MicroImage Video Systems VMU300 User manual

VMU300 & VMU400
Video Caliper
MicroImage Video Systems
division of World Video Sales Company, Inc.
PO Box 331
Boyertown, PA 19512-0331
610-754-6800
Fax [phone]
www.mivs.com
Sales: [email protected]
Support: [email protected]
Rev 1.00 March 31, 2002

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UNPACKING .......................................................... Page 4
CONNECTIONS ........................................................ Page 4
Power Supply .................................................... Page 4
Video Input ...................................................... Page 4
Video Output ..................................................... Page 4
Other Connections ................................................ Page 5
CONTROLS&INDICATORS .............................................. Page 5
PowerSwitch .................................................... Page 5
PositionControl1 ................................................. Page 5
PositionControl2 ................................................. Page 5
Lock Switch 1 and Lock Switch 2 ..................................... Page 5
Track........................................................... Page 5
Position ......................................................... Page 6
Display ......................................................... Page 6
X/Y ............................................................ Page 6
B/W ............................................................ Page 6
Menu........................................................... Page 6
Set ............................................................ Page 6
7(backspace) .................................................... Page 6
0 thru 9 and . (decimal point) ........................................ Page 6
Enter ........................................................... Page 7
Store ........................................................... Page 7
Recall .......................................................... Page 7
MENUS............................................................... Page 8
Overview........................................................ Page 8
MainMenu ...................................................... Page 8
LineOptions ..................................................... Page 8
X1LineOptions ............................................ Page 8
X2LineOptions ............................................ Page 8
Y1LineOptions ............................................ Page 8
Y2LineOptions ............................................ Page 8
LockOverrides ............................................. Page 8
Box/Lines ................................................. Page 9
LineSize .................................................. Page 9
CoordinateOptions................................................ Page 9
DisplayOptions............................................. Page 9
CharacterColor............................................. Page 9
Background Color ........................................... Page 9
DisplayLayout ............................................. Page 9
CONTENTS

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PrecisionDigits ............................................. Page 9
B/WorColorMode ................................................ Page 9
ColorBarMenu................................................... Page 9
RemoteOptions ................................................. Page 10
SystemOptions ................................................. Page 10
CALIBRATIONSET .................................................... Page 11
Overview....................................................... Page 11
SetScaleUsingXAxis ............................................ Page 11
SetScaleUsingYAxis ............................................ Page 11
ClearScale ..................................................... Page 12
SelectUnit ..................................................... Page 12
MetricUnits ............................................... Page 12
EnglishUnits .............................................. Page 12
UserDefined .............................................. Page 12
DefineUserUnit ................................................. Page 12
MEMORIES .......................................................... Page 12
Overview....................................................... Page 12
MemorySave ................................................... Page 12
MemoryRecall .................................................. Page 13
OPERATION ......................................................... Page 13
Overview....................................................... Page 13
Calibration...................................................... Page 13
SettingtheScale................................................. Page 13
Addingaunitofmeasure .......................................... Page 14
Savingthecurrentconfiguration ..................................... Page 14
MemoryStore ................................................... Page 14
MemoryRecall .................................................. Page 14
Specifications ......................................................... Page 15
Warranty ............................................................. Page 17
Returns .............................................................. Page 17

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The VMU300 and VMU400 systems include the following components:
VMU300 or VMU400 Video Caliper Unit
DPD120050 wall mount or DTS120150 universal desktop (optional) power supply
This operation manual
Please inspect all items carefully and report any damaged or missing items to your dealer or
MicroImage Video Systems as soon as possible. Do not power up any damaged unit.
Power Supply
The VMU300 and VMU400 Video Calipers ship with a standard 12VDC wall mount power
transformer or with an optional desktop universal power supply.
Connect the power supply to the power input on the VMU unit. Also, connect the power supply
to a suitable power receptacle/outlet which meets the appropriate ratings on the power supply.
All VMU300 and VMU400 units may be optionally powered from an external +12VDC (+10 to
+20V), negative ground power source which is relatively clean. Contact MicroImage Video
Systems for additional information.
Video Input
A video source must be connected to the VMU300 or VMU400 for it to function properly.
The VMU300 may be connected to either an S-Video camera (via the S-Video 4 pin input
connector) or to a composite or B&W video source (via the Video input BNC connector).
The VMU400 may be connected to an RGB or RGB and Sync video source (via the 9 pin D-sub
RGB IN connector). MicroImage Video Systems has suitable cables available for connection to
other devices. The pin connections on the 9 pin D-sub follow the industry standard for an RGBS
signal.
Video Output
The video output must be of the same type as the video input signal, i.e. if S-Video is used as
the input, S-Video MUST be used as the output. This unit will not transpose between different
signal types. To use the external sync output of the VMU400, external sync must be connected
to the input of the unit, it will not generate external sync by itself.
UNPACKING
CONNECTIONS

