Pixelink PL-A780 Parts list manual

3030 Conroy Road, Ottawa, ON K1G 6C2
Phone: 613.247.1211 or 1.888.484.8262
Fax: 613.247.2001
http://www.pixelink.com
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK. All Rights Reserved
PL-A780
FireWire
6.6 Megapixel Camera
SYSTEM GUIDE
Document No: 04646-01
Revision Date: June 2004

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Document No.: 04646-01 PixeLINK PL-A780
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
All Rights Reserved
PixeLINK™ PL-A780 6.6 Megapixel Camera
System Guide
Copyright Notice
Document Number: 04646-01
Copyright © 2004, PixeLINK. All rights reserved.
This document contains proprietary and confidential information of PixeLINK. The contents of this document may not be copied
nor duplicated in any form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent from PixeLINK.
By purchasing this product, the Purchaser(s) and/or any subsequent legitimate owner(s) of the product, henceforth referred to as
“the Purchaser,” agree(s) to abide by the terms of this Agreement and read and recognize the following set of definitions
appertaining to the intellectual-property items and trademark references as can be found throughout this System Guide.
PixeLINK provides the information and data included in this document for the Purchaser’s benefit, but it is not possible for PixeLINK
to entirely verify and test all of this information in all circumstances, particularly information relating to non-PixeLINK manufactured
products. PixeLINK makes no warranties or representations relating to the quality, content, or adequacy of this information. Every
effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this Guide; however, PixeLINK assumes no responsibility for any errors or
omissions in this document. PixeLINK shall not be held liable for any errors or for incidental or consequential damages in
connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this System Guide or the examples herein.
PixeLINK assumes no responsibility for any damage or loss resulting from the use of this System Guide, loss or claims by third
parties which may arise through the use of this product, any damage or loss caused by deletion of data as a result of malfunction or
repair, or any other damage related to the use of this product or associated documentation. The information in this document is
subject to change without notice.
Definitions of Intellectual Property and Trademark Attributions
This Section is intended to ensure proper attribution and honoring of any and all trademarks and intellectual-property items in terms
of attribution to their respective owners as mentioned in this System Guide. The reader is encouraged to consult this Section
whenever uncertainty presents itself as to the terms, their meaning within the System Guide, and the trademarks and intellectual-
property items they stand to identify, whether by themselves or in conjunction with other terms and items.
PixeLINK is either a trademark or a registered trademark of PixeLINK in Canada and/or other countries; IEEE is a registered
trademark or service mark of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Incorporated in the United States and/or other
countries; FireWire is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries; Microsoft, DirectShow, and
Windows are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; TIFF
is a trademark or registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other
products, brand names, company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Definition of Terms
This Section is intended to define certain terminology used in this System Guide, while ensuring proper attribution and honoring of
any and all trademarks and intellectual-property items in terms of attribution to their respective owners as mentioned in this System
Guide.
The Purchaser shall hereby recognize the following definitions set herein, as can be found throughout this System Guide: Camera
shall henceforth refer to a PixeLINK Camera; API shall henceforth refer to the PixeLINK Camera Application Programming
Interface; Kit shall henceforth refer to a PixeLINK Camera Kit; FireWire shall henceforth refer to the IEEE 1394a interface
specification; DirectShow shall henceforth refer to the Microsoft DirectShow multimedia software; Windows shall henceforth refer to
a Microsoft Windows operating system.
The above Sections set forth Terms and Conditions, compliance with which constitutes a mandatory prerequisite for owning and/or
using the product for which the Guide was created. It is the Purchaser’s responsibility to ensure that the information contained
within the Sections is maintained as a part of the System Guide at all times—should the Purchaser discover that the page(s)
containing the Sections is (are) missing, and/or was not provided with the System Guide, and/or become illegible, PixeLINK should
be contacted as soon as possible and the Sections requested. PixeLINK shall not be held liable for any and all copyright violations
that may ensue in relation to its products and/or the consequences of their intended and unintended usage.
June 2004

