Finger Lakes Instrumentation

ProLine
MicroLine
 Contents

Contents ......................................................................................................................................................... 1
Welcome ........................................................................................................................................................ 2
Check your Shipment..................................................................................................................................... 2
Installing the FLIGrab Camera Control Software ......................................................................................... 2
Third Party Software...................................................................................................................................... 6
Assembling and Powering-up your Camera System ..................................................................................... 7
Confirming Driver Installation ...................................................................................................................... 8
A Short Tutorial ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Capturing your First Image............................................................................................................................ 9
Focusing your Camera ................................................................................................................................... 9
FLIGrab Camera Control Software ............................................................................................................. 11
Status Bar..................................................................................................................................................... 12
Shortcut Keys............................................................................................................................................... 12
Menu Bar ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
File ....................................................................................................................................................... 12
Grab...................................................................................................................................................... 13
View..................................................................................................................................................... 14
Analyze ................................................................................................................................................ 14
Window................................................................................................................................................ 14
Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Contact Details............................................................................................................................................. 15
Appendix...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Camera Options ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Sensors Coatings.................................................................................................................................. 16
Cooling................................................................................................................................................. 16
Custom Cameras .................................................................................................................................. 16
FLI Accessories ........................................................................................................................................... 17
External Triggering...................................................................................................................................... 18
Camera Specifications ................................................................................................................................. 19

Finger Lakes Instrumentation, LLC

7298 West Main Street
Lima, New York 14485

1
 Welcome
Thank you for purchasing an FLI camera. We know that your new camera will bring you years of
enjoyment and excellent imaging results.

Please read the following instructions carefully and follow them closely to ensure trouble-free installation
of your hardware and software.

A short tutorial is included that will allow you to take your first image and get aquatinted with the basic
operation of your new camera. Should you have any questions about your purchase, please contact us.

Check your Shipment

Please ensure that everything has arrived safely and verify that everything you ordered was properly
shipped to you. Immediately notify your FLI dealer or FLI in the unlikely event of a missing or damaged
component. Your order should include the following items:

1. Camera with shutter cover

2. Camera Test Sheet
3. USB cable
4. 12 volt power supply
5. Power supply line cord
6. FLI installation information
7. Packing list

Installing the FLIGrab Camera Control Software

9 Use the following link to download and install the FLI Install Kit
HTTP://WWW.FLI-CAM.COM/SOFTWARE
9 A security warning similar to the one below will appear - Please select ‘Save’ to save the file to a
location of your choosing.
9 Once the download is complete, select ‘Run’.

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9 A second security warning may appear at this time. (Please select ‘Run’ again.)
9 The software setup wizard will appear, selecting ‘Next’ will begin the software setup process.

9 Agreeing to the License Agreement will take

you to the next step. Click on Next to proceed.

9 Select where you would like the FLI

software to be installed on your PC. Hit
‘Next’ once you have either browsed to
the location or if you accept the location
chosen by the FLI Install Kit. The
installation program installs the camera
drivers and software itself and further
Windows intervention is not required.

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 9 Select the FLI software components that you
wish to install. The default is for all software
components to be installed. Deselect the
item(s) that are not to be installed. Hit ‘Next’
once you are ready.

9 You will be given a chance to select where

Window’s shortcuts are created. Select
‘Next’ to go to the next screen.

9 FLI Software is ready to install. Click ‘Next’

to begin the software installation.

9 If you use 3rd party software programs

such as MaxIm DL, AstroArt or CCDSoft,
you will want to select the ‘Scan’ button.
Doing so will allow the install program to
search your hard drive for FLI drivers.

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 9 Once the file locations are found by the
install kit select the files that you wish to
update using your mouse (left clicking
each location).

9 The files will be

updated.

9 The FLI drivers are ready to install. Should

you have any changes that need to be made,
simply hit the ‘Back’ key.

9 A Window’s warning may appear at this time.

Select ‘Continue Anyway’ if you wish to
continue the FLI installation process.

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 9 Success! The installation process is
complete.
9 Select ‘Finish’ to close the final
installation window.

Third Party Software

A number of third party software is available that allows you to control the functions of your camera as
well as process images captured with your FLI camera.

Such software include Astroart from MSB software that has a multi-lingual interface, MaximDL from
Diffraction Ltd and CCDSoft from Software Bisque.

Before acquiring one of these or any other software to control your camera you are strongly advised to
check with the software vendor that your camera is supported. New cameras and versions of the software
are always been released and may differ in functionality than previous versions of the same software.

