Cameras 2015

[Chief Hedgehog]

What Camera have you found to be the best for your team?

And for those of you that chose the Microsoft Lifecam in FIRST CHOICE - how do you like it and how does it compare to the Axis M1013 Camera (am-0667)?

[SquishyIce]

We here at 1405 got the LifeCam 3000; we like it a lot more than the old axis camera. This is primarily because it's USB so we don't have to mess with those backward Ethernet cables. It also seems to provide a better picture, in our opinion. My only beef with it is the utter lack of mounting holes... Yesterday we ending up just taping it to a gimbal.

[GeeTwo]

I agree - simpler cabling, 16:9 ratio, and the image doesn't have to go over the network if you process it on the RIO or a raspberry pi (we're going to try both configurations; in each, the camera will be connected directly to the processing computer). We are thinking of sending the output of an edge detector back to the driver station -- it's less than 1% as much data as the full video image, with just the information you need. Perhaps we'll draw this over some graphic "template" images to help us line up on the game pieces.

[faust1706]

Asus xtion

[adciv]

The MS HD3000 is more difficult to configure in a number of ways than the Axis camera is. That said, the single USB connection helps. I think it comes down to features vs. simplicity/size.

Now I just need to figure out how to stream multiple HD3000 cameras to the dashboard simultaneously.

[Greg McKaskle]

The important VIs for the dashboard and roboRIO side should already be reentrant, so it should be pretty straightforward to do multiple cams of any type. But of course that isn't tested very often. Let me know if you have issues.

Greg McKaskle

[faust1706]

Originally Posted by adciv

Now I just need to figure out how to stream multiple HD3000 cameras to the dashboard simultaneously.

Be mindful of the bandwidth limit....

[adciv]

Not an issue for us, we know how to manage the bitrates. We ran two Axis cameras simultaneously in 2012 (rebound rumble) at under 10mbps using 640x480 resolution. We don't need to have the frame rates or resolution as high this year.

[ABreyen]

I know we got a new camera HD USB webcam this year, however, it is only running 8FPS on Driver Station, running thru the RoboRIO. We are hoping to run a Raspberry Pi (B+) thru either the RoboRIO (via GPIO Pins) or router. Anyone know if this is legal, or where we can maybe find some code?

[Greg McKaskle]

Most of the HD cameras will run in lower resolutions, and since that will lower the amount of data that needs to be compressed and transmitted, it will rapidly speed up the processing and/or transmission and display.

Greg McKaskle

[nfusselman1]

I am able to see my cameras fps on the dashboard with the simplevision program but I do not get the Picture.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by nfusselman1

I am able to see my cameras fps on the dashboard with the simplevision program but I do not get the Picture.

Last year the Dashboard vision wouldn't work until the NI Vision software was activated. I haven't tried installing it without activating in order to see if it's still the case. Might that be the problem?