GT-Vision GXCAM Quick Start Manual

GT-Vision

GXCAM Quick Start

Guide

European HQ:

GT Vision Ltd.

Hazel Stub Depot

Camps Road

Haverhill

Suffolk

CB9 9AF

UK

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

e-mail: [e-mail]

Web: www.gt-vision.com

www.gxoptical.com

www.gxmicroscopes.com

N America HQ:

10205 Easterday Court
Hagerstown
MD 21742
USA
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
Web: www.gt-vision.com

www.gxmicroscopes.com

1

Getting Started

Introduction

This manual describes the most important aspects of the GXCAM camera and software installation procedure in the

simplest form.

Please take a few moments to read through this manual before you begin using the camera and programs,

because it should answer some questions that you may have. Please contact GT Vision should you encounter

difficulty at any time, or if you have any questions.

System Requirements

To use the camera and camera control programs, you need:

• A Intel Pentium 4 2.6GHz or higher processor for use with Microsoft Windows XP

• GXCAM Camera

• A fully powered USB2 port

• 512MB RAM

• High quality, modern Graphics Card

• Windows XP or 2000 or Vista

• HDD 1G unused

• Display memory 32MB

• Large, good quality monitor (we recommend 17” minimum LCD)

Accessories Included (Figure 1)

• GXCAM camera (a)

• Camera Driver and software CD for the control of camera

on a PC

• USB cable (b) for connection of PC and GXCAM camera

• 0.5X C-mount adaptor (c) for mounting the camera to an

eyepiece (Diameter 23.2mm, normally for biological

upright microscopes)

• Eyepiece adaptors (d) and (e) for stereo microscopes

(Diameter 30mm and 30.5mm respectively, used together

with the 0.5X C-mount adaptor)

• Graticule (f), for measurement calibration

• Quick Start Guide

Fig 1

2

Installation Procedure

PLEASE NOTE Underneath the black screw-on cover on the front/bottom of your camera you may find a film of

protective plastic over the camera sensor. With the sensor pointing down remove this film by pulling the tag.

Installing your GXCAM camera and associated software programs should only take a few minutes. Please follow

the steps below:

• Installing the camera onto your microscope or lens and the software for your camera into your PC

1. Before you attach the camera always follow these basic rules when handling your camera. When you

unscrew the camera cover or when you attach a camera adapter to the camera or when you are

generally manipulating the camera ALWAYS

hold the face of the camera (ie the hole with the chip inside)

pointing vertically downwards, no matter how uncomfortable or awkward it may feel. If you do not do this,

tiny particles of dust or swarf from threaded fittings will definitely land on the chip surface and, especially in

microscopes, these will be permanently visible in your images. They can be extremely difficult to remove.

We recommend that you become obsessive about the cleanliness of your camera, it certainly pays off!

Always place a cap on the camera when not in use and unattached.

2. Attach the camera to your microscope, telescope or lens using the appropriate adapter. Do not

connect the camera to your PC yet.

3. Insert the disk which contains the GXCAM camera driver and GXCAPTURE software

4. Connect the camera to a convenient USB2 port, make a note as to which port you are using (changing

ports requires re-installation of the driver). It is important that the USB port has sufficient power. The

GXCAM draws power from the USB2 port and draws less than the standard amount of power specified for

a USB2 port. However we have found, very occasionally, that some ports have insufficient power usually

resulting in a black image in the GXCAPTRE application. Disconnecting other USB devices sometimes

increases the power available to a port.

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5. The Operating System should automatically detect the camera.

6. In the driver installation window, it is best to select the location of the driver yourself and point the driver

installation to your CD drive and then to the ‘Drivers’ folder on the CD (have disk).

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7. (Automatic installation can be used but it may go wrong if you already have previously installed an

imaging device, in which case it may automatically find the wrong driver resulting in a range of effects

when trying to use the camera, this is the source of nearly all support calls regarding USB camera

installations.)

8. Ignore the warning message and ‘continue anyway’. When the installation is completed, click ‘Finish’.

9. If the Operating System cannot detect the camera automatically, open the ‘Device manager’ from the

Windows ‘Control Panel’, in the ‘Universal Serial Bus controllers’ term find ‘USB2.0 Camera’ and right click it.

10. From the right-click menu, select the first option ‘Update driver’.

11. In the driver installation window, select the location of the drivers to be installed (see 6) and click ‘Next’.

12. Ignore the warning message and ‘continue anyway’. When the installation is completed, click ‘Finish’.

13. Restart your computer (recommended).

Note:, Reinstallation of driver may be needed when the camera is attached to a different USB port.