A new custom USB integration board has been developed by Sierra-Olympia Technologies, designed to bring near-universal, out-of-the-box compatibility to the widely-used suite of Tamarisk long-wave infrared (LWIR) cameras.
The USB 3.0 interface is UVC compliant and greatly simplifies the camera interface with a simple, plug-and-play connection. It is available as an add-on when purchasing a Tamarisk camera through Sierra-Olympia (North American Master Distributor of Tamarisk cameras), or as a separate component for Tamarisk owners looking to add the functionality.
“The Tamarisk is a mature and highly-capable long-wave infrared camera used for wide variety of applications,” said Stan Voynick, Sierra-Olympia Technologies Chief Engineer. “We’ve been distributing Tamarisk for several years now, and a lot of our customers have been asking us for more ways to integrate the camera into their systems. With this new USB implementation, you can pretty much plug it in to a Windows machine and it wakes up and starts working, essentially like a webcam.”
Compatible with all Tamarisk variants, the USB board replaces the DRS feature board’s Camera Link, RS232, and analog video interfaces by unifying their functions into one USB-C connector for end-users, or a mezzanine connector for integrators. USB 3.0 data is delivered in all Tamarisk formats – 8-bit AGC data or full 14-bit.
With the Tamarisk Precision radiometric camera, data is delivered in 8-bit, 14-bit, YUV color with overlay, or full 16-bit radiometric data. Supporting code blocks in C-language are supplied for interpreting the data. A reference design is available for integrators wanting to design their own boards to interface directly to the mezzanine connector.
“Adding this functionality and ease of use helps bridge the gap between technical engineers and integrators and the growing number of individuals, businesses and organizations looking to utilize infrared technology,” Voynick said.
Tamarisk USB feature board specifications:
- Video and Command: Samtec Micro-Blade or USB-C (with stacked connector board)
- Genlock frame synchronization: Samtec Micro-Blade or Molex PicoBlade (with stacked connector board)
- Operational temperature: -40C to +80C
- EM Compliance: FCC Class A
- Mass: OEM Interface board: 4 g
- Mass: USB-C connector board: 3 g
Watch to learn more:
For more information visit www.sierraolympia.com.
