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User Manual
FS Range
QS Range
TS Range
VS Range
www.ArtemisCCD.com
Intentionally Blank
Introduction
This manual provides information required to operate and acquire
images from Artemis CCD Cameras® featuring Sony® progressive
scan CCD sensors. Products covered include the FS Range, QS
Range, TS Range and VS Range.
Our cooled CCD cameras are designed specifically for low light
imaging in applications where the lowest noise images are required
from long exposures. All cameras may be set to exposure times
ranging from 0.001s to at least 24 hours using the standard Artemis
Capture software provided free of charge. By using the Artemis CCD
Software Development Kit (SDK), custom imaging software may be
written to provide additional functionality. Some of which is described
herein.
Artemis CCD Cameras are manufactured to exacting standards
and modifications to the camera and/or accessories which are
undertaken without the manufacturer’s written permission will void
the warranty. Repairs and servicing are available through your local
distributor or at www.ArtemisCCD.com.
Page 1
Setting up
Installation of the camera requires only a USB 2.0 connection for the
QS range and USB 2.0 plus 12VDC for all other models.
The camera is supplied with a 2.5 metre USB cable and an (optional)
Universal Power Supply. This provides 12VDC at up to 2.5A from
a 110/220V mains supply. We recommend that you purchase the
approved mains adaptor if you intend to power the camera this way.
If power is supplied by any other means, the cameras are
fitted with a 2.1mm type socket, center positive. The power supply should
be capable of supplying a minimum of 1.5 amp (FS, QS and TS ranges), or
2.5 amp (VS Range).
WARNING: The Artemis CCD Universal Power Supply is intended
for indoor use only. There is a risk of electric shock if the adaptor is
used in damp environments or outside.
Installing the camera and software in 3 steps:
1 - Download and install Artemis Capture using “ArtemisInstaller.exe” from
the Support page of www.ArtemisCCD.com or by copying and pasting
http://www.artemisccd.com/uploads/DOCS/artemisinstaller.exe. This
will also install drivers for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.
2 - Power the camera on. The fan should start rotating immediately.
Please note that the QS Range is USB powered, so there is no need
to connect external power until thermoelectric cooling is required.
3 - Plug the USB cable into the camera, then into a Windows PC.
A “New hardware found” message should immediately be visible.
Follow the prompts, clicking on “Continue anyway” if required .
The camera is now installed and ready to use.
Page 2
Lens Compatibilty
The FS, QS, TS ranges and VS cameras with integrated filter wheels
feature a T2 (M42 x 0.75mm) thread for lens attachment. A C-Mount
adaptor is available as an optional accessory if compatibility with
C-Mount lenses is required (FS, QS & TS). Due to the increased back focus
distance, C-Mount lenses are not compatible with the VS cameras
with integrated filter wheels. The standard VS range is provided with
a C-Mount thread by default.
The Artemis Capture application
The camera comes with a simple and easy-to-use application
called “Artemis Capture”, which provides basic functions for image
capture, display and camera configuration. Images can be saved in
‘fit’ (Flexible Image Transport) or ‘tif’ (Tagged Image File) formats for
further processing and analysis.
The camera can also be controlled with an ImageJ plugin available
free to download from the Support page of www.artemisccd.com:
http://www.artemisccd.com/uploads/DOCS/imagej-plugin.zip
Page 3
Using the camera and software for the first time
It is assumed that OEM integrators will wish to develop bespoke
software using the SDK available here: http://www.artemisccd.com/
uploads/DOCS/artemissdk.zip
The following instructions for Artemis Capture will provide initial
images with a minimum of effort.
After loading Artemis Capture, you will see this screen:
Operation is straightforward. The top window shown in the image above
controls the way the image is displayed. These settings only affect the
display, not the data in the image itself. The middle window controls exposure
duration, Delay before exposure, Preview toggle, Binning
(Asymmetric if required), ROI start coordinates, ROI size (default is CCD
resolution), Full Frame button (resets ROI to full resolution) and Auto
save toggle. You can leave most of the settings at their default settings.
