Micron Technology MicronEye User manual

Operator's Manual .

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION
MICRONEYE BULLET . . . • •
MICRONEYE CAMERA . . • . .
IS32 OPTICRAM . . . .
... . .......·
1-1
· 1-1
· 1-2
CHAPTER 2TECHNIQUES FOR OPERATING THE MICRONEYE
FOCUS AND F-STOP ADJUSTMENTS ..••..... 2-1
CLOSE-UP RING . . . . . . . . • • • . • . . • . . 2-1
LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS . .. ..•. 2-2
CHAPTER 3USING THE MICRONEYE WITH THE APPLE
·... .. . 3-1
DISKETTE . • . . 3-2
. . '" ... 3-3
. . • . . . . . .. 3-11
........ .. 3 -1 2
3-14
3-15
••• •• 3 -1 6
INSTALLATION AND SET UP
FILES INCLUDED ON YOUR MICRONEYE
THE MICRONEYE PROGRAM
THE COMMANDER PROGRAM . • .
THE GREYPIC PROGRAM • • • .
THE GREYSCREEN PROGRAM
THE ENHANCED EYE PROGRAM • .
THE GREY16 PROGRAM ..•
CHAPTER 4USING
THE MICRONEYE WITH THE IBM PC
,
CREATING A BOOTABLE DISKETTE
INSTALLATION
AND SETUP • • .
FILES INCLUDED ON YOUR MICRONEYE
THE MEYE PROGRAM • . . • DISKETTE
•
4-1
4-2
• 4-4
4-4
CHAPTER 5USING
THE MICRONEYE WITH THE COMMODORE 64
INSTALLATION AND SET UP
FILES INCLUDED ON YOUR MICRONEYE
THE MICRONEYE PROGRAM . • • • •
THE ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE CONNECTION
· .. .... 5-1
DISKETTE • • • • 5-2
·........ 5-2
(MEYE6510.EX) •• 5-7
CHAPTER 6USING
THE RS-232 MICRONEYE CAMERA
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
SOFTWARE •••••.•• ....
.. .. 6-1
.......... 6-2
CHAPTER 7
HOW YOUR COMPUTER TALKS TO THE MICRONEYE
MICRONEYE VERSIONS • . •• •••.•••••• 7-1
THE SERIAL CONNECTION • • • . • •• • 7-2
COMMAND DEFINITIONS • •. •••••• •• 7-3
EFFECTS OF COMMAND MODE COMBINATIONS ••••••• 7-6
RECOMMENDED MICRONEYE COMMAND SEQUENCES • 7-8

APPENDIX A
BAUD RATE MODIFIFICATION
APPENDIX BTRANSMISSION TIME CONSIDERATIONS
APPENDIX CTROUBLESHOOTING
APPENDIX D
IS32 OPTICRAM TECHNICAL INFORMATION
OPERATION ......••.
IS32 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS . . •
TOPOLOGY • .. ...•...
·...... D-1
·...... D- 3
· . . . . . . D- 4
APPENDIX E
ANNOTATED ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE DRIVER FOR THE IBM PC
APPENDIX FGUIDE
TO OPTICS SELECTION AND LIGHTING TECHNIQUES
• •
F-1
• F-4
F-17
LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE IS32 OPTICRAM
OPTICS ........ .. .....••
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS . • . • • . • • . . • • . .
APPENDIX G
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION
TIMING GENERATION
CIRCUIT ••••••••••••G-1
COMMAND RECEIVER CIRCUIT •••••••••••.• G-2
ADDRESS REGISTERS . . • • • . • • • • • • • . • . G-3
ADDRESS DESCRAMBLE, SOAK/, AND DIN/DOUT CIRCUITS. G-4
TRANSMITTER AND INTERRUPT GENERATOR CIRCUIT • • • G-6
ADDER AND END-OF-FRAME CIRCUIT • • . • • • • • • • G-8
APPENDIX H
MICRONEYE APPLICATIONS SUBROUTINE LIBRARY DESCRIPTIONS
(C)
Copyright Micron Technology, Inc. 1983
6253 Oct 1984

