Additional EtherLynx Features

• To set the hardware gamma:

1. Access the Camera Settings for the selected camera.

2. Click the Setup tab.
3. Click in the Gamma: text box and type a new value, between 0.25 and 1.75.

3. Click Ok.

• Now, the image you capture is affected by the gamma value you set.

Phased Light Compensation, or PLC, is available for the EtherLynx PRO and Vision PRO cameras.  PLC reduces or eliminates the vertical dark bars in the image caused by artificial light.

• To enable the PLC setting:

1. Click . The Camera Settings dialog appears.
2. Click to select the Phased Light Comp.: On radio button.

• To adjust the PLC strength:

1. Click Image | Adjustments... The Image Adjustments dialog appears.
2. Click and drag the PLC slider to adjust its action.

Double the light - when Double mode is activated, EtherLynx Vision PRO 6K/20K cameras require half the amount of light for the same frame rate.

Double the rate - when Double mode is activated, EtherLynx Vision PRO 20K cameras can capture up to 20,000 frames per second.

• To activate Double Mode:

1. Click to open the Camera Settings dialog > Parameters tab.
2. Set Pixel Mode: to Zoom 200%.
3. Click the Double checkbox.

The Frame Offset option, is available for optional purchase to use with the EtherLynx PRO and Vision PRO cameras.

This allows the vertical active area of the sensor to be arbitrarily chosen, rather than always centered. 

• To manually specify this offset:

1. Access the Camera Settings. The Parameters tab opens.
2. Click to select Frame Offset: Custom. The range of legal values appears.
3. Type in a valid value.

• To calculate the offset from an image:

1. Capture image in an Event.
2. Right-click and drag to select the vertical portion of the image that should be used
3. Click Image | Set | Capture area.

The Minimum Compression setting sets a lower limit on the compression (as a percentage) that the camera must achieve. If the camera cannot achieve this level of compression, the image will be sent uncompressed.

This setting is useful in situations where compression is not having much of an effect, such as when taking image of a constantly changing background of wind on water. In these situations, forcing the FinishLynx to uncompress large files can have a detrimental effect on the speed with which images can be evaluated. The default value of this setting is 65 (which corresponds to a 3:1 compression ratio); a setting of 100 would effectively turn compression off and 0 would force it to be on at all times.

Vision PRO cameras offer a Black Level setting that controls the level of brightness of the darkest part of the image. Increasing this value can improve the dynamic range, but decreases color saturation and adds noise to the dark part of the image. Decreasing this value can improve color saturation, but may lead to low dynamic range and excessive contrast.

• To change the Black Level:

1. Access the Camera Settings for an EtherLynxVision PRO.
2. Click the Setup Tab .
3. Type in a new Black Level: value (range -50 to 50).
4. Click Ok.

EtherLynx Vision-Series cameras offer an external wireless bridge connection. See the External Wireless Bridge Quick Start Guide for details.

 

The EtherLynx PRO and Fusion cameras have an internal wireless option available (sold separately) that enables it to connect to wireless network using an Access Point or in ad hoc mode.

• To configure the EtherLynx PRO or Fusion cameras for a wireless network:

1. Turn on the camera in wired mode, using the Ethernet cables provided.
2. From the Hardware Control window, click . The Camera Settings dialog appears.
3. Click the WLAN tab.
4. Make the following settings:

• Mode: select the Access Point or Ad Hoc radio button.

• SSID: this value must match the access point or the other nodes on your ad hoc network. Make sure this value is different from any other wireless network SSID's nearby.

• Channel: select a setting from the drop-down list only if you are using the camera on an ad hoc network. Make sure the channel setting is at least six apart from any other ad hoc networks nearby so that it does not overlap. Skip this setting if you are using an access point.

5. Click Ok.
6. Disconnect the Ethernet cable connecting the camera and the FinishLynx computer.
7. Restart the camera.

• When the camera restarts, it is accessible over the wireless network.

WEP support for wireless cameras

Wireless EtherLynx cameras now have WEP support.

• To enable wireless EtherLynx camera WEP support:

1. Set the WEP mode and privacy key value on the WLAN tab of the Camera Settings.

Wireless tips

Before using the EtherLynx Fusion camera in wireless mode, do the following:

• If there are other wired EtherLynx cameras on your FinishLynx network, turn them on before turning on the camera you plan to use in wireless mode.

• Make sure all other devices on the wireless network have Power Saving Protocol turned OFF.

• Confirm that the SSID configured in the wireless camera is the same as the SSID configured in the Access Point or other ad hoc nodes.

• Make sure no other wireless device can access the wireless network that the EtherLynx Fusion camera is on.

To produce fully automatic times, EtherLynx cameras require the timer-enabled option. To save on cost, we also offers EtherLynx cameras without the timer-enabled function.

• The functionality of these cameras in stand-alone mode are limited to:

1. Capture image with time of day reference.
2. Produce an order of finish based on time of day.

• The functionality of these cameras is expanded when connected to a network with a timer-enabled camera.

1. Synchronize to the timer-enabled camera and produce fully automatic times.
2. Produce internal photo eye beam breaks when the Automatic Capture Mode (ACM) Plug-in is installed.

The Find Cameras dialog lists all EtherLynx cameras with a solid boot light found on the network, including some that may not appear in the Hardware Control window. This can happen when multiple network cards are enabled during the boot process (Base IP Error) or lost connectivity on a poor quality network such as Wi-Fi. This is particularly useful for EtherLynx Vision-Series cameras in this state which can be restarted from within FinishLynx.

• To find all cameras:

1. Click Help | Find Cameras...

• To restart an EtherLynx Vision-Series camera:

1. Click to select a camera.
2. Click Restart.
3. Click Ok.

• To scan for other cameras:

1. Click Rescan.

EtherLynx Vision-Series cameras can be either shutdown or restarted remotely from the FinishLynx software. This is convenient for far or hard to reach cameras.

• To shutdown or restart a camera:

1. Go to the Hardware Control window.
2. Right-click the Power field for the camera to shutdown or restart.
3. On the pop-up box, select Power > Shutdown... or Restart...
4. Click Ok to confirm the request.

FinishLynx supports upgrading some EtherLynx camera features without having to ship it back to HQ.

• To upgrade an EtherLynx camera using an upgrade code:

1. Contact the Lynx sales team to purchase an EtherLynx camera upgrade.
   1. Provide the EtherLynx camera's serial number
2. Load the EtherLynx camera to be upgraded in FinishLynx.
3. Access the Camera Settings.
4. Click on the Setup tab.
5. Type or copy the upgrade code.
6. Click Apply.
7. Click Ok on the "Upgrade code accepted." message.