Va 20
Va 20
VA2x, VA3x
Dual Camera Vision Appliance
and
VA1x Single Camera Vision Appliance
User’s Reference Manual
405-00020-00
Revision 08
11 March 2010
VA2x, VA3x Dual Camera Vision Appliance
and
VA1x Single Camera Vision Appliance
User’s Reference Manual
Document Number 405-00020-00
Rev 08; 11 March 2010
iNspect, iLabel, and the Teledyne DALSA logo are trademarks of Teledyne DALSA Incorpo-
rated.
Camera Configurator and Sherlock are registered trademarks of Teledyne DALSA Incorporated.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Certifications
FCC Compliance Statement
This product has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pur-
suant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can
radiate radio frequency energy and may cause harmful interference to radio communication.
CFR 21 Part 11
This product provides the tools needed for users to implement an auditing program that could be
in compliance with CFR 21 Part 11. These tools include:
• System or software backup and restore – VA15, VA20, VA30
• System software security (password loging and access limits) – iNspect and Sherlock software
• Protection of system backup files from modification – VA15, VA20, VA30
• Record of actions by users with time stamp information – iNspect software
• Time stamp information on data output – iNspect and Sherlock software
ElectroStatic Discharge
Avoid the damage that ESD can cause. Never expose the internal electronics to a potentially haz-
ardous environment by opening the enclosure. Doing so may cause serious damage.
Warranty
DALSA warrants the Vision Appliance against defects in materials and workmanship for a peri-
od of one year from the date of delivery. DALSA and its representatives expressly disclaim any
and all other warranties.
Your sole remedy shall be repair or replacement of the Vision Appliance product and associated
optional components, provided that the defective product is returned within the warranty period.
If you need to return the system, you must contact the DALSA representative who sold you the
system. Do not return your product to DALSA without authorization.
DALSA assumes no liability for damages resulting from the use of this manual.
Table of Contents
Certifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
FCC Compliance Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
European Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CFR 21 Part 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Handling and Operating Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
ElectroStatic Discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
User Service Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2. Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Product Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Environmental Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3. Support and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DALSA/IPD Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Factory Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4. Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Product Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Typical Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5. Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Pre-Installation Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Installing the Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Interface Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Camera (Video) Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
TM Camera Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Camera Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Network Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Serial Port Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
I/O Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Solution Switching Using I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
I/O Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
System Status LED Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Verify Installation and Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Mounting Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Vision Appliance Chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Modifying the VA15, VA20, VA30 Appliance Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Local PC Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Changing the Appliance IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Internet Explorer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Changing the VA21, VA31 IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Camera Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
VA15/VA20/VA30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
VA21/VA31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
iNspect/iLabel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Sherlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Software Upgrades – VA15, VA20, VA30 only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Software Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Software Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Software Upgrades – VA21, VA31, VA4x, VA6x, PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix A. Connector Pinouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Camera Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Power Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Input Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Output and Power Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Display (VGA) Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Serial Port Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
USB Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Ethernet Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Appendix B. Staging and Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
An Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Part-in-Place Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Reducing Blurring Caused by Part Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Progressive Scan Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Strobe Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Using Contact Closures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Using Photo-Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Appendix C. Sherlock Digital I/O Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Appendix D. Camera Exposure Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Setting the Exposure Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
List of Tables
Title Page
Recommended Camera List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
TM Cable Pin-Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Input Electrical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Input Connector Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Output Electrical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Output Connector Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Video Connector Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Camera Electrical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
I/O Connector Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Input Electrical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Input Connector Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Output Electrical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Output Connector Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Display Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Serial Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
USB Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Ethernet Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Default Digital I/O Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
List of Figures
Number Title Page
Figure 1. Interface Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 2. TM Camera Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 3. Opto-Isolated Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 4. Input Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Figure 5. Solution ID Switching Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 6. Output Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Figure 7. System LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 8. Chassis Mounting Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 9. TM2 Camera Mounting Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 10. SM2 & DM1024 Camera Mounting Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 11. Temporary IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Figure 12. The Vision Appliance Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Figure 13. Device Setup Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Figure 14. Camera and Application Selection Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Figure 15. Camera and Language Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Figure 16. Upgrade Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Figure 17. Camera Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Figure 18. Opto-Isolated Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Figure 19. Display and Serial Port Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Figure 20. Bottle Inspection Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Figure 21. Example of switch “bounce” during a contact closure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Figure 22. Photosensor Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
1. INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the Vision Appliance! You now own a powerful, integrated
system that can be applied to a diverse range of industrial vision applications. As a valued DAL-
SA customer, you can now look forward to easily implementing robust solutions, the Vision Ap-
pliance way.
Overview
The Vision Appliance is an integrated platform that includes processing, display, image capture,
networking, communication and industrial I/O. These standard hardware components, encased
within an aluminum chassis, provide the basis for a powerful industrial vision system.
The vertical bars are “change bars” and mark additions or changes from the pre-
vious version of this manual.
Product Verification
Before getting started, please take a few minutes to verify that your shipment is complete and in
good condition. If your product has been visibly damaged during shipment or is missing parts,
please contact your local DALSA representative immediately.
