National Instruments PCI-1411, PXI-1411 User Manual

™

IMAQ

IMAQ PCI/PXI™-1411
User Manual

Single-Channel Color Image Acquisition Board
for PCI, PXI, and CompactPCI Chassis

IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual

October 1999 Edition

Part Number 322157B-01

Worldwide Technical Support and Product Information

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© Copyright 1999 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

Important Information

Warranty

The PCI-1411 and PXI-1411 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 equip ment
that proves to be defective during the warranty period. Th is warrant y in cludes 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 materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of sh ipmen t, as evid enced b y receipt s o r other
documentation. National Instruments will, at its op ti on , repair or repl ace soft ware me dia th at do not ex ecu te pr ogram mi ng
instructions 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 uni nterrup ted 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 equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will pay the shipping costs of
returning to the owner parts which are covered by warrant y.

National Instruments believes that the information in this document is accurate. The document has been carefully reviewed
for technical accuracy. In the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments reserves the right to
make changes to subsequent editions of this document withou t p rio r no ti ce to hold ers o f thi s ed itio n. The read er sh ou ld consul t
National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no even t shall Nati on al Inst rum ents be l iable fo r any dama ges aris in g o ut of
or related to this document or the information contained in it.

XCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN

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ATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY

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are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation.

Product and company names mentioned herein are trad emarks o r trad e name s of thei r respect ive compan ies .

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(1) NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH COMPONENTS AND TESTING FOR A LEVEL
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FAILURE. TO AVOID DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNE R MU ST T AKE
REASONABLY PRUDENT STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST SYSTEM FAILURES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
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Compliance

FCC/Canada Radio Frequency Interference Compliance*

Determining FCC Class

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rules to protect wireless communications from interference.
The FCC places digital electronics into two classes. These classes are known as Class A (for use in industrial­commercial locations only) or Class B (for use in residential or commercial locations). Depending on where it is
operated, this product could be subject to restrictions in the FCC rules. (In Canada, the Department of
Communications (DOC), of Industry Canada, regulates wireless interference in much the same way.)

Digital electronics emit weak signals during normal operation that can affect radio, television, or other wireless
products. By examining the product you purchased, you can determine the FCC Class and therefore which of the two
FCC/DOC Warnings apply in the following sections. (Some products may not be labelled at all for FCC, if so the
reader should then assume these are Class A devices.)

FCC Class A products only display a simple warning statement of one paragraph in length regarding interference and
undesired operation. Most of our products are FCC Class A. The FCC rules have restrictions regarding the locations
where FCC Class A products can be operated.

FCC Class B products display either a FCC ID code, starting with the letters EXN,
or the FCC Class B compliance mark that appears as shown here on the right.

The curious reader can consult the FCC web site
information.

FCC/DOC Warnings

This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in strict accordance with the
instructions in this manual and the CE Mark Declaration of Conformity**, may cause interference to radio and
television reception. Classification requirements are the same for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
and the Canadian Department of Communications (DOC).

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by National Instruments could void the user’s authority to operate
the equipment under the FCC Rules.

Class A

Federal Communications Commission

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15
of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in
which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

http://www.fcc.gov for more

Canadian Department of Communications

This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du

Canada.

Class B

Federal Communications Commission

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15
of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful

interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user
is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Canadian Department of Communications

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du

Canada.

European Union - Compliance to EEC Directives

Readers in the EU/EEC/EEA must refer to the Manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity (DoC) for information**
pertaining to the CE Mark compliance scheme. The Manufacturer includes a DoC for most every hardware product
except for those bought for OEMs, if also available from an original manufacturer that also markets in the EU, or
where compliance is not required as for electrically benign apparatus or cables.

* Certain exemptions may apply in the USA, see FCC Rules §15.103 Exempted devices, and §15.105(c). Also

available in sections of CFR 47.

** The CE Mark Declaration of Conformity will contain important supplementary information and instructions for

the user or installer.

Conventions

The following conventions are used in this manual:

♦ The ♦ symbol indicates that the following text applies only to a specific

product, a specific operating system, or a specific software version.
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.
This icon denotes a warning, which advises you of precautions to take to

avoid being electrically shocked.

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

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

Contents

Chapter 1
Introduction

About the PCI/PXI-1411 .................................................................................................1-1

Using PXI with CompactPCI...........................................................................................1-2

Software Programming Choices......................................................................................1-2

NI-IMAQ Driver Software................................................................................1-3

National Instruments IMAQ Vision.................................. ................................1-5

IMAQ Vision Builder........................................................................................1-5

Integration with DAQ........................................................... .............................1-6

Vision and Motion.............................................................................................1-6

Chapter 2
Installation

What You Need to Get Started........................................................................................2-1

Optional Equipment................................................ .........................................................2-2

How to Set up Your IMAQ System.................................................................................2-2

Unpacking........................................................................................................................2-4

Installation .......................................................................................................................2-4

Chapter 3
Hardware Overview

Functional Overview........................................................................................................3-1

