MREL BLASTER'S RANGER II RAII-TS5-0 User manual
MREL GROUP OF COMPANIES LIMITED
5-779 Sir John A MacDonald Blvd. Kingston, Ontario K7L 1H3 Canada
Operations Manual
RAII-TS5-0 Model
Edition 2.8
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
Copyright Information
Publication History
Edition 2.8, March 2021
This edition of the manual.
Edition 2.7, January 2017
Third edition of the manual.
Edition 2.0, March 2014
Second edition of the manual.
Edition 1.0, March 2012
First edition of the manual.
MREL Group of Companies Limited (MREL) warrants that the product is free from Manufacturer’s defects for a period of one (1) year from
the date of shipment to the Customer. This Warranty covers all parts and labour.
MREL does not warrant that the product will meet the Customer’s requirements, or that it will operate in the combinations which may be
selected by the Customer.
MREL does not and cannot warrant the performance or results that may be obtained by using the product. Accordingly, the product and its
documentation are sold “as is” without warranty as to their performance, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. The Customer
assumes the entire risk as to the results and performance of the product.
MREL is committed to product innovation; accordingly product may undergo specification improvements without notice. Copyright ©
2022 MREL Group of Companies Limited. Blaster’s Ranger II™ High Speed Digital Video Camera, Blaster’s Ranger II™ High Speed
Digital Video Camera Logo, and MREL Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of MREL Group of Companies Limited. Windows®is
a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. ProAnalyst® is a registered trademark of Xcitex, Inc.
© Copyright 2022, MREL Group of Companies Limited. This Operations Manual supersedes any earlier editions. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction or adaptation of any part of this documentation or Software without written permission of the Copyright owner is unlawful.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
1.1 Introduction 2
1.2 High Speed Photography 2
1.3 High Speed Photography of Blasts 2
Chapter 2: Hardware 5
2.1 Blaster’s Ranger II™ High Speed Digital Video Camera 6
2.1.1 Camera Front 6
2.1.2 Camera Bottom 7
2.1.3 Camera Back 7
2.1.4 Camera Input Output Panel 8
2.2 Blaster’s Ranger II™ Accessories 8
2.2.1 Protective Carry Case 8
2.2.2 Zoom Lens 8
2.2.3 Tripod and Grip Ball Head 8
2.2.4 Blaster’s Ranger II™ DC Power Cable
9
2.2.5
Blaster’s Ranger II™ I/O Cable
9
2.2.6 Blaster’s Ranger II™ AC Adapter 9
2.2.7 Trigger Switch Cable With Button 9
2.2.8 SD Card 9
2.2.9 USB Communication Cable 10
2.2.10 ProAnalyst® Introductory Edition Software 10
2.2.11 External Battery (Optional, with Long Recording Mode) 10
Chapter 3: Getting Started 11
3.1 Introduction 12
3.2 Powering Up 12
3.2.1 Removing the Battery 12
3.2.2 Installing the Battery 12
3.2.3 Attaching the External Power Supply 13
3.2.4 Charging the Battery 13
3.2.5
Long Recording Upgrade Powering Up (optional)
13
3.3 Mass Storage 14
3.3.1 Blaster’s Ranger II™ Solid State Drives (Internal SSD) 15
3.3.2 SD Card 15
3.4 USB-On The Go! 15
3.5 Camera Setup 16
3.5.1 Blaster’s Ranger II™ Setup 16
3.5.2 Mount the F-Mount Zoom Lens to the Camera 17
3.5.3 Blaster’s Ranger II™ I/O Cable and Trigger Switch Cable 17
3.5.4 DC Power Connection 17
3.6 Camera Display and Menu Navigation Buttons 17
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
3.7 Using the Touchscreen 18
3.7.1 To Enable the Touchscreen 18
3.7.2 Calibration 19
3.7.3 To Calibrate the Touchscreen 19
3.8 Controlling the Displays 19
3.8.1 HDMI Display 20
3.9 Blaster’s Ranger II™ Name the Camera 21
3.9.1 Camera Name 21
3.10 Setting the Time 22
3.10.1 Setting the Time Manually 22
3.10.2 Setting the Time via NTP 22
