IMAQ 1394 version 2.0 - setting the shutter integration time

[ronen]

I am using IMAQ 1394 version 2.0 with a CCDdirect firewire camera.  I am trying unsuccessfully to set the shutter attribute  in absolute mode to a value of several seconds.  I cant seem to get an integration time greater then .13 seconds to be accepted, even when I try to set it in MAX.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I am also using Labview 7.1 Developers suite

thanks,

Ronen

[JesseD]

Hello Ronen,

I'm not familiar with CCDdirect cameras.  Is there a particular model that you are using?

What happens when you set the value greater than 0.13 seconds?

Some cameras that I have worked with in the past require that the camera be placed in an "extended" shutter mode in order to use long integration times.  Does your camera offer any additional shutter modes that will allow you to increase this value? 

What shutter/integration time attributes show up in MAX?  These attributes and there values/ranges are read directly in from the camera.  I have also worked with some cameras in the past that have additional attributes that do not show up in MAX.  Typically these are attributes/features that are not part of the DCAM compliance.  MAX and the IMAQ 1394 driver only access DCAM specific features.  If the correct values do not show up, perhaps the camera manufacturer can show you how to set these attributes.

Let me know the answers to the above questions if you are still unable to accomplish what you need.  I would be more than happy to help out in any way possible.

Best Regards,

Jesse D.

Applications Engineering

National Instruments

[ronen]

Hi Jesse,

thanks for the response!

The camera is actually a MicroPix 640 which was bought via CCDDirect.  The following shutterSpeed attributes appear in MAX: manual(relative) 2-533, manual(absolute) 0-0.13,  auto, and ignore.  I downloaded the technical reference manual from the manufacturer and it seems that there are a bunch of other registers that dont appear in MAX.  These registers have a 1394 base address (FFFF F000 0000h) and base offset (FFFF F0F0 0000h)  I havent seen a specific comment regarding "extended" shutter mode, but will keep looking.

thanks,

Ronen

[JesseD]

Hello Ronen,

The registers missing in MAX are most likely not part of the DCAM specification.  However, the IMAQ 1394 driver is able to write to and read from other registers on the camera.  This can be done by using the "IMAQ1394 Write Registers" and "IMAQ1394 Read Registers" functions in LabVIEW and the "imaq1394WriteQuadlet" and "imaq1394ReadQuadlet" functions in C.

Before using this technique, I highly recommend reading Appendix A of the NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 Cameras User Manual.  This section of the manual covers registry level programming, caveats, and also a few examples.

Best Regards,

Jesse D.

Applications Engineering

National Instruments

[ronen]

Hi Jesse,
I read  Appendix A of the NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 Cameras User Manual  and it makes good sense. I think that will fix my problem.  I was looking for some example code that uses "IMAQ1394 Write Registers" and "IMAQ1394 Read Registers" functions in LabVIEW.  Do you know if any exists on the NI site?

thanks,
Ronen

[JesseD]

Hello Ronen,

I looked around for an example, but I was not able to find one for LabVIEW.  It seems unlikely that an example program exists, since each camera could have a different set of registers (those not part of the DCAM spec).  The manual has a couple usage examples on page A-3.  The Basic Example should work for all DCAM cameras, but the Advanced Example is specific to the registers on the Basler A601f.

Best Regards,

Jesse D.
Applications Engineering
National Instruments