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PixeLINK PL-A780 Document No.: 04646-01
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Statement
FCC testing will be completed in 2004. All units shipped prior to the completion of FCC testing should be considered as prototypes
and will be marked with the statement that the FCC rating is pending. Note that the PL-A780 Series is materially similar to the PL-
A780 which has passed FCC and CE compliance testing.
When tested, the equipment will be measured against the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
o Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
o Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
o Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
o Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Properly shielded and grounded cables and connectors must be used to meet FCC emission limits. PixeLINK is not responsible for
any radio or television interference caused by using other than recommended cables or connectors.
Unauthorized changes or modifications to the equipment could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
European Community (CE) Statement
Testing for product safety compliance in the European Community will be completed in 2004. Units shipped prior to the completion
of the testing should be considered as prototypes and will be marked indicating that the CE rating is pending. When tested, the
product will be measured for compliance with the following directives and standards:
Directives: 2001/95/EC (General Product Safety Directive)—Self-declared 89/336/EEC (EMC Directive)
Standards to which conformity is declared:
EN55024: 1998
EN55022: 1998 For Class B
EN61000-3-2: 1995 EN61000-3-3: 1995
Manufacturer’s Name and Address: PixeLINK 3030 Conroy Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 6C2, Canada
Type of Equipment: PixeLINK FireWire Machine Vision Camera
Model Number: PL-A782

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Document No.: 04646-01 PixeLINK PL-A780
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
All Rights Reserved
List of Manual Revisions
PL-A780 6.6 Megapixel Camera System Guide
Document Number 04646
Revision Date Change Ref Notes
-01 16 June 2004 Initial release.
Related Documentation
PixeLINK Application Programming Interface (API) Reference, Part Number 04326
PixeLINK Developer’s Application User’s Manual, Part Number 04328
IIDC 1394-based Digital Camera Specification, Ver. 1.31, dated September 17, 2003. IEEE
Trade Association Document 2003017

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Table of Contents
1Quick Start Instructions 1
2Introduction 3
2.1 The PL-A780 Series 6.6 Megapixel Camera 3
2.2 Topics Covered in this Guide 4
2.3 Firmware and Hardware Versions & Variants 4
2.4 Compatibility with PixeLINK Software & Drivers 5
2.5 Compatibility with 3rd Party Software & Drivers 5
3PL-A780 Camera Specifications 6
3.1 Features 6
3.2 Sensor 7
3.2.1 ROI, Pixel Addressing and Resampling 7
3.2.2 Bit Depth 12
3.2.3 Timing, Performance and Data Rates 12
3.2.4 Operating Modes - Rolling Shutter and Fast Reset Shutter 12
3.2.4.1 Rolling Shutter 13
3.2.4.2 Fast Reset Shutter 14
3.3 Performance Specifications 15
3.4 Operating Environment 15
3.4.1 Operating Environment Objectives 15
3.4.2 Storage Environment Objectives 16
4Hardware Overview 17
4.1 PL-A780 Hardware Features 17
4.2 PL-A780 Hardware Dimensions 17
4.3 PL-A780 Handling Instructions 19
4.4 Lens and Protective Glass 19
4.4.1 Lens 19
4.4.2 Protective Glass 19
4.5 Mounting 20
4.6 Electrical Connections 20
4.6.1 FireWire – Power, Data & Control 20
4.6.2 Status LED 21
4.6.3 Machine Vision Connector - Trigger and GPOs 21
4.6.3.1 Trigger and GPO Timing 22
4.6.3.2 Trigger Connection Examples 23
4.6.3.3 GPO Connection Examples 25
4.6.3.4 Reading the Trigger Input 26
5Camera Operation & Features 27
5.1 Supported IIDC 1.31 Features 27
5.1.1 Camera Initialization 27
5.1.2 Video Format/Mode/Frame rate 28
5.1.3 IIDC Basic Features 29
5.1.3.1 Frame Rate 30
5.1.3.2 Color Coding 31
5.1.3.3 Gain 31

