Kron Technologies Chronos 1.4 User manual

Chronos 1.4 User Manual - Software version 0.1 Rev 1 - June 2017
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High-Speed Camera
User Manual
for
Software v0.1
Document Rev 1 DRAFT - NOT FINAL

Chronos 1.4 User Manual - Software version 0.1 Rev 1 - June 2017
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Thank you for choosing the Chronos 1.4 high speed camera!

Chronos 1.4 User Manual - Software version 0.1 Rev 1 - June 2017
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Getting Support....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Quick Start............................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Unboxing ............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Set up .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Powering up, charging, and powering down ...................................................................................................................... 5
Taking Shots ........................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Playback .............................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Saving .................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Shooting Tips........................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Hardware Reference ............................................................................................................................................................... 7
Hardware Overview ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
Lenses.................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
IR Filter .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Trigger IO........................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Storage devices ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Software Reference .............................................................................................................................................................. 11
Menu/screen overview..................................................................................................................................................... 11
Setting resolution and frame rate..................................................................................................................................... 14
Black Calibration ............................................................................................................................................................... 15
Triggering .......................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Synchronizing to external sources .................................................................................................................................... 15
Setting IO functionality ..................................................................................................................................................... 15
Recording .......................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Playback ............................................................................................................................................................................ 15
Saving ................................................................................................................................................................................ 15
Maintenance and care .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Optics ................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
Camera body ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Screen................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
Storage/Shipping............................................................................................................................................................... 16
Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................................ 17
Mechanical drawing.............................................................................................................................................................. 18

Chronos 1.4 User Manual - Software version 0.1 Rev 1 - June 2017
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Getting Support
You can contact Kron Technologies for support setting up and using your Chronos 1.4 camera.
The User Forum is a great way to share questions with other Chronos users, as well as get support directly from Kron
Technologies staff. The answer to your question may already be there, use the search function on the forum to search
for keywords relating to your question or issue.
User Forum: forum.krontech.ca
Email: [email protected]
Quick Start
So you just got a cool new high-speed camera. Now what? This Quick Start guide gives you a crash course to get you up
and running with your new camera.
IMPORTANT - The camera ships with a CS-C adapter ring installed, as well as a dust cap. Be sure not to accidentally
remove the CS-C adapter when removing the cap. The CS-C ring is shown below.
Figure 1 - CS-C adapter
Unboxing
Unpack the camera and accessories, and check that all ordered accessories are included. Notify Kron Technologies
immediately if anything is missing or damaged.
What's included?
The following items are included as standard with all cameras:
Chronos 1.4 camera
EN-EL4a battery
19V 40W AC adapter
AC power cord (plug depends on region)
CS-C adapter ring (installed on camera)
C mount body cap (installed on camera)
2mm Allen wrench
User guide
Lenses and other accessories may also be included if ordered. Check your invoice or sales receipt to know exactly what
should be included.

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Set up
Insert the battery into the camera's battery compartment. To open the door, push the latch towards the back of
the camera (LCD side) with your fingernail, and pull up.
Close the battery door, ensuring the latch is pushed back while closing. Release the latch when the door is nearly
flat against the case, and firmly push the door closed until the latch clicks in fully
Remove the body cap and install the lens by screwing it onto the mount. For the Computar 12.5-75mm zoom
lens, the CS-C adapter needs to be left on. If you're using another lens, check which type it is to determine
whether or not the CS-C adapter is needed
Store the lens and body caps in a safe place. Make sure not to forget where you left them
Powering up, charging, and powering down
It's recommended to fully charge a new battery before running the camera on battery power. Let the battery charge at
least until 80% (LED flashes green/orange). This should take less than 2 hours.
Plug the AC adapter into mains power and into the camera. The LED on the top of the camera should illuminate
to indicate external power is present.
The camera behaves just like your laptop, it charges whenever plugged in, and you can use it while charging. The
battery does not need to be installed to run the camera on external power.
Press and release the power button to power up the camera. It will take approximately 30 seconds to boot up
and show the menu and image
To power down the camera, press the power button for one second, then release. A minimum press of 0.5
seconds is required to avoid accidental shut down. Don't continue to hold the button; holding it for four seconds
or more forces a hard power down. Just like your computer, the camera needs to shut down properly to avoid
potential problems with the operating system. Don't force a hard power down unless the camera is
unresponsive and will not power down normally.
Taking Shots
1. Power up the camera
2. Set resolution in Record Settings - Camera powers up at 1280x1024
Tip - Don't be afraid to turn the resolution down to get a higher frame rate. Frame rate is resolution too -
temporal resolution. Horizontal resolution below 336 pixels doesn't increase speed.
3. (Optional) - For best quality, do a Black Calibration (Black Cal). Close the iris or cap the lens, then tap Black Cal.
Only required once after changing resolutions.
4. (Optional, for color cameras) - Set white balance. Place a white card at the center of the frame and tap White
Balance.
5. Frame and focus. For best sharpness, use an iris of F/2 or above.
6. Press record or click the red record button to start recording
7. Stop the camera after the event occurs, using either the red button on the camera, the Stop button on the
menu, or the optional remote trigger switch.
Playback
1. Tap Play to go to playback mode
2. Use the slider, jog wheel or forward/backwards play buttons to review the video. Click in and hold the jog wheel
clicked while turning to go fast (40x faster than non-clicked).

