Camera Trigger control and timestamp reading, serial communication

[GrantGuo]

Hi 

I ran into problems while trying to get access to the camera(Imperx ICL-B2520M-SC) register to find out camera timestamp and controlling triggering mode via Labview. It seems that when I tried to implement the example code(attached below) to change the triggering from the attribute tree, nothing happened to the camera. However I do know that triggering is controllable since I am able to control it via the Bobcat software provided along with the camera. Moreover, I've tried to communicate with the camera via IMAQ dx read register/ serial write/read, whereas that either says "not implemented" or "time out" and I'm assuming its just because I don't know the correct address(not sure if this is the correct assumption or not). I am just wondering if this particular camera is controllable via any Labview code or if the camera is somehow "protected" . 

[Bob_Schor]

Open MAX.  Look under "Devices and Interfaces" (with your Camera connected).  Does it show up?  If so, you should be able to control it with IMAQdx.  If not, then you can't.

Some cameras come with their own proprietary software.  Often, this "blocks" IMAQdx from "attaching" to the camera.  There's a way around this (it happened to me), but I haven't tried using that camera for two years, and with CoVID, I don't have access to it to "remind myself" of the steps.  But, as I recall, there was a way to ask MAX to "force"-install itself as the driver (which, of course, means the vendor-provided software won't "see" the Camera).

Bob Schor

P.S. -- dealing with details of Camera Attributes, Registers, and Settings is extremely challenging (at least, to me, with only 5-8 years experience with LabVIEW Vision).