3.11 Storage Setup 22
3.12 Configuration and Camera Information 23
Chapter 4: Operation of the Blaster’s Ranger II™ 25
4.1 Selecting the Recording Mode 26
4.1.1 Standard Modes (recording to DRAM) 26
4.1.2 Long Recording Modes (Optional) 27
4.2 Setting Frame Rate and Resolution 28
4.2.1 Scale and Resolution/Frame Rate 28
4.2.2 Aliasing and Frame Rate 29
4.2.3 Offset Control 29
4.3 Binning and Subsampling on the Blaster’s Ranger II™ 30
4.3.1 Binning 30
4.3.2 Subsampling 30
4.4 Setting Shutter Speed 31
4.4.1 Setting the Shutter Speed 31
4.5 Low Light Mode 32
4.3.1 To Enter Low Light Mode 32
4.6 Setting Bit Depth 32
4.7 Configuring the Trigger 33
4.7.1 Enabling the External Trigger 33
4.8 Black Level Calibration 35
4.8.1 Calibrate Black Level 35
4.8.2 To Calibrate the Camera 35
4.9 Record: Arm and Trigger 36
4.9.1 Take a Still JPEG 36
4.9.2 Trigger 37
4.10 Autosave 38
4.10.1 To Set Up Autosave 39
4.11 Fasfire 39
4.11.1 Entering FasFire 39
4.11.2 Using the Gas Gauge 40
4.11.3 Cancelling FasFire 40
4.12 Long Recording Modes (Optional) 40
4.13 Reviewing Captured Imagery: Playback 42
4.13.1 To Enter Review/Play 42
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4.14 Image Processing 43
4.14.1 Setting Image Processing Options 43
4.15 Saving Images to Mass Storage 44
4.16 Sync In 46
4.16.1 Per Frame 46
4.16.2 Per Second 46
4.17 Sync Out 47
4.17.1 Per Frame 47
4.17.2 Per Second 47
4.18 Master/Slave Setup 47
Chapter 5: Field Operations 49
5.1 Introduction 50
5.2 Selecting a Camera Position 52
5.3 Field Setup 52
5.3.1 System Setup 52
5.3.2 Power Supply Option 53
5.3.3 Camera Setup 53
Chapter 6: Using the Blaster’s Ranger II™ with a PC 55
6.1 Connecting to a PC via Ethernet 56
6.1.1 Benefits of Blaster’s Ranger II™ Ethernet Connectivity 56
6.1.2 Setting up Networking on the Camera 56
6.1.3 Autoconfiguration 57
6.2 Using the Blaster’s Ranger II™ with a PC 57
Chapter 7: ProAnalyst®Introductory Edition Software 59
7.1 About ProAnalyst® Introductory Edition 60
7.2 Example Demonstration File Explanation - Mining Example 60
7.2.1 Image Processing 61
7.2.2 Multi-Plane Calibration 61
7.2.3 Display Layers 62
7.2.4 Notes 62
7.2.5 Annotations 62
7.2.6 Feature Tracking 62
7.2.7 Under the Tracking Box 64
7.2.8 Save All Toolkits 64
7.3 Excel Spreadsheet - Mining_Demo.xls 64
7.3.1 Explanation of the Unshaded Cells 65
7.4 Example Demonstration File Explanation - Disrupter Example 66
7.4.1 Image Processing 67
7.4.2 Multi-Plane Calibration 67
7.4.3 Display Layers 68
7.4.4 Notes 68
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
7.4.5 Annotations 68
7.4.6 Feature Tracking 68
7.4.7 Under the Tracking Box 69
7.4.8 Save All Toolkits 70
7.5 Excel Spreadsheet - ProAnalyst_Demo.xls 70
7.5.1 Explanation of the Unshaded Cells 70
Chapter 8: Contacting MREL for Technical Support 73
8.1 Contacting MREL 74
Appendix A: Definition of Terms 75
Appendix B: Blaster’s Ranger II™ Specifications 79
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1.3 High Speed Photography of Blasts1
1.1 Introduction
1.2 High Speed Photography1
This Chapter provides an introduction to high speed photography and to high speed
photography of blasts.
Congratulations on your purchase of a Blaster’s Ranger II™ High Speed Digital Camera. This Operations Manual provides instructions on
the use of the hardware supplied with the Blaster’s Ranger II™ High Speed Digital Camera.
High speed photography is the practice of recording photograph images in rapid succession for playback at a lower speed. The event can then
be viewed in what is commonly referred to as “slow motion”. Standard video plays at a rate of 33 frames per second (fps) because standard video
cameras record at 30 frames per second. However, it is possible to magnify the time scale if the playback speed is slower than the recording speed.
