VideoStamp 8
VideoStamp 8
VideoStamp 8

VideoStamp 8

Regular price
$1,399.00
Sale price
$1,399.00
Unit price
per 

Description:

VideoStamp 8™ is an eight channel on-screen composite video character and graphic overlay device with real-time clock. From any RS-232 source, such as a PC, control the display of 30 columns by 12 rows (NTSC) or 15 rows (PAL) of information directly onto an incoming composite video source.  VideoStamp 8™ can overlay characters and graphics onto either an incoming video source or self-generated background screen.  Each VideoStamp 8™ channel has 256 definable 12 x 18 pixel characters.  Graphic images (such a logos) can be imported to create on-screen sprites.  VideoStamp 8™ video channels are individually addressable.  Up to 32 VideoStamp 8™ devices can be daisy-chained together to allow the addressing of 255 individual video channels from a single RS-232 source.

Included with the VideoStamp 8™ is a 110 VAC wall power supply, 6’ DB-9 serial cable, 4 rack mounting screws, demonstration utility, and font editing software.

 

Specifications:

  • Dimensions:19" x 5" x 1.7" (1U rack unit high)
  • Weight: 58 oz.
  • Input voltage: 7.5 volts DC (820 ma max.)
  • DC plug: 2.1 mm x 5.5 mm, center tip positive
  • Operating temperature: -10 C to +70 C
  • Text area: 30 columns by 12 rows (NTSC) or 15 rows (PAL)
    Due to monitor over-scan a minimum of 26 of the 30 columns and 11 of 12 rows (NTSC) are visible on-screen
  • Character set:256 definable characters per channel. 12 x18 pixels per character.
  • Sprites: 16 definable graphic sprites per channel
  • Video level: 1 volt peak to peak
  • Video impedance: Input 75 ohm, output 75 ohm resistively terminated
  • RS-232 serial or TTL input: 9600 or 19200 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, inverted data
  • Status LED’s: Individual loss of signal status LED’s for each video channel.  LED illuminated when video present on input.
  • Power up defaults: No video channels selected.  Each channel is overlay mode, cleared screen, cursor position top left (0,0), visible text, character blink off, character invert off, character background off
  • Video format:Composite video.  Any combination of NTSC and PAL video channels can be configured on the same VideoStamp 8™ unit.

     

 

Connections:

All connections to the VideoStamp 8™ are in the rear of the units.

Connector Hookup
VIDEO IN 1 - 8
  • BNC connector type
  • Attach noise free NTSC or PAL video source such as a camera
  • Not required if self-generated screen mode selected
VIDEO OUT 1 - 8
  • BNC connector type
  • Attach to video monitor, DVR, etc.
RS-232 IN
  • DB-9 connector type
  • Attach to 9,600 or 19,200 baud RS-232 source
  • Pin 2 Serial out (from VideoStamp 8™)
  • Pin 3 Serial in (to VideoStamp 8™)
  • Pin 5 Ground
RS-232 OUT
  • DB-9 connector type
  • If controlling more than one VideoStamp 8™ from the same RS-232 source attach male to female cable from RS-232 OUT to next VideoStamp 8™ RS-232 IN.

NOTE: Internal jumper (JP1) must be removed.

DC 7.5 IN
  • 2.1 mm x 5.5 mm, center tip positive connector
  • Attach supplied 110 VAC wall power supply

DO NOT EXCEED 7.5 VDC

 

Configuration:

VideoStamp 8™ comes configured for 9,600 baud operation with a video channel base address of 00000 (video channel 1 - 8) and single unit (non RS-232 daisy chained) operation. To re-configure these settings VideoStamp 8™ has 8 internal dip switches and a jumper JP1. To access the dip switches and jumper turn power off to the VideoStamp 8™ then remove the 6 screws on the top of the enclosure. The top panel can then be lifted up. DIP’s 1-5 define the VideoStamp 8™ base address in binary. The 5 dips allow for 32 unique values. The factory default setting is 00000. For example if DIP1 - DIP5 are off (base address 0) the device video channels are addressed (via the commands below) 1 - 8. In another example if DIP1 - DIP4 are off, and DIP5 is on then the device base address is 1. The device video channels are addressed (via the commands below) 9 - 16.

