THORLABS DC210, DC310 Instruction Manual

DC210, DC310

Firewire CCD Camera

ThorSight Image Acquisition
Software

Manual

Firewire CCD Camera

Table of Contents

Part 1. Thor Sight Software Guide ..........................................................................................................4

1.1. Image Capture .......................................................................................................................................... 4

1.2. Saving Individual Images ........................................................................................................................ 6

File Types: ................................................................................................................................................................. 6

1.3. Recording a Movie Clip to an AVI File .................................................................................................. 7

1.4. Camera Control Dialog Functions .......................................................................................................... 7

General Camera Properties ........................................................................................................................................ 8

Format and Frame Rate ............................................................................................................................................ 10

Custom Image .......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Info/Support ............................................................................................................................................................. 12

Register .................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Trigger ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14

White Balance .......................................................................................................................................................... 15

Color Processing ...................................................................................................................................................... 15

1.5. About Thor Sight.................................................................................................................................... 17

1.6. External Trigger Setup .......................................................................................................................... 17

Part 2. DC210 Technical Reference ......................................................................................................18

2.1. General Specifications ........................................................................................................................... 18

2.2. Camera Power ........................................................................................................................................ 18

2.3. Typical Spectral Response ..................................................................................................................... 19

2.4. Infrared Cut-Off Filters ........................................................................................................................ 20

2.5. Analog to Digital Converter .................................................................................................................. 21

Part 3. Camera Operation and Features ...............................................................................................22

3.1. Gain and Shutter Settings ..................................................................................................................... 22

Gain.......................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Shutter ...................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Extended Shutter ...................................................................................................................................................... 23

3.2. Camera Interface ................................................................................................................................... 24

General Purpose IO .................................................................................................................................................. 24

IEEE-1394 Connector .............................................................................................................................................. 24

3.3. Automatic Inter-Camera Synchronization .......................................................................................... 25

3.4. Supported Data Formats and Modes ................................................................................................... 25

Standard Formats, Modes and Frame Rates ............................................................................................................. 25

Customizable Formats and Modes ........................................................................................................................... 25

Image Data Formats ................................................................................................................................................. 26

Mechanical Specifications ....................................................................................................................................... 27

Part 4. Regulatory ..................................................................................................................................28

Part 5. Thorlabs, Inc Worldwide Contacts ............................................................................................29

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Table of Figures

Figure 1: Select Camera Dialog Box ..................................................................................................... 4

Figure 2: Thor Sight Main Screen and Tool Bar ................................................................................... 5

Figure 3: Image from a DC210 ............................................................................................................. 6

Figure 4: General Camera Properties Tab ............................................................................................. 9

Figure 5: Format and Frame Rate Tab ................................................................................................ 10

Figure 6: Custom Image Tab ............................................................................................................... 11

Figure 7: Info/Support Tab .................................................................................................................. 13

Figure 8: Register Tab ......................................................................................................................... 14

Figure 9: White Balance Tab ............................................................................................................... 15

Figure 10: Color Processing Tab ........................................................................................................... 16

Figure 11: Thor Sight About Dialog Box .............................................................................................. 17

Figure 12: Thor Sight External Trigger Parameters Dialog Box .......................................................... 17

Figure 13: Spectral Response for DC210 .............................................................................................. 19

Figure 14: Spectral Response for DC210C ........................................................................................... 19

Figure 15: Spectral Response for DC310 .............................................................................................. 20

Figure 16: IEEE 1394 Connector .......................................................................................................... 25

Figure 17: Mechanical Drawing of the DCx10 Housing ....................................................................... 27

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Part 1. Thor Sight Software Guide

The Thor Sight application is a streaming image viewer used to interface with your DC210/DC310
camera. It allows you to view a live video stream from the camera, save individual images, save AVI
movie clips, trigger the camera to capture trigger-generated images, adjust camera settings, select
different frame rates, and access the camera registers.

1.1. Image Capture

Launch the Thor Sight executable from the desktop icon. The Select Camera dialog box (Figure 1) will

appear.

Figure 1: Select Camera Dialog Box

From the list of cameras, choose the one that you wish to use for image capture. Once the camera is
selected, click the “OK” button, and the main Thor Sight application window will open. If you wish to

change the camera that is being displayed, access the camera dialog box by clicking on the Camera
Dialog icon ( ), which is the leftmost icon on the toolbar.

