A6260-SWIR Camera with InGaAs Detector

Select the A6261 when the application requires calibrated high-temperature measurement, particularly through a suitable glass viewing window. It operates from 0.9 µm to 1.7 µm and has a standard calibrated range of 400°C to 1,200°C, with optional ranges extending to 1,500°C or 2,200°C. The A6262 extends the lower spectral limit to 0.6 µm but has no listed radiometric temperature range. It is supplied around a 25 mm lens configuration, whereas the A6261 supports focal lengths from 16 mm to 100 mm. The final choice should therefore be based on whether calibrated temperature data or a broader short-wavelength response is the primary requirement.

Use full-frame acquisition when the complete 640 × 512 field is required, and reduce the window when temporal resolution is more important than image area. The camera reaches 180 Hz at full frame without factory calibration and 125 Hz with factory calibration. Centred windowing raises the listed rate to 631 Hz at half window, 1,666 Hz at quarter window and up to 26,150 Hz at 32 × 4 pixels. Window dimensions change in steps of 32 rows and 4 columns, and the window remains centred rather than being freely offset. At the minimum window, 17,781 Hz is also specified elsewhere, so the applicable firmware and ordered configuration should be confirmed before acquisition timing is finalised.

Low gain is appropriate for high photon levels where preventing saturation is more important than amplifying a weak signal, while high gain is intended for low-light scenes. The low-gain state provides a well capacity of 1.44 million electrons, compared with 95,700 electrons at medium gain and approximately 19,000 electrons at high gain. These states provide an overall gain factor of 75×, allowing one camera to address conditions ranging from laser beam profiling to nightglow imaging. Integration width should be adjusted alongside gain because either control can move the detector towards saturation or insufficient signal. Engineers should verify exposure using the actual target, lens, filter and frame-rate configuration rather than relying on gain selection alone.

The A6260 uses snapshot integration and can be synchronised with external test equipment through its BNC and auxiliary connections. Integration width can be set from 480 ns to approximately one frame period, with 160 ns adjustment resolution. The frame-sync input accepts a selectable-polarity TTL signal with a pulse width greater than 160 ns and a maximum level of 5.5 V. Auxiliary signals include record start, synchronisation output, integration-active output and serial control, while external trigger or lock-in functionality depends on the ordered option. This arrangement supports time-correlated recording of thermal transients, pulsed sources and other events, provided the signal levels and timing margins are checked during system integration.

A suitable A6261 configuration can measure a hot target through glass because many standard glass materials transmit part of the 0.9–1.7 µm band. Transmission still depends on glass composition, thickness, coatings, contamination and viewing angle, so the actual window must be characterised at the working wavelengths. The standard calibrated range is 400°C to 1,200°C, and a calibrated system uses a lens fixed at f/4. A 25.4 mm rear filter holder designed for a 1 mm thick filter is available when spectral or attenuation control is needed. Practical temperature accuracy also depends on target emissivity, reflected radiation, window transmission and whether the complete optical path is represented in the calibration.

The primary data and control connection is Gigabit Ethernet using GigE Vision 2.0 and GenICam. This allows 14-bit images to be acquired as raw data, gain-and-offset corrected data, or NUC-corrected data with bad-pixel replacement. The camera can operate with compatible software on PC, Mac or Linux systems, while an SDK and GenICam tools support custom control and acquisition workflows. SD-SDI and HD-SDI outputs can provide monitoring video, but the GigE stream should be used where full digital detector data is required. Network bandwidth, storage throughput and processing capacity should be calculated from the selected resolution, bit depth, frame rate and correction mode.

Provide a regulated 24 V DC supply, with an acceptable input range of 20–28 V DC and enough margin for start-up and connected accessories. The A6260 consumes approximately 19 W during normal operation and 21 W while the detector is stabilising, which takes about two minutes. The camera body measures approximately 21.8 × 10.2 × 10.9 cm without a lens and weighs 2.26 kg. It operates from 0°C to 45°C and uses a semi-sealed enclosure with forced-air heat exchange, so airflow around the housing should not be obstructed. Mechanical integration can use the two 1/4-20 threads, one 3/8-16 thread or four 10-24 mounting holes, while the C-mount optical path requires a 17.526 mm back working distance.

Non-uniformity correction should be reviewed whenever gain, integration settings, detector conditions or the optical configuration change enough to affect spatial uniformity. The available processes include non-volatile two-point correction, two-point correction with bad-pixel detection and replacement, and an offset update using the current gain. Offset work can use the internal ambient flag, while a full external correction source must cover the complete field of view. Four active NUC sets can be selected as presets, and more than 100 can be retained in onboard flash. A correction takes less than 15 seconds and has a listed performance of 0.1%, allowing several operating configurations to be prepared before a test sequence begins.