Environmental Requirements
For reliable operation, this product should be operated within the following environmental con-
ditions:
• Stable ambient temperature from 10°C to 45°C
• Relative humidity to 90% non-condensing
• Stable ambient lighting
• No excessive vibration or mechanical shock
• No contact with corrosive agents
• No liquid splash
• Dust and dirt controlled (regular maintenance checks)
Support
DALSA provides the following support resources:
Documentation
In addition to this manual, the following information ships with the product:
Online help – “fingertip help” is available on every screen (“panel”) of the User Interface.
DALSA/IPD Website
Our www.dalsa.com/ipd website is updated regularly with the latest information.
Factory Support
Call, fax, or email your local representative, or the DALSA IPD Headquarters, for product sup-
port.
DALSA IPD Main Number: +1.978.670.2002
700 Technology Park Drive FAX: +1.978.670.2010
Billerica, MA 01821 Email: support.ipd@dalsa.com
Internet: http://www.dalsa.com/ipd
To assist our staff in supporting you better, please have the following information available:
1. Name of DALSA/IPD representative who sold you the product.
2. Serial number of the unit.
3. Description of how the product is being used (application and environment).
4. Description of the problem and what you were doing when the problem occurred.
5. Exact wording of any error or warning messages that the product displayed.
6. What you have done to try and solve it.
Maintenance
For continued product health and reliable results, DALSA IPD recommends regular mainte-
nance checks to keep the equipment free of dust and dirt. Use anti-static compressed air to blow
dust off the Lens and use a lens cloth or cleaner to wipe away grease, oil, or fingerprints.
4. PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Product Description
The Vision Appliance is an optical inspection appliance designed for high-speed applications re-
quiring one or two views of a part. Both easy to learn and deploy, the Vision Appliance is an ideal
choice for manufacturers who need to ensure the best possible quality in their product.
The VA15, VA20 and VA30 is a stand-alone product. Remote connections are available for con-
trol and monitoring. All required software, user interfaces and communication controls are resi-
dent in the product. The VA21, VA31 provides local setup via keyboard, mouse and monitor, in
addition to remote access.
The Vision Appliance includes the iNspect software user interface. iNspect is a powerful inspec-
tion tool that can be applied to a range of application challenges. Pre-inspection setup requires
focusing the camera lens and adjusting the light source to optimize image picture quality (high-
light features of interest). This is an important step to assure accurate and repeatable results.
Inspections are quickly set up by applying instances of tools to an image template captured by
each of the cameras. Once configured with acceptable tolerances, the device is ready to start in-
specting. In run mode, results and images are posted to the local monitor continuously. At the
same time, outputs control downstream part handling and results are communicated to related
equipment via RS-232 or Ethernet.
The Vision Appliance accommodates both translation (X,Y) and 360° rotation of parts. While
fixturing is recommended wherever possible, it is not a requirement for operation of this product.
iNspect can store over 64 solutions, 8 of which can be switched externally through user inputs for
line changeovers.
Included with iNspect is the sister product iLabel. This is a label inspection tool that was designed
primarily for the packaging industry. It allows you to learn and inspect the quality and placement
of labels on packaged goods.
Typical Applications
The Vision Appliance can be applied to solve a diverse range of manufacturing problems across a
multitude of industries. Typical applications include:
• Detect missing or incorrect components in a package or assembly
• Verify precision measurements
• Inspect front and back surfaces simultaneously (not VA15 single camera appliance)
• Track or verify products – barcode or 2D matrix
• Read and verify characters (OCR)
• Align PCBs – locate and report position of multiple fiducials
• Locate and count objects
• Verify label position, fill level, cap and safety seal on bottles
• Check for surface defects
5. INSTALLATION
Pre-Installation Checks
1. Read the handling and operating precautions in Section 2.
2. Check that all essential components are present:
a. The VA1x/VA2x/VA3x unit
b. Monitor, keyboard and mouse (only required for local setup using the VA21 or VA31)
c. Camera(s) and associated cable(s)
d. C-Mount Lens for each camera
e. 24 VDC power supply with a minimum 1.5 A output
f. Light Source, cable and power supply if necessary
g. Sensor trigger and cable (if required)
h. Decision trigger and cable (if required)
4. Connect the Serial Port connection as required (see “Serial Port Connection” on page 17).
5. Connect the Ethernet connection as required (see “Network Connection” on page 17).
6. Wire the required outputs from the I/O connectors to the sensors, PLC and directional con-
trol devices that you are using (see input pinout on page 19, and output pinout on page 22).
7. Thread the lens onto each camera lens mount.
8. Attach a camera cable to each camera and connect them to the camera ports on the VA20. See
“Camera (Video) Connections” on pages 16 & 17.
9. Mount the light source and connect the strobe controller (if required) to the strobe output of
the Output connector (see output pinout on page 22).