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5.1.3.4 Gamma 32
5.1.3.5 Memory Channel 32
5.1.3.6 Region of Interest 32
5.1.3.7 Saturation 33
5.1.3.8 Shutter 33
5.1.3.9 Temperature 34
5.1.3.10 Trigger 34
5.1.3.11 Trigger Delay 34
5.1.3.12 White Balance 35
5.1.3.13 White Shading 35
5.1.4 Advanced Features 35
5.1.4.1 Camera Information 36
5.1.4.2 Camera Name 36
5.1.4.3 Descriptors 36
5.1.4.4 General Purpose Outputs 37
5.1.4.5 Look Up Table 37
5.1.4.6 Pixel Addressing 39
5.2 Non IIDC Features Accessible with the PixeLINK API 40
5.2.1 Flat Field Correction 40
6Developing Software for the PL-A780 41
6.1 Introduction 41
6.2 Useful Definitions 41
6.3 How Do 1394 Devices Communicate? 42
6.4 Communication With a IIDC Camera 42
6.4.1 Navigating the Configuration ROM 42
6.4.2 IIDC Command Registers 42
6.5 Command Register Details 43
6.5.1 Video Formats 43
6.5.1.1 Formats 0, 1 & 2 43
6.5.1.2 Format 7 43
6.5.2 Camera Features 44
6.5.3 Absolute Value CSRs 44
6.5.4 Advanced Feature CSRs 44
6.6 Video Transmission Details 45
6.6.1 Video Transmission Control 45
6.6.2 Isochronous Packet Size 45
6.6.3 Features That Affect Isochronous Packet Size or Format 45
7PixeLINK Advanced CSRs 46
7.1 Extensions to the IIDC Version 1.31 Specification 52
7.1.1 Determining which Features can change in a Descriptor 52
7.1.1.1 Color Coding 52
7.1.2 White Shading Absolute Value Registers 53
8Feature Modes and Values 54
8.1 Trigger Modes 54
8.1.1 Trigger Mode 0 54
8.2 GPO Modes 55
8.2.1 GPO MODE 0 (STROBE) 55
8.2.2 GPO Mode 1 (Normal) 55
8.2.3 GPO Mode 3 (Busy) 55
8.2.4 GPO Mode 4 (Flash Window) 55

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9Frame Format and Descriptor Structures 56
9.1 Frame Format 56
9.1.1 Byte Order 56
9.2 Descriptor Structure Format 57
9.2.1 Descriptor Version 0x0003 57
10 Technical Notes & Support 59
Table of Figures
Figure 1 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 1 (No Decimation)......................8
Figure 2 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 2 (Decimation 2x) ......................8
Figure 3 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 3 (Decimation 3x) ......................9
Figure 4 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 4 (Decimation 4x) ......................9
Figure 5 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 6 (Decimation 6x) ....................10
Figure 6 Examples of the effects of Decimation, Resampling and Averaging on Image
Quality......................................................................................................................11
Figure 7 Rolling Shutter Integration and Read-Out........................................................13
Figure 8 PL-A780 Spectral Response.............................................................................15
Figure 9 PL-A780 Standard Configuration .....................................................................17
Figure 10 PL-A780 Rear View ........................................................................................18
Figure 11 PL-A780 Front View ......................................................................................18
Figure 12 PL-A780 Bottom View....................................................................................18
Figure 13 Machine Vision Connector—Interface Schematic...........................................22
Figure 14 Trigger Input Example - TTL AND Gate.........................................................24
Figure 15 Trigger Input Example - TTL Inverter.............................................................24
Figure 16 Trigger Input Example - An optical trigger and multiple cameras ..................25
Figure 17 GPO Example - Output a TTL signal .............................................................25
Figure 18 GPO Example - GPO to Trigger ....................................................................26
List of Tables
Table 1 PL-A780 Variants ................................................................................................4
Table 2 Hardware Version History ...................................................................................4
Table 3 Firmware Version History....................................................................................5
Table 4 FPGA Version History .........................................................................................5
Table 5 Frame Rate - frames per second .........................................................................6
Table 6 Operating Environment Conditions ....................................................................15
Table 7 Storage Environment Conditions ......................................................................16
Table 8 Pinout of the 6-Pin Hirose Connector.................................................................23
Table 9 Default settings for PL-A780 features ...............................................................27
Table 10 Feature Control Register Min/Max Values. .....................................................30

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Table 11 Advanced Feature CSRs ................................................................................ 46
Table 12 - Feature Element Inquiry CSRs (Section 4.5 in the IIDC 1.31 Spec.)............. 52
Table 13 - Color Coding Inquiry CSR for Format_7 (Section 4.9 in the IIDC Spec.) ...... 53

