CMU 1394 Digital Camera Driver

[patchworks]

Summary

We provide a free driver as well as a C++ software library for cameras that comply with the 1394 Digital Camera Specification as published by the 1394 Trade Association www.1394ta.org. It is a fast, easy way to gain direct access to camera imagery and direct control of camera features.

Features

• Distribution
  
  • using the Nullsoft Scriptable Install System
    
  • Includes the option to automatically install the CMU driver for all presently-connected cameras
    
  • Includes the option to install debug versions of the DLL and Demo App

  [*]API overhaul for the 6.4 release series includes:

  • Complete rework of the C1394Camera and associated class interfaces against better Object-Oriented Design Principles (encapsulation and data-hiding).
    
  • Migrated toward strong Model-Controller-View separation of concerns: (1394cmdr.sys-1394camera.dll-1394CameraDemo.exe).
    
  • Complete (if partially untested) implementation of IIDC DCAM version 1.31, including:
    
    • 1394b support
      
    • Optional Functions (PIO,SIO,Strobe)
      
    • Note: Format 6 (Stored Image) is still being ignored (does a camera even exist that supports this?).

  [*]Behavioral Changes

  • No more kernel-side frame timeouts. Previously, a frame buffer would simply detach itself after ten seconds, causing trouble for low frame rates and/or infrequent triggering.
    
  • OneShot and MultiShot functionality are now meaningfully exposed (see the documentation for CAM_ACQ_START_VIDEO_STREAM for details)
    
  • You may now stream the camera data to multiple PC's on the same 1394 bus (see the documentation for CAM_ACQ_SUBSCRIBE_ONLY for details).

  [*]Documentation

  • Uses Doxygen to generate 1394camera.chm, which is installed with the rest of the driver set.
  
  

Hardware Requirements

This driver set should work with all versions of MS Windows from 98 SE through XP. Beyond that, there are no hard minimums other than a 1394 host controller (preferably OHCI-compliant) and a compliant camera. However, the things that you can do with the data from these cameras will be limited by how much RAM you have and how fast your processer is, so more of both will be better. Don't expect useful results on anything less than a Pentium II 233 with 64 MB of RAM.

Official website