Point Grey Gazelle Cameralink with NI-1429 Integration Question

[cvstan]

Has anyone used a Gazelle GZL-CL-41C6M camera with an NI-1429 grabber?  I find that some camera serial commands work and some don't.  I need to change the integration time using the eraw command and it just does not work.  I also tried to update the firmware, but the updater utility can't find the cameralink serial port.  I can grab images in free-running mode, but I really need to increase the integration time programmatically.  I hate to change to a Matrox frame-grabber since our image processing software is geared towards NI hardware.  Help!

[LVbum42]

Are you able to see your camera in Measurement & Automation Explorer?  Generally if there are attributes or commands missing it means you need to create or edit the cameras .icd file to include them.  You can use the NI Camera File Generator to create/edit a camera file.  This ensures that it appears correctly in Measurment & Automation Explrorer and can communicate the specified commands.  Sometimes the companies that do provide National Instruments the .icd files do not include every attribute or command in their files.  Also, it may be worth contacting Gazelle for assistance on how to build the camera file appropriate for their camera.

What is a Camera File, Do I Need One, and How Can I Obtain One?

NI Camera File Generator  (Under Resources >> Related Information)

[cvstan]

Testing in IMAQ:  I am able to see the camera in Automation Explorer, attach the camera file, create an iid file and acquire images.  In IMAQ I can free run the camera or go into bulb trigger mode.  If I enable "Additional Commands", then everything stops working.  So free-running works and bulb-mode works, but I can't change the integration time in free running mode or gain.

Using our own software:  My main problem is that when I use our own software to acquire images and talk to the camera lots of commands work, but many do not.  There are many status commands that are not in the camera file that work (temperature, voltage, firmware version etc.).  Commands that change the integration time or clock frequency read back that they are changed, but the images stay the same.  I don't understand why a command has to be in the camera file when we are just sending serial strings to the camera over the cameralink port.

Point Grey says they do not supply any software with this camera and want me to contact NI.  They have never used an NI grabber with this camera, but we always use NI hardware and there are camera files and a compatibility report for the camera (GZL-CL-41C6M) so I think all the commands in the manual ought to work.  Also I cannot update the firmware because the Point Grey updater program cannot find the cameralink serial port.

I tried using the Camera File Generator to add extra commands, but they don't work.  Either the acquisition fails with "FIFO overflow caused acquisition to halt" or I get a message like: "serial termination string not found" etc.

Sorry this is so convoluted and any advice is appreciated.

[cvstan]

The serial port initialization string sends commands to the camera every time you grab an image.  Those commands put the camera in 8bit 8tap mode but have the side effect of reseting the integration time.  I removed all the serial actions from the camera file, including the initialization, and now everything works.  I used the camera file generator editor to figure this out.  Neat program.