Kinetix CMOS User manual

Kinetix Pre-Arrival Guide
Thank you for your interest in the Kinetix CMOS, the next generation in scientific CMOS.
This is a guide to help you prepare for the arrival of the Kinetix, ensuring that the hardware and
software of both your computer and microscope are capable of making the most of the power
of the Kinetix and delivering your desired data. Alongside this, we also include detailed steps
on setting up the Kinetix upon arrival, making the most of your preparations. The sections are
as follows:
1. Pre-Arrival
2. What’s In The Box?
3. Setup
4. Troubleshooting

Pre-Arrival
There are four important questions to ask during pre-arrival:
1. Is my PC running Windows 10?
2. Does my PC have a free x8 or x16 Gen 3 PCIe slot?
3. Does my PC have sufficient specifications to optimally run the Kinetix?
4. Does my microscope have the correct camera mount adapter?
Let’s answer these questions!
1.
Is my PC running Windows 10?
The Kinetix family will
only
run on Windows 10, earlier versions of Windows such as XP, 7, 8,
and 8.1
will not
be able to run the Kinetix.
To find out if you are running Windows 10, go to
Start > Settings > System > About
and you
should see ‘Windows specifications’:

2.
If I want to use the PCIe interface, does my PC have a free x8 or higher
Gen 3 PCIe slot?
The Kinetix features both USB and
PCI Express (PCIe)
ports, and in order to achieve the
maximum speeds of the Kinetix the PCIe interface should be used. Not all computers come
with PCIe interfaces, so we supply a
PCIe interface card
in the Kinetix box, which attaches to
a
PCIe slot
on your computer motherboard and allows you to use PCIe cables with the Kinetix
and achieve maximum speeds.
However, the PCIe card
only fits into size x8 or x16
PCIe slots. If you don’t have an available
slot or only have smaller slots (x1 or x4), then you won’t be able to install the PCIe card, and
won’t be able to use this interface with Kinetix.
As long as you have an
x8 or x16 PCIe slot
and
at least 8 CPU-connected PCIe lanes
available, you can reliably use the included PCIe card. Please check your computer
motherboard for slots in order to use the included PCIe card and maximum Kinetix speeds.
The figure below details the PCIe process for Kinetix (in blue) and some potential pitfalls (in
orange).
If you don’t need to operate the Kinetix at high speed, the alternative is USB. Again, we supply
USB cables and USB interface cards, so please check for PCIe slots if your computer doesn’t
have high speed USB 3.1 Gen 2 slots (10 Gbps data rate).

3.
Does my PC have sufficient processing power (CPU, RAM) and storage
(SSD) to optimally run the Kinetix?
The Kinetix has a
10 megapixel sensor
that can run at up to
500 fps full frame
, meaning it
can put out
5 gigabytes per second
. This is a high data rate and it is important to use the
Kinetix with a sufficiently powerful computer in order to get optimal performance, especially
if looking to do lengthy high speed imaging experiments and rapidly stream data to disk.
We have put together a list of
recommended PC specifications
. If your PC does not match
these, be warned you may
not
be able to operate the Kinetix as intended.
•
OS:
Windows 10 64-bit
only
•
CPU:
3.0 GHz or faster, for example Intel Xeon or Core i5 with 4 or more cores
•
RAM:
32 GB DDR4 or more (2666 MHz 4-channel or 3200 MHz 2- or 4-channel)
•
Storage:
256 GB or larger SATA SSD for OS as a boot drive
oAdditional PCIe/NVMe data storage SSD, e.g. Samsung 960/970 Pro series
oIf streaming to disk, we recommend PCIe RAID controller such as HighPoint
SSD7101A-1 with 4x NVMe SSD in RAID-0 configuration
•
GPU:
1 GB or more, either dedicated PCIe GPU or integrated graphics
•
Motherboard:
Containing enough slots for both the PCIe interface card and the RAM,
with extra slots for future upgrades optional but useful
•
I/O:
The Kinetix comes with USB 3.2 and PCIe interface cards that will add these I/O
ports. While PCs can feature existing USB and PCIe ports, these may not necessarily
work well with the Kinetix and we recommend the use of the included interface cards
If your PC does
not
meet these specifications it may not be able to operate the Kinetix
optimally. We also recommend several pre-built PC systems which we use for in-house
testing, including the
Dell Precision Tower 5820
and the
HP Z4 G4 Workstation
.
For more information on recommended PC specs, please see our dedicated webpage:
https://www.photometrics.com/support/recommended-pc-specifications

