1-day shipping on stock items3-year warranty minimumFree expert support from licensed P.E.sVolume discountsNet 30 for businesses
Configure a system
EN
EnglishDeutschFrançaisEspañolItalianoPortuguêsNederlandsSvenska日本語한국어简体中文
Quote
Home / Case studies / Pin-tip location with selective illumination
Application study · Electronic components and lead inspection

Component pin tips: select the useful height region with a thin light plane

The source pin light makes the tips stand out while reducing the bright housing/background seen in the comparison. It is a useful contrast strategy for locating leads, separate from measuring their height or proving electrical contact.

Select a useful tip signal before asking software to locate it.

  • Proposed light housing (spec)120 × 150 × 26 mm
  • EvidenceReal application-lab captures
  • Camera (proposed)2448 × 2048 monochrome
  • Field (derived proposal)33.78 × 28.26 mm derived from printed 0.25x magnification
3D view of the inspection set-up: camera, lens, light and partDrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
3D illustration · real CAD where available
Walk through this setup 5 guided stops
From component to inspection

Understand each choice.

Choose a stop to frame the part in 3D and see why it belongs in this setup. The component notes and links remain available if 3D cannot load.

Camera and available lens CAD are published models. Light envelopes and the station base/height use printed dimensions. Part shapes, brackets, holders, shielding and spacing are illustrative; they are not reconstructions of a source part or a complete mechanically validated assembly. Light paths explain the proposed arrangement and do not simulate optical performance. The proposed field is derived from the printed camera pixel dimensions and the stated lens magnification/working-distance pair, not measured from the source capture.

From the demo to your test bench

Build around the parts you can buy.

Explore each component, check its specifications and compare alternatives. The proposed quote includes the linked test station; its catalog listing includes two lighting holders.

Mount the optics with intent

The station is an optical test bench, with its two lighting holders included in the catalog listing. The 3D column and base follow the published height and footprint. Carriages, clamps and part supports are schematic: confirm camera screw pattern, lens support, light fasteners, permissible load and actual travel before ordering.

Configure the mounting station →

Complete the electrical system

Select a controller against the exact light voltage, drive mode and power, then confirm camera data/power/I/O cables and a suitable PC. These are not silently added to the proposed optical kit.

Lighting application-lab image sheet

Evidence you can inspect

Visible in the images

The source comparison isolates the pin tips more strongly than its ring-light reference; a separate five-pin example retains visible tip regions.

What the source reports

The source reports improved pin-location contrast, without a calibrated height plane, positional accuracy or production false-call rate.

How to use this evidence

An application-lab lighting demonstration, not a customer deployment or a qualified production inspection. Proposed camera, lens, fixture and scene spacing require a fresh trial. Source observations do not establish a defect-size limit, accuracy guarantee or production false-call rate.

What the camera saw

Cropped from the source test sheet; original test annotations are retained. Captures are not generated or enhanced. Drag the comparison slider or use the image buttons.

Source ring-light reference: shafts, housing and background remain bright; original red box retained.Source pin-light capture: bright tip regions are more isolated from the background; original red box retained.Source ring-light referenceSource pin light
Source ring-light reference: Source ring-light reference: shafts, housing and background remain bright; original red box retained.
Source pin light: Source pin-light capture: bright tip regions are more isolated from the background; original red box retained.
Five-lead component shown in the standalone source example; its electrical function is not identified.
Five-lead component shown in the standalone source example; its electrical function is not identified.
Separate source example under the same pin-light model; five tip regions are visible.
Separate source example under the same pin-light model; five tip regions are visible.

The challenge

A locating algorithm can be distracted by the component body, pin shafts and fixture below the tips. The useful signal is often the tip region itself.

How it was solved

The source names LS-BRV150120-W2. This is one catalog assembly with two inward-facing light rails, not two complete units in the quote.

The proposed frame is aligned around the pin-tip plane. Frame position, part supports and illumination-plane thickness are schematic; a real setup must establish the useful height interval.

Why it works

  1. 1

    A narrow directional light field can suppress background features while retaining the pin-tip signal.

  2. 2

    A bright tip is not a calibrated height measurement. The source does not give a plane-thickness specification, height rejection threshold or pin-location uncertainty.

