Vista Solo Single Channel Colour Digital Video Recorder User Manual
WARNING! To prevent fire and electric shock, do not expose this product to rain or moisture. ! The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the products enclosure that maybe of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
Contents 1 FEATURES, CONNECTIONS, AND SETUP ................................................... 1-1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 2 USER OPERATIONS ................................................................................. 2-1 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3 4 Recording .........................................................................................................2-1 Playback .....................................................................................................
5.6 5.7 5.8 6 7 8 9 Advanced Menu → Factory Settings..............................................................5-5 Advanced Menu → Change Password ...........................................................5-5 Advanced Menu → Firmware Upgrade...........................................................5-6 RS-232 REMOTE PROTOCOL .................................................................. 6-1 FACTORY DEFAULTS ...............................................................................
1 FEATURES, CONNECTIONS, AND SETUP 1.1 Product Description The Vista Solo is a Digital Video Recorder designed to be a direct replacement for a Time Lapse VCR. Digital Video Recording allows the user to have continuous recording on a removable hard disk, without the need for replacing or rewinding of videotapes. The Vista Solo provides menu based search capabilities for recorded events. 1.2 Features • Single channel VHS Input/Output connection.
Moisture: Do not expose the unit to rain or moisture. Moisture can damage the internal components. Do not install this unit near sources of water. Chassis: You can place other equipment on top of the unit if it weighs less than 35 pounds. 1.5 Passwords Figure 1-1 Passwords Password Name Function Changeable by user? Password Advanced Menu Password Provides access to the Advances menu for the installer. Yes: See page 5-5 0000 Factory Password Restores the unit to the factory defaults.
10. Stop button: Press this button to stop Recording or Playback. 11. Play Forward button: Press this button to playback video at the normal record speed. 12. Menu Button: Provides access to on-screen menus. 13. Power On Indicator: Indicates power is on when LED is lit. 14. Alarm Indicator: Indicates an alarm condition when the LED is lit. 1.7 Back Panel Connections Figure 1-3 Back Panel VIDEO COMP IN 1 5 9 6 RS-232 I/O 12V DC OUT 1 2 3 4 1.
RS-232 Serial Port Use a Null Modem cable when connecting to a PC. When connecting to a multiplexer, it may be necessary to construct a cable using the pinout documentation of the MUX as a guide. See the pin-out configuration for the Vista Solo below. Connector Type: DB-9 Gender (on unit): Male Cable Required (Connected to PC): Null Modem Cable Required (Connected to Multiplexer): Variable, depending on pin-out configuration of MUX.
Alarm Out The Alarm output is activated while the Alarm Input is active. The Alarm output is only active for the duration of the alarm event. Output: Active Low High: 12V Low: Ground Current Out: 50mA Max Short Circuit Protected. Low for duration of alarm. Record Start In Record Start In will place the unit in Record mode when activated. Compatible with the Disk End Out signal from a second unit. Input: Active Low TTL w/ pull-ups or Normally Open Relay.
Videoloss Out The Videoloss Out signal is activated when the unit experiences videoloss on the video input (Composite). In the event of videoloss, VIDEOLOSS will be indicated near the upper left hand corner of the primary monitor. Output: Open Collector High: Transistor Off Low: Transistor On Active When On. Current Out: 10mA Max Minimum Duration: 0.5 Seconds Disk End Out The Disk End Out is activated when there is 5 minutes of recording space left on the hard disk.
o Main Menu → Time/Date → Set Time Time Setup To set the Time: 1. With HH MM SS highlighted, press the Enter button. The highlighting will move to the row of numbers. 2. Enter the time in Hours, Minutes, and Seconds. Use the to change the values. Use the Arrow buttons to navigate among the three fields. HH MM SS 03 05 53 [CANCEL] [OK] 3. Press the Enter button to confirm the selection. 4. To Save the changes and Exit the menu: Use the Arrow buttons to select [OK], then press the Enter button. --OR-5.
