Introduction

Very Important! Camset is only designed to work with Forward Vision CCTV cameras and using them with any other cameras is entirely at your own risk.

Camset is a freeware program which allows the MIC range to be setup/configured through a serial port on a PC, using a RS232-RS422/RS485 adapter. There is a different camset for each respective protocol, so ensure you have the correct one for your camera.

For assistance connecting a camera to Camset, please download the Installation Manual. This gives the wiring requirements and settings for the two types of RS232- RS422/RS485 converters we recommend. The User Guide provides a complete run through of all Camsets functions.

Download Camset

Other Helpful Applications

1. FV Programmer V3.3

FV Programmer is used to change the software inside the Mic itself, either to update to the latest version of the protocol you are using or to switch to an alternative protocol. This can be used with an FV programming header or by using the telemetry programming method (if your Mic supports it). Download. Click here for the user manual.

Click here to download the latest versions of the software available for use in the Mic range.

2. Data Monitor 4

Data monitor 4 is a PC based simulator of a MIC running standard (Forward Vision) protocol, which can be used to test and store controller data. Download.

3. Sony Set 10

Sony Set 10 is used to edit/load and save optical camera presets into the Sony module. This only works with standard (Forward Vision) protocol. Download.

Camset User Guide

Below is a brief guide to the most common controls on the Camset packages, for further details, please refer to the afore mentioned documents. Please note that all of these features are not supported in every protocol.

1. Change to new address

To change the address of a Mic, ensure the "Current Address" is correct, enter in the "New Address" as required and press "Change to New Address". To regain control the "Current Address box will need to be updated.

2. Softstops

Softstops provide the user with a definable pan and tilt boundary. Use "Top Left and "Bottom Right" to define the respective corners of the square. Defining them at the same position clears the boundaries.

3. Dwell Zones

Similar to Softstops, this function sets a square area in which the camera can not be stopped.

4. OSD

Stands for On Screen Display which enables or disables the Sony module screen data, displaying information such as zoom, current mode etc.

5. Pan reverse, Tilt reverse and Image flip

Pan reverse allows you to mount some types of camera upside down and simply turn the ball head 180 degrees and flip the pan direction. Other types of camera do not do this and it is very important you specify if the camera is upright or inverted in an order. If we know if it is upright or inverted then correct software can be loaded into the camera. Some protocols, such as our Standard have the features of flipping tilt and the picture as well as pan and allow more variations of cameras to be mounted upside down.

6. Auto flip

If a camera is mounted inverted, you are looking horizontally and the image is the right way up, everything is normal. If you now tilt down, you will be pointing vertically downwards, if you keep on going and your image will now be upside down. Auto flip stops this by panning 180 degrees round when required to maintain a normally orientated image.

7. Washwipe

When you wash your camera you have two options, it can simply close the washer relay, washwipe is off, or it can do the following sequence of moves, washwipe is on.

First the wiper starts running, then thecamera moves to the washwipe preset after this the washer relay is closed. The camera remains here until the washer relay is opened again at which point the camera moves back to the position it was before and the wiper stops.

8. Auto Lowlight (Do not use with Auto IR)

This function allows the camera to dynamically change the shutter speed in low light intensity conditions. This will provide much better night time images without the use of IR lamps but can cause blurring.

9. Auto IR (Do not use with Auto Lowlight)

This switches the camera between IR and normal mode when the light levels get to the defined levels.

10. Photocell Mode

If you are using IR lamps, then it is possible that the IR light from them will put the camera back into day mode, which will then trigger IR mode again hence oscillating back and forth. A solution to this is to connect a Photocell to the Alarm card, alarm input 4.

11. Camera Baud Toggle

Please be careful when using this button. Once pressed you will lose control of the camera until you switch Camset to the same baud rate as the camera. On standard protocol this is either 9600 or 4800.

12. IR Lamps and Alarm Cards (Multi Alarm and Auto Alarm)

Both of these require “Multi alarm” to be actviated (alarms also require "Auto Alarm” on). Ensure the black and brown wires are connected correctly.

Mic Behavior Troubleshooting

1. Only going down and left? Slowing down at a particular area? Unable to control the camera in a particular area?

This means that the Softstops or Dwellzones have not been defined or cleared, to resolve the issue press ”Clear Softstops and Dwell Zones”.

2. Press a button and lost control?

Often this is the baud rate, try panning and tilting the camera at different baud rates (usually half or double the one you are currently set to). If this doesn’t work try going through steps 1 to 5 in the "Troubleshooting Guide". To change the baud rate back press “cam toggle baud”.

3. Is the Image blurry?

Auto Low Light is on, try turning it off.

4. When I move the camera almost upward, or downwards it pans 180 degrees then stops again.

Auto Flip is on, try turning it off.

Troubleshooting Guide

The easiest way to see if the camera is working is by trying to pan and tilt it, not detect as this requires 2 way communications to be working.

Things to check are…

1. Wiring

Not just that good connections are made but the wires are connected correctly. The RX wires on the power supply AND camera are data going to the camera, while the TX wires are data from the camera. In two wire mode you only use the RX wires. A good way for telling if data is getting transmitted is to place a LED over a pair (RX or TX) if it flashes then there is telemetry. It is easy to miss this with an oscilloscope or DVM.

If the LED is usually on and blinks off when connected over the Rx pair, then the anode of the LED is connected to the wire that should be RXB, and the cathode is to RXA. If it is usually off and blinks on then the anode of the LED should be connected to RXA and cathode to RXB.

(Note the anode is the longer Leg of the LED)

2. Protocol

Is the camera on the same protocol as the Camset? If you switch the camera on while looking at a video output, you will see a start-up message. This is about 20 seconds after switch on and does not stay on the screen for long. Most messages are similar to the example below.

CAM 1 SW 10MAR121CW

There are only two parts of this that really matter to the user. The camera address, in this example it is “1”, always after the word “CAM” and the last letter which is the protocol letter, in this case “W”. The protocol letter indicates the following protocols.

If the protocol you have in the camera does not match the protocol of the Camset you are using then it will not work.

In other cases you may have a software title which starts "CR" followed by 6 numbers. This means the software in the MIC is a special. For advise as to the protocol please phone Forward Vision.

3. Address

The address of the camera in Camset, “Current address” must be the same as the address in the start-up message. New cameras are always sent out with address as one, unless otherwise specified.

4. Baud rate

On most Camset's there will be a few baud rate options, new cameras are set to the default protocol settings..

5.RTS

On Camset you will notice a RTS setting this needs to be set to “ON” if you are using a non powered RS232/RS422 converter.