National Instruments NI Vision 177x User Manual

NI Vision

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

September 2011
373491A-01

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NI 177x Smart Cameras are warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of shipment, as
evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective
during the warranty period. This warranty includes parts and labor.

The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects in
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will, at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute programming instruc tions if National Instruments receives notice of such defects
during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free.

A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before any
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Electromagnetic Compatibility Information

This product was tested and complies with the regulatory requirements and limits for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) as
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Contents

About This Manual

Conventions ...................................................................................................................ix

Related Documentation..................................................................................................x

Hardware Documents ......................................................................................x

NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Documents ...............................x

LabVIEW and NI Vision Development Module Documents..........................xi

NI Vision Acquisition Software Documents ...................................................xi

PART I

Getting Started with the NI 177x Smart Camera

Chapter 1
Hardware Overview and Installation

Hardware Overview.......................................................................................................1-2

Connect the Power Supply and I/O................................................................................1-3

Connect to the Development Computer.........................................................................1-5

Direct Connection............................................................................................1-5

Network Connection........................................................................................1-5

Subnet Considerations.......................................................................1-6

IP Address Assignment.....................................................................1-6

Firewall Configuration ....................................................................................1-7

Chapter 2
Software Overview

Configuring the NI Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI...........................................2-2

Configure the IP Address ................................................................................2-2

Install Software on the NI Smart Camera........................................................2-3

Acquire an Image with Vision Builder AI ......................................................2-3

Configuring the NI Smart Camera with LabVIEW .......................................................2-4

Configure the IP Address ................................................................................2-5

Install Software on the NI Smart Camera........................................................2-6

Acquire an Image ............................................................................................2-6

© National Instruments Corporation v NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Contents

PART II

NI 177x Smart Camera Technical Reference

Chapter 3
Connectors

I/O Connector ................................................................................................................ 3-2

NI Smart Camera Power Requirements ........................................................................ 3-4

100/1G Connector ......................................................................................................... 3-4

VGA/USB Connector.................................................................................................... 3-5

Chapter 4
Connecting Lighting and External Devices

Connecting Lighting Devices........................................................................................ 4-1

Connecting a Light Controller ........................................................................ 4-1

Open Collector Outputs................................................................................................. 4-3

Connecting to a NPN Device.......................................................................... 4-3

Connecting to a PNP Device........................................................................... 4-4

Protecting Against Inductive Loads................................................................ 4-4

Connecting to a Triggering Device ............................................................................... 4-6

Connecting to Serial Devices ........................................................................................ 4-7

Chapter 5
Image Sensor

Field of View................................................................................................................. 5-1

Image Sensor Spectral Response................................................................................... 5-3

Gain ............................................................................................................................... 5-3

Auto White Level (NI 177xC Smart Cameras)............................................... 5-4

Black Level (NI 177xC Smart Cameras)....................................................................... 5-5

Look-Up Table .............................................................................................................. 5-5

Maintenance .................................................................................................................. 5-6

Chapter 6
Image Acquisition

Exposure ........................................................................................................................6-1

Acquiring Images ..........................................................................................................6-2

Internal Timing ............................................................................................... 6-2

External Trigger .............................................................................................. 6-3

Maximum Frame Rate................................................................................................... 6-5

Determining the Maximum Frame Rate ......................................................... 6-5

Determining the Exposure Time ..................................................................... 6-6

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual vi ni.com

Determining the Trigger Delay .......................................................................6-6

Calculating the Minimum Frame Period .........................................................6-6

Chapter 7
LED Indicators

Understanding the LED Indicators ................................................................................7-1

Device Initialization ........................................................................................7-2

Power Indicator ...............................................................................................7-2

Status Indicator................................................................................................7-2

User Indicator ..................................................................................................7-3

100/1G Indicator..............................................................................................7-4

Chapter 8
Mounting Information

Appendix A
Specifications

Appendix B
Camera Attributes

Contents

Appendix C
Accessories

Appendix D
Technical Support and Professional Services

Glossary

Index

© National Instruments Corporation vii NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

About This Manual

This manual contains detailed installation instructions and electrical and
mechanical information for the National Instruments 177x Smart Camera.

