NI PCI-1426, Getting Started, Page: 5 / 8

© National Instruments Corporation 5 Getting Started with the NI PCI-1426
information necessary to configure the NI 1426 to recognize the image format of the particular camera
you are using. Refer to MAX for information about valid camera attributes for your camera and image
acquisition device.
Many camera files are installed when you install NI-IMAQ, and many more are available for download
from the National Instruments Industrial Camera Advisor at
ni.com/camera
. You can also create
your own camera files using the NI Camera File Generator. This utility can be downloaded from
ni.com/vision
. When installing new camera files, save them to the
<NI-IMAQ>\Data
directory.
Contact National Instruments technical support to request camera files not available in the Camera
Advisor. Refer to the
Where to Go for Support section for information about National Instruments
technical support.
MAX provides a simple interface for associating a camera file with the NI 1426. Use the following
guidelines to access the camera file in MAX:
1. Launch MAX.
2. Expand the Devices and Interfaces branch of the configuration tree.
3. Expand the NI-IMAQ Devices branch.
4. Expand the NI PCI-1426 branch.
5. Right-click Channel 0 and select Camera .
6. Select your camera from the menu. If your camera is not in the menu, verify that the appropriate
camera file is installed in the
<NI-IMAQ>\Data
directory.
Note If you lose communication with the camera during an acquisition for any reason, such as
unplugging a cable or powering off your camera, you must restart the acquisition to allow the device
to relock the incoming timing signals.
Specifications
The following specifications apply to the NI 1426 image acquisition device. These specifications are
typical at 25 °C unless otherwise specified.
Trigger Characteristics
Number of external trigger I/O lines......................4
Note External TTL lines on the 15-pin D-SUB connector become unavailable when the trigger
source is set as an optically isolated input or an RS-422 input in MAX.
Trigger input
Voltage range .................................................0 V to 5 V (TTL)
Input high voltage ..................................2.0 V
Input low voltage ...................................0.8 V
Polarity...........................................................Programmable, active high or active low
Trigger output
Voltage range .................................................0 V to 5 V (TTL)
Output high voltage................................2.4 V at 13 mA source
Output low voltage.................................0.55 V at 10 mA sink
Polarity...........................................................Programmable, active high or active low
Power-on state........................................................Input (high-impedance) 10 k
Ω
pull-up to 5 V