Is there a sample VI for controlling PIMAX 4 from Princeton Instruments?

[joshuacnl]

Hello, everyone, we just bought an iCCD camera PIMAX 4 but did not buy the software. Princeton Instruments provided the SDK named Picam while I have just a little basis in C++ programming, so I would like to operate my camera in Labview. Does anyone have the sample VIs of Labview to control the PIMAX camera? I only need very basic functions like image acquisition, setting the width, delay or something. If somebody can share, I would appreciate it very much. I am struggling with this for a long time because I really have no idea how to develop the software by myself.

[GerdW]

Hi Joshua,

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@joshuacnl wrote:

we just bought an iCCD camera PIMAX 4 but did not buy the software. Princeton Instruments provided the SDK named Picam

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Wouldn't it be easier to contact Princeton Instruments as they seem to provide what you need?

[joshuacnl]

Hi

They only provided me with the SDK in which some sample codes in C++ are included. They have a commercial software named LightField but my boss does not want to pay. They also provided LabVIEW Automation but it is based on their software Lightfield. I am not sure if they have separately developed the VIs and if they could offer me. Anyway, you are right, I will ask. 

Thank you.

Joshua

[GerdW]

Hi Joshua,

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@joshuacnl wrote:

They only provided me with the SDK in which some sample codes in C++ are included.

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When you have the SDK then you most probably also got that .NET (or ActiveX) driver for your device.

As is shown in the linked article you can use LabVIEWs .NET/ActiveX functions to apply methods on the objects provided by the driver…

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@joshuacnl wrote:

They have a commercial software named LightField but my boss does not want to pay.

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Your boss has to pay anyway, either for ready-to-use software or for your time needed to implement that software on your own.

When you don't earn a lot your boss might think the second option could be cheaper!

But asking in the forum for software paid for/developed by others to avoid paying on your own is quite "unusual"…

[joshuacnl]

Dear GerdW,

If I have achieved to control my camera by the example codes in the SDK running in the C++ environment, and I indeed have known how to set up my camera parameters in the source codes, can I develop my 'tiny' software by the following logic:

a) extract the camera parameters that I want to change when I operate the camera;

b) create another file in C++ to call the parameters in my source codes and encapsulate these codes to a .dll;

c) call the .dll in the Labview and set up the parameters in Labview.

I am not sure if this is a correct way to do that because I have not understood the inner operation logic.

Sorry for my ''unusual'' request. I thought the mini program that I need might be very simple, and perhaps some people already have or they know how to get. You are right, anyway we have to pay something: either money or time. I would like to learn something about equipment control because it is quite useful in my future career. I am quite struggling with this as I have no idea how to start. While in the meantime I have to use my camera in the near future, which makes things quite tricky.

Best 

Joshua 

[jjohn1]

I worked with a Princeton camera a few years back (EMCCD) which I got working in LabVIEW.  There was a full set of LabVIEW VIs that apparently called in to the picam.dll directly.  I am not sure of the source of the LabVIEW library (PICam.lvlib), but it does exist.  

[joshuacnl]

Thank you very much. I will check once more. If it does exist in the SDK, that would be great.

As I am new to developing software, I have one more stupid question. If I find such VIs you mentioned, will I have to rewrite the C++ source codes in the SDK？ Or the example VIs are enough for the basic operation of the camera?

Thank you.

[jjohn1]

The LabVIEW library I used did not require any non-LabVIEW coding.  I am not sure how general the PI software is, so hopefully if you find the code it will work for your camera.