Radio Shack 3Com Bigpicture User Manual

This manual covers installation and operating instructions for the following 3Com® Bigpicture

products:

• Videophone Camera & Capture Card

3Com, the 3Com logo, and U.S. Robotics are registered trademarks; Bigpicture and the Bigpicture logo are trademarks of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. Windows and NetMeeting are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Kai’s Photo Soap Special Edition is a trademark of MetaCreations. Digital Video Producer is a trademark of Asymetrix. VDOPhone, VDOLive, and VDOMail are trademarks of VDOnet Corp. iVisit is a trademark of BoxTop Interactive. Any other trademarks or service marks used in this manual are the property of their respective owners.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1 Installation 2

Determining Your Version of Windows 95 2 Inserting the Video Capture Card into Your Computer 4 Connecting Your NTSC Camera to Your Video Capture Card 8 Connecting a Camcorder or Other NTSC Device to Your Video Capture Card 9 Installing the Video Capture Card’s Drivers 10 Software Installation 19 Bigpicture Software Summary 24 The Bigpicture Application Launcher 28

Internet Security Issues 30 Troubleshooting and Online Help Resources 35

IRQ Conflicts: Freeing an IRQ 37 IRQ Conflicts: Altering PCI BIOS Settings 39 System Locking: Readjusting the Video Capture Card’s Memory Address 40 If Plug and Play Does Not Detect Your Capture Card 41 Online Help Resources 42

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Glossary 45 Specifications 50

Video Capture Card 50 NTSC Camera 51

Regulatory Information and Limited Warranty 53

INTRODUCTION

ongratulations! You have purchased a

powerful (and fun!) video communications tool. 3Com is known worldwide for reliable and easy-to-use networking and data communications tools. Now you can count on 3Com for the same quality in digital video applications.

3Com, the leader in networking, now puts digital video right inside your PC. With the simple, compact camera and standards-based video capture card included in your Bigpicture package, you can grab still pictures, use Kai’s Photo Soap Special Edition™ to put finishing touches on images, removing “red eye” or sunlight glare from digital photos, or edit video footage into a real

mini-movie with Asymetrix Digital Video Producer™.

With the addition of a modem, you can conduct Internet and “point to point” H.324 video phone calls using VDONet’s VDOPhone™. VDOMail™ makes sending video and audio to friends and family as easy as sending regular text e-mail. BoxTop’s iVisit™ gives you further Internet video capabilities. Microsoft’s NetMeeting™ lets you communicate with both audio and H.323 video, collaborate on virtually any Windowsbased application, exchange graphics on an electronic whiteboard, and much more.

This manual will guide you through installation of the hardware and software included in your Bigpicture video package. Have fun!

INSTALLATION

You’ll need these items from your BigpictureTM box:

NTSC camera video capture card

Bigpicture CD-ROM

Plus: screwdriver (not included)

This section will guide you through installation of the hardware and software in your Bigpicture Videophone package. The hardware (video capture card and camera) must be installed before the software.

2. Click Properties. 2

Determining Your Version of Windows 95

There are different versions of Windows 95 on the market. One of the primary ways these versions differ is in the way they handle the addition of new hardware. Follow these steps to determine your version of Windows 95. This information will be important during installation.

1. Click the My Computer icon on your

desktop with the right mouse button.

3. In the “System Properties” screen, look at

the system information under the General tab (circled in the following screen image). The number following the text “Microsoft Windows 95” will end with “950”, “950a”, or “950b”. This indicates your version of Windows 95. Write this number on the

INSTALLATION

blank below for future reference. Then click OK.

Windows 95 version _________________

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Inserting the Video Capture Card into Your Computer

NOTE: Before installing your

capture card, write down the card’s serial number in this space:

________________________________ You will find the serial number

underneath the bar code on the white sticker on the capture card and on your Bigpicture package. If you ever need to call our technical support department, the technical support representative will ask you for this serial number. This number will help him or her identify your capture card.

Your video capture card supports Plug and Play installation, the fastest, easiest way to add new hardware to your PC. Windows 95 should do all the work of detecting your new hardware.

TIP: Before you unplug anything,

label the cords or make a sketch of how things are connected. This can be helpful when you plug things back in later.

1. Turn off your computer and unplug it from

the electrical outlet.

2. Unplug any peripheral devices (printer,

monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.) from the computer.

CAUTION: To avoid risk of

electric shock, make sure your computer and all peripheral devices are turned off and unplugged from electrical outlets.

3. Remove the screws from your computer’s

cover and then remove the cover. Your computer may not resemble the computer in the following diagrams, but the basic principle for removing the cover should be the same. Refer to your computer’s documentation if you need further instructions.

INSTALLATION

4. Touch an unpainted metal part of your

computer (the back panel, for example) to discharge any static electricity you may be carrying. Static electricity can damage electronic components.