10. Before powering on the unit, see “Verify Installation and Begin” on page 25.
USB Keyboard
Power and Output Connectors & Mouse
Monitor
Connector
Serial Port
Ethernet Port
Camera Connectors
Input Connectors 1 camera on VA15;
2 cameras on VA2x/VA3x
Interface Specifications
Camera (Video) Connections
One of the benefits of the Vision Appliance is that it supports different format cameras or sensors.
This means that the hardware can be easily adapted to changing inspection requirements. The
standard camera that ships with the product has a resolution of 640x480 pixels, but this is expand-
able up to 1392x1024. DALSA offers cameras for use with our Vision Appliances, some of which
are referenced below.
The Vision Appliance interfaces up to 2 synchronous cameras, supporting progressive scan ana-
log with standard or double-speed capabilities. (VA15 one camera only). Maximum image reso-
lution is 1392x1024 per camera. The following cameras are offered by DALSA/IPD. Consult the
factory for alternate choices if required.
NOTE With a single camera, maximum resolution is 1600x1200. With 2 cameras maxi-
mum resolution is 1392x1024.
Recommended Camera List
Model Resolution Type Full frame speed Body Size
TM1 & TM2 640x480 Analog-mono 60 fps 1”x1”x1.5”
DM1024 & SM2 1024x768 Analog-mono 29 fps 1”x1”x1.5”
TM Camera Cable
This cable is compatible with the TM1, TM2, SM2 and DM1024 progressive scan analog camer-
as that ship with the product. This cable is also compatible with the CV-A1 and CV-A11 cameras.
TM Cable Pin-Out
12-pin Camera 15-pin Appliance
Connector Signal Description Connector
1 12 Volt Return (ground) 10
2 +12 Volts DC 15
3 Analog ground 7
4 Video input (single-ended) 2
5 Digital ground 4
6 HDRIVE horizontal sync 13
7 VDRIVE Vertical sync 14
8 Digital ground 5
9, 10 no connection –
11 Frame Reset to camera (Exposure) 9
12 Digital ground 5
Camera Switches
The settings of the switches on the back of the cameras should not be changed. For reference only:
TM1 switches 1, 6, and 10 are ON, all other switches are Off.
TM2 switches 2, 7, and 10 are ON, all other switches are Off.
SM2 switches 1 through 7, 9 and 10 are Off, 8 is ON; 75Ω is Off, HD/VD set to EXT.
DM1024 switches 5, 6, and 10 are ON all other switches are Off.
Network Connection
If your system is to be connected to a LAN (Local Area Network), connect a network cable to the
RJ45 Ethernet jack. The Vision Appliance supports Gigabit Ethernet (1000 BaseT) Fast Ethernet
(100 BaseT) and Twisted Pair Ethernet (10 BaseT). If you plan to use Gigabit or Fast Ethernet,
use a Category 5 (UTP5) cable.
If the Vision Appliance is part of a peer-to-peer configuration (for example, connected directly to
a PC, without a Network) you will need to use a special crossover cable to connect to the second
device. A crossover cable is available optionally from DALSA IPD, or at any computer supply
store.
The Vision Appliance is factory configured with a Static (fixed) IP Address of 192.168.0.100.
This may not be compatible with your PC or Network, and you may have to change it, or have
your network administrator change it. Step-by-step directions are included in this manual.
Status LEDs
The Vision Appliance provides 26 LEDs on the interface panel as visual health and status indica-
tors (see Figure 1).
A RESET function is available on the Input I/O connector. When activated, the system will re-
boot. The Reset LED should come on at the start of the Reset operation, and then go off. If the
LED remains on, the unit has not exited the Reset condition.
The Green LED beside +24V indicates CPU health or status. When the CPU is booting, this LED
should flash, and LED1 and LED2 should turn on and stay on (indicating the FPGA has loaded
correctly) until a program or application (iLabel or iNspect) changes their behavior. The VA15,
VA20 & VA30 launches iNspect or iLabel after booting. The VA21 & VA31 boots to a Windows
desktop, and the CPU Health LED remains flashing.
As the (iNspect or iLabel) application opens, two of the LEDs start flashing. These are the
“Heartbeat” (LED1) and “End-of-Acquire” (LED2) status. The Heartbeat has a 2 second cycle, at
50% duty. The End-of-Acquire cycle depends on the timer or external trigger.
For more information on LED status operation please refer to page 24.
I/O Connections
The digital I/O is accessible through two 15-pin EURO style connectors. The top connector (as
viewed from the front) interfaces the inputs and the bottom connector the outputs. Right-angle
mating plugs ship with the unit for easy wiring to panels.
Inputs
The inputs are opto-isolated, polarity insensitive pairs (NOTE: some common pins are shared)
that can be connected to either sourcing (PNP) or sinking (NPN) outputs. They require no exter-
nal pull-up or pull-down resistors and can accept input voltage levels from 2 Volts to 24 Volts.
Each input has a variable programmable switching threshold and de-bounce circuit for improved
noise immunity. The switching threshold is programed through the IFC Camera Configurator.
