Tetracam Agricultural Digital Camera User manual

Tetracam Inc
21601 Devonshire Street
Suite 310
Chatsworth,CA 91311 USA
Agricultural Digital Camera
User’s Guide

Tetracam Inc
21601 Devonshire Street
Suite 310
Chatsworth,CA 91311 USA
Notices
Documentation Copyright 2011 Tetracam Inc. All rights reserved.
Camera software Copyright 2000-2011 Tetracam Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.
Specifications subject to change.
This software and documentation are copyrighted materials. The making of
unauthorized copies is prohibited by law. No part of the software or
documentation may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a
retrieval system or translated into any human or computer language without
the prior written permission of Tetracam, Inc.
Unless otherwise provided by written agreement with Tetracam Inc., this
publication is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, expressed or
implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability
or fitness for a particular purpose. Some states do not allow disclaimer of
expressed or implied warranties in certain transactions, so this statement
may not apply to you.
While reasonable efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of this
document, in no event will Tetracam be liable for direct, indirect, special,
incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect in this
publication or the associated software. Tetracam Inc. reserves the right to
change this document at any time without obligation to notify anyone.
Trademarks
Windows™ is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Photoshop™ is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems.
InstallShield™ is a registered trademark of InstallShield Software Corp.
IBM™ is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation
Other brand or product names are trademarks of their respective holders.
Version 2.3 - Last Modified May, 2011

Agricultural Camera User's Guide
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Agricultural Camera User's Guide
Table of Contents
N OTICES ....................................................................................................... 1
T RADEMARKS ................................................................................................ 1
A BOUT T HIS G UIDE ........................................................................................ 4
Q UICK S TART I NSTRUCTIONS .......................................................................... 5
U NPACKING T HE B OX ..................................................................................... 6
G ETTING S TARTED ........................................................................................ 7
System Requirements ............................................................................ 7
Software Installation ............................................................................... 7
Hardware Installation .............................................................................. 8
Camera Interconnections........................................................................ 9
ADC Optics and Filters ........................................................................... 9
Spectral Response ............................................................................... 10
The Calibration Image .......................................................................... 11
Compact Flash Cards ........................................................................... 11
C AMERA O PERATIONS .................................................................................. 12
Power Up.............................................................................................. 12
Button Functions................................................................................... 12
Initializing Internal Memory ................................................................... 13
Toggling USB Mode.............................................................................. 13
Taking Pictures..................................................................................... 13
Controlling the Viewfinder..................................................................... 14
T HE C AMERA V IEWFINDER ............................................................................ 14
T HE C AMERA M ENU S YSTEM ........................................................................ 16
A LARM M ODE .............................................................................................. 19
C ONTINUOUS C APTURE M ODE ...................................................................... 20
C HOOSING A N I MAGE F ORMAT ...................................................................... 21
GPS O PTION I NSTALLATION AND U SE ............................................................ 22
E VENT L OG F ILE .......................................................................................... 23
H OST S OFTWARE ........................................................................................ 25
PixelWrench2 ....................................................................................... 25
SensorLink............................................................................................ 25
Connecting the Camera for Driver Installation ...................................... 26
USB Disk Configuration: ....................................................................... 26
Managing and Processing ADC Images in PixelWrench2 .................... 27
Configuring the Camera with Pixelwrench2 .......................................... 28
T HE 16-P IN M ULTI I/O C ONNECTOR .............................................................. 29
M OUNTING T HE U NIT ................................................................................... 29
C APTURE D ELAYS FOR A ERIAL P HOTOGRAPHY ............................................... 30
P ROGRAMMERS R EFERENCE – F ILE F ORMATS ............................................... 31
P ROGRAMMER ’ S R EFERENCE – C AND V ISUAL B ASIC S UPPORT ....................... 32
T ETRACAM RS232 S ERIAL C ONTROL C OMMANDS .......................................... 36
S PECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................... 37
FCC E MISSIONS S TANDARDS I NFORMATION ................................................... 38
S UPPORT I NFO ............................................................................................ 38
I NDEX ......................................................................................................... 39

Agricultural Camera User's Guide
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About This Guide
The Agricultural Digital Camera User’s Guide contains general information
about the ADC product, covering installation, operation, options and
accessories, warranties, and technical support. The information is specific to
firmware version 5.141 and later – users with earlier firmware should upgrade
so that their units conform to the information herein.
The ADC is a single sensor digital camera designed and optimized for
capture of visible light wavelengths longer than 520 nm and near-infrared
wavelengths up to 920 nm. The primary designed use of this product is for
the recording of vegetation canopy reflectance. The resulting images are
suitable for derivation of several vegetation indices.
The purpose of this document is:
1. To guide the user through the installation of the product and its
supporting software on its target host computer system.
2. To describe the basic camera operating procedures.
3. To describe the interaction between the camera’s interface software and
the image editing and archiving software it may be used with.
This document assumes that the user is familiar with the operation of an IBM-
compatible personal computer running the Windows XP, Windows Vista, or
Windows 7 operating system. The user should be familiar with the use of
near infrared images to evaluate the condition of plant life.
An electronic (.PDF) version of this manual is supplied on the installation CD
and is available at www.tetracam.com.