Quick Start Instructions 1
PixeLINK PL-A780 Document No.: 04646-01
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
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1 Quick Start Instructions
Install the software you wish to use with the camera prior to connecting the camera
to the computer.
To properly configure the PL-A780 for optimum image quality:
1. Plug in the camera and open the software;
2. Start the preview window.
3. Configure the Region of Interest as required to get the proper field of view.
4. Set the lens, lighting, exposure, and gain so that no areas in the image are saturated.
Auto exposure will provide a good starting point;
5. Adjust the White Balance feature to match the temperature of the light source. The
default is incandescent 3200º Kelvin.
6. Adjust the white point with the Auto White Shading or Auto White Balance feature.
This feature uses the highest intensity areas of the scene to assess the white
shading. Ensure that these areas are white or gray in color. Replace high-intensity
colored objects with a gray or white card and ensure there is little or no saturation
occurring in the image (i.e. gray is better than bright white).
7. Adjust gamma and saturation controls as required to achieve the best image quality.
Note that the PL-A780 camera, like any CMOS device, is subject to the physics of the sensor
design. Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN), Photo Response Non Uniformity (PRNU), stuck pixels,
read noise and thermal noise are an inherent part of the sensor. The effects of the noise vary
with gain and exposure time. Uncorrected, these noise sources can cause significant image
artifacts.
The PL-A780 corrects for these noise artifacts with pixel-by-pixel flat field correction. Internal
to the camera, a gain and offset is applied to each pixel so that the overall sensor has a
uniform response. In addition, stuck pixels are corrected by replacing their value with the
average of the neighboring pixels.
The FFC is factory calibrated at zero gain with a standard diffuse light source and no lens.
While the calibration can be used at other camera settings, it is only valid for the gain and
exposure setting used during the calibration. At other settings, image artifacts may be
apparent.
For the best results, it is strongly
recommended that users of the PL-A780
perform a FFC calibration with the lens and
lighting that will be used in the field.
A software tool is available as part of the PixeLINK Demonstration Application or Developer’s
Kit installation. Instructions on the process are included in the application dialog boxes.

2 Quick Start Instructions
Document No.: 04646-01 PixeLINK PL-A780
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
All Rights Reserved
Before evaluating the camera on image quality, users should determine the exposure and
gain settings required based on the factory calibration for the lens and lighting used in their
application. Then, with the subject removed and with a uniform surface under examination,
perform the FFC calibration. Once this is complete, continue with the evaluation of the image
quality.
If a single gain and exposure setting is not possible, there will be practical limits on the gain
and exposure times that can be used before the noise artifacts cause unacceptable
degradation to the image quality.

Introduction 3
PixeLINK PL-A780 Document No.: 04646-01
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2 Introduction
2.1 The PL-A780 Series 6.6 Megapixel Camera
The PL-A780 Series of cameras use a 6.6 megapixel CMOS sensor to achieve high-
resolution images for industrial inspection applications. The PL-A780 comes in monochrome
(PL-A781) and color (PL-A782) versions suitable for industrial machine vision applications.
The sensor used has 2208 (H) by 3000 (V) pixels with a pitch of 3.5 microns. The color
camera uses a Bayer mosaic pattern on the sensor to detect the various colors.
Connected by FireWire, the PL-A780 is fully controlled by software on the host computer.
The PL-A780 camera has a full set of controllable features, such as exposure time, gain,
gamma, saturation and white balance, as well as a number of advanced features not found
on ordinary machine vision cameras. These include:
• Flexible Region of Interest (ROI) controls and five levels of Pixel Addressing;
• On-board non-volatile memory for storage of camera settings; and
• Flat Field Correction (FFC) performed on each pixel on the sensor.
The high resolution allows the camera to resolve small features while maintaining a large field
of view. The selectable ROI and multiple Pixel Addressing modes can be used to control the
resolution of the camera or to maintain high frame rates with larger fields of view. The Pixel
Addressing modes allow the resolution to be reduced by factors of 4, 9, 16, or 36 either by
skipping (decimation), adding (binning), averaging or resampling the pixel data.
The on-board memory allows the camera to be configured on one computer and used on
another without the need for camera configuration files or other configuration data. For
example, the camera could be set up to provide a 648 x 480 field of view at 88 frames per
second with a particular exposure, gamma and white balance settings and these settings
programmed into the camera memory. The next time the camera is initialized, on any PC, it
will default to these settings.
On-board and real-time FFC (illumination correction) is applied to every pixel on the sensor to
provide image quality similar to high-end CCD cameras. For optimal image quality, the FFC
can be calibrated in the field.
The PL-A780 camera has a connector for an external trigger and two General Purpose
Outputs (GPO). The trigger and GPOs can be used to connect the camera to external
hardware for synchronization and control. Multiple cameras can be synchronized together or
lighting can be strobed by using these signals.
The PL-A780 cameras use standard FireWire interfaces for plug-and-play operation. The
FireWire interface provides power, data and control communication from the host computer
to the camera over a single cable. A second FireWire port on the camera can be used to
connect additional cameras in a “daisy chain” on a single FireWire bus.
Fully IEEE 1394 IIDC 1.3 (IIDC) compliant, the PL-A780 can also be used with third party
drivers compatible with the IIDC specification, such as the National Instruments IEEE 1394
for IMAQ driver.
However, to fully enable the camera features on Microsoft Windows systems, it is
recommended to use PixeLINK supplied drivers and the PixeLINK Application Programming
Interface (API) or PixeLINK Developer’s Application to control the PL-A780 camera.