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The MicronEye is the easiest and least expensive solution to
numerous applications requiring a low cost, all digital imaging
system. The MicronEye is an electro-optical system suitable for use
with your computer as a peripheral. The three necessary dimensions --
optics, hardware and software are furnished with the standard
package. There are three basic MicronEye systems:
1.1 MICRONEYE BULLET
(Shown in Illustration 1a). This ,system has the drive
electronics located on a 9"x3" card inserted in the computer. The
IS32 OpticRAM is located in the 1" diameter cylindrical Bullet case.
The Bullet and computer are connected via a standard 16-wire flat
ribbon cable. Micron recommends that the cable be less than 5 feet
long and furnishes a 4-foot cable with the standard Bullet package.
1.2 MICRONEYE CAMERA
(Shown in Illustration 1b). This system has all of the drive
electronics and IS32 OpticRAM on a 6"x3"x1" card which is mounted in a
rectangular camera case. It also includes a 3"x3" serial interface
card suitable for inserting in the Apple II, IBM PC, Radio Shack
TRS-80 Color Computer and Commodore 64. The advantage the Camera has
over the Bullet is that the Camera may be located remotely from the
computer (up to 50 feet away).
For computers on which custom MicronEye interfaces are not
available, an RS-232 compatible version of the MicronEye Camera is
available. The RS-232 MicronEye Camera comes equipped with a male
DB25P connector. Pin 2 (transmitted data) carries data from the
MicronEye to the computer. Pin 3 (received data) sends data from the
computer to the MicronEye. Pin 7 is acornman ground. Power for the
MicronEye (+5V capable of driving a50 rnA load) must be made available
1 -1

INTRODUCTION
MICRONEYE CAMERA
to the MicronEye on Pin 11.
1.3 IS32 OPTICRAM
The heart of the MicronEye is the OpticRAM. The OpticRAM was
developed and is manufactured by Micron Technology, Inc. The OpticRAM
is composed of 65,536 individual image sensing elements called pixels.
These pixels are organized into two rectangles (often referred to as
arrays) of 128 x 256 pixels each. Each array of cells is separated by
an optical "dead" zone of about 25 elements in width.
When an image is focused onto the OpticRAM, a digital
representation of the image is "exposed" on the OpticRAM. The
MicronEye transmits this image from the OpticRAM to the computer. The
software included with the MicronEye takes the transmitted image and
displays it on the computer's graphics screen.
Because the image created by the OpticRAM is digital, the image
produced is black and white. The MicronEye may produce shades of gray
by multiple scans at different exposure times. MicronEye users with
an Epson printer can produce pictures with grey tones with the
software provided.
The low cost of the MicronEye is directly attributable to the
technological advance represented by Micron's OpticRAM. In terms of
cost per pixel, the OpticRAM represents a 1000x reduction in price
over earlier generation image-sensing chips such as the CCD. As a
result, the MicronEye brings capabilities to your computer which were
previously available only to large industrial users.
The electronics in the MicronEye provide an interface between the
OpticRAM and computer. It also provides a means by which the
MicronEye can receive commands from the computer. Using a crystal to
assure accuracy, the MicronEye drive electronics provides all the
requisite timing signals and circuitry to execute commands received
from the computer. The MicronEye automatically sequences the OpticRAM
so that each image sensing element in the OpticRAM is accessed and the
appropriate video information is returned to the computer for display
or ,processing.
In addition, the MicronEye's electronic shutter is easily
controlled by sending the MicronEye the appropriate commands. A
command to the MicronEye to SOAK, "opens" the shutter. After the
appropriate period of exposure has elapsed, acommand to the MicronEye
to REFRESH will "close" the shutter. The software provided
automatically performs these functions. Chapter 7 explains the
commands available for controlling the MicronEye for users who want to
design their own assembly language interfaces. (For most users, the
routines provided should be more than adequate.) As you might suspect,
1-2

