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How Can I Tell If My IEEE 1394 (FireWire) Camera Is Supported?

Primary Software: Driver Software>>NI-IMAQ for IEEE-1394
Primary Software Version: 2.0.1
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: N/A

Problem:
How can I tell if my IEEE 1394 (FireWire) camera is supported by the NI-IMAQ for 1394 driver?

Solution:
National Instruments has two drivers which support FireWire cameras: NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 and NI-IMAQdx. NI-IMAQdx is a more recent driver which supports both FireWire and Gigabit Ethernet cameras. NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 only supports FireWire cameras. Essentially, NI-IMAQdx is a superset of NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394.

Both drivers are designed to support IIDC compliant cameras. Most industrial cameras output uncompressed data in 8-bit monochrome, 16-bit monochrome, YUV or RGB format. These formats are supported by the National Instruments IMAQ drivers. Cameras that output 8-bit monochrome uncompressed, 16-bit monochrome uncompressed, YUV, or RGB video data and adhere to the IEEE 1394 standards for industrial digital cameras (up to IIDC v1.31, also known as DCAM) will be compatible with NI-IMAQdx and the NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 driver.

Typically, consumer cameras do not adhere to the formats supported by the NI-IMAQ driver, because they output data in a compressed format. Digital Video (DV) is the most common of these formats. Compressed image transfer is not supported on the NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 driver. Information as to which format your consumer camera outputs can usually be found in the specifications for the camera. If you have a camera transferring compressed images that has a USB interface, there is an IMAQ for USB driver available for download from the National Instruments website.

NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 is only compatible with Windows 2000/XP and 98 (XP requires version 1.1 or later). NI-IMAQdx supports the same operating systems, and starting with version 3.0.1, it also supports 32-bit versions of Windows Vista. Both drivers require that the IEEE 1394 board have an OHCI chipset (virtually all current 1394 boards have this chipset, but some of the older boards do not have this chipset).

Please visit the Industrial Camera Advisor linked below for a list of supported cameras.

Related Links:
Developer Zone: Industrial Camera Advisor
Drivers and Updates: Vision Acquisition Software
Developer Zone: NI-IMAQ for USB Cameras
KnowledgeBase 2K99LA8M: What's New in NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394
KnowledgeBase 25UCKA8M: Troubleshooting Tips for IEEE 1394 Cameras

1394 Trade Association Web Site
1394 Trade Association: 1394-based Digital Camera Specification

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Report Date: 03/10/2000
Last Updated: 04/16/2008
Document ID: 1V9EHSU9

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