White 1 | Unswitched power in +ve from base pin |
Red 2 | Battery +ve - to on/off switching |
Black 3 | 0V / case / ground |
Yellow 4 | Charger +ve from base pin |
Purple 5 | Battery Thermistor |
Blue 6 | Battery 3rd pin - for AA pack detection |
The BST Raytheon core looks different from the 300D Raytheon BST core, this is the first time I've seen a variation of the design as there is no chopper wheel. Thank you for sharing this.
One feature of the BST technology that some users do not like is the halo effect around a hot target.
A couple of other things had also became apparent. The spot temperature was reading low (37°C for 54°C) and the lens iris was stuck (as this is common I had checked before putting it all back together).
So onwards.....
I note quite a bit of dynamic noise in the images from your camera Dennis. I do not recall seeing that on my Argus 2 and 3 cameras. It may be worth further investigation but Bill W will be able to advise if such random noise is at the expected levels.
Bill, I think my camera is fine, i use it without the Argus3 control board.
So no Iris control (Iris is fully open), and i have set contrast and brightness to Auto in the GUI.
But i just measured the current, it draws around 550mA at 8V and after a few seconds it drops to around 350mA.
And yes i wanted to highlight the "sun-safe feature", i would never do that with a Vox or A-Si or an old Pevicon camera.
I have also noticed, that the argus3 camera can see the sun through glass. But my A-Si and Vox cameras cant, i thought BST is only LWIR?
here is a video: https://youtu.be/hV0hQQB1D9Q
I have also noticed, that the argus3 camera can see the sun through glass. But my A-Si and Vox cameras cant, i thought BST is only LWIR?
here is a video: https://youtu.be/hV0hQQB1D9Q
As for any MWIR sensititivy, it is not intentional. The camera is designed for LWIR, however in comparison to an ASi / VOx:
The BST pixel is a simple 'black' absorber of radiation, the structures in ASi/VOx are tuned to the LWIR wavelengths
You have only got 'internal' lens coatings on the sensor and Argus3 lens which are broader than the durable / carbon ones used on an external surface.
Very interesting news Bill :-+ I mistakenly thought that Microbolometers were filtered for LWIR only.
Thank you Bill for this dense complement about the Argus 3 system.
One question (among others which will come... :D )
Would it be possible to substitute the whole bloc of the genuine motorized (Iris) lens by another optical bloc being anually focused, without any specifci Iris, a bit like in this version from your original diagram?
An extended guide to the relevant points on the detector PCB, before moving on to the minor hardware mods needed to get it going.
Hello. :)
Thank you Bill for you replies.
I am a bit ashamed to ask you a so trivial question for you, but i need to clarify this for my understanding..
Did i assume correctly the pinout of the 6 ways connector used for a basic Video-out/power-in basic mode ( see the extract i annotated, coming from your website http://www.fire-tics.co.uk/project3/index.htm (http://www.fire-tics.co.uk/project3/index.htm) ) ?
Thank you!
Best regards.
Stéphane
Hello.
Bill, when i read gain your disclosure in your page project, i have still some incertitudes in my comprehension ( :-[ :-[ :-[ ), concerning a proper way to settle the core in a "Power In - Video Out" mode.
I have the feeling that the pinout of the 6 ways connector used for a basic Video-out/power-in basic mode has to be used, as you clearly explained here, and in your website. But i have also understood that the pin 11 has also to be fed by a DC supply providing 7.5V minimum (or the pin 40, directly with 5V).
So for the basic mode "Power In - Video Out":
6 ways connectors:
- Vin (0/+) (5-9 V)
- Video out (0/V)
AND (???)
40 ways connector:
- pin 11: Vin (7.5V mini)
OR
- Pin 40: Vin (5V)
Is it correct?
Thank you again for this additional clarification, and sorry (also again) for my slowness for understanding...
Best regards.
Stéphane
Ok Bill. :)
When you indicate " - Fit R66 ".
Do you mean that a resistor has (also) to be settled on the PCB, between the two visible little silver pads (surrounded by the purple cirlcle)? This resistor is not already present?
