Introduction
Congratulation and thank you for getting the dolphicam2! This document is the user manual for the dolphicam2 ultrasound camera platform. The dolphicam2 ultrasound NDT platform consists of a Black Box (BB) and a wide range of Transducer Modules (TRM) with different frequencies and coupling materials. dolphicam2 is delivered integrated with a Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 where the Black Box is attached to Toughpad by an x-frame.
We appreciate your feedback on the user manual, so you find that you are missing any information, or anything is unclear in the user manual, please contact dolphitech support.
Please Read Before Use
Please read this page and section “Important Safety Information” carefully before using your dolphicam2!
Intended Use
Dolphicam2 is designed for non-destructive testing of materials.
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WARNING
DO NOT use dolphicam2 for any purpose other than its intended use. In particular, DO NOT use dolphicam2 to inspect or examine human or animal body parts! |
Transducer Technology
The dolphicam2 platform has a transducer with 128 transmitting electrodes x 128 receiving electrodes creating a 2D array of 16384 elements over the 32×32 mm transducer (16 elements/mm2), capable of detecting very small defects. dolphitech delivers transducers with different frequency and coupling material (delay line). View the chapter about Transducer Modules to see what we can offer.
The transmitting electrodes cross the receiving electrodes in a 90° angle. In between the transmitting and receiving electrodes, there is a piezoelectric material that generates the ultrasound.
To collect a pulse-echo-signal from a transducer element, a 70V pulse is excited on the transmitting electrode creating a sound field along the entire transmitting electrode, hence across all the receiver electrodes. The ultrasound goes through coupling and/or material and the reflected pulse is sampled on only one receiver electrode. Hence, the sampled pulse only represents one transducer element, which is the cross between the transmitting and receiving electrode.
Ultrasound Visualization
An ultrasound visualization image is based on ultrasound reflections. The figure below shows an illustration of ultrasound reflections with a dolphicam2 transducer module. The dolphicam2 transducer has 16384 transducer elements. Each element works as a speaker and microphone. When a transducer element sends ultrasound, it travels through the coupling medium and into the material to be inspected.
Whenever the sound meets a material with different impedance, the sound is reflected. The different acoustic impedance in the materials influences how much is reflected.
The most common damage/void can be air, where typically more than 99% of the sound wave is reflected. The figure shows two reflection cases, where one has a reflection from the back wall of material and one where the reflection is from a void. Both cases have a penetration echo that occurs between the coupling medium and NDT material.
In the back-wall reflection case, you can see that the reflection comes later, but in the void reflection, the reflection is earlier. The amplitude of the reflections depends on sound attenuation in material as well as distance travelled for the sound beam.
How IS A-scan PERFORMED
Each transducer element gets an electronic signal that is digitalized and represented in an A-scan.
How IS B-scan PERFORMED
B-scan is created by many A-scans put next to each other represented by 1D-Array of transducer elements and shows you a cross section of the material you are inspecting. The B-scan is generated using a color scale, where high amplitude values are given one end of the color scale. In image below, you can see a B-scan where high amplitude values have the color white, and lower amplitude values are dark. In a B-scan you can view the depth of the reflections, hence the depth of voids or damages.
How IS C-scan PERFORMED
The C-scan amplitude image is created from the maximum amplitude of all the B-scans in from your transducer and gives you a view of looking directly into your material from the inspection side. For dolphicam2, you can imagine that your picture is based on the maximum amplitude value of 128×128 A-scans (16384). Each amplitude value is given colour from a colour scale.
C-scan Time-Of-Flight
The C-scan time-of-flight image is created from the time-of-flight value of the maximum amplitude of the A-scans from your transducer and gives you a view of looking directly into your material from the inspection side. The colours of the image show you the depth of the reflection or void. As with the amplitude C-scan, you can imagine that your picture is based on the time-of-flight value of the maximum amplitude of 128×128 A-scans (16384). Each time-of-flight value is given colour from a colour scale.
3D Image
The 3D images are based on the time-of-flight values but can be presented both as 3D amplitude image or 3D time-of-flight image. The 3D image gives you an excellent visualization of your damage.
3d time of flight (TOF)
3d amplitude (AMP)
Overview
In The Box
- Pelicase
- NDT sample
- Box with a screwdriver for USB-C cables
- USB – Software for PC/Toughpad
- Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1
- Charger with US, UK, EU adapters
- Transducer Module(s) – (TRM)
- Black Box – (BB)
- X-frame with table-stand
Transducer Module
Transducer Module is powered by Black Box and must, therefore, be connected to either T1 or T2 to operate.
The button on the transducer module works as click-to-scan and click-to-stop.
A LED shows the status of the transducer module.
TRM LED COLOR STATUS
TRM LED COLOR STATUS | DESCRIPTION | STATUS |
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No light | Not powered |
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Red blinking fast | Error / Power, but not ready |
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Green Still | Ready / Idle |
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Blue blinking slow | Scanning |
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Green very fast blinking/flickering | Firmware is updating |
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White very fast blinking/flickering | Error: TRM runs on factory image |
A USB-C cable is plugged into the Transducer Module USB-C connector, under the lid. The cable handles power, communication and data to Black Box. The connector should be fastened securely by tightening the screw. Use a flat screwdriver (in the box) for easy tightening. The cable should not be disconnected/removed unless service is required.
Black Box
- dolphicam2 Black Box status LED
- Charger LED
- Charger input
- On/Off push button
- Ethernet
- USB-C 3.0 (for cable from Black Box to PC / Toughpad)
- USB-B 2.0 host
- SS (short for: )USB-C 3.0 (connetion between Toughpad and Black Box (nr 6).
- Transducer module input 2 (USB-C)
- Transducer module input 1 (USB-C)
- 2 x DSUB for Encoder or GPIO (I/O 1, 2)
black box LED STATUS
LED COLOR/STATUS | DESCRIPTION | STATUS |
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No light | Not powered |
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Red Still | Black Box USB3.0 not ready |
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Green Still | Black Box USB3.0 ready |
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Blue Still | Black Box in undefined state* (or Firmware being updated) |
Battery status black box
LED COLOR/STATUS | DESCRIPTION | STATUS |
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No light | Not charging |
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Orange Still | Battery charging |
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Green Still | Battery fully charged |
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Red Still | Battery charging error** |
POWER BUTTON LED STATUS
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No light | dolphiCam2 Black Box off |
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Green Blinking | Black Box powering up |
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Green Still | Black Box ON |
Connector Black Box Table
BLACK BOX CONNECTORS | DESCRIPTION |
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DC charger input. DC charger input should be 12V (+/- 10%). Reverse polarity protected. Maximum DC input current is 2.33A |
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Ethernet port RJ45 (Gigabit Ethernet). Used for data communication and data transfer. Reserved for future use. |
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Transducer Module 1 connector (USB type-C). Ultrasound digital data transfer and communication between the transducer module (TRM) and black box (BB). |
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Transducer Module 2 connector (USB type-C). Ultrasound digital data transfer and communication between the transducer module (TRM) and black box (BB). |
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USB 3.0 type-C connector to Toughpad/PC USB3.0 port. Ultrasound data transfer and communication between dolphicam2 black box and host GUI Software on Toughpad/PC. |
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USB-B 2.0 type-B connector. Max 5V, 500mA. Reserved for future use (for example external dongle devices like wi-fi and Bluetooth). Reserved for future use. |
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Encoder & GPIO connector 1 (DSUB-9) Used for Encoder Input. Can also be configured as General-Purpose-Input-Output (GPIO) 5V TTL. View GPIO chapter for GPIO pin configuration |
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Encoder & GPIO connector 2 (DSUB-9) Used for Encoder Input.Can also be configured as General-Purpose-Input-Output (GPIO) 5V TTL. View GPIO chapter for GPIO pin configuration. |
Encoder / GPIO Pinout
By default, the I/O ports are configured to be compatible with typical encoder systems (view encoder chapter for specific recommendations).
