Installation Guide for the Coreco
Oculus-TCi family driver version 1.20
for Optimas 6.x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Document Revision 1.17)
(c) Copyright Coreco Inc., 1997
IMPORTANT NOTES:
For complete instructions on installation and setup of your
Oculus TCi Board, please refer to the "TCi User's Manual".
This manual deals with the TCi drivers for Optimas under
Windows 95 and Windows NT
Table of Contents
1. What you need to get going.
2. Installing the TCi family device driver
3. Installing the Oculus TCi driver for Optimas
4. Using Optimas with a TCi Frame Grabber
5. Information specific to the TCi-SE
6. Information specific to the TCi-VGA
7. Information specific to the TCi-Ultra
8. Optimas INI file entries for the TCi line of frame grabbers
9. Calling ODX functions from Optimas Macros
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. Bugs and limitations
12. History of the Oculus TCi driver for Optimas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.0 What you need to get going
1.1 An Oculus-TCi Frame Grabber
1.2 The Oculus-TCi family device driver
The TCi driver for Windows 95
OR, the TCi driver for Windows NT
1.3 TCIPRO.EXE to test your TCi frame grabber
1.4 The TCi family driver for Optimas
File Name: TCIDRV32.DLL for Optimas 6.x
Part Code: WA-TCIS-OPTI6
1.5 If all else fails, here are a few helpful access
points:
Coreco voice: (514) 333-1301 -ask for techsupport.
(1-800-361-4914 in the U.S.)
Coreco fax: (514) 333-1388
Coreco FTP: ftp.coreco.com
(/clients/coreco/public/...)
Coreco Web Page: www.coreco.com
Coreco BBS: (514) 333-6592
2.0 Installing the Oculus TCi Family device driver
Note: Please follow the instructions specific to your TCi
product, in the TCi User's Guide.
2.1 Run the ODTCI installation program that is located on
the Oculus-TCi family device driver disk. This will
install the TCi device driver (ODTCI.DLL), as well as
the Windows-based Oculus-TCi Configuration utility.
2.2 Run the TCi configuration utility to set up your TCi
board.
2.3 BEFORE TRYING TO RUN OPTIMAS WITH YOUR TCI FRAME
GRABBER, insure that your TCi board is running properly
by installing and running the TCi demonstration program
(TCIPRO.EXE). This program comes on the diskette
labeled TCiPro Executable.
3.0 Installing the Oculus-TCi driver for Optimas
3.1 Install Optimas if not already installed.
3.2 Run the installation program (SETUP.EXE) from the disk
labeled Oculus-TCi family driver for Optimas. This
will first locate the Optimas INI file on your system,
then it will install the TCi driver for Optimas
(TCIDRV32.DLL) in the Optimas Drivers directory (unless
you choose to put it somewhere else).
4.0 Using Optimas with an Oculus-TCi Frame Grabber
After setting up your TCi frame grabber according to the
instructions in the TCi User's Guide and testing the
functionality of the board using TCIPRO, you are ready to use
Optimas.
4.1 Choose [File - New Image]. Pick the Coreco Oculus-TCi
driver, Version 1.20 driver from the list in
FRAME TYPES.
4.2 At this point, you can launch the Oculus TCi
Configuration program by clicking on the [Configure]
button. (Typically, the TCi should have already been
configured at this point)
4.3 Once you click OK, the Optimas View Window will open
up, and you can get to work.
4.4 If you make any changes using Oculus TCI Configuration
program [File - New - Configure] while the TCI View
Window is active, the changes will not become active
until the TCI View Window is closed and then reopened.
This is because the changes made using the Oculus TCI
Configuration utility are made active until the driver
is restarted.
5.0 Information specific to the TCi-SE
For the TCI-SE to work properly, your VGA card must be in
either 32k color mode (16 bits) OR 16.7 million color mode
(32 bits). (See TCI-SE's user's manual for VGA card
compatibility list). Also, the Host frame buffer size must
be the same as the acquisition dimensions of your camera (e.g.
if your acquiring with RS-170, set your Host Frame Buffer
dimensions to 640x480).
5.1 Displaying live video without a display section
Given that the TCI-SE has no on-board display
capability, displaying acquired video must be performed
by the system VGA card. Therefore, during live
acquisition video is sent to the host frame buffer and
then passed to Optimas for display. The net result of
this little video detour is a slight bandwidth penalty
during the live grab (your live image may be a bit
"jumpy").
6.0 Information specific to the TCi-VGA
At this time, Coreco does NOT officially support the TCi-VGA
under Optimas. However, if you do choose to use the TCi-VGA
with Optimas, you can expect the following limitations:
For the TCI-VGA to work properly in single monitor mode, your
VGA card must be in 16.7 million color mode (32 bits). (This
is the only display mode available from the DEC driver).
When in 16 million color - single monitor mode, the Neptune
PCi chipset may not grab at the higher resolution scales (i.e.
