Flir ThermovisionMDSeries Operators Manual

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CHAPTER 5Optional Joystick Control 
Unit (JCU)
JCU Introduction
A FLIR JCU, commonly used with M-Series or Voyager III pan/tilt cameras, can 
optionally be used to control the MD-Series camera. It can be used to 
electronically zoom the camera, adjust the image settings, and access the 
on-screen menus. 
This chapter describes how to use the JCU to operate the camera features. Some 
of these features vary depending on the specific way the system has been 
configured. The various configuration settings and how they affect operation are 
all discussed in Chapter 3, "MD-Series System Configuration," on page 15. When 
specific settings affect a particular button,  it is possible to refer to that chapter for 
additional details.
FLIR Joystick Co ntrol Unit (JCU)
A JCU can optionally be installed and used to control the camera. The JCU can 
be used to change the image settings or to zoom the camera, and to configure the 
camera by means of on-screen menus. The JCU connects to the camera using an 
Ethernet network connection. The JCU receives power through a Power over 
Ethernet (PoE) connection, the same type of connection that can be used for the 
camera.
The JCU has various buttons, an LCD displa y, and a joystick puck that is used to 
navigate through the on-screen menus. The puck can be rotated in either 
direction, moved left and right or forward and back, and pushed in (like a button) 
and pulled up. 
Because the JCU is originally designed to operate a FLIR pan/tilt camera, some 
JCU buttons have no effect  on the MD-Series camera.
Joystick Control Unit 
						

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JCU Buttons
All of the buttons on the JCU perform multiple functions. In most cases, each 
performs one function when it is presse d briefly (short press) and a different 
function when it is pressed and held (lon g press). This flexibility enables a simple 
device to support a set of complex, rich features. 
In the following discussion, the short press action is described first, followed by 
the long press. In addition, enabling some system features can affect how the 
buttons work. Table 5.1 on page 43 summarizes the two actions for each button.
Power/DIM Button
Short Press
A short press of the Power/DIM button  cycles through the four levels of 
brightness for the JCU display. The JCU co ntrols are backlit to make them easier 
to see at night. Use this button to adjust the brightness of the JCU backlighting. 
Long Press
Pressing and holding the Power/DIM button is used to access the JCU Power 
menu and accessing system functions  such as calibrating the JCU and 
associating the JCU with a camera. These functions are described in more detail 
on “JCU Power Menu” on page 46.
MENU Button
In many cases, it will not be  necessary to modify the factory default configuration 
settings of the system. Ho wever, the system provides many options that may be 
tailored to personal preferences. These  settings are available through on-screen 
menus. Use the MENU button to turn these menus on or off. 
Note: The MENU button does not have a press and hold action. 
Puck
Power/DIM Display
Home
Scene User
Menu
Color 
						

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Each menu item is discussed in detail in Chapter 3, "MD-Series System 
Configuration," on page 15, which explains how to navigate using the menus in 
more detail. 
When the on-screen menu is displayed, the  joystick puck can be used to navigate 
through the menus and select various menu entries. Use the puck to move the 
cursor up and down from one selecti on to the next (the puck can be moved 
forward and back, or it can be rotated). To make a selection, push the puck in (like 
a mouse click) or move the puck to the  right or left. Once satisfied with the 
changes, press the MENU button to exit the menus. 
USER Button
The USER button is a programmable one-touch button that lets you quickly 
access the most common or favorite sett ings or functions. You configure the 
short-press action of this button from the User Programmable Button menu entry 
(see page 20).
Short Press
A short press of the USER button is initia lly configured to invert the video polarity 
setting from white-hot to black-hot. It is  possible to choose from a number of other 
options.
Long Press
Pressing and holding the USER button displays the on-screen menu for 
programming the button. The menu can also be accessed by pressing the MENU 
button and then scrolling down to th e User Programmable Button entry.
SCENE Button
Short Press
A short press of the SCENE button cycles through four p automatic gain control 
(AGC) settings, which change the image gain and level settings:
• Night Running
• Night Docking
• Day Running
• Man Overboard
The MD-Series automatically adjusts to changing scene conditions to provide a 
high-contrast image that is optimized for most conditi ons. The p AGC settings for 
each scene have been optimized to offer  the most balance and high quality image 
for specific conditions. Which setting to  use depends on personal preference and 
environmental conditions. 
Night Running
Day Running
Night Docking
Man Overboard 
						