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Trigger Logo Icon – External Trigger Setup

Thorlabs Logo Icon – Information about ThorSight

AVI Camera Icon – Creates an *.avi Movie Clip

Stop Light Icon – Stat and Stop Video Capture

Stop Sign Icon – Stops the Video Capture

Camera Property List Icon – Access Camera Controls

Save Icon – Saves a single Video Image

Camera Dialog Icon– Switch to a Different Camera

Figure 2: Thor Sight Main Screen and Tool Bar

To start capturing images, click the Stop Light icon ( ) on the toolbar. The video will be displayed in

the main Thor Sight window with the frame rate and timing information displayed in the lower status
bar.

To stop the image capture, click the Stop Light icon ( ) again. Alternatively, you can also click the Stop
Sign icon ( ).

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Figure 3: Image from a DC210

1.2. Saving Individual Images

To save a single video frame, click the Save icon ( ) on the toolbar. A save file dialog box will appear,

enabling you to save the image.

File Types:

1. Portable Pixelmap (*.ppm). PPM is a simple color image file format that can store pixel values

up to 24 bits in size. These images can be viewed and edited using Paint Shop Pro from Jasc
Software.

2. Bitmap (*.bmp). BMP are an extremely popular format for Windows. BMP images can range

from black and white (1 byte per pixel) up to 24 bit color (16.7 million colors), and can be
viewed by most image viewers especially Microsoft Paint.

3. Portable Gray Map (*.pgm). PGM format is a simple grayscale file format. It is designed to be

extremely easy to learn and write programs for, and is capable of storing 16 bit images. Paint

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Shop Pro from Jasc Software is a good image editor that can open and display .pgm images. The
Linux application XV is the only application know to handle 16 bit images.

4. Raw (*.raw). Raw image files contain no header or footer information, and are the basic raw

data (pixel values) represented by the image.

1.3. Recording a Movie Clip to an AVI File

Thor Sight allows you to save a specified number of images as an Audio Video Interleave (.avi) movie

clip. To access this functionality, stop the camera then click the AVI Camera icon ( ) on the toolbar. A

dialog box similar to the one below will appear:

• The Frames field is the number of images that will make up the AVI. Each image is allocated its

own buffer in main memory which will limit the number of frames that can be specified.

• The Frame rate override controls the playback rate of the AVI. If this is left as 0, the playback

rate defaults to the image grab rate of the camera (i.e. 30 Hz). This is useful for creating slow
motion video.

• The Path field specifies the directory path and filename of the saved AVI file. The default

directory and filename is: C:\Thorsight\thorsight.avi.

1.4. Camera Control Dialog Functions

The Camera Control dialog box allows you to manipulate most camera properties, check camera
information and allows you to directly access camera hardware registers to get and set specific register
values.

To access the Camera Control dialog click the Camera Property List icon ( ) on the toolbar. Some of

the controls in the camera dialog box may be grayed out. This means that the camera being used does
not support that functionality. There are eight register tabs on the camera control dialog. Each tab will be
discussed below.

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General Camera Properties

Property Description

Brightness (%) This is the level of black in an image. A high brightness will result in a low amount of

blackness in the image.

Saturation This is how far a color is from a gray image of the same intensity, i.e. red is highly saturated,

where as a pale pink is not.

Exposure (EV) This is the average intensity of the image. It will use other available (non-manually adjustable)

controls to adjust the image. Specifically, when shutter and gain are both in auto mode,
manually adjusting the exposure slider control is actually adjusting the auto-exposure, which
tries to make the average intensity of the image ¼ of the auto exposure value, i.e. exposure is
400, the camera will try to adjust shutter and gain so that the average image intensity is 100.
When the auto checkbox is checked for exposure, auto-exposure is enabled, which tries to
manipulate shutter and gain such that a percentage of the image is saturated, i.e. pixel value of

255.

Gain (dB) The amount of amplification that is applied to a pixel. An increase in gain can result in a

brighter image and an increase in noise.

Gamma Gamma defines the function between incoming light level and output picture level. Gamma

can also be useful in emphasizing details in the darkest and/or brightest regions of the image.

Sharpness This works by filtering the image to reduce blurred edges in an image.

Shutter (ms) This is the amount of time that the camera shutter stays open for; also know as the integration

time.