The default threshold is 3 Volts. Figure 4 (page 20) illustrates several input connection options.
3.3 Volts
5–24 V 60 V
680R
IN B IN B IN B
680R
IN A IN A IN A
GND
COM COM COM
GND GND
60 V
Shared Common Sinking Shared Common Sourcing Shared Common Sourcing
Input Connection Input Connection Input Connection VIN=60 V
5–24 V 680R
IN B
IN IN
680R
GND
IN A
COM COM
GND
5–24 V GND COM
60 V
Single Input Sinking Input Single Input Sourcing Shared Common Sinking
Connection Input Connection Input Connection VIN=60 V
5–24 V 5–24 V
TTL
IN B IN
TTL COM
IN A IN
50 mA
10 mA
COM COM
GND GND GND
Shared Common TTL Input NPN Input Connection PNP Input Connection
Connection e.g. Opto
Common pin 9
Outputs
The outputs are opto-isolated solid-state relays that can operate up to 30 Volts. They can be visu-
alized as mechanical switches. They are analog, polarity insensitive and exhibit no contact
bounce. The outputs can drive both AC and DC loads providing the current and voltage limits are
observed. Figure 6 (page 22) illustrates output connection options.
COM COM
+ –
5–30 V 5–30 V
– +
Load Load
OUT OUT
VA20 VA20
I/O Definitions
TRIG – TRIGGER INPUT
An input from an external device, such as a photoeye, that is used to signal the Vision Appliance
to acquire an image. Since the input is “edge” sensitive, the minimum pulse width is determined
by the minimum input transition time, of 1 us.
SLN[0:2] INPUTS
The Solution inputs are sampled when the ACC input is strobed to dynamically select a solution
(job) file to run. These inputs are level sensitive and require a 1 ms setup and hold time relative to
the leading edge of the ACC pulse.
ACC INPUT
An input that is used to switch the solution file as determined by the SOLN inputs. It is a high
going pulse of minimum duration 1 ms.
IN[0:3]
General purpose inputs that can be used as inspection qualifiers or controls by the application
software. IN0 is the iNspect/iLabel decision trigger/sensor input, if enabled.
STB – STROBE OUTPUT
An output that, when enabled, generates a pulse after receiving an inspection TRIGGER input.
The STROBE offset and duration are programmable. The STROBE pulse is used to briefly turn
on (strobe) a light for the purpose of “freezing” a part in motion, eliminating motion blur.
PASS
The PASS output is a general purpose output with special function in iNspect and iLabel. When
an inspection passes, a pulse is generated on this output of user-defined length and polarity. De-
pending upon the operational mode of the software, this is either a software or hardware con-
trolled pulse. The hardware pulse is output when the Vision Appliance is emulating a PLC to di-
rect parts appropriately following inspections. This is general purpose output 0 in Sherlock.
FAIL
The FAIL output is a general purpose output with special function in iNspect and iLabel. When an
inspection fails, a pulse is generated on this output of user-defined length and polarity. Depending
upon the operational mode of the software, this is either a software or hardware controlled pulse.
The hardware pulse is output when the Vision Appliance is emulating a PLC to direct parts appro-
priately following inspections. This is general purpose output 1 in Sherlock.
RECYCLE
The RECYCLE output is a general purpose output with special function in iNspect and iLabel.
When an inspection meets the recycle criteria, a pulse is generated on this output of user-defined
length and polarity. Depending upon the operational mode of the software, this is either a soft-
ware or hardware controlled pulse. The hardware pulse is output when the Vision Appliance is
emulating a PLC to direct parts appropriately following inspections. This is general purpose out-
put 2 in Sherlock.
OUT[0:3]
General purpose outputs that can be configured to output voltage levels or pulses based on user-
defined criteria. Outputs 0–3 in iNspect and iLabel, outputs 3–6 in Sherlock.
SYS OK
Reset
LED 1
LED 2
LED 3
Troubleshooting
1. You have powered the Vision Appliance and launched iNspect or iLabel, but you do not see
an image on the local display.
a. Verify the acquisition heartbeat is flashing. If it is not, a connection problem is likely.
Verify the cables again.
b. Verify that the lens aperture is not closed.
c. Verify that the inspection area (meaning the area that the camera is viewing) is correctly
illuminated.
Mounting Options
Vision Appliance Chassis
The Vision Appliance provides the means to mount to a standard DIN rail. The mounting brack-
ets are located on the base plate of the unit.
unit: inches
Cameras
The TM2, SM2 and DM1024 cameras provide mounting holes on the bottom of the camera. The
location and size of the mounting holes are shown in Figure 9, and Figure 10, respectively. Tripod
mounting adapters are also available for both cameras.
29 ± 1 16 21 4-M2 depth 3
3-M3 depth 3
29 ± 1 20 12
∅ 2 H7 depth1.5
Unit: mm
29 15 23.7
29 20 12
4-M2 depth 3
16.5 22
Unit: mm 3-M3 depth 3
Local PC Setup
If your PC is on a local Area Network, ask your Network Administrator to configure the Vision
Appliance to a compatible Static IP Address. The Network Administrator will need to know that
the VA1x/VA2x/VA3x default address is 192.168.0.100.
