Is My Camera Supported?Hardware: Image Acquisition (IMAQ)
Problem: I have or am looking to purchase a particular camera. How can I find out if this camera will work with National Instruments IMAQ products, and if National Instruments provides support for this camera? Solution: The first step in determining National Instruments compatibility with and support for any camera is to determine the camera bus type. The bus type defines the factors that influence support for cameras that use that bus. There are many factors to consider when choosing the right camera bus. This DeveloperZone Tutorial may be helpful. DeveloperZone Tutorial: Choosing the Right Camera Bus. Once you've determined a suitable camera bus for your application, check National Instruments support and resources for that particular bus below. A note on the use of IMAQ drivers: The NI-IMAQ driver is used with all framegrabbers and is free and available on ni.com (see related links section below). NI-IMAQdx is used with all of the camera buses that do not require a framegrabber, and because of this you must purchase a license to use the NI-IMAQdx driver. Analog Driver used: NI-IMAQ Framegrabbers: 1405, 1407, 1409, 1410, 1411 Analog cameras require a framegrabber to digitize the generated analog voltage signal. National Instruments supports all analog cameras the output this analog voltage signal according to the following formats:
KnowledgeBase 3Q6FPGMQ: What Constitutes a "Standard" Analog Video Signal and When Do I Need a PCI-1410 to Acquire Non-Standard Analog Video Signals? Parallel Digital Driver Used: NI-IMAQ Framegrabbers: 1422, 1424 Because there is a wide variation in how digital cameras format data and in the modes they support, you need a camera file to tell the driver how the camera organizes data and what attributes the camera supports. KnowledgeBase 3JH7CQEJ What is a Camera File, Do I Need One, and How Can I Obtain One? National Instruments supports Parallel Digital cameras that send data in the following formats:
You can check to see if a camera file is available for your camera from the Industrial Camera Advisor. Follow the options from the Industrial Camera Advisor if no camera file is available from your camera, or contact your camera manufacturer. See the Camera Link section for additional details. Camera Link Driver Used: NI-IMAQ Framegrabbers: 1426, 1427, 1428, 1429, 1430 National Instruments supports Camera Link cameras that conform to the Camera Link standard (base, medium, and full). It is necessary to use a camera file with camera link cameras. Check the Industrial Camera Advisor, and the options outlined there: Option 1: Browse/search for camera support.
Option 2: Check the NI discussion forums. Option 3: Create your own camera file. Option 4: Request support for your camera.
Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) No framegrabber required. Images are processed onboard. National Instruments supports all GigE cameras that are fully GigE Vision compliant. You can determine if your camera is GigE vision compliant by consulting your camera documentation, contacting the manufacturer, or looking for the GigE Vision logo. Note: Sometimes you must have the most recent version of the IMAQdx driver or the most recent version of the firmware on your camera for a GigE camera to work with NI-IMAQdx.
FireWire (IEEE-1394) Driver used: NI-IMAQdx or NI-IMAQ IEEE-1394 No framegrabber required. Images are processed onboard. National Instruments supports FireWire cameras that are fully IIDC (DCAM) compliant. USB Driver used: NI-IMAQ for USB No framegrabber required. Images are acquired through DirectShow. NI-IMAQ for USB Cameras is a free software driver for acquiring images from any DirectShow imaging device into LabVIEW. You can download the software here: DeveloperZone Example Program: NI-IMAQ for USB Cameras. These devices include USB cameras, webcams, microscopes, scanners, and many consumer-grade imaging products. NI-IMAQ for USB Cameras can acquire and set properties using the camera manufacturer driver and Direct Show functions. For NI-IMAQ for USB Cameras to use the camera successfully, the camera manufacturer driver needs to be correctly installed and recognized by the operating system. Notes:
Related Links: Industrial Camera Advisor Drivers and Updates: Vision Acquisition Software Developer Zone Tutorial: Choosing the Right Camera Bus KnowledgeBase 3Q6FPGMQ: What Constitutes a "Standard" Analog Video Signal and When Do I Need a PCI-1410 to Acquire Non-Standard Analog Video Signals? KnowledgeBase: 3JH7CQEJ: What is a Camera File, Do I Need One, and How Can I Obtain One? DeveloperZone Example Program: NI-IMAQ for USB Cameras KnowledgeBase 1V9EHSU9: How Can I Tell If My IEEE 1394 (FireWire) Camera Is Supported? Attachments:
Report Date: 09/12/2008 Last Updated: 06/03/2009 Document ID: 4PB9L9QE |
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