This question applies to the legacy Photon camera models. The Photon product line and its accessories have been discontinued. The information here is provided for historical reference.
The serial port is only required to operate the camera in a non-autonomous mode. The legacy Photon camera is capable of being controlled remotely through an asynchronous serial interface consisting of the signals named RX, TX, and GND using 3.3 volt signal levels.
Note: The camera is compatible with most all RS-232 drivers/receivers but does not implement signaling levels (voltages) compliant with the RS-232 industry standard. However, it has been found fully functional in almost all implementations to date. There is no need for a NULL modem or to change the polarity when connecting legacy Photon to a PC.
The legacy Photon camera can understand camera commands set by the Photon Graphical User Interface (GUI) over an RS-232 link. The GUI can be downloaded here. Note that the GUI is only compatible with legacy Photon cameras built in 2008 or later.
If you experience problems trying to communicate with a legacy Photon over a serial port, we recommend trying this sequence of steps:If the above steps do not produce a successful result, then try another PC before contacting our Client Services group for help. The most common diagnosis we have seen is an anomaly with the serial port of the PC being used.