Multiple Axis Cams?

[Anupam Goli]

This may seem an invalid question to consider, but...

Are we allowed to use multiple Axis Cameras? I intend on using one for minibot deployment and one for the scoring of game pieces

(I am not asking this on the Q&A because only our teacher has the password, and she doesn't want to forward it to us, and we have had a week off for school because of the Snow storm that hit the south last week. )

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Anupum,
From the First "How To Configure Your Camera" doc...
The camera can also be connected directly to the radio and bypass the cRIO if you choose not to use image processing. To set up the camera this way, the camera IP address is based on team number and is 10.xx.yy.zz, where zz is in the range of 11 to 20. The xx.yy is the same as is used for the robot.
I am going to guess from that statement that a second camera connected to the Dlink would not allow image processing that only the camera connected to the input port on the Crio would be available for processing. Does that work for your application?

[Anupam Goli]

Yes it does in fact. The second camera on the arm will not be used for processing image, only for the driver's convenience. Attaching it to the D-link should be fine then. I was already looking into connecting an Ethernet Switch onto the network Camera port on the cRIO, but that would not allow me to program both cameras differently. Is there a guide to connecting the camera to the D-link? If I recall correctly, there is only one ethernet port on the Wireless Receiver (unless using an ethernet switch in this case works)

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Anupam,
I would recommend you practice with a camera as you propose before you really commit. It is hard on a driver to switch focus in a short match. You may find it is rarely used and not worth the effort.

[tonystark_23]

The D-Link comes with 4 LAN ports on the back. So you can connect the cRio plus 3 other devices. Hope this helps!!
PS: Maybe have the 2nd camera on a different tab in the drivers station to not confuse the driver.

[Anupam Goli]

Al,

The driver team is set up so that one driver will be controlling the arm, while the other controls the actual drive train, so each one will be seeing only one camera, and the second one may not be useful at all in some matches, but critical in other matches, as it provides the viewing angle for the person controlling the arm and end effector of the robot. Also, would R3 prevent me from placing an ethernet switch on the linksys receiver and having one port go to the cRIO and the other going to the camera?

[Al Skierkiewicz]

If I understand your question, the Linksys is no longer allowed. The Dlink is the new wireless adapter and it has four ports.

[Anupam Goli]

I was referring actually to the WLAN receiver on the robot, not the router to broadcast the network.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Wing

I was referring actually to the WLAN receiver on the robot, not the router to broadcast the network.

The D-Link DAP-1522 router is the wireless networking device on the robot. It's there to "broadcast the network" so your Driver Station (and programming computer) can connect to it. There is no other router, access point, or bridge used in the control system this year.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

As Alan has pointed out the Dlink is your new robot radio and a router thrown in. Take your old linksys home or put it too good use somewhere else. It cannot be on the robot this year.
<R52> One D-Link DAP-1522 is the only permitted mechanism for communicating to and from the ROBOT during the MATCH. All signals must originate from the OPERATOR CONSOLE and/or the Field Management System, and be transmitted to the ROBOT via the official ARENA hardware. No other form of wireless communications shall be used to communicate to, from or within the ROBOT (e.g. radio modems from previous FIRST competitions and Bluetooth devices are not permitted on the ROBOT during competition).

[PhilBot]

My question is: "Is it legal to connect one or more cameras to the D-Link in order for the robot to do image processing from 2 cameras ((either symultaniously (for stereo vision) or independantly (for line/target tracking)"

It's clear that the camera is normally plugged into the cRIO port 2, but is it legal to plug another one into the D-LINK?

I think the cRIO code should be able to access either one (just with different IP addresses).

My reason for a second camera is that there are some VERY COOL camera-based line tracking code examples on NI and I'd love to try them, but I don't want to have to pivot the camera up for Peg tracking.

Phil.

[chris janney]

i am also interested in this question. can someone post quickly

[tutkows1]

Cameras are consider COTs, so yes.

[BEASTistheB2ST]

Sorry, but I am really lost in all of this technological terminology. I believe the answers been hinted at, but not plainly said, so: are we allowed to use more than one camera on are robot, for better viewing of the field, or not? I know people keep talking about a four-input DLink thing, but does that mean we can use up to for cameras? I'm sorry, but I really don't understand!!! I didn't see any other posts about it...

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by BEASTistheB2ST

I know people keep talking about a four-input DLink thing, but does that mean we can use up to for cameras?

The D-Link DAP-1522 is the white "robot radio". It is a network router with four Ethernet ports and a Wi-Fi connection. One of its ports must go to the cRIO. That leaves three ports unclaimed for whatever you want to connect to them. The other port on the cRIO is also available for your use.

If you can figure out how to communicate with them, you can use as many commercial, off-the-shelf cameras as you want on your robot (subject to weight, volume, and budget limitations, of course). An eight-port network switch (does anyone even make "dumb" hubs anymore?) would give you the ability to connect six additional devices.

I don't know what network addresses will be available for you to use during competition. It might be that only a camera connected through the cRIO will be viewable on the Driver Station. In that case, you'll need to find a way to select which camera gets its data forwarded and thus seen on the Dashboard display.