If a resistor has to be settled, what is the value required for this resistor ?
Thank you for your patience.... :-[ :-[ :-[
I will try to do a proper scheme for representing a practical configuration with an external DC power supply and a video screen....
I keep on doing my homework.... :)
Regards.
Stéphane
Hello,
Thank you Bill. Ok for this additional information for the chopper.
What i can imagine is that the idea is to substitute the analog signals normally delivered by the DAC (fed by the digital control signals produced by the computer), by analog voltages directly applied to specific input on the PCB of the core, while bypassing/disabling the DAC.... But:
-
Name | Function | Operation |
ABC ON / ENOS | Enable offset control as manual or automatic | 0V = manual, NC or 5V = Auto |
ABC SET / OSDC | DC offset control level when under manual control | 0 - 5V |
GNMODE / ENGN | Enable gain control as manual or automatic | 0V = manual, NC or 5V = Auto |
MNGN / GNDC | DC gain control level when under manual control | 0 - 5V |
I tried to do a kind of summarized scheme, based on one of your general photo of the PCB, with figuring how i would settle it, following your explanations, from the beginning, for a stand alone project, with gain and contrast manual control.
I have nevertheless difficulties to localise the ABC ON/ENOS and GNMODE/ENGN lines or terminals, and i guess i need to ground them (0V) for manual selection.
(for the voltage dividers, on a practical point of view i could use a unique DC source (the red one [7.5-9]V) and just adapting the ratio between the pots and hill-resistors for reaching a max of 5V for "gn" and "os"? i suppose there is little if not almost no current drawn in "gn" and "os" input ?)
In advance, thank you for correcting/completing, if you wish, my attempt.
(For the scheme and its readability, i just roughly reproduce the position of the terminal/input "gn" and "os", hidden behind the chopper...)
Regards.
Stéphane
There are series resistors for the 4 voltages are R49/R50/R51/R52 and decoupling for OS and GN (C23 / C24).
The ENOS / ENGN are the other two channels from the MAX510 that are not OS and GN.
I will look out the circuit and post back (sometime)
Honestly :-[ :), this is the least i can do for the community and you guys who are so helpful and good willing.
Here, I just try to re-draft a bit on my own "visual" manner the teaching of Bill.
Hi, thanks a lot for sharing your design file!Okay I removed the glue by screwdriver...
I now get a few printed, but my s300a's chopper wheel is glued to the shaft (instead of the screw in some other designs). How can I remove it safely? I'm afraid just pulling it out may damage the motor bearing...
I just powered them up though (connecting directly to the contacts) and one seems fine. The other has a permanently grey image (even after leaving it several minutes), I think this is one I left on overnight and which had the grey image when I returned (oops!), is that likely to have damaged something? I have stripped it down and am awaiting a Nintendo screwdriver to be able to remove the control board, with a view to making a more compact device. (A friend thinks it might be an RS System Zero screw?)
I just powered them up though (connecting directly to the contacts) and one seems fine. The other has a permanently grey image (even after leaving it several minutes), I think this is one I left on overnight and which had the grey image when I returned (oops!), is that likely to have damaged something? I have stripped it down and am awaiting a Nintendo screwdriver to be able to remove the control board, with a view to making a more compact device. (A friend thinks it might be an RS System Zero screw?)
Yes, they are RS 'tamperproof' types. I'll advise the RS parts when I can.
Leaving on overnight should not be a problem, although long term use was never a consideration in design. If you can quantify 'grey' it might help.
A noisy grey image suggests all the electronics is working and the cause is more a closed iris, which would also generate the 'warning triangle of doom'
A flat noise free grey image would suggest zero gain is being applied. Then you look to the gain biases and similar.
Note that removing the control board also removes all the gain / offset leaving the core set to manual control, no input' which is zero gain and offset. You can use the information in the tear-up thread / fire-tics project to convert the stripped down core into manual mode.
http://www.fire-tics.co.uk/project3/index.htm (http://www.fire-tics.co.uk/project3/index.htm)