To configure the alarm settings: Alarms Menu 1. Use the Arrow buttons to navigate among the fields. Hardwire Alarm : Enable Alarm Buzzer : Enable [CANCEL] [OK] 2. Use the Arrow buttons to change the values of the highlighted fields. 3. To Save the changes and Exit the menu: Use the Arrow buttons to select [OK], then press the Enter button. --OR-4. To Exit the menu without making changes: Use the Arrow buttons to select [CANCEL], then press the Enter button. 1.
1.12 Removing the Hard Drive 1 2 3 1. Pull the active handle outward. 2. Use the key provided and place the key lock in position 3 shown above (rotate counter clockwise). 3. Pull the handle outward and slide the carrier body away from the cartridge frame. To reinsert the drive perform the above steps in reverse. The Vista Solo will reset when the drive is installed.
2 USER OPERATIONS 2.1 Recording To begin recording, press the Record button. RECORD will be indicated for three seconds, near the upper left hand corner of the primary monitor. The unit always starts recording at the end of the previously recorded data. RECORD Recording will continue until: • Another mode is selected (Play mode, or Stop mode). • The disk is full (In No Overwrite and Overwrite Once modes). See section 5.
Disk Nearly Full Notification This message will appear on the primary monitor to indicate that the unit has stopped recording, because the disk is full. Message Disk Full. Recording Has Stopped. In No Overwrite mode: The user must acknowledge the on-screen message by pressing the Enter button. [OK] Unit will not record over previously recorded data. To continue recording, the data must be erased (or deleted) in the Advanced → Disk Maintenance menu.
Fast Forward During playback, press the Fast Forward button. The unit will display images at a higher than normal rate. There are 4 Fast Forward rates. Repeated pressing of the Fast Forward button will increase the playback speed. Fast Forward is indicated: • As FAST FORWARD near the upper left hand corner of the primary monitor, for three seconds. Fast Forward Button Rewind During playback, press the Rewind button. The unit will display images (in reverse) at a higher than normal rate.
Search Filters Use this to specify: • The Start and Stop date of the search. • The Start and Stop time of the search. • Which cameras to search exclusively. • To search for recorded alarms.
Selecting Cameras to Search 1. Using the Arrow buttons to navigate, highlight the CAMERA parameter, then press the Enter button. The unit will enter Edit mode. 2. Use the Arrow buttons to navigate among the different cameras. 3. Use the Arrow buttons to select a camera (or cameras) by placing an [X] in the check box. 4. Press the Enter button at any time to exit Edit mode. Searching for Recorded Alarms 1. Using the Arrow buttons to navigate, highlight the ALARM parameter, then press the Enter button.
3 THE MENU SYSTEM This section provides a brief overview of the menu system, for complete information about Operator and Installer programming, see section 4: Operator Programming, or section 5: Installer Programming. How to use this Manual Throughout this manual, there are headings like these. o Main Menu → Timer Settings Meaning: From the Main menu, select TIMER SETTINGS, then press the Enter button. A Pop-up or Pull down menu will appear.
The Arrow Buttons When in the Main Menu the Arrow buttons are used to navigate and modify field values. Figure 3-1 The Arrow Buttons Up Arrow Button Left Arrow Button MENU ENTER Right Arrow Button Down Arrow Button The Main Menu The Main menu provides access to all of the operator programmable options. Each sub-section of the Main menu is described briefly in this section. For complete information about operator programming in the Main menu, see section 4.
4 OPERATOR PROGRAMMING 4.1 Main Menu → Time/Date Use this menu to specify: o • The time format: 12 or 24 hours. • The date format: MM/DD/YY, DD/MM/YY, or YY/MM/DD. • The time. • The date. • Set the Region for the Auto Daylight Savings Time feature. Set Set Set Set Set Time Format Date Format Time Date Region Main Menu → Time/Date → Set Time Format To set the Time format, use the Arrow buttons to select the desired Time format.
o Main Menu → Time/Date → Set Time Time Setup To set the Time: 1. With HH MM SS highlighted, press the Enter button. The highlighting will move to the row of numbers. 2. Enter the time in Hours, Minutes, and Seconds. Use the Arrow buttons to change the values. Use the Arrow buttons to navigate among the three fields. HH MM SS 03 05 53 [CANCEL] [OK] 3. Press the Enter button to confirm the selection. 4.
o Main Menu → Time/Date → Set Region Use this menu option to set the region for the Auto Daylight Savings Time feature. Choices are: Regional Settings • OFF: Clock will not be changed automatically. Daylight Saving : USA • USA: DST starts at 02:00 on the first Sunday in April. DST ends at 02:00 on the last Sunday in October. Includes: United States (except Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, parts of Indiana and Arizona) and Canada (except Saskatchewan).