You can obtain information on these software by visiting the following websites.

MSB Software: www.msb-astroart.com

Diffraction Ltd: www.cyanogen.com

Software Bisque: www.bisque.com

6
 Assembling and Powering-up your Camera System
Please bring together all parts. Make certain that during assembly the camera shutter cover stays in place
to avoid damage to the metal iris. Only remove the cover when you are ready to connect the camera to
your telescope. Please connect the various system components as follows:

CAUTION: Always plug your camera power cord into the camera “DC Power Jack” first, before
applying AC power to the power supply. “Hot Plugging” the camera may result in a
blown power supply fuse.

ProLine connections are side mounted

MicroLine connects are rear mounted

Power Supply to 4 pin

ProLine Power Jack
Wall Socket

Camera USB connection to PC USB Port

1. Attach the USB cable to your ProLine or MicroLine camera.

2. Attach the USB cable to your PC.
3. Plug in the 12 volt power supply 4-pin “DC Power Jack” connector into your camera.
4. Plug in the ProLine or MicroLine power supply unit into a wall socket or switched AC power strip.
5. Ensure that the camera’s fans are running.

7
 Confirming Driver Installation
To ascertain that the camera drivers have been installed properly you can do so at any time if required.

At the Windows Desktop right- Click on Properties.

click on the My Computer icon

Click on the Hardware tab. Click on the Device Manager button.

Click on Universal Serial Bus Controllers.

The FLI [type] Camera entry should be
present in the list.

If the FLI [type] Camera does not appear in

the list you will need to re-install FLIGrab.

Please follow the installation instructions very

8
 A Short Tutorial
FLIGrab is a Windows based program and allows you to fully control your camera. The following two
sections will show you how to capture your first image as well as how to focus your camera.

Capturing your First Image

Ensure that your FLI camera is connected to your computer and that power is switched on. The fan on
your camera should now be turning. Double click on the FLIGrab icon to open the application.

FLIGrab will automatically identify your camera. Click on

OK to proceed.

If FLI Grab fails to find your camera check all

connections. Stretched cables can cause
connectivity problems and/or system instability.

Click on File, and then click on Camera Control (Ctrl+W). Click on the Exposure tab to select it.

Set the fields as in the example on the left. If you

are imaging during daytime set Exposure to 0.03
seconds. If you are testing your camera at night
time a minimum 0.3 seconds exposure is
recommended.

Note that overexposing can produce a

black flat frame and not a bright frame.

Ideally, you would use the Grab command after the camera system is set up and focused. Click on Grab.
You should be able to hear the shutter opening and closing while capturing the image.

It will take a few seconds for the image to appear on the computer screen. The image on your computer
screen is likely to be out of focus.

Focusing your Camera

Click on File, and then click on Camera Control (Ctrl+W). Click on the Focus tab to select it.

Set the fields as in the example on the left. If you

are imaging during daytime set Exposure to 0.03
seconds. If you are testing your camera at night
time a minimum 0.3 seconds exposure is
recommended.

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 Note that overexposing can produce a Click on the Focus button. You will notice that the camera
black flat frame and not a bright frame. will start taking images at a slow rate and transferring
them to the screen. Click on the Abort button to abort.
Wait for the camera to finish transferring the last frame to the computer screen. The slow frame rate
makes focusing difficult.

To increase the frame rate you will need to set the camera so that it will only transfer a part of the whole
image captured during the focusing process, i.e. the centre area. This makes focusing more intuitive and
easier to achieve.

Set the fields as in the example on the left. If you

are imaging during daytime set Exposure to 0.03
seconds. If you are testing your camera at night
time a minimum 0.3 seconds exposure is
recommended

Note that overexposing can produce a

black flat frame and not a bright frame.

Checking the Eight bit box will increase frame rates further but the quality of the image will be affected as
only 256 graduations will be used for rendering the image. It is still adequate for the purpose of focusing
the camera in this example.

Once you have focused your camera you will be able to capture your first focused image.

Please refer to Capturing your First Image above.

10
 FLIGrab Camera Control Software
FLIGrab is a Windows based program. The menu structure of FLIGrab will change depending upon
circumstances and in this case, whether or not a file is opened, a MICROLINE or PROLINE CCD camera
is present, etc.

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Status Bar
The Status Bar is located on the lowest-most portion of FLIGrab. It provides information about FLIGrab
activities and is continuously updated. When a ProLine or MicroLine camera is connected and initialized,
the Status Bar will display the camera temperature, connection status, and exposure status.