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You may like the way the Night Docking setting looks, even though you are 
running on open water during the daytime. Experiment with the different settings, 
and find out for yourself which settin gs works best in different conditions.
Long Press
Not used with the MD-Series camera.
COLOR Button
Short Press
Pressing the COLOR button switches the thermal camera video display. The way 
the button works depends on the setting of Enable (Disable) Color Thermal Video 
(see page 18).
• When Color Thermal Video is disabled, pressing the COLOR button lets you  choose between white/black or  red/black display options. 
• When Color Thermal Video is enabled, pressing the COLOR button cycles  through five p color palettes.
The default color scheme is  white/black. Since the equipment is often used at 
night in the darkness, some users may prefer the red-hot image to help preserve 
the user’s night vision. Based on personal  preferences, one of the other color 
settings (or color palettes) may be chosen as a default.
Note: The USER button is configured to in vert the video polarity setting by 
default, so it changes the infrared imagery from white-hot (red-hot) to black-hot.
Long Press
Press and hold the COLOR  button to calibrate the thermal came ra, also called 
flat field correction. This process can im prove the quality of the thermal image by 
recalibrating a more uniform output.
HOME Button
Short or Long Press
The Home button has no effe ct on the MD-Series camera. It is generally used 
with other FLIR cameras that have pan/t ilt capability to return to the home 
position.
Special Button Functions
It is possible to use combinations of  buttons to perform a few additional less 
common functions. 
JCU 
Occasionally it may be necessary to  t he JCU. Simultaneously pressing and 
holding the MENU and USER buttons ca uses the JCU to . Unplugging and  
						

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plugging the Ethernet cable will also cause the JCU  to lose power temporarily and 
. When it s, it will reacquire a network IP  address and display connection progress 
messages on the display.
Global Standby
Note: The MD-Series does not have a standby mode, so this option is only of 
use if you have other camera systems installed. 
When the system is put into global standby, all cameras (that are capable of 
standby mode) and JCUs found on the network are placed in standby mode at the 
same time. This function is used to pr operly shut down all cameras and JCUs 
prior to removing power  with the system breaker. 
While this option can be selected from the JCU Power Menu, pressing and 
holding the SCENE, COLOR, and HOME bu ttons at the same time will also put 
the system in standby mode. 
Display JCU IP Address
If you press the COLOR button while push ing the puck, the IP address of the JCU 
displays on the JCU screen.
Button Summary
Table 5.1 summarizes the action of each button on the JCU.
TABLE 5.1  Summary of Button Actions
Button Action
COLOR Short Cycle through thermal color options
COLOR LongCalibrate thermal camera
DIM Short Change JCU illumination level
DIM LongDisplay JCU Power Menu
HOME Short No effect
HOME LongNo effect
MENU Short  Display or exit menus
MENU LongNo effect
SCENE Short Cycle through four p scenes
SCENE LongNo effect
USER Short Invert Video Polarity (can be reprogrammed)
USER LongDisplay User Programmable Button menu entry
MENU + USER  the JCU
HOME 4X the camera 
						