Frame Rate This is the speed at which the camera is streaming images to the host system. It basically

defines the interval between consecutive image transfers.

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Figure 4: General Camera Properties Tab

Some general properties will have an Auto Mode in which the camera will automatically make property
adjustments to get the best image possible (given the environment and lighting conditions). Some
properties can also be turned On/Off, effectively disabling the property control. The One Push button is
another automatic control mode, but the camera only performs automatic control of the feature for a
specific period of time. After this time, automatic setting adjustment stops and manual control is given
back to the user.

General camera property values can be displayed in either absolute mode or integer mode. Absolute
values are real world values, such milliseconds (ms), decibels (dB) or percent (%). Using the absolute
values is easier and more efficient than applying complex conversion formulas to the integer values. In
addition, these conversion formulas can change between firmware versions, Thorlabs therefore
recommends using the absolute values to determine camera values.

The Broadcast Modifications checkbox allows you to broadcast the current camera’s settings to other
cameras of the same type that are on the same 1394 bus. Checking this and making a change to your
current DCx10’s gain settings will cause other DCx10s on the same Fire Wire bus to have the same gain
settings. Clicking the Broadcast Properties button causes all current camera settings to be sent one time
only to all compatible cameras on the Fire Wire bus.

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Thor Sight also provides the ability to save and restore all general camera properties to and from the
system registry using the Save and Restore buttons. The specific location these settings are saved to is:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Thorlabs, Inc.\Camera Settings\

Relevant Camera Registers:

Control and Status Registers for Features: 800h->83Ch

Format and Frame Rate

On the Format and Frame Rate tab you can change the resolution (horizontal and vertical pixel

dimensions), image format (i.e. Y8, RGB, YUV422, etc.) and frame rate (number of frames of
transmitted per second) of the camera. Different cameras may have different formats and frame rates
implemented; modes that are not implemented are grayed out. These modes conform to IEEE-1394
Digital Camera specifications.

Relevant Camera Registers

Control and Status Registers for Features: 600h->630h

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Figure 5: Format and Frame Rate Tab

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Custom Image

The Custom Image tab provides and interface for putting the camera into Format 7, which is a partial

image video mode. Some custom image modes allow faster frame rates due to the reduced amount of
data (bytes per packet) being transmitted by the camera to the host system.

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Figure 6: Custom Image Tab

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Property Description

Mode Most DCx10s allow you to capture custom sized images using a variety of IEEE-1394 DCAM-

compliant Format 7 custom image modes.

Image Size/Position The custom image dimensions are relative to the top left corner of the image sensor. The top left

corner is given coordinates (column 0, row 0). The custom image size must be evenly divisible
by the Unit Size and less than or equal to the Max Image Size. For example, a size of 120(width)
x 60(height) in Mode 0 is correct – 4 divides evenly into 120, and 4 divides evenly into 60.

Pixel Format The Pixel Format is used to indicate the color-coding capability of the camera. Raw8 and Raw16

images will be color processed and displayed as color in Thor Sight. Specifying Mono8 or
Mono16 for a color camera effectively disables color processing, and the raw stippled Bayer
images will be displayed.

Speed The Speed section contains two interfaces into controlling the effective frame rate of the camera

while in Custom Image (Format 7) mode. The traditional method is via the Speed slider bar,
which sets the number of bytes per packet to be a percentage of the maximum possible bytes per
packet. The more bytes of image data that can be sent in each packet, the faster the frame rate.
The other method is by manually controlling the Packet Size (in bytes). As values are entered in
the Image Size/Position text fields, the minimum and maximum bytes per packet are
automatically updated.

Info/Support

The Info/Support tab provides information about the camera, installed Thor Sight software, and links to

technical support resources.

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Figure 7: Info/Support Tab

Property Description

Camera Information The camera information displayed includes the version of firmware that is loaded onto the

camera, the camera serial number, model name, and type of image sensor. Firmware is
programming that is inserted into programmable read only memory, thus becoming a permanent
part of a computing device. Firmware is created and tested like software and can be loaded onto
the camera.

Software Information The software displayed includes version information for Thor Sight, the DLL’s being used by the

current instance of Thor Sight and the version number of the driver currently being used by the
camera.

Technical Support Thorlabs, Inc. provides technical support resources by calling our tech support number 973-579-

7227.

Register

The Register tab provides direct access to camera registers, and is recommended for advanced users.

