Faxitron Biovision/Bioptics  Win7 (PCI resource issue) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2022, 05:13:02 pm
content: I just picked up a Faxitron Biovision ( also called OR) system.AFAIK it worked before the recycler pulled the HD outI have the original faxitron install CD though.New HD, Win7Pro ( 32 bit) installed, faxitron SW installed.I'm stuck at getting the PCI -EISA bridge ( PLX chip on imager card) driver to work.See attached in device manager - claims it can't find resources, but won't say what resources it's looking for. nothing shown on "resources" tab.Device manager also showing "Bioptics PCI card", but not able to start, presumably due to the above issue.I've tried disabling both LAN interfaces, audio and COM ports, no change.

author: rickells
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2024, 05:38:24 pm
content: Someone on eBay has the image of the HD for the newer working complete ~2009 Bioptics Faxitron !!Perhaps ask upfront for the HD image, for your "identical" machine, that has No HD ?https://www.ebay.com/itm/256453156233?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11051.m43.l1123&mkcid=26&ch=osgood&euid=543cc1b5baec465183b03972198adaec&bu=43174413971&osub=-1%7E1&crd=20240326114040&segname=11051

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2024, 06:11:15 pm
content: I got an image from elsewhere, but still couldn't get it going - think there was a hardware issue

author: rickells
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2024, 02:45:08 pm
content: hi Mike,My BiOptics Bio Vision Faxitron unit is ~ year 2009 to 2011 having the Win7 cpu installed at the Bottom of the unit.It came without a HD & No system.Initially, it would Not power up due to the built-in Tripp-Lite battery backup unit failure ( dead batteries ):Opened it up and disconnected the two (2) Tripp-Lite units:a) 12V Battery pack ( on left ) BP12V54&b) HC350 RK power supply having three (3) Comm conncetions ( USB1, COMM1 black & COMM2 gray ).Of These three signal cables: the USB goes to the CPU, the two Cat-5 cables go upwards; perhaps to the LCD screen for kV indication, etc, and possibly the 2nd Cat-5 cable to a thermistor on the xR tube: just a guess, Not sure yet.pulled out the three (3) 120 power plugs from this unit ( going to: CPU, CPU monitor screen, & XR tube closed frame power supply ),& plugged these 3 + the 4th plug from the HC350RK into a standard power bar. Instrument then powered on.Note: must temporarily tape down the two (2) rear cover Interlock micro-switched.But, I don't have the system image for the HD ( ... Anyone ? )Beyond dead batteries in the Tripp-Lite BP12v54, there is something wrong with my HC350RK PS.I will dig into that soon.Tripp-Lite Website does not have much in the way of useful info on this unit, no schematics.( HC350RK Schematics ... Anyone ?? )Newer version ( perhaps without USB & 2 COMM I/O ) might be: HC350RS or HC350S series; unknown.If anyone has the System HD installation image or CD ROM, I would appreciate it ( PM please )Have not yet dissected more of the unit:The Xr tube seems to be different than the Faxitron MX20The detector is a 10cm x 15cm USB O/P

author: rickells
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2024, 02:54:59 pm
content: Photos of BiOptics Bio Vision Faxitron

author: rickells
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2024, 02:55:53 pm
content: BiOptics Bio Vison

author: rickells
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2024, 05:49:01 pm
content: BiOptics Bio Vision FaxitronCorrection:Detector does Not have a USB O/P; instead two small (coax ? ) cables going to a card in the Win7 cpu box.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2024, 09:10:40 pm
content: Quote from: rickells on April 20, 2024, 05:49:01 pmThese are fibre/fiber optic connections

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2024, 08:20:48 pm
content: Looking at the dust near the bottom of the card, I'd take the card out, and clean the connectors (both male and female) with isopropyl alcohol, then reseat the card. Toothbrush or similar is useful with the female side. I like to do the female/motherboard connector upside down, so that the gunk flows out of the connector, instead of along the surface of the motherboard. Spray IPA makes that easier, but it does tend to be messy. PPA eyewear is a must for me. Final cleaning with air duster.Also check if the recycler moved the card; not all PCI slots are equal, so it could be a resource clash with other stuff. In that case, using another slot might make it work.