From image contrast to a production decision

What to validate on your part

A useful sample image is the starting point. These are the checks that turn the concept into a defensible inspection.

  1. 01

    Align the actual tips

    Adjust the light and fixture using known good leads and document the useful illumination-height interval.

  2. 02

    Challenge the background

    Include component-body finish, pin tilt, housing reflections and fixture-position variation.

  3. 03

    Validate localization

    Measure repeated tip locations and test known missing/displaced leads; use a separate calibrated method if height is required.

Explore your inspection requirements

How many pixels cover your feature?

Compare feature coverage, camera pixel requirements and exposure using your own planning inputs. These are calculated planning values, not inspection results or an accuracy specification.

Editable planning scenario. Adjust these example inputs for your application; they are separate from the source test and 3D setup. Motion allowance and target coverage are starting points to validate, not acceptance limits. Pixel count starts from the proposed camera's catalog resolution.

Object sampling0.04085 mm/px
Pixels across feature12.24 px
Horizontal pixels for target1000 px
Motion during exposure0.2448 px
Exposure ceiling from motion204.2 µs
Formulas and assumptions

The field, feature, speed and exposure start with neutral example values. They are not taken from the source test or the 3D illustration. Allowed motion starts at an editable 0.5-pixel example; it is not a recommended acceptance limit. Target coverage starts at an editable 5-pixel example; it is not a recommended detection or measurement threshold. The horizontal pixel count starts from the catalog Resolution row for MV-CS050-10GM(NPOE). Use the effective width after cropping, binning or decimation if those modes are enabled.

  • Object sampling (mm/px) = field width (mm) / horizontal pixels.
  • Pixels across feature = feature width (mm) / object sampling (mm/px).
  • Horizontal pixels for target = field width (mm) × target pixels across feature / feature width (mm), rounded up to a whole pixel.
  • Motion (px) = speed (mm/s) × exposure (µs) / 1,000,000 / object sampling (mm/px).
  • Exposure for allowed motion (µs) = allowed motion (px) × object sampling (mm/px) / speed (mm/s) × 1,000,000.

The exposure result is the maximum duration from this motion allowance alone. At zero speed, motion sets no exposure limit; the camera, lighting, saturation and other constraints still apply. A shorter exposure does not itself guarantee a reliable inspection.

Field width and feature width refer to the same object plane. The motion calculation assumes uniform linear motion parallel to the field-width direction and a single exposure. It does not model perspective, vibration, rolling-shutter distortion, diffraction, defocus or optical distortion. A strobe may change the effective exposure.

The target result is a horizontal sampling requirement, not a camera recommendation or a change to the selected camera. It uses the effective image width after cropping, binning or decimation and does not determine the vertical resolution or sensor size. Pixel coverage alone does not establish detectability or measurement accuracy. Validate contrast, lens performance, working distance, illumination, calibration, camera exposure limits and the inspection algorithm on representative parts. Changing field width does not change the 3D model or certify that the proposed lens can achieve that field.

The set-up and the parts

Source cameraNot identified in the source sheet
Camera and lensProposed catalog components
Proposed field33.78 × 28.26 mm derived from printed 0.25x magnification
Lens-to-part in proposed scene150 mm; printed working-distance pair
Mounting (proposed)LS-BT-XZ-G-6-6045 · catalog test station with two lighting holders

"Tested" identifies the part named in the source. "Our pick" is a proposed alternative or supporting part. The quote includes only cards marked "In proposed setup", with the quantities shown; other test arrangements are separate. Confirm colour, optics, controllers, power supplies, cables and mounting before ordering.

About this case study: the photos and camera images come from the application laboratory of the maker of the lighting and optics we sell, imaged on the parts shown; your results depend on your part, camera and set-up. This is an application-lab study, not a LumaSpec customer deployment. Source figures are reported results; proposed components require a fresh trial. The 3D scene illustrates the arrangement and does not simulate imaging performance.

More case studies

Start with your inspection requirement

Make the next trial specific.

Tell us the part size, smallest defect or tolerance, available working distance, material and line speed. Include what a good part and a reject look like.

Discuss your applicationConfigure a system