If you do not have a Network Administrator, use the following steps to configure your PC to ac-
cess the Appliance at its default address. You will first configure the address of your PC to be
compatible with the Vision Appliance default address. Then you can access the Appliance, and
make it compatible with your network. Finally, you reset your PC back to its original address.
1. Disconnect your PC from the network, and connect it directly to the Appliance with the
crossover cable.
2. Open the TCP/IP Protocol Properties:
Windows 2000
a. go to: Start – Settings – Control Panel
b. double-click on “Network Connections”
c. double-click on Local Area Connection
d. in the “Local Area Connection Status” window, click on the General tab
e. click on the Properties button
f. in the “Local Area Connection Properties” window, click on the General tab
g. click on “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” and click on the Properties button.
Windows XP
a. go to: Start – Control Panel
b. double-click on “Network Connections”
c. double-click on Local Area Connection
d. in the “Local Area Connection Status” window, click on the General tab
e. click on the Properties button
f. in the “Local Area Connection Properties” window, click on the General tab
g. click on “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” and click on the Properties button.
3. Write down all of the settings in the “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties” window (or
capture the screen with Alt–Print Screen, and paste it into a WordPad document). You will
change these temporarily for accessing the Appliance the first time. You will need to change
them back to their original settings to regain access to your network. Or, if you do not con-
nect to a network, you can leave your PC at the “temporary address.”
4. Click the radio button beside “Specify an IP Address” or “Use the following IP address” if it
is not already selected. Enter the address 192.168.0.111 (see Figure 11).
The first three fields (192.168.0.) put your PC on the same address neighborhood as your
Appliance. The last field (111) puts your PC at an address in this neighborhood that is differ-
ent but close to the Appliance. The other addresses in this window do not need to be
changed. The Appliance and PC will communicate directly, without trying to find a local
gateway or server. Click OK to accept the new address and close the window. If you get a
warning about the Subnet Mask, click OK. It should be filled in for you. If it is not filled in,
use Subnet Mask value 255.255.255.0 and click OK. Click OK or Close in all the other open
windows to accept the new address. You do not need to reboot your PC at this time.
NOTE This address allows you to access the Appliance. You can then change the Ap-
pliance address to be compatible with your local network. You will have to
change your PC back to its previous settings to reattach to your local network,
and then reboot both the Appliance and the PC.
change the address. Reboot takes 1 minute. In the future, you would use your new IP Address
for this reset command, not the factory address.
8. Repeat steps 2 through 3 to change your PC back to its original address settings.
9. Attach your PC to the network cable, and reboot the PC.
NOTE After making changes to the Device Setup page, you must click “Ok” to ac-
cept your changes, and then Reboot the Appliance.
11. Click on the “Connections” tab at the top of the Internet Options window.
12. Click on the “LAN Settings“ button.
13. If the check box under “Proxy Server” is empty, click Cancel. Click OK to close the Inter-
net Options, and proceed to setting up the inspection.
14. If the check box under “Proxy Server” is checked, click on the “Advanced” button.
15. In the field under “Exceptions” enter the IP Address of your Vision Appliance(s). Click OK
to exit Proxy Settings. Click OK to exit LAN Settings. Click OK to exit Internet Options.
Camera Configuration
The Appliance is configured for the camera ordered with the unit, before shipping from DALSA.
VA15/VA20/VA30
Camera selection is changed on the Camera/App Selection page, accessed from the Appliance
Home page. This page also allows you to switch from iNspect to iLabel, or back again. The cur-
rent application appears between “Upgrade” and “Camera/App Select”. This page also allows
you to rotate and tile images, and enable or disable the Recycle tolerance in measurements.
NOTE If a saved Solution is not compatible with the selected camera, it will not load or
run. The software will default to “Start New Solution”.
VA21/VA31
NOTE The Vision Appliance does not support running more than one video acquisition
program at one time; such as, iLabel, iNspect, Sherlock, Camera Configurator
or IFC examples.
iNspect/iLabel
The “Camera and Language Selector” in Figure 15, allows you to change the camera for the iN-
spect and iLabel applications. This page also allows you to rotate and tile images, and enable or
disable the Recycle tolerance in measurements. The “Camera and Language Selector” does not
select the camera for the Sherlock application. The DM1024 camera uses the SM2 setting.
The iNspect or iLabel application uses a Camera Configuration file “MSAtest.txt” located in
C:\iNspect for VA21, or located in D:\iNspect for VA31. This file defines the image size and pa-
rameters required to interface a particular camera. When you select a camera in the Camera and
Language Selector, a camera file is copied from \iNspect\CamFiles to \iNspect, and named
“MSAtest.txt”. The Camera type and setting changes you make in the iNspect/iLabel “Sensor
Setup” page are saved in the Solution file.