Page 4
The bottom window controls the Peltier Cooler and Temperature
Set-point (where applicable).
Note: If a green rectangle representing the image area does not appera, the camera connection has not been detected by Windows.
Disconnect and reconnect the camera accordingly.
Hint: The green rectangle can be re-sized in the display (Zoom) by
using the scroll wheel on a mouse.
The above image shows the main menu and tool bar. From left to
right, the tool bar buttons are:
Shutter: Initiates an exposure with duration as specified in the
Exposure window
Loop: Toggles the loop exposure on/off. Useful for focusing and
capturing sequences
Exposure: Toggles the Exposure window on/off
Display: Toggles the display window on/off
Cooler control: Controls the camera cooler and temperature (on
supported models)
Page 5
Cooler control (supported models)
All cameras apart from The QS03, QS14,
QS50 and TS20 support Set-Point
cooling. Those which do not will always cool to
the maximum capability of the design. For the
lowest noise long exposure imaging, cooling
should always be turned on with a Set-Point
below 0˚C. Artemis CCD Cameras cooling
ability is specified as a temperature delta.
The ability of each camera design to reach
the set point depends on the current ambient
temperature. Press ‘Warm Up’ to return the
camera to ambient under controlled conditions.
The first image
A bias frame may be acquired at any time with the CCD sensor
completely covered and a short exposure (0.001s) selected. With
a suitable lens attached, set to a mid-point f-stop and appropriate
focussing distance, an initial image may be taken.
Focussing
By toggling the Preview mode and clicking
the Loop button, the camera will continuously
acquire images at the highest frame rate possible
for the model and sensor selected. This enables
real-time adjustment of the exposure settings and lens
focussing to quickly arrive at the optimum settings for the
application. Note, to acquire the lowest noise
images, Preview should be off.
Page 6
Display Options Window
This window allows the way in which the 16-bit
image is mapped to the PC’s display. Using
these sliders, the 65536 brightness levels can
be compressed into a range which can be displayed on a computer monitor. When the Auto
stretch box is checked, the white and black
levels are adjusted to display a useful range of
grey scale on the monitor. Note that the settings
in this window only affect the way the image is
displayed, not the data in the image itself.
The scrolling wheel on a mouse will also control the zoom feature.
Page 7
Auto save Imaging
All models can automatically save images in sequence when
exposing in Loop mode. The VS14 can take up to 24 frames per
second (8x8 binning) and store them in uncompressed 16-bit format
on a standard hard disk drive.
In order to operate in high-speed mode, the following steps must be
taken:
• check the ‘Pre’ check box in the Exposure dialog
– this enables the fast download mode;
• set the exposure time in the Exposure dialog
– note that high frame rates require short exposure times;
• check the Auto save Images check box in the Exposure
dialog;
• enter a suitable folder and file name prefix in the text box
below the Auto save Images check box (or use the browse
button alongside it);
• select a suitable suffix scheme from the ‘Seq fmt.’
drop down list;
• enter your desired starting sequence number in the
‘Seq No.’ text box;
• start imaging by selecting the Camera/Loop menu
option or else by clicking on the Loop toolbar item;
• stop imaging by deselecting the Camera/Loop menu
option or by clicking on the Loop toolbar item again.
Please ensure that the hard disk has enough space
for the proposed run time – in high-speed mode disk space
gets consumed very quickly! Performance will be improved by
minimizing the number of other processes running on the system.
If the frame rate appears reduced by hard disk performance
limitations, it may be improved by using a solid state hard drive.
Page 8
External Control
On cameras that support this feature such as those in the VS Range, the
trigger port diagram is displayed below.
By making use of the SDK, the camera may be controlled remotely
with the shutter being released via 3V logic. Exact configuration can
be customised and the user is encouraged to contact Artemis CCD
Ltd to discuss their particular requirements.
The signal available on pin 6, Exposure Output will be seen either as
a 200ms step to Vcc or in Overlap mode, 50ms.
Exposure Output, Normal
Exposure Output, Overlap
Page 9
Page 10