 

Dip Switch #
Description
1
DEVICE ADDRESS MSB
2
DEVICE ADDRESS
3
DEVICE ADDRESS
4
DEVICE ADDRESS.
5
DEVICE ADDRESS LSB
6
BAUD RATE
            OFF =  9,600 BAUD [factory default]            ON  = 19,200 BAUD
7
INFORMATION TEST SCREEN (DISPLAYS SYSTEM INFORMATION)
OFF = NORMAL OPERATION [factory default]
ON  = INFORMATION SCREEN
8
VIDEO TYPE (FOR ALL 8 CHANNELS)
OFF = NTSC [factory default]
ON  = PAL
JP #
Description
1
DAISY CHAIN VIDEOSTAMP 8™ UNITS

NOT INSTALLED = MULTIPLE VIDEOSTAMP 8™ UNITS CAN BE CONNECTED TO THE SAME RS-232 SOURCE
INSTALLED  = ONLY ONE VIDEOSTAMP 8™ CAN BE CONNECTED TO THE RS-232 SOURCE [factory default]

Communicating with VideoStamp8

VideoStamp 8™ RS-232 protocol settings are 9600 or 19200 baud, 8 data, 1 stop, no parity, no flow control. Communicating with VideoStamp 8™ requires either sending individual displayable font characters (0x00h – 0xDFh) or sending a command ID value followed by the appropriate number of parameters (see table below.)   An individual video channel can be addressed or all video channels can be addressed simultaneously (e.g. to clear the screen).  Command values are in hexadecimal (e.g. 0xE0h = 224 decimal). 

 