When the Broadcast checkbox is checked, any register writes are broadcast to all cameras on the same
1394 bus.

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Figure 8: Register Tab

Trigger

The Trigger tab provides easy access to the camera’s asynchronous transmission modes, which are
implemented on the DCx10 line of cameras.

Property Description

Trigger Mode On/Off Checking the Trigger Mode On/Off checkbox turns on or off asynchronous transmission mode.

Delay This provides control over the time delay between an external asynchronous trigger and the

start of integration. (shutter opening)

Trigger Mode This defines the specific trigger mode the camera is in. Some triggers take a value that can be

set using the Param text box.

Fire Software Trigger This causes a software asynchronous trigger to be fired.

Relevant Camera Registers

TRIGGER_MODE: 830h

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TRIGGER_DELAY: 834h
SOFTWARE_TRIGGER: 62Ch
SOFT_ASYNC_TRIGGER: 102Ch

White Balance

This option is only available for color cameras. White Balance allows you to control the relative levels
of red and blue in an image to achieve proper color balance. Moving both red and blue values toward
zero should make the image appear greener. Green is kept as a constant and the red and blue

Colors are adjusted relative to the green pixel. Hardware white balance is actually performed prior to
the signal being digitized as it comes off of the sensor, which results in higher quality images. Selecting
the On/Off check box turns on or off white balance control – this functionality only works with cameras
that have recent versions of firmware.

Relevant Camera Registers

WHITE_BALANCE: 80Ch
BAYER_TILE_GAIN:1044Ch

Color Processing

The option is only available for color cameras. For most DC210C color cameras, the conversion of the
Bayer Tiled images produced by the image sensor into color takes place on the PC, and not on the
camera itself. If there is no visible difference in the image quality when selecting different color
processing methods, your camera does not color process on the PC.

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Figure 9: White Balance Tab

Firewire CCD Camera

Which color conversion process is more beneficial will depend on the application of the color
conversion. On-board conversion will take more bandwidth on the bus but less processor resources,
whereas PC conversion does not take as much bandwidth on the bus but will be more demanding of the
processors resources.

Figure 10: Color Processing Tab

The differences between the various color processing algorithms are as follows:

Property Description

Nearest Neighbor Faster This is the fastest of all of the provided color processing algorithms. It is generally considered

to provide the poorest results

Nearest Neighbor Fast Based on a very similar algorithm to the Nearest Neighbor Faster this algorithm is slower but

performs slightly better

Edge Sensing The algorithm is the second slowest algorithm available. The algorithm weights surrounding

pixels based on localized edge orientation.

Rigorous This algorithm is the slowest of all of the algorithms and, without a doubt produces the best

color quality. Rigorous image processing takes seconds, not microseconds, and is not meant
for real-time processing like the other algorithms

Image Format The Image Format is the orientation of the Bayer Tiling on your image sensor. This will

default to the correct Bayer Tiling. The Enable sensor-specific filters checkbox only applies
to some versions of the DCx10 cameras.

Relevant Camera Registers

BAYER_TILE_MAPPING: 1040h

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1.5. About Thor Sight

To Learn about Thor Sight, click the Thorlabs Logo icon ( ).

Figure 11: Thor Sight About Dialog Box

1.6. External Trigger Setup

1. To Set up the external trigger capture, click the Trigger Logo icon ( ).

The Trigger parameters dialog box will appear:

Figure 12: Thor Sight External Trigger Parameters Dialog Box

Property Description

Trigger Timeout (ms) The time the camera will wait to receive an external trigger on the input pins. A trigger is

generated by a low going pulse between the trig pin and gnd on the external trigger
connector. A flying lead cable is included for convenience

Number of Images The number of images that will be saved. Each image will require a pulse, i.e. 10 images will

require 10 pulses.

Thor Sight Image This path field specifies the directory path and filename of the saved images. Multiple images

will be incremented from 0 to number of images saved, i.e. thorsightimage00.bmp,
thorsightimage01.bmp

Arm Button Click to have the camera begin waiting for the trigger.

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Part 2. DC210 Technical Reference

The DC210/DC310 is a compact CCD camera suitable for a variety of end user applications. This
section of the manual attempts to provide the user with a detailed specification of the DC210 camera.