INTRODUCTION
1832 OPTICRAM
the MicronEye's shutter is not a mechanical shutter. The MicronEye
controls whether or not the OpticRAM is sensitive to light or not.
This feature allows for precise continuous control of the MicronEye's
"shutter speed."
If for any reason you must remove the OpticRAM from its socket,
caution is imperative. The OpticRAM is susceptible to static and can
be damaged by static electricity. Be certain to properly orient the
OpticRAM when reinserting it into the socket. For the bullet, the
OpticRAM is oriented properly when the red edge of the ribbon cable is
on the same side of the camera as the Pin 1 notch on the OpticRAM.
For the camera, the OpticRAM is oriented properly when the Pin 1 notch
on the OpticRAM is on the same edge as the Pin 1 notch on other IC's
in the camera. Removal of the OpticRAM from the bullet may require
that the tips of the chip extractor tool be bent out slightly to
accomodate the narrowness of the bullet housing.
(a) MicronEye Bullet
(b) MicronEye Camera
Illustration 1
1 -3
(c) 1832 OpticRAM

CHAPTER 2
TECHNIQUES FOR OPERATING THE MICRONEYE
2.1 FOCUS AND F-STOP ADJUSTMENTS
The lens supplied with your MicronEye is an F1.6 16mm lens with
adjustable f-stop. Please note that the lens has two controls which
must be adjusted before the MicronEye will operate successfully:
f-stop and focus control. The f-stop controls the amount of light
admitted through the lens while the focus control focuses the image on
to the surface of the image sensing device (the IS32 OpticRAM).
For normal use, the lowest f-stop setting (1.6) is recommended.
Any increase in the f-stop requires a compensating increase in the
light source or in the exposure time. Please note there is a "c"
setting which completely closes the aperture. A mechanical shutter is
not needed since this function is performed electronically by the
MicronEye.
The depth of focus (the distance the scene can move in relation
to the MicronEye and still be in focus) is increased at higher
f-stops. To optimize the result, increase the amount of light and/or
the exposure time. A tradeoff of lighting, exposure time, f-stop and
scene-to-MicronEye position is necessary to optimize the result.
2.2 CLOSE-UP RING
The lens is designed for viewing objects at a distance of at
least 18 inches. Also supplied with the MicronEye is a close-up ring
which allows the MicronEye to view objects as near as five inches.
From this distance, normal text is cleariy readable. The ring can be
installed by unscrewing the lens from the MicrqnEye, inserting the
ring over the threads of the lens screw, and screwing the lens back
into the MfcronEye. The ring acts as a spacer and extends the focal
length of the lens. For experimenting with viewing objects as close
as two to three inches, an acceptable short-term solution is to slowly
unscrew the lens until the object comes into focus (taking care not to
unscrew the lens so far that there are insufficient threads to hold
2-1

TECHNIQUES FOR OPERATING THE MICRONEYE
CLOSE-UP RING
the lens onto the MicronEye).
For viewing objects at close range it is recommended that the
user purchase a close-up lens. Since the MicronEye utilizes a
standard C-mount lens, most camera retailers provide a wide assortment
of special purpose lenses directly compatible with the MicronEye.
2.3 LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS
The MicronEye requires a high contrast scene in order to image
the object onto the OpticRAM. Unlike a TV camera which can respond to
shades of gray, the OpticRAM is a digital device where each picture
element will only respond to a black and white representation of a
scene. All portions of the scene lighter than an arbitrary threshold
are considered white and all portions of the scene darker than the
threshold are considered black. If the exposure time is increased
more of the scene falls on the white side of the threshold barrier.
As the exposure time is decreased more of the scene falls on the black
side of the threshold level.
The threshold level can be affected in one of three ways: (1 )
changing the exposure time; (2) changing the f-stop on the lens; and
(3) changing the light on the scene itself. Doubling the exposure
time is the same as opening the f-stop by one stop (changing the
f-stop to the next smaller number) or, in other words, doubling the
amount of light.
For optim~m results from your MicronEye, careful consideration
must be paid to lighting. In general, arbitrary lighting of the
environment will not produce optimum results as it may result in
low-contrast images, reflections, shadowing and extraneous details. A
good lighting system illuminates the scene so that the complexity of
the image is minimized while the information required for inspection
or manipulation is enhanced.
2.3.1 Front Lighting
A front lit scene (where the MicronEye is on the same side of the
scene as the light source or ambient light) sometimes lacks adequate
contrast. Front lighting with a diffused light source can often be
used to increase the contrast in a scene. If defects or points of
interest are to be emphasized, side lighting such that the defects Qr
points of interest cast a shadow or appear brighter through increased
reflectivity may be used.
2-2