Command Value # of Params Description
Select Video Channel 0xE0h 1 Select video channel to address (0-255) [1 default]
0 = All video channels simultaneously
1 - 255 = Video channel 1 – 255
Set Video Format 0xE1h 1 Set the video format (0-1)
0 = NTSC
1 = PAL
Only required to override dip switch #8 setting
Set Overlay Mode 0xE2h 1 Set the video overlay mode (0-2)
0 = Auto switch based on valid video input [default]
1 = Overlay text and graphics with incoming video only (external sync)
2 = Overlay text and graphics with self-generated background screen only (Internal sync)
Clear Screen 0xE3h 0 Clear the entire screen with spaces (uses character in font position 00h)
Show / Hide Overlay 0xE4h 1 Show or hide the text and graphics overlay (0-1)
0 = Hide text and graphics
1 = Show text and graphics [default]
Set Cursor Position 0xE5h 2 Set the cursor position
Byte 0 = X (0-29)
Byte 1 = Y NTSC (0-12),  PAL (0-15)
Set Character Blink Attribute 0xE6h 1 Set character blink attribute (0-1)
0 = Off [default]
1 = On
Applies to all characters drawn after the command is sent
Set Character Invert Attribute 0xE7h 1 Set character invert attribute (0-1)
0 = Normal (white pixels display white, black pixels display black) [default]
1 = Invert (white pixels display black, black pixels display white) Applies to all characters drawn after the command is sent
Set Character Background Attribute 0xE8h 1 Set character background attribute (0-1)
0 = Sets the background pixels of the character to the incoming video [default]
1 = Sets the background pixels of the character to the background mode brightness (0xF7h)
Note: During internal sync mode, the background attribute behaves as if it is set to 1 Applies to all characters drawn after the command is sent
Draw Upper Range Character 0xE9h 1 Draw one upper range font character at the current cursor position (0xE0-0xFF)
Draw Sprite 0xEAh 1 Draw one sprite at the current cursor position (0-15)
Wait for VBLANK 0xEBh 1 Wait for VBLANK before proceeding (only one of the eight video channels can selected)
Byte 0 = Pre-delay in milliseconds (0-128)             This is a forced delay before VBLANK detection occurs allowing the user time to send characters to be drawn during VBLANK.
Set Screen Horizontal Position Offset 0xECh 1 Set Screen Horizontal Position Offset [default 53]
0 = Farthest left (-32 pixels)
32 = No horizontal offset
63 = Farthest right (+31 pixels)
Set Screen Vertical Position Offset 0xEDh 1 Set Screen Vertical Position Offset [default 29]
0 = Farthest up (-16 pixels)
16 = No vertical offset
31 = Farthest down (+15 pixels)
Set Date and Time 0xEEh 12 Set the on-board real-time clock
mmddyyhhmmss
mm = 2 ASCII characters 01-12
dd = 2 ASCII characters 01-31
yy = 2 ASCII characters 00-99
hh = 2 ASCII characters 00-23
mm = 2 ASCII characters 00-59
ss = 2 ASCII characters 00-59
Set Date and Time Display Format 0xEFh 2 Set date and time display format
Byte 0  = Date display format (0-1)
            0 = mm/dd/yy [default]
            1 = dd/mm/yy
Byte 1  = Time 12/24 hour display format (0-1)
            0 = 24 hour format [default]            
            1 = 12 hour format
Set Time Display Position 0xF0h 2 Set the position to display the on-screen time
Byte 0 = X (0-29)
Byte 1 = Y NTSC (0-12),  PAL (0-15)
Set Date Display Position 0xF1h 2 Set the position to display the on-screen date
Byte 0 = X (0-29)
Byte 1 = Y NTSC (0-12),  PAL (0-15)
Show / Hide Time 0xF2h 1 Show or hide the on-screen time (0-1)
0 = Hide time [default]
1 = Show time
Show / Hide Date 0xF3h 1 Show or hide the on-screen date (0-1)
0 = Hide date [default]
1 = Show date
Set Pixel Rise and Fall Time 0xF4h 1 Set pixel rise and fall time—typical transition times between adjacent OSD pixels (0-5)
0 = 20ns (maximum sharpness/maximum cross-color artifacts )
1 = 30ns
2 = 35ns
3 = 60ns [default]
4 = 80ns
5 = 110ns (minimum sharpness/minimum cross-color artifacts)
Set Pixel Switching Time 0xF5h 1 Set pixel insertion mux switching time–typical transition times between input video and OSD pixels (0-5)
0 = 30ns (maximum sharpness/maximum cross-color artifacts )
1 = 35ns
2 = 50ns
3 = 75ns [default]
4 = 100ns
5 = 120ns (minimum sharpness/minimum cross-color artifacts)
Set Row Brightness Black and White Levels 0xF6h 3 Set the row brightness black and white levels
Byte 0 = Row number: NTSC (0-12),  PAL (0-15)
Byte 1 = Character black level % of OSD white level (0-3)
             0 = 0% [default]
             1 = 10%
             2 = 20%
             3 = 30%
Byte 2 = Character white level % (0-3)
             0 = 120%
             1 = 100%
             2 = 90% [default]            
             3 = 80%
Background Mode Brightness 0xF7h 1 Set background mode brightness for external mode (overlay) character background frame and internal mode (no video) background screen (0-7)
0 = 0%
1 = 7%
2 = 14% [default]
3 = 21%
4 = 28%
5 = 35%
6 = 42%
7 = 49%
UNUSED 0xF8h- 0xFAh NA UNUSED
Display System Information 0xFBh 1 Display system information on-screen
0 = Information screen* (unit base address, dip switch settings, software version, etc.)
1 = Font screen (font map) * Partial ASCII character font must be installed
Soft Reset 0xFCh 0 Reset the VideoStamp 8 to default (power-up) settings
Define Sprite
(NVM Setting*) (Only one VideoStamp 8 can be connected via RS-232. The device address must be set to 0. JP1 jumper must be installed.)
0xFDh 4 Define a sprite in non-volatile memory
Byte 0 = Sprite # (0-15)
Byte 1 = Start font table memory position (0-255)
Byte 2 = Sprite width in characters (1-30)
Byte 3 = Sprite height in characters NTSC (1-13),  PAL (1-16)
Returns: <cr><lf> (Must wait for before continuing to next sprite)
Define Font Character
(NVM Setting*) (Only one VideoStamp 8 can be connected via RS-232. The device address must be set to 0. JP1 jumper must be installed.) (Only one of the eight video channels can be selected)
0xFEh 56 Define a character in non-volatile font table memory
Each character is 12 x 18 pixels
Each pixel consists of 2 bits:
       00 = black
       10 = white
       x1 = transparent (pass video though)
Byte 0 = Font table position to fill (0-255)
Byte 1-54 = 54 bytes – 3 bytes per character row, 18 rows
Byte 55 = End byte flag (0xAAh)
Returns: <cr><lf> (Must wait for before continuing to next character)
Read Data (Only one VideoStamp 8 can be connected via RS-232. The JP1 jumper must be installed.) 0xFFh 1 Read data from one VideoStamp 8
Byte 0 = Read request type
       0x00h = Verify RS-232 connection
                      Returns: “ok”<cr><lf> if connected
       0x01h = Get firmware version
                      Returns: Firmware version number e.g. “1.01”<cr><lf>
       0x02h = Get board dip switch settings
                      Returns: “XXXXXXXX”<cr><lf> (“0” = off, “1” = on)
       0x03h = Get all eight video channel input statuses                        
       Returns: “XXXXXXXX”<cr><lf> (“0” = no sync, “1” = sync)