Creating a Timed Recording: 1. Using the Arrow buttons to navigate, highlight the DATE parameter of the last line item (indicated with double dash marks). 2. Press the Enter button to enter the Edit mode. EDIT MODE will appear on-screen, in the lower left-hand corner of the Timer Settings menu. The user may press the Enter button to exit Edit mode at any time. 3. Use the Arrow buttons to change the values of the DATE setting.
Deleting a Timed Recording: 1. Using the Arrow buttons to navigate, highlight the ON/OFF parameter of the event you wish to delete. 2. Press the Enter button to enter the Edit mode. 3. Use the Arrow buttons to select DEL from the menu. 4. Press the Enter button to confirm the selection and exit the Edit mode. 5. Use the Arrow buttons to navigate to [OK], then press the Enter button to remove the selection and exit the menu. 4.
o Main Menu → Record Settings → Video Quality Use the Arrow buttons to select the desired Record Quality. Select High, Med or Standard. Higher record qualities use lower compression, requiring more disk space. Record Quality Select Quality High Press the Enter button to confirm the selection and exit the menu. --OR— Press the Menu button to exit the menu without making changes. 4.5 Main Menu → Display Settings Use this menu to specify what status information will be displayed on the primary monitor.
o Main Menu → Display Settings → Last Alarm To display the time and date of the last alarm, near the upper right hand corner of the primary monitor, select On. The unit will display NONE if there is no previous record of an alarm. OFF ON Use the Arrow buttons to select On or Off. Press the Enter button to confirm the selection and exit the menu. --OR— Press the Menu button to exit the menu without making changes.
4.7 Main Menu → About o Main Menu → About Use this menu to display information about the Vista Solo. Select Main Menu → About to display the About screen. Serial Number: Software Version: Software Date: Software Checksum: Boot Code Ver.: Disk Size: Vista Solo 4-8 V321-9-3300005 1.00 Mar 24 2003 16:40:18 41173C6B 1.01 161.
5 INSTALLER PROGRAMMING For security reasons, a password is provided to limit access to the Advanced menu. For instructions about entering the Advanced menu, see section 4.6 Main Menu → Advanced Menu, on page 4-7. 5.1 Advanced Menu → Disk Overwrite Mode Disk Overwrite Mode Use this menu to specify how the unit will handle disk overwrite issues once the hard disk becomes full. Select Mode The unit handles disk overwrite issues in three ways: o • No Overwrite. • Overwrite Once.
o Advanced Menu → Disk Overwrite Mode → Overwrite Once Functions of Overwrite Once mode: • Recording always starts at end of last recording. • The unit overwrites all previously recorded data. • Recording stops before the unit overwrites any of the newly recorded data (data from the current record session).
o Advanced Menu → Disk Maintenance → Delete Disk To begin deleting the disk, use the Arrow buttons to select DELETE DISK, then press the Enter button. The Deleting Disk menu will appear. The unit will begin deleting the oldest recorded information immediately. Deleting Disk… [CANCEL] To stop the delete process, select [CANCEL] by pressing the Enter button. Data that was deleted before [CANCEL] was selected will remain deleted unless UNDELETE DISK is selected.
5.4 Advanced Menu → Adjust Picture Brightness Contrast Saturation Use this menu to specify the Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation of the video input. Adjustments made to the video input will alter the recorded image. o Advanced Menu → Adjust Picture → Adjust Brightness Use this menu to increase or decrease the brightness of the image. Adjust Brightness 1. Use the Arrow buttons to navigate to the numbers. 050 2. Use the Arrow buttons to increase or decrease to brightness. 3.