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Saving
1. Ensure an SD card is in the camera. You MUST use a Class 10 or faster SD card from a reputable manufacturer,
otherwise frames may be dropped during save. The card must be formatted FAT32.
2. (Optional, highly recommended) - Use Mark In and Mark Out to select a region to save. Position playback where
you'd like saving to start and tap Mark In. Repeat using Mark Out for the location you'd like saving to end. Saving
the entire buffer can take a long time, especially at low resolutions.
3. Press Save and wait for save to complete
4. If the video is extremely valuable (unable or expensive to recreate the shot), remove the SD card and use a PC to
check that the video saved properly without dropped frames. This is especially important when using a new
brand of SD card for the first time.
Shooting Tips
[Basic crash course on how to use a fully manual camera]

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Hardware Reference
Hardware Overview
Back/Top
Figure 2 - Overview of camera (Back)
SD Card Slot
Use a Class 10 or faster card only
Power button
Click to turn on camera.
To shut down the camera, press the button for 1 second then release. Presses less than 0.5s will be ignored to
reduce the chance of accidentally turning off the camera.
Holding for 4 seconds forces a hard power down. Do this only if the camera software has crashed and won't
respond. Like a PC, the camera needs to shut down properly or file system damage may occur, requiring a
reflash of the OS SD card.
Shutter Button
Starts and stops recording
Record Indicator
Illuminates to indicate the camera is currently recording

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Power Status Indicator
Indicates the presences of AC power and charge status of the battery
LED
Indication
Un-lit
No AC power connected
Solid Yellow
Charging, state of charge 0-80%
Green/Yellow alternating
Charging, state of charge > 80%
Green
AC connected, charge complete or no battery present
Jog Wheel
Used for playback control. Moves playback 1 frame per detent (rotational click). Press and hold dial clicked in to
move fast (40 frames per detent)
Front/Side Connectors
Figure 3 - Overview of camera (Front)
Power Input
17-21V DC 40W, 5.5/2.5mm barrel jack, positive tip
USB/eSATA
This port accepts both USB type A and eSATA devices. USB mass storage devices such as flash drives and hard
drives can be connected to this port.
Mini USB OTG
USB mass storage devices such as flash drives and hard drives can be connected using a Mini-B OTG cable.

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Aux IO
Trigger and Analog inputs. Only trigger inputs are supported in the current software.
Pinout:
[Top of camera]
Pin
Function
1
Analog In 1
2
Common
3
Analog In 2
4
Common
5
Trigger IO 2
6
Common
7
Isolated Trigger Input 3 (+)
8
Isolated Trigger Input 3 (-)
[Bottom of camera]
All Common pins are internally connected together and to the camera's power input ground and chassis ground.
The included AC adapter internally connects common to mains earth ground as well.
Ethernet
Not supported in current software
HDMI
Not supported in current software
Audio IO
Not supported in current software
Lenses
Lens Mount
Chronos 1.4 is natively a CS-mount camera. C-mount lenses can be used with the included adapter. Other lens types
such as F, EF, and PL can be used with an appropriate adapter to convert them to C mount.
Common lenses available for the camera are listed below, along with the adapter required to use them
Lens
Lens mount
Adapter required
Computar 12.5-75mm f/1.2 Zoom
C
CS - C
Computar 12mm f/1.4 Prime
C
CS - C
6-60mm f/1.7 Zoom
CS
None
2.8-12mm f/1.4 Zoom
CS
None
Fujian 25mm f/1.4
C
CS - C
Fujian 35mm f/1.7
C
CS - C
Microscope lens
C
CS - C
Table 1 - Lenses, mounts and adapter requirements
Lens Selection
Lenses vary in their image circle, that is, how large an image sensor they can cover. Chronos 1.4 uses a 2/3" image
sensor (actual sensor dimensions are 8.45 x 6.76mm) . Lenses designed for smaller sensors can be used, however the

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image will not cover the entire sensor. This is called vignetting and is visible as a black ring around the outside of the
image frame.
IR Filter
Todo
Removing the IR filter
Todo
Trigger IO
Two trigger IO and one isolated trigger input are available on the camera.
Trigger IO 1/2
These non-isolated IOs are referenced to the camera's power and chassis ground, and can provide either input
functionality with selectable threshold (0-6.6V) or 5V TTL level output. These IOs are protected against damage when
connected to voltages of 30V DC/AC RMS and +/- 50V peak.
The 20mA output drive is suitable to directly drive terminated coaxial cable, and will produce 1V into 50Ω, with rise and
fall times time of (typically) 10ns or faster. Unterminated operation will result in a much slower fall time.
[Schematic of Trigger IO 1/2]
Trigger In 3
This input is isolated input via an optocoupler. A logic low input is a voltage from -30 to 1V, and a high level input is a
voltage of 3 to 30V. Voltages between these ranges (1 to 3V) are undefined. This input has built-in 1.2kΩ resistors to
correctly drive the optocoupler, and is protected from differential voltages up to 30V DC/RMS AC and +/- 50V peak.
Trigger In 3 is rated for SELV (safety extra low voltage) circuits only, up to a maximum common mode voltage of 60V
above ground.
DANGER: The isolated input is not rated for safety isolation. Never use any of these inputs to connect directly to mains-
referenced circuits. If triggering from AC mains is needed, external isolation is required.
[Schematic of Trigger In 3]
Storage devices
All storage devices must be formatted FAT32. No other filesystems have been tested, but EXT2, EXT3 and EXT4 may
work. NTFS and exFAT support are planned for release in future software updates.
SD cards are recommended as storage devices rather than USB drives. Use only Class 10 or faster SD cards to ensure
successful saving without dropped frames. Saving to USB is functional, however many USB flash drives are not fast
enough to save video without dropping frames. USB external hard drives typically work well.
When using a new storage device, always test it by making and saving a recording then playing it back on a PC.
Problems typically show up as jumpiness or dropped frames.