Conventions

The following conventions appear in this manual:

» The » symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options

to a final action. The sequence Options»Settings»General directs you to
pull down the Options menu, select the Settings item, and select General
from the last dialog box.

This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.

This icon denotes a caution, which advises you of precautions to take to
avoid injury, data loss, or a system crash.

When this symbol is marked on a product, it denotes a warning advising
you to take precautions to avoid electrical shock.

bold Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such

as menu items and dialog box options. Bold text also denotes parameter
names.

italic Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an introduction

to a key concept. Italic text also denotes text that is a placeholder for a word
or value that you must supply.

monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from the

keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples.
This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories,
programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions, operations,
variables, filenames, and extensions.

monospace italic

© National Instruments Corporation ix NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Italic text in this font denotes text that is a placeholder for a word or value
that you must supply.

About This Manual

Related Documentation

The following documents contain information that you may find helpful as
you read this manual:

Hardware Documents

• NI 177x Series Smart Camera: Using the NI Smart Camera with
LabVIEW—Contains basic installation and configuration instructions

for using the NI Smart Camera with LabVIEW.

• NI 177x Series Smart Camera: Using the NI Smart Camera with Vision
Builder AI—Contains basic installation and configuration instructions
for using the NI Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI.

• Power and I/O Accessory for NI 177x Smart Cameras User
Guide—Contains installation and operation instructions, and feature
descriptions for the power and I/O accessory (781993-01).

• NI Developer Zone—Contains example programs, tutorials, technical
presentations, the Instrument Driver Network, a measurement
glossary, an online magazine, a product advisor, and a community area
where you can share ideas, questions, and source code with developers
around the world. The NI Developer Zone is located on the
National Instruments Web site at

ni.com/zone.

NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Documents

• NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Tutorial—Describes
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection and provides step-by-step
instructions for solving common visual inspection tasks, such as
inspection, gauging, part presence, guidance, and counting.

• NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection: Configuration
Help—Contains information about using the Vision Builder for
Automated Inspection Configuration Interface to create a machine
vision application.

• NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection: Inspection
Help—Contains information about running applications created with
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection in the Vision Builder
Automated Inspection Interface.

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual x ni.com

LabVIEW and NI Vision Development Module Documents

• LabVIEW Help—Includes information about LabVIEW programming
concepts, step-by-step instructions for using LabVIEW, and reference
information about LabVIEW VIs, functions, palettes, menus, and
tools.

• Getting Started with LabVIEW—Use this manual as a tutorial to
familiarize yourself with the LabVIEW graphical programming
environment and the basic LabVIEW features you use to build data
acquisition and instrument control applications.

• Getting Started with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module—Use this
manual as a tutorial to familiarize yourself with the LabVIEW
Real-Time Module and the basic Real-Time Module features you use
to build real-time applications.

• NI Vision Concepts Help—Describes the basic concepts of image
analysis, image processing, and machine vision. This document also
contains in-depth discussions about imaging functions for advanced
users.

• NI Vision for LabVIEW Help—Describes how to create machine
vision and image processing applications in LabVIEW using the
Vision Development Module. The help file guides you through
tasks beginning with setting up your imaging system to taking
measurements. It also describes how to create a real-time vision
application using NI Vision with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module
and contains reference information about NI Vision for LabVIEW
palettes and VIs.

About This Manual

NI Vision Acquisition Software Documents

• NI-IMAQdx VI Reference Help—Contains reference information
about the LabVIEW VIs and properties for NI-IMAQdx driver
software.

•

Measurement & Automation Explorer Help for NI-IMAQdx

how to configure NI-IMAQdx driver software, NI image acquisition
devices, and NI Smart Cameras using Measurement & Automation
Explorer.