NOTE If a saved Solution is not compatible with the selected camera, it will not load or
run. The software will default to “Start New Solution”.
The “Sensor Setup” page covers almost all changes needed for camera settings. If you need addi-
tional changes that are not supported (trigger or strobe polarity) use the IFC Camera Configurator
to save your own configuration file, or edit one of the text files in the CamFiles directory. You
should save your file to the iNspect\CamFiles direcotry, and preface the name with “MSAVA”
similar to the other files there.
Sherlock
There are detailed instructions in the Sherlock Help and Sherlock Software User’s Reference
Manual for enabling acquisition and selecting the camera configuration file.
The Sherlock software uses a Camera Configuration file usually found in the directory
C:\IFC59\Config or in D:\IFC59\Config. There are several camera files located there. These are
“portable” configuration files saved using the IFC Camera Configurator. The files in
C:\IFC\Config\MSA\camdb are the original IFC library camera definitions. The DM1024 cam-
era uses the SM2 configuration files.
If you or your integrator modify the camera configuration files, they should be saved as “prot-
able” configuration files, in \IFC59\Config. You can use the IFC Camera Configurator to edit
settings, or edit the text files.
i. The progress bar will indicate the upgrade file is loading. This will take between one and
two minutes, and may appear to stop at different intervals.
NOTE If the progress bar goes immediately to 100%, the file copy failed. Click on Up-
grade again.
j. After the upgrade file has been copied, you will be prompted to reboot the Appliance. Click
“Ok”. The Appliance will reboot itself. The upgrade reboot will take about 2 minutes.
k. Close your Internet Explorer window. Do not try to go to the Appliance home page, it will
not respond during the reboot.
l. Run the “iAssistant” program from your desktop (Start > Run > iAssistant) found in directo-
ry: \WINNT\System32 (Windows 2000 and NT), or in \Windows\System32 (XP).
m. Click on “Clean” This process will remove old files from your local PC.
n. Click on “Close” to exit iAssistant.
o. Open Internet Explorer. Navigate to the Appliance home page. You can use the History
drop-list feature of the Address Bar to enter the Appliance IP Address.
p. Click on “iNspect”. The appliance will copy a new version of the OCX to your PC.
You can run iAssistant at any time to see if your PC contains the latest version of files.
Software Backup
A Backup saves the iNspect/iLabel Application software and all the Solutions saved on the Ap-
pliance, in a single binary file. Password, Language selection, IP Address and Network settings
are not saved to the backup file. The Appliance, Solution, and Client Application may be running
while you run backup; however, the process may cause the Appliance to skip parts. We recom-
mend you back up the Appliance when you are not inspecting parts.
A network or hard-disk glitch during the backup process could make the backup and restore fail.
You may want to export all your saved Solutions before a backup, for redundancy. If the backup is
successful, try the Restore. If the restore is also successful, you can safely delete the exported
Solutions.
Software Restore
A Restore loads a backup file, containing both the iNspect/iLabel Application and Solutions.
Password, Language selection, IP Address and Network settings are not saved to the backup file.
All Solutions saved on the Appliance are deleted before the restore begins.
To restore a backup:
a. Close the iNspect application window (client) if open.
b. On the Vision Appliance home page, click on “Upgrade”.
c. Select the Restore option on the Upgrade page, and use the Browse button to find the backup
file.
d. Click on the “Restore” button.
e. After the backup file has been copied, you will be prompted to reboot the Appliance. Click
“Ok”, and remove power to the Appliance.
f. Close your Internet Explorer. Do not try to go to the Appliance home page, it will not re-
spond.
g. Reconnect power to the Vision Appliance. This forces the FPGA to reload from your back-
up file.
h. Run the “iAssistant” program from your desktop (Start > Run > iAssistant) found in directo-
ry: \WINNT\System32 (Windows 2000 and NT), or in \Windows\System32 (XP).
i. Click on “Clean” This process will remove old files from your local PC.
j. Click on “Close” to exit iAssistant.
k. Open Internet Explorer. Navigate to the Appliance home page. You can use the History
drop-list feature of the Address Bar to enter the Appliance IP Address.
l. Click on “iNspect”. The appliance will copy a new version of the OCX and support files to
your PC.
APPENDIX A
CONNECTOR PINOUTS
This section provides the connector pinout information for each of the external interfaces.
Camera Connectors
Cameras interface through 15-pin D-Sub connectors on the front panel . VA2x/VA3x supports
simultaneous capture and processing from 2 monochrome cameras. VA15 supports one camera.
NOTE: Each D-Sub cable can supply up to 0.5 A at +12 Volts from chassis power.