TECHNIQUES FOR OPERATING THE MICRONEYE
LIGHTING CONSIDERATIQNS
To set up a front lit scene, one or more flood lamps (found at
most hardware stores) are arranged around the scene far enough away so
that there are no shadows. Then the f-stop, focus control and lamps
are adjusted for maximum contrast and focus. It is usually helpful to
adjust the focus where the smallest part of the scene has the most
detail.
In many instances you will want to diffuse the light corning from
the flood lamps. Diffusing the light increases the uniformity of the
light on the image. You can diffuse the light as simply as placing a
piece of paper over the lamp. A better method of diffusion is to take
a sheet of frosted mylar, diffused white plastic, or a sandblasted
pane of glass and place it between the lamp and the subject. A
diffused light source is most commonly used in defect· detection and
visual inspection applications.
2.3.2 Back Lighting
the
the
give
when
of
For a backlit scene, the light comes from behind
that the object being viewed is shadowed into
Backlighting the object for maximum contrast will
repeatable results. Backlighting is recommended
MicronEye to measure an object or certain aspects
Backlighting is often ideal for part recognition.
scene so
MicronEye.
the best
using the
an object.
The backlit light source must be large enough so that the
MicronEye, without the object in the field of view, will see a uniform
amount of light. This is normally accomplished by ~sing several flood
lamps and shining the flood lamps onto a diffused surface' (ground
glass, or diffused white plastic, or frosted mylar), such that a
uniform light source is created. Placing the object between the
diffused surface and the MicronEye will shadow the object into the
MicronEye with maximum contrast. Adjust the f-stop to the maximum
value that the amount of light and exposure time will allow.
2-3

CHAPTER 3
USING THE MICRONEYE WITH THE APPLE
3.1 INSTALLATION AND SET UP
The MicronEye configured for use with the Apple II requires at
least 48K of memory. The MicronEye is compatible with the Apple II+
and the Apple lIe.
Remove your MicronEye from its shipping carton. If you have
purchased a Bullet, it will already be fully assembled. All that is
required of you is to unfold the legs of the tripod and stand the
MicronEye upright. If you have purchased-a Camera, you will have to
connect the Camera to the interface board with the cord which is
provided.
Take amoment to examine the lens provid~d with the MicronEye.
You will notice that there are two lens controls which must be
adjusted before the MicronEye will operate successfully: f-stop and
focus control. The f-stop controls the amount of light admitted
through the lens and, for normal use, the lowest setting (1.6) is
recommended. Any increase in the f-stop requires a compensating
increase in the light source or in the exposure time. The recommended
operating distance of the MicronEye is 18 inches or greater from the
object it is viewing. You may be required to make a slight adjustment
to the f-stop setting and/or the focus control once you have the
MicronEye actually viewing an object.
Switch off the power to your computer, and you are ready to
install the interface card into any available slot in the Apple. With
the computer keyboard facing you, insert the interface card into the
computer with- the components on the right side of the card. The
computer initially expects it in slot 2, but this can be changed from
the keyboard once inside the program.
Insert the MicronEye diskette into the disk drive and switch on
the power to your Apple. The MICRONEYE program, discussed in detail
below, is automatically invoked when the Apple is turned on.
3-1