author: rickells
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2024, 04:20:41 pm
content: No, Not fiber Optic cables.Two (2) Belden 1855a mini 59 Video coax cables, 75 Ohm, 6 GHz "Precision Video"Labeled: ( P ) & ( G ) > the unknown PCI card in the Win7 box.

author: rickells
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2024, 04:38:56 pm
content: BiOptics Bio Vision Faxitron xR system sub-assemblies:( NB: have no HD, no CD Rom: no system software for it. )System SW likely tied to the two MAC addresses in the system Win7 mini-CPU.Can't find detailed .pdf Instruction nor User manuals for:1) The Oxford Instruments Jupiter 5000 P/N 93089 50um Spot size 50kV xR tube.2) The unmarked 10cm x 15cm xR flat panel detector " Model VIS-1015" NC0615-F226 ( ca. 2015, revised from 2010 )3) unknown PCI card for unknown 10cm x 15cm xR FP Det. in Bio Vision Faxitron unit ( 2010, 2015).I/P are two Belden 1855a mini 59 coax cables: 75 Ohm video.( not fiber optic cables ! )>> .... anyone ?Faxitron BiOptics Bio Vision ( ca. 2011 or so ... ) system components:**Oxford Instrument xRay tube:Jupiter, DS062 series 5000 , air-cooledP/N: 93089Target: W (Tungsten)Filament Spot size: 50 umFilament Voltage ~ 2.0V nom., Current 1.7Adata sheet ( 2pgs):https://xray.oxinst.com/x-ray-tube-products/x-ray-tube-assembly-radiation-shielded/jupiter-5000-series:P/N; 93089Jupiter Pkg. Outline Drawing: 8166Anode current 1.0mA10 to 50 kV>> User / Instruction Man. ??**xR FP Detector: ... UnknownFlat Panel xRay Detector: 10cm x 15 cm active areaBlack carbon fiber top.physical size: " 8"x10", ~ 1/2" thick; wired.-- O/P: flat thin white ribbon cable ~1" wide to > small Faxitron PCB > 2 Belden 1855a coax cables > PCI card in CPU. Belden 1855a mini 59 coax, video coax 75 Ohm, 6GHz( two coax cables, labeled: G, & P ; are Not fiber optic cables )https://catalog.belden.com/techdata/EN/1855A_techdata.pdf-- Power (?) : small white 6-pin connector.xR FP has No Mfr name, labeled:" Model VIS-1015 Rev. B "NC0615-F226Date: 07/30/2015 (Revised)( Original 01/12/2010 )>> Mfr. ?? DriversO/P: flat white fragile thin ribbon cable > going to a small Faxitron PCB > two black Belden 6GHz Video cables ( "P" & "G" ) > PCI card in the Win7 Faxitron computer.Belden cables: 1855a shielded 6Ghz HD-SDI Precision Video Cable**Win7 CPUPCI card: unknown ??nb: Rear of CPU: small Faxitron PCB J1 black 4-pin connector ( for testing ? )adjacent to PCI card slot. Faxitron # 43805-80309>> PCI Drivers .... anyone ??**Open Frame LV PS:Integrated Power Designs 24V DC 5A 5V DC 15A**Spellman HV PS 24V DC > 0 to 50 kV 1.5mAP/N: X4196Model# MNX 50p75x419675 Watt unit: MNX50P75Option: 4196 ??2 pg. data sheet:https://www.spellmanhv.com/en/high-voltage-power-supplies/MNXInstruction & User Guide:https://www.spellmanhv.com› - › media › en › Technical-Resources › Manuals › MNXMAN.pdf**Battery Backup : two (2) Tripp-Lite heavy modules:a) Tripp-Lite HC350rkBattery Charger / Inverter PS Series AGTR0829https://tripplite.eaton.com/main/search?q=HC350RKhttps://tripplite.eaton.com/350w-medical-grade-power-inverter-remote~HC350SRb) Tripp-Lite Battery Pack BP12V54https://assets.tripplite.com/product-pdfs/en/bp12v54.pdfhttps://tripplite.eaton.com/?q=BP12V54HC350rk +BP: battery backup may not be required, but has three (3) Signal cables that go to the front panel & system;COMM1, COMM2 two Cat-5 cables go upwards, to the front panel PCB's. & a USB cable going to the Win7 CPU.-- Could lack of the 3 Signals from the Bt Bk-up COMM1, COMM2 &/or USB cause a halt of operation ?>> Anyone having a CD-Rom for this unit please PM me.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2024, 06:30:33 pm
content: I picked up one of these a couple of years ago. To be honest I haven’t even powered it up yet but it did come with the Windows 7 Pro install CD and the Faxitron install CD. If this is what you’re after then let me know and I’ll find a CD drive from somewhere and image the CD for you