 

Example: Clearing All Video Channel Screens Simultaneously
Send 0xE0h, 0x00h                   - Select all video channels
Send 0xE3h                              - Clear the entire screen with spaces
Example: Sending Text To Video Channel #1
Send 0xE0h, 0x01h                   - Select video channel #1
Send 0xE5h, 0x00h, 0x00h         - Set cursor position 0, 0
Send “Hello channel 1!”              - Send ASCII text
Example: Sending Text To All Video Channels Simultaneously
Send 0xE0h, 0x00h                   - Select all video channels
Send 0xE5h, 0x00h, 0x00h         - Set cursor position 0, 0
Send “Hello all channels!”           - Send ASCII text
Example: Sending Blinking Text To Video Channel #4
Send 0xE0h, 0x04h                   - Select video channel #4
Send 0xE5h, 0x00h, 0x00h       - Set cursor position 0, 0
Send 0xE6h, 0x01h                   - Set character blink attribute (ON)
Send “Blinking text!”                 - Send ASCII text
Send 0xE6h, 0x00h                   - Set character blink attribute (OFF)
Example: Drawing Graphic Sprite #2 To Video Channel #8 At Cursor Position 6, 4
Send 0xE0h, 0x08h                   - Select video channel #8
Send 0xE5h, 0x06h, 0x04h       - Set cursor position 6, 4
Send 0xEAh, 0x02h                   - Draw sprite #2 (defined in font editor normally)
Example: Enable On-Screen Date / Time On All Video Channels
(Note: date / time overlay can only be enabled for all video channels simultaneously on a individual VideoStamp 8™ unit.  Individual video channels cannot be enabled with date / time overlay.)
Send 0xF0h, 0x00h, 0x09h         - Set the cursor position to display the on-screen time (0, 9)
Send 0xF1h, 0x00h, 0x0Ah        - Set the cursor position to display the on-screen date (0, 10)
Send 0xF2h, 0x01h                    - Show the on-screen time
Send 0xF3h, 0x01h                    - Show the on-screen date

Default Font:

Below is the default font for each VideoStamp 8™ channel.  Use the supplied font editor software to create your own or modify the default font.  The left column is the high nibble in hexadecimal.  The top row is the low nibble in hexadecimal.  For example the hourglass character is 0xFCh (252 decimal).

 

Troubleshooting Tips:

Problem Solution
Green LED off (unit won’t power up)
  • Verify power supply output is 7.5 VDC when attached
  • Verify the 1 amp internal fuse is good
Screen text is skewed or unreadable
  • Verify the VideoStamp 8™ video inputs have valid, noise free, video signals
Garbage characters on screen or text not displayed
  • Verify communication baud rate 9,600 or 19,200
  • Confirm proper video channel selected (see command 0xE0h above)
  • Enable DIP switch #7 to generate test screen
  • Use the supplied PC demonstration utility to verify the unit is working properly
Current date / time overlay information not retained with power loss
  • Replace the internal clock battery

 

Warranty & Service:

If the product fails to perform as described in our product description or specification, within 1 year from the date of shipment to the buyer, we will repair or replace the product and/or accessories originally supplied. Failure due to improper installation, misuse, abuse or accident is not covered by this warranty. Incidental and consequential damages are not covered by this warranty. The buyer must first obtain a Return Material Authorization number by calling (248) 588-4400, or send email to support@icircuits.com. Ship the defective product (with RMA number) to Intuitive Circuits, 3928 Wardlow Ct., Troy, MI 48083, freight prepaid.