Video Connector Pinout
Pin Name Direction Description
1 NC – not connected
2 Video In Monochrome Video
3 NC – not connected
4, 5 DGND – Digital ground
6,7,8 AGND – Video signal ground
9 Camera TRIG Out Frame Reset (exposure control)
10 DGND – Digital ground
11 RX In Serial receive data (CV-A cameras only)
12 TX Out Serial transmit data (CV-A cameras only)
13 HD Out Horizontal Drive
14 VD Out Vertical Drive
15 Power Out +12 V @ 0.5 A
5 1
10 6
15 11
Power Connections
The Vision Appliance is powered from an external supply (option A-PWR-NSII) that connects to
pins 1, 2, and 3 of the “Output and Power” connector (refer to Figure ). The power requirements
are:
+24 V +/–5% @ 1.5 A maximum.
I/O Connector Pinout
Pin Name Direction Description
1 +24V Input DC Power
2 GND – Ground
3 ERTH – Earth or Common
Input Connector
The inputs are opto-isolated, polarity insensitive pairs (NOTE: some common pins are shared)
that can be connected to either sourcing (PNP) or sinking (NPN) outputs. They require no exter-
nal pull-up or pull-down resistors and can accept input voltage levels from 2 Volts to 24 Volts.
Input Electrical Characteristics
Signal state Min. Max.
Low (Inactive) 0V 0.8 V
High (Active) 2.4 V 60 V *
Turn ON current 1 mA
Isolation 5000 V
Max Current 50 mA
Switch point 2V 10 V
De-bounce 2 us 500 us
Input Response 1 us
* observe maximum current specification. Current limiting resistor required above 24 Volts.
3.3 Volts
Display Pinout
Pin Name Direction Description
1 RED Out Red
2 GREEN Out Green
3 BLUE Out Blue
4 NC – not connected
5–8 GND – Ground
9 +5V Out +5 V
10 GND – Ground
11 NC – not connected
12 SDA I/O Serial data
13 HS Out Horizontal Sync
14 VS Out Vertical Sync
15 SCL I/O Serial data clock
Serial Pinout
Pin Name Direction Description
1 DCD In Data Carrier Detect
2 RXD In Receive Data
3 TXD Out Transmit Data
4 DTR In Data Terminal Ready
5 GND – Ground
6 DTS Out Data Set Ready
7 RTS Out Request to Send
8 CTS In Clear to send
9 RI In Ring Indicator
VGA SERIAL
5 1 1 5
10 6
6 9
15 11
Figure 19. Display and Serial Port Connectors
USB Connectors
The two USB 1.1 connectors are identical, rectangular type-A, 4-pin sockets.
USB Pinout
Pin Name Direction Description
1 VCC Out Power, +5 V (1 A max)
2 DATA– I/O Data–
3 DATA+ I/O Data+
4 GND – Ground
Ethernet Connector
The Ethernet RJ-45 connector is an 8-pin male connector.
Ethernet Pinout
Pin Name Direction Description
1 TD+ Out Transmit Data+
2 TD– Out Transmit Data–
3 RD+ In Receive Data+
4–5 NC – not connected
6 RD– In Receive Data–
7–8 NC – not connected
APPENDIX B
STAGING AND PRESENTATION
To measure or inspect a part or object, it must be positioned so the camera can see it. Positioning,
sometimes called staging, presentation, or fixturing, puts the part in the camera’s field of view
(FOV), signals the Vision Appliance that a part is available, and helps hold the part steady while
an image is being taken.
The camera is responsible for generating an electronic image of the part for processing by the
Vision Appliance. The camera and lighting help with the part positioning because they are used
to “freeze” or “stop” the motion of a moving part.
An Example
Figure 20 illustrates a bottle inspection line, seen from above. The bottles move along a conveyer
belt, past the camera. The conveyer belt positions the bottle in front of the camera, so that the
camera can capture an image of the threading on top of the bottle’s neck.
Bottle Line
Movement
L
Camera i
Vision g
Appliance h
t
Part–in–Place Sensor
Reject
Defective
Bottles
Good Bottles
A diffuse, uniform light behind the threads gives a sharp, high-contrast image of the threads. The
Vision Appliance inspects this image and signals a rejection “kicker” to move defective product
off the production line.
Part-in-Place Sensor
In this example we have two problems because the parts (bottles) move. We first have to know
when a bottle is in front of the camera so it can “see” the threads. One solution is to have the
Vision Appliance look for the threads, and only take an inspection image when the thread is cen-
tered in the field of view. A simpler approach is to have a separate Part-in-Place (PiP) sensor that
detects when the bottle is in the correct position. A PiP sensor allows the Appliance to work at
higher part speeds. We have used inexpensive, PiP sensors from HTM Electronics Industries
(http://www.htm–sensors.com) and from Banner Engineering (www.bannerengineering.com).
Strobe Lighting
A strobe light provides a brief, high-intensity pulse of light that can help reduce motion blur and
still provide adequate illumination to the part being inspected. Traditional xenon strobe lights are
bright and can be very short in duration, less than 100 microseconds, to “freeze” the part motion.
Xenon strobes have substantial variability in intensity. This can create variations in the image
quality, which could be mistaken for variation in the part quality. Xenon strobe lights are used
only when there is no easier way to get short, high-intensity light. LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes)
can also be used as a strobe, and over-driven to give a short, bright pulse of light.
