1. MTU Physics Laboratory Guide for illunis XMV 11000 Camera
Guide Written By: Jacob Colling
Introduction:
This document was created to provide detailed instructions on the use of the illunis XMV
11000 Camera with the EPIX PIXCI EB1 Camera Link Frame Grabber. This document will
cover the basics of setting up and operating the camera and frame grabber with both the
StreamPix7 and XCAP Lite software packages. Additional Resources on these and other topics
related to the operation of research grade cameras and image acquisition software can be found
in ​PIXCI EB1 User's Manual, StreamPix6 Manual, Norpix Camera Installation Guide, ILLUNIS
CAMERA OPERATIONS MANUAL​ (Physical Lab Document), and the ​SET UP AND
OPERATION OF QUESTAR QM 1 LONG MOUNT MODEL #30002​ Packet (Physical Lab
Document) all of which are available online, in the ​“Laboratory Reference Documents”​ Desktop
Folder on the laboratory computer workstation, or as hard copies in the lab.
The Basics:
The illunis XMV 11000 is a research grade, digital, Camera Link camera that is
interfaced with by using a computer that has a compatible Camera Link frame grabber installed.
In this laboratory, the PIXCI EB1 Camera Link Frame Grabber is used to acquire images from
the illunis cameras. This frame grabber receives and processes images from a single Camera
Link camera and is capable of fully supporting all of the features available for the illunis XMV
11000.
illunis XMV 11000 Camera EPIX PIXCI EB1 Frame Grabber
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2. In addition to these two pieces of hardware (camera and frame grabber), special software
is also necessary to obtain these precious, high quality images. The EB1 Frame Grabber (when
purchased) is packaged with XCAP Lite, a simple image capturing software package with basic
functionality. XCAP is produced and distributed by the same company (EPIX) that makes the
PIXCI EB1 Frame Grabber. As a result of this, XCAP has settings and configurations that are
unique to the EB1. XCAP also has special configuration settings made specifically for the illunis
XMV 11000 camera, making the software a useful testing, troubleshooting, and debugging tool
for both illunis cameras and EPIX frame grabbers. StreamPix7 is a third party image acquisition
software created by NorPix with the advanced features and functionality necessary for laboratory
use. This software is compatible with both the illunis camera and the EPIX frame grabber. This
is the preferred software package for high resolution image acquisition this MTU Physics
laboratory.
Hardware Setup
The PIXCI EB1 Frame Grabber is installed into a x1 PCI Express Slot on the
motherboard of the selected computer workstation. The correct drivers for the EB1 must be
installed on the computer in order for the frame grabber to function properly. Once installed, the
Camera Link cable connector and the 9 - pin connector used for external triggers will be
accessible from the rear of the computer. A complete guide and step by step instructions of the
installation of the PIXCI EB1 frame grabber can be found in the ​“PIXCI EB1 User’s Manual”.
The illunis camera is connected to the frame grabber via a Camera Link cable that
attaches to the port in the rear of the camera. The other end of the cable attaches to the port on
the frame grabber that is accessible from the rear of the computer desktop tower. ​To prevent
hardware damage, it is best to only attach / unattach the Camera Link cable from either
device while both the camera and the computer are powered off.​ The camera is powered by a
second silver power cable which attaches to a port on the rear of the camera that is located
slightly below the Camera Link port. The red dots on both the cable and the port are lined up to
ensure the proper alignment of the power connector. ​Be sure to unplug the power supply from
the camera during long periods when the camera is not being used. ​illunis XMV 11000
cameras will heat up if plugged in for extended periods of time. Camera Link cables can safely
remain attached to the illunis cameras at all times, even when not in use.
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3. Camera Link and Power Connector on the illunis Camera Link Cable
Proper Alignment of Power Connector and Port Camera Link Cable Attached to Installed EB1 (Top)
illunis Camera Power Connector (Bottom)
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4. Software Setup
To fully utilize the camera and frame grabber, both XCAP Lite and StreamPix7 should be
installed on the desired computer workstation. XCAP Lite can be downloaded from the internet
from the EPIX website or installed from disk. In order to actually acquire images with XCAP, an
appropriate software license activation key must be entered. The XCAP Lite software activation
ID can found in a text document located in the ​“Laboratory Reference Documents” desktop
folder on the laboratory computer workstation or printed on the label inside of the hard disk case
for the physical disk copy of XCAP. A complete guide for setting up XCAP Lite can be found in
the ​“PIXCI EB1 User’s Manual”. StreamPix7 can be downloaded from the Norpix Website via
the links found in the ​“Laboratory Reference Documents” desktop folder under ​“StreamPix”.
The software activation key file necessary to install StreamPix (file type .NPX) can also be found
in this folder. Additional information on installing StreamPix can be found in the ​“StreamPix6
User’s Manual”.
Acquiring Images
Once the system software and hardware is properly installed, images and sequences of
images can be captured with the illunis camera by using either the StreamPix7 or XCAP Lite
software packages. Before you start the computer workstation, make sure that the Camera Link
and power connector cables are connected to the connection ports located on the rear face of the
illunis camera. Also confirm that the Camera Link cable attached to the illunis camera is
connected to the Camera Link port on the rear face of the computer desktop tower. Once these
connections have been confirmed, turn on the computer.
XCAP Lite
To open XCAP Lite, click the “​XCAP for Windows” shortcut on the desktop.. Click
“OK” on the ​“Welcome to XCAP-Lite” popup. If the camera is setup correctly, a ​“Illunis XMV -
11000: Capture and Adjust” dialog box will pop up in front of a larger ​“View #1” window.
