Photron FAST Drive User manual

F
FA AS ST T D Dr ri iv ve e / / F FA AS ST T D Do oc ck k
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Fo or r M Mu ul lt ti i

The copyright of this manual is held by PHOTRON LIMITED.
Product specifications and manual contents are subject to change without notice.
PHOTRON LIMITED bears no responsibility for any results by using our products nor by applying this manual to any operations.
Company names and product names listed in this manual are trademarks of their respective companies.
Portions of this product use software licensed under the GPL version 2.0/LGPL version 2.0.
Such portions are not covered under warranty due to the nature of open source copyright. However, this product is covered by PHOTRON LIMITED under the
conditions listed in the warranty and the instruction manual.
Refer to the following URLs for more information about GPL/LGPL licensing.
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-2.0.html
For more information about modified GPL modules and their method of distribution, please contact the retail outlet where you purchased this software or your
nearest Photron sales office (see page 39). Please note that any distribution costs shall be covered by the customer.

Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Photron high speed camera.
This document describes the necessary procedures, settings, and precautions for FAST Drive and
FAST Dock when using the FASTCAM Multi.
Please refer to this document before using the product.
If you have any questions, please contact us using the information listed at the end of this document.
Manual Notation
The following icons and symbols are used in the explanations in this manual.
Icon/Symbol
Description
This symbol indicates supplementary items to be aware of when
using the software.
This symbol indicates the location of a reference.
This symbol indicates instructions that should always be followed
when using the software, or things to be careful of when using the
software.
This symbol indicates content that should always be read.
This symbol indicates a space for you to use for making notes.

About This Manual
The following explains the structure of this document.
Introduction
The outline of this book
For Safe and Proper Use
Rules that must be followed to ensure safe use of this product
1. Precautions
Precautions regarding the use of this product
2. Connecting to the High Speed Camera
How to connect the FAST Drive to FASTCAM Multi
3. Connecting to the PC (Using FAST Dock)
How to connect the FAST Drive to the PC without going through FASTCAM Multi
4. Remote Controller Operating Instructions
How to manage data and enter the settings using the remote controller (“keypad” hereafter)
5. Photron FASTCAM Viewer Operating Instructions
How to connect to FASTCAM Multi and operate the FAST Drive using the PFV
6. Product Specifications
Specifications for the FAST Drive and FAST Dock
7. Contact Information
Information for contacting Photron regarding any questions you may have or if the product is
defective

Using the System Safely and Correctly
In order to prevent injury to yourself and others, and to prevent damage to property, carefully observe
the following safety precautions.
Photron has given its full attention to the safety of this system. However, the extent of damage and
injury potentially caused by ignoring the safety precautions and using the system incorrectly is
explained next. Please pay careful attention to all safety precautions when using the system.
This symbol indicates actions that carry the risk that a person could receive a
serious injury.
This symbol indicates actions that carry the risk that a person could receive a
moderate injury, or that damage to physical property might occur.
The safety precautions to be observed are explained with the following symbols.
This symbol indicates actions that require caution.
This symbol indicates actions that are prohibited and must be avoided.
This symbol indicates actions that must always be performed.
Caution
Warning

■ Do not perform actions that will damage the AC cable or plug.
(Do not damage the cable, modify it, use it near a heater, excessively bend, twist
or pull on it, place heavy objects on it, or bundle it.）
Using the cable when damaged can cause fire, electric shock, or a short circuit.
■ Do not use the system in a manner which will exceed the rating of the power
outlet or wiring equipment used.
Exceeding the power rating might cause a fire from excessive heat.
■ Do not insert metallic objects inside, or pour liquids such as water on, the system.
Doing so can cause fire, electric shock, or malfunction from short circuit or heat.
■ Do not disassemble or modify the system.
There are high voltages inside the system that can cause electric shock.
■ Do not plug in or unplug the power cord with wet hands.
Doing so can cause electric shock.
■Make sure the power plug is fully insert into the socket .
Not fully plugging in the power cable can cause fire from electric shock or heat.
■ When something is wrong with the system, unplug the power cable immediately.
- When a foreign substance or liquid, such as metal or water, gets inside.
- When the outer case is broken or damaged, such as from a fall.
- When the system produces smoke, a strange smell, or strange sound.
Using the system in these conditions might cause a fire or electric shock.
Warning

