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Frequently Asked Questions
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| On this page we try to answer some of the questions most frequently asked about our
products and the process of ordering them. For general information about our products please see the product descriptions
on this website. If you have any specific questions about our products or if you require any further information
please contact us: sales@pic-osd.com |
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| Q. How do I tell you I want
this, that or the other option on my order? Why can't I add non-standard options via your website's order form? |
| A. On our website you can order
any of our standard products from our product
and price list subject to our standard terms and conditions of sale. Standard options
available are BNC connectors and the alternate
character sets available for the units. If you want either of these options
then make your order in the normal way and just email us telling us which standard option you require quoting your
order number: sales@pic-osd.com |
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| If you want anything else, courier shipping for example or customisation you need to email us before you
make your order to discuss your requirements. Please do not make an order for a standard product then follow the
order with requests for customization or other non-standard requests. |
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| Q. How do I make an order? Can
I have a quote? General questions about the ordering process? |
| A. Making an order from us is
very simple. Our website has full details of all of our products. Please browse them from our homepage or product and price list. If after reading the product descriptions and downloading the documentation you have
any specific questions then please contact us by email sales@pic-osd.com and we will do our best
to answer you. To make an order simply add the products you require to our shopping cart. The cart will show you
the total and the delivery charge for your location. If you need a quote, please print out the shopping cart when
you have made your selection. When your selection is complete you can checkout after reading our standard terms and conditions of sale.
First, fill in our order form, then proceed to the WorldPay secure server to make your payment by credit card.
After you have made your order, we will acknowledge it and give you an indication of when your order will ship.
This will normally be a lead time of 5 - 10 working days. During this period your order will be configured and
tested. It will then be packed and dispatched. We ship via Royal Mail in the UK and registered airmail for the
rest of the world or by courier. You will be informed of the dispatch of your order by email and given the likely
time before the items will be delivered. No printed documentation will be sent with your order so you should download
the instructions for use and installation from our website. |
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| The invoice for your order will be included with the package in the documents enclosed
wallet which serves as the address label. If you have any questions or your require further specific information
after you receive your order please contact us by email sales@pic-osd.com. We ship via services
which require a signature on delivery. Always check for a notification from your post office or courier if your
order is overdue. Please inform us by email if your order is overdue and we will follow it up. |
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| Q. General questions about selection
of encoders for use with our RTCKBDBOX or RTCKBD-E units? |
| A. Selection of an encoder is
part of your system design and is not something we can advise on beyond the interface specification for our units
given in their documentation. The RTCKBDXXX units have a counter. It is not a distance measuring unit as such.
In order for the on screen count to be directly read as a measure of distance the relationship between the number
of counts per unit of distance must be known. This is part of the system design as it depends on the number of
rotations of whatever wheel you have connected to the encoder and how many times this will turn per unit of distance.
This is not something we can tell you as we do not know anything about the wheel you will be using or the system
you will using it in. The wheel and it's associated gearing, if any, will give you the turns per unit of distance
travelled. |
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You would select the encoder to give you the number of counts per turn which then
gives your desired accuracy over the unit of distance. So as a general example if your system gave 5 turns per
metre and you selected an encoder with 128 counts per turn then you would have 640 counts per metre. You would
then set the RTCKBDBOX prescaler to 64 so that 64 counts from the encoder would then cause the on screen count
to advance by 1. If this were shown as 0000.1 then the display would be read as advancing by a tenth of a metre.
Selection of the encoder and the resolution is governed by your requirements. In terms of the electrical interface
any encoder with a similar interface to this example from Bournes will work.