However, the I/O ports can also be configured to be used as general-purpose input/output signals, such as alarm triggers, interrupts, and serial data interface (SPI, I2C, etc.). In addition to 5V and GND, there are 5 GPIO’s for each connector. Hence, you have 10 input/outputs for general purpose signals. Please contact dolphiTech for desired functionality for the GPIO signals.
Pin | Encoder Configuration | GPIO Configuration |
1 | 5 Volt from Black Box | 5 Volt from Black Box |
2 | GND | GND |
3 | Encoder Channel A | Input / Output |
4 | Encoder Channel B | Input / Output |
5 | Encoder Index | Input / Output |
6 | Not used | Input / Output |
7 | Not used | Input / Output |
8 | Not connected | Not connected |
9 | Not connected | Not connected |
Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1
dolphicam2 is delivered bundled with a Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 that runs on Windows 10. Panasonic Toughpad is not under dolphitech warranty. For service, support and warranty related to the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1, please contact Panasonic:
In case of a hardware problem on the Panasonic Toughpad device please contact our Helpdesk at toughbooksupport@eu.panasonic.com or you can create your own account on our service portal where you can register the product and also see warranty status, service status if a service case has been created, see attached Toughbook Service Cloud Introduction pdf.
Link to our Full Terms and Conditions for Toughbook and Toughpad Standard and Extended Warranty, including repair process, contact details and what is covered by the warranty. The included Warranty is covering the EU/EEA* countries. *Also Switzerland
Installing Software
The Panasonic Toughpad has a version of the dolphicam2 software installed upon delivery. The software will check for updates automatically when connected to the internet. For manual checking for update, you can check HELP->About->System Info -> Check for Software Updates. Click/touch “Install update” to start the installation.
If your Toughpad is never connected to the internet, contact dolphiTech support to get access to an installer that you can put on a USB memory stick to do the installation. In this case, double-click/touch on the installer to start the installation.
Read the dolphicam2 license terms by clicking/touching on the link.
Check the “I agree to the license terms and conditions” and click/touch install.
Follow the instructions for installation and wait for successful installation window.
dolphicam2 GUI Software is now installed!
Get Started with dolphicam2
The setup of the equipment is very simple and explained below:
- Connect all cables
• The USB cable to ToughPad (or PC).
• The USB cable to BlackBox input “USB3.0 PC”
• Transducer Module cable to BlackBox input “T1” or “T2” - Boot the Toughpad
- Boot the BlackBox
- Start GUI Software
• On ToughPad, press the button with dolphiTech Logo.
• (Or on desktop double-clicking/touching on dolphicam2 logo.) - GUI detect black box and TRM
Wait for the GUI to detect the BlackBox and TRM.
Green marks should appear, and the Transducer Module LED should be green.
- Apply Contact Gel or Water To your material if necessary.
- After booting up the SW GUI should jump to inspection window, If not hit in GUI and Activate Transducer Module
- Push the scan buttonto stream ultrasound images
- (Blue LED). And you are ready to inspect!
To freeze your image, push the scan button again to stop live ultrasound scanning.
If this is the first time you use your Transducer Module on the ToughPad, a reminder of calibration is prompted. It is important to calibrate system before use. See instruction under Calibration chapter. After setup and calibration, your dolphicam2 SW GUI should now look something like the picture below.
GUI Overview (User interface)
Navigation Tabs: Files, Inspection, Help and Home
The system has three tabs:
in addition to
which acts as a home button and takes you to the quick start screen.
Menu:
Depending on which tab that is active, the left-hand menu will change accordingly.
SUBMENU:
The GUI has a top-level menu that takes you to either FILES, INSPECTION, or HELP.
The dolphicam2-logo works like a HOME button an takes you to the home window.
For further reference: in step-by-step explainers, we might use the following graphics to refer to:
HOME TAB
SUBMENU:
Submenu active
Submenu
SUB MENU ITEMS:
For buttons:
TABS / TOP Menu & HOME
HOME TAB (Quick Start)
dolphicam2logo acts like a “Home button” brings you to the home portal. For release 1.1, this contains the quick-guide startup instructions.
FILES TAB
The files tab contains the
You can load a user-defined configuration simply by clicking/touching on the button with configuration name. This brings you directly to the inspection view with the chosen user configuration. Saving/storing configuration settings are described later in the user manual. By clicking the open button, you may open files from other sources such as external USB drives etc.
You can load previously saved full matrix data sets. The files will be open in the inspection window, and it will be possible to apply gating, thresholding and image settings like color focus and color palettes.
Rename and deleting of files in the File window
You can rename and delete your settings and full matrix capture data file from the files window. Click on the pen icon(on top right corner of file name) to rename/edit the file name and click on the trash can icon(on bottom left corner of file name) to delete the file.
IMport and open File
Under the Open button in Files window, you can import and open a settings or Full Matrix Capture data file from external storage into the dolphicam2 library. If you try to import a file with same name as another file in the dolphicam2 Files window,a dialog box asking permission to overwrite the file will be prompted.If selected ‘Yes’,the file will be overwritten.
Import one or more Files
This feature can be used to import multipe files into the dolphicam2 library for easy access during inspection.During import, if the destination already contains file/files with same name it is wise to rename it in the source location and then import,else a dialog box asking permission to overwrite the file will be prompted.If selected ‘Yes’,the files will be overwritten.
Note: In the title bar of the software,an ‘*’ sign will appear across the settings file name if the user makes any changes to the settings of the loaded settings file.These changes will not be saved under the selected settings file.
Load Settings | SETTINGS
If you have saved setting used on the same or similar NDT application, you can load the settings simply by clicking on the button with name. E.g:
This loads all previously saved settings(TRM, BB and User Interface) and opens the inspection tab.
Click to read how to save settings.
Open or import settings
If you click you may open files from other sources such as external USB drives etc.
FMC Data
You can load previously saved full matrix data sets. The files will be open in the inspection window, and it will be possible to apply gating, thresholding and image settings like colour focus and colour palettes.
By clicking the Open-button you may load data sets from other sources such as USB-drives etc.
INSPECTION Window
The inspection tab is where you do the actual NDT inspection. The dolphicam2 settings and functionality are accessible from the inspection tab and several sub-menus. This is described in detail in the dolphicam2 Functionality chapter.
Help TAB
In the HELP tab, you will find the submenus: About and Support.
About
The About tab contains System Info and System Status.
System Info window
The System Info windows contain TRM/BB model, serial number, Software/Firmware version etc. You can also check for Software updates her by clicking . If a new version is found, follow the steps in the installation chapter. A Software update might include firmware update as well, which means several processors in TRM and BB will be updated. If so, the firmware version detected will be displayed in red text. Simply click and wait until you get a window saying successful update.
System Status
The System Status window shows information about:
- Battery level
- Charge status
- Battery Voltage
- Battery Current
- Battery Temperature
- USB Current
- Encoder Current
- TRM Current
- TRM Power Mode
License Info Window
Shows the dolphicam2 license terms
Support
In the Support window, you will find a link to this user manual.
