New VC500 Controller for ROVVER X

Posted by Katie Breeden on Feb 16, 2018

The new VC500 controller for the ROVVER X sewer inspection crawler is the industry’s first to allow an operator to make a standards-compliant inspection, then upload it wirelessly to the cloud for instant access anywhere, on any device with a browser. The new controller also includes a suite of tools to measure pipe diameter and bend, crack size, obstructions, flow level, lateral diameter and angle, and inclination. In addition, it brings drag-and-drop simplicity to the task of overlaying video with inspection data, system status and images.

Here’s a brief introduction to its core features:

Navigation and LayoutVC500 Navigation and Layout

The navigation bar on the right-hand side of the screen is always present. Pressing the home button at the top of the bar brings you back to the start screen (shown). The menu button below it takes you to settings and diagnostics. Further down, the arrows allow you to slide between interface pages. (You can also swipe the screen to accomplish the same thing.) The help button toggles all buttons between icons and their text descriptions, which makes learning your way around the VC500 a quick process. Finally, the auto-upright display lets you position the joysticks where they’re most natural for you: above the screen or below.

Operating Your CrawlerVC500 Basic Operations Menu

The right and left joysticks control crawler and camera movement, respectively. Power and emergency stop buttons are located between the two joysticks. All other functions are accessed through the touchscreen interface, including (but not limited to):

  • Illumination: Adjusts intensity of camera lamps and auxiliary lamps (if installed).
  • Camera Zoom and Focus
  • Camera Switcher: Cycles among primary camera, rear-facing camera and auxiliary camera (if installed).
  • Macros: Offers nine automated routines for common inspection tasks.
  • Reel: Adjusts reel mode (automatic or manual), power and speed.
  • Cruise Control
  • Anti-roll: Automatically stops your crawler when it’s in danger of rolling over.
  • Clutch: Disengages/engages the clutch.
  • Lift: Raises/lowers the camera lift (if installed)
  • Sonde

Distance and Status IndicatorsVC500 Distance and Status Indicators

The VC500’s many flexible features allow for increased customization when it comes to operating your crawler. The VC500 makes it easy to zero out both absolute and relative distance, recalibrate the readings to a number other than zero, and display these measurements as video overlay elements. The interface header also displays a variety of additional information including:

  • Which project and inspection are active
  • What inspection standard (for example, PACP) is being used
  • Status indicators for video recording, ATEX compliance and pressure.

A cluster of advanced icons can also be displayed alongside the video panel to show the status of various functions.

 

Reporting and SharingVC500 Reporting Features and Sharing

The VC500 lets you create standards-compliant inspections, and these inspections are organized into projects. Projects can be created using any common defect catalog (like PACP or WRc), and defects can be entered using easy drop-down menus. You can wirelessly upload completed projects to WinCan Web to share them instantly and securely with anyone using a web browser. Reports can also be generated from projects and saved as PDFs.

 

Video OverlaysVC500 Video Overlay

The VC500 has a variety of on-screen display (OSD) capabilities that make it easy to create inspection video that’s informative and well-branded. With drag-and-drop simplicity, you can now overlay your logo, company and client information, inspection data, and crawler parameters directly on your video. You choose the text color, background color, position and transparency. Once you’ve perfected your overlay setup, you can save it as a profile for easy recall in the future.

 

MeasurementVC500 Measurement Tools

The VC500 includes a suite of tools to measure pipe diameter and bend angle, crack size, obstructions, flow level, lateral diameter and angle, and inclination. To calculate these measurements, many of the tools require the crawler operator to align virtual components, like a pipe or branch, with the real ones. For example, to measure obstructions, align the virtual pipe to the real one, set the plane of measurement, and trace out the object in the pipe. The system then calculates the percentage blockage.

 

Final Notes

The VC500 is compatible with all existing ROVVER X systems, so upgrading is easy, and all new systems ship with it standard. The new interface offers powerful tools to complete standards-compliant inspections, perform measurements, overlay data and graphics, and share your inspections online. Perhaps the VC500’s biggest advantage is simply its usability, so schedule a test drive and experience it firsthand:

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Topics: All Topics CCTV Inspections Product Features ROVVER X