Quick-Start Guide

Software Tools and System Requirements

Hardware

iam embedded smart vision camera system
PoE+ Injector (if you have early access to a prototype camera check Known Issues - Prototype Cameras) or break-out board with external power supply
Network cable (Class 6)
Host PC system: Linux or Mac preferred. If you do not have a UNIX based system you should use the virtual machine from section Virtual Host System .

Presets

Out-of-the box the iam system comes with the factory settings below.

IP Address	192.168.1.10
root user name	root
root user passwort	root

The iAMGigEServer is run by autostart to allow remote IP configuration with SynView IP Config Tool even if you Network Controller Configuration is not set properly.

During production the latest version of the SynView and iAMGigEServer is installed to camera. Only in special cases it is necessary to update the camera. See section iam update tool for detailed information.

Software

There are three ways to update the iam:

Via native Linux or Mac host
Via Windows machine as discribed in section Windows Host System
Via our Virtual Machine Disk image on any OS with Virtual Box as described in section Virtual Host System

Only a Linux host or a virtual Linux machine will support all features like cross compiling.

What else do you need?

Download:

SynView for Host System

Tools

Installation of putty on your Windows machine: Putty will execute the ssh-connection to the iam camera.
Installation of Xming: Xming will execute the graphical interface on Windows.
Installation of WinSCP is useful for any host system. WinSCP is a program to transfer files from/to the iam camera.
Virtual machine for cross compiling: See section Virtual Host System

The purpose of this guide is to obtain a live image from your iam camera using synview explorer. Synview is a software developed by net and is used both on iam camera and your host system. Therfore there are two options to steam a live image to your host system either

by usining the iAMGigE-Server on iam camera and synview explorer on your host system or
running synview explorer direct on iam camera and using openSSH with X-Server forwarting for display.

Option 1. is the more easy one and is as well preinstalled to your camera but option 2. is going to be more important, since it can be similar used with any GUI software. As well, option 2. will be often much quicker during more advanced operation and development process with your iam camera.

The figure below illustrates the two options for obtaining a live view image.

The guide is structured in the following section - by select “>” the sections content will expland.

Power up your camera

Power supply

DC power input

iam is designed for a power supply input range of 24 V ±10%. The power consumption depends on the utilisation of the main system parts: Image sensor, FPGA, ARM cores. The power consumption is typically less than 13 W. A suitable power supply for iam is available from NET.

For designing a custom power supply see information about the power input connector in Connector and cable description.

Power over Ethernet (PoE)

Be aware in case of using a prototype camera:

If the camera serial number has an X or Z in the 9th digit (e.g. 14A2GEBAX2042013) Power over Ethernet is not supported even though the camera will be detected as a PoE device by a PoE injector!
See also Known Issues - Prototype Cameras .

iam can be also powered using the Power over Ethernet option. The cameras are compatible with the Power over Ethernet standard, versions IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at. They should be used with PoE switches (“endspans”) or power injectors (“midspans”) complying with the IEEE 802.3af/IEEE 802.3at specifications.

The iam models are classified in the power level class 0 or class 3. The power consumption with PoE is slightly higher than consumption with a “regular” power supply. When connecting multiple iam cameras to a single PoE switch, verify how much total power the switch can provide and how it handles cases when the limit is exceeded.

Both PoE modes (A and B) are supported by the camera.

Beware of using PoE cameras with 100Mbit Ethernet cables, where the “spare” wire pairs might be omitted. With such cable, the power wouldn't be delivered when using Mode B compatible power sourcing equipment.

Configure your network controller properly

Change IP System Settings of iam

Factory IP and System Settings

Out-of-the box the iam system comes with the factory settings below.

IP Address	192.168.1.10
root user name	root
root user passwort	root

The iAMGigEServer is run by autostart to allow remote IP configuration with SynView IP Config Tool even if you Network Controller Configuration is not set properly.

During production the latest version of the SynView and iAMGigEServer is installed to camera. Only in special cases it is necessary to update the camera. See section iam update tool for detailed information.

Requirements

It is mandatory to have iAMGigEServer running on iam system to use the SynView IP Config Tool.
Installation of the latest version of SynView to host system. See Download latest SynView Package for download link.
During production the latest version of the SynView Explorer and iAMGigEServer is installed to camera. Only in special cases it is necessary to update the camera. See section SynView Update Tool for detailed information.