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2024, 06:40:07 pm
content: Quote from: TopLoser on April 24, 2024, 06:30:33 pmDid it come with the hard disk?For the install CD to be useful You'd also need to make a note of the MAC addersses of the ethernet cards in the PC as the software is nodelocked to these - on the MX20 this can be dealt with using the manual MAC override available in most network card driver, I assume this one is the same.QuoteMust be a different version - mine is definitely fibre

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2024, 06:51:59 pm
content: Unfortunately the label on the front says ‘HDD Wiped’, but that hopefully means it was working when they wiped it.I’ve got a few free days, might be time to have a play with it.Just checked, mines fibre optic also. 2013 manufacture date and the CD serial number matches the number written all over the chassis under the cover.

author: rickells
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2024, 02:28:19 am
content: Mike,Can you take 2 Good complete photos of the front & back of your PCI Fiber card,Fill the frame of each photo, so that I can read the IC chip #'s etc. on the complete card including the adapter on the edge connector.I want to compare it to the dual coax cable PCI card i have, to examine differences.Wondering if they simply added the FO connector modules Or did something completely different.Yes, must be different date versions of the implementation.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2024, 12:37:39 pm
content: Fibre interface chips are CY7B923 and 933, 1231 datecode

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 25, 2024, 05:23:38 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on July 03, 2022, 05:13:02 pmRight.. I've just spent a pretty hit and miss day installing W7 on mine and then trawling the internet for drivers for all the devices that W7 doesn't know about out of the box.A couple of things are troubling me at the moment...1) I don't have a PCI-EISA bridge listed in device manager, even after installing the Bioptics card drivers2) Bioptics card drivers install ok apart from an annoying "This device cannot start (code 10)The Bioptics card is located on the "Intel Q77 Express Chipset LPC Controller - 1E47" so I guess my next move is to search for a DEV_1E47 driver and see if that brings my missing PCI-EISA bridge to the party?

author: KG7AMV
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2024, 04:19:18 am
content: I been looking to get an z-ray machine see these pop up all the time.

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 04:22:18 pm
content: I bought one of these machines from a Medical Equipment company but it is running a much older version of the software (v1.0.9). Is there a way I can get a copy of your software CD?

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 04:47:35 pm
content: Quote from: admiralmaggie on June 19, 2025, 04:22:18 pmI can image the V2.2.3 Vision Install CD and chuck it on dropbox or similar.Is your system working and if so do you have the install CD for your older version?Is it the fibre optic version or the coax version?Would it be possible to get a copy of your licence file and the MAC addresses of the TWO network interfaces it seems to need. My system just complains about not being licenced and getting in touch with Faxitron quoting two MAC addresses it displays on screen.

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 05:20:19 pm
content: I have the PixArray 100 version of this machine which has a smaller sensor area (10cm x 10cm) but uses the same software. Mine is working okay but it is running the older version of the software called BioPIX. I don't have the CD but it's version 1.0.9 and doesn't seem to have a license file. It has the fiber optic interface and has only one NIC. I can pull the MAC address if that helps.

