Multiple cameras and data aquisition on LabView

[OscarRibeiro]

Hi everyone,

I have recently started working with LabView, and even though I spent the last few days reading about it I did not understand much of what I read.

So my questions can be very basic stuff, but if someone could be patient enough to answer me I would be very thankful. (:

In my project I need to synchronize 2 cameras and 1 spectroscope (USB-2000 from Ocean Optics) using LabView on a small Laptop.

At first I was gonna use 2 GoPros, but then I realized they weren't practical at all and now I want to use 2 webcams. But before I buy those webcams I need to clarify a few things

Do I need somekind of external hardware to acquire data from all these devices ? Or is it just "plug-and-play" ?

Can I trigger all of them using software triggering and obtain a certain precision (around 0,1ms) ?

Will the 2 images and the spetroscope data be related by time? (like the first data of each, the second of each, and so on)

I have a NI-6000 DAQ device too, is there any use for it ? (I'm pretty sure I cannot use it for external trigger the webcams)

Any ideas you might have on how to work this out please reply me.

Thanks for your atention.

[FloresFe]

Hey OscarRibeiro,

Answering your questions

Do I need somekind of external hardware to acquire data from all these devices ? Or is it just "plug-and-play" ?

Answer: If you are able to connect your Cameras to your PC normally, you don't need any other Hardware interface. Just make sure you have "Vision Aqcuisition Software", which contains the needed Drivers to connect your camera to LabVIEW, installed.

Can I trigger all of them using software triggering and obtain a certain precision (around 0,1ms) ?

Answer: If you are using a general Purpose Operating System (GPOS), such as Microsoft Windows, you certainly will not be able to get that precision for software trigger whatsoever.

For systems that need this magnitude of precision and need to be reliable, I recommend you to use a Real-Time System. You may also try an external Hardware Trigger (If your cams have this feature)

Will the 2 images and the spetroscope data be related by time? (like the first data of each, the second of each, and so on)

Answer: You can make that through software implementation, I mean, programmatically

I have a NI-6000 DAQ device too, is there any use for it ? (I'm pretty sure I cannot use it for external trigger the webcams)

Answer:  I don't see any usage for this application. It's not indicated to trigger since its digital ports are controlled by software, which in GPOS, are quite imprecise.

I Hope to have clarified your doubts. If you have any further questions, feel free to post back!

Best regards!