Pull up resistors are required if an encoder with open collector outputs is used. |
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| Q. Are your GPS video overlay
units be compatible with this or that gps receiver? This or that depth transducer? |
| A. Please read the product specification
information on the webpages for our products. All our GPS video overlay units are compatible with any gps receiver
that transmits data according to the NMEA 0183 standard. The data sentences required are given on the product web
pages. Please refer to the manufacturer's documentation for the GPS receiver you will be using to confirm it has
an NMEA output option. The same applies to depth sensors. Our products are compatible with any NMEA depth - temperature
sensor which meet the specification given on the web pages. We have no particular recommendation, but customers
have told us they are using depth sensors from CruzPro successfully with our units. |
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| Q. Are your GPS video overlay
units be compatible with this, that or the other camera? |
A. Our products are compatible
with all colour, including infrared, or mono PAL and NTSC video cameras with a standard definition composite video
signal output. The only exception to this are cameras that produce a video signal in which the timing of the synchonization
signals is outside the PAL or NTSC specification. In such a case either no overlay will be displayed or the text
will not be displayed correctly. The only case of this we know of is the CWH-4053H dome camera from View-Link Electronics.
Our standard GPSBOXKBD video overlay units are not compatible with any digital HD or USB camera. |
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| Q. Could you explain the displayed
GPS co-ordinate format? |
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| A. The format is NMEA standard.
This is a decimal decimal format with decimal degrees and decimal minutes. You should enter it into google maps
or other mapping software in the following format: |
| 55 51.9916N, 005 04.7185W |
First figure is latitude
55 51.9916N is 55 degrees 51.9916 minutes North |
Longitude
005 04.7185W is 005 degrees 04.7185 minutes West |
| This is a standard and most software should accept the data in this format. Please
see the image below. This should show the correct location of the image. Also note that google maps gives the same
position in two other formats decimal degrees and degrees, minutes and seconds as well. There are various webpages
that allow coordinates to be converted between the NMEA format and the other two. |
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| Q. Can I arrange to have my
order shipped using my courier account? |
| A. No. We regret that it is
not possible for us to arrange shipping with customer courier accounts. Our courier booking system is computerised
and has no facility for using other accounts. The standard shipping quoted on our website is for registered airmail
or courier shipping depending on the value and weight of the order. If you wish to upgrade to courier shipping
please contact us before you make your order and we will provide you with a quote. The lead time before dispatch
will be the same. sales@pic-osd.com |
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| Q. General questions about dispatch
and delivery times? |
| A. Please read our standard
terms and conditions of sale.
All orders are normally processed and dispatched within 10 working days. This does not mean that all orders
are held for exactly 10 working days, but that the time to process an order can vary due to the size of the order
and the number of other orders being processed at the same time. Therefore we give this as a realistic guideline
based on our experience. When you make your order you will always be informed of the actual likely lead time before
dispatch. |
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| Q. Does this item come with
a power supply? |
| A. Our units can be used in
a wide variety of systems and no one power supply solution would be suitable for them all. Therefore the units
do not include a power supply as standard. You may already have a suitable power supply or you may wish to source
this requirement locally. Otherwise UK customers should order the PWRSUP item.
This item is not available to customers outside the UK. |
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| Q. Can I just buy your OSDSER
unit and use it use to display information from a cash register or EPOS? |
| A. NO! The OSDSER unit has been discontinued. |
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| Q. You
have 1Hz and 5Hz versions of the GPSBOXKBD+, what is the difference, which would be best for my application? |
| A. The GPSBOXKBD+ units have
an internal GPS receiver to provide the data for the overlay. The essential difference between the 1Hz and 5Hz
versions is the data update rate of the internal receiver. The 1Hz version provides a position update once per
second and the serial data output is at 4800 baud. This is the NMEA standard and so will interface with any other
NMEA standard navigation or logging equipment. The 5Hz version provides a position update 5 times per second and
the serial data output is at 38400 baud. This is non-standard and therefore if you intend to use the unit with
any navigation or logging software you should ensure it is capable of receiving this baud rate. The higher baud
rate is useful in any vehicle mounted application as the update rate is closer to real time, although there is
still a lag of just under half a second. Please note that the update rate of the GPSBOXKBD+ units is fixed and
cannot be changed by the user. Please see the suitability section on each of the product pages. |
| Understanding update rates |
| 1Hz |
Display updated once per second |
Marine surveys. Order GPSBOXKBDPLUS-XDT |
| 5Hz |
Display updated 5 times per second |
Normal road car, light aircraft, helicopter |
| 10Hz |
Display updated 10 times per second |
High performance racing car, jet aircraft |
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| Q. What is the pinout of the
GPSBOXKBD male and female DB9 connectors? |
A. The pinouts are standard
for RS232 DB9 connectors.