4 Introduction
Document No.: 04646-01 PixeLINK PL-A780
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
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2.2 Topics Covered in this Guide
This Guide provides a reference for the PL-A780 specifications, operation, hardware and
connectors. It provides detailed information for developers who will be incorporating the
camera into a larger machine vision application or using the camera with IIDC drivers.
Users should consult this Guide …
• to understand the features of the PL-A780 camera
• when mounting the PL-A780 within a system or enclosure
• when planning to use an external trigger or GPO device (e.g., strobe) with the
PL-A780
• when developing IIDC drivers or software for the PL-A780
References in the PDF version of this Guide are hyperlinked for easy navigation and access.
For information on programming with the PixeLINK Application Programming Interface,
please refer to the PixeLINK API Reference Manual, Part Number 04326.
For information on the use of the PL-A780 with the PixeLINK Developer’s Application, please
consult the PixeLINK Developer’s Application User’s Manual, Part Number 04328.
2.3 Firmware and Hardware Versions & Variants
This guide refers to the following variants of the PL-A780.
Table 1 PL-A780 Variants
Product
Number
Description Released
PL-A781 Monochrome camera in enclosure.
PL-A781-BL Monochrome board level OEM module with remote head.
PL-A782 Color camera in enclosure.
PL-A782-BL Color board level OEM module with remote head.
The specifications of the PL-A780 cameras may change without notice. Generally,
customers will not notice these changes. From time to time, PixeLINK may introduce new
features or upgrades to the cameras. Upgrades to the camera firmware (the internal
software that controls the camera) or the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA – the
programmable hardware that determines the camera’s features and processing) will be made
available to all PL-A780 customers on the PixeLINK web site. These updates can be
programmed into older cameras in the field.
The following tables list the version histories of the PL-A780 camera hardware, firmware and
Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).
Table 2 Hardware Version History
Hardware
Version
Date Notes
129 July 04 Initial release with pre-production cameras.

Introduction 5
PixeLINK PL-A780 Document No.: 04646-01
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Hardware
Version
Date Notes
Table 3 Firmware Version History
Firmware
Version
Date Notes
00.01.28.00 Initial release with the pre-production cameras.
Table 4 FPGA Version History
FPGA
Version
Date Notes
66.00.23 Initial release with the pre-production cameras.
2.4 Compatibility with PixeLINK Software & Drivers
PL-A780 cameras are compatible with the following PixeLINK drivers and API software:
• PixeLINK Camera Driver, Version 4.1 and later.
• PixeLINK API, Version 4.1 and later.
• PixeLINK Developer’s Application, Version 1.0.1.20 and later.
To determine the version of software and drivers installed on your host system, select Help,
About PixeLINK Dev App… from the main menu of the PixeLINK Developer’s Application.
To download the latest versions of the driver and application software, please visit the
PixeLINK web site (http://www.pixelink.com).
For more information on software and driver compatibility or host system requirements,
please refer to the PixeLINK API Reference Manual and the PixeLINK Developer’s
Application User’s Manual.
2.5 Compatibility with 3rd Party Software & Drivers
Testing for compatibility with 3rd party software and drivers is on going. Please check
the PixeLINK web site for the current list of 3rd party software packages that are
compatible with the PL-A780 series cameras.