ANNUAL CALIBRATION
The examination and analysis of the state of the transducer used can be done through this functionality. The steps for Annual calibration are described in the Annual Calibration menu window. The calibration file created can be sent to DolphiTech for checking.
dolphicam2 Functionality
Inspection TAB Overview
Settings MENU
(Earlier referred to as Configuration Segments)
In the INSPECTION tab the submenu is made out of all the settings you can adjust in the dolphicam2 systems.
Settings controller
(Earlier referred to as Configuration GUI)
Once you have selected which settings you want to modify, the settings controller shows up at the bottom right corner in User Interface.
Battery LEVEL & Status Indicator
The battery icon shows what the battery level of dolphicam2 is, and if the system is charging or not.
BB & TRM Connection Status
A green dot on the black box (BB) icon, indicates that the BB is booted, ready, and connected to host (Toughpad) – otherwise, the dot is red.
A green dot on the transducer module (TRM) icon, indicates that the TRM is booted and connected to the BB.
Views
dolphicam2 user interface has many different views that enable you to show only the ultrasound images/visualisations you need. This gives you flexibility at the same time as you can simplify your view for a certain inspection.
ABC (T)
This view shows A-scan, horizontal B-Scan, vertical B-scan and C-scan time-of-flight.
ABC (A)
This view shows A-scan, horizontal B-Scan, vertical B-scan and C-scan amplitude.
All
This view shows all possible ultrasound images: A-scan, B-scan horizontal/vertical, C-scan amplitude and C scan time-of-flight, as well as a 3D view which you can choose from amplitude or time-of-flight. Whenever using this view, we recommend expanding to get large enough images.
This is done by clicking the expand button in the top-right corner of GUI.
The settings menus are then hidden.
B (V) B-Scan Vertical Only
This view shows the B-scan Vertical only.
B (H) B-scan Horizontal Only
This view shows the B-scan horizontal only.
C (T)
This view shows the C-scan time-of-flight. There is also an A-scan view at the bottom which enables you to do gating by clicking/touching directly in the A-scan. Gating is described in another chapter.
C-Scan AMplitUDE | C (A)
This view shows the C-scan amplitude. There is also an A-scan view at the bottom which enables you to do gating by clicking/touching directly in the A-scan. Gating is described in another chapter.
3D Time of Flight (TOF)
This view shows the 3D image based on the time-of-flight values. You can select between 3D displayed in amplitude colors, or time-of-flight colors.
3D Amplitude (AMP)
This view shows the 3D image based on the amplitude values. 3D can also be displayed in time-of-flight colours.
C-SCan Time Of Flight and Amplitude (T + A)
This view shows both the C-scan amplitude and C-scan time-of-flight. Also here there are A-scans under the C-scan to enable gating by clicking/touching directly in the A-scan. Gating is described in another chapter.
Stitch
This view shows the ultrasound image of a larger stitched area. Select what kind of stitching you wish to perform. And adjust settings and control for the stitching. Read more about stitching.
Color Scale and Focus
The colour scales show you the colours used in the C-scans. For C-scan amplitude, the colour is spread out from 0-100%. For C-scan time-of-flight, the colour is spread out on the depth of your scan (selected under coverage). By default, the colours in colour palette are spread evenly over 0-100% in Amplitude images (C-scan and B-scan), and over the complete depth in time-of-flight images.
By using the colour focus sliders in the top and bottom of the colour scale, it is possible to compress the colour scale over a selected amplitude span or depth-span. This is a very good technique to get clearer contrasts in your images if your reflected pulses are less than 100% of the dynamic amplitude range, or if the depth of your scan is larger than detected reflections. The combination of a certain colour palette and colour focusing can help you extract certain damages/defects in your inspected material.
Functions/Buttons APendix
Button | Name | Short description |
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Activate TRM | Turns the TRM on or off |
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Save |
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Screenshot | Takes a screenshot of what you are viewing. |
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Reset settings | This resets your settings to default. |
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Disables Measurements | Disables other measurement buttons and enables setting the C-Scan reticle/cross hair position for selecting A-Scan and vertical and horizontal B-scans. |
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Zoom In | Allows you to Zoom while you are stitching |
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Zoom out | Allows you to Zoom while you are stitching |
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Pop out active C-scan | Allows you to Zoom while you are stitching |
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Clear canvas | Use especially for stitching. This removes all part in current stitching view. |
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Amplitude C-Scan | Activates Amplitude Visulisation. |
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Time-of-flight C-Scan | Activates Amplitude Visualisation. |
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Make report | |
Reset SETTINGS
By pushing this button will bring you back to the Transducer Modules (TRM) default settings. Each TRM comes with it´s set of default settings for that specific TRM type (e. g: TRM-DB-9.00MHz). When dolphicam2 GUI is started. This default setting is a good starting point for you to start the inspection.
Save Files
The save button has multiple functions assigned to it, depending on the option you may want. You may:
- Select and then
to save the current settings on your system locally - Select and then
to export settings to a device of your choice (e.g USB) - select and then
to save the current full data set to your system locally. (see the section on full-frame data set).
Fully described step by step in the following topics.
Save Settings
By clicking this you save the current settings of the TRM, Black-Box and GUI of the system. The settings are saved to a file so you can load them quickly the next time you need the optimal setting for a certain NDT application. You find your saved settings by navigating to the:
- Click save:
- This dialogue should open:
Give this setting a name. - Make sure is selected
Before you select
Now the settings are stored in the Files window.
To load settings navigate to:
Select the settings you want to load.
Save Settings As
- Click save:
- This dialogue should open:
- Make sure is selected
- Select
By clicking the “Save As” button you can save the current settings to a destination of your own choice, for example, save settings to USB-stick.
Save Full Matrix Capture (FMC)
- Click the save button
- Select
- Select
- Now The HDF5 file will be saved under menu
FILES -> FMC DATA
By selecting the “Data”-button in the Save dialogue, you can save the current full frame data set to a file. The file is in HDF5 format. This is convenient if you want to open the file for further analysis later. If there is no data set in memory (you are doing a live scan or have not received any data yet) the “Data” button is disabled.
When clicking “Save” the file will appear under the FILES->Data menu.
Save FMC DATA As (EXPORT]
By clicking the you can save the Full Matrix Capture current data set to a destination of your own choice, to open in another tool that supports HDF5 file formats (Matlab/Octave etc.).
Take Screenshot
The button takes a screenshot of your current view and saves it as a picture file (png, tiff, bmp, jpg). Choose the destination of your picture and give it a name. In addition, all settings used for this image is saved, to be presented in the report (see the next chapter, “Save Report”).
MAke Report
All the screenshots that have been taken with the “Save Screenshot” button since you started the dolphicam2 software are collected in a list together with their respective settings for report creation. When you click “Save Report”, a save dialogue opens and you can save the document to the desired destination on your computer or USB drive.
If Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer is installed on the computer, the report will open automatically. If neither of these programs are installed, a warning dialogue opens telling you that no suitable application was found for the document.
After creating the report, the image and settings list is cleared, ready for a new report.
The report is very basic and works as a container for all the data saved during your inspection. You need to fill in your own text and inspection specific data. All measurements done during an inspection are visible in the respective screenshots.
Example Report
Scan TRM | Activate TRM
The GUI scan button does the same thing as the physical button on your transducer module (TRM). It makes it easy to operate the TRM from the Software in cases you are not holding the TRM. The physical scan button and the GUI scan button works smoothly together, so you can start a scan with one of them, and stop with the other.
Expand View | FUll-screen View
The expand button simply hides the top menu and settings menu and expands the ultrasound images. The different views and the function/measurement buttons are still available. To disable expanded view, click/touch on the same button (arrow in button has changed direction).