The following is a simple equation to express time scale magnification in terms of the recording and playback speeds:
For example, a blast is recorded at 500 fps and played back at 10 fps. The time scale is therefore magnified 50 times, and as such the event will
appear to occur 50 times slower in playback. If the event took two seconds to occur, it will now run for 100 seconds in playback.
The human eye cannot accurately resolve motion that occurs in less than 1/4 of a second. Short duration events such as a blast cannot be visually
analyzed without the use of high speed photography.
High speed film cameras have been used by blasters to assist in optimizing blasts for many years. With the evolution of the high speed digital
camera, blasters are now able to play, pause, and analyze a blast in perfect clarity as soon as the event has occurred!
It is the goal of the
Blaster’s Ranger II™
High Speed Digital Camera to put the simplicity of digital video editing and analysis into your hands
without sacrificing the resolution that has typically accompanied high speed film cameras of the past.
One of the major concerns of a surface mining operation is the high cost of drilling and blasting. In some mines operating in hard taconite-iron
formations, this can account for 60% of the mining costs. In coal operations, blasting can be used to excavate nearly 50% of the overburden
material. With the aim of reducing costs, mine personnel have been attempting to optimize blasting operations. In the past, blast designs have been
based largely on the personal experiences of the blasting crew, and blast evaluations were done by visual observations - with changes being made
on a trial and error basis. This traditional approach is gradually being replaced by a technology based on the concepts of energy input per ton of
rock, fragmentation and rock movement, along with the use of high speed video for the analysis of the blast movement.
High speed video has two main uses in helping to optimize surface blasting results. The principal use is the direct photography of the blast, with the
analysis of the resulting video and/or digital images representing the bulk of the optimization work. However, high speed video also can be used to
analyze and inspect the performance of individual blast components, particularly the actual delay times for such accessories as detonating relays,
down-the-hole delays and other delaying and initiating systems.
Camera Recording Rate (fps)
Viewing Rate (fps)
(1)
Overview
3
The information that may be obtained from high speed video includes: the firing sequence of the blast; the location of the first rock movement and
the shape of the face movement; the occurrence of gas venting at the face; the degree of confinement due to stemming; the occurrence and location
of misfires; the nature of the muck-pile formation; the onset time for rock movement (both at the face and at the top of the bench); the acceleration,
velocity and direction of flyrock travel from the face and the top of the bench; the hole venting and stemming ejection velocities; the actual hole/
deck delay times; and the casting range of the muck.
With proper preparation and care during the set-up, operation and analysis, considerable information may be obtained which can suggest where
improvements may be required in the blasting operation. In addition, the video provides a permanent record of the event and allows any changes
made between blasts to be easily and accurately analyzed. Before the introduction of high speed photography, what occurred during a blast had
to be inferred from observing the results after the fact. With high speed digital video photography, many of these phenomena and occurrences can
now be observed “as they happen”.
1. “High Speed Photography in Open Pit Blasting” by Mining Resource Engineering Limited. March 1983.
ISBN 0-9691314-0-2. Available from the International Society of Explosives Engineers (www.isee.org).
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ High Speed Digital Camera is encased in a rigid anodized aluminum housing. The housing is sealed to resist dirt
and moisture and is equipped with many connection ports: the Ethernet Communication port and the Blaster’s Ranger II™ I/O Cable port.
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ I/O Cable is comprised of a total of three connectors: Sync In, Sync Out and Trigger In.
Photographs of the Blaster’s Ranger II™ are shown below. The Mounting Adapter is attached to the bottom of the Blaster’s Ranger II™
to allow the Blaster’s Ranger II™ to be quickly mounted onto the Tripod’s Grip Action Ball Head (shown in Section 2.2.3). The Mounting
Adapter and the Tripod’s Grip Action Ball Head are part of the Blaster’s Ranger II™ Accessories Package. The Blaster’s Ranger II™ is
equipped to accept any standard F-Mount Lens.
2.1 Blaster’s Ranger II™ High Speed Digital Camera
This Chapter describes all of the hardware components provided with the Blaster’s Ranger II™
High Speed Digital Camera.
Overview
2.1.1 Camera Front
Camera Strap Attachment
Top Mount 1/4 - 20
USB port
Power Button
Trigger Button
Camera Lens
7
2.1.2 Camera Bottom
Battery Door
Hand Strap Attachment Point
1/4 - 20 Tripod Mount
2.1.3 Camera Back
Trigger Button
USB port
Battery Status LED
Sync Activity LED
Camera Status LED
Power LED
Network Activity LED
Storage Activity LED
Touch-Screen Display
Display Button
Menu Button
D-Pad
Arm Button
Power ON/OFF Button
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
2.2 BLASTER’S RANGER II
™
ACCESSORIES
2.2.1 Protective Carry Case
The Carry Case is designed to contain, for transportation and storage all the components required for setup
and use of the Blaster’s Ranger II™ in the field. The Carry Case is a pelican case which has water resistance
capabilities.