6 PL-A780 Camera Specifications
Document No.: 04646-01 PixeLINK PL-A780
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
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3 PL-A780 Camera Specifications
3.1 Features
Sensor
• 2/3" CMOS 2208 x 3000 resolution (7.73
mm x 10.50 mm - 13.1 mm diagonal)
• 3.5 µm square pixels
• Rolling Shutter with fast reset capability
Frame Rate – frames per second
Table 5 Frame Rate - frames per second
ROI Size Max Frame Rate (fps)
2208 x 3000 5
1584 x 1200 16
1272 x 1008 25
648 x 480 88
Performance
• Spectral Range 400 – 1000 nm
• FPN – TBD
• PRNU – TBD
• Dynamic Range – 56 dB linear (TBD)
Triggering / Strobe / Flash
• S/W or H/W (external) trigger (TTL to 12V)
• Two user-programmable outputs that can be
used stand-alone or synchronized to trigger
Controls
• Exposure (0.063 ms to 2 seconds)
• White balance and color gains
• Gamma
• Frame Rate (max to 2 fps)
• Trigger & Strobe Modes
• Region of Interest & Pixel Addressing
• Pixel format 8-bit or 10-bit
Other Features
• Programmable LUT
• On-camera configuration memory
• FPN and PRNU correction (gain/offset
correction, flat field correction – per pixel)
Compatibility
• IIDC 1.3
o Format 0, Modes 1, 3, 5 and 6
o Format 7
Computer Interface
• Two FireWire (IEEE 1394) connectors allow
daisy chaining of the camera
Optical Interface
• Standard C-mount 1" optics
• IR cut-off protective filter
Mechanical Interface
• M3 threaded holes – 4 in front plate around
C-mount and 4 in camera base
Trigger Interface
• 6 pin Hirose connector
Power Requirements
• Power supplied over the FireWire bus
• Max consumption – 5 W
Size and Weight
• Standard Configuration (PL-A782)
H x W x L: 1.65" x 1.97" x 4.02"
(42mm x 50mm x 102mm)
Weight (without lens): 200g
Environmental
• FCC Class B & CE
• Shock – 50 G
• Vibration – 10 G (20 to 200 Hz)
• Temperature – 0° C to 45° C (non-
condensing)
Status LED
• Flashing red and green
• Signals indicate idle, operating, warning and
failed status

PL-A780 Camera Specifications 7
PixeLINK PL-A780 Document No.: 04646-01
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3.2 Sensor
The sensor used in the PL-A780 cameras is a Fill Factory IBIS4-6600. The IBIS4-6600 is a
6.6 megapixel solid-state CMOS image sensor with 2210 x 3002 active pixels. The image
size is fully programmable to a user-defined ROI. Pixels are on a 3.5 µm pitch.
The color version of the sensor uses a Bayer pattern to generate the RGB information. This
is a common approach to detect color with a single sensor and is used extensively in the
industry. The Bayer pattern consists of color filters placed over each pixel in alternating
green/red on the odd rows and blue/green on the even rows. To determine the RGB color of
any particular pixel, a Bayer to RGB conversion is performed where the color information of
neighboring pixels is used to determine the missing components of the RGB color for a
particular pixel. The Bayer to RGB conversion has the effect of a smearing filter and slightly
reduces the effective resolution or resolving power of the sensor. It also can introduce
colored artifacts into an image on the edges of high contrast areas. Resampling the image,
as discussed below, can reduce both of these effects.
The monochrome version of the sensor behaves in the same manner as the color version for
ROI, pixel addressing and resampling. The monochrome version does not use the Bayer
pattern and Bayer to RGB conversions are not applied.
3.2.1 ROI, Pixel Addressing and Resampling
The implementation of the sensor in the PL-A780 limits the active area to 2208 x 3000.
Within this Full Field of VIEW (FFOV), the ROI size and position has a granularity of 24
pixels. The minimum size of the horizontal or vertical dimensions of the ROI is 24. Possible
ROI sizes are 24 x 24, 24 x 48, 48 x 48, 48 x 72, … 2208 x 3000. The top left corner of the
ROI can be positioned on any row and column that is a multiple of 24.
The resolution can be reduced while maintaining the field of view by subsampling, (referred to
as decimation), resampling, binning or averaging blocks of pixels. Decimation is performed
by skipping blocks of pixels. The smallest block is a 2 x 2 square or four pixels. No
decimation has a factor of 1 meaning every pixel block is used. To reduce the resolution by a
factor of 2, every other block in a row of blocks is used and every other row of blocks is
skipped. The final resolution will be ¼ of the pixels in the ROI. Decimation of 3 will skip two
blocks of pixels.
The ROI can be decimated by factors of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. This will reduce the image size by
factors of 1, 4, 9, 16 and 36 respectively. For example, with a decimation mode of 6, the
FFOV ROI (2208 x 3000, 6.6 megapixels), can be reduced to 368 x 500 or 184,000 pixels
while maintaining the FFOV. As the resolution and ROI are reduced, the frame rate
increases as shown in Table 5 above (page on page 6).
The following figures demonstrate the effects of decimation and how the 2 x 2 pixel blocks
are determined.

