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How to Change the Name of a Firewire Camera in Measurement & Automation Explorer

Primary Software: Driver Software>>NI-IMAQdx
Primary Software Version: 3.0
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: Driver Software>>NI-IMAQ for IEEE-1394, Utility Software>>Measurement & Automation Explorer
Hardware: Image Acquisition (IMAQ)>>Compact Vision System

Problem:
How can I change the name of my IEEE-1394 (Firewire) camera in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) on my local system or my Compact Vision System (CVS)?

Solution:
Every Firewire camera generates a *.iid file the first time it is connected.  It is possible to change the name of the Firewire camera as it appears in MAX by editing this *.iid file.  Instructions for doing this are given below for either a local system or a remote system, such as a CVS.

Local System
  1. On your local system, navigate to the Documents and Settings/All Users/Shared Documents/National Instruments/NI-IMAQdx/Data or the Documents and Settings/All Users/Shared Documents/National Instruments/NI-IMAQ for IEEE-1394/Data folder, depending on which drivers your Firewire camera was installed with.
    • If these folders do not exist at this location, navigate to the NI-IMAQdx/Data or the NI-IMAQ for IEEE-1394/Data folder in your National Instruments installation.
  2. The *.iid file for the Firewire camera will have the same name that the camera has in MAX.  For example, if a camera appears as cam1: Basler... in MAX, it's *.iid file will be cam1.iid.
  3. Open the camera's *.iid file in a text editor.
    1. Double-click on the *.iid file.
    2. When prompted, choose to Select the program from a list.
    3. In the list of programs, select Notepad or some other text editing utility.
  4. In the *.iid file, rename the InterfaceName field to match the desired camera name.  For example, if you'd like to rename the camera cam1, change this line to InterfaceName = "cam1".
  5. Close the text editor.
  6. Rename the *.iid file to match the name entered inside of the file.
  7. After you close and reopen MAX, the Firewire camera should appear with its new name.
            
Remote System

The instructions for changing the name of a Firewire camera on a CVS are the same as for a local system, with the following exceptions:
  • To navigate to a folder on a CVS, you will need to FTP to it.  Please see KnowledgeBase 3409ILOK: How Do I FTP to the Compact Vision System (CVS 145x)? in the Related Links section below for instructions on doing this.
  • On a CVS, navigate to the niimaqdx/DATA folder or the IMAQ1394/DATA folder to find the *.iid files.
  • To edit a *.iid file on a CVS, you will need to copy it to the local folder, make the desired changes there, then copy it back to the CVS.
  • Once you have edited a *.iid file, you will need to reboot your CVS before the changes you have made will be reflected in MAX.  To do this, right-click on the device in MAX and select Reboot.

* Note:  The name of the *.iid file is case-sensitive and must match the name inside of the file exactly.

Related Links:
KnowledgeBase 3EJF9VB1: File Structure of the CVS 1450
KnowledgeBase 3409ILOK: How Do I FTP to the Compact Vision System (CVS 145x)?
KnowledgeBase 2ORE3UZO: How can I Programmatically Change the Camera File for my IMAQ Interface?

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Report Date: 05/12/2006
Last Updated: 07/28/2008
Document ID: 3XBH8THB

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