Port Setup
Apogee parallel port cameras are designed for use on bi-directional or ECP parallel ports. They will not work on ports that are using EPP or SPP modes. To determine which mode is currently being used, start by looking in the Windows "System Properties." Right-click the "My Computer" icon on your Windows 9x/NT desktop. Choose "Properties" from the menu. Click the "Device Manager" tab in the "System Properties" window. Click the plus sign ("+") beside "Ports (COM & LPT)" (see illustration). Bi-directional (PS/2) and standard (SPP) ports are called "Printer Port," whereas an ECP port is called "ECP Printer Port."

If the Windows Device Manager lists your printer port as ECP, follow the instructions under the next section (INI File Setup). If the Device Manager lists your port as "Printer Port," you will not know if it is set up as bi-directional or standard. The short route is to proceed with the installation and assume the port is set up as bi-directional. If the camera cannot be initialized, or if it cannot produce an image, see the Trouble Shooting section at the end of this document.

INI File Setup
To initialize the camera, the camera-control software (MaxIm DL, CCDSoft, etc.) needs a camera INI file. Apogee camera INI files are included with each camera, on a diskette labeled "Apogee Initialization Files." If you cannot locate the INI file diskette, you may download an INI file from the "Apogee Initialization Files" page. Copy the correct INI file for your camera (the camera model is part of the file name; e.g., AP7P.INI) into the program folder of the software you are using. (NOTE: Kestrelspec comes with its own INI files with additional parameters; do not use Apogee INI files with Kestrelspec.) In most cases, no changes to the INI file are necessary. However, the following parameters may need to be edited (use Notepad.exe):

base=378

The INI files for Apogee parallel port cameras have a default base address of 378, which is the typical base address of a computer's primary parallel port (LPT1). If you install the camera on a second parallel port (e.g., LPT2), or if the parallel port in your computer is set to some other address (e.g., 278, 3BC), set the "base=" parameter value in the INI file to match the base address of the parallel port you intend to use.

ecp=OFF

The default for the ECP parameter is "ECP=OFF". Use the default setting only if you can select bi-directional or PS/2 mode in your computer's BIOS. If your computer BIOS does not have bi-directional or PS/2 modes for the parallel port, select ECP or ECP/EPP mode and then set "ECP=ON" in the camera INI file. If the parallel port is in ECP mode and the INI file has ECP=OFF, you may get a loopback error when initializing the camera.

c0_repeat=1

This parameter is for extended cable length. Use the default value of 1 unless your cable length is over 60 feet. The value of "c0_repeat" may be increased by increments of 1 for cable lengths over 60 feet, if data dropouts appear in the images. In most cases, off-the-shelf sections of 25-foot parallel port cables (with male-to-female connectors) can be placed between the camera and the computer. For long cables, the cable may have to be of high quality. We have tested cameras up to 500 feet using twisted-pair, shielded cable.

Trigger Port Operation

Optional trigger operation using parallel port cameras requires a second pigtail cable at the camera end. This cable is provided by Apogee Instruments at no charge when triggering is requested at time of purchase. The trigger port cable has a 9-pin (female) DSUB connector. The pinout for this connector is as follows:

Trouble Shooting

Loopback Error

If the camera cannot be initialized by the software, you will get a "loop back error" message. This message has several causes.

1. Check the cable connections
First, verify that the camera is connected both to the parallel port and to the power supply. Next, verify that the power supply is powered on (camera fans should be running). If the power supply was not plugged in, unplug the camera from the parallel port, plug in the power supply, then plug the camera back into the parallel port and re-initialize the camera in the software.

2. Check the INI file
Be sure that you are using an INI file with the "P" designation (such as "AP7P.INI"). INI files without the "P" designation do not contain the parameters necessary for parallel-port cameras. Also, see next step.

3. Check the software

Parallel-port cameras are the newest in the Apogee line. Thus, early versions of camera-control software may not be using the DLL for parallel port cameras. Contact your software vendor to obtain the latest version of their software. The best way to tell if your DLL is outdated is to do a search for the file "Util32.dll" on your computer. If this file is not found, your software needs an update. MaxIm DL users should make sure "Parallel Port" is selected as the "Interface Type" in the "Setup Apogee" window (see illustration at right).

4. Check the port's properties
A loopback error may also be caused by an incorrect base address in the INI file. The default base address in the camera INI files is 378. The base address of your computer's printer port may be different. Check the printer port's properties by looking at the system properties as described in the previous section, "Port Setup". In Device Manager, click the plus sign ("+") beside "Ports" and then double-click the printer port (LPT1). Click the "Resources" tab and note the "Setting" value beside the first "Input/Output Range." In the illustration at right, the base address is 378. This address may be 278 or 3BC on your computer. Make sure the "base=" parameter in your camera's INI file has the correct base address for your computer's parallel port.

Also, if the parallel port is operating in ECP mode, the "Printer Port Properties" will indicate so by listing the port as "ECP Printer Port (LPT1)." If it is an ECP printer port, the camera INI file should have "ecp=ON" or else you will get a loopback error upon attempting to initialize the camera.

5. Check the port
Sometimes a second parallel port is installed on a computer and the camera may be plugged into the wrong one. The Windows System Properties can be helpful here, too. If the camera did not initialize and you discover that two ports are listed under System Properties, look at the resources of both ports. Change the camera INI file's base address to match the other port, then try to initialize the camera again.