After installation of latest Synview Prerelease the SynView IP Config Tool sv.ipconf.x64 can be found on your host-pc under the location:

C:\Program Files\SynView\bin\sv.ipconf.x64.exe

Change IP Address

The IP Address of iam camera is an important settings affecting the major interface and will therefore define the accessibility of the system.

This important feature can be set by the SynView IP Config Tool even if you Network Controller Configuration is not set properly.

iam operates with static ip settings du to the GenICam - Standard conformity

The IP address can be changed temporary and persistent. For changing the persistent IP address it is mandatory to have proper access to the system, eg. by change the IP address temporary first.

Temporary Change of IP Settings

Open sv.ipconf.x64.exe.
Now you should see the iam camera under "device model" even if the camera is not in the correct subnet.
Enter below “Current IP settings” or “Restart IP configuration” for obtaining the persistent settings.
Press button "Force IP address".

Persistent Change of IP Settings

Open sv.ipconf.x64.exe.
Now you should see the iam camera under "device model".
Press button "Connect and configure".
Enter below checkbox “Persistent IP address”
Press button "Use current IP address".
Press button "Apply and disconnect".

Configuring the Network Controller

The configuration of your network controller depends on your operating system (OS).

In case of using a virtual guest system configure only the host network controller!

Improve the network performance considerably by configuring the network controller properly.

Connecting to the Camera

The camera is designed to be remotely controlled over OpenSSH.

After power up it will take some time before the camera will respond due to the booting of the Linux system.

Configure the network controller properly as described below before using the ping command.

The ping terminal command can be applied to see if the camera has booted:

In abscence of a Linux or Mac host system NET provides a virtual machine image. How to set up the virtual machine is described in section Application Development / Virtual Host System below. See also section Communicate with iam over windows host - without the virtual machine.

IP Address Settings

Mac / Linux

Under Linux and Mac the same physical network controller with multiple virtual controller settings is applicable. Therefore it is not necessary to change the current network setting. Instead, just add a new virtual controller.

Windows 10

Open the Windows10 start menu by pressing the Windows key on the keyboard. Type the words Control Panel and press enter.
Click the link titled View network status and tasks under the Network and Internet heading.
Click the link on the left of the window labeled Change adapter settings.
Right click on network adapter and choose properties to open the properties window.
Find the option of Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click on it. Then choose option Properties , e.g. as shown below.

Test the connection with the ping command first on the host system and than inside the virtual machine if using a virtual guest system.

Configure the Network Controller Settings

Jumbo frames

Jumbo frames are Ethernet frames with more than 1500 bytes of payload, the limit set by the IEEE 802.3 standard. In particular, GigE Vision jumbo frames can improve network performance massively since image data is originally high-volume data.

Windows: Activating jumbo frames

Follow steps 1 to 4 in the section above.

property window: Click on Configure.
Select the second tab Advanced in the new window.
Look for the property Jumbo Packets
Select the highest value, e.g. 9014 Bytes
Confirm with OK

Interrupt Moderation

Interrupt Moderation is a feature that groups packets together and sends them as a batch. It can be responsible for sluggish behavior of the connection. For a continuous image data transmission this feature is not very useful.

Windows: Disable Interrupt Moderation

For disable this feature follow the Steps 1. to 4. from the section above.

From the property window click on Configure
Select the second tab from the new window Advanced
Look for the property Interrupt Moderation
Select the Disable

Other features and options

Helpful content: Blogpost about Optimizing Ethernet Adapter Settings for Maximum Performance (external link).

🔗 related content

Option 1: Stream live image to host using iAMGigEServer

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iAMGigE-Server is ready to use - as we have seen in previus section. Now we will learn how to diable it for using Option 2.

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Getting started with Synview Explorer - and become ready to try Option 2.

SynView Explorer

	SynView by NET is a development environment based on GenICam/GenTL standards. It contains a high-performance and user-friendly API to make it easier to create applications. Application engineers can concentrate fully on developing your solution. More information can be found under the following link .
	The SynView package contains the SynView Explorer tool, which allows to enumerate, connect and configure camera, acquire images or generate sample source code for SynView API. It is a useful tool for testing both the SynView and camera functionality.