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 05:26:40 pm
content: If you could check to see if your CD has the following directory, that would be super helpful. Looks like to upgrade from BioPIX, I need a special package.\Upgrade Package BiopticsVision v223\

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 06:27:17 pm
content: Quote from: admiralmaggie on June 19, 2025, 05:26:40 pmNo sorry, nothing like that at all.BioVision/Faxitron never seem to make anything easy, this bloody thing of mine is taking a trip to the recycling centre tomorrow.

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 06:30:27 pm
content: Too bad. They are good machines... Is your issue just the licensing problem or do you have PCI card driver issues as well?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 06:35:18 pm
content: Quote from: TopLoser on June 19, 2025, 06:27:17 pmThe X-ray tube and PSU is definitely worth salvaging - I used the ones from mine to replace the dead tube in my MX20, which was a pretty easy job.Also, the tube has a beryllium window, so probably best not mixed with general scrap metal.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 06:42:30 pm
content: Both issues.But with the licence file thing preventing me getting it working even if I pushed through the PCI card driver problem I lost interest last year.I watched this a few weeks ago and considered dragging the damn thing out of storage and having a go, but I wasted too much time on it already.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 06:45:11 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on June 19, 2025, 06:35:18 pmI'd keep those and the PC, and the sensor array. Just junk the rest of it.I have quite a large selection of MX20 parts if you ever need any.

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 06:45:55 pm
content: Let me debug this thing for a bit before trashing yours.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2025, 11:34:49 am
content: Quote from: TopLoser on June 19, 2025, 06:45:11 pmI'm still not 100% sure mine was the tube, but spent a long time looking at voltages etc. & couldn't find a problem. Although the Oxford tube from the bioptics tube has higher kV, the sport size is rather bigger so resolution is lowerA known-good spare gun board and/or tube to test would be handy.I still have the (fibre) sensor & card from my Bioptics .

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2025, 05:03:03 pm
content: My NIC wasn't allowing me to change the MAC address and thanks to IDA disassembler, I was able to reverse engineer the key logic and create a python script to recover the license file for a new mac address. Couple of things:During startup, software cycles through all available NICs (regardless of type/state) and tries to match the MAC to what it is embedded in the license file. If one match is found, it continues.The license file (VisionLicense.lky) has an encrypted string containing a MAC address, static markers, bunch of product details, and finally a checksum. It is encrypted using RC4 with a key derived from MD5 hash of the MAC address. The hardest part was the checksum logic.If license was valid at some point (i.e. NIC was changed later on), the license key is already copied to registry below and license file is ignored. Just delete the key and try again.[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Bioptics Inc.]The script generates a license file matching any MAC address specified. I wrote it for v2.2.3 but it might work with other versions.Hopefully this will allow others to reuse machines with wiped out HDDs or upgraded hardware.PM me if you need a copy of the python script.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 21, 2025, 05:59:41 pm
content: Some people amaze me with their patience and skill getting to the bottom of these things... I really am impressed, well done and thank you.I think if I can find the appropriate drivers for the PCI card we might be able to get this thing back up and running now. I'd love to get it working because it's a 150mm x 150mm array and some of the images I've seen from it are very good indeed.If yours has the same PCI card as mine (should do, we both have fibre connections) this shouldn't be too difficult now you've done the hard part!

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 21, 2025, 06:01:14 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on June 20, 2025, 11:34:49 amI'm back in the UK end of July, I'll rip those parts from a cabinet i have that doesn't have a sensor array (the wonders of auctions...) and get them to you.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 21, 2025, 08:30:04 pm
content: Quote from: admiralmaggie on June 19, 2025, 05:20:19 pmI just realised I have a PixArray 100 lurking somewhere - it's the thing that looks like a deformed traffic cone right? Lovely compact thing once you throw the trolley and other rubbish away.That worked just fine last time I used it, I can check the software version on that tomorrow.