2.1. General Specifications

Specification DC210 DC310

Style CCD camera in Black aluminum housing

with flying lead cable for external triggering

Sensor Sony 1/3" Type Sony HAD CCD

ICX084/ICX424

Resolution 640x480 1024x768

A/D Converter Analog Devices AD9841A A/D n/a

Video Output Signal 8 bits/pixel, 10 bits/pixel Digital Data

Interfaces 6-Pin IEEE-1394 for camera control and video data transmission 6 pin digital I/O

connector with flying lead cable

Voltage Requirements 8-32V

Power Consumption Less than 2W

Frame Rates 3.75,7.5,15,30 fps 1.875,3.75,7.5,15 fps

Gain Automatic/Manual Modes

0 dB through 30 dB

Shutter Automatic/Manual/Extended Shutter modes

1/30 s to 1/8000 s @30 Hz

Signal to Noise Ratio 50 dB or better at minimum gain

External Trigger DCAM v1.30 Trigger_Mode_0

CCD camera in Black aluminum housing

with flying lead cable for external triggering

Sony 1/3" Type Sony HAD CCD ICX204

0 dB through 27 dB

Automatic/Manual/Extended Shutter modes

1/15 s to 1/6000 s @15 Hz

Dimensions 2.86 x 2.13 x 0.7 inches

Lens Adapter Thorlabs DCM1 C mount adapter or DCSM1 CS Mount adapter

Camera Specification IIDC 1394-based Digital Camera Specification v1.30

Operating Temperature Commercial Grade Electronics rated from 0 to 70 ºC

Storage Temperature Room Temperature

Camera Upgrades Please visit our website: www.thorlabs.com

FCC Compliance The DC210 and DC310 comply with Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the

following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference; and (2) this

device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause

undesired operation.

2.2. Camera Power

The 6 pin 1394 connector connects to a standard IEEE 1394 (Fire Wire) 6 pin cable and provides the
camera with both power and a connection to your computer. The ideal input voltage is 12V DC;

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however, the camera is designed to handle voltages between 8 V and 32 VDC according to the IEEE
1394 standard. The power consumption of the DCx10 is less than 2 W at 12 VDC.

Some 1394 PCMCIA cards fro laptop / notebook computers require a 4 pin cable. A 4 pin cable does not
provide power and will therefore not work with the DCx10.

2.3. Typical Spectral Response

Figure 13: Spectral Response for DC210

Figure 14: Spectral Response for DC210C

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Figure 15: Spectral Response for DC310

2.4. Infrared Cut-Off Filters

The DC210C cameras have an additional infrared cut-off filter included. The approximate properties of
this filter are illustrated by the IRC30 curve in the graph below.

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2.5. Analog to Digital Converter

The DC210 incorporates an Analog Devices AD9841A A/D converter in order to digitize the images
produced by the CCD. The following table illustrates the most important aspects of the processor.

Specification Value

Resolution 10 bit

Pixel Gain Amplifier 4 ± 6 dB 6-bit

Variable Gain Amplifier 2 to 36 dB 10-bit

http://www.analog.com/static/imported-

Datasheets

files/data_sheets/AD9841A_9842A.pdf

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Part 3. Camera Operation and Features

3.1. Gain and Shutter Settings

This section describes how to convert Gain and Shutter settings from the format reported by the camera
into real world units.

Gain

The gain settings in the Thor Sight program can be converted to dB by using the following formula:

DC210 – 0 dB is 220

If G < 512

Gain = -6.0404 + [20*log((658+G)/(658-G))]

Else if G > 512

Gain = -6.0404 + [0.0354*G]

DC310 – 0dB is 325

If G < 512

Gain = -9.40 + [20*log((658+G)/(658-G))]

Else if G > 512

Gain = -9.40 + [0.0354*G]

G is the gain setting in the software. The absolute gain setting in dB of the camera can be read from the
CSR register at offset 928h. The returned number is in the IEEE floating point format.

Shutter

The shutter speed can be calculated using the following formulae:

DC210

T=(S*30) / (16000*F)

DC310

T=(S*15) / (12000*F)

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Where S is the setting in the camera control and F is the frame rate.