© National Instruments Corporation xi NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

—Describes

Part I

Getting Started with the NI 177x Smart
Camera

This section provides the following information:

• Basic information about the NI 177x Smart Camera hardware

• Instructions for configuring the NI 177x Smart Camera hardware

• Basic information about software options for application development

• Instructions for acquiring your first image with the NI 177x Smart
Camera using the selected application development software

© National Instruments Corporation I-1 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Hardware Overview and

I/O

100/1G

Power

Status

User

VGA/
USB

100/

1G

NATIONAL

INSTRUMENTS

NI 177X SMART CAMERA

1

3

2

765

4

Installation

This chapter provides an overview of the features and components of the
NI 177x Smart Camera. Figure 1-1 shows the NI 177x Smart Camera.

1

1 Image Sensor
2 C-Mount
3 Lens Cover Mount
4 LED Indicators

© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Figure 1-1. NI 177x Smart Camera

5 I/O Connector
6 100/1G Connector
7 VGA/USB Connector

Chapter 1 Hardware Overview and Installation

Hardware Overview

NI 177x Smart Cameras incorporate an Intel® Atom™ Z530 (1.60 GHz)
processor, image sensor, and digital I/O M12 connectors in a compact,
rugged, IP67 rated housing. Refer to the I/O Connector section of
Chapter 3, Connectors, for more information about the digital I/O
capabilities of the device.

NI 177x Smart Cameras are available with the following image sensor
configurations.

Model Resolution

NI 1772 640 × 480 pixels (VGA) No

NI 1774 1,280 × 960 pixels (SXGA) No

NI 1776 1,600 × 1,200 pixels (UXGA) No

NI 1778 2,448 × 2,050 pixels (5 MP) No

Table 1-1. NI 177x Smart Camera Models

Color

Support

NI 1772C 640 × 480 pixels (VGA) Ye s

NI 1774C 1,280 × 960 pixels (SXGA) Ye s

NI 1776C 1,600 × 1,200 pixels (UXGA) Ye s

For more information about the image sensors, refer to Chapter 5, Image

Sensor. For complete device specifications, refer to Appendix A,
Specifications.

NI 177x Smart Cameras use a standard C-mount lens, and include
4 opto-coupled inputs, 4 open collector outputs, an optically isolated
trigger input, and a constant current output for connecting to external
devices. For complete device specifications, refer to Appendix A,

Specifications.

NI 177x Smart Cameras includes 4 LED indicators for communicating
system status. Refer to Chapter 7, LED Indicators, for more information
about the LED indicators.

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual 1-2 ni.com

Connect the Power Supply and I/O

National Instruments provides the following two cable options for
connecting a power supply (782032-01) and I/O to the NI 177x Smart
Camera.

• Power and I/O Accessory (781993-01)—A terminal block that
simplifies power and I/O signal configuration for the NI 177x Smart
Camera. The accessory uses a 25-pin D-SUB connector and a 17-pin
M12 to 25-pin D-SUB cable.

• 17-pin M12 Pigtail Cable (153131-03)—An open-ended cable that
you can use to create your own custom cable. Refer to the I/O

Connector section of Chapter 3, Connectors for wiring information.

Caution Use the NI 177x Smart Camera only with a 12 W, 24 VDC ±10%, UL listed,

limited power source (LPS) supply. The power supply will bear the UL listed mark, LPS.
The power supply must also meet any safety and compliance requirements for the country
of use.

To connect a power supply to the NI 177x Smart Camera using the Power
and I/O Accessory for NI 177x Smart Cameras, refer to Figure 1-2 and
complete the following steps.

Chapter 1 Hardware Overview and Installation

© National Instruments Corporation 1-3 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Chapter 1 Hardware Overview and Installation

Figure 1-2. Connecting the NI 177x Smart Camera to the Power and I/O Accessory

1. Connect and secure the 17-pin M12 connector on the I/O cable to the
I/O connector on the NI 177x Smart Camera.

2. Connect and secure the 25-pin D-SUB connector on the I/O cable to
the CAMERA connector on the terminal block.

3. Connect the power supply output to the 24 V in connector on the
terminal block.

4. Connect any additional I/O signals necessary for your application to
the appropriate terminal block connector. Refer to the I/O Connector
section of Chapter 3, Connectors, for pin information.

