly camera is used?
• in the PNP options should be an
option PNP OS. Set it to NO, although
you use an Plug&Play OS like
Windows2000! (Check whether you get
Ressources in the Device Properties)
• switch off all devices, that are not
needed, like USB, IDE2, etc.
• set all NonPNP device to 'Legacy ISA'
in the PCI/PNP menu.
• no overclocking in the system BIOS,
please. PCI clock has to be 33MHz.
• PCI Latency Timer to value "32"
• PCI Slot with 540 board has to be
master with highest priority (if
possible in your BIOS).
• make sure, that your configuration
assigns one IRQ only to the 540 board
and no other board or device (no IRQ
sharing).
• upgrade the System BIOS to the newest
version!
Can I reduce the enormous use of RAM under Windows9x/ME/XP?
Only to a very limited extent! There is the possibility to reduce the dynamic hard disk cache (in DOS this was Smartdrv). For this purpose, add two new parameters in the [vcach] section of your System.ini file:
MinFileCache = 1024
MaxFileCache = 4096
The values for the minimum and maximum cache size are given in kilobyte.
How can I find out whether a fast shutter or a double shutter camera is connected?
The following is a C-code example to show, how the camera type simply can be determined:
/* definition of additional variables */
int stat,t1,t2;
........own program...........
GET_STATUS(&stat,&t1,&t2);
/* preload decision variable */
double_shutter = 0;
if(((stat&0x0E00)>>9)>0x01)
if((stat&0x00C0)==0x00C0)
double_shutter=1;
/* if double_shutter equals "1", a double
shutter camera is connected */
......continuing own program.........
What is the maximum allowed distance between camera and PCI-Interface-Board?
For systems with coaxial cable or patchcord not more than 10 m. For systems with fibre optic cable (FOL) at maximum 1500 m.
When installing the camera PCI-Interface-Board, I had to move my graphics card to another slot in order to obtain enough space for the long SensiCam card. Now Windows9x/ME/2000/XP is not starting properly.
When a PCI card is set onto another slot, it might occur that the automatic device detection by Windows9x/ME/2000/XP recognizes and reinstalls a new device without deleting the old device entry. This double installation leads to a device error. Open Start/Settings/System Control/Device Manager and delete both entries for the device (e.g. graphics card) from the device list. After rebooting Windows9x/ME/2000/XP, the operating system will recognize one new device and properly install it.
How can I check if all devices are properly working under Windows9x/ME/2000/XP ?
For this purpose, open Start/Settings/System Control/System and select the register card "device manager". A small yellow "!" at the symbol indicates a conflict.
Where can I find useful information about Windows9x/ME/2000/XP in the Internet?
Useful links can be found in our website: http://www.pco.de in the ‘partner->links’ menu.
When I click “End/Restart Windows”, my computer is rebooted. Is there no faster way to restart Windows9x/ME/2000/XP?
Press the Shift key when confirming the "End/Restart Window" message with OK. Now only Windows9x/ME/2000/XP will be restarted instead of rebooting your machine.
How can I see under Windows NT whether the driver for the PCI-Interface-Board were started correctly?
When the installation of the hardware driver was done with administrator privileges and without errors, the system driver for the PCI-Interface-Board should be started at any time of a startup of Windows NT. If not, an error entry will be written into the ‘Event Viewer’. In ‘System Control / Devices / PCO PCI InterfaceBoard 525/520’ you can control at any time the state of the PCI-Interface-Board. It should be on ‘started’ and ‘automatically’.
When starting the camware software, the program returns "No camera detected or no PCI card found".
This message might have a number of reasons:
• The camera is not switched on.
• The link between PCI-interface-board and the camera is defective. The camera LED shows a permanent red signal, either since the wire is not plugged in, since the coaxial connections RX and TX have been interchanged or since, in the fibre optics version, the plugs are dirty. When properly linked, the camera LED should show either a green signal (ready) or flash red / green (ready, but operation temperature has not been reached yet).
The PCI-Interface-Board is not properly placed onto the PCI slot.
• Wrong PCI/PnP definitions in the BIOS of your computer.
• The driver does not get a non-shared interrupt.
How can I check which device uses which IRQ, which I/O address and which memory base address?
Under Start/Programs/Administrative Tools (Common)/Windows NT diagnostics you find an overview of all registered devices.
Which name is allocated to the PCI-Interface-Board in the Windows9x/ME/2000/XP device list?
After having installed the PCI-Interface-Board according to the manual, Windows9x/ME/2000/XP will notify you at first start that a new device "PCI Multimedia Device" has been detected and will ask you to insert the manufacturer disk. Insert the "Driver Disk" (hardware driver) of the SensiCam software into your floppy drive and confirm by clicking OK (you might have to specify drive A: in another window). After a successful installation, you have to reboot your computer in order to impose the changes. The device manager will now list the SensiCam PCI card as a ‘Audio, video and game controller’ with the device name ‘PCO PCI InterfaceBoard 525/520’. In case you ignore in the first step the installation of the driver software and click ‘install driver at some later point’ instead, the SensiCam PCI-Interface-Board will not be completely installed. The device manager will then list it as "PCI Multimedia" under "Other components". You can click this device and choose "Update driver" under "Driver" in order to install the driver disk a posteriori. After rebooting your computer, the card will be listed as "Audio, video and game controller" with device name ‘PCO PCI InterfaceBoard 525/520’.
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