Normal View:
Expanded View:
Measure Buttons
dolphicam2 software comes with several measurement tools for both B-scan and c-scans. Each measurement button will hide any other active measurements, except for the Reticle measure button which can be activated independently of other measurements.
Disable Measurement
Adjust the position of B-scan inside C-scan
You can choose where in the C-scan you want the B-scan cross sections by clicking/touching (moving) the cross-hair inside C-scan.
- Click the disable measurement button
- When the button is black
You may adjust horizontal and vertical cross-section for B-scan (as shown in the illustration)
The disable measurement button turns off all measurements and enables you to set your B-scan crosshair inside C-scan, and enables you to change gating in the B-scan Vertical by clicking/touching inside the B-scan. View Gate chapter for functionality description of gating.
Rectangular Measurement Tool
Rectangular measurement button puts a rectangle overlay on the C-scan. The rectangle can be moved by click/touch-hold-drag inside the rectangle, and you can change the size by click/touch-hold-drag on the edges or in the corner. Rectangle measurement numbers show up on the right side under measurement buttons.
The measurement panel for rectangular measure tool contains the size and dimensions of the rectangle drawn over the C scan. Fine adjustments to the dimensions of the rectangle can be made using Width and Height controls in the panel.
Rectangle measurements:
• Width
• Height
• Area
Circular Measurement Tool
Circular measurement button puts a circular overlay on the C-scan. The circle can be moved by click/touch-hold-drag inside the circle, and you can change the size by click/touch-hold-drag on the edge of the circle. Circular measurement parameters show up on the right side under measurement buttons.
Circular measurements:
• Diameter
• Circumference
• Area
Drill Hole Measurement Tool
When the user selects a drilled hole measure tool, the measurement panel displays the damage size, drill hole dimension and circumferential damage of the drill hole. The drilled hole dimension and the circumferential damage can be adjusted using both the measurement panel and touch-hold-drag over the drill hole tool in the C Scan. The measure tool can be set into the position of the drilled hole by using the control circle.
Line Measurement Tool
Line measurement button enables you to put line overlays on the C-scan and B-scan. You apply the length by click/touch-hold-drag. The line in C-scan shows you the length and can be moved in any direction, while the line in B-scans only can be moved vertically or horizontally, and shows you the depth and/or width of what you are measuring.
Linear measurement:
• Length
• Depth
C-scan measure points
C-Scan measure points button enables you to put up to 10 individual markers in your C-scan image to measure the depth in mm/inches/mils and amplitude in % at each point. You add a point by touching/click anywhere in the c-scan. Then you can move that point around by touch/click and hold and drag. You can remove the marker by touch/click on the marker without holding. The measurement values of the depth and amplitude correspond to the colour values of the C-scan and will change depending the gating and thresholding applied. That means that we measure the distance and amplitude of the point that has the highest amplitude within the current gate(s) that’s above the threshold for that gate (see the chapter on gates and thresholds). The depth measurements will also change if you change the delay parameter (see the chapter on delay)
C-Scan measure point:
• Depth
• Amplitude
C-scan Focus measure point
The C-scan focus measure point allows you to toggle on and off measurements for the current C-scan focus (cross-hair) position. This measure point can be applied independently of all other measure buttons.
C-Scan Focus measure point:
• Depth
• Amplitude
Full Matrix Capture
When pushing the scan button (hardware or software) to stop scanning, a full matrix data set of the last frame is sent from the Black-Box to the computer. This means that you can select B-scans and A-scans using the C-scan focus tool, create new C-scans by adjusting gates and thresholds, adjust depth (from zero to the depth of the captured data set), and change colour focus and colour palettes on the frozen image on the screen. It is also possible to save this data set and its current settings to file, as described in section 8.4.4.
overview Settings for INSPEction:
All the settings for inspections are group into 5 main menus:
- Transducer
- Coverage
- Signal Image
- Userprefences
- TRM Calibration
- Stitching
Transducer menu
The Transducer menu contains settings for Pulse Length, Gain and TCG, Transmitting Elements and Average.
Gain AND TCG
Analog Gain AND Time Corrected Gain
Setting | Input |
Gain (Analog Gain) | -40dB to 0dB
Max gain is 0dB |
TCG (Time Corrected Gain) | 0 dB/µs to 10 dB/ µs
TCG is enabled by GUI button click/touch TCG will stop at 0dB gain. |
Gain increases the amplitude of your signal, but also the noise level. The analogue gain and the Time Corrected Gain can be set using this menu and adjusts gain in the analogue front-end electronics in TRM. If the TCG option is disabled, the analogue gain controls the gain for the whole duration of the A-scan. If the TCG option is enabled, the gain can be increased during the A-scan with a slope that can be adjusted with the input controls. The TCG range is from 0 dB/µs to 10.0 dB/µs. If the total gain (analogue + TCG) reaches more than 0 dB during the A-scan/B-scan depth, the gain will remain at 0 dB for the remaining part of the A-scan/B-scan.
By clicking on the detailed button, the TCG slope of the A-Scan can be adjusted by adjusting the blue points on the A-Scan signal in the Detailed TCG window. The TCG gain level of individual points is visible on the top of the detailed window. The number of TCG points on the detailed TCG window can be increased/decreased using the resolution control. The TCG window can be docked and undocked on your tough pad screen.
Tx ElemEnts(Aperture)
Setting | Input |
TX ELEMENTS(APERTURE) | 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 |
This controls how many transmitting electrodes that are active for each of the 128 transmitting lines. The available values are [1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32] active electrodes. A higher number of electrodes gives a higher energy ultrasound pulse than a lower number of electrodes. Transmitting on more than several electrodes creates a focused area under the centre of the electrodes where the ultrasound energy is higher in the middle at a certain depth-range. Transmitting on many electrodes (16, 32) will create a wider beam in the near field where your C-scan image might stretch out the object in one direction. Increasing transmitting elements is a great way to increase signal amplitude without increasing noise. Hence, increasing signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR).
Example of 4 Transmitting elements:
SIGNAL Averaging
Setting | Input |
Average | 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 |
This setting controls how many times the signal pulse for each transducer element is averaged. Hence, how many times you shoot a pulse, record signal, and add them together. The transducer module will transmit and record the set number of times for each element, and the result will be the average from these data sets. A higher number of signal averaging will result in lower noise levels, but also fewer frames per second.
Transducer Pitch
The pitch of a transducer is the spacing between the centres of the individual elements. The default pitch between two transducer elements is 0.25mm. By changing the pitch neighbouring elements are grouped together resulting in larger transducer elements, which will give more penetration into the sample along with an increased frame rate. This functionality is useful to view composite materials such as GFRP (Glass Fiber).
Pulse length
Setting | Input |
Pulse Length | 5,00ns – 630ns
Resolution is 1/200MHz (5,00 ns) |
This setting controls the length of the high voltage pulse that goes into the transducer and generates the ultrasound. The setting has a range from 5,00 ns to 630 ns. Each transducer type has an optimal input pulse to obtain a wide frequency range with high amplitude. Therefore the system detects the TRM type (example TRM-BA-2.25MHz) and sets this optimal input pulse. However, the pulse length can be modified to manipulate the signal and frequency content of the ultrasound. The pulse has a certain rise-time and fall-time which depends on the load of the transducer. Typically rise/fall time is around 6-9ns.
Coverage menu
The Coverage menu has the settings for Delay, Depth, Velocity, Gate, Capture Method.