USING THE MICRONEYE'WITH THE APPLE
FILES INCLUDED ON YOUR MICRONEYE DISKETTE
3.2 FILES INCLUDED ON YOUR MICRONEYE DISKETTE
To
assist you in
MicronEye, both source
your diskette. A catalog
your diskette follows:
developing personal applications for the
listings and programs have been included in
and brief description of the files found on
APPLES OFT CATALOG
A 045 MICRONEYE
A 012 COMMANDER
A 014 GREYPIC
A011
GREYSCREEN
A011 ENHANCED EYE
A 003 SLIDE SHOW
T 033 T.CAMASM
B 006 CAMASM
T011 T.EPRINT
B 003 EPRINT
T
029 T.GREYASM
B 005 GREYASM
T 018 T.GSCRASM
B
003 GSCRASM
T041 T.ENHANCER
B
006 ENHANCER
T 002 EYEPARMS
B 008 MEYEAPP
T 034 T.MEYEAPP
A
007 GREY16
B 006 GREY16-48K
B
007 GREY16-64K
B
034 BAMBI
B 034 BAMBI AND FLOWER
B 034 ROBOTARM
B 034 WINNIE
B
034 BEARS
PASCAL DIRECTORY
MIGRONEYE.CODE 19
COMMANDER. CODE 4
GREYPIC.CODE
12
CAMASM.CODE 9
GREYASM.CODE 6
SCREENIO.CODE 7
MICROCAM.TEXT 30
COMMANDIT.TEXT 6
GREYPIC.TEXT 10
CAMASM.TEXT 26
GREYASM.TEXT 16
SCREENIO.TEXT
10
(MICRONEYE program as discussed below)
(COMMANDER program as discussed below)
(GREYPIC program as discussed be~ow)
(GREYSCREEN program as discussed below)
(ENHANCED EYE program as discussed below)
(runs GREYSCREEN pictures on this disk)
(source for CAMASM)
(6502 routines for MICRONEYE and CAMASM)
(source for EPRINT)
(6502 Epson screendump routine)
(source for GREYASM)
(6502 routines for GREYPIC)
(source for GSCRASM)
(6502 routines for (GREYSCREEN)
(source for ENHANCER)
(6502 routines for ENHANCED EYE)
(parameter file for MICRONEYE)
(6502 routines for APPLICATIONS SUBROUTINES)
(source for APPLICATIONS SUBROUTINES)
(16 shades of grey program, BYTE Oct '83)
(6502 routines for GREY16 on a48K Apple)
(6502 routines for GREY16 on a64K Apple)
(picture created using GREYSCREEN)
(picture created using GREYSCREEN)
(picture created using GREYSCREEN)
(picture created using GREYSCREEN)
(picture created using GREYSCREEN)
(MICRONEYE program as discussed below)
(COMMANDER program as discussed below)
(GREYPIC program as discussed below)
(6502 routines for MICRONEYE/COMMANDER)
(6502 routines used by GREYPIC)
(Screen handling library code file)
(Source code for MICRONEYE)
(Source code for COMMANDER)
(Source code for GREYPIC)
(Source code for CAMASM)
(Source code for GREYASM)
(Source code for SCREENIO)
3-2

EYEPARHS 1
USING THE MICRONEYE WITH THE APPLE
FILES INCLUDED ON YOUR MICRONEYE DISKETTE
(Parameter file used by MICRONEYE)
NOTE: The Pascal version of the MicronEye does not have the Applesoft
equivalents of GREYSCREEN and ENHANCED EYE.
3.3 THE MICRONEYE PROGRAM
The MICRONEYE program lets a non-technical user harness a great
deal of the MicronEye's power. The program incorporates the ability
to show pictures transferred from the MicronEye onto your computer's
screen, save pictures to disk for future use, and print pictures to a
graphics printer. .
When the program is invoked, amenu similar to the screen below
is displayed:
MICRONEYE DEMONSTRATOR
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO?
(1) START CAMERA
(2) SET UP CAMERA PARAMETERS
(3) DISPLAY REAL-TIME COMMANDS
(4) SAVE CURRENT CAMERA SETUP
(5) RECALL CAMERA SETUP FROM DISK
(6) CHANGE SLOT AND BAUD RATE
(7) TARGET PRACTICE
(8) EXIT PROGRAM
3.3.1 START CAMERA
Starting the MicronEye causes the screen to blank, and prepares
the computer to begin the display of pictures using your computer's
high resolution graphics capabilities. The MicronEye then begins
sending what it sees to your computer. The computer then displays
this picture onto the computer's screen. The size of the picture
displayed can be modified by using the "SET UP CAMERA PARAMETERS"
option.
3-3

