ThunderCam Focusing the Image and Proper Setup

ThunderCam Focusing the Image and Proper Setup

The goal of this article is to walk you through how to set your ThunderCam up for the best image prior to calibrating and aligning

For this article you will need:
-Your computer hooked up to the machine and Lightburn
-Your camera and usb cable connection
-Printed copy of an eyechart or similar. PDF example is attached

Camera Mounting considerations:
It is best to mount the camera so that it looks straight down at the bed to minimize the keystone effect. You want the edges of the honeycomb to be the same width Top vs Bottom, Left Vs Right. More on the Keystone effect here.

Good Example:


Bad Example: (notice how the width of the honeycomb edges front\back are different?)



Start by opening Lightburn, connecting to your machine and plugging the camera into the computer. To bring up the camera window in Lightburn go to Window>Camera Control in the upper tool bar.





In the camera control window, select your camera and then un-dock the Camera Control Window and enlarge it so that you have a large image window.




Autofocus your Machine so that the honeycomb is the surface it focuses to. Then place the eye chart on the bed. Turn off the Auto Exposure Feature on the camera control window.



Before:




Adjust the Focus by turning the black protruding lens on the camera in small steps until the most crisp image is achieved:


Turn the Auto-Exposure back on:



Tighten the mounting Knobs one last time and then go and calibrate the camera.

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