Configurator tool

Note

The references in this chapter are from the Si2a–PD model.

Camera page

Introduction

Position the camera so that the field of view includes electrical assets such as high-voltage bushings, insulators, transformers, or switchgear, and the camera will begin to detect partial discharge activity. All detected events can be viewed, configured, and analyzed through the configurator tool.

Creating monitored areas

Create at least one monitored area to be able to analyze detected activity, generate alarms, capture snapshots, and review historical trends.

  1. In the camera view of the configurator tool, click the Create Alarm button to enable drawing mode.

  2. Use the mouse to draw a rectangular monitored area over the asset or HV component of interest.

  3. Enter the following information:

    • Area name

    • Component type

    • Distance to camera

    • Line voltage of the monitored equipment

  4. Click Save area.

    • This action opens the Alarm creation window.

    • You may add an alarm or save without assigning alarms.

  5. Click on Stop drawing mode.

Assigning alarms

You can assign alarms to each monitored area if alarm notifications are required for PD events.

  1. Open Edit regions > Alarms.

  2. Click Add alarm.

  3. Enter an alarm name.

  4. Select the PD Type, or leave it set to Any PD to trigger on all detected types.

  5. Choose the minimum severity level that must be reached to activate the alarm.

    • Low: Triggers on any PD event, regardless of severity.

    • Medium: PD severity must reach at least 25% to trigger the alarm.

    • High: PD severity must reach at least 50% to trigger the alarm.

    • Very high: PD severity must reach at least 75% to trigger the alarm.

  6. Select the lowest Sound pressure level (SPL) that would trigger the alarm. It is recommended to keep it at the lowest value.

Note

In each monitored area, the analysis is performed on the strongest detected sound source present at the time of analysis. Weaker sound sources can sometimes be masked by strong sound sources either within or outside the monitored area, resulting in these weaker sound sources not being detected.

Alarm advanced options

Adjust the following parameters to refine the alarms when they are triggered:

  • Minimum interval, the minimum time required between two consecutive alarm events.

  • Minimum duration, the minimum time a PD event must persist before triggering the alarm.

Note

The minimum duration must be less than or equal to the minimum interval.

Alarm events

When alarms are triggered, the most recent active alarms will appear in the Camera View, see Figure 1.

Figure 1. Active alarm list is displayed on the right side of the camera view.

  • Click alarm to view detailed event information.

  • The Alarm Event tab lists all historical alarm events, which can be sorted by:

    • Severity

    • Time of occurrence, see Figure 2

      Figure 2. Alarm event list.

PD Detection

When a PD event occurs within a user‑defined monitored area, the camera displays additional analytics such as:

  • PD type

  • PRPD Pattern

  • SPL Value

  • Severity level

These details appear when the user hovers the mouse pointer over the monitored area.

If multiple PD sources are present across different monitored areas, each region will display PD information independently.

Capturing snapshots

Snapshots come from triggered alarms or are manually captured by the operator.

  1. Hover the mouse pointer over the selected monitoring area.

  2. Click the Snapshot/Camera icon.

  3. Captured snapshots appear in the Gallery tab, see Figure 3.

  4. Click on a snapshot to view details:

    • The associated monitored area will be highlighted by default and marked with a camera icon.

    • Users may switch between monitored areas within the snapshot.

      Note

      The most accurate, updated data corresponds to the area originally associated with the snapshot. This region would be shown with the camera icon.

    Figure 3. Snapshots gallery.

  5. Scroll down to reveal additional PD analytics, including:

    • PRPD pattern

    • PD type

    • Description

    • Recommendation

    • Severity level

Downloading snapshots

  1. In the snapshot list, click the three dots (⋮) next to the desired snapshot.

  2. Select Download.

  3. Files are saved in .NLZ format.

These files can be opened in Thermal Studio for:

  • Offline viewing

  • Advanced analysis

  • Report generation

Historical data trending

Historical events and their associated analytics can be viewed in the Trends tab of the configurator tool. The Trends page provides access to historical measurement data, enabling users to track changes in PD activity, identify patterns, and review long‑term behavior of monitored assets. Adjust the trend settings for data measurement period and storage period in the trend settings, see section Trend settings.

The page is divided into two main sections:

  1. PD type timeline.

    Displays the PD type detected at each measurement time, allowing the user to understand how the PD type evolves over time.

  2. Severity trend.

    Shows how the PD severity levels have changed for the selected monitored area over the chosen time range. Users can choose to display or hide any of the severity curves:

    • Maximum severity.

    • Average severity.

    • Minimum severity.

Understanding the chart

The severity chart includes the following features:

  • Three severity lines.