5. Plug the power supply into an outlet.

When power is first applied to the device, the Power and Status LED
indicators flash red once while internal systems power up. The Power LED
then lights green if power is wired correctly.

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual 1-4 ni.com

Chapter 1 Hardware Overview and Installation

Connect to the Development Computer

The NI 177x Smart Camera can connect to the development computer
directly or through a network. To configure the NI 177x Smart Camera
through a network, the NI 177x Smart Camera and the development
computer must be connected to the same subnet.

Caution To prevent data loss and to maintain the integrity of your Ethernet installation, do

not use a cable longer than 100 m. National Instruments recommends using a shielded
twisted pair cable for maximum signal integrity.

Direct Connection

To connect the NI 177x Smart Camera directly to the development
computer, complete the following steps.

1. Connect the 8-pin female M12 connector to the 100/1G connector on
the NI 177x Smart Camera.

2. Connect the Ethernet connector to an Ethernet port on the development
computer.

The NI 177x Smart Camera is now connected directly to the development
computer.

Network Connection

To connect the NI 177x Smart Camera to the development computer
through a network, complete the following steps.

1. Verify that the development computer is connected to the network and
powered on.

2. Connect the 8-pin female M12 connector to the 100/1G connector on
the NI 177x Smart Camera.

3. Connect the Ethernet connector to an Ethernet port.

The NI 177x Smart Camera is now connected through a network and is
available for additional configuration with the development computer.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-5 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Chapter 1 Hardware Overview and Installation

Subnet Considerations

To use the NI 177x Smart Camera on a subnet other than the one on which
the development computer resides, first connect and configure the NI 177x
Smart Camera on the same subnet as the development computer. Next,
physically move the NI 177x Smart Camera. Contact your network
administrator for assistance in determining which network ports reside on
the same subnet.

IP Address Assignment

If the NI 177x Smart Camera is connected directly to the development
computer, the device will use a link-local IP address. If the NI 177x Smart
Camera is connected to a network that has a DHCP server, the device will
automatically obtain an IP address. You can also configure the NI 177x
Smart Camera to use a static IP address. If you cannot locate the NI 177x
Smart Camera on the network, first refer to the Firewall Configuration
section, then assign a static IP address or contact your network
administrator.

Note If the NI 177x Smart Camera IP address is 169.254.x.x, the device is only accessible

from the local subnet. To access the smart camera from a remote subnet, configure the
smart camera to obtain an IP address from a DHCP server or manually assign a static
IP address.

DHCP IP Addresses

Using a DHCP server to assign an IP address has the following advantages:

• The DHCP server manages the IP addresses of the network. You do not
need to know the IP address of the NI 177x Smart Camera.

• The DHCP server does not allow other devices to use the IP address
that is already assigned to your NI 177x Smart Camera.

Although using a DHCP server simplifies IP address configuration, using a
static IP address can be more reliable. Consider the following potential
issues before using a DHCP server to assign an IP address to the NI 177x
Smart Camera:

• If the network has both static IP addresses and IP addresses managed
by a DHCP server, the DHCP server must be configured to not use
reserved static IP addresses. If the DHCP server is not configured this
way, the DHCP server can assign a reserved IP address to another
device, causing address conflicts on the network, which results in some
devices being unreachable.

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual 1-6 ni.com

Chapter 1 Hardware Overview and Installation

When a NI 177x Smart Camera configured for DHCP starts, it must be able
to connect to the DHCP server. If the NI 177x Smart Camera cannot
connect to the DHCP server and is not connected to the same subnet as the
development computer, it does not appear in MAX or Vision Builder AI.

Note A NI 177x Smart Camera connected directly to the development computer or to the

same subnet as the development computer is always configurable from MAX or Vision
Builder AI, regardless of the IP address settings.

