Knowledge Base

One USB 3.0 Camera

Connect the camera to the USB 3.0 interface board of the EthoVision XT desktop computer, or to a USB 3.0 port on the EthoVision XT laptop computer.

• USB cables are usually 3 to 5 meter long. These are generally passive cables, meaning that quality of the signal degrades with cable length. Longer passive cables are not recommended. If you need cables to cover more than 5 m distance, use an active (powered) extension cable.
• Some USB 3.0 connectors and ports can be recognized by their blue color coding. Others show 'SS' (SuperSpeed) and the USB sign.

Multiple USB 3.0 Cameras

IMPORTANT EthoVision XT has been tested with one USB 3.0 camera. If you want to use multiple USB 3.0 cameras simultaneously, test them thoroughly before running your experiments. Install as many USB 3.0 PCIe interface boards as cameras, unless you have a USB 3.0 4-port interface board. See Install the USB 3.0 Interface Board.

How you connect multiple USB 3.0 cameras depends on which USB 3.0 interface board you have installed.

• If you have multiple interface boards with 2 ports each, connect each camera to one of the ports on the USB 3.0 boards. IMPORTANT Do not connect two cameras to the same USB 3.0 interface board.
• If you have a 4-port interface board, you can connect up to four cameras. Connect each camera to one of the USB ports.

Notes

• If you have one USB 3.0 interface board with two ports, always connect one camera. You can use the second port as a power source when using an extension cable.

See Also

• Cameras Supported by EthoVision XT

What Do You Want to Do?

• Install the Picolo Alert encoder board. NOTE The Picolo H.264 boards are no longer supported with EthoVision XT.
• Connect analog cameras to the computer
• Test an analog camera

See Also

• Cameras Supported by EthoVision XT > Analog Cameras

Install the Picolo Alert Encoder Board

Aim: To install the encoder board Picolo Alert on your computer. You need this board to track and record video using analog cameras.

NOTE If you ordered a computer from Noldus Information Technology when you purchased EthoVision XT, the encoder board is already installed. Follow the procedure below if you bought your computer somewhere else.

Prerequisite

• IMPORTANT Turn off Fast startup in the Windows Power options. See Power Options When Using Cameras.

Procedure

Insert the Picolo Alert Board in the PC

1. Turn off the PC and disconnect the power cable.
2. Open the computer and gently but firmly insert the board into a free PCI express slot. Avoid touching the contacts or other metal parts of the board. For details about PCIe slots, see Install an Ethernet Board for GigE Cameras.
3. Close the PC.
4. Connect the power cable and turn the PC on.

Install the Driver for the Picolo Alert Board

1. Browse to my.noldus.com, log in or register, and select Downloads > EthoVision XT > Drivers and Tools.
2. Download and save the file Euresys Multicam - Driver win10.
3. Run the .exe file and continue with installation.
4. When the installation message appears, click Install.
5. At the end of installation, restart the PC.
6. Next, see Connect Analog Cameras to the Computer.

Notes

• Always install the drivers from my.noldus.com. Do not install drivers from other sources, unless requested by Noldus Support.

See Also

• Analog Cameras
• Install Analog Cameras

Connect One to Four Cameras

Connect each camera to one of the inputs of the Picolo Alert encoder board. Furthermore:

• Take note of which camera is connected to which input of the board.
• Make sure that all four switches on the board are in the position opposite to their labels.
• Create or open an experiment, choose Setup > Experiment Settings, then select Live tracking and under Video Source select the camera inputs. Next, view the mixed camera image. See Video Source.

Connect Up to 16 Cameras

You can track from up to 16 analog cameras simultaneously if you connect Quad Unit Processors between each group of four cameras and the four inputs of the Picolo Alert encoder board.

A Quad Unit Processor mixes the video inputs of up to four cameras. Connect the output of the Quad Unit Processor to one of the inputs of the Picolo Alert board, as shown in the figure below.

To connect 16 cameras, you need:

• Four Quad Unit Processors.
• One Picolo Alert board.

Connect the output of each Quad Unit Processor to one input of the Picolo Alert board.

Notes

• The Picolo U4/U8 H.264 boards are no longer supported with EthoVision XT.

See Also

• Install the Picolo Alert Encoder Board
• Experiment Settings > Video Source
• The PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 19 - Reference Manual for more information about using multiple PhenoTypers. See Manuals.

Test an Analog Camera

Aim: To check whether your analog camera and the Euresys Picolo Alert encoder board are functioning properly.

Prerequisites

• When you install EthoVision XT you have also installed the Euresys Multicam driver for the Picolo Alert encoder board. See Install EthoVision XT. This software also includes Multicam Studio.
• If Multicam Studio is not installed on your EthoVision XT computer, browse to my.noldus.com, log in or register, and select Downloads > EthoVision XT > Drivers and Tools and download and save the file Euresys Multicam - Driver win10. Run this file and install Multicam Studio.

Procedure

1. Connect the camera to the EthoVision XT computer.
2. Power up the camera.
3. Double-click Multicam Studio.
4. Select the video input and check the camera image. When necessary, adjust the settings like the video standard.

See Also

• Install Analog Cameras

Power Options When Using Cameras

Aim: To disable Fast startup on your computer. This prevents problems when recording videos from within EthoVision XT.

NOTE By default the computer has the Fast startup option enabled. This can sometimes cause EthoVision XT and MediaRecorder to stop responding when selecting an input of the frame grabber board or camera. That problem has been found when using encoder boards for analog cameras, but we recommend following the procedure below for any type of camera you have.

Procedure

1. Open the Windows Control Panel, and select System & Security.
2. Under Power Options select Choose what the power button does. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
3. Under Shutdown settings, de-select Turn on fast startup (recommended).

See Also

• Install GigE Cameras
• Install USB 3.0 Cameras
• Install Analog Cameras

Learn About

• Camera position and settings
• Physical setup of an arena
• Lighting setup

TIP Watch the video Set Up Your Test Environment, which you can find in the main EthoVision XT video tutorial (Help > Video Tutorial).

Source: EthoVision XT 19 Help, Noldus Information Technology