Download link for Host SynView can be found here .

During production the latest version of the SynView with iAMGigEServer is installed to camera under the path /opt/synview/bin/.

To learn more how to use SynView Explorer we refer to the SynView Explorer manual.

Testing the camera

Capture an image or test new camera settings with SynView Explorer. There are two ways:

Using iAMGigEServer with iam and receiving the image data with SynView Explorer on a host system. iam acts like a normal GigE Vision camera.
Native: Using the OpenSSH connection with -server forwarding. From the command line it is possible to start sv.explorer with the command below.

ssh -Y root@192.168.1.10 "(export XILINX_XRT=/usr/ ; /opt/synview/bin/sv.explorer)"

Using OpenSSH from a Windows Host we recomend to use and configure the tools discribed in section Windows Host System to support all features (x-server forwarding et al.).

Since iAMGigEServer is executed via autostart, stop iAMGigEServer before using SynView Explorer natively on the camera (Option 2). See section iAMGigEServer

The latest version of SynView Explorer is required for iam. For this, update the host system. See Download latest SynView Package .

	Connect the camera to test. Select it in the list of found cameras and press the “Connect camera” button.
	Configure the camera features. Pay attention especially to features in Image Format Control and Acquisition Control categories.
	When prepared, click the “Start acquisition” button. The camera should start acquiring. If not, verify again, if the camera was not set to triggered mode, while no trigger was attached.
	While the acquisition is active, the runtime parameters can be adjusted, such as exposure time or gain. Basic acquisition parameters, such as pixel format or trigger mode get locked when the acquisition starts.
	When finished, click the “Stop acquisition” button and exit.

It is a common source of error to operate a monochrome sensor in the color space. In case of a monochrome sensor change the Pixel Format to Mono 8 .

Live View Performance

From the line just above the live image, the frames count per second is visible on iam. Displaying the images remotely over an OpenSSH connection will impair the performace very much and will add some delay as well. In the example below, the sensor runs with 147 frames per second and 1.8 frames per second are displayed remotely.

See what your camera model can achieve by looking up the maximum frame rate at Camera Model Overview table.

An OpenSSH session using live imaging has a poor performance but can help to change camera parameters or test new features.

Please be aware of the low frame refresh rates with this type of connection. A better refresh rate will be achieved with the "GigE Vision Server of SynView" in the future.

Basic Camera Features

This section shows the most essential camera features relevant for the basic tests.

The SynView Explorer displays by default the basic camera features intended to handle the most common tasks. To display also the more advanced features, switch to the “expert” feature level. Note that the third available level, “guru”, is intended just for debugging and should not be used for standard operation.