USING THE MICRONEYE WITH THE APPLE
THE MICRONEYE PROGRAM
When the MicronEye begins sending pictures to your computer, the
MicronEye has no way of knowing if the picture is properly focused or
if the proper exposure time has been selected. If you are having
difficulty focusing or selecting the proper exposure setting, refer
back to the chapter 2 on OPERATING TECHNIQUES.
There are several single-key commands that you can use when the
camera is operating. These commands allow you to increase or decrease
the exposure time, save pictures to disk, recall pictures from disk,
print pictures to a printer, enable and disable the display of
information about each picture displayed, select fixed or automatic
exposure times, etc. These commands are called real-time commands and
are discussed in the "REAL-TIME COMMANDS" section.
While the MicronEye is operating, you can return to the main menu
at any time by typing "Q".
3.3.2 SET UP CAMERA PARAMETERS
When you select this option, a screen similar to the one shown
below will be displayed:
MICRONEYE SETUP
SELECT LETTER
OF DESIRED OPTION .•.
(PRESS <RETURN> TO EXIT)
PICTURE SIZE: A) 128 X 64
B) 256 X64
C) 256 X 128
D) 512 X 128
PICTURES/SCREEN:
E) 1PER SCREEN
F) 2PER SCREEN
EXPOSURE CONTROL:
G) FIXED EXPOSURE TIME
H) AUTO-ADJUST EXPOSURE
STATUS READOUTS:
I)
ENABLED
J)
DISABLED
LIGHT
MARGIN
K)
PICTURE SIZE: 256 X 128 (1 PIC/SCREEN)
READOUTS ARE: ENABLED
,EXPOSURE IS: FIXED
EXPOSURE LEN: 250 MSECS
LIGHT LEVEL: 45 % MA~GIN 5%
3-4

USING THE MICRONEYE WITH THE APPLE
THE MICRONEYE PROGRAM
3.3.2.1 PICTURE SIZE - Options "A" through "D" select the size of the
picture that the MicronEye sends to the computer. Each picture is
made up of thousands of black and white dots called pixels. When we
say a picture is 128 x64 in size, this means that the picture is made
up of 64 rows of dots and that each row contains 128 dots of pixels.
A 256 x 128 picture is made up of 32,768 pixels. Each pixel is either
black or white.
The 128 x64 and 256 x 128 picture size selections are compressed
in the horizontal direction. The 256 x64 and 512 x 128 picture size
selections produce an image of normal proportions. Only the leftmost
280 pixels of the 512 x 128 picture will fit on "the graphics screen.
3.3.2.2 PICTURES PER SCREEN - The MicronEye can take either one or
two pictures at a time. If you elect to look at two pictures per
screen, the computer will put the second picture right below the first
picture. At first glance it may appear that you have just one picture
that is twice as high when the computer is showing one picture per
screen. If you look closely though, you may see that where the two
pictures meet there is a slight discontinuity. For some applications
this may not matter. In more exacting applications, you should
restrict yourself to using only one picture per screen.
3.3.2.3 EXPOSURE CONTROL -You have the option of using a fixed or
variable exposure time. Exposure time corresponds to the shutter
~peed of conventional 35mm cameras. If the picture from the MicronEye
1S too dark, a longer exposure time can be specified. If the picture
is too light, a shorter exposure time can be specified. Exposure time
can alternately be controlled by the use of real-time commands. The
exposure time is specified in milliseconds. The speed at which the
camera operates is equal to the exposure setting as long as the
exposure time is greater than the time required for the MicronEye to
transmit the picture to the computer. A more complete discussion of
the interaction between exposure time and transmission time can be
found in Appendix B.
As an alternative to manual exposure time control, automatic
exposure adjustment can be specified from this setup menu or as a
real-time command. Selecting the auto-adjust option tells the
computer to evaluate the picture as it comes from the MicronEye to,
determine what percent of the pixels are white and what percent are
black. When readouts are enabled, the percentage associated with
LIGHT LEVEL is an approximation of how white the picture is: 100%
being all white, 0% being all black.
3-5