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JCU Puck
The JCU puck functions like a joystick and can be moved left or right, forward 
and back, and rotated in either direction. It can also be pushed in (like a mouse 
click) or pulled out. The puck movement is translated to camera control signals, 
to zoom in and out, or to freeze/unfreeze the video. 
In addition to controlling the camera, you use the puck to navigate through the 
on-screen menus and select the options you want. Push the puck forward and 
back to move up and down in the menus and push the puck in (click) to select a 
menu item.
Zooming the Camera
By default, push the puck in and hold it 1 second to turn on 2X electronic zoom 
on the IR camera. Push and hold for 2 seconds for 4X zoom (M-625 model). Pull 
up on the puck to return to 2X zoom and pull again to return to no zoom. The 
screen icon changes to indicate the settings.
It is possible to change this so that y ou zoom in by twisting the puck clockwise 
(zoom in) or counterclockwise (zoom out). 
Freezing an Image
To momentarily pause the IR video and freeze the current image on the screen, 
double-click the puck (press it in twic e quickly). The freeze icon displays. Any 
SCENE + COLOR + HOME
Initiate global standby (only for non-MD-Series cameras 
on network)
COLOR + PuckDisplay JCU IP address
TABLE 5.1  Summary of Button Actions
Button Action
Normal View 2X Zoom
4X Zoom 
						

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other action with the JCU (moving the puck or pushing a butt on) will unfreeze the 
image.
JCU Display
The JCU display area generally shows the ID of the camera that the JCU is 
connected to. It also shows various JCU status messages, and it shows the 
countdown ( 3, 2, 1, 0 ) to access the Power Menu when the power button is 
pressed and held. The Power Menu displays on the LCD so it is possible to 
choose various standby modes. 
See “JCU Power Menu” on page 46 for details about using this menu.
JCU Power Up and Connection to Camera
For installations that use a JCU, when the JCU receives power, an amber light on 
the Power/DIM button will come on. When the Power/DIM button is pressed,  the 
JCU will search for came ras on the network. 
Troubleshooting Tip:  If the JCU does not have power, it may be connected to a 
Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch that has not been powered on, or it may be 
connected to a network switch that does not provide PoE power.
The JCU LCD screen displays  Starting, then Searching... W hen the last-
used camera is found, the message changes to  Connecting..., which 
continues to flash until the connection process completes. 
Important : Fully establishing a connection may take up to a minute. Please be 
patient while the system verifies each component. 
If this is the very first time the JCU has  been used to connect to the camera, it is 
necessary to first associate the JCU  with the camera. See “Assign JCU” on 
page 46 for how to do this. The Assign func tion can be used to choose a different 
camera when using a single JCU to control multiple cameras. By default the JCU 
connects to the last-used camera.
Troubleshooting Tip : if the JCU does not discove r a camera, check to make 
sure the JCU and the camera are connected to each other over the network or 
directly with a single cable.
When the camera is fully connected, the  Connecting... message on the JCU 
display is replaced by the camera name such as  MD-625 K01234. This 
information blinks briefly to  indicate the connection is final, and then remains on 
the screen to indicate an  active camera/JCU connection. The camera will now 
respond to the JCU buttons.
JCU powered on with backlit  display and buttons 
						

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JCU Power Menu
The JCU is more sophisticated than many joystick devices; in fact it has its own 
microprocessor and is capable of communicating with other IP devices on a 
network. To aid in the control of the system, the JCU has an LCD display that 
shows JCU messages, menu options,  and general status information. The 
various JCU functions are accessed from a set of menus, with each menu entry 
selectable in the JCU display.
When the camera is powered on, pressing and holding the Power/DIM button 
causes the JCU to display the Power Menu. Use the JCU puck to scroll up and 
down within the menus (push forward and back or twist), and select an entry by 
pushing in (clicking) the puck or pushing it to the right or left. When the JCU is in 
the Power Menu mode, the other JCU buttons such as HOME, COLOR, SCENE, 
and USER are disabled.
In the JCU display, a down arrow (v) indicate s it is possible to access additional 
menu choices by moving the puck down or by rotating the puck clockwise. An up 
arrow (^) indicates the last menu entry is  displayed, and the other choices must 
be accessed by moving the puck up or by rotating the puck counterclockwise. A 
double arrow indicates it is possible to move up or down in the menu.
The Power Menu displays the following menu options:
Power Menu
Assign JCU
JCU Stndby
Camera Stndby
System Stndby
Global Stndby
Calibrate JCU
Cancel
Power Menu
Power Menu displays when you enter the menu. Use the puck to scroll down 
through the other menu options. To exit  the Power Menu, scroll down to the 
Cancel entry and push the puck.
Assign JCU
Use the  Assign JCU  function to assign a JCU to a camera. When the Assign 
JCU entry is selected, the display prompts the user with  v Select Camera. 
This indicates it is possib le to scroll down with the pu ck to select a camera to 
control. When the ID of the camera you  want to use displays, press the puck to 
select it. The camera ID will blink moment arily to indicate it has been selected.
JCU Stndby
When the JCU Stndby  option is selected, the display momentarily shows 
Goodbye  and then the backlit controls and the display are turned off. The JCU  
						