From here images can be captured by clicking the “Snap” button in the ​“Illunis XMV - 11000:
Capture and Adjust” dialog box. Sequences of images can be captured by clicking the “Live”
button to start taking pictures at a set rate and clicking the “Unlive” button to stop capturing
images. Images and sequences can be saved by going to “File” > “Save Image” or “Save Image
Sequence”. Real time previews of images are not available while using this software.
If during program startup, no windows pop up, the wrong windows pop up, or images are
not being captured correctly, go to the main XCAP window (the largest window with the title
“EPIX XCAP V3.8”) and click on the ​“PIXCI” tab. From the dropdown menu select ​“PIXCI
Open/Close”. A new “​PIXCI Open/Close” dialog box should appear. Select the​ “Camera and
Format” button (if necessary, click the ​“Close” button first). In the new dialog box “​PIXCI
Open Camera and Format”, the text in the “​Frame Grabber Model” box should read “PIXCI
EB1” and the ​“Frame Grabber Preset Camera & Format” box should read “Generic Camera
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5. Link”. Select “illunis XMV - 11000” from the dropdown menu selection under ​“Configure
Software for Camera & Format” and hit “OK”. Now click ​“Open” on the ​“PIXCI Open/Close”
window. The ​“Illunis XMV - 11000: Capture and Adjust” dialog box and the ​“View #1” window
should now be present. A complete guide to XCAP Lite can be found in the ​“PIXCI EB1 User’s
Manual”.
StreamPix7
To open StreamPix7, click the ​“StreamPix7 x64 Edition Single Camera” shortcut on the
desktop. If the camera and software are configured correctly, a workspace will pop up with a real
time preview of the current image that the illunis camera would capture. To capture images, click
the circular icon in the top left corner of screen and select one of the “​New ….” options from the
dropdown menu. The ​“New Image Sequence” option in the .png format is an excellent way to
capture images that will be easily viewable outside of StreamPix. “​New Sequence on Disk” is
best for capturing long sequences that will be primarily viewed within StreamPix (and can be
exported to other file formats later). “​New Sequence in RAM” is best for short sequences that
will be viewed mostly within StreamPix. Images can be captured using the “​Record” and “​Snap”
commands under the “​Home” section of the top menu ribbon. “​Snap” captures a single images,
while “​Record” captures images at a set rate until the “​Stop” button is pressed (Similar to the
“​Live” and “​Unlive” commands in XCAP). Captured images will be saved in the location and
format specified by the user.
If the workspace does not appear upon startup or images are not coming from the camera,
go to the “Camera” tab in the top menu ribbon and click the “Load” icon. A window labeled
“​Grabber Selection” will appear. Select “Epix Digital family” from the list, and make sure that
the “Start in Live” option is checked. This should cause the a live feed from the camera appear,
indicating that images can now be captured.
“​Illunis XMV - 11000
Capture & Adjust Dialogue
Box” (Left) and the
StreamPix7 Dropdown
Menu (Right)
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6. Advanced Features
Within StreamPix, there are a number of advanced functions and settings that are
available to the user. All of these settings and features are covered at length in the ​“StreamPix6
User’s Manual”. The basics of some of the more important and useful settings will be covered in
the following sections of this guide.
Editing StreamPix Settings
Settings for StreamPix can be accessed and changed by clicking on the “​StreamPix
Settings” wrench icon button that is located on the top ribbon toolbar under the “​Home” tab. A
multitude of settings are then available to edit from the “​StreamPix Settings” Menu that appears.
Scripting in StreamPix
Within the StreamPix settings menu is the option to create “scripts” which can be used to
control the image acquiring behavior of the camera. Scripts provide a simple and effective way
to acquire images in a specific way. For example, scripting could be used to take an exact
number of pictures at a set interval or have the camera start taking pictures after an external
trigger. The Scripting Editor is accessed by selecting the “​Recording Rate” sub-menu, clicking
the bubble next to the “​Use a recording script” option, and clicking the “​Edit script...” button.
Within the script editor, the user creates a sequences of “Commands” which can be selected from
a built in library. This sequence of commands runs until a “Stop Condition” is met. These stop
conditions are also specified by the user in the script editor. A complete guide to using scripting
in StreamPix can be found in the “​StreamPix6 User’s Manual”.
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7. StreamPix Recording Scheduler
StreamPix has an aptly named tool called the “​Recording Scheduler” that allows the user
to set up future recordings for specific dates and times. Using this tool allows a user to schedule
both single (one time) recordings and repeated recording that occur at regular time intervals
(such as every day, week, or month). This tool is especially powerful if used in conjunction with
scripting, as it can configured to run a script during the scheduled recording session. The
Recording Scheduler is accessed by clicking on the “​Recording Scheduler” clock icon under the
“​Tools” section of the top ribbon toolbar. All the features of the Recording Scheduler are then
accessible from the “​Recording Scheduler” Menu at appears.
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8. Laboratory Checklists for illunis Camera and EB1 Frame Grabber
Before Turning on the Computer to Use the Camera
● Check that both the black Camera Link cable and the silver Power Supply cable
are attached to the correct ports on the illunis camera
● Check that the Camera Link Cable that is attached to the camera also is attached
to the EB1 Frame Grabber via the Camera Link port on the rear of the computer
where the frame grabber is installed
● Power on the computer
● Open XCAP Lite or StreamPix. Confirm that the frame grabber and computer are
receiving images from the camera by snapping a few images in XCAP or viewing
the real time image preview in StreamPix
● Use camera as desired
Shutting Down the Computer After Using the Camera
● Save all important files
● Close out of all windows on the computer workstation
● Shut down the computer
● Unplug the silver Power Supply cable from any cameras that were used
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