USING THE MICRONEYE WITH THE APPLE
THE MICRONEYE PROGRAM
When you select the auto-adjust feature you are requested to
specify a light level between 0 and 100 and a margin which specified
the allowed discrepancy from the prescribed light level. If you
specify a light level of 45% and a margin of 5% then after each
picture is received from the MicronEye, the computer will determine if
the light level was between 40% and 50% (45% plus/minus 5%). If the
light level was within the set bounds then the exposure time is left
alone. If the light level is out-of-bounds then the exposure time is
adjusted upward or downward to try and bring the next picture into the
prescribed range.
The margin setting is also utilized by the alarm mode to set
sensitivity. The alarm mode is explained in the section on real-time
commands.
3.3.2.4 STATUS READOUTS - After displaying a picture from the
MicronEye, the computer can optionally display the exposure time and
light level of the picture just displayed. When status readouts are
enabled, this information is displayed. Enabling this option, will
slow down the rate at which pictures are updated on the screen. How
much slower will depend on the exposure time setting and the type of
computer you have.
In addition to being able to control .readouts from the setup
menu, a real-time command is available to enable and disable the
readout display. On some computers, you may experience a difference
in your picture's light ievel when switching back and forth between
having readouts enabled and disabled.
3.3.2.5 LIGHT MARGIN - This is a convenient way of setting the light
margin without altering the light level setting. It is especially
useful for changing the MicronEye's sensitivity when being used in the
alarm mode.
3.3.3 DISPLAY REAL-TIME COMMAND
There are several keystroke commands that can change how the
MicronEye operates. After the computer displays each picture on the
screen, it checks to see if a key has been pressed on the keyboard.
If a key has been pressed, the computer checks to see if the key hit
corresponds with its list of valid real-time commands. If so, the
command is executed. If more than one key has been pressed during the
scan only the last key struck is used.
3-6

activated by
'Its operation is
except that the
USING THE MICRONEYE WITH THE APPLE
THE MICRONEYE PROGRAM
Selecting the "DISPLAY REAL-TIME COMMANDS" options shows you the
list of valid real-time commands. The screen should look somewhat
like this:
REAL-TIME COMMAND SUMMARY
< DECREASE EXPOSURE TIME
> INCREASE EXPOSURE TIME
A TOGGLE ALARM MODE ON/OFF
C
CLEAR SCREEN
fFIX EXPOSURE TIME TO CURRENT
SETTING
L
LOAD PICTURE FROM DISK
NPRINT PICTURE
NEGATIVE ON EPSON
PPRINT PICTURE ON EPSON
QQUIT AND RETURN TO MAIN MENU
R TOGGLE DISPLAY READOUTS ON/OFF
S
SAVE PICTURE TO DISK
TUSING
BLACK/WHITE RATIO (LIGHT
LEVEL)
OF CURRENT PICTURE, START
AUTOMATIC LIGHT LEVEL TRACKING
The effects of each real-time command are explained in the pages
that follow.
3.3.3.1 DECREASE EXPOSURE TIME - This command is activated by
pressing the less-than key (comma also· works). Each time this command
is issued, the computer will decrease the MicronEye's exposure time.
Each time the command is given the computer will decrease the exposure
time in larger and larger steps. If the steps get too large, the
computer may decide to decrease the exposure time in smaller and
smaller steps. You may want to enable readouts and experiment with
the increase and decrease exposure commands to get a better feel for
how the commands interact and how the step size is increased and
decreased by different combinations of the commands.
3.3.3.2 INCREASE EXPOSURE TIME - This command is
pressing the greater-than key (period also works).
similar to the "DECREASE EXPOSURE TIME" command
exposure time is increased rather than decreased.
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