| Connector |
Signal |
| male pin 2 |
Serial data in |
| female socket 2 |
Serial data out |
| male pin 5 / female socket 5 |
Ground |
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| Q. Are your products compatible
with NTSC? How do I let you know I need the NTSC version at time of order? |
A. Yes. All our products are
compatible with NTSC and PAL video standards. We have not tested them with other video standards such as PAL-M
or SECAM. You do not need to inform us if you will be using our products with NTSC equipment.
The exception to this is the GPSBOXSPRITE2 unit. These are compatible with either PAL or NTSC. We have a list of video standards
for most of the countries in the world. We will automatically send you a unit compatible with your domestic video
standard. If you live in a PAL country and require an NTSC compatible unit, or vice versa, then email and tell
us this at the time you make your order. |
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| Q. Will your video overlay units
work with any USB keyboard? |
A. No. Only USB keyboards with
PS/2 functionality can be used with our keyboard interface units.
There are two types of signals that PC keyboards use: PS/2 and HID. Our units only work with PS/2 signalling. Most
USB keyboards will support both type of signals, defaulting to PS/2. However some USB keyboards are HID only and
these will not work with our units. If a keyboard is USB only, i.e. it needs PC operating system support to function,
then it will not work with our units. |
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| Q. Could you do a custom modification
of one of your products for me? |
| A. Please see our notes on customisation.
We can only do simple modifications to the software running on some of our existing products. For example selecting
a subset of the gps data for display. If you come to us with a well defined specification then we will always look
at it and see if we can help. However if you don't take the time to understand you own needs and develop a specification
then we cannot provide you with a solution. We do not design and develop one off products or systems for people
which are not based on our existing products. |
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| Q. I purchased one of your units
some time ago and it has stopped working. Can I have it replaced? |
| A. Please see our terms and conditions of sale
for our returns procedure. We offer a 12 month warranty on all the products we sell. This covers problems arising
from defects in manuafacture in both hardware and software. If a unit is delivered to you with faulty hardware
or errors in the software, we will repair or replace the unit. However this is a warranty and NOT a service agreement. If the unit you buy
fails because of the way you connect it or because of a defect in the system you connect it to, then this failure
will not be covered by the warranty. Like any electrical equipment our products can be damaged if connected incorrectly.
In particular care should be taken when making solder connections to any of our board products. If you put the
soldering iron in the wrong place you can damage the board. Please follow the instructions in our documentation to avoid problems. Our products
are in service in many applications from airborne surveys in Finland to the outback of Australia. They have proven
to be extremely reliable in normal use. Overall the failure rate has been much less than 1%, but one avoidable
failure is one too many. When correctly connected our units should provide years of trouble free service. It is
beyond the scope of our documentation to advise on avoiding the common problems, like ground loops, which can occur
in the complicated video systems used in underwater survey and other applications. It is your responsibility to
ensure that such problems do not occur as they can result in the video overlay unit being degraded or damaged.