4.
Does my microscope/imaging system have the adapter for the mount I want
to use, either C, F or T?
The
mount
is the interface between the camera and the microscope/imaging system. The
Kinetix supports
C-, F-
and
T-mounts
, thanks to an interchangeable faceplate, but be warned
your microscope will need to have an imaging port with a
suitable adaptor
to mount the
Kinetix. If you have a particular brand of microscope and want to use an F-mount with the
Kinetix, you will need the relevant F-mount adapter.
The mount affects the Kinetix
field of view
, with a C-mount limiting to ~22 mm, while an
F-mount or T-mount can make use of the whole 29 mm Kinetix sensor, depending on the
output of the microscope or imaging system used.
What is the maximum field of view your
microscope can use?
If it is 22 mm or below, we recommend a C-mount or the
Kinetix22
.
For up to 29 mm, use the F- or T-mount with Kinetix.

What’s In The Box?
The box you will receive should contain the following components:
•Kinetix CMOS (with F-mount front plate installed)
•PCIe interface card
•PCIe data cable, 3 m (x2)
•USB 3.2 interface card
•USB 3.2 A to C cable, 90 cm
•USB 3.2 C to C cable, 3 m
•Power supply (12V/10A DC) with international power cord set
•BNC trigger cable
•C-mount front plate
•T-mount front plate
•USB stick containing PVCAM drivers and software
•Quick Installation Guide
Providing the
pre-arrival
steps were completed, the box contains all you need to get imaging!
While unlikely, if items are missing, please contact Teledyne Photometrics Customer Service.

Please note that, as stated in
pre-arrival
, you need to check if the PCIe interface card is
compatible with your computer motherboard, and you also need to check if you have the
correct adapters for the mount type you wish to use with your microscope. Finally, the
computer you wish to use with the Kinetix
must
be running Windows 10.
Here are some additional details about the box contents:
•The Kinetix typically comes with the F-mount attached, while T- and C-mounts are
separate. Swap over to your mount of choice using the faceplate screw threads,
ensuring you have the correct adapter for your microscope or imaging setup.
•The PCIe interface card slots into your motherboard (x8 or x16 PCIe slot
only
), and
comes with four ports (1-4 top to bottom). The two PCIe cables are
both
needed to
operate the Kinetix at maximum speeds, typically plugged into ports 1 and 2.

•The USB 3.2 interface card allows you to use high speed USB ports with your computer,
and we recommend only using the supplied USB interface card, rather than existing
USB ports on your computer. Please bear in mind
only
the PCIe interface can operate
the Kinetix at maximum speeds.
oTwo USB cables are included, a 90 cm A-C cable and a 3 m C-C cable. The
Kinetix has a USB C port, so we give you the choice of USB A or C at the PC end.
oThe USB C-C cable is uni-directional, and only works when the blue end (host)
is plugged into the PC and the red end (sink) is plugged into the Kinetix.
•The BNC cable is used for
advanced hardware triggering
, it plugs into the back of the
Kinetix and comes with eight different cables for input and output hardware triggering,
typically used to synchronise your light source and camera

Setup
Now that you’ve performed your pre-arrival steps and got the box, it’s time to get imaging!
Setup comes in two main sections,
hardware
and
software
, and details everything you need
to get the Kinetix up and running for your imaging experiments.
Software Setup
Teledyne Photometrics cameras use a driver known as
PVCAM
(Programmable Virtual Camera
Access Method) to communicate with the computer. PVCAM
must
be installed on the host
computer before the Kinetix can be used. The USB stick that comes in the box contains the
latest version of PVCAM, or you can download it from our website:
https://www.photometrics.com/support/download/pvcam.
In addition to the camera driver, PVCAM also contains two advanced imaging applications,
PVCamTest
and
VersionInformation
, the former allowing you to test the camera connection
and take live images, and the latter reads firmware information, useful for technical support.
Please note that PVCamTest is
not
software for acquiring images, and should be used for
testing purposes only.
Start by installing PVCAM on your PC, either from the included USB stick or our website:
https://www.photometrics.com/support/download/pvcam

Hardware Setup (when using a PCIe connector)
1. Shut down and unplug your PC.
2. Open your PC case to access motherboard and PCIe slots (circled in white on image).
3. Locate an available
x16 or x8
PCIe slot and install the PCIe interface card, it should slide
into place with minimal resistance, you will hear a click when fully inserted. The below
image shows the PCIe card in a x16 slot (left) and a x8 slot (right, has overlapping pins).
4. Close your PC case and locate the newly available PCIe ports on the card.