When an image is open, the image size, view zoom ratio, pixel value and location will be indicated on the
Status Bar.

Shortcut Keys
Frequently employed menu choices can also be reached by using shortcut keys. Each shortcut key can be
found to the right of each command as seen in the menu. Additionally, a list of shortcut keys can be found
by selecting the Help menu. For example, holding down the “Ctrl” key and then hitting the “G” will open
the Grab Window. You may find that once learned, these shortcuts increase productivity and speed of
operation on the most frequently performed functions.

Menu Bar
The upper most portion of the screen contains the pull-down menus, which include File, Grab, View,
Analyze, Window and Help. Each menu item selection further comprises functions that are similar in
nature to one another.

File

Open: This command loads an IMG, PNG or FITS* file format from disk into memory where
it can be displayed or processed. When the Open window is displayed, you will be able to
select files by moving through the directory structure. The shortcut key is Ctrl + O.

Close: Closes the currently opened image window by removing it from memory. If the image
has changed, you will be prompted to save your changes before the window closes. The
shortcut key is Ctrl + F4.

Save: Saves the currently opened image to disk. The same file name that was used to open
the file will be used with the Save command. The shortcut key is Ctrl + S.

Save As: Allows you to save the currently opened image in a different file format or with a
different name.

Recent File: The most recently opened files are displayed, allowing you to preview and select
files that have been recently accessed.

Exit: Exits FLIGrab. The shortcut key is Alt + F4.

* Many professional astronomical image-processing programs support the FITS format (Flexible
Image Transport System). The format is described in "Implementation of the Flexible Image
Transport System (FITS)" published by NOST, NASA/OSSA Office of Standards and
Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.

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Grab

Grab Frame: The Grab command is used to take a single exposure or begin a sequence of exposures
using the Save Filename Format String command. Ideally, you would use the Grab command after the
camera system is set up and focused. There are several options associated with the Grab command that
expand its usage. You can choose to take a Normal, Bias or Dark Frame exposure. For exposure longer
than a minute, you may wish to take matching (duration and temperature settings) Dark Frames and store
them on disk for later manual subtraction from Light frames.

Another feature of the Grab command is that you don't always have to take full frame images. You can
choose to take sub-frames, which can be selected with your mouse cursor or by simply typing in the
coordinates. A sub-frame has the benefit of reducing the image file size and associated storage
requirements; it is most useful for small objects such as Planets and small galaxies that do not require the
full field of view that a full-frame provides.

You can also Grab Control menu to reduce the camera's resolution by binning or by reducing to 8-bit
format. This lower resolution maintains the field of view but reduces the download times; a useful feature
when centering objects.

There are several other exposure options that are available under the “Advanced Grab Settings” command.
These options will allow for automated grabs, predetermined file name suffixes and more. The shortcut
key is Ctrl + G.

Grab Settings

Focus Delay: The delay in seconds between each focus integration. The delay is useful when
you’re focusing the system; allowing you time to make a change and let the optical system
settle before another exposure is begun.

Frame Delay: The delay in seconds between each exposure. This feature is useful if you are
using a robotic mount and require time in-between exposures, to center a new object.

Flushes Between Grabs: The number of flushes between each exposure.

Flush BIN factor: Set this to match the exposure bin factor

BIN factor is square: For example 1x1, 2x2, … , 16x16.

Adjust contrast during focus: FLIGrab will automatically adjust the image contrast for each
focus display.

Shutter opens with external trigger: Designated for future use.

Set Cooler Temperature: This selection sets the operating temperature for the Thermal
Electric cooling device. (The TE cooler is used to cool your MICROLINE or IMG CCD,
which in turn reduces the rate of dark current buildup during an exposure).

Re-Initialize Camera: Send the initialization command to the camera should you loose
power or camera connection.

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View

Zoom In: Incrementally zoom into an image (800% maximum).

Zoom Out: Incrementally zoom out of an image (12% minimum).

Zoom Fit: Automatically adjusts an image to fit the current window size.

Statistics: Select or deselect this option to view the Image Statistics.

Histogram: Select or deselect this option to view an adjustable Histogram for the opened
image. You can move the red histogram pointers to adjust an image’s screen display settings.

Toolbar: Select or deselect this option to view the Toolbar.

Status Bar: Select or deselect this option to view the Status Bar.

Analyze

Analyze Full Frame: FLIGrab will automatically analyze the full frame according to the
default settings.

Analyze Region: Selecting this option will initiate a crosshair for image selection.

