Connecting the Camera

You can connect a camera to a local Windows machine or a LabVIEW Real-Time target machine.

Note  Before you connect a camera, make sure the hardware and NI-IMAQdx software is installed.

Local Connection

Complete the following steps to connect a GigE camera or an IEEE 1394 camera to a local Windows machine:

1. Connect the camera to the port on the local machine.
2. In the MAX configuration tree, expand Devices and Interfaces to obtain a list of installed devices.
3. Expand NI-IMAQdx Devices to obtain a list of available cameras.

   Note  If an IEEE 1394 camera fails to initialize as an IEEE 1394 digital camera, a warning dialog box opens, and a red circle with a white X appears next to the camera. To configure the camera as an IEEE 1394 digital camera, right-click the camera and select Driver»NI-IMAQdx IIDC Digital Camera.

4. Select the appropriate camera from the list.

Remote Connection

Complete the following steps to connect an IEEE 1394 camera to a LabVIEW Real-Time target machine:

1. Connect the camera to the IEEE 1394 port on the real-time (RT) target machine.
2. In the MAX configuration tree, expand Remote Systems. A short delay occurs while MAX locates all the remote devices.
3. Expand the remote device you want to target. If the device is not configured, refer to the MAX Remote Systems Help topics (Help»MAX Help) for information about adding a remote device.
4. Expand Software. Confirm that the NI-IMAQdx RT software is installed on the remote device.
5. If the NI-IMAQdx RT software is not installed, complete the following steps to install the software:
   1. Click Software.
   2. Click Install Software on the MAX toolbar to launch the LabVIEW Real-Time Install Wizard.
   3. Select NI-IMAQdx RT, as well as any additional software you would like to install on the target machine.
   4. Click Next. Review the list of software you selected to install.
   5. Click Next to begin downloading the software to the target machine. When MAX has finished downloading the software, it restarts the remote device.
   6. Click Finish.
   7. Press <F5> to refresh the MAX configuration tree. Your IEEE 1394 camera should be listed under the Remote Systems branch.
6. Expand Devices and Interfaces.
7. Expand NI-IMAQdx Devices to obtain a list of available cameras. If the NI-IMAQdx Devices folder is not present, the NI-IMAQdx software failed to initialize.
8. Select the appropriate camera from the list.

Note  When you connect a new device to a local or remote system, press the <F5> key to refresh the configuration tree and update the list of cameras in the NI-IMAQdx Devices folder.