Firewall Configuration

If you are having difficulty detecting the NI 177x Smart Camera on your
network, you must configure the firewall to open the TCP/UDP ports used
by the NI 177x Smart Camera and the host machine. The required ports are
listed in Table 1-2.

Table 1-2. TCP/UDP Ports Used by the NI 177x Smart Camera

Port Type Details

3580 TCP/UDP Reserved as nati-svrloc (NAT-ServiceLocator). Used by Measurement &

Automation Explorer (MAX) to locate remote targets.

7749 TCP Used for remote image display (not reserved).

7750 TCP Used for NI-IMAQdx remote configuration (not reserved).

3363 TCP/UDP Reserved as nati-vi-server (NATI VI Server). Used by Vision Builder for

Automated Inspection to configure a remote NI Smart Camera.

If your firewall is controlled remotely or you are unsure about configuring
the firewall, contact your network administrator.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-7 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Software Overview

Vision Builder

for

Automated Inspection

LabVIEW

LabVIEW Real-Time Module

NI Vision Development Module

NI Vision Acquisition Software

or

National Instruments provides two options for developing applications for
the NI 177x Smart Camera.

Note Vision Builder for Automated Inspection and NI Vision Acquisition Software are

included with the NI 177x Smart Camera. LabVIEW, the LabVIEW Real-Time Module,
and the NI Vision Development Module are sold separately.

2

© National Instruments Corporation 2-1 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

The following sections describe the installation and configuration process
for each development environment:

• Refer to Configuring the NI Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI for
information about using the NI 177x Smart Camera with Vision
Builder AI.

• Refer to Configuring the NI Smart Camera with LabVIEW for
information about using the NI 177x Smart Camera with LabVIEW.

The installation and configuration process for each development
environment is different. Complete only the instructions for your chosen
development environment.

Caution National Instruments software may require you to update the firmware for this

device. Do not remove power from the device until the software indicates that the firmware
update is complete. Removing power during a firmware update could cause your device to
become unusable.

Chapter 2 Software Overview

Configuring the NI Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI

Vision Builder AI is interactive, menu-driven configuration software for
developing, benchmarking, and deploying machine vision applications.
With Vision Builder AI, you can perform powerful visual inspection tasks
and make decisions based on the results of individual tasks. You can also
migrate your inspection to LabVIEW to extend the capabilities of your
application, if necessary. The latest version of Vision Builder AI is
included with the NI 177x Smart Camera.

Complete the following steps to install Vision Builder AI and configure the
NI 177x Smart Camera.

1. Install and activate Vision Builder AI on the development computer.
Refer to the NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Readme for
installation instructions.

2. Launch Vision Builder AI.

3. On the Vision Builder AI welcome screen, select the NI 177x Smart
Camera in the list of targets.

If the NI 177x Smart Camera does not appear in the list of targets,
verify that the device has power and is connected to an Ethernet port
on the same subnet as the development computer, then click Refresh
Target List. Refer to Chapter 7, LED Indicators for information about
LED status messages.

4. Click Install Software. The Remote Target Configuration Wizard
launches in a new window.

5. In the Name field, enter a name for the device. Use the Description
field to enter any additional information or a brief description of the
device.

Device names are limited to 31 characters with no spaces or special
characters, except hyphens. The first and last characters must be
alphanumeric.

6. Click Next.

Configure the IP Address

Complete the following steps to configure IP address settings for the
NI 177x Smart Camera in the The Remote Target Configuration Wizard.

1. If the network is configured to issue IP addresses using DHCP, select
Obtain IP address from DHCP server. Otherwise, configure the
IP address manually by selecting Edit the IP settings and clicking
Suggest Values.

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual 2-2 ni.com

2. If you want to prevent other users from configuring the device, select

Enable Password and click Set Password to set up password
protection.

3. Click Next.

Install Software on the NI Smart Camera

Complete the following steps to install software from the development
computer to the NI 177x Smart Camera.