Dimmest Data Threshold: (Background brightness) smaller values will produce a brighter
background.

Brightest Data Threshold: (Object brightness) larger values will produce a brighter object.

Contrast Curve Power: Adjust the object’s contrast; the steeper the curve the more contrast.

Set Default: Selecting the “Set Default” icon will save the current settings as your default.

Window

Cascade: Displays windows stacked and cascading from the top left to the bottom right of the
screen. This feature only works with windows that are currently open so it is important to
ensure that all the windows you want displayed are opened. Closed or minimized windows
will not be displayed.

Tile: Display opened windows edge to edge.

Arrange Icons: You can point to Arrange Icons on the View menu to sort the items by name,
size, date, and type, depending on the view.

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 Troubleshooting

Issue Remedy

I have checked my packing list and items are In the unlikely event please contact your FLI
missing. dealer immediately.

The fan on the camera does not turn. Check that the camera is plugged to a suitable
power supply and that there is power available.

The fan turns but when I use FLIGrab the Make certain that all cables are well seated and
camera does not work or works erratically. are not stretched.

FliGrab runs, the camera fan turns but Please turn off your computer and camera and
FLIGrab cannot locate the camera. Sometimes leave them switched off for 2-3 minutes. This
I get a Windows “Communication” error. will flash the USB chips. Try again.

Everything is connected and FLIGrab has been Please make certain that you have installed the
installed but the software cannot locate the software and drivers as per the instrucions in
camera. this manual. Letting Windows to locate the
camera during installation is likely to create
problems.

Uninstall FLIGrab and install again as per the

instructions provided in this manual.

FLIGrab runs and has identified my camera. I You are over exposing or under exposing.
have Grabbed an image but the image appears Please read the Capturing your First Image
as a flat black frame. section in this manual.

My images are out of focus. I have problems Read the section Focusing your Camera in this
focusing my camera. manual.

Contact Details

US Mail: WWW

Finger Lakes Instrumentation, LLC Web: www.fli-cam.com

PO Box 19A Email: [email protected]
7298 West Main Street Fax: 585-624-9879
Lima, New York 14485 Phone: 585-624-3760

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 Appendix

Camera Options
ProLine and MicroLine cameras allow the selection of several
types of CCDs that include full frame front-illuminated, full
frame back-illuminated, and interline sensors from Kodak,
Fairchild Imaging and E2V Technologies.

Sensors Coatings

Several CCD manufacturers have special coatings available to

optimize the sensor’s sensitivity for certain wavelengths. ProLine and MicroLine fully support the use of
these sensors. Options include UVAR, mid-band and broadband
coatings. Contact FLI for details.

Cooling

All FLI cameras incorporate fan-assisted triple stage TEC

cooling that reduces the temperature of the sensor up to 55oC
below ambient for MicroLine and 65oC below ambient for
ProLine. An LC (liquid cooled) option is available on all
cameras that typically improve cooling by another 10 deg.
Celsius. Regardless which camera cooling system is employed, FLI guarantees that our camera systems
will operate without encountering ‘thermal runaway’, requiring special cooling techniques or complex
precautionary measures.

Custom Cameras

ProLine and MicroLine imaging systems cameras are designed to accommodate customization. Past
applications have included high altitude imaging, x-ray applications, mine searches, ultra cold weather
installations, and internal lens mounting within 0.006” of the sensor surface. Please contact FLI for
quotes.

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FLI Accessories
FLI provides a wide range of high quality accessories including the renowned FLI Digital Focusers and
Filter Wheels. The finest obtainable research grade UBVRI, LRGB, OIII, Ha and SII filters are available.
We also have a large number of adaptors that support our products for many optical applications. Please
contact us for more information or visit our website at www.fli-cam.com.

PDF: State-of-the-art digital DF-2: high quality digital

focuser with temperature focuser (50mm aperture,
compensated focusing 2000 steps, 0.20” travel)
(88mm aperture, 7000 steps,
0.35” travel)

CFW-1-5: Five 50mm filter The CFW-6-6: six filter

positions. positions (up to 7mm thick,
79.5mm diameter)
Internal wheels are custom
made to your specifications.

CFW-2-7: Seven 50mm CFW-4-5: Five 50mm

diameter filter positions square filters

CFW-5-7: Seven 50mm

square filters

FLI research grade filters are FLI manufactures and

available in 28mm, 50mm provides an extensive range
round and 50mm square of high quality adapters and
sizes. (LRGB, UBVRI, OIII, accessories.
SII and Ha)

Please visit the Finger lakes Instrumentaion website for more information on these and other products.
www.fli-cam.com

17
External Triggering
The ProLine and MicroLine imaging systems use a 6 pin connector that are labeled “AUX I/O”. The
camera shutter can be triggered by shorting pin 5 to pin 6.