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buttons and puck will no longer control the camera. The Power/DIM button 
remains backlit as long as power is supplied to the JCU. To power up the JCU 
again, press and hold the Power/DIM button.
Camera Stndby
Note:The MD-Series camera does not have  a standby state and will ignore any 
standby commands from a JCU or other control point.
This option is not used with the MD-Series cameras. The  Camera Stndby 
option  is used to put a camera (such as an M-Series) into the standby state. 
The JCU display will prompt  the user to select a camera to control.
System Stndby
When the System Stndby  option is selected, both the JCU and the camera 
asso ciated with it (if other than an MD -Series) are placed in standby mode.
Global Stndby
When Global Stndby  is selected, all discovered cameras and JCUs found on 
th e network are placed in standby mode (except for MD-Series cameras, which 
do not support this option). This function  is used to properly shut down all 
cameras (return to stow position) and  JCUs prior to removing power with the 
system breaker. 
Note: Global Stndby  displays as an option only
 
 when multiple JCUs or 
ca mer

as are found on the system.
Global standby can also be achieved by pressing and holding the SCENE, 
COLOR, and HOME buttons in unison.
Calibrate JCU
Calibrate JCU  is used to standardize the movements of the JCU puck. This 
function might be used, for example, if  the camera responds at a different rate 
when the puck is pushed left rather than right, or when the puck is twisted in one 
direction compared to the other. The JCU display directs the user to move and 
twist the puck in certain ways so  the device can be calibrated.
After entering calibration  mode, you will be instructed to  move the puck to the 
maximum extent possible in each direction separately. After that has been done, 
pressing the puck moves to  the next step. For example, Rotate CW/CCW 
requires rotating the puck clockwise to the  full extent possible, and then rotating 
counter clockwise to the full extent possibl e. When both directions are completed, 
press the puck to continue. 
						

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Cancel
The Cancel  option causes the JCU to exit th e Power Menu and return to its 
normal state. 
Changing the IP Address of the JCU
The JCU communicates through the Ethernet  IP protocol just like the MD-Series 
camera does. Each JCU is configured  by default to obtain an IP address 
dynamically from the system. Like t he camera, the JCU can be discovered 
automatically. Refer to the previous ch apter for information about using UPnP.
On the JCU, the IP address is displayed  by pressing the COLOR button and puck 
at the same time. The IP is displayed  for 3 seconds and then the display returns 
to the camera name or other the state it was in before the IP request was made. 
On networks with specific requirements,  you may need to assign the JCU a static 
IP address.You do this using steps similar to the way you changed the camera IP 
address:
1.Determine the JCU IP address by pressing the COLOR button and puck at the 
same time. The IP address displays on the JCU screen.
2.Type the JCU IP address followed by “/in dex.html” into the address bar of the 
browser. For example: http ://169.254.108.37/index.html.
The JCU control page displays, with a picture of the JCU.
3.For Network Addressing, select Static.