Delay
Setting | Input |
Delay | 1.00µs – 81.90µs |
Delay is the time between the start of the transmitting pulse and the start of the sampling of data. This will typically be set to a fixed value for each transducer type, depending on the type and thickness of the coupling pad. Delay can be adjusted so that your penetration echo (echo between coupling and material for inspection) occurs at 0mm. Other cases where you want to adjust delay is when you use a coupling shoe/wedge or water-box.
Range
Setting | Input |
Range | 0mm – 126mm (velocity-dependent) |
This setting controls the depth of your inspection, hence how long each A-scan/B-scan will be and the depth in which your C-scan is created from. The default depth is set according to what transducer type you have as the thickness of your coupling sets when your second echo from coupling occurs.
Velocity
Setting | Input |
Velocity | Manual (100m/s – 20000m/s) Pre-configured speed list: Aluminium, 6320 Brass, 4280 Copper, 4600 CFRP (Carbon Fiber), 3070 GFRP (Glass Fiber), 2740 Glass, 4540 |
This setting adjusts the velocity in the material to inspect and influences the depth scales and measurements in the Software. The value can either be set manually by clicking/touching or writing the correct value or can be selected from a pre-defined list of know material with the corresponding Velocity.
Gates/Threshold
A C-scan image is based on the maximum values from all the 16834 A-scans. The depth of your inspection is set in Depth setting. Within this depth, the start gate and end gate set the depth range of which the maximum amplitude values are selected for creating the C-scan image.
The easiest way to set the start gate and end gate is to click/touch/touch directly in the B-scan Vertical image.
If you want more accurate control of the gating, you can adjust the settings at the bottom right.
The amplitude C-scan and time-of-flight C-scan has separate gating which is chosen by clicking/touching/touching the “Amp Gate” or “ToF Gate” button.
There is also a lock button that locks the relative distance between start gate and end gate and you can move this locked range up and down in depth by adjusting Start. You can change the width of the gate by adjusting width up and down.
Threshold
In addition to gates, it is possible to adjust the amplitude threshold for the creation of C-scans. This means that only A-scan values that are above the threshold value within the gate are selected for C-scan creation. The threshold can be adjusted by touching/clicking in the A-Scan view of C(T), C(A) and full views. Dragging the threshold line up (or up/down if A-Scan mode is full) applies the threshold. For fine adjustments, use the threshold control in the Gates/Threshold settings.
Multiple Gates
It is possible to select up to three individual gates for both amplitude and time of flight c-scan. Each gate has its own individual threshold that works only within the range of that gate.
To select more gates, you must select the gate settings (be sure that you are in the Inspection Tab, select Coverage Menu and Gates/Threshold menu item.
First select number of gates (1, 2 or 3) in the “Gates” option.
To adjust the individual gates or thresholds. Select the appropriate gate number in the “Select Gate” option.
Each gate can be locked, as previously described.
The figure below identifies the various gates and thresholds.
Gates/Threshold DURING FMC
When the system is in FMC data mode, either after stopping the scan, or loading from file, gate and threshold values are not updated continuously, as opposed to streaming live data. In the B-scan and A-scan views, the values are only updated on touch release/mouse button release. When adjusting gates and thresholds using the gate/threshold setting window, the changes are applied in approximately 1-second intervals. This is to avoid that the system becomes unresponsive due to the size of the data that needs to be processed by the computer CPU.
Transducer AREA
The user can change the area of a scan of the transducer in order to get a closer view of the sample being examined along with an increased framerate. For example, while inspecting drill holes in carbon fibre, it gives a closer view of the drill hole and the delamination area. There is a set of predefined transducer area that can be selected depending upon the required inspection area for the examination.
Capture method
Setting | Input |
Capture Method | Maximum Absolute Value
Maximum Positive Value Maximum Negative Value |
Capture Method controls whether C-scan is generated on maximum absolute value (max negative or positive), maximum negative value or maximum positive value. In many cases, the pulse is symmetric around zero, in which case the maximum positive and maximum negative value are the practically the same. This results that some cases that it is coincidental will choose between maximum negative versus positive. This causes inaccuracy in time-of-flight. In this case, it is better to choose either maximum positive or maximum negative value. In cases you know which polarity of your reflected signal is superior, you should select the corresponding capture method.
Signal and image
Under Signal & Image you can find the settings for; A/B Scan Mode, Color Palettes, and Image Filter.
A/B scan mode
Setting | Input |
A-Scan Mode | Full signal Absolute value of the signal Envelope of the signal |
B-Scan Mode | Full signal Absolute value of the signal Envelope of the signal |
This setting selects how the A- and B-scans are presented in the GUI. There are three ways of displaying the A-scan and B-scan; Full, Absolute and Envelope.
Full mode
Full mode displays the signal as it is. This gives you a detailed view and understanding in A-scan where the signal is symmetric around 0 %. This mode does not make as much sense in B-scan.
Absolute mode
The absolute mode takes the absolute value of the signal, hence there are no negative values. This still gives you some details of the signal behaviour.
Envelope mode
Envelope mode lays an envelope over the absolute maximum signal. This makes the interpretation in A-scan and B-scan easier.
Colour palettes
Setting | Input |
Color Palettes:
|
Jet Gray Gray Inverse Autumn Bone Winter Rainbow Ocean Summer Spring HSV Pink Hot |
This setting selects which colour palette to use in C-scan and B-scan Amplitude C-scan and B-scans share one palette, and ToF-C-scan has a separate palette. Which palette you adjust is controlled by clicking/touching the Amplitude or ToF button in Color Palettes menu.
Digital FIR filter
Digital filters are widely used in signal processing to remove or to keep certain components of the signal. The LPF allows the low frequency to pass and filters out the high frequency; in other words, all portions of the signal that change rapidly are filtered, such as noise. The scaling factor is used to scale the cutoff frequency of the filter. LPF smoothens out the rapid changes in the intensity of the pixels in an image. The low-pass filter affects the noise more than it does the image. By suppressing the noise, gradual changes can be seen that were invisible before. Therefore, a low-pass filter can sometimes be used to bring out faint details that were smothered by noise.
In dolphicam, we have different low pass filters for transducers with an adjustable scaling factor. We have low pass filters with cut off frequency ranging from 0.5 MHz to 11MHz. The default scaling factor is set to 1 for all low pass filters, that can be adjusted with the controls on the user interface.
Image filter
Setting | Input |
Image Filter (C-scan Amp & ToF) | None Gaussian Median |
Image Filter can be applied to both C-scan Amplitude and C-scan Time-Of-Flight. These are basic image processing filters from OpenCV.
Gaussian filter
Gaussian filter smoothens the image and reduces noise. Gaussian filtering is done by convolving each point in the input array with a Gaussian kernel and then summing them all to produce the output array.
Median filter
The median filter runs through each element of the signal and replace each pixel with the median of its neighbouring pixels.
Filters compared
TRM Calibration / NOrmalization
If your Transducer Module has not been used with your Toughpad (or PC) before, a system normalization is necessary. It is also a good habit to normalise the system before each new inspection. Normalization only takes a few seconds. This normalizes for amplitude variations between all 16384 elements in transducer as well as time-of-flight variations due to minor thickness variation in coupling pad.
If your TRM has not been calibrated on the Toughpad you are using, the Software will prompt a normalization.
Calibration only takes a few seconds. The calibration calibrates for amplitude variations between all 16384 elements in transducer as well as time-of-flight variations due to minor thickness variation in the coupling pad.
If your TRM has not been calibrated on the Toughpad you are using, the Software will prompt a calibration.