For this reason it is important that all installation is done by technically competent people with an understanding
of the issues relevant to the specific system being set up. |
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| Q. Will your product work for
my particular application? |
| A. We cannot tell you if one
of our products is suitable for a specific application as we cannot test it as you will use it. We can only guarantee
that our products will work as described on this website. We therefore specifically disclaim suitability for any
particular application. Please see our terms and conditions
of sale. It is up to you to read the information we provide here on this
website, ask us any relevant questions, then assess the suitability of the products for your application. |
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| Q. I wish to overlay GPS data
directly on to my camcorder. Is it possible? |
| A. No, you cannot use your camcorder
alone unless it has a composite video in - out loop specifically for this purpose. A standard camcorder with a
composite video in connector can only be used as a recording device with an external camera as shown in the helmet
camera setup below. In this example the video output of the helmet camera would be routed through the video overlay
unit then to the camcorder so that the overlay data would be recorded. |
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| Q. Can you give a quote in US
dollars? Euros? etc. |
| A. No. Our prices are set in
British pounds sterling (GBP) and we do not provide quotes in other currencies. You can get a guide to the order
total in your currency using the many currency conversion tools available online. |
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| Q. Can I just order your products
and get everything I'll need as a complete unit and not need to program anything? |
| A. Yes. All our products come
programmed with the appropriate software as described on this website. They are fully functional as described,
but fitness for any particular purpose is specifically disclaimed. Please read our terms and conditions of sale before ordering.. |
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| Q. Do you have a discounted
reseller price list? |
| A. No, we are only interested
in value added resellers who are technically competent to support our products. |
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| Q. Is the project board sold
as a kit? Is the PCB available separately? |
| A. No. The project board is
only available fully assembled. We do not sell kits, parts or schematics for you to make your own boards. All of
this information is freely available on the web. If you decide to design your own board then you should do so using
these resources |
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| Q. Can I display colour characters
over video? |
| A. No. None of our products
will display colour characters over video |
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| Q. Are all your products RoHS
compliant? |
| A. Yes, all our products and
accessories are RoHS compliant
and meet the requirements of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directives (89/336/EEC,92/31/EEC). |
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| Q. I want to design my own project,
can you supply me with a schematic? I've designed and built my own project, but it won't work. I've bought an OSD
kit from somewhere, but I can't assemble it. Can you help? |
| A. No. We only support our own
products. We do not provide information or support for other companies products or homebrew projects. |
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| Q. I have tried to make an order
with a credit card but it has been declined with an error code. What does this mean? |
A. There are a number of reasons
for your credit card to be declined. If you have a problem please contact your credit card issuer first. The most
common reason for an order to be declined is that the card has been blocked from usage, either usage on the internet,
for customer not present transactions, or generally. This is normally done by your card issuer as a security measure.
The card may be blocked automatically if you have have spent more than usual or used the card in a way the automatic
system sees as suspect. Once you have contacted your card issuer they will normally verify your card and you will
be free to use it. We strongly recommend that customers sign up to either of the online cardholder authentication
schemes, Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode. Both allow you to set up a password with your card issuer to
prevent unauthorised use of your card online. Contact your card issuer for details.
If you find your card is persistently rejected and you are unable to resolve this with your card issuer then contact
us. You may be able to order by bank transfer.
Please do not repeatedly try to use a number of different
credit card numbers for the same order. Even if you eventually get the order to go through we will decline it. |
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| Q. I made an order via your
website, it was accepted at the time, but now you have declined it and are not answering my emails. Why? |
| A. There are several levels
of security that operate when you make a transaction via Stripe on this website. The initial processing of your
credit card details and the confirmation email sent by Stripe do not indicate that we have accepted your order.
Please see our terms and conditions of sale. Your order will be rejected if, when the order and your details are passed to us by Stripe
and reviewed, there are security concerns raised. This may be because you have given an incorrect billing address,
or there are other factors that lead us to suspect that your order might be fraudulent. Once we have informed you
that we have declined the order and reversed the credit card transaction we will not discuss the matter further.
As you will be informed at that time if you wish to make an order using a cheque or money order you may do so. |
| Your order will also be cancelled if we are unable to contact you if we need to clarify
your order details. This mainly happens when customers ignore information on this website and order accessories
which are not available separately or items which cannot be used together. |
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| Q. Why when I have already made
an order and given you my credit card details do I have to give you them again to amend the order to include an
extra item or a postage charge? |
| A. We don't hold your credit
card details. If you did not select the correct postage charge when you made your order or you want to add an item
to your order then you will have to do so via the amendment form we will set up for you on our website. We cannot
simply add items to your order for obvious security reasons. |
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© The BlackBoxCameraTM Company Limited
2023
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