DRS Technologies Tamarisk 640 - No Video or Poor Video from the Camera

Tamarisk
®
Camera Control Software User Guide
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7.2 NO VIDEO OR POOR VIDEO FROM THE CAMERA
The DRS Camera Control Software will display video data taken from a frame capture device which
supports Microsoft’s DirectShow AP. If no video or poor video is seen, review the following
symptoms and solutions:
• No video data is displayed, check the following:
 Verify that a video cable is connected between the camera and the video display device.
 Verify that the camera and the video display device are powered and operational
 Use a different video source to verify that the video cable and video display device are
functioning correctly
 Verify the bits per pixel and ensure that the frame grabber or video display is configured
correctly. Having the wrong pixel mapping will give strange video effects. Typically the
frame grabber hardware will include software which allows the user to configure the frame
grabber.
 If using a USB port frame grabber, make sure you use a USB 2.0 (or greater) USB port
 The frame grabber device driver must be installed. This device driver is provided by the
frame grabber manufacturer. The DSR Camera Control Software uses the DirectShow
interface of the manufacturer's device driver to display video.
 Make sure that the cameras' shutter is not closed or that the lens is not block from seeing
thermal energy. When the camera is first powered on, you should hear the shutter “click”
indicating both power to the camera and that a 1-pt NUC has been performed. Refer to the
Tamarisk
®
User Manual for more details
 Make sure your video display device supports the cameras' output. For analog display
devices, make sure the device can supports the RS-170 protocol and supports the camera’s
resolution.
 Make sure the camera is set to the proper video output mode. The camera supports NTSC,
several PAL modes and 8-bit and 14-bit digital video. Refer to section 5.2.
• Symptom: The frame grabber is installed and operating correctly but the video quality is very
poor. Check the following:
 Make sure the camera is not zoomed out too far. Some cameras support a very narrow
field of view and when an image is viewed close up the image will look very poor.
 Verify the operating range of the camera as well as the scene temperature is within
specified limits. The image may look poor because the camera is operating out of its
designed operating or scene temperature range.