A calibration window is opened that tells you some important information before calibration:
• Make sure the transducer front is clean
• Point TRM front towards air
• Push the Calibrate TRM button
After this very first normalization, the normalization is done in the SETTINGS window under TRM Normalization menu . The normalization procedure is described in the TRM Normalization menu window. You can turn ON/OFF the normalization switch button and then click on Start normalization button at the bottom of the menu. Turning OFF the normalization button might be useful for R&D applications, but we recommend to never turning normalization OFF during NDT measurements.
The Normalization procedure is the same as described in the TRM Calibration menu window.
You can also disable both Time-of-Flight Calibration and/or Amplitude Calibration by clicking/touching the “Time of Flight Calibration/Amplitude Calibration” buttons. Disabling calibration might be useful for R&D applications, but we recommend to never disable calibration during NDT measurements.
User Preference
Under User Preferences, you can adjust settings for Measurement Unit.
Setting | Input |
Measurement Unit | Millimeters Inches Mills |
Measurement units are just to set your preference of what unit you want scales and measurements should be displayed in.
Stitching
Stitching configuration segment has the configurations; Two and One Axis Encoder Stitching, Manual Stitching, GridTool Stitching. The stitching functionality is to easily create ultrasound images that are larger than the transducer front end.
Note: The image filter is set to none, when using stitching mode. It can be manually reset to preferred image filter type if needed, but it will cause the corners of the image to be cut off. The image filter will revert to default/selected type when changed to other views.
Manual Stitching
Visual reference | Setting | Input |
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Height of your stitched image | Min: 32mm Max: 506mm |
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Width of your stitched image | Min: 32mm
Max: 506mm |
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A pattern for your stitching (how to move you TRM) | ![]() |
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Camera rotation in reference to dolphicam2 GUI | ![]() |
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Shortcut roll-down for pre-set stitching sizes | 106 x 106 mm
206 x 206 mm 306 x 306 mm 406 x 406 mm 506 x 506 mm |
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Overlap between the stitched C-scan (tiles). Number in parenthesis shows the distance from center-to-center of each C-scan (tile). This number can help you set a grid for your material inspection. | Min: -5mm
Max: +15mm |
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Clear Canvas | Button Click/Touch |
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Pop out active C-scan | Button Click/Touch |
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Switch between C-scan Time-of-Flight and Amplitude | Button Click/Touch |
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Zoom in/out in stitched canvas view | Button Click/Touch |
When inspecting a large predefined area, the easiest way of using manual stitching is to follow the scanning sequence that you set up. Just follow the numbering and active tile (red blinking frame) during your stitching. Click the dolphicam scan button to start scanning, when you are satisfied with your image (good coupling) click to freeze the tile and the active tile moves to next number in your scanning sequence. Repeat this until your entire stitched area is completed.
Step by step Manual Stitching
- Set the size of your area you will stitch, in one of the following ways:
- Select a pre-defined area in roll-down menu «Inspection Area»
- Adjust “Height” and “Width” using the +/- buttons.
- Click on the green arrows in the outline of your stitch area.
- Set «Tiles in View» to get a full overview over stitch area.
- Select the “Stitch Pattern” you want to do the stitch with.
- Set “Camera Rotation” according to how the camera is in reference to the Software GUI.
- Set the “Stitching Overlap” you have decided (default 6mm).
- Activate Pop-out window if desired (if stitch area is large, it is nice to see the enlarged pop-out).
The stitch sequence will be displayed for you. Whenever you click to freeze your C-scan image, the image moves to the next tile in your stitch.
To reset your stitching canvas, click/touch the clear canvas button. All your tiles will then be deleted, and scanning sequence is started over.
Each tile in the stitch is as big as the transducer front (32x32mm). The tiles overlap by 7mm (default), which means that the tiles (centre-to-centre) are 25mm apart. The stitching overlap can be adjusted in stitching window. The camera should be oriented in the same angle for each image taken (this is relatively easy). If your C-scan images are not perfectly aligned, simply move them around with click/tough-and-draw. You can also control the overlap on images by right-clicking (tough-and-hold) and selecting “Bring to front”, or “Send to back” (view the bottom image below).
Manual Stitching Tip
If you set your stitch overlap to 25mm (~1 inch) apart, you can prepare your measurement by marking your material for inspection with dots 25mm (~1 inch) apart in all directions, either by using a ruler or e.g. a silicon sheet with pre-cut holes in it. Using these predefined marks, you can easily aim at them using one of the lines in dolphicam housing. Doing this really simplifies and speed up your inspection.
Grid Tool Stitching
The dolphicam Grid Tool is a mechanical position device for the TRM that makes it easy and quick to inspect large areas. How to set up the Grid Tool is described in a separate manual.
The Grid Tool stitching in GUI works exactly like manual stitching, except that the overlap is fixed to 7mm so that each tile covers 25mm. Setup the stitching the same way as described in the manual stitching chapter. For each C-scan tile, click the TRM button to freeze the image, and the C-scan tile automatically moves to the next tile. Release the Grid Tool locking mechanism and move to the next tile according to your stitching pattern.
One axis Encoder Stitching
dolphicam2 is compatible with any common quadrature encoder systems like the ODI from JIREH, and the C-Clamp from Phoenix ISL.
The Encoder Stitching GUI is very much like the manual stitching GUI and Grid Tool stitching GUI.
Button/Referance | Setting | Input |
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Area of transducer used in stitching | 2.5 x 25mm 5 x 25mm 10 x 25mm 25 x 2.5mm 25 x 5 mm 25 x 10mm |
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Camera rotation in reference to dolphicam2 GUI | ![]() |
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Encoder type (sets counts/mm automatically) | ODI (16)
C-Clamp (32,8) Raster (200) |
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Counts per millimetre | Minimum: 1 counts/mm
Maximum: 300 counts/mm |
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The pattern for your stitching (how to move you TRM) | ![]() |
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Sets direction that GUI interprets encoder direction | Click / Touch |
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Sets which stitch lane you are operating | Minimum: 1
Maximum: 50 |
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Shows where in stitched canvas encoder/TRM is located | Displayed |
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Clear Canvas | Button Click/Touch |
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Pop out active C-scan | Button Click/Touch |
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Switch between C-scan Time-of-Flight and Amplitude | Button Click/Touch |
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Zoom in/out in stitched canvas view | Button Click/Touch |
Start by mounting the encoder system to the dolphicam2 TRM. If you use encoders like the ODI for JIREH, mark the stitching pattern you plan to do on your sample. Apply water or gel (or mixture) to allow smooth movement of TRM coupling. Follow the marked lines with TRM rolling the encoder wheel behind your TRM. For each lane, click the TRM scan button to freeze the image, and move over to the next lane. The Software GUI will automatically move C-scan to the next tile. This can be overridden if you need to redo any of the lanes. A good idea to get this stable is to put a long edge (like a ruler) along the marked line so the TRM can follow this edge.
TWO axis Encoder Stitching
This feature allows for movement of the encoder in both X and Y axis at the same time which makes the stitching more efficient for large surfaces.
