Halogen Lamp
Physical installation of the NOPTIC hardware is pretty self-explanatory. However, there are a few subtleties not covered by the documentation that I have learned in the course of doing hundreds of police car NOPTIC installations. Here are my tips:
Inline Fuse
Either use a fused power source or install a dedicated 30A inline automotive fuse. The NOPTIC current draw is normally very minimal, but the initial inrush current is high and tends to blow smaller fuses at the instant when the camera is switched on.
Toggle Switch vs Timer
The NOPTIC can draw power from any 12-volt source on the vehicle. However, be aware that it will draw a constant 300mA current while the NOPTIC is powered regardless of whether MDT is operating. This means you will kill the battery in a few days if the vehicle is not driven.
Run the NOPTIC power off a lead from the auto shutoff timer if it is convenient. Otherwise, get power from the accessory bus or mount a toggle switch somewhere on equipment console and remember to turn it off when not in use. Just don’t leave it connected straight to the battery.
Software Install
The black box that comes with NOPTIC, the ECU, has both an RCA jack (for composite video) and a USB port. The same image is available on both ports, but depending on where the system was purchased the vendor will have included just one software CD and the associated accessory cable for only one of the port options. In reality, you can use either option in your application. The USB solution has a little better contrast and lower noise than the signal from the RCA jack signal simply because the RCA format is an analog conversion of a digital camera image. The image must be converted back to its digital form when it gets to the MDT. The USB port on ECU bypasses these extra conversions.
If your kit comes with the analog set, then it was purchased from 3rd party vendors such as StarTech or SIIG. These are relatively cheap units (~$35 on Amazon) and come with both a video conversion dongle and some proprietary software and drivers. Kits purchased from JSX Technology (NOPTIC national distributor) are kitted for the USB port and the box will contain a USB cable and associated driver and software CD. If your application is NOT an MDT running a Microsoft operating system then you will still need to use the analog option.
Contact noptic@jsxtechnology.com for help in converting installation from RCA jack to USB.
The following instruction is for the USB applications only
Installation is a two-step process; one step for the application and another for the driver. It does not matter what order this is done.
The application is very simple to install, just run setup.exe. Note: it will go much faster if you copy the .exe to the MDT hard drive first. It may ask to install some C++ Runtime engine stuff – that is okay. In most cases, these components on your MDT are more current and the installer will complain about it. But the rest of the installation will go fine.
I have seen one issue that comes up every so often when virtual accounts are used on the laptop. The software will crash when the video is saved to the snapshot feature is used. It arises because the software is designed to capture data into a folder specified under Settings, and the default value is %USER%\Documents. But if this folder is on a virtual network then the software will crash. So, if that is the case then make sure to change Settings… to point to someplace on the physical MDT hard drive.
The driver can be tricky. Before you can install the driver, the ECU must be plugged into the laptop and the NOPTIC must have power. The laptop will then recognize that something new has been plugged in, but it will complain about the missing driver. From there, install the NOPTIC driver through the Windows Device Manager. Again, this will go faster if the driver folder from the CD is copied onto the hard drive.
With Windows 10 there is an additional security barrier that must be temporarily disabled. If you are running Windows 10, you must disable Windows Driver Signing Enforcement.
- From the login screen, hold the shift key and click the shutdown icon in the lower right corner of the screen. Select restart.
- On the following blue screen, select the “Troubleshoot” option.
- Select “Advanced options”
- Select “Startup Settings”
- Press enter. This will automatically select restart, but with an option menu preface.
Electrical Ground
Most mysterious and least understood, ineffective grounding seems to be the most common source of trouble found during and after installation. Poor electrical grounding can result in a distorted or jumpy video display, light static, and horizontal splitting in the video. If the video clears up noticeably when the laptop is removed from the docking station, then you have a ground loop issue. Make sure your ground connections for NOPTIC and the adapter are secure and both grounds have common voltage potential with respect to the vehicle. A difference in voltage (as measured at the USB cable shield) of as little as 0.3 volts will cause a problem.
NOPTIC is compatible with most Laptop/Adaptor combination. However, I have come across a few installations that due to low-quality adaptors had unacceptably high ground offsets. Another example, Lind PA1555 for the Panasonic Toughbook, is a good quality adapter but it can output a high charging current cause the USB ground plane to rise by about 0.3 volts. Therefore, for this equipment combination, I recommend the isolated version of that adaptor, the PA1555I.
Ground loop isolation is important and for best performance, we recommend using an isolator for either the NOPTIC or the laptop power. Any standard power isolator for car audio will work. The NOPTIC is easier because a small 10W isolator will do just fine. On the other hand, the laptop should be tied to at least a 100W unit.