8 PL-A780 Camera Specifications
Document No.: 04646-01 PixeLINK PL-A780
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
All Rights Reserved
Figure 1 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 1 (No Decimation)
Figure 2 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 2 (Decimation 2x)

PL-A780 Camera Specifications 9
PixeLINK PL-A780 Document No.: 04646-01
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
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Figure 3 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 3 (Decimation 3x)
Figure 4 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 4 (Decimation 4x)

10 PL-A780 Camera Specifications
Document No.: 04646-01 PixeLINK PL-A780
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
All Rights Reserved
Figure 5 Color Bayer Pattern - Pixel Addressing Mode 6 (Decimation 6x)
The sensor ROI can also be resampled to combine the signals from a 2 x 2 or larger block of
pixels (GRBG) into one RGB triplet. To see how this has an effect, it is important to
understand that, for all other modes, the camera converts the Bayer pattern from the sensor
into RGB triplets for each pixel, taking the missing values of the triplet from the surrounding
pixels and creating three times the amount of image data. These RGB values are then color
corrected and processed before being converted to the selected output type or Color Coding
(see Section 5.1.3.2 on page 31) for transmission to the host. When the output type is Raw
or Bayer, the RGB image data is converted back to Bayer by dropping two thirds of the data
and only transmitting the remaining third as a Bayer pattern. At the host, the Bayer pattern is
converted back to RGB for display. The Bayer to RGB conversion uses algorithms that have
an effect similar to smoothing filters and image detail is slightly blurred each time the
conversion is performed.
When outputting in YUV422, no Bayer to RGB conversions are performed at the host. All the
intensity information is transmitted along with half the color information of the RGB image.
The resulting transmission uses more bandwidth and the frame rate will be reduced but the
image will have more detail.
By combining blocks of pixels to one RGB triplet, resampling does not use data from
neighboring pixels so no smoothing occurs. Resampling effectively reduces the image
resolution and increases the pixel size. Resampling also results in sharper image quality
compared to decimation or averaging which are affected by the Bayer to RGB conversions
discussed above. For the best results, the output type or Color Coding should be set to
YUV422 when using resampling.
Figure 6 below shows the effects of the various modes of Pixel Addressing on image quality.
The images are of a Nyquist chart. Figure 6 a. shows the full resolution image with no
decimation, averaging or resampling. The colors that appear in the chart are a result of the
Bayer pattern. They occur when the fine lines in the chart cover certain colors in the Bayer
mosaic on the sensor. The regular patterns in the Nyquist chart exaggerate the effect. The
appearance of the colors is an indication of good focus in the image, but they do detract from

