Calibration#

Each lens and temperature range has its own calibration dataset stored on the camera. Before acquiring calibrated frames in RT mode, you load the correct dataset from the USB drive shipped with the camera.

Loading calibration info#

Point pyTelops.Camera.load_calibration_info() at the root folder of the calibration USB drive:

cam.load_calibration_info("path/to/TEL-8050 Calibration Data/")

This reads the .tsco files and exposure tables from the drive into memory. It does not yet activate any calibration on the camera – it just makes the collections available for inspection and selection.

Listing available collections#

pyTelops.Camera.calibration_collections() returns a list of dicts, one per calibration collection found on the USB drive:

cam.calibration_collections()
# [{'index': 0, 'lens': 'MW Microscope 1X', 'temp_range': (0, 204), ...},
#  {'index': 4, 'lens': 'MW 25mm',          'temp_range': (0, 184), ...},
#  {'index': 8, 'lens': 'MW 50mm',          'temp_range': (0, 175), ...}, ...]

Each entry includes the collection index (zero-based), the lens label, and the temperature range it covers in degrees Celsius.

Selecting a calibration#

Use pyTelops.Camera.calibration_load() to activate a collection. You can select by lens name plus a target temperature, or directly by index:

# Select the 50 mm lens collection covering the 0-175 C range
cam.calibration_load(lens="50mm", temp=25)

# Select the 25 mm lens collection covering the 115-376 C range
cam.calibration_load(lens="25mm", temp=300)

# Select directly by zero-based collection index
cam.calibration_load(index=4)

When selecting by lens and temp, the method picks the collection whose temperature range contains temp. If multiple collections match (overlapping ranges), the one with the narrowest temperature range is chosen.

Checking the active collection#

pyTelops.Camera.calibration_active() returns information about the collection currently loaded onto the camera:

cam.calibration_active()
# {'index': 8, 'lens': 'MW 50mm', 'temp_range': (0, 175), ...}

File naming conventions#

The calibration USB drive uses a specific naming scheme that the driver normalises internally:

.tsco files – temperature-to-signal conversion objects, one per temperature sub-range within a collection.
Exposure files – named with an ELSN prefix on the drive; the driver normalises these to EL internally.
Collection indices are zero-based in the driver API, but the filenames on the USB drive use one-based numbering. You do not need to account for this offset: pass the index as shown by pyTelops.Camera.calibration_collections().

Image correction (NUC)#

A Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC) compensates for per-pixel offset and gain variation in the sensor. Trigger it programmatically after the camera has reached a stable operating temperature:

cam.nuc()                           # one-point NUC (blocks until done)
cam.nuc(mode="icu")                 # using the internal calibration unit
cam.nuc(blackbody_temp=25.0)        # with a blackbody reference temperature

cam.nuc() blocks until the camera reports the correction is complete. Running a NUC with a shutter closed or the lens covered produces an invalid correction – ensure the camera has a clear view (or use mode="icu" for the internal shutter).

Calibration

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