0.8

Lens compatibility, C-Mount &
F-Mount (with adaptors)
Current consumption (A) at
12V DC (max)
Electronic shutter - no moving parts


Operating environment 0˚C to 35˚C
Humidity < 80% (non-condensing)






350


350


0.8

9



400


0.8

5






-25

400


1.0

4






-30

400


1.0

5






-25


400


1.0

5






-30


FS50
400


1.0

5






-25


FS60
400


1.0

5






-25


FS92


2.5

6






-35


















800



2.5

6






-35




800



2.5

6






-35




800



2.5

6






-35


VS14 VS20 VS28 VS50
800
350


0.8

9










FS28
Weight g


0.55

5









FS20

400

0.8

3









QS03 QS14 QS50 FS14
External trigger
Read-out speed: 2 - 12 MPixels/s
400
4
Read Noise (e-) at -10˚C (Typical)
5

16 Bit digitising
Case option for improved cooling

ROI - Region of Interest

4


Windows & Linux compatibility
-27


3
Regulated Cooling Δ from T(amb) ˚C


2
Exposure Control 0.001s - 24 hrs
USB 2.0 Interface
1
9.2 MPixel CCD
Asymmetric binning
(unlimited in Y axis)
1
6.0 MPixel CCD

1
5.0 MPixel CCD


1
2.8 MPixel CCD


1
2.0 MPixel CCD
Binning 2x2, 4x4, 6x6, 8x8
1
1.4 MPixel CCD
TS20
Unregulated Thermoelectric Cooling
1
Note TS14
0.325 MPixel CCD
Feature
Camera Specifications


800



2.5

6






-35




800



2.5

6






-35


VS60 VS92
Notes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Monochrome or Colour available.
Exposure may be reduced to1μs with the SDK
Extended cooling with case option to -30˚C / -35˚C
MAC OSX drivers in development
VS Range acquisition speed is 6MPixels/s from 2014
Page 11
Declaration of Conformity
EU Declaration of Conformity.
This product carries the CE Mark in accordance with the related European Directive. CE Marking
is the responsibility of:
Perseu, SA
R. Dr. Agostinho Neto, 1D
2690-576 Sta Iria da Azoia
Portugal
Critical Applications.
This product is not designed for any “critical applications”. “Critical applications” means life
support systems, medical applications , connections to medical devices, commercial
transportations, nuclear facilities or systems or any other applications where product failure could
lead to injury to persons or loss of life or catastrophic property damage.
This product is not a toy.
This is a class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause radio interference in
which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.
Disposal of the camera
When no longer required do not dispose of this electronic device with general household waste. To minimise pollution and protect the environment the camera should be
recycled. Local recycling drop off points available under the Waste from Electrical and
Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations which will accept the camera. For further
information contact Perseu SA at the above address, or the shop from which the camera was bought.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
Modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s authority to
operated the equipment under FCC rules.
Page 12
Warranty
The equipment is guaranteed against defective design, manufacture or
materials for a period of one year from the date of purchase This means that
Artemis CCD Ltd will repair or replace the equipment at its sole option, at no
charge to the purchaser for parts or for labour, if the fault is reported within the
guarantee period, provided however that Artemis CCD Ltd is able to duplicate
the defect or problem at its facilities. This warranty does not apply to damage
that occurred as a result of abuse or misuse, abnormal service or handling,
damage which may have been caused either directly or indirectly by another
product, or if the equipment has been altered or modified in any way, or if the
damage was caused by repairs or service provided or attempted by anyone
other than Artemis CCD Ltd. This warranty does not include or provide for
incidental or consequential damages.
To exercise your rights under this warranty, you must return the equipment to the dealer from whom it was purchased (or Artemis CCD
Limited if purchased directly) together with proof of purchase and a clear
description of the fault. If it’s not possible to return the equipment to your
dealer, you should contact Artemis CCD Ltd. Equipment returned to Artemis CCD
Ltd must be sent in appropriate packaging and at your expense (insurance is
recommended), together with proof of purchase, a return address and a clear
description of the fault.
This does not affect your statutory rights.
Page 13
www.ArtemisCCD.com