Colour acquisition using a 1409 card and Sony DXC-390P ExwaveHAD

[parsec43]

Hi, I am trying to set up a system using the latest version of LV and MAX using the following pieces of legacy hardware:

A Sony DXC-390P ExwaveHad camera, connected using a IMAQ-ASHC68-04-1 cable to a PCI-1409 frame grabber card.

The system was set up successfully using a camera file to acquire images using the camera's composite output running over coax into the 1409 BNC connector. However this results in a monochrome image when viewed in MAX or LV, despite the fact that I can get colour images using the composite output running into an old CRT monitor.

I assume that if I can somehow use the IMAQ-ASHC68-04-1 cable which has 3 colour lines and a trigger line connected into the 68 pin VHDCI connector on the 1409 card, I should be able to do colour acquisition. I suspect the IMAQ cable was bought for this purpose, but after some distress, whoever was integrating the system gave up and settled for monochrome acquisition over a single coax cable.

I have no idea how to begin doing this. I contacted NI support and they weren't very helpful. They basically told me if I couldn't find an appropriate camera file there was nothing they could do.

Does anyone have any hints or tips on how to use the IMAQ cable and 1409 to do colour acquisition? Do I need to configure each of the four channels to receive one colour independently, which are then assembled by MAX or LV into an RGB image? I have tried a number of permutations of triggering and other settings without much luck.

Thanks

[BruceAmmons]

You can't acquire a color image with a 1409 card.  It is a monochrome only card.

I would seriously consider upgrading your hardware.  Nowadays you can get a good color USB3 camera that cost around $500, maybe less.  You would get a color image and you wouldn't spend days trying to get this one to work.

Bruce

[parsec43]

Thanks, I never considered that might be the case. It seems odd to me that whoever built the system bought the IMAQ cable which accepts the split colour components for the 1409's 68 pin connector. Perhaps they thought they could acquire each colour as separate channels and reassemble them.

I know TV tuner cards sometimes came with a composite input for video capture. Is there a card I can buy that will do colour frame grabbing via a single coax composite input that plays nicely with MAX? They're reluctant to replace the camera as is it is tightly integrated into the system.

[parsec43]

It would seem that it is possible; (pasted from http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/BD01B1620F96D1D086256B60008061A0

Yes. There are 3 ways to acquire from an RGB camera using National Instruments image acquisition cards.

1. The PCI/PXI-1409/1410 is able to acquire still images from an RGB camera. The Red, Green, and Blue analog signal must be attached to different channels on the PCI/PXI-1409/1410 using the IMAQ A6822 to access the 4 channels of the frame grabber board. Each color will be acquired at different points in time, requiring that the image remain completely still. Once the images have been acquired you can use "IMAQ Replace Color Plane.vi" to merge the 3 colors together into an RGB image.
2. You can use three synchronized monochrome image acquisition boards (such as the PCI/PXI-1407,1408,1409,1410) to acquire the three color signals or planes. Then you can combine the three color planes as mentioned in option 1.
3. Most color cameras with RGB output provide an S-Video or Composite output as well. In this case, you can use the PCI-1411/PXI-1411 to acquire color images.

I would like to attempt solution 1 if possible, but have no idea how to configure MAX to do this. 

[BruceAmmons]

I think they called the first method StillColor.  I have doubts that the algorithm is available in the current drivers.  I'm not sure how far back you would need to go.  Is your image going to be completely static and unmoving?

I would look into finding an interface that will convert the composite video signal into USB3 or GigE or some other format that you could bring into LabVIEW.

Do you really need color for your application?  If they got along without it for so long, why do you suddenly need to have color?

I did some quick research.  StillColor was obsoleted, but somebody posted a simple program that will do the same thing for you: https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-10291

Bruce

[parsec43]

Thanks for the manual Stillcolour implementation.

I'd say they more put up with monochrome. They always wanted colour but the person that integrated the system probably gave up much more quickly.

Yes the system will be static when detailed images are required.

I'll look into usb interfaces. the 1411 cards are not awfully expensive (a few hundred used) so that's also an option.

If I can get stillcolour working with the 1409 that would be ideal though. It should be fairly straightforward if I can figure out the magic combination of MAX settings.