Extended Shutter

In special cases where the user has modified the EXTENDED_SHUTTER register at offset 1028h this
formula generalizes to the following:

T = (S*M) / (U*F)

M is the mode that the EXTENDED_SHUTTER register has been set to (30 for extended mode), and U
is the reciprocal of the units of the shutter setting

S

Mode

DC210

30 Hz 2 532 30 16000 0.469- 30 1/8000 s 0.468s

32 Hz 2 500 32 16000 0.5 32 1/8000 s 2s

Extended 2 4000 30 16000 0.469 30 1/8000 s 16s

50 Hz 2 256 50 12800 50 50 1/6400 s 1/50s

24 Hz 2 666 24 16000 0.375 24 1/8000 s 2.66s

DC310

15 Hz 2 800 15 12000 0.469 15 1/6000 s 1/30s

Extended 2 4000 15 12000 0.469 15 1/6000 s 10.66s

Min Max Min Max Min Max

M U

F Shutter Time

Extended shutter works as follows:

DC210 DC310 fps

16 NA 30

To calculate the shutter period in seconds:

Maximum number of line periods is given as 61344. this is the maximum we can send to register 0x81C,
so it has a range from 0 – 61344. To calculate a shutter period of 1 sec, we could do this in multiple
ways:

X/line rate(Hz) = shutter period (sec)

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8 12 15

4 6 7.5

2 3 3.75

1 1.5 1.875

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Where X is the number of lines to wait

At 30 fps the X/line rate = 1 sec. At 30 Hz at DC210(640x480), the line rate is 16kHz so X/16000 = 1.
So the value you to set is 16000.

At 15 fps, X is 8000 for DC210.

At 7.5fps, X is 4000 for DC210

At 15 fps, X is 12000 for DC310

At 7.5 fps, X is 6000 for DC310

The maximum shutter period is 61344/1000 = 61.344 sec.

In extended shutter mode, the upper limit of 4000 (0x0Fa0) can be extended up to a maximum of
65440(0xFFA0) by simply writing to the high shutter bits [8-19] of the SHUTTER register.

3.2. Camera Interface

General Purpose IO

The DC210 comes with a flying lead cable which is used for general purpose IO. The leads are
configured to accept a input trigger signal on the trig and GND pins. The IO3 pin is configured to send a
strobe out of the DC210 to an external device

The DC210 IO pins are TTL 3.3V inputs protected by two diodes to +3.3V and GND in parallel. There
is also a 10K resistor in series to limit current. When configured as input, the pins can be directly driven
from a 3.3V or 5V logic output. For output, each IO pin has almost no drive strength (high impedance)
and needs to be buffered with a transistor or driver to lower its impedance.

IO1 is capable of powering external circuitry up to a total of 50 mA. The IO pins are protected from
both over and under voltage. It is recommended, however, that they only be connected to 5V or 3.3V
digital logic signals. It should be noted that TRIG pin has a weak pull up resistor to allow a shorting of
the pin to GND for triggering.

IEEE-1394 Connector

The DC210 has a standard 6-pin IEEE 1394 connector that is used for data transmission, camera control
and powering the camera.

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Pin Function

1 Power Input

2 DC GND

3 TPB-

4 TPB+

5 TPA-

6 TPA+

Figure 16: IEEE 1394 Connector

3.3. Automatic Inter-Camera Synchronization

Multiple DCx10s on the same IEEE 1394 bus are automatically synchronized to each other at the
hardware level. When using multiple cameras, the timing of one camera to another camera is as follows:

1. If the cameras are on the same bus, the cameras are synchronized to within 125 ms of each other

(125 ms is the maximum deviation). The 1394 bandwidth limits the maximum number of
cameras that can be on one bus.

2. If the cameras are on separate buses a Sync unit is needed to synchronize the buses. Please

contact technical support for information. Without the sync device there is no correlation
between separate cameras on separate buses.

3.4. Supported Data Formats and Modes

Standard Formats, Modes and Frame Rates

The following table enumerates the different data formats and modes contained in the IIDC 1394
specification that are supported by the DC210

Camera Format Mode Mode Frame Rate(fps) Mode Description

DC210

DC310

Customizable Formats and Modes

The following table outlines 1394 DCAM-compliant Format 7 custom image modes that are supported
by the DCx10 cameras. The frame rates specified, however, are not contained in the specification.

