INTELLISENSE IV 380-C MONOCHROME VIDEO CAMERA
INTRO
High performance, small size, low light and
low price. Just some of the claims being made by C&K Systems for their
Intellisense series cameras, we’ve been putting an IV 380-C through its paces,
to find out...
COPY
The IV-380-C is full of surprises. The first
one comes when you take it out of its packaging, it’s a most unusual shape. In
cross-section the extruded alloy casing looks a bit like a large keyhole. It’s
compact too, and designed to operate in a wide range of environments, from -10
to +50 degrees; the manufacturers also say it has good resistance to vibration
and physical shock and is unaffected by strong magnetic fields, we’ll be
putting some of those claims to the test later on. Inside there’s another
surprise; we fully expected to find an off-the-shelf board camera module,
instead there are no less than three double-sided glass-fibre PCBs; more about
those in a moment.
By contrast the rest of the specification is
fairly routine, though the low-light sensitivity figure is quite impressive.
The 1/3-inch CCD has an array of 542 x 582 pixels (512 x 582 effective) and
minimum illumination is rated at 0.1 lux (f/1.4). The exposure system is fully
automatic; when fitted with a fixed iris lens it uses a electronic high-speed
shutter that varies from 1/50th to 1/100,000th second, and there’s provision
for direct-drive auto-iris lenses. Horizontal resolution is quoted at 380
lines; gamma correction is fixed at 0.45.
UNUSUAL SHAPE
The unusual shape doesn’t appear to serve any
serious practical purpose, other than to distinguish the top from the bottom.
It could just have easily been cylindrical, or square, but it does make it
stand out from the crowd, so it’s off to a good start if you’re looking for a
small camera that will get noticed. Both end caps are made of cast alloy, which
makes it look and feel very rugged, moreover it affords the electronics inside
a high degree of protection against dust and moisture. The only holes in the
case are for access to the top and bottom mounting threads, they’re moulded
into substantial lugs that form part of the front end cap. The holes are sealed
with adhesive pads, to protect the one that’s not being used.
The lens mount is configured for C-mount
lenses but it comes supplied with a CS mount adaptor, plus a 1.5mm hex wrench,
and blank auto iris and DC supply plugs. The hex wrench is for adjusting
back-focus, slackening off the tiny grub screw on the lens mount releases an
internal threaded collar. This is not particularly convenient as it involves
rotating the whole lens assembly, which can upset focus and/or manual iris
adjustments.
On the back panel there is a female BNC
connector carrying the composite video output signal, a socket for the DC
supply (12 volts DC in the case of this model, 24 V AC and 240V AC versions are
also available), a standard square 4-pin socket for an auto-iris lens, and a
two-position slide switch for enabling the electronic high-speed shutter. The
only significant omission is a power-on indicator or tally light.
Inside the three PCBs are held rigidly in
position, the board at the front which supports the CCD image sensor is bolted
firmly to the lens mount casting, whilst the two other boards slide into
channels moulded on the inside of the case. All three PCBs are quite densely
populated, (mostly with surface mounted components); as a matter of interest the
main video processing chips are manufactured by Sharp.
TIE DIED...
Ten wires link the sockets and switch on the
back panel to the boards, using a mixture of miniature plugs and direct
soldered connections. On our sample the wires were held together by a pair of
cable ties, one of which had fallen off and was found to be rattling around
inside the case. Fortunately the remaining one remained in firmly in place and
the integrity of the connections had not been compromised.
Overall the quality of construction appears
to be very high and although not specifically billed as an outdoor camera it
looks as though it should be able to survive in a damp or dusty atmosphere. There
are no internal or external user or installer adjustments, apart from selecting
the high-speed shutter mode if it’s to be used with a fixed iris lens.
PERFORMANCE
The manufacturers figures for low light sensitivity
and resolution were right on the button. Image quality in poor light is very
good, needless to say noise levels are elevated but the image remains stable
and cohesive, with plenty of detail, even when the only source of illumination
is a street lamp. Bright lights in the scene area do cause a degree of flaring
but the auto exposure systems usually manages to find a reasonable compromise.
In good light the AE system copes reasonably well with strongly backlit
subjects, though it’s better to avoid the situation in the first place. The
high speed shutter responds quite quickly to variations in overall lighting
level, though it can be fazed by strong
light sources.
Shock resistance is excellent. The image
remained rock-solid when the camera was subjected to ritual abuse with a
rubber-tipped mallet; it also survived an accidental drop of a couple of feet from
the work-bench without any ill-effects...
CONCLUSION
Overall the IV-380 did very well, the low
price and small size coupled with very respectable performance and rugged construction
definitely count in its favour. It lost a couple of points for not having a
power-on indicator, and the back-focus adjustment is a tad cumbersome. The
shape? Well, that’s a matter for individual preference, if nothing else it’s
distinctive.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATION
Image sensor 1/3-inch
CCD
Sensor element 542 x 582 pixels
(512 x 582 effective)
Minimum illumination 0.1 lux (f/1.4)
Synchronisation internal
Gamma correction 0.45
Electronic shutter 1/50th to
1/100,000th second
Video output 1
volt p-p, 75 ohm
Power supply 12
VDC, 160mA
Operating temp. -10 to +50 degrees
C
Dimensions 52
x 57 x 88.5mm
PSI RATING
Product
Product design 8
Build quality 9
Ruggedness 9
Operation
General functions 7
Ease of use 9
Instructions 8
Manuf. support 8
Performance
Picture quality 9
Picture stability 9
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Ó R. Maybury 1996 2803
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