1. In the Remote Target Configuration Wizard, enable the Update
Target Software checkbox.

2. Click the Browse button next to the Software Image to Install on the
Target control.

3. Navigate to the Vision Builder AI software image you want to use, and
click OK. Software images provided by National Instruments are
installed to the

<Vision Builder AI> is the location where Vision Builder AI is

installed.

4. Click OK to apply the IP configuration settings and download
software to the device.

5. Click OK to close the Remote Target Configuration Successful dialog
box.

<Vision Builder AI>\RT Images directory, where

Chapter 2 Software Overview

Acquire an Image with Vision Builder AI

Complete the following steps to acquire an image using Vision Builder AI.

1. On the Vision Builder AI welcome screen, select the NI 177x Smart
Camera in the list of targets.

2. Click Acquire Image (Smart Camera) Example. The image
acquisition example opens in the Vision Builder AI Configuration
Interface.

3. Click the Run Inspection Once button to acquire a single image.

4. In the State Configuration Window, select the Acquire Image (Smart
Camera) step.

5. Click the Edit Step button. The property page for the step opens.

6. Use the controls on the Main, Color, Trigger, Lighting, or Advanced
tabs to configure additional settings for your application.

7. Click OK to save the step configuration.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-3 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Chapter 2 Software Overview

The NI 177x Smart Camera is now configured and acquiring images. Use
Vision Builder AI to add and configure additional inspection steps to create
your application. Refer to the Related Documentation section in the
introduction to this manual for a list of documentation and other resources
to help you set up and use the NI 177x Smart Camera in an application.

Configuring the NI Smart Camera with LabVIEW

LabVIEW is a graphical programming environment for developing flexible
and scalable applications. The following add-on modules are required for
developing machine vision applications:

• LabVIEW Real-Time Module—Programming library for

developing distributed, deterministic applications.

• NI Vision Development Module—Programming library for

developing machine vision and scientific imaging applications.

• NI Vision Acquisition Software—Includes Measurement &

Automation Explorer (MAX), the National Instruments configuration
utility, and NI-IMAQdx driver software for acquiring images and
controlling I/O using the NI 177x Smart Camera. The latest version of
NI Vision Acquisition software is included with the NI 177x Smart
Camera.

Install the software in the following order:

1. LabVIEW—Refer to the LabVIEW Release Notes for installation

instructions for LabVIEW and system requirements for the LabVIEW
software. Refer to the LabVIEW Upgrade Notes for additional
information about upgrading to the most recent version of LabVIEW.

Documentation for LabVIEW is available by selecting Start»

All Programs»National Instruments»LabVIEW»LabVIEW
Manuals.

2. LabVIEW Real-Time Module—Refer to the LabVIEW Real-Time

Module Release and Upgrade Notes for installation instructions and

information about getting started with the LabVIEW Real-Time
Module.

Documentation for the LabVIEW Real-Time Module is available by
selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»LabVIEW»
LabVIEW Manuals.

3. NI-IMAQdx—Refer to the NI Vision Acquisition Software Release

Notes on the NI Vision Acquisition Software installation media for
system requirements and installation instructions for the NI-IMAQdx
driver.

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual 2-4 ni.com

Documentation for the NI-IMAQdx driver software is available by
selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Vision»
Documentation»NI-IMAQdx.

4. NI Vision Development Module—Refer to the NI Vision
Development Module Readme on the NI Vision Development Module
installation media for system requirements and installation
instructions.

Documentation for the NI Vision Development Module is available by
selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Vision»
Documentation»NI Vision.

Configure the IP Address

Complete the following steps to configure IP address settings for the
NI 177x Smart Camera in MAX:

1. Launch MAX by double-clicking the Measurement & Automation
icon on the desktop, or selecting Start»All Programs»National
Instruments»Measurement & Automation.

2. Expand the Remote Systems branch of the configuration tree, and
select the device you want to configure. To uniquely identify multiple
unconfigured devices, connect and configure one device at a time.

