The purpose of the RBU is to boost power to the camera shutter and thermoelectric cooler over long cable lengths. If the boost unit and its power supply are not connected to an ISA-bus card that has been configured for remote boost operation, the camera's shutter and cooler will not operate.

NOTE: The RBU is designed for camera operation at up to 250 feet. Long cable length may require changing the "cable=" parameter in the camera INI file. See the initialization files Readme.txt to determine if the cable length you are using will require a change to the camera's INI file.

Connecting the Cables
When the RBU is purchased with a camera, the ISA-bus camera-controller board is configured for remote cooling and no changes to jumpers on the board are necessary prior to installation. However, if you purchased the RBU separately from your camera, you will need to change the jumper settings on your ISA-bus camera-controller board. See the instructions later in this document on Local/Remote Operation to make sure the ISA-bus board jumper settings are correct before powering up the system.

With the computer turned off, plug the male end of the long cable into the 37-pin connector of the ISA-bus card that you installed inside your PC. Plug the other end of the long cable into the male connector on the RBU. Plug the male end of the 10-ft. cable into the RBU, and then plug the other end into the CCD camera head. Connect the power supply unit to a 110V AC power source with surge protection. Preferably, this power source should be the same one to which the computer is conected. Make sure the on/off switch on the RBU is in the "off" position and then plug the 5-pin connector of the power supply unit into the 5-pin connector on the RBU. Be sure to tighten down all cable-connector screws at the computer, the boost unit, and the camera head.

Powering Up
When the cables have been connected and the connector screws are tightened down, turn on the RBU and then turn on the computer. The camera-conrol software may report an error if the computer is turned on before the RBU.

Although it may require another extension cord, it is recommended that the computer and the RBU's power supply be plugged into the same power outlet, as shown in the illustration above.

If your CCD camera is not a permanent installation, follow the order of these instructions each time you set up the camera. For permanent installations, it is only necessary to remember to turn on the RBU before powering up the computer and camera. The camera will not operate correctly if the power supply is not connected or if the switch is not turned on. To avoid risk of damage to the electronics, never disconnect or turn off the RBU while the camera is operating.

Local/Remote Operation
The PCAM3 ISA-bus controller board can be configured for local (direct connection using a single cable up to 50 feet long) or remote operation (connection with a longer cable through the RBU and power supply). In order to make the change between local and remote operation, there are 2 jumpers on the ISA-bus controller board that must be moved on jumper blocks A, B, and C shown in the illustration below. CAUTION: IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE COMPUTER BE TURNED OFF WHEN CHANGING JUMPER SETTINGS. DO NOT POWER UP UNTIL THE JUMPER SETTINGS ARE CORRECT.