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P/N D91000146-001 Ver. 2.2 Rev. F

Quick Start Guide

 Page 1

This Quickstart Guide provides instructions for basic setup of a 

Mega

Plus

 II 

camera and 

Mega

Plus

 II

 Central Control Software. For 

additional information, please consult the 

Mega

Plus 

II

 User’s 

Manual.

Equipment Required for Setup

User Supplied items:

PC running: Windows XP, Windows 2000 Pro (SP2) or Windows 

NT 4.0 or higher 

Ethernet cable (for firmware updates)

 Interface Option and Accessories A or B: 
A.

 IEEE-1394 Firewire interface OHCI compliant host 

Controller, supporting 400 Mbps or S400 transfers, 
4-pin to 4-pin or 4-pin to 6-pin  Firewire cable that is 14 feet or 
shorter

B.

  CameraLink Framegrabber hardware and software, 

CameraLink cable(s) 
Optional: RS-232 serial for camera control only

Redlake Package Contents:

Camera Controller with one or four head connectors

Software Developers Kit (SDK)

NI-IMAQ IEEE 1394 Drivers version 2.0 or higher (download 

upgrades from the NI website at  http://www.ni.com)

CD with User’s Manual and 

Mega

Plus

II

 Central Software

Power  Supply

Camera Head(s)

Camera Head cable(s)

Hardware Setup 

Firewire

Before proceeding with the  installation, make sure that your IEEE 
1394 controller interface is installed and operating properly. You 
can verify that the system has identified the controller by checking 
in the Microsoft Windows Device Manager.

Caution:  Make sure the 

Mega

Plus 

II 

Camera Controller power 

switch is turned to the OFF position before connecting the 
cables!

1.

Connect 
the cable 
from the 
Camera 
Head to 
the 
camera 
port 
labeled 
Remote 
Head #1 
on the 
Camera 
Controller. 
Additional Camera Heads can be connected to consecutive 

ports as needed.  Do not combine EC11000 Camera Head(s) with 
other Camera Head models on the same Camera Controller. 

2.

If using a EC11000 Camera Head, connect the Camera Head to the 
power supply.  

3.

Connect   an   IEEE 1394   cable    from  the    IEEE 1394                                                                                                        
connector on the back panel of the Camera Controller to the host 
computer. 

4.

Connect the Camera Controller to the power supply.

CameraLink Framegrabber

Before proceeding, make sure that your CameraLink framegrabber 
hardware and software are installed properly. 
1.

Connect the cable from the Camera Head to the camera port 
labeled Remote Head #1 on the Camera Controller.  Additional 
Camera Heads can be connected to consecutive ports as needed. 
Do not combine EC11000 Camera Heads with other Camera Head 
models on the same Camera Controller.  

2.

If using a EC11000 Camera Head, connect the Camera Head to the 
power supply. 

3.

Connect a CameraLink cable from the CameraLink #1 connector 
on the back panel of the Camera Controller to the #1 Connector 
of your CameraLink framegrabber. 

4.

If necessary, connect a second CameraLink cable from the 
CameraLink #2 connector on the back panel of the Camera 
Controller to the #2 Connector on the framegrabber. 

5.

Connect the Camera Controller to the power supply.

Mega

Plus II firmware version 1.20 and greater, allow the user to        

output video via the DVI port of the 

Mega

Plus II Camera Controller. 

First generation 

Mega

Plus II Camera Controllers support only the 

analog DVI interface. Later versions of the 

Mega

Plus II Camera 

Controllers support both the  analog and digital interfaces (this 
interface is compliant with the Digital Display Working Group, DDWG, 
Digital Visual Interface specification, Revision 1.0).  Adapters are 
available to attach the DVI connector to the 15-pin Sub-D "VGA" port 
found on many computer monitors. Software controls for DVI output 
are available in 

Mega

Plus Central version 1.30 and greater.

Caution: DO NOT use the DVI output option for extended periods 
on Camera Controllers that are not equipped with an integrated 
cooling fan.  Using the DVI output option on a 

Mega

Plus II Camera 

Controller generates significant heat inside the console. 

Software Installation

Firewire 

1.

Install the NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 Cameras driver. Open the 
Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) program and turn 
on the camera to verify that the camera is properly identified by 
the IEEE 1394 hardware and assigned to the proper system driver. 

2.

Install the 

Mega

Plus 

II 

Central software by inserting the 

Mega

Plus 

II 

software CD into the computer’s CD-ROM drive.  The menu 

program should start automatically. If your system does not start 

                     Figure 2: Camera Controller back panel

 

                     Figure 1: Camera Controller front panel

 

Continued on Page 2

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