5. There should be two types of expansion

slot inside your computer, ISA and PCI (see the following diagrams). Find an empty PCI slot inside your computer. PCI slots are usually white plastic grooves lined with silver metal. ISA slots are usually longer black plastic grooves lined with silver metal.

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PCI ISA

6. Unscrew and remove the expansion slot

cover (the long, narrow piece of metal that keeps dust from entering through the opening perpendicular to the slot). Be careful not to drop the screw into the PC.

7. Holding the video capture card at each

corner, with the gold edge facing the slot, push the card down as gently as possible until it snaps into the expansion slot. You

will need to apply some pressure to properly fit the capture card into the expansion slot. A gentle back-and-forth motion helps seat the card all the way into the slot. If you feel resistance, do not force the card into the slot. The card may not be properly aligned with the slot. Remove the card completely and try again.

INSTALLATION

8. Screw the video capture card firmly into

place using the screw you removed in step

9. Replace the computer’s cover. Fasten it

with the screws you removed in step 3.

10. Plug the computer’s power cord back into

the computer and reattach your peripherals to the computer.

Connecting Your NTSC Camera to Your Video Capture Card

You can use the NTSC video camera included in your Bigpicture package, a camcorder (not included), or a VCR (not included) to channel video signals into your capture card. If you wish to use a camcorder or VCR, go to “Connecting a Camcorder or

Other NTSC Device to the Video Capture Card” on page 10.

Make the following connections to hook up your Bigpicture NTSC camera while referring to the diagram below.

INSTALLATION

1. Plug the Bigpicture camera’s yellow RCA-

type video plug into the yellow RCA-type video jack on the capture card.

2. Plug the camera’s power cord into the

power jack located just under the video jack on the capture card.

3. Plug the camera’s 1/8-inch audio output

plug into the sound card’s MIC or AUDIO IN jack. Refer to your sound card’s documentation for further information.

4. Go to “Installing the Video Capture Card’s

Drivers” on page 11.

Connecting a Camcorder or Other NTSC Device to Your Video Capture Card

In addition to the NTSC camera included with your capture card, you can connect any NTSC compliant device to the video capture card. In this manner, you could hook up a camcorder, VCR, laserdisc player, or other NTSC video device. You should consult the device’s manual for specific information about connecting the device to a source other than a television. The device must be NTSC compliant to be used with this product.

If your device is NTSC compliant, you should be able to run an RCA male to RCA male cable from the device’s video out jack to the capture card’s video in (yellow) jack. Please

INSTALLATION

consult your device’s manual if this configuration does not apply. The power jack on the capture card is of no concern when you are using a device other than the NTSC camera included in your Bigpicture kit.

To connect your device’s audio out to your sound card, connect a phono plug to miniature 1/8-inch (3.5 mm) phone plug adapter (Radio Shack catalog number 274-330a) to one end of an RCA male to RCA male cable. Plug the RCA male end of the cable into your device’s AUDIO OUT jack. Plug the 1/8-inch plug into the sound card’s 1/8-inch MIC or AUDIO IN jack (refer to the sound card’s documentation for further information).

Installing the Video Capture Card’s Drivers

NOTE: If you wrote “950B” in the

blank on page 4, go to “Video Capture Card Driver Installation with Windows 95 Version 950B” on page 15.

Video Capture Card Driver Installation with Windows 95 Versions 950 and 950A

1. Turn on your computer. When Windows

restarts, it will detect the video capture card. You should see the following screen.

NOTE: If you do not see the

preceding screen, your Plug and Play installation was not successful. See “If Plug and Play Does Not Detect Your Capture Card” (page 43).

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2. Click Driver from disk provided by

hardware manufacturer.

3. Click OK and insert the Bigpicture CD

into your CD-ROM drive.

4. When you see the “Install From Disk”

screen, type D:\ and then press ENTER. (If your CD-ROM drive uses a letter other than D, type that letter in place of D.) Windows will install the drivers for your video capture card.

5. Next, you will see the following screen on

your desktop. Click OK. Windows will install the additional software.

6. Once the additional software is installed,

you will see your normal desktop. You should now verify that the installation was a success. Click the Windows Start button and point to Settings. Then click Control Panel (see the following screen image).

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7. Double-click the System icon (circled in

the screen image below).

8. Click the Device Manager tab.

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9. Double-click Sound, Video and Game

Controllers.

10. You should see “U.S. Robotics Video

Capture” in the Sound, Video and Game Controllers listing. This indicates that the installation was successful.

NOTE: If you do not see your

video capture card listed in the preceding screen, your Plug and Play installation was not successful. See “If Plug and Play Does Not Detect Your Capture Card” (page 43).

You are now ready to install the software for Bigpicture. Turn to “Software Installation” on page 20.

Video Capture Card Driver Installation with Windows 95 Version 950B

1. Turn on your computer. When Windows

restarts, it will detect the video capture card. You should see the following screen.

INSTALLATION

NOTE: If you do not see the

preceding screen, your Plug and Play installation was not successful. See “If Plug and Play Does Not Detect Your Capture Card” (page 43).

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