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2025, 09:28:12 pm
content: Exactly! That's what I did with mine. I took it off the cart and put it on a shelf in the lab. Thanks for your help on the software version.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2025, 12:36:14 pm
content: Quote from: admiralmaggie on June 22, 2025, 09:28:12 pmNot much newer than yours unfortunately, mine is 1.1.3And you're right, no licence files needed with the PixArray series of machines.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2025, 11:53:36 pm
content: The bloody thing lives at last!!The next one will be a lot easier now I know what to look out for!

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2025, 01:54:29 pm
content: Here is a view of my PCI driver:

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2025, 02:38:07 pm
content: Yayyy!!!!

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 01:10:13 pm
content: Just to document this for anyone else who might have this issue:I was able to get the pixArray working with the 2.2.3.0 version of the BiopticsVision. The trick was to copy the Bioptics.cfg file from the old install into the new install. Everything seems to be working fine on v2.2.3.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 01:31:01 pm
content: If you're running a 64 bit operating system then you might want to try installing Vision 3.1.4 software, that seems a much nicer application.That has a setup option at the start for BioVision/BioCore/PixArray etc.At the moment I can't get the PCI card drivers to install in a 64 bit environment, I get a 'Wrong platform' error. But I'm working on it!

author: admiralmaggie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 02:54:49 pm
content: Oh! I didn't know about 3.1.4. Unfortunately, I'm running good old 32-bit Windows XP. Please let me know if you figured out how to install the drivers on a 64-bit environment. My understanding is that you would need 64-bit drivers to make it work.For now, I upgraded the memory to 2GB and cloned the spinning HDD into a SSD and it powers up fairly quickly.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 04:08:35 pm
content: Yes 3.1.4 is is what Mike in the "Buy it, fix it" Youtube video has installed on his machine, he hacked the .EXE so it doesn't look for the licence. I've got a copy of his application install disk but there are no drivers in it unfortunately.If you look at the my .inf file for the PCI card driver there are lots of references to 64 bit environments and WOW64 which I think is a reference to XP x64, I foolishly thought it would be simple...However... I've tried XP Pro x64, W7 Pro 64 bit and W10 64 bit and all of them detect the card and give me the option of "Bioptics PCI Card (64 bit)" but then fail at the last hurdle with a "Unsupported platform" message.Code:;===========================================================;; File : BiCam.inf;; Abstract: Windows INF for Bioptics PCI boards with PLX chips;; Revision: PLX SDK v6.20;; (c) Copyright 2010 Bioptics Inc.;;===========================================================;===================================================================; NOTES:;; This file is provided by PLX to install PLX drivers for PLX; Reference Design Boards. It may be used by others for reference; purposes. For those interested in modifying it for their own; purposes, it is recommended that you refer to the Microsoft Windows; Driver Kit (WDK) documentation, which contains all the information; to create and modify INF files. At the time of this writing, the; Windows WDK was available from http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/wdk.;;; ADDING AN ENTRY FOR OEM/CUSTOM DEVICES; --------------------------------------; For those interested in simply adding an entry for their custom; board with a custom ID, and planning to use the PLX SDK supplied; driver, follow the simple steps below. Note that additional; changes may be required depending upon the device type and any; other requirements of custom drivers, etc. Refer to the; Windows WDK for additional information regarding changes.;; To add a custom device, in the [PLX.Mfg] section, add an entry; similar to the existing entries according to the following:;; "<My Device Name>" = DDInstall_<PLX_Chip>, PCI\VEN_<Vxxx>&DEV_<Dxxx>;; where:;; <My Device Name> = Name of device as it will appear in the; Windows Device Manager.;; <PLX_Chip> = A supported PLX chip type, such as 9054 or 9656.; This INF file already contains installation; sections for currently supported PLX chips,; assuming the PLX supplied driver will be used.;; <Vxxx> = The Vendor ID of your device. An ID is; assigned to each member of the PCI SIG.; 10B5 is assigned to