In FLIGrab:
• Run FLIGrab
• Select the Shutter Control
• Select the desired triggering on the pull down menu:
o Select 'External trigger on LOW' for low edge triggering
o Select 'External trigger on HIGH' for high edge triggering
• Select ‘Done’
• Open the Grab Menu
• Select desired frame and exposure settings
• Click the Grab button
• Short pin 3 to pin 2
• The shutter will trigger

Notes:
• Pin 1 – Pin 6 are labeled below.
• Pin 6 is the electrical ground. Pin 5 is the logic input. (This input has a 22.1K pullup resistor to
+3.3V).
• Trigger can be set to either rising edge or falling edge. To select the desired edge:
o Select ‘External trigger on HIGH” in the shutter control menu and apply a 0 to +3.3V
signal to pin 5.
o Select ‘External trigger on LOW” in the shutter control menu and apply a +3.3V to 0V
signal to pin 5.

External Trigger for pre-wired systems

1. The Black wire is ground and the yellow wire is the

external trigger signal.

2. The external trigger signal (yellow wire) is rated for

0 to 3.3V and it is LVTTL compatible. The edge
can be selected in software.

3. The external trigger signal (yellow wire) has a

22.1K pull-up resistor to 3.3V in the camera. This
allows the user to simply connect the collector
(drain) of a transistor to the yellow wire and the
emitter (source) to the black wire if desired. A
relay across the two wires will also work.

18
Camera Specifications – PL09000 and PL16803
ProLine PL09000 / MicroLine ML09000
Camera System Performance
PC Interface USB 2.0
Maximum cable length 5 meters between hubs; 5 hubs maximum
Digital resolution 16 bits at all speeds
Read Noise 8 – 9 electrons RMS typical
Cooling ProLine Thermoelectric cooler with forced air: 55-60° C below ambient temperature
Optional LC cooling: 63-68° C below ambient temperature
Cooling MicroLine Thermoelectric cooler with forced air: 40-45° C below ambient temperature
Optional LC cooling: 50-55° C below ambient temperature
Dark Current (nom.) 1 e-/pixel/sec (-30° C)
ProLine Camera Head 6.2” width x 6.2” depth x 4.2” height
MicroLine Camera Head 5.25” diameter head x 3.75” square body x 4.75 height
Mounting One ½-20, Two M5, Nose piece v-grove. Optional Nikon Mount
Back focal distance Standard: 1.19” (may be adjusted to suit customers requirements)
Operating Environment Temperature: -25° to 35°C. Relative humidity 10 to 90% noncondensing
Shutter 65mm Uniblitz shutter / MTBF = 1 million cycles
Remote Triggering Standard via AUX connection
CCD Specifications
CCD KAF-09000
Array Size 3056 x 3056
Pixel size 12 micron
Linear Full Well 110,000 e-
Dynamic Range 84 dB

ProLine PL16803 / MicroLine ML16803

Camera System Performance
PC Interface USB 2.0
Maximum cable length 5 meters between hubs; 5 hubs maximum
Digital resolution 16 bits at all speeds
Read Noise 9-11 electrons RMS typical
Cooling ProLine Thermoelectric cooler with forced air: 55-60° C below ambient temperature
Optional LC cooling: 63-68° C below ambient temperature
Cooling MicroLine Thermoelectric cooler with forced air: 40-45° C below ambient temperature
Optional LC cooling: 48-53° C below ambient temperature
Dark Current (nom.) 1 e-/pixel/sec (-30° C)
ProLine Camera Head 6.2” width x 6.2” depth x 4.2” height
MicroLine Camera Head 5.25” diameter head x 3.75” square body x 4.75 height
Mounting One ½-20, Two M5, Nose piece v-grove. Optional Nikon Mount
Back focal distance Standard: 1.19” (may be adjusted to suit customers requirements)
Operating Environment Temperature: -25° to 35°C. Relative humidity 10 to 90% noncondensing
Shutter 65mm Uniblitz shutter / MTBF = 1 million cycles
Remote Triggering Standard via AUX connection
CCD Specifications
CCD KAF-16803
Array Size 4096 x 4096
Pixel size 9 micron
Linear Full Well 100K electrons
Dynamic Range 76 dB

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