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Connect a suitable output cable from the appropriate video out connector to a monitor or other
display device. Make sure that the monitor (or other device) is correctly set to view that type of
video signal.
Other Connections
If you have a custom option installed which requires an external connection, please see the
supplement to this user guide for additional information.
Power Switch
The power switch is located in the lower right corner of the front panel. Pressing it once turns
the unit on, pressing it again turns the unit off. When off, the unit draws minimal power. All VMU
units will remember their settings when the power is turned off. More information is provided
later in this text.
Position Control 1
This rotary control will move the left or top cursor (depending on the setting of the X/Y switch) or
it will move both (same axis) cursors together if the track function is enabled.
Position Control 2
This rotary control will move the right or bottom cursor (depending on the setting of the X/Y
switch). If track mode is on, it will adjust the spread between the two (same axis) lines.
Lock Switch 1 and Lock Switch 2
Enabling the lock function will cause the related rotary position control to have no effect while
lock is on (indicated by the RED lamp below the switch). Lock functions are remembered
independently for the X and Y axes. A Lock override can be set in the menu system to lock a
control regardless of the switch setting (which will also be indicated by the light).
Track
Enabling the tracking function (lamp on) will cause the left position control to move both lines of
the same axis together (keeping the spacing constant). The right control will adjust the spacing
between the lines. When the tracking function is disabled (indicator extinguished), the two
controls will move the lines fully independently.
Position
The position set function allows the user to relocate the numeric display. Pressing the
CONTROLS & INDICATORS

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POSITION switch will turn on (indicator illuminated) the position set function for the numeric
dimension display. When the position function is enabled, turn the left (#1) control to move the
horizontal position and the right (#2) control to change the vertical position. Press the
POSITION switch again when finished to disable the position set function. Note that many other
functions are disabled while position set is on.
Display
Pressing the DISPLAY switch will toggle the overlay on and off including the character and line
display. This makes it easy to go to a “clean source image” and back to the measurement
mode. When the display is off, many switches and the controls are inactive to prevent accidental
changes. The indicator is illuminated when the display is on.
X/Y
The X/Y switch chooses between X or Y axis movement. There is an indicator for each
direction. Note that the positions and lock information are remembered independently for each
axis.
B/W
Selects whether the lines are displayed as black or white. This switch does not affect the color
of the numeric display or menu system.
Menu
Pressing the MENU switch places the unit in the menu mode allowing the user to set his or her
preferences. The exact menus are covered in a later chapter in this manual.
Set
Pressing SET will allow the user to calibrate the unit and also set the unit of measure. Operation
is through simple menus.
7(backspace)
Pressing the backspace button will allow you to edit the numeric calibration as it is being
entered. Backspace deletes the character last entered.
0 thru 9 and . (decimal point)
These keys are used to enter the calibration reference and to navigate the menu systems. They
are used in a way similar to a calculator. Note also that the 2, 4, 6 and 8 keys are also used as
a four directional cursor array when changing the custom unit of measure settings.
Enter

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Completes the entry of a calibration setting or completes a menu operation.
Store
Pressing the STORE key will illuminate the indicator next to it. After pressing the STORE key,
you must press one of the number keys (0 through 9) to specify which memory, which will
extinguish the indicator. You can also cancel the storage by pressing STORE a second time
(which will also extinguish the indicator). Each memory will save most of the settings of the unit,
allowing easy access to multiple calibrations. See the section on Memories later in this manual.
Recall
Pressing the RECALL key will illuminate the indicator next to it. After pressing the RECALL key,
you must press one of the number keys (0 through 9) to specify which memory, which will
extinguish the indicator. You can also cancel the recall by pressing RECALL a second time
(which will also extinguish the indicator). See the section on Memories later in this manual.

