Frequently Asked Questions Specific to Integrated High-Speed Imaging Systems

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Integrated High-Speed Imaging Systems FAQ's

	I notice that some of your cameras come as PCI cards. Can I supply my own computer for use with the cards?
	We recommend that you do not supply your own computer. We have found that it is impossible to predict what components will be used in most manufactured computers. Due to this fact, we cannot guarantee that a customer's computer will be compatible with our camera cards.
	You say that my computer will not be compatible with your camera. In what way is it not compatible?
	Good question. It's not that the camera will not work, but that it may not work well. The problem is that some motherboards do not efficiently allocate hardware resources. Too many devices, including the camera, end up sharing the same IRQ channel. This will cause a number of things to happen to the camera. Most notably, the camera will have interference lines in the picture or cause the system to lock after operating for a short period.
	Why does an integrated system come with two disk drives?
	The hard drive in our integrated systems is partitioned into two drives to protect your data. In the event that the operating system needs to be re-installed, drive C can be formatted without you losing any image data.
	What is a RAID array?
	A RAID array is formed by taking 2 or more hard drives and making the computer see and access them as one drive. This substantially increases the performance of the system since it is reading from multiple drives at once instead of just one.
	Why do you use RAID arrays in your performance desktop systems?
	The RAID array increases drive performance. This is most notable when manipulating large video files. A RAID array also gives the customer a much larger storage area at a lower cost.
	Since the video files can be large, do you offer a DVD burner as an option in your laptop and desktop systems?
	Yes.
	What is a Magma?
	The Magma is a PCI expansion unit. It connects to a laptop through a PCMCIA card, effectively giving it additional pci slots. This allows normal PCI card to be used with a laptop.
	With a laptop-Magma system, can I hotplug the PCMCIA card?
	Yes and no. Plugging the card in the system tends to work about 80% of the time. When removing, you must be sure to stop the device first.
	I believe I've got everything hooked up right, but the Fastcam Viewer is not giving me a live picture. What's going on?
	If everything is connected properly, the software may just be set to work with a different family of cameras. Open the software, click on the Option menu, and select configuration. Next, look for "Camera Device Distinction." This should be in the upper left hand corner of the pop-up window. Select the type of camera you have and restart the software.
	In what formats can I save my images?
	AVI, BMP, TIFF, JPG, PNG, RAW, and RAWW
	Do I have to save the entire memory buffer?
	No. The software lets you select subsections of the memory to write to disk.
	I've saved my images to an AVI file and took it to another computer. When I try to play them back, it doesn't play right. What's going on?
	What most likely has happened is that the frame rate saved in the AVI file is the actual record rate – whether it be 250, 500, or 1000 FPS. This causes programs like media player to attempt to play the video clip back at that speed. To fix this problem, install Photron Fastcam Viewer on the second system so you can play the file back at an arbitrary frame rate, or set the default playback rate to something like 30 FPS and re-save the AVI file. The default playback rate can be set from the options -> configuration window.
	The software gives me a lot of different frame rate and resolution options. How do I know how long I can record with these different options?
	Black & White Record time = (Total Ram in bytes) / ( (Image Width) x (Image Height) x (Frames Per Second) ) Color Record Time = (Total Ram in bytes) / ( (Image Width) x (Image Height) x (Frames Per Second) x 3) Example: A camera with 1.5 GB of ram (1.5 x 1024^3) at a resolution of 512 x 512 at 1000FPS B&W Time = 1,610,612,736 / (512 x 512 x 1,000) = 1,610,612,736 / (262,144 x 1,000) = 1,610,612,736 / (262,144,000) = 6.144 seconds
	Why are Color images three times bigger than black and white images?
	Black and white images are stored as one byte per pixel. Color images have three colors to keep track of per pixel – Red, Blue, and Green. Each RGB channel has it's own byte per pixel, bringing the total to three bytes per pixel.
	Do I have to use the Photron Fastcam Viewer to view the files I have saved?
	Not necessarily. If the file is saved with a playback rate around 30fps or lower, most normal media programs can play it back with no problem. The benefit of using Photron Fastcam Viewer is that the user can play back the video clip at an arbitrary speed.
	What operating systems do your cameras support?
	Windows 2000/XP.
	How can I learn how to use Photron Motion Tools?
	PMT comes with a very comprehensive manual. It's located under its program group on the start menu.