Button | Setting | Input |
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Area of transducer used in stitching | 2.5 x 25mm 5 x 25mm 10 x 25mm 25 x 2.5mm 25 x 5 mm 25 x 10mm |
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Camera rotation in reference to the dolphicam2 GUI | |
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The type of the encoder connected to the I/O 1 port which corresponds to Y axis direction when using the encoder. | ODI
C-Clamp Raster |
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Count/unit of measure of Encoder type IO1 | |
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Enables the transducer to scan only in one direction corresponding to the motion of the encoder on the I/O1 . | Click/Touch |
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Sets direction that GUI interprets encoder direction in the Y axis. | Click/Touch |
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The type of the encoder connected to the I/O port 2 of the black box which corresponds to X-axis direction when using the encoder. | ODI
C-Clamp Raster |
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Count/unit of measure of Encoder type IO2 | Min 1 to max 300 counts/mm
Min 2.5 to max 762 counts/inches Min 0.025 to max 7.62 counts/mils |
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Enables the transducer to scan only in one direction motion of the encoder corresponding to the motion of the encoder on the I/O 2. | Click/Touch |
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Sets direction that GUI interprets encoder direction in the X axis. | Click/Touch |
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Swaps between X and Y axis of the encoders. | Click/Touch |
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Shows where in stitched canvas encoder/TRM is located | Displayed |
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Clear Canvas | Button Click/Touch |
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Pop out active C-scan | Button Click/Touch |
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Switch between C-scan Time-of-Flight and Amplitude | Button Click/Touch |
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Zoom in/out in stitched canvas view | Button Click/Touch |
Transducer Models
DolphiTech offers a range of 2D-array transducers with different frequencies. We can also offer custom made transducers with different size and frequency.
Transducers can be delivered with coupling pads (delay lines) manufactured to the transducer. If you have a transducer module without coupling, you can have replaceable couplings.
Please contact DolphiTech for updated transducer catalogue or for custom transducer designs.
FTD – Flexible Transducer Development
dolphitech can also deliver transducers in different sizes, resolution, shapes, frequencies, couplings. We can also modify the Transducer Module housing as well as software functionality. Please contact us for requests.
Technical Specifications
Total Weight (BB + TRM) | 1250 grams (2.75 lbs.) |
Transducer Module (TRM) Weight | 265 grams (0.58 lbs.) |
Transducer Module (TRM) Dimensions | 84 x 40 x 40 mm (3.3 x 1.57 x 1.57 “) (plus heat sinks) |
Black Box (BB) Weight | 985 grams (2.167 lbs.) |
Black Box (BB) Dimensions | 200 x 130 x 32 mm (7.87 x 5.12 x 1.26 “) |
Battery Power | Re-chargeable Li-ion battery pack (Fey PA-IEC-LNB162.R001) |
Power Supply | Mascot Type 3326-12 (Input: 100-240VAC, Output: 12VDC 2.33A) |
Battery Life | 5-6 hours of scanning Battery status info in GUI Software |
Communication | USB-C 3.0, USB-A 2.0, Ethernet (1GB/s) |
Transducer Ports | 2 x Transducer inputs (USB-C) |
Ports | 2 x Quadrature Encoder & GPIO (General Purpose In/Out) DSUB connectors |
Operating Temperature | 0˚C to +40˚ C (32˚F to 104˚F) |
Operating Temp with Degrading | -20˚C to +50˚C (-4˚F to 122˚F) |
Storage Temperature | -20˚C to 65˚C (-4˚F to 149˚F) |
Altitude | 2000 meters (6562 feet) |
Ingress Protection | IP66 |
Humidity | Maximum relative humidity 80% for temperatures up to 31˚C Decreasing linearity to 50% relative humidity at 40˚C |
EMC | EN61326, FCC part 15B, FCC part 18 |
Vibration and Shock | Mil-STD810G 516.6 |
Electrical Safety | IEC-61010-1:2010 |
Software & PC | Bundled with Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 Works on any Windows 10 platform |
Total weight of the integrated system: TRM + BB + X-frame + Toughpad |
3045 grams (6.7 lbs.) |
Accessories
Ultrasound Gel & Water
dolphiTech recommends using water or ultrasound gel or a mixture of gel and water to obtain good acoustic coupling between the transducer coupling and the material for testing. Water can be applied by a spray bottle. Mixing a small amount of gel in your water spray bottle creates a nice smooth stickiness that keeps the coupling material on the desired area.
An example ultrasound gel we recommend is ECO SUPERGEL. This gel is not hazardous or flammable and is safe to use. We also recommend mixing a small amount of water in your gel in a separate bottle to make a gel that is more liquidly. Typically, ultrasound gel on the market is not hazardous or flammable in any way and is safe to use.
Teflon Tape – Corner Pieces
Teflon tape is a very good material to either protect the coupling by covering the transducer front with Teflon tape or as corner distance pieces to enable the transducer module to slide easily while scanning. Contact dolphitech sales for Teflon tape recommendation or corner pieces.
Encoders AND STITCHING
Grid Tool
Grid tool is a dolphitech product for easy manual-mechanical stitching with both dolphicam1 and dolphicam2. Please contact dolphitech sales for a quote. The Grid Tool does not require any connection to the dolphicam2 system – the Software GUI easily sets up the stitching with Grid Tool (view stitching chapter under Software & Functionality).
Encoders x And Y tool
dolphicam2 has two encoder inputs and are compatible with quadrature encoder solutions. The connectors have screws on the side to safely secure the encoder connection.
Two recommended encoders that work well with dolphicam2 and can be ordered with Dolphcam2 connector are C-Clamp (Phoenix ISL) and ODI (JIREH). The Software GUI easily sets up the stitching with encoders (view stitching chapter under Software & Functionality).
C-Clamp – Phoenix ISL
(Image copied from Phoenix ISL C-Clamp data sheet)
ODI – JIREH
(Image copied from www.jireh.com)
Warranty
dolphitech AS warrants to the original purchaser of this unit, dolphicam2, sold by us and/or our agent, and all the parts thereof, to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service within the specified ratings and operating conditions. It’s obligation under this warranty is hereby limited to the repair or replacement of this unit, or part thereof, which is returned to us within one year after date of invoice, suitably packaged in the original container or equivalent and which shall prove, after our examination, to be defective under terms of above paragraph. No other warranty is expressed or implied. We are not liable for consequential damages. This warranty does not include the cost of transportation charges to and from the factory. The repair or replacement of this unit, or any part thereof, does not void or extend the original warranty. dolphitech AS reserves the right to discontinue this unit without notice, or to make modifications in design at any time, without incurring any obligation to make these modifications in units previously sold.
Panasonic Toughpad is not under dolphitech warranty. Please contact Panasonic for Support on this matter.
Service
Changing of cables can be done by user/operator. Any other service that requires opening or disassembling any parts of transducer module (TRM) or black box (BB), shall only be done by dolphitech-approved dolphicam2 service personnel and is forbidden for the user/operator of the dolphicam2 system. Any dolphicam2 equipment that has been partly or completely disassembled is not under warranty and dolphitech is not responsible for the safety for personnel doing this.
Cleaning and maintenance that can be done by the user/operator are described in the cleaning and maintenance chapter.
Cleaning and Maintenance
We recommend keeping the dolphicam2 system (both TRM and BB) clean for longer durability and to avoid system failure. All necessary cleaning and maintenance are described in this chapter.
Cleaning TRM & BB
We recommend cleaning BB and TRM housing if it is exposed to anything that may cause stains—such as dust, dirt, ink, paint or oil. Turn Off the BB and TRM as well as Toughpad and disconnect it from the Toughpad or PC. It is not necessary to disassemble the BB from Toughpad. Wipe it off/clean it with a soft, lint-free cloth moistened with mild soap water. Do not use solvents of any kind. Avoid getting dirt into openings. Don’t use aggressive cleaning products or compressed air.
Use air spray to remove dust and contamination from connectors and heat sinks on both BB and TRM. Connectors that are not in use should be covered with plastic caps that follows the BB system.