2.2.2 Zoom Lens
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ is supplied with a Zoom Lens appropriate
for imaging of blasts. The Zoom Lens (80-200 mm) is for the
model of resolution of 1280x1024, 1920x1080 and 2560x2048,
and shown to the right. Zoom lens (12.5 – 75 mm) is for the model
of resolution of 800x600.
2.2.3 Tripod and Grip Ball Head
This is an aluminum Tripod with a 3/8” mounting screw. This
Tripod is designed to support the Grip Action Ball Head with the
Blaster’s Ranger II™
attached. This is the only item
that does not fit inside the Protective Carry Case.
2.1.4 Camera Input Output Panel
USB OTG (Micro A/B connector)
SDHC Port
GigE Port (RJ45 connector)
Sync I/O, Trigger (Lemo connector)
HDMI Port (Type A connector)
DC Power In (Lemo connector)
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2.2.4 Blaster’s Ranger II™ DC Power Cable
The
Blaster’s Ranger II™
DC Power Cable is used to connect to a 12V DC battery, the
external DC power supply with a range of 12-26 VDC
2.2.5 Blaster’s Ranger II™ I/O Cable
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ I/O Cable is comprised of a total of three connectors: Sync
In(blue), Sync Out (green) and Trigger In (red).
2.2.6 Blaster’s Ranger II™ AC Adapter
The
Blaster’s Ranger II™
AC Power Cable will connect to a 110V to 220V power
source.
2.2.7 Trigger Switch Cable With Button
The trigger cable with switch allows the user to trigger the camera at a distance. The user can extend
this cable with the appropriate BNC connectors and a reel of RG-58 coaxial cable.
2.2.8 SD Card
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ is shipped with a 16GB high performance SD Card.
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
2.2.9 USB Communication Cable
It is a USB-A to USB-Micro-B cable. Once connected via the Blaster’s Ranger II™ OTG
port to a PC, any mass storage device on the camera can be accessed by the PC. This
includes an SD Card, Solid State Drive, or thumb drive in the USB port.
2.2.10 ProAnalyst® Introductory Edition Software
ProAnalyst® Introductory Edition allows auto-tracking of one feature, and manual tracking of
up to 32 features. ProAnalyst® allows the user to export data to Excel or Matlab with ease for
further analysis or graphing. This software is provided under licence from Xcitex, and as such
requires the use of the included software key for installation. Instructions on using ProAnalyst®
Introductory Edition are included in Chapter 7.
2.2.11 External Battery (Optional, with Long Recording Mode Upgrade)
11.1V Battery Pack, 8.8 Ah, 98Wh, which will support camera operations
more than twice as long as the internal battery.
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Powering Up
This chapter provides an outline of how to setup the Blaster’s Ranger II™. This chapter assumes
that the user will first want to unpack the Blaster’s Ranger II™ and set it up in an office
environment in order to learn the camera controls.
This chapter provides a detailed description of the setup procedure for the Blaster’s Ranger II™. The Quick Setup Guide is also included
in Section 3.5. For instruction on using the Blaster’s Ranger II™, please refer to Chapter 4. For Instruction on using the Blaster’s Ranger II™
in the field, please refer to Chapter 5.
Overview
Figure 1: Inserting the Battery
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ can be powered by its rechargeable 3.7V Li-Ion battery or the external 12V power supply cable. Both are
included with the camera. The battery is fully charged at the factory. The battery door is located on the underside of the camera.
The Li-Ion battery will power the Blaster’s Ranger II™ for up to several hours depending on configuration and mode of operation.
NOTE: When a new battery is installed, it must go through one complete discharge/recharge cycle to calibrate its internal “battery
level.” Until that time you will find that the % of charge shown on the lower right of the camera display as well as on any camera
control software will not be correct.
3.2.1 Removing the Battery
1. Turn the Blaster’s Ranger II™ upside down to access the battery compartment.
2. Slide the battery door latch to the open position. The spring loaded door will open.
3. Move the battery clasp away from the edge of the battery.
4. The battery may slide out easily, or you may need to hold the camera upright and shake it gently to get the internal battery
connector to release.