If the NI 177x Smart Camera does not appear in the list of targets,
verify that the device has power and is connected to an Ethernet port
on the same subnet as the development computer. Refer to Chapter 7,

LED Indicators for information about LED status messages.

3. In the Name field, enter a name for the device. Use the Comment field
to enter any additional information or a brief description of the device.

4. Device names are limited to 31 characters with no spaces or special
characters, except hyphens. The first and last characters must be
alphanumeric.

5. Verify the IP address configuration.

• If the network is configured to issue IP addresses using DHCP,

• Otherwise, configure the IP address manually. Select Edit the

Chapter 2 Software Overview

select Obtain IP address from DHCP server.

IP settings, click Suggest Values, and click OK.

Note If the IP address is 169.254.x.x or 0.0.0.0, the device is only accessible from

the local subnet. To access the device from a remote subnet, configure the device to obtain
an IP address from a DHCP server or manually assign a static IP address.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-5 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Chapter 2 Software Overview

6. If you want to prevent other users from resetting the NI 177x Smart

Camera, click the Lock button on the MAX toolbar to set up password
protection. To require users to enter the password before restarting the
device, enable the Password-protect Resets checkbox.

7. Click Apply on the MAX toolbar.

8. When prompted, click Yes to restart the NI 177x Smart Camera.

The initialization process may take several minutes.

Install Software on the NI Smart Camera

Complete the following steps to install software from the development
computer to the NI 177x Smart Camera.

1. In the Remote Systems branch of the MAX configuration tree, expand

the folder for your device and select Software.

2. Click Add/Remove Software on the MAX toolbar to launch the

LabVIEW Real-Time Software Wizard.

3. Select NI Vision RT and NI-IMAQdx RT. The software wizard will

automatically select any other required software.

4. Click Next.

5. Verify your software installation choices, and click Next.

6. When the installation is complete, click Finish.

Acquire an Image

Complete the following steps to acquire an image using MAX.

1. In the Remote Systems branch of the MAX configuration tree, expand
the folder for your device.

2. Click cam0:NI 177x, where 177x is replaced by the actual model
number of your NI 177x Smart Camera.

3. Click Snap to acquire a single image, or click Grab to acquire
continuous images. Click Grab again to stop a continuous acquisition.

4. Use the controls on the Sensor, Color, Triggering, Lighting, and
Camera Attributes tabs to adjust the acquisition settings.

The NI Smart Camera is now configured and acquiring images. Use
LabVIEW to create your application. Refer to the Related Documentation
section in the introduction to this manual for a list of documentation and
other resources to help you set up and use the NI 177x Smart Camera in an
application.

NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual 2-6 ni.com

Part II

NI 177x Smart Camera Technical
Reference

This section provides the following information:

• Descriptions and pinout information for the M12 connectors

• Wiring diagrams and instructions for connecting the NI 177x Smart
Camera to external devices

• Information about acquiring an image with the NI 177x Smart Camera

• Descriptions and blink code explanations for the LED indicators

• Information about mounting the NI 177x Smart Camera

© National Instruments Corporation II-1 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual

Connectors

3

This chapter provides information about the NI 177x Smart Camera
connectors, including pin numbers and signal names.

Figure 3-1 shows the NI 177x Smart Camera connectors.

User

100/

Power

Status

1G

I/O

1

1 I/O Connector
2 100/1G Connector

Figure 3-1. NI 177x Smart Camera Connectors

The following table lists the connectors found on the NI 177x Smart
Camera:

Table 3-1. NI 177x Smart Camera Connector Overview

Connector Name Connector Type Description

I/O connector 17-pin male M12 Power and I/O connection

100/1G connector 8-pin female M12 10/100/1000 Mb/s

VGA/USB
connector

12-pin male M12 Analog video and

VGA/

100/1G

USB

2

3 VGA/USB Connector

3

Ethernet connection

USB connection

© National Instruments Corporation 3-1 NI 177x Smart Camera User Manual