Cleaning the Transducer Front
Disconnect the TRM from the BB. Put a drop of mild dishwasher soap on the transducer pad and rub it gently with the tip of your finger. Dip your finger in water and rub on pad until soap is gone. Make sure the Transducer Pad isn’t scratched or damaged. Moist a soft, lint-free cloth with water and wipe off excessive water carefully.
Returning Equipment for Service & Repair
Before any product is returned for a repair you must have obtained a Return Material Authorization (RMA) from dolphitech. An RMA can be obtained using our e-mail address: post@dolphitech.com
The following is needed to get an RMA:
- Company Name / Contact / Address / Phone / email
- Product Type
- Product Serial number
- A copy of original sales invoice (for warranty validation)
- A description of the issue
To ship the product to us, you must complete the RMA with the RMA number obtained from dolphitech.
You must also complete a proforma invoice, include all the information requested and ensure that it is correct:
- Make sure that you clearly state that the goods are temporarily exported to Norway for repair!
- You can provide your own proforma invoice or get a partly complete Proforma Invoice here.
Make sure you include a copy of all shipping and export documents with the proforma invoice inside the freight box and make sure that the RMA number is clearly stated in the freight parcel. Equipment for repair or service should be sent to the delivery address stated in the Proforma Invoice. NOTE THAT THE DELIVERY ADDRESS FOR SERVICE ITEMS IS DIFFERENT FROM OUR BUSINESS ADDRESS!
Shipment of goods to dolphitech is at the Customers expense, who must always ensure that the shipment to dolphitech is prepaid. Note that freight insurance on repairs is not covered by dolphitech. You must make sure your goods are properly insured before shipping to dolphitech AS. We will not be held responsible if the instrument is damaged or lost while being shipped to dolphitech for repair.
If the instrument is repaired under warranty dolphitech will cover all return shipping and insurance costs.
The regulations and requirements covering the export and re-import of items sent for repair will vary from country to country, and in the past, some of our customers have experienced problems because they failed to provide the correct documentation. If these matters are not handled correctly, you may be charged for import duties and taxes a second time when your instrument is returned to you.
We at dolphitech must meet our own country’s regulations when taking instruments for repair and when returning them. This may not be enough for your country.
Black box Locked
If, for some reason, the black box does not respond to ON/Off button, it has come to a locked position. There are two cases of black box lock:
• ON/OFF does not light green and does not respond to pushing ON/OFF button.
• ON/OFF lights green but does not respond to pushing ON/OFF button.
Reset the black box
To reset the black box hold ON/OFF button for more than 5 seconds. The reset functionality is implemented on all systems delivered or serviced after December 2018. If your system is older than this, please contact dolphitech for service.
Safety & Handling
Important Safety Information
For use of dolphicam2, please follow the functionality instructions in this user manual and the safety information. If the equipment is used in a manner not specified by dolphitech, the protection provided by the equipment may be impaired.
Power Supply
Only use the power supply r specifically approved for your dolphicam2:
Mascot power supply Type 3326-12
(Input: 100-240VAC 50-60MHz, Output: 12VDC 2.33A).
The Black Box can be charged in any state (ON/OFF/Standby) with any, all or none of the external connections (USB3.0 PC, USB2 AUX, Ethernet, T1/T2, I/O1 1, I/O2) and whether battery is empty or not. Do not charge Black Box battery when the system is enclosed in the suitcase.
To charge the internal battery of the Black Box, connect the DC plug of the charging adapter to the input connector. Connect the charging adapter to a mains socket outlet. To fully disconnect the charging adaptor from the mains, pull it out from the mains socket outlet. Choose a mains socket outlet that is easy to reach.
Unlike the black box, the direct plugin charging adapter for the black box is not protected against the ingress of liquids. Do not use the direct plugin charging adapter in an environment where entry of liquids is possible.
We recommend charging the battery whenever the battery level indicator shows less than 30%.
Battery
Don’t attempt to replace the dolphicam battery yourself—you may damage the battery, which could cause overheating and injury. The lithium-ion battery in dolphicam should be replaced only by dolphitech or a dolphitech Authorized Service Provider and must be recycled or disposed of separately from household waste. Don’t incinerate the battery. For information about battery recycling and replacement, go to www.dolphitech.com.
The dolphicam2 GUI has information about battery health. You can view information about charging status, charge current, battery voltage, battery current, and battery status.
Repairing
Don’t open dolphicam and don’t attempt to repair dolphicam by yourself. Disassembling dolphicam may cause injury to you or damage to dolphicam and will void all guarantee. If dolphicam is damaged or malfunctions, contact dolphitech or a dolphitech Authorized Service Provider. You can find more information about getting service at www.dolphitech.com.
Explosive Atmospheres
Do not charge or use dolphicam in any area with a potentially explosive atmosphere, such as at a fueling area, or in areas where the air contains chemicals or particles (such as grain, dust, or metal powders). Obey all signs and instructions
temperature, Altitude, Humidity
The max/min temperature, altitude, and humidity ratings in technical specification table applies. dolphicam can be damaged and battery life shortened if stored or operated outside of these ranges. Avoid exposing dolphicam to dramatic changes in temperature or humidity. When you’re using dolphicam2 or charging the battery, it is normal for dolphicam2 Black Box and TRM to get warm.
Choking hazard
Some dolphiCam accessories may present a choking hazard to small children. Keep these accessories away from small children.
Disposal and Recycling Information
Your dolphicam must be disposed of properly according to local laws and regulations. Because it contains a battery, dolphicam must be disposed of separately from household waste. When your dolphicam reaches its end of life, contact dolphitech or your local authorities to learn about recycling options.
Battery replacement
The lithium-ion battery in dolphicam should be replaced only by dolphitech or a dolphitech Authorized Service Provider and must be recycled or disposed of separately from household waste. For information about battery recycling and replacement, visit our Support pages at www.dolphitech.com.
European Union—Disposal Information
The symbol above means that according to local laws and regulations your product and/or its battery shall be disposed of separately from household waste. When this product reaches its end of life, take it to a collection point designated by local authorities. The separate collection and recycling of your product and/or its battery at the time of disposal will help conserve natural resources and ensure that it is recycled in a manner that protects human health and the environment.
Warning & certification Symbols
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Generic caution symbol
For use of dolphicam2, please follow the functionality instructions in this user manual and the safety information. If the equipment is used in a manner not specified by dolphitech, the protection provided by the equipment may be impaired. |
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CE marking is a certification mark that signifies that products sold in the EEA have been assessed to meet high safety, health, and environmental protection requirements. When you buy a new phone, a teddy bear, or a TV within the EEA, you can find the CE mark on them. CE marking also supports fair competition by holding all companies accountable to the same rules (Source: European Commission Web) |
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The FCC Declaration of Conformity or the FCC label or the FCC mark is a certification mark employed on electronic products manufactured or sold in the United States which certifies that the electromagnetic interference from the device is under limits approved by the Federal Communications Commission. |
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Black Universal Recycling Symbol
dolphicam2equipment should be recycled in a safe and environmental way. |
Support
Support is available online at https://portal.dolphitech.com/portal-2/user-manual-dolphicam2/
License Terms
View License terms in “Help->About->License Info” menu of dolphicam2 software.
Copyright
© 2018 dolphitech. All rights reserved. dolphitech, the dolphitech logo, and other dolphitech marks are owned by dolphitech and may be registered. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corp., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. dolphitech assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this manual. Information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
dolphitech AS
Studievegen 16
2815 Gjøvik
Norway
e-mail: postdolphitech.com
web: www.dolphitech.com