Gain Control Tools

Gain boosts the light level seen by the camera. A setting of 0 is no boost to the signal, and as the value rises so does the electronic amplification of the signal from the camera.

The trade-off is that high values of gain will have a tendency to add “noise” to a picture. In general, outdoors you should set the gain to AGC (Automatic Gain Control), meaning that the camera will automatically adjust this number to compensate for varying light conditions. Manual allows the operator to specify the amount of gain added by FinishLynx.

It is preferred to run the camera in the range between 20 - 60, although much higher settings (over 100) can often be useful in extreme low-light situations.

The settings for AGC - Brightness should be used to control the gain level chosen by FinishLynx. Increasing the size of this number will lighten the image on your screen, lowering it will darken the image. For white finish lines, like in track and field, the brightness level will need to be higher (60-80) than for dark finish lines, like the turf of a horse track, where the brightness will need to be lower (20-40).

AGC is a powerful tool that allows FinishLynx to adjust the gain value in real-time to compensate for varying light conditions. The Brightness, Frequency and Maximum Gain settings control AGC.

• To adjust AGC parameters:

1. Access the Camera Settings for the selected camera.
2. Click to select Gain Method: AGC.
3. Type in values for Brightness, Frequency and Maximum Gain.

The Auto Iris feature requires that a remote control lens be connected to the serial port on the EtherLynx camera back, or through a Remote Positioner. When enabled, FinishLynx will send commands to open or close the lens iris whenever the gain goes outside the Min or Max settings.

• To enable the Auto Iris feature:

1. Access the Camera Settings dialog.
2. Click to check the Auto Iris box.
3. Type in values for the Min and Max gain settings.

NOTE: The Min and Max fields indicate how low and high the gain should be allowed to go. If the gain goes out of range, the iris is moved in the appropriate direction until the gain is back within range. If several attempts make no progress toward the range, then Auto Iris is disabled until either the gain falls within range on its own, or is manually re-enabled by clicking , the Auto Iris button from the image toolbar.

LuxBoost is an optional feature available on cameras from the EtherLynx Vision-Series. LuxBoost further amplifies the available light to expand on the capabilities of the standard gain. It is most useful in low-light conditions, when the gain required is above 150 and the image becomes noisy.

• To take advantage of LuxBoost:

1. Access the Camera Settings dialog.
2. Click the LuxBoost: drop-down menu and select the LuxBoost value > 1.

• Note: Auto LuxBoost must be unchecked.

3. Click Ok.

• When AGC is used, the Gain will decrease.
• When Manual Gain is used, the image will get brighter.

Automatic selection of the LuxBoost setting has been added to maximize the performance of EtherLynx Vision-Series cameras in low light environments. Similar to Auto Iris Control (AIC), Auto LuxBoost (ALB) extends the capabilities of Auto Gain Control (AGC) by varying the LuxBoost setting based on the current gain value.

With these combined features, the user need only modify the brightness value to control the image exposure under a wide range of light conditions.

• To access Auto LuxBoost settings of a selected EtherLynx Vision-Series camera:

1. Access the Camera Settings dialog.
2. Click to check (default) or uncheck the Auto LuxBoost box.
3. Set preferred parameters:
   1. Max LuxBoost – Highest LuxBoost value to be used.
   2. Min – Below this gain value, LuxBoost will be lowered.
   3. Max – Above this gain value, LuxBoost will be increased.

The manual gain method is only recommended when AGC does not render the desired results.

• To set the gain method:

1. Access the Camera Settings for the selected camera.
2. Click to select Gain Method: Manual.
3. Type in a Gain value. A value of 40 is recommended.
4. Click Ok.
5. Start align mode and verify the image exposure.
   1. The image is too dark open the iris on the lens.
   2. The image is too bright close the iris on the lens.

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