    • Maximum severity (darkest line).

    • Average severity.

    • Minimum severity.

  • Background severity zones.

    • Green: Low severity (0–25).

    • Yellow: Medium severity (25–50).

    • Orange: High severity (50–75).

    • Red: Critical severity (75–100).

    Click on a data point to view detailed measurement information.

Using filters

The Trends tab includes multiple filter controls:

  • Date range selector, allows users to view data over specific time periods.

  • Region filter, displays trend data for a selected monitored area.

The chart legend also allows users to show or hide individual severity curves.

Exporting data

Download historical trend data.

  1. Click Export CSV.

  2. The filtered trend dataset will be saved as a CSV file.

  3. This file can be opened in spreadsheet applications (e.g. Excel) for offline analysis and reporting.

Camera settings

Network settings

SMTP

Figure 4.

Enter your SMTP server details to enable the system to automatically send weekly emails about the PD types detected in the user‑defined regions.

FTP

Figure 5.

Enter FTP server details to allow the system to automatically send captured snapshots.

MQTT

Figure 6.

Enter information to allow alarm event data to be published to the MQTT broker.

Storage management

Figure 7.

See the current storage usage of the camera and set the time or storage limit to clear the sorted snapshots.

System

General settings

This section allows configuration of the general system parameters for the camera, including:

  • Date and time

  • Units of measurement

  • Currency format

  • Environmental reference parameters

  • Select camera focus mode

These settings ensure accurate reporting and proper display of measurement information.

Trend settings

Configure trend‑related parameters:

  • Measurement Interval, defines how frequently the camera records measurement data.

  • Data Retention Period, determines how long historical trend data is stored in the system.

Adjust these values to balance data resolution and storage time.

4–20 mA Current Loop Settings

The camera has a configurable 4–20 mA current loop output that can be used to report alarm events to external systems. The 4–20 mA channel must be enabled individually for each alarm that will use it.

Minimum value.

  • Selectable from 6 mA to 18 mA in 2 mA steps, use the drop‑down menu.

  • The selected minimum value is continuously output when the camera is in normal (no‑alarm) condition.

  • The alarm current value must be higher than the minimum value, see section Alarm actions.

Test Signal Value.

Test the 4–20 mA output by selecting a test current from the drop‑down menu.

  1. Select the desired test current value (must be higher than the minimum value).

  2. Click Run Output Test.

  3. The camera will output the selected current for 10 seconds for verification.

Digital input output settings

Figure 8.

Digital input.

  • The camera supports two digital inputs.

  • Inputs can be configured to perform actions such as rebooting the device or capturing a snapshot.

  • Digital inputs operate in an active‑low configuration:

    • The input is considered active (ON) when the signal is pulled to ground.

Digital output.

  • The camera provides two digital outputs that can be associated with alarms.

  • Outputs must be assigned in Alarm Settings.

  • The page also allows to test each digital output:

    1. Select the output duration.

    2. Click Test Pin 1 or Test Pin 2 to activate the output.

  • Digital outputs operate in an active‑high configuration:

    • The output is considered active (ON) when the signal is driven high.

Device

Device Information, displays important information about the camera, including:

  • Serial number

  • Software version

  • Electronic label (e-label)

  • Additional device identifiers

System, shows the camera's resource utilization, including:

  • CPU usage

  • Memory usage

This information is useful for diagnostics and performance monitoring.

Software update

Camera software update

Take advantage of the latest camera software, it is important to keep the camera up to date.

Update the camera software, make sure the correct software update file is saved on the computer. Go to the product page or contact Flir Customer Support to obtain the update file.

Perform a software update

  1. Open the configurator tool and navigate to Settings > System > Software Update.

  2. The current software version installed on the camera will be displayed on this page.

  3. Click Software Update, browse to locate and select the update file stored on your PC.

  4. The configurator tool will begin updating the camera firmware.

Note

  • Do not disconnect the camera from the network during the update process.

  • The camera will temporarily suspend normal functions, including detection, alarm triggering, and snapshot capture, while the update is in progress.

  • After a successful update, the camera will automatically return to the Live view screen.

The software version number on the update page is updated to show the newly installed version.

Logs

Use this section to download diagnostic log files containing detailed system information. These logs can be sent to technical support to assist with troubleshooting and problem resolution.

Documentation

API Documentation

Provides interactive documentation for the device’s REST API.

Use this section to:

  • Explore available API endpoints.

  • View request and response structures.

  • Test API calls directly from the browser.

MQTT topics

  • Topic names

  • Payload examples

  • Parameter descriptions

This information is necessary to integrate the camera into external monitoring or automation systems.