Even with a strobe illumination source, you need a camera with an electronic shutter and expo-
sure time to prevent ambient light from contaminating the image. The Vision Appliance has a
dedicated I/O line for firing a fast strobe, because this must be done at a certain time after the
exposure has been triggered. Longer duration light, for example LEDs again, can be controlled
using a standard I/O line, and are turned on before the camera’s exposure is triggered and turned
off after the exposure is done. This minimizes the intensity variation on different exposures.
The problem is, the Vision Appliance “sees” the bouncing as multiple, rapid input signals. For
example, if your “part in place” sensor is a mechanical switch (say, a photocell running a relay),
the contact bounce will make it appear as if many parts were being presented to the Vision Ap-
pliance in a few milliseconds.
Here are three ways to deal with bounce. (1) Use a signal that does not bounce; for example, from
a photoelectric sensor. (2) Use the built-in de-bouncing circuits. The de-bounce circuit delays the
Appliance from responding to the input for some number of microseconds (us) to allow time for
the contact to settle. The de-bounce time can be programmed through the camera configuration
file. (3) Externally de-bounce the switch closure using commercial de-bounce chips (for exam-
ple, the Maxim MAX6816), or a low-pass filter and Schmitt trigger.
Both the Vision Appliance and external de-bounce circuits delay the input signal by the de-
bounce period. This delay is rarely long enough to be a problem, but might have to be considered
in very high-speed applications where any delay might mean the parts being inspected move par-
tially out of the field of view.
Using Photo-Sensors
HTM Electronics Industries (http://www.htm–sensors.com) and Banner Engineering Corp.
(http://www.bannerengineering.com) and several other manufacturers make photoelectric sen-
sors that do not require de-bouncing. The HTM Electronics MP-D0380D-CX9Q4UE infrared
sensor, and the Banner Engineering R55F series photoelectric sensors and the SM312
LVAGMHSQD photoelectric sensor have been used successfully with the Vision Appliance.
These sensors are rated to operate on 10 to 30 VDC; but do not exceed 24 VDC or you will dam-
age the Vision Appliance.
The following diagram shows how to connect these photoelectric sensors. The wiring is:
Brown - Power (+16 to +24 Volts DC)
Blue - Ground
Black - Signal from photoelectric sensor. Goes high (to about the power voltage) when trig-
gered.
The other two wires are not needed for using the sensor with the Breakout Board. These two wires
are:
White - Signal from photoelectric sensor – connects a small load to ground (see sensor specifi-
cation)
Gray - Can be connected to a switch to ground; when closed, enables Remote Teach
The photoelectric sensor draws power from the brown and blue leads. When the photoelectric
sensor is triggered the output (black lead) goes high (to about the power supply voltage).
Brown
+ Power (16–24 VDC)
Blue
Ground
Sensor
Unit
Black
Sensor Trigger (TRIG)
or
Decision Trigger (IN0)
APPENDIX C
SHERLOCK DIGITAL I/O ASSIGNMENTS
The standard digtial I/O assignments are given in the following table. The Trigger input (TRG)
and Strobe output (STRB) are not available to Sherlock for I/O. There are 7 outputs on the VA1x/
VA2x/VA3x; there is no Output Channel 7.
Default Digital I/O Definitions
I/O Connector Pin Direction Sherlock Digital I/O
SLN0 in Input Channel 0
SLN1 in Input Channel 1
SLN2 in Input Channel 2
ACC in Input Channel 3
IN0 in Input Channel 4
IN1 in Input Channel 5
IN2 in Input Channel 6
IN3 in Input Channel 7
PASS out Output Channel 0
FAIL out Output Channel 1
REC out Output Channel 2
OUT0 out Output Channel 3
OUT1 out Output Channel 4
OUT2 out Output Channel 5
OUT3 out Output Channel 6
NOTE: The Genie camera outputs may appear starting at output Channel 0, and renumber the
output channels of the VA31.
APPENDIX D
CAMERA EXPOSURE CONTROL
Cameras supplied by DALSA ipd are configured for Triggered Operation, and for Pulse Width
Control (PWC or E-shutter) of the exposure. The camera takes a picture each time it receives a
triggering signal (Frame Reset) from the Vision Appliance. The trigger signal is generated from
an internal software trigger or from an external event (sensor, PLC, etc.) connected to the Vision
Appliance.
In iNspect and iLabel, the exposure is interactively controled by a slider on the Setup Sensor
panel, but in Sherlock the Exposure is set in the Camera Configuration file. The pulse width of
the trigger (Frame Reset) signal to the camera, determines the exposure time. Exposure times
can range between 1/30 second, to as high as 1/100000 second. Refer to the camera specifica-
tions for the supported range.
The following Table maps shutter speed to pulse width.
** Exposure times in between the values in the table are also valid. The values in the table were
chosen for quick reference and convenience.