6. Check the BIOS
Another possible cause for a loopback error is the port type. If your port is using standard mode (SPP), the camera will not initialize. It will not be easy to tell whether your port is using standard or bi-directional mode from the Windows Device Manager. The computer's BIOS is the best source of information about which parallel-port mode is currently being used. However, getting into the computer's BIOS (or "setup utility"), navigating through it, and exiting is not straightforward. There are many different kinds and it is difficult to give instructions that fit all computers. What follows is an attempt to address as many of the issues as possible.

WARNING!! Be very careful about making changes to the BIOS. Make a note of what each setting is before you change it! If you are uncomfortable with entering the BIOS, call a friend or technician who is more familiar with making such changes before attempting to make them yourself.

In most systems, you can press the "Del" key during bootup (usually about the point where the memory check is occurring) to enter the BIOS setup. Sometimes, a message is displayed saying "Press DEL to enter setup." If you wait too long to press the "Del" key, you may have to press "Ctrl+Alt+Del" (three keys together) to restart again. On some computers, the hot key to enter setup is not "Del" but rather "F1" or "F2" and on still others, you must press a combination of "Ctrl+s" or "Ctrl+Alt+Esc." If there is no documentation for your BIOS, you may have to try all of these possibilities until you are successful. If all else fails, click the Start menu on the taskbar, select "Programs" and search the list of folders for one containing the brand name of your computer (e.g., "Toshiba Utilities") and select "Hardware Setup" (or something similar).

When you are able to enter your BIOS setup, the parallel port details are usually listed under "Feature Setup" or "Integrated Peripherals." You may have to search through all the menus until you find "Parallel Port" or "Onboard Parallel Port." Navigation on some computers is done by mouse, while on others, you use the arrow keys to highlight a menu and then press the "Enter" key to open the menu, and press "Esc" to close a menu. Look closely to find key stroke instructions for your BIOS. Likewise, within a menu, use the mouse or press the arrow keys to highlight changeable parameter values (i.e., to select ECP or PS/2 mode). In some computers, press "PgUp" and PgDn" to change a parameter value. Other computers pop out a menu if you press "Enter" after highlighting a parameter value. When you change a value press "Esc" to accept the change and exit the menu.

The BIOS setup utility will usually allow you to change the parallel port (LPT1) base address (378, 278, 3BC), the IRQ (typically 7), and the mode (SPP, EPP, ECP, ECP/EPP, PS/2, Normal, Bi-directional). It is not necessary to change the base address or IRQ. We are only concerned with the mode. If your computer has a "Bi-directional" or "PS/2" setting, select it. Some newer computers have a "Normal" setting that may also be bi-directional. Use one of these settings if they exist. Otherwise, choose ECP (or ECP/EPP). The camera will not work with SPP or EPP modes. Also, our tests have shown that, on some computers, if bi-directional (or PS/2) and ECP (or ECP/EPP) settings exist, the camera may not work in both modes. Use ECP (or ECP/EPP) mode only after trying bi-directional or PS/2 settings.

After making the change to the BIOS, look for the instructions to exit and save settings. Typically this is done by pressing the "F10" key and then "y" followed by the "Enter" key to confirm. Some computers will save and exit when you press "Esc", without confirmation or warning. So it is wise to make a note of the settings before you make any changes in the BIOS!

When Windows boots after the BIOS change is made, double-check the port in your system properties. Sometimes Windows will not automatically change the printer driver when the parallel port mode has merely changed. For instance, if your computer had a standard "Printer Port" listed in Device Manager and you changed the BIOS setting from SPP to ECP, check to make sure Windows installed the "ECP Printer Port" driver (the port in Device Manager should say "ECP Printer Port") when Windows boots up. If the driver does not appear to have changed, highlight the printer port in Device Manager and click the "Remove" button. Then go to the "Start" menu, choose "Shut Down," then "Restart." When Windows reboots, it should automatically find and install the correct printer port driver. NOTE: If you change the port to ECP mode, remember to edit your camera INI file and change "ecp=ON". If the port mode is ECP and the INI file has "ecp=off" you will get a loopback error upon attempting to initialize the camera.

"Camera Error -1" and "Camera Error 65535"

1. Check powerup sequence
These messages, which occur after what starts out as a normal exposure, are most likely due to an improper power-up sequence. Some computers must have the camera powered on before connecting it to the parallel port. Unplug the camera from the parallel port and unplug the power supply from the AC power source. Plug the power supply back in (camera fans come on), then plug the camera cable back into the computer's parallel port. Reinitialize the camera in the software. NOTE: This sequence is only necessary when plugging in the camera. If the camera stays connected to the parallel port, you do not have to unplug and plug the cable in again when powering up the computer.

2. Tighten down connector screws
Another cause of this camera error can be loose cable connections, causing a communication error between the computer and camera. Make sure all screws on the cable connectors are tightened down, both on the camera head and on the parallel port.

Temperature Control Issues

1. The software reports a maximum temperature of 13 C, but my ambient is higher
The camera temperature reporting scheme by the software is limited to a certain number of bits. To make sure enough bits are available to regulate at the lower temperatures, the higher temperatures have been cut off at about 13 degrees C. This also explains why the temperature appears to hold steady for several minutes when the cooler is first turned on. The actual temperature must ramp down to about 13 degrees before the reported temperature can reflect a change.

2. The camera temperature climbs by 3 or 4 degrees during an exposure
This is seen mostly with earlier versions of MaxIm DL CCD. Contact Cyanogen Productions for an upgrade of the CCD module.