Multiple Camera's

[Wylie99998]

Does anyone know of the legality of using multiple cameras this year?

[Kahn!]

If you're able to hook it up and it doesn't slow down your code too much I'm 95% sure it's legal.

[virtuald]

I'm 95.1% certain that while you certainly *could* hook up another camera, you wouldn't be able to use C++ to access it (at least not using WPILib, its hardcoded for one camera quite deeply from what I can see).

[kyungjin]

I don't see how you would be able to do so...

Right now, the Axis camera uses a ethernet interface to send/transmit data via crossover cable to the cRIO's second ethernet port. Since the first ethernet port is dedicated specifically to sending/receiving instructions from the gaming adapter or PC (when it's plugged in...) I don't know how you'd be able to do so...

Plus... It's hard enough trying to get ONE camera recognized by the cRIO... Two or more is hell...

[nickmagus]

While it is possible to connect a camera on another type of port (almost any of the inputs you have could be made to work) the driver for a non-Ethernet port camera would be a PAIN to write. Your programing energies are far better spent creating more directly useful algorithms. Perhaps if I finish all the other stuff I have to do I will try writing a driver for it (unlikely but possible) and I'll post it up here if I do.

[XXShadowXX]

couldn't you use a router hooked to the cross over cables, with the router's out put connected to the cRIO. It would have to be heavily modified to run off of the 15v dc battery but this is FIRST. Because Ethernet can carry some 56Mbs?

[kyungjin]

I guess you could try that... I dunno though... If you do happen to try it out let us know of the results? Kinda curious myself. haha

[EricVanWyk]

I have no idea on the legality, but it shouldn't be too hard to hook up a hub to talk to multiple Axis 206s.

[Russ Beavis]

Sounds like fun - at some point you'll overload the cRIO's PowerPC. I'm not sure how much of it's being utilized to get and analyze a single video stream.

Go for it and let us know how well stereo vision works!

Russ

[waialua359]

The Staten Island team, 375, used two cameras in the past on their 2007 robot.

[Jon Stratis]

The following descriptions are all theoretical. I can't guarantee that any of the following will actually work, be legal, or not destroy your cRio. try it out at your own risk

The Axis camera that came with the KoP is a network camera - basically, you stick it on a network, and use software to access it via IP address. All in all, it's a pretty simple device to use.

That being said, if you wanted to connect two of them up to the cRio, you see the immediate problem - you only have 1 port to plug them into. To solve that, you would need a hub. Tons of companies make them, with a wide range of ports. I have one similar to this at home, extending my network to include various gaming and media centers:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...&tab=techSpecs

Power requirements are 12V, 1A.

With that, you can, in theory, hook up 4 cameras to the single cRio port.

Once you get it hooked up, assuming no magic smoke comes out of components and everything can safely coexist, you have the daunting task of actually connecting to them and using it in your code. Yikes! The camera code would essentially be duplicated for each camera hooked up to it, and configured to connect to a different IP address for each camera. In theory, that is. I haven't looked at the provided code, so i can't say for certainty.

So, if we assume that things were created and designed to be flexible and extensible, as all things should be, we can probably say that it is theoretically possible. Now, it might bog down the PPC in the cRio, but you'll never know until someone tries.

[Wylie99998]

hmm thats what i was thinking.. il give it a shot and let you guys know how it turns out