Feature Category	Feature Name
Image format The basic properties of the acquired image can be configured through features in the Image Format category.	Pixel format The “Pixel Format” feature is an enumeration allowing to specify the type of image data delivered to the application buffer. The available pixel formats differ among camera models. In general, they can be - Monochrome, with various number of bits per pixel, e.g. Mono 8 or Mono 12. - Bayer encoded, with sensor-dependent Bayer formats, e.g. Bayer GR 8 or Bayer BG 8. In this case the application needs to decode the Bayer encoded image buffer to get a proper color image — SynView API provides functions for this. - RGB color format, providing true RGB output, in this case the Bayer decoding is performed directly by the camera. Image size The camera will acquire full size image by default. The acquired image size can be reduced using the “Width and Height” features, which set the acquired image size in pixels. The field of view will be automatically centered within the full sensor image.
Acquisition parameters The luminance of the acquired image can be controlled either explicitly through exposure time and gain functions, or automatically through corresponding auto-functions.	Exposure time The “Exposure Time” feature in “Acquisition Control” category configures the length of the exposure in microseconds. Analog gain Analog gain to be applied on the sensor during acquired image digitization can be configured through corresponding features in “Analog Control” category. Verify that the “Gain Selector” feature is set to analog (some cameras models support also digital gain). Now, the gain feature controls the desired analog gain value in decibel. Auto-functions Selected camera models support automatic gain and/or automatic exposure functions, when the camera keeps adjusting given parameter automatically, to maintain constant image luminance. The features will be displayed in the feature tree only if the camera supports them. To switch on the auto function, navigate to corresponding control feature, “Automatic Exposure in Acquisition Control” category or “Automatic Gain in Analog Control” category and switch them from “Off” to “Continuous”.
Triggered acquisition The camera starts by default in “free running” mode — acquiring continuous stream of image frames. On the other hand in the triggered mode, the acquisition of individual frames can be explicitly controlled by hardware or software triggers. The trigger related features are located in the “Acquisition Control” category.	Triggered mode To switch the camera to “Triggered mode”, open the “Trigger Selector” sub-tree and set “Trigger Mode” to “On”. After starting the acquisition again, the camera will acquire images only when explicit trigger signal arrives. Trigger source The Trigger source enumeration allows to select where should the camera “listen for triggers”. You can select either Software or one of the camera's I/O lines. The assignment of the I/O lines to the connector pins is described in Section, Connector and cable description . Software triggering The Software triggers can be issued during active acquisition in triggered mode, regardless whether the trigger source is set to Software or a physical I/O line. To apply the software trigger, select the “Generate Software Trigger” feature and click the button in the tool bar. Strobe The strobe can be configured using features in the “Digital I/O Control” category, after switching the feature visibility level to “expert”. Select the desired output line, where the strobe pulses should be applied through Line Selector (the I/O line mapping to interface connector pins is described in Section, Connector and cable description ). Switch the strobe on for the selected line by setting Line Source to “Exposure Active”. The camera will issue a strobe pulse aligned with the exposure for every acquired frame. The strobe output is available only in triggered mode. In case the camera has an integrated Strobe Ring, its Strobe can be controlled through the “Strobe Control” category. Select which Clusters to use with Strobe Enable. Strobe Duration sets the length of the Strobe Pulse.
Device Control Information about the camera. It is frequently necessary to query the basic information about the camera. The information is available through features in the Device Control category.	Device identity The most important features identifying the camera are Vendor Name and Model Name. The camera's serial number is stored as string in feature Device ID (available only in “expert” feature level). Finally, the “nick-name” used to identify the device is accessible (read/write) in DeviceUser ID. Firmware version The version of the firmware loaded on the camera is accessible as string in feature Device Firmware Version.

Getting more advanced - hack into your camera by using openSSH

OpenSSH

Introduction

The smart vision system iam is designed to be controlled over an Open-Secure Shell (SSH) connection. Practically every Unix and Linux system includes the ssh command. This command is used to start the SSH client program that enables secure connection to the SSH server on a remote machine. The ssh command is used for log in into the remote machine, transferring files between the two machines, and for executing commands on the remote machine.

The OpenSSH ssh command as discribed below can be used on Unix/Linux or the Mac terminal.

The OpenSSH ssh command as discribed below can be used with some additional tools as well as on Windows host System. See section Windows Host System for Details.

System Requirements:

iam needs to be booted. Check the network settings by using the ping command as discribed above.

The host needs a SSH-Server. The OpenSSH server can be installed with the following command on a Linux system:

sudo apt-get install openssh-server

Before establishing an OpenSSH connection, add the camera to your "known host systems" with the command below:

ssh-keygen -f "/home/$USER/.ssh/known_hosts" -R 192.168.1.10

Usefull commands:

Open a SSH connection

To open a shell on the camera use the following command:

ss root@192.168.1.10

It can be closed by typing the following command:

exit

OpenSSH with remote Windows support

For X-Server support the -Y or -X command must be added.

The more secure mode with -X can be used equivalent.

ssh -Y root@192.168.1.10

File Transfer

Pull example:

scp root@192.168.1.10:/home/root/yourfile.txt

Push example:

scp yourfile.txt root@192.168.1.10:/home/root/

To transfer a complete folder use the recursive command -r. The command below will transfer the files from your-director to the location /home/root/your-director onto iam .

scp -r your-director root@192.168.1.10:/home/root/

CPU Load example

The following example shows how to start a terminal application step by step. It is an example to display the current processes and services running on the camera system.

Open an OpenSSH connection from your host system
```
ssh root@192.168.1.10
```
The root password is required.
Do not get confused hence there will not be a display feedback while typing.
Start the command line application top on the system.
To exit the application use the command ctrl+c.

🔍 References