and reserved for use by; PLX Technology.;; <Dxxx> = The Device ID of your device. Each vendor is; responsible to managing their own Device IDs.; PLX maintains a list of all IDs associated with; a Vendor ID of 10B5. The list in this INF file; contains IDs of supported PLX RDKs and the; default IDs of PLX chips.;;; DRIVER AND DLL FILE COPYING DISABLED; ------------------------------------; When using an INF to install drivers, Windows will always ask the user; for the source location of the required files. In this case, the required; files are the PLX API DLL and the driver file (e.g. Plx8000.sys).;; Since the PLX SDK installation package already copies the necessary; files to their correct locations, the copying of files has been disabled; in this INF. This prevents the OS from prompting the user for file; locations; however, users attempting to use this INF for distribution; purposes should modify the file to re-enable the copying of files. If not,; the files will not be copied to the destinations and Windows will not; load the driver, since the .SYS file will be missing.;; The re-enable of the file copy is a simple procedure. The relevant lines; have been commented out, but remain in this INF. To re-enable file copy,; perform the following steps:;; - Go to the section [DDInstall_XXXX.NT], where <XXXX> is the PLX chip type; - The line "CopyFiles = ...." tells the OS which files to copy; - Remove the comment symbol (;) from the "CopyFiles = ..." line; - Repeat for all [DDInstall_XXXX.NT] sections where a driver may be installed;; That's all that's needed to enable file copy. For distribution, just copy; the modified INF along with the PlxApiXX.dll and the relevant driver file(s); to a floppy or CD-ROM and driver installation for end users should be automatic.;; Please refer to the Windows WDK for more information.;;===================================================================Signature = $Windows NT$Provider = %BI%Class = UnknownClassGuid = {4d36e97e-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}DriverVer = 06/01/2009, 6.2.0.0DriverPackageType = PlugAndPlay%BI% = BI.Mfg, NTamd64;-----------------------------------------------------------; Device identification for 32-bit Windows;-----------------------------------------------------------[BI.Mfg]"Bioptics PCI Card" = DDInstall_9054, PCI\VEN_10b5&DEV_9054;-----------------------------------------------------------; Device identification for 64-bit Windows x64;-----------------------------------------------------------[BI.Mfg.NTamd64]"Bioptics PCI Card (64 bit)" = DDInstall_9054, PCI\VEN_10b5&DEV_9054;-----------------------------------------------------------; CopyFiles section;; Flags: 0x00000004 = COPYFLG_NOVERSIONCHECK;-----------------------------------------------------------BiCam.sys,,,0x00000004PlxApi.dll,,,0x00000004BiCam.dll,,,0x00000004;-----------------------------------------------------------; Driver installation section;; NOTE: To enable file copy for distribution, remove the; comment symbol (;) from each "CopyFiles" line.;-----------------------------------------------------------[DDInstall_9054.NT]AddReg = AddRegistry_NT_9054CopyFiles = CopyFiles_9054, CopyFiles_ApiDll, CopyFiles_BiCamDll;-----------------------------------------------------------; AddService section;-----------------------------------------------------------[DDInstall_9054.NT.Services]AddService = Bioptics PCI Card, 0x00000002, Service_Inst_9054;-----------------------------------------------------------; AddRegistry section;-----------------------------------------------------------; set common buffer size to ~57.5 MBHKLM,System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Bioptics PCI Card,CommonBufferSize,0x00010003,0x396EE00; set maximunm SGL transfer to 2 MBHKLM,System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Bioptics PCI Card,MaxSglTransferSize,0x00010003,0x1E8480;-----------------------------------------------------------; Service installation section;-----------------------------------------------------------ServiceType = 1 ; SERVICE_KERNEL_DRIVERStartType = 3 ; SERVICE_DEMAND_STARTErrorControl = 0 ; SERVICE_ERROR_IGNOREServiceBinary = %12%\BiCam.sys;-----------------------------------------------------------; Source file information;-----------------------------------------------------------1 = %InstallDisk%BiCam.sys = 1BiCam.dll = 1PlxApi.dll = 1DefaultDestDir = 12 ;12 = Drivers DirectoryCopyFiles_ApiDll = 16425 ;16425 = %WinDir%\System32 (supports WOW64)CopyFiles_BiCamDll = 16425;-----------------------------------------------------------; String information;-----------------------------------------------------------InstallDisk = "BiCam Driver Installation Disk"BI = "Bioptics Inc."