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Agricultural Camera User's Guide
Quick Start Instructions
Install the 8 AA alkaline batteries and activate the unit by pressing the
ON/OFF button on the top edge of the housing (leftmost of the 4 small
buttons). After approximately five seconds, the LCD display should activate.
Take pictures by pushing the largest button on top of the camera housing.
STREAMING DRIVERS MUST BE INSTALLED BEFORE CONNECTING
THE CAMERA TO A USB PORT! Insert the CD and answer the installation
questions. Have your Windows installation CD available in case your system
does not have USB stream support installed. You will be asked for the
Windows setup CD if this is the case. If you operate the camera as a USB
Disk, no driver software needs to be installed.
Install PixelWrench2 before connecting the camera to the computer. This
program is needed to manage connections to the camera and extract useful
data from the NIR images the camera captures.
To review your pictures in the camera, press the MENU/SELECT button to
the right of the ON/OFF button. A menu should appear. Select items in the
menu using the two UP and DOWN buttons to the right of the menu button.
These buttons allow you to scroll through the selections. Pressing the
MENU/SELECT button activates a selection. The "Review" selection gives
you access to images in the camera for display on the LCD.
To view your pictures on a computer, you may remove the CF card and install
it in a CF card reader, or plug the camera into the USB interface on your
computer.
From PixelWrench2, you may open previews of the images on the CF card or
in the camera and extract them for viewing and analysis. Consult the online
manual for PixelWrench2 and the camera for more detailed instructions.
If the camera is operated as a USB Disk, you can find the pictures with the
File Explorer, and Open or Move them with Windows Mouse operations.
When you are done with the camera, turn it off by pressing the ON/OFF
button.

Agricultural Camera User's Guide
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Unpacking The Box
This is what you should find in the box.
•A Hardened Plastic Camera Case
•An ADC Agricultural Digital Still Camera
•A C-Mount Objective Lens
•A CDROM with Installation Software and Documentation
•Product and Accessory Documentation
•A USB Interconnection Cable
•A Set of Eight AA Batteries
•A Compact Flash Memory Card
•An AC Power Adapter
•A White Teflon Calibration Plate
Your camera comes with a one-year warranty against defects. The warrantee
is a .pdf file on the supplied CDROM. You should print, fill out, and send in
the warranty card to register the camera and qualify for additional software
and firmware updates.
Figure 1 - Contents of the Shipping Box
Installation
Software CD
Documentation
AC Power Adapter
USB Cable
CF Memory Card
C-Mount Lens
ADC Digital Still
Camera
Teflon Calibration
Plate
Kit of 8 AA
batteries

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Agricultural Camera User's Guide
Getting Started
System Requirements
Any IBM-compatible personal computer with a free USB serial port can be
used to operate and configure the Camera. The unit produces RGB color
images that are each approximately 9 million bytes in size when the images
are rendered on a computer screen. You should select a computer with
resources that can support manipulation of images that are this large. Our
recommendations for a minimum configuration are:
•1 GHz or better processor, Intel or AMD
•Windows 7, Vista or XP operating system
•512 megabytes of SDRAM
•24 bit color graphics adapter at 1024 x 768 or better resolution
•1024 x 768 or higher display
•Large hard disk drive with 10 GB or more free space
The camera can be made to operate on less capable systems, with penalties
in speed and convenience.
Software Installation
The software installation CD contains the svstream hardware drivers to allow
Windows to recognize the camera, PixelWrench2 (PW2) installer, and
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 pre-requisite for PW2. The CD also contains
a readme.txt file that documents the software installation procedures.
Install the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 by executing the file on the CD
named dotnetfx35.exe. Once complete, navigate to the PW2 folder and run
the PixelWrench2 installation by executing the setup.exe file. You may be
prompted to restart your computer after the installation is complete.
The first time the camera is connected to the computer’s USB port, Windows
will install a set of drivers in order to communicate with the camera. The
drivers can be selected manually by directing windows to the svstream.inf file
on the CD. The CD also contains an image file called Driver_Installation.png
that shows the driver installation steps.

Agricultural Camera User's Guide
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Hardware Installation
The ADC runs on 8 AA batteries or 12VDC external power connected to the
power connector on the camera's right side. To install batteries, open the
battery door on the side of the camera. Insert fresh AA batteries, ensure the
direction and polarity agree with the symbols on the product label. The
camera will operate on Alkaline, NiCad or NiMH
batteries. Close the battery door to complete the
battery installation.
The camera will operate on external power with or
without batteries installed. Connect a 12 VDC (+/-
2.5 volts, center positive) supply to the connector
provided. The camera is intended to be compatible
with 12V vehicle power, A vehicle accessory
adapter can be used to power the unit if desired.
The ADC cameras come in three housing options.
The standard ADC is packaged in an aluminum
case, has buttons for user input, and has a built in
LCD display to show pictures and menus to an
operator. The ADC Air has a weatherproof case
without buttons and relies on a connected PAL or NTSC video monitor or TV
to view pictures and menus. The ADC Lite has a lightweight plastic case,
making it suitable for use in small UAVs and also relies on PAL or NTSC TV
displays for menu operation and managing pictures. The ADC Air and ADC
Lite do not turn on and off with a power button, but are only turned on or off
by turning on or off the external power supplied to the camera.
All the models share the same electronics. Illustrations that follow use views
from all three versions.
ADC ADC Air
ADC Lite