0 5 3.75,7.5,15,30 640 x 480 Y8 (Mono)

0 6 3.75,7.5,15,30 640 x 480 Y16 (Mono)

1 5 1.875,3.75,7.5,15 1024 x 768 Y8 (Mono)

1 7 1.875,3.75,7.5 1024 x 768 Y16 (Mono)

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Frame Rate

Camera Format Mode

7 0 30 Partial Image Format (sub-window) - allows the user to only

DC210

7 1 50 Partial Image Format (sub-sampled) - allows the user to

7 0 15 Partial Image Format (sub-window) - allows the user to only

DC310

7 1 25 Partial Image Format (sub-sampled) - allows the user to

(fps) Mode Description

transmit a selected area of the image. Although no speed
improvement is realized, this feature is useful for reducing
bandwidth requirements while maintaining frame rate.

transmit a sub-sampled 640 x 240 image at up to 50 fps

transmit a selected area of the image. Although no speed
improvement is realized, this feature is useful for reducing
bandwidth requirements while maintaining frame rate.

transmit a sub-sampled 1024 x 384 image at up to 25 fps

Image Data Formats

The following table illustrates the data format for the various modes.

Mode Data Format

Y8 8 bit/pixel 0-7 76543210

Y16 16 bit/pixel 0-7 High Byte 8-15 Low Byte this format can be toggled with the

Y16_DATA_FORMAT REGISTER 1048H

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Mechanical Specifications

Firewire CCD Camera

Figure 17: Mechanical Drawing of the DCx10 Housing

13141-D02 Rev B, March 1, 2010 Page 27 www.thorlabs.com

Firewire CCD Camera

Part 4. Regulatory

As required by the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive) of the European
Community and the corresponding national laws, Thorlabs offers all end users in the EC the possibility
to return “end of life” units without incurring disposal charges.

• This offer is valid for Thorlabs electrical and electronic equipment:

• Sold after August 13th 2005

• Marked correspondingly with the crossed out “wheelie bin” logo (see)

• Sold to a company or institute within the EC

• Currently owned by a company or institute within the EC

• Still complete, not disassembled and not contaminated

As the WEEE directive applies to self contained operational electrical and electronic products, this end
of life take back service does not refer to other Thorlabs products, such as:

• Pure OEM products, that means assemblies to be built into a unit by the user (e. g. OEM laser

driver cards)

• Components

• Mechanics and optics

• Left over parts of units disassembled by the user (PCB’s, housings etc.).

Wheelie Bin Logo

If you wish to return a Thorlabs unit for waste recovery, please contact Thorlabs or your nearest dealer
for further information.

4.1. Waste Treatment is Your Own Responsibility

If you do not return an “end of life” unit to Thorlabs, you must hand it to a company specialized in waste
recovery. Do not dispose of the unit in a litter bin or at a public waste disposal site.

4.2. Ecological Background

It is well known that WEEE pollutes the environment by releasing toxic products during decomposition.
The aim of the European RoHS directive is to reduce the content of toxic substances in electronic
products in the future.

The intent of the WEEE directive is to enforce the recycling of WEEE. A controlled recycling of end of
live products will thereby avoid negative impacts on the environment.

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Firewire CCD Camera

Part 5. Thorlabs, Inc Worldwide Contacts

USA, Canada, and South America

Thorlabs, Inc.
435 Route 206
Newton, NJ 07860
USA
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.thorlabs.com
email: [e-mail]

Europe

Thorlabs GmbH
Hans-Böckler-Str. 6
85221 Dachau
Germany
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.thorlabs.de
email: [e-mail]

France

Thorlabs SAS
109, rue des Côtes
78600 Maisons-Laffitte
France
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.thorlabs.de
email: [e-mail]

Japan

Thorlabs Japan Inc.
5-17-1, Ohtsuka
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0012
Japan
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.thorlabs.jp
email: [e-mail]

UK and Ireland

Thorlabs LTD.
1 Saint Thomas Place, Ely
Cambridgeshire CB7 4EX
Great Britain
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.thorlabs.de
email: [e-mail]

Scandinavia

Thorlabs Sweden AB
Box 141 94
400 20 Göteborg
Sweden
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.thorlabs.de
email: [e-mail]

China

Thorlabs China
Oasis Middlering Centre
3 Building 712 Room
915 Zhen Bei Road
Shanghai
China
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.thorlabs.com
email: [e-mail]

13141-D02 Rev B, March 1, 2010 Page 29 www.thorlabs.com

Thorlabs, Inc.

435 Route 206N
Newton, NJ 07860 USA

Phone: [phone] ♦ Fax: [phone]
www.thorlabs.com