■ Always unplug the system when cleaning it or when it is unused for a long period
of time. Leaving or storing the system connected to the power source might cause
fire from insulation deterioration or electrical discharge.
■ Do not set the system in a location where the temperature gets unusually hot.
The trunk and inside of a car can get especially hot in summer.
Doing so can cause the outer case and internal components to deteriorate or cause a fire.
■ Do not place the system in a location prone to oily smoke or steam, or in a location with
a lot of humidity or dust.
Oil, moisture, and dust conduct electricity, which can cause a fire or electric shock.
■ Ambient temperature 0-40° C, humidity 80% RH or lower, maximum altitude 2,000m
or lower.
In addition, if exceeding these limits, use in a condensation-free environment.
Use in a condition out of the above limits can cause malfunction.
■ Do not store the equipment in a location where the temperature goes below -20°C
or higher than 60°C. Also, prevent condensation from forming during shipment
■ This device is for indoor use, do not use it outdoors.
Do not use in a location that has dust.
■ When shipping, remove the connecting cable and use the original packaging or a
dedicated carrying case.
Do not ship the equipment in an environment where the temperature goes below
-20°C or higher than 60°C. Also, prevent condensation from forming during shipment
Caution

“CE” mark indicates that this product complies with the European requirements for
safety, health, environment and customer protection. “CE” mark equipments are
intended for sales in Europe.
These symbols indicate that this product is not to be disposed of with your household
waste, according to the WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC), the Battery Directive
(2006/66/EC) and/or your national laws implementing those Directives.
This product should be handed over to a designated collection point, e.g., on an
authorized one-for-one basis when you buy a new similar product or to an authorized
collection site for recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and
batteries and accumulators. Improper handling of this type of waste could have a
possible impact on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous
substances that are generally associated with EEE. Your cooperation in the correct
disposal of this product will contribute to the effective usage of natural resources.
For more information about the recycling of this product, please contact your local city
office, waste authority, approved scheme or your household waste disposal service or
visit www.photron.com.
(EEA: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein)
This product is in conformity with the protection requirements of EU Council Directive
2014/30/EU (Class A) on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to
electromagnetic compatibility.
Warning: This is a Class Aproduct. In a domestic environment, this product may cause
radio interference, in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.
European Union (and EEA) only

Table of Contents
1. Precautions....................................................................................................................... 11
2. Connecting to the High Speed Camera..........................................................................13
3. Connecting to the PC (Using FAST Dock).....................................................................15
4. Remote Controller Operating Instructions....................................................................17
4.1. FAST DRIVE Menu............................................................................................................17
4.2. FORMAT ............................................................................................................................18
4.3. SAVE..................................................................................................................................21
4.4. DATA LIST .........................................................................................................................24
4.5. INFORMATION..................................................................................................................26
4.6. SAVE MODE......................................................................................................................27
4.6.1. Operation During AUTO Mode.................................................................................28
4.7. STREAMING RECORD.....................................................................................................32
5. Photron FASTCAM Viewer Operating Instruction.........................................................33
5.1. Format ...............................................................................................................................34
5.1.1. Gigabit EtherNet Connection ..................................................................................34
5.1.2. Connecting with USB 3.0.........................................................................................41
5.2. Saving to FAST Drive.......................................................................................................43
5.2.1. Auto Save ..................................................................................................................43
5.2.2. Manual Save..............................................................................................................45
5.3. STREAMING RECORD To FAST Drive............................................................................49
5.4. Playing Saved Data ........................................................................................................51
5.5. Downloading to the PC....................................................................................................53
6. Product Specifications ....................................................................................................55
6.1. General Specifications ....................................................................................................55
6.2. Dimensional Drawings.....................................................................................................56
7. Contact Information.........................................................................................................59

1. Precautions
11 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual
1. Precautions
①This document explains how to save data to the FAST Drive and view data when using models
that support the FAST Drive from the FASTCAM Multi.
②The explanations in this document also include usage of the Photron FASTCAM Viewer ("PFV").
The PFV must be installed in advance.
③Communication between the FAST Drive and the PC uses Gigabit EtherNet and USB 3.0.
If your PC does not support those standards, the transfer speed may be significantly reduced and
save operations may fail.
④The ACCESS light (LED) lights up when connecting to the FAST Drive.
The ACCESS light flashes when accessing or saving data.
Do not disconnect the cable when the light is flashing.
Doing so may result in data corruption or prevent data from being saved.
⑤Refer to the FASTCAM Multi’s hardware manual, PFV user's manual, and your PC's manual
before using the equipment.