5.5 Advanced Menu → Front Panel Lock Use this menu to Lock or Unlock the front panel. Use the Arrow buttons to select UNLOCK KEYBOARD or LOCK KEYBOARD. Unlock Keyboard Lock Keyboard Press the Enter button to confirm the selection and exit the menu. --OR— Press the Menu button to exit the menu without making changes. 5.6 Advanced Menu → Factory Settings Password Box Use this menu to enter the Factory Password, and restore the unit to the factory defaults.
If the password in the Confirmation Box does not match the password from the Password box, this message will appear. Message The Password Was Not Changed! [OK] Press the Enter button to select [OK] and exit the menu. 5.8 Advanced Menu → Firmware Upgrade Use this menu to upgrade the Vista Solo’s Firmware using a PC connected to the Vista Solo’s Serial Port, the upgrade file, and the WinFlash program. The following message screen will display when this command is selected.
6 RS-232 REMOTE PROTOCOL The RS-232 protocol command structure uses “Start of Text” (Sx) and “End of Text” (Ex) characters to identify the beginning and end of command sequences.
Setting the Clock The following table shows the command sequence for setting the clock: Command 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Value 02 43 4C 4B 20 y1 y2 2D m1 m2 Command 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Value 2D d1 d2 2C h1 h2 3A f1 f2 03 This grey cells in the Value row of this table indicate the correct positions for each byte of data in the command string. Place the hexadecimal value of the desired ASCII character into the command string.
ASCII Status Request Messages Command ASCII String Bytes in Hexadecimal Model Name Request Sx MLN Ex 02 4D 4C 4E 03 Software Version Number Request Sx SVN Ex 02 73 77 4E 03 Record Mode Status Request Sx RMS Ex 02 52 4D 73 03 Stop Mode Status Request Sx SMS Ex 02 73 4D 73 03 ASCII Status Response Messages Command ASCII String Model Name Response Sx MLN VDR Ex Software Version Number Response Sx SVN 1.
7 FACTORY DEFAULTS Function Setting Time Format 24 Hour Date Format MM / DD / YY Normal Record Speed 50 pictures per second (Pal) Alarm Record Speed 50 pictures per second (Pal) Record Quality High Disk Overwrite Mode Continuous Overwrite Auto Delete Mode Off Front Panel Locked Off Brightness 50% Contrast 50% Saturation 50% Display Current Time and Date Off Display Record Capacity Off Display Last Alarm Off Display Record or Playback Speed Off Display Playback Time and Date
8 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS General Power Supply 240 Volt AC, Auto-Ranging adapter Input Voltage 12 Volt DC Power consumption 20 Watts Max. Operating Temperature Range Operating: 0 to 40 ºC. Storage: -20 to +60 ºC. Relative Humidity Range (Non-Condensing) Operating: 10% to 80%. Storage: 10% to 95% Dimensions Inches: 13 x 10.5 x 2.5, mm: 330 x 267 x 63.5 Weight 9.25 lbs. (4.20 kg) Connections Power Connector 2.1mm Barrel Connector, Center Positive Accessory I/O Port DB-9 Male. See Section 1.
Part Numbers User Manual 0150-0267 All specifications are subject to change without notice. Norbain believes all specifications are correct, but no liability is assumed for omissions or errors.
9 WARRANTY AND SERVICE 9.1 Factory Service Warning: Do not open the top cover or attempt to service the unit, as this may expose you to dangerous voltages and other hazards. Programmer maintenance of this unit is limited to external cleaning and inspection. Refer all servicing to qualified personnel. If the unit requires factory service, contact the dealer who supplied the unit to you for the correct procedures on returning the unit to the factory or the nearest factory service centre.
9.2 Warranty All Vista products sold are covered by a warranty for a period of 5 years from the date of invoice to the original purchaser of the equipment subject to the exclusions below: • • • • • • • • • UK and Ireland only Monitor tube failure restricted to 1 year, this does not include ageing or burn-in.