author: BuyItFIxIt
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 28, 2025, 01:29:31 am
content: Quote from: admiralmaggie on June 21, 2025, 05:03:03 pmUnfortunately the newer software uses a different method, and the licence file is a whole lot bigger (512 bytes). I figured some of it out, and one of my friends also took a look and reverse engineered quite a bit of it. Seems to use the mac in utf-16 le, padded with 0's to 16 bytes as an AES key, which it uses to encrypt a block of data (mainly lines of F0-FF) in 16 byte chunks. The resulting output is then xor'd with the vlk to decrypt it. There are still some static bytes, and a checksum as you mentioned. The rest seems to be nulls.There also seems to be two different device IDs for the capture cards.Ours (coax) seems to be"Bioptics PCI-e Card" = DDInstall_9056, PCI\VEN_10b5&DEV_9056;-----------------------------------------------------------; Device identification for 64-bit Windows x64;-----------------------------------------------------------[BI.Mfg.NTamd64]"Bioptics PCI-e Card (64 bit)" = DDInstall_9056, PCI\VEN_10b5&DEV_9056and the other drivers I have (older) seem to be for DEV 9054I've also had a few emails back and forth with toploser and helped him get his running 🙂

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 28, 2025, 08:43:43 am
content: You have a new PCI card than me, I've got 3 of the older 9054 based ones (all of mine are fibre optic but fibre/coax doesn't affect the drivers). There's no way I can get my older drivers working on a 64 bit system, but eveything seems fine on all systems up to and including Windows 10 32 bit.I did manage to spoof my MAC address using the Technitium MAC address changer, freeware and that worked perfectly without any issues so no more licencing problems now.I found the latest PCI card with fibre optic connectors on eBay so I bought a few. I'll be able to have the same interface card, with latest drivers and latest software for all my Faxitron/Biovision machines when they arrive.I'm looking for more machines without PC's or interface cards now, should be really easy to bring them back to life!!

author: en4rab
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 29, 2025, 12:46:28 pm
content: I have been having a poke about at the older drivers for the PCI interface card as i have been told they arent working under 64bit windows.The PCI board seems to be an OEM board from PLX. Looking at the bicam.inf there are reference to the PLX SDK and instructions on how to tailor that inf to manufacturer specific hardware id'sI went to have a look to see if there is a newer SDK from PLX, it seems they were bought by broadcom at some point but you can still get the SDK here:https://www.broadcom.com/products/pcie-switches-retimers/software-dev-kitsDownload and install the PCI/PCIe SDK Windows Complete Package and then you should have some drivers in C:\Plx\PlxSdk\DriverLooking at the PlxSdk.inf it has an entry for:"PLX Custom (OEM) PCI 9054 Board" = DDInstall_9054, PCI\VEN_10b5&DEV_9054I dont have the hardware to try but it has got me wondering if you could frankenstein a 64bit driver using the latest PLX/broadcom driverslooking at the old drivers:BiCam.sys is plx9054.sys (i think the 64 bit one is in C:\Plx\PlxSdk\Driver\Source.Plx9000\Driver_Plx9056\chk\amd64)PlxApi.dll is PlxApi620.dll (i think the current sdk that C:\Plx\PlxSdk\PlxApi\Output\x64\Release)BiCam.dll seems to custom and not part of the sdk that might be a showstopper.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 29, 2025, 01:45:13 pm
content: Thanks for that, but I think I've been down this path before as I appear to already have that development kit installed on my PC...I did as you suggested and on a 64 bit system I can now install half of the Bioptics PCI card support using device manager, and it doesn't moan about 'Unsupported platform' now. But the Bioptics PCI device reports an error in device manager - 'Unable to start (code 10).In addition I now get a bonus new 'Other' device listed in addition to the Bioptics card, a 'PCI Bridge device' again with vendor id 9054.