1. Precautions
12 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual

2.Connecting to the High Speed Camera
13
2. Connecting to the High Speed Camera
This section explains how to connect the FAST Drive to the FASTCAM Multi.
1. Connect the dedicated cable to the FAST Drive connector
2. Connect the opposite end of the dedicated cable to the FAST Drive.
●The FAST Drive driver must be installed in advance.
Install the driver in the following location on the install DVD when [Photron FAST Drive
Reader] is shown in the Device Manager.
In case of using a PC with a 32-bit OS: Driver\32bit(x86)\FAST Drive Driver
In case of using a PC with a 64-bit OS: Driver\64bit(x64)\FAST Drive Driver
FAST Drive Ports

2.Connecting to the High Speed Camera
14 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual
●FAST Drive could be connected to “CAMERA HEAD 1”and “CAMERA HEAD 2”. However,
those ports do not correspond to each camera head. Connection does not concern the
number of cameras and the FAST Drives.
●Camera head and FAST Drive connections enable different operations.
CAMERA
HEAD
Head
Connection
FASTDrive
Connection
STREAMING
RECORD
Downloading to FAST Drive from the
camera’s internal memory.
1
Yes
Yes
Enabled
Enabled
2
Yes
Yes
Enabled
Enabled
CAMERA
HEAD
Head
Connection
FASTDrive
Connection
STREAMING
RECORD
Downloading to FAST Drive from the
camera’s internal memory.
1
Yes
Yes
Disabled
Enabled
2
Yes
No
Disabled
Disabled
CAMERA
HEAD
Head
Connection
FASTDrive
Connection
STREAMING
RECORD
Downloading to FAST Drive from the
camera’s internal memory.
1
Yes
Yes
Enabled
Enabled
2
No
No
Disabled
Disabled
●When the camera head/FAST Drive connection caused some errors while recording, the
camera does the following.
CAMERA
HEAD
Head
Connection
FASTDrive
Connection
Initial State
When error occurs to CH1 while
recording
1
Yes
Yes
Recording
Recording will stop.
Images recorded before the error will
play back properly.
2
No
No
-
-
CAMERA
HEAD
Head
Connection
FASTDrive
Connection
Initial State
When error occurs to CH1 while
recording
1
Yes
Yes
Recording
Recording will stop.
Images recorded before the error will
be played back properly.
2
Yes
Yes
Recording
Recording will continue.
All recorded sequence plays back
properly for CH2.

3. Connecting to the PC (Using FAST Dock)
15 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual
3. Connecting to the PC (Using FAST Dock)
This section explains how to connect the FAST Drive to the PC without going through the camera. Use
the FAST Dock when not connecting through the camera.
1. Connect the AC power supply adapter to the rear of the FAST Dock.
2. Connect the AC cable to the AC power supply adapter.
3. Connect the AC cable to the power outlet.

3. Connecting to the PC (Using FAST Dock)
16 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual
4. Connect the dedicated cable to the FAST Dock's FAST Drive connector and the USB cable
(micro B) to the USB 3.0 connector.
5. Connect the opposite end of the dedicated cable to the FAST Drive.
6. Connect the USB cable (type A) to the PC.
●The FAST Drive driver must be installed in advance.
Install the driver in the following location on the install DVD when [Photron FAST Drive
Reader] is shown in the Device Manager.
In case of using a PC with a 32-bit OS: Driver\32bit(x86)\FAST Drive Driver
In case of using a PC with a 64-bit OS: Driver\64bit(x64)\FAST Drive Driver
FAST Drive
connector
USB 3.0
connector

4. Remote Controller Operating Instructions
17 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual
4. Remote Controller Operating Instructions
This section explains how to save data and enter settings using the keypad.
4.1. FAST DRIVE Menu
Display the menu to operate the FAST Drive.
1. Press the [MENU] key on the keypad to open the menu screen.
2. Select [FAST DRIVE] from the menu screen and press [ENTER]. The [FAST DRIVE] Menu is
displayed.

4. Remote Controller Operating Instructions
18 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual
4.2. FORMAT
Format the FAST Drive to prepare for use.
This erases all data from the current FAST Drive.
1. Select [FORMAT] from the [FAST DRIVE] menu and press [ENTER].
2. Select [FAST DRIVE] and press [ENTER].
●Selecting [ALL] will format all FAST Drives.
●When only one of the FAST Drives is connected, [ALL] and the unused [HEAD] will grey out
and become inactive.

4. Remote Controller Operating Instructions
19 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual
3. You’re asked again if you want to format the FAST Drive. Press [ENTER] to confirm.
4. When the format is done, the display goes back to the [FAST DRIVE] menu.

4. Remote Controller Operating Instructions
20 FAST Drive/FAST Dock User’s Manual
●If for some reason the formatting was not successful, below message will be displayed. In
such a case, press the [ENTER] key to return to the [FAST DRIVE] menu.