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Overview
The VMU series are designed for ease of
use. Commonly used functions are easily
changed with front panel settings while less
used functions can be changed only with
the menus. This section will describe the
various menus and how they work. For the
calibration set menus and units of
measure, please see the next section.
The menus system is divided into a
hierarchy, or tree structure. Each branch
has several related menus that can be
changed. The main or top menu is the first
one you see after pressing the MENU
button. You then choose one of the
categories and press the number key relating to that menu. This will bring up another menu
where you press the numeric key of choice and so on. Enter will select the highlighted item.
Pressing the 0 (zero) key will exit each menu back up to the previous menu.
Main Menu
Each menu will be described below:
Line Options
1. X1 Line Options This item selects whether the X1 (left) line is set to solid, serrated or
turned off. Each line may be set individually.
2. X2 Line Options This item selects whether the X2 (right) line is set to solid, serrated or
turned off. Each line may be set individually.
3. Y1 Line Options This item selects whether the Y1 (top) line is set to solid, serrated or
turned off. Each line may be set individually.
4. Y2 Line Options This item selects whether the Y2 (bottom) line is set to solid, serrated or
turned off. Each line may be set individually.
5 Lock Overrides Allows you to enable lock overrides for each line. If these are set to on,
the line will remain locked regardless of how the front panel lock switch is
set (lock indicators will light).
MENUS
Main Menu
1. Line Options
2. Coordinate Options
3. B/W or Color mode
4. Color Bars
5. Remote Options
6. System Options
0. Exit
Press number for selection

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6 Box/Lines This will set whether lines or a box will be displayed. The lines are full
screen length. Boxes may be set as either an outline (normal box mode)
or solid (filled).
7 Line Size Line size can be set to thin or thick. X and Y axes may be set individually.
When the line size is set to thick, measuring resolution will be lower due
to video system restrictions and display capabilities.
Coordinate Options
1. Display Options You can choose whether to display the numeric value for X, Y or diagonal
measurements. Any combination can be displayed.
2. Character Color Sets the foreground (character) color of the alpha-numeric digits but does
not affect the line color (see the B/W switch to change the line color).
Eight color settings are possible. In B&W mode, the colors are displayed
as shades of gray.
3. Background Color Sets the background color of the alpha-numeric digits but does not affect
the line color (see the B/W switch to change the line color). Eight color
settings are possible in addition to no background. No background allows
the characters to display directly on the video image without any solid
area behind them. In B&W mode, the colors are displayed as shades of
gray.
4. Display Layout Chooses whether the X, Y and diagonal dimensions are displayed in a
row or column format.
5. Precision Digits Allows the user to choose the precision of the measurement display. For
readability, the display precision can be reduced to only the amount of
information that is really needed for the application. The precision can be
set from 2 to 5 digits, with 4 being the factory default.
B/W or Color Mode
The user can select whether the Video Caliper is used with Black and White (B&W) or color
video. For the unit to display the images properly, it must be set for the proper mode. If the unit
is set to color mode on a B&W signal, there may be extra grain present in the picture, especially
around the characters. If the unit is set for B&W when used with a color system, it will display
only B&W characters and color bars will be B&W too.
Color Bar Menu
A reference color bar generator is built into the Video Caliper and can be enabled through this
menu. When color bars are turned on, the camera or other input video image will not be visible.
The color bars are designed to test for the presence of the colors and system troubleshooting.

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The color bars are not designed to replace a precision test signal generator for calibration
purposes.
Remote Options
The remote options are only used when the factory optional remote interface is ordered and
installed in the unit. This interface comes with a separate interface operation manual.
System Options
1. System Properties This menu shows the product name, the firmware revision and code base
as well as the MicroImage copyright for the code. There is also a link to
the MicroImage Web site as well.