Video Acquisition..............................................................................................3-1

Video Decoder...................................................................................................3-2

Color-Space Processor and LUTs .....................................................................3-2

SDRAM.............................................................................................................3-3

Trigger Control and Mapping Circuitry............................................................3-3

Acquisition, Scaling, ROI..................................................................................3-3

Scatter-Gather DMA Controllers ......................................................................3-3

Bus Master PCI Interface ..................................................................................3-4

Board Configuration NVRAM..........................................................................3-4

Start Conditions.................................................................................................3-4

Acquisition Window Control ............................................................................3-4

© National Instruments Corporation vii IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual

Contents

Chapter 4
Signal Connections

I/O Connector..................................................................................................................4-1

Signal Description........................................... ................................................................4-2

Custom Cables.................................................................................................................4-2

Appendix A
Specifications

Appendix B
Introduction to Color

Appendix C
Technical Support Resources

Glossary

Index

Figures

Figure 1-1. The Relationship between the Programming Environment,

NI-IMAQ, and Your Hardware...............................................................1-3

Figure 1-2. NI-IMAQ Functions................................................................................1-4

Figure 1-3. IMAQ Vision Builder and Application Development Tools.................. 1-5

Figure 2-1. How to Set up Your IMAQ System........................................................2-3

Figure 3-1. PCI/PXI-1411 Block Diagram................................................................3-1

Figure 4-1. PCI/PXI-1411 Connectors ......................................................................4-1

Figure 4-2. S-Video Connector Pin Assignments......................................................4-2

Figure B-1. White Light and the Visible Spectrum....................................................B-1

Table

Table 4-1. I/O Connector Signals.............................................................................4-2

IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual viii www.ni.com

Introduction

This chapter describes the PCI/PXI-1411 and describes your software
programming choices.

About the PCI/PXI-1411

The PCI/PXI-1411 is a highly flexible monochrome and color IMAQ board
for PCI, PXI, or CompactPCI chassis that supports a diverse range of
analog cameras from many camera companies. The PCI/PXI-1411 acquires
images in real time and can store these images in onboard frame memory,
or transfer these images directly to system memory.

The PCI/PXI-1411 is simple to configure so that you can easily install
the board and begin acquiring images. The PCI/PXI-1411 ships with
NI-IMAQ, the National Instruments complete IMAQ driver software
you can use to directly control the PCI/PXI-1411 and other National
Instruments IMAQ hardware products. Using NI-IMAQ, you can quickly
and easily start your applications without having to program the board at
the register level.

1

The PCI/PXI-1411 features a precision color analog video decoder ideal
for both industrial and scientific environments. The 1411 device supports
both NTSC and PAL color standards as well as the RS-170 and CCIR
monochrome standards. The 1411 also provides one external I/O line
that you can use as a trigger or as a digital input/output (I/O) line. If you
require more advanced triggering or digital I/O lines, you can use the
PCI/PXI-1411 and NI-IMAQ with the National Instruments data
acquisition (DAQ) product line.

Detailed specifications of the PCI/PXI-1411 are in Appendix A,

Specifications.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction

Using PXI with CompactPCI

Using PXI-compatible products with standard CompactPCI products is an
important feature provided by the PXI Specification, Revision 1.0. If you
use a PXI-compatible plug-in device in a standard CompactPCI chassis,
you will be unable to use PXI-specific functions, but you can still use the
basic plug-in device functions.

The CompactPCI specification permits vendors to develop sub-buses that
coexist with the basic PCI interface on the CompactPCI bus. Compatible
operation is not guaranteed between CompactPCI devices with different
sub-buses nor between CompactPCI devices with sub-buses and PXI.
The standard implementation for CompactPCI does not include these
sub-buses. Your PXI-1411 device will work in any standard CompactPCI
chassis adhering to the PICMG 2.0 R2.1 CompactPCI core specification.

Software Programming Choices

Using NI-IMAQ, the National Instruments image acquisition driver
software, you can program your IMAQ board to acquire and save images.
You can use NI-IMAQ with other National Instruments software for a
complete image acquisition and analysis solution, as shown in Figure 1.

NI-IMAQ works with LabVIEW, BridgeVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, as
well as conventional programming languages. National Instruments
IMAQ Vision adds powerful image processing and analysis to these
programming environments. You can also use IMAQ Vision Builder to
quickly and easily prototype your IMAQ image analysis applications.

IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual 1-2 www.ni.com

Vision Software

IMAQ Vision

Chapter 1 Introduction

Image

Analysis

Filters

Blob

Analysis

BridgeVIEWLabVIEW

Pattern

Matching

Color Matching

and Analysis

Application Software

(ComponentWorks)

Driver Software

NI-DAQNI-IMAQ

Hardware

DAQIMAQ

Gauging and

Measurement

Display

and ROI

LabWindows/CVIActiveX

ValueMotion/

FlexMotion

ValueMotion/

FlexMotion

Morphology

Figure 1-1. The Relationship between the Programming Environment,

NI-IMAQ, and Your Hardware

NI-IMAQ Driver Software

The NI-IMAQ driver software is included with your IMAQ device.
NI-IMAQ has an extensive library of functions that you can call from your
application programming environment. These functions include routines
for video configuration, image acquisition (continuous and single-shot),
memory buffer allocation, trigger control, and board configuration, as
shown in Figure 1-2.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-3 IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction

NI-IMAQ

Acquisition

T riggering

and Timing

DAQ

Synchronization

Buffer ControlImage

Figure 1-2. NI-IMAQ Functions

Camera Control Look-up T ab le

The NI-IMAQ dri ver software performs all functions required for acquiring
and saving images. The NI-IMAQ software does not perform any image
analysis. For image analysis functionality , refer to the National Instruments

IMAQ Vision section in this chapter.

NI-IMAQ has both high-level and low-level functions for maximum
flexibility and performance. Examples of high-level functions include the
functions to acquire images in single-shot or continuous mode. An example
of a low-level function is configuring an image sequence since it requires
advanced understanding of your IMAQ device and image acquisition.

NI-IMAQ internally resolves many of the complex issues between the
computer and your IMAQ device, such as programming interrupts and
DMA controllers.

NI-IMAQ is also the interface path between LabVIEW, BridgeVIEW,
LabWindows/CVI, or a conventional programming environment and your
IMAQ device. The NI-IMAQ software kit includes a series of libraries for
G, LabWindows/CVI, and ComponentWorks (ActiveX) that are
functionally equivalent to the NI-IMAQ software.

Control

IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual 1-4 www.ni.com

National Instruments IMAQ Vision

IMAQ Vision is an image acquisition, processing, and analysis library of
more than 200 functions for grayscale, color, and binary image display,
image processing, pattern matching, shape matching, blob analysis,
gauging, and measurement.

You can use IMAQ Vision functions directly or in combination for unique
image processing. With IMA Q V ision you can acquire, display, manipulate,
and store images as well as perform image analysis, processing, and
interpretation. Using IMAQ Vision, an imaging novice or expert can
perform graphical programming of the most basic or complicated image
applications without knowledge of any algorithm implementations.

IMAQ V ision is a vailable for LabVIEW, BridgeVIEW, LabWindows /CVI,
Microsoft Visual C++, or ComponentWorks.

IMAQ Vision Builder

IMAQ Vision Builder is an interactive prototyping tool for machine vision
and scientific imaging developers. With IMAQ Vision Builder, you can
prototype vision software quickly or test how various vision image
processing functions work.

Chapter 1 Introduction

As shown in Figure 1-3, IMAQ Vision Builder generates a Builder file,
which is a text description that contains a recipe of the machine vision and
image processing functions. This Builder file provides a guide you can use
to develop applications with IMAQ Vision in LabVIEW, BridgeVIEW,
LabWindows/CVI, and ComponentWorks.

IMAQ

Vision Builder

Prototype

Builder File

Vision Application

Development

IMAQ

Vision

Figure 1-3.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-5 IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual

IMAQ Vision Builder and Application Development Tools

and

Application

Software

Chapter 1 Introduction

Integration with DAQ

Any platform that supports NI-IMAQ also supports NI-DAQ and a variety
of National Instruments DAQ boards, so your IMAQ device and NI-IMAQ
development can integrate with National Instruments DAQ products.

Vision and Motion

With National Instruments IMAQ hardware and IMAQ Vision pattern
matching software you can quickly and accurately locate objects in
instances where objects vary in size, orientation, focus, and even when the
part is poorly illuminated. Use National Instruments high-performance
stepper and servo motion control products with pattern matching software
in inspection and guidance applications such as locating alignment markers
on semiconductor wafers, guiding robotic arms, inspecting the quality of
manufactured parts, and locating cells.

IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual 1-6 www.ni.com

Installation

This chapter lists what you need to get started acquiring images with
your IMAQ device; describes optional equipment and custom cables;
and explains how to unpack, configure, and install your IMAQ device.

What You Need to Get Started

To set up and use your PCI/PXI-1411, you will need the following:

❑ One of the following IMAQ devices:

– PCI-1411
– PXI-1411

❑ Getting Started with Your IMAQ System
❑ IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual
❑ NI-IMAQ release notes

2

❑ NI-IMAQ for Windows 2000/NT/9x and documentation
❑ Optional software packages and documentation:

– IMAQ Vision for G, LabWindows/CVI, or ComponentWorks
–LabVIEW
– BridgeVIEW
– LabWindows/CVI
– IMAQ Vision Builder

❑ BNC cable (included with your PCI/PXI-1411)
❑ S-Video cable (optional)
❑ Your Pentium-based PCI computer, PXI chassis, or CompactPCI

chassis running Windows 2000, Windows NT, or Windows 9x

❑ An analog video camera (composite or S-Video)

© National Instruments Corporation 2-1 IMAQ PCI/PXI-1411 User Manual