120 Troubleshooting Falcon™ 4-CLHS Series
Power Failure during a Firmware Update–Now What?
Don’t panic! There is far greater chance that the host computer OS is damaged during a power
failure than any permanent problems with the Falcon4. When power returns and the computer
restarts, follow the procedure below to complete the firmware update.
Connect power to the camera. The processor knows that the firmware update failed.
The camera will boot with the previous version of firmware and will operate normally.
Perform the firmware update procedure again.
Cabling and Communication Issues
Power supply problems:
Verify the DC power supply voltage and I/O cable wiring.
Communication Problems:
Use quality CX4 AOC (Active Optical Cable) cables. For I/O, use quality shielded I/O cables. This
can eliminate issues in a high EMI environment. Purchase CX4 cables from certified sources.
Use the Sapera Log Viewer tool for error conditions:
From the Start menu, select Teledyne Dalsa Sapera LT > Sapera Log Viewer.
Start an acquisition program, such as CamExpert.
Review the log output for error messages.
Camera is functional, frame rate is as expected, but image is
black
Using CamExpert, set the Falcon4 to output its Internal Pattern Generator (with external trigger
Off). This step is typically done for any camera installation to quickly verify the camera and its
software package.
If using an external trigger exposure (via the frame grabber), verify the trigger source rate and
pulse width coming from the grabber parameters.
Verify that the lens iris is open.
Aim the camera at a bright light source.
Check that the programmed exposure duration is not too short or set it to maximum.