Black Box AC350A, AC350AE, AC351A, AC351AE, AC352A User Manual

CUSTOMER

SUPPORT

INFORMATION

Order toll-free in the U.S. 24 hours, 7 A.M. Monday to midnight Friday: 877-877-BBOX
FREE technical support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: Call 724-746-5500 or fax [phone]
Mail order: Black Box Corporation, 1000 Park Drive, Lawrence, PA 15055-1018
Web site: www.blackbox.com • E-mail: [e-mail]

MAY 1998
AC350A, AC350AE
AC351A, AC351AE
AC352A, AC352AE
AC353A, AC353AE

VisiCam B/W

VisiCam Color

VisiCam

2

VISICAM

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENT

This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy
and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio communica­tion. It has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart J of
Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection
against such interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely
to cause interference, in which case the user at his own expense will be
required to take whatever measures may be required to correct the
interference.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible
for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for Radio noise emission
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulation of Industry
Canada.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les
limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe A prescrites dans le
Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par Industrie Canada.

TRADEMARKS

Apple®is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
QuickTime™is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
System 7™is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
RCA®is a registered trademark of General Electric Co.
Intel®is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
Microsoft®is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Windows™is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

3

Specifications

Image Device —

1

/3" Interline Transfer CCD

Resolution — B/W: Horizontal 350 TV Lines

Color: Horizontal 330 TV Lines

Pixels — 510(H) x 492(V)

Iris System — Electronic Auto Iris

Focal Length — 4.0 mm

Viewing Angle — 72°(H); 53°(V)

Signal System — NTSC (RS170)

Sync System — Internal

Signal/Noise — 46dB

Video Output — 1.0 Vp-p, 75Ω, Composite

Object Distance Range — 1 foot (0.3 m) to ∞

Minimum Illumination — B/W: 20 lux

Color: 10 lux at f1.4

White Balance — B/W: N/A

Color: TTL Auto Trace

Automatic Gain Control — B/W: N/A

Color: +18dB

Operating Temperature — -5 to +55°C (23 to 131°F)

Storage Temperature — -10 to +60°C (14 to 140°F)

Power Requirements — B/W: 12V DC, 160 mA Typical

Color: 12V DC, 400 mA Typical

Power Consumption — B/W: 1920 mW

Color: 4800 mW

Size — 1.8"(H) x 2.8"(W) x 7.7"(D)

(4.6 x 7.1 x 19.6 cm)

Weight (camera only) — 10 oz. (284 g)

Shipping Weight — 3 lb. (1.4 kg)

1. Specifications

4

VISICAM

The VisiCam is a video camera
that can supports a wide range of
applications, such as QuickTime

™

movies, Video for Windows,
videoconferencing, video mail,
desktop presentations, and security
systems. The camera is compatible
with any personal computer
equipped with a video-digitizing
board. No additional software is
needed. The video-digitizing
hardware will control video
functions such as brightness,
contrast, pan, and zoom.

The VisiCam’s electronics are
designed to maximize performance
and produce quality images. Its
precision optics and controls are
optimized for motion compression
standards such as JPEG, MPEG,

DVI, and CCITT H.261. The
VisiCam is housed in an ergonomic
package which sits unobtrusively on
your computer monitor. You can
also mount the VisiCam on a
standard tripod.

The AC350A and AC351A packages
should include:

• VisiCam.

• DC Power Adapter.

• RCA to RCA Video Cable.

• This Manual.

The AC352A and AC353A packages
should include:

• VisiCam.

• RCA to RCA Video Cable.

• This Manual.

2. Introduction

5

Installation

Full installation assumes that you
have a destination device, such as
a VCR, television, or computer
equipped with video-digitizing
hardware, that makes use of the
video information output of the
VisiCam. The destination device
must be able to accept NTSC
video input.

Step 1. VisiCam Placement

Place the VisiCam on top of your
computer monitor (or wherever
you intend to keep it).

Step 2. The VIDEO Connection

Attach the supplied RCA®video
cable to the VisiCam’s RCA
connector labeled VIDEO. Attach
the other end to your digitizer,
VCR, television monitor, or other
destination device.

Step 3. The POWER Connection

Attach the AC power adapter plug
to the VisiCam connector labeled
POWER. Plug the transformer into
a standard AC socket.

The image of what is in front of
the VisiCam should display on the
connected video device.

3. Installation

6

VISICAM

Operation

Once the VisiCam is installed,
operation is automatic. There are
no adjustments that you make to
the VisiCam.

The camera outputs a standard
NTSC baseband video signal. The
specifications are as follows:

• Signal Level: 1Vp-p into 75 ohms

•

Horizontal Frequency: 15,750 Hz

• Vertical Frequency: 60 Hz
(interlaced)

If the destination device does not
support the video output format,
the picture will be defective.

Troubleshooting

• Problem: No picture of any sort.

Solution: First, check your power

connection. Sometimes the
adapter is plugged into a switched
outlet: Make sure the switch is
on. Verify that the power plug is
pushed all the way into the
appropriate jack on the camera.

Next, check the video connection.
Connect the RCA video cable to a
different television or computer
monitor to check whether the

problem is with your video output
device. You might also want to try
attaching a different RCA video
cable to the VisiCam and the
monitor.

If the problem still occurs, check
the front of the camera for
possible lens obstruction.

• Problem: The picture runs in a
horizontal or vertical direction.

Solution: Adjust the horizontal
or vertical hold on the
destination device.

If the picture is distorted
diagonally, the standards of the
equipment may be mismatched.
The VisiCam is an NTSC (video
standard for North America)
camera. The video destination
might be PAL (video standard
for Europe), instead of NTSC.

• Problem: Picture has wide
horizontal bands of varying
intensity.

Solution: The line power may
be too low. Check the power
specified on the AC transformer
to make sure it is compatible with
your local power supply.

4. Operation and Troubleshooting

7

Glossary

CCD (Charge Coupled Device) —
an integrated circuit which has the
ability to respond to light.

CCITT (Consultative Committee
for International Telephony and
Telegraphy) — International
organization for communications
standards based in Geneva,
Switzerland.

DVI (Digital Video Interactive) —
The Intel®family of digital video
and audio products.

Digitizer — a device used to
convert analog video signals to a
digital format for use on a
computer system.

H.261 — a CCITT video codec
standard using intraframe and
interframe compression to transmit
video over Px64 ISDN lines.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts
Group) — standards committee
attempting to define a standard
algorithm for the digital
compression and decompression
of still images.

MPEG (Motion Picture Experts
Group) — standards committee
working on algorithm standards
for compressing video images.

NTSC (National Television System
Committee) — the North
American television standard,
which uses 525 lines of resolution.
Also used in Central America,
South America, and parts of Asia.

PAL (Phase Alternating Line) —
the European television standard,
which uses 625 lines of resolution.

QuickTime — a system extension
to the Apple®System 7™operating
system which includes compression
schemes for time-based data such
as graphics, animation and video.

RS170 (Electronic Industry
Association Recommended
Standard 170) — the standard
for NTSC composite video.

Video for Windows — The
Microsoft®multimedia extensions,
which allow a computer running
Windows™to control animation,
sound and video devices.

5. Glossary

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© Copyright 1998. Black Box Corporation. All rights reserved.