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PixeLINK PL-A780 Document No.: 04646-01
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
All Rights Reserved
image quality. Defocusing the lens slightly to blur the lines in the image can eliminate the
colors.
Decimation reduces the image resolution but will introduce more artifacts as seen in Figure 6
b. The image has been magnified to allow comparison with Figure 6 a. The benefit of using
decimation is mainly the increased frame rate possible with the reduced resolution.
Averaging, as shown in Figure 6 c., pretty much eliminates the artifacts from the Bayer
pattern. It has much the same effect as defocusing the lens and the image appears slightly
smeared.
Figure 6 d. shows that resampling provides the best overall image quality of the Pixel
Addressing modes. There are still Bayer artifacts but they are reduced and the sharpness in
the image is retained. For resampling to work properly, the Color Coding needs to be set to
YUV422.
a. 1248 x 288
Full resolution
b. 1248 x 288
Decimated by 3
Final image size 416
x 96
c. 1248 x 288
Averaged by 3
Final image size 416
x 96
d. 1248 x 288
Resampled by 3
(YUV422)
Final image size 416
x 96
Figure 6 Examples of the effects of Decimation, Resampling and Averaging on Image
Quality
Binning will provide image quality similar to the averaging mode, but the image will be much
brighter – by roughly the square of the Pixel Addressing factor. Note that in CMOS sensors,
the binning is performed off-chip (after the conversion from analog to digital), so there is no
increase in sensitivity or speed (frame rate) compared with the non-binning mode.
Which Pixel Addressing mode is used depends on the objectives. For the very best image
quality when capturing images for printing or analysis, use the full resolution. For fast video

12 PL-A780 Camera Specifications
Document No.: 04646-01 PixeLINK PL-A780
MACHINE VISION CAMERA
SYSTEM GUIDE
Copyright © 2004 PixeLINK
All Rights Reserved
preview at high frame rates with short exposure times, use the decimation mode. For slower,
high quality video preview or when exposure times are long, use resampling.
3.2.2 Bit Depth
The analog image data from the sensor is digitized to 12-bits and then truncated to 10-bits
prior to image processing in the camera electronics. Full gain and offset corrections are
performed along with pixel correction to eliminate fixed pattern noise (FPN) and Photo
Response Non Uniformity (PRNU). On color cameras, color corrections are performed to
convert sensor RGB to calibrated RGB for accurate color reproduction. The output data
stream can be set to either 8-bit or 10-bit mode. In 10-bit mode, the 10-bit data is padded
with zeros in the least significant bits to create 16-bit words. Compared to the 8-bit mode, the
10-bit mode requires twice the bandwidth on the FireWire bus and will result in a drop in
frame rate.
3.2.3 Timing, Performance and Data Rates
The PL-A780 sensor uses a 40 MHz pixel clock to read out pixel data at 25 nanoseconds per
pixel. Each row also has a delay of 7.3 µseconds and is padded with 10 isolation pixels. The
minimum row readout time, in microseconds, is given by
1000/)10(253.7)(
+
∗
+
=
NpixelsnsµsµsoutTimeMinRowread
where Npixels is the number of active pixels in the row. For the full ROI, the row readout time
is 7.3+25*(2208+10)/1000 = 62.75 µs/row.
For Rolling Shutter operation (see Section 3.2.4 below) with very short exposures, the
minimum frame interval can be calculated by multiplying the minimum row readout time by
the number of rows in the image. For example, with a 1200 x 960 ROI, decimated by 2, the
output image would be 600 x 480. This ROI could be readout once every 480*(7.3
+25*600/1000)/1000 = 10.7 milliseconds or at a maximum frame rate of 93.4 frames per
second. In this example, the maximum frame rate is valid for exposures of 10.7 milliseconds
or less. For exposures greater than 10.7 milliseconds, the frame rate is a function of the
exposure time.
For Fast Reset Shutter operation (see Section 3.2.4 below), the minimum frame interval can
be found by adding together the row reset time of 3.55 µseconds/row, the integration time
and the minimum row readout time calculated above. Using the example above and
assuming a 2 millisecond exposure time, the minimum frame interval is 10.7 + 2 +
3.55*480/1000 = 14.40 milliseconds which gives a maximum frame rate of 69.5 frames per
second.
The above calculations determine the maximum frame rates possible. The actual frame
rates achieved depend on the camera’s bandwidth controls, other traffic on the FireWire bus,
and the resources available on the host computer.
3.2.4 Operating Modes - Rolling Shutter and Fast Reset Shutter
The PL-A780 has two shutter types:
• Rolling Shutter (free-running image capture activated when the trigger feature
is turned off); and
• Fast Reset Shutter (triggered image capture activated when the trigger feature
is turned on)
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