author: Alphatronique
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2025, 11:46:58 pm
content: if i may help i have a win7 version running Biopticsvision 2.3.1 and have doc and install filesseen on the file i have both driver PCI and the PCI-e driver

author: Hydron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2025, 09:28:54 am
content: I'm assuming this is still 32-bit windows, but if you're willing to share your install files it would still be very useful (2.3.1 is the latest 32-bit version I've seen). I'll send a DM now.I also did some work trying to get the PCI (non-e) card working in 64-bit windows (used the 64-bit PLX 9054 PCI bridge drivers with the BiCam dll for the PCIe card, and self-signed the package) - I got it to where the driver would install without complaint, but when you try and use the Vision app it would still throw camera errors related to the driver. I'm not good enough with Ghidra and don't know enough about the difference between the PCI and PCIe cards to have a chance of fixing it sadly.

author: Hydron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2025, 12:24:51 pm
content: Had another go with PCI on 64-bit, as I found an error in what I did last time (I used the wrong PLX DLL) and also got some info from Alphatronique (thanks!) which suggested that 64-bit is possible with the same BiCam.dll for both PCI and PCIe. Still no luck though, got it to the point where it crashes the Vision app rather than writes an error to the log though! Might have better luck if anyone has a copy of the PLX SDL V7.20 (Broadcom only supplies 8.23, which is later than what BioVision used)All this Biovision stuff reeks of amateur hour shit - no driver signing, every SW release I've seen is totally different, random HW changes between systems (TopLoser commented that all his systems are made differently, and are definitely different to mine), hand drilled and labelled PCI brackets, internal docs included in SW releases etc etc.

author: Hydron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2025, 10:43:08 am
content: Some more testing results - with a real PCIe card (thus stock drivers) I'm still seeing the same issue as above running the 64-bit Vision program; with the drivers installed it crashes to desktop without any logs or errors (just splash screen then nothing).Any suggestions from those with the 64-bit program running would be welcome (I'd watch BuyItFixIt's video again to see if I missed anything but Biovision has put in a copyright claim and it's gone). Note that I have tried a couple different PCs (though only one with the PCIe card); will try yet another with real PCIe card when I get time.The upshot here is that if this can be solved then maybe the PCI(non-e) cards CAN be run on 64-bit (I'm seeing the same issue with PCIe and stock drivers as with PCI and my cobbled together ones).Otherwise does anyone have a copy of admiralmaggie's script for license generation? My key from 2.2.5 does not work with later SW versions (e.g. 2.3.1) it seems (says "License insufficient"), so maybe there's a max version string in there too. If so please DM me, thanks!

author: Alphatronique
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2025, 12:07:23 pm
content: this may a strange question but wly stick whit 64 bit OS ?have also ask for the scrip an no reply yet :'( (have another system that came whit no pc )

author: Hydron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2025, 12:31:24 pm
content: The main reason for 64-bit is that I'd like to run this without the need for an extra computer. Nearby to the cabinet I will have my normal desktop, running 64-bit windows (because I have windows-only SW to use), which means no VMs with PCIe passthrough (on windows you need server edition to do this). If I can get 64-bit SW working then I can just leave the card in my normal desktop PC and run fibre/USB to the cabinet and use the Vision SW when I need to use the X-ray (also no need to use remote desktop to access it).Another important reason is that the UI for Vision v2.2.5 is terrible on 4k screens - no zooming >1x and it only uses up to half the screen! I hoped that the 64-bit 3.1.4 was better. BTW the release notes for v2.3.1 suggest that this is also improved from 2.2.5 (they added a zoom mode) but I cannot run it due to license problems.Finally being able to run 64-bit SW means more future proofing - it's harder to get PCs, GPUs etc now that are happy with 32-bit (non-UEFI) OSs, and it will get worse in the future.If I cannot get 64-bit working then I have 2 options - have a dedicated PC for the machine, or use one of my (linux based) Proxmox servers to run a 32-bit windows VM with PCIe passthrough (will need remote desktop access to use it).