3.2.2 Installing the Battery
1. Open the battery door (follow steps 1-2, above).
2. Look into the battery compartment and notice the connector at the
bottom.
3. Look at the battery and notice the corresponding mating connector.
4. Orient the battery appropriately and slide it into the compartment.
5. With the battery seated properly in the compartment, the battery
clasp will close, securing it in place.
6. Close the battery access door.
7. Slide the battery door latch closed.
8. The Blaster’s Ranger II™ should now power up. If it does not, please
follow the instructions below for connecting the DC power supply and
charging the battery.
9. With the Blaster’s Ranger II™ powered up, press the Menu button once to get the menus and status bar to appear on the LCD
display.
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3.2.3 Attaching the External Power Supply
The AC Power Supply operates on 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz. The socket is a
standard IEC- 320 C8 AC inlet, used worldwide for all types of electronic
equipment.
1. Attach a power cord to the power supply and connect it to an AC power
outlet.
2. Attach the power supply output cord to the camera via LEMO connectors. The
LEMO connector is keyed: the red dot on the connector will face the LCD side
(back) of the camera.
NOTE: If the camera was powered down before connecting the power supply,
it will now power up. While operating on battery power the Battery
Status on the Status bar will show a negative number -88%. (See
Figure 3: Battery Charge Indicator on Status Bar.) When connected to a
power supply (with the battery installed) the number becomes positive.
If no battery is present it changes to A/C.
3.2.4 Charging the Battery
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ battery does not charge automatically when the camera is attached to an external power supply while
operating. Charging mode is initiated by pressing the ON/OFF button. When the battery is present while the camera is attached to an
external power supply, the ON/OFF button will toggle the camera through three states:
1. Normal operation;
2. Charging (non operational);
3. Off.
NOTE: Pressing the ON/OFF button toggles the camera between three Modes if both the battery and external power supply are
present. It toggles the camera between two Modes: ON/OFF if either the battery or the external supply is not present. (See
Table 1: ON/OFF Button on page 14.
3.2.5
Long Recording Upgrade Powering Up (optional)
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ with the Long recording upgrade will power up only when:
• Power (12v to 26v DC) is applied at the power port.
• A charged battery is inserted into the camera.
• The camera is connected to a power source and/or has a battery installed and the Power On/Off button is pressed.
Upon power up, the Blaster’s Ranger II™ will either boot up in an operational mode or, if it is connected to an external power supply and
a battery is installed, it will boot to a power up / charging menu. The power up / charging menu is showed below. “Slow SSD” means
that writes to the SSD will be at about 240MB/sec, while “Fast SSD” bumps the write speed up to 480MB/sec.
-88%
88%
Figure 2: Attaching the DC Power Supply
Figure 3: Battery Charge Indicator on Status Bar
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Blaster’s Ranger II Operations Manual - Edition 2.8
It is highly recommended that you use an external power supply such as
an AC adapter or battery belt when using “Fast SSD” mode.
At the power up / charging menu, select “Camera On” to boot the
camera. If you do nothing, the camera will proceed to charge the
battery.
3.2.5.1 Using Supplemental Power
The external battery which came with the Long Recording upgrade as
shown in Section 2.2.11. It can be used in conjunction with the internal
battery or as stand-alone power for the Blaster’s Ranger II™.
It is a 12V Battery Pack, 98Wh, which will support camera operations more than twice as long as the internal battery.
Table 1: ON/OFF Button
Battery
Present
External
Supply Mode LEDs Battery Charge %
Indicator
• • 1. Operating Power / Camera / Battery (Green, Amber, or Red) Batt: xx%
• • 2. Charging Power / Battery (Green, Amber, or Red) (LCD off)
• • 3. Off None (LCD off)
•1. Operating Power / Camera / Battery (Blue) A/C
•2. Off None (LCD off)
•1. Operating Power / Camera / Battery (Green, Amber, or Red) Batt:-xx%
•2. Off (LCD off)
Table 2: Battery LED States
Operating / Charging Charge Status LED Behavior
Operating >15% Green
Charging > 15% Blinking Green
Operating < 15% > 5% Amber
Charging <15% >5% Blinking Amber
Operating <5% Blinking Red
Charging <5% Blinking Red
Operating Not Installed Blue
3.3 Mass Storage
The Blaster’s Ranger II™ camera is equipped with from 4GB to 8GB of internal high-speed internal memory. Images stored in this memory
may be reviewed on the camera, external monitor via HDMI, or PC, then saved to any of four types of mass storage devices:
Table of contents
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