640x480 and/or 320x240) due to bandwidth limitations of the
Neptune chipset.
When in Single monitor mode, the Triton PCi chipset may cause
your computer to freeze due to a PCi "bus-arbitration"
dead-lock.
7.0 Information specific to the TCi-Ultra
7.1 The Ultra is also able to display in 2 monitor mode or
single monitor mode using hardware pass-through.
7.2 When using the RGB module, scaling must be set to
maximum (NTSC: 640x480, PAL: 768x576).
7.3 When in single-monitor hardware-pass-through, scrolling
and panning the image within the confines of the View
Window is accomplished by physically moving the image
around the screen. Obviously, the only part of the
image that can be seen is that which shows through the
view window's keying color. Unfortunately, the
TCi-Ultra is unable to move the image passed the edge
of the screen. The result is that in certain
situations the scrolling or panning control will simply
stop working, because the image has reached the edge of
the screen.
8.0 Optimas INI file entries for the TCi line of frame grabbers
This section describes the entries that can be found in the
[TCIDRV32] section of the Optimas INI file.
FGLibrary - This entry is used to tell Optimas where to find
the driver DLL.
ex: FGLibrary=c:\optimas6\drivers\tcidrv32.dll
Configuration Path - Should be set to the path leading to the
configuration utility for the TCi device driver. This program
is usually found in the TCi device driver directory and goes
by the name of TCICONF.EXE.
ex: Configuration Path=C:\ODTCI95
xPosAlignDialog - This is the horizontal component one of two
values that are saved to the INI file when the VGA Keying
Alignment is saved by the Keying Alignment Dialog. This entry
only applies to the TCi-Ultra / Ultra II boards in single
monitor hardware passthrough.
ex: xPosAlignDialog=750
yPosAlignDialog - This is the vertical component of two values
that are saved to the INI file when the VGA Keying Alignment is
saved by the Keying Alignment Dialog. This entry only applies
to the TCi-Ultra / Ultra II boards in single monitor hardware
passthrough.
ex: yPosAlignDialog=130
ShowAlignmentDialog - This entry is used when the TCi-Ultra (or
Ultra II) is in single monitor passthrough mode. It allows you
to enable or disable a dialog box that lets you adjust the VGA
chroma keying position, from within Optimas. When this dialog
is enabled, it appears every time the live grab is started.
ex: ShowAlignmentDialog=1 ; to enable (default setting)
ShowAlignmentDialog=0 ; to disable
ShowSequenceWarning - This entry is used when any TCi frame
grabber is asked to acquire a sequence of images [Image -
Sequence Acquire...] in really time. If this entry is enabled,
a warning dialog will pop up if there are not enough host frame
buffers to complete the request (when this happens, it is
Optimas that does the sequence acquisition).
ex: ShowSequenceWarning=1 ; to enable (default setting)
ShowSequenceWarning=0 ; to disable
9.0 Calling ODX functions from Optimas Macros
It is now possible to call ODX API functions directly from
Optimas Macros. In the following example "fbgrab()" is used to
snap a single frame:
// Macro to start a live grab
DLL_FUNCTION_SPEC fbgrab;
fbgrab=Register("TCIDRV32.DLL", "_fbgrab", "%v%d");
CALL(fbgrab, -1);
Delete(fbgrab);
// Macro to set the processing window to position 10,
// 10 at 50 x 50
DLL_FUNCTION_SPEC pwin;
pwin=Register("TCIDRV.DLL", "_pwin", "%v%d%d%d%d");
CALL(pwin, 10, 10, 50, 50);
Delete(pwin);
Support for the ODX functions depends on which version of the
TCi Device Driver you have. The following is a list of the
currently available ODX function calls.
NOTE: for information on ODX function parameters, please
consult the "ODX Programmer's Toolkit".
ODX Function Win95 WinNT
(>= ver. 2.40) (>= ver. 2.40)
_acqscale * *
_amov * *
_cntr * *
_cntrfirst * *
_cntrnext * *
_config * *
_convo * *
_deffbcycle * *
_defvidin * *
_drwbox * *
_drwdots * *
_drwline * *
_dwin * *
_ext_inq * *
_fbgrab * *
_format
_fwin * *
_histo * *
_ld_ilut * *
_ld_olut * *
_lutop * *
_mdpixblt * *
_memclose * *
_memopen * *
_memropen * *
_odxid * *
_opr_inq * *
_opr_set * *
_paint * *
_pwin * *
_rdbuf * *
_rdline * *
_rdpix * *
_reset * *
_roa * *
_seteventfct * *
_select * *
_target * *
_text * *
_vidin * *
_wtbuf * *
_wtline * *
_wtpix * *
_zoom * *
10.0 Frequently Asked Questions
How come my live image is in color when I am supposed to be in
8 bit gray mode?
This situation occurs when you open a "TCi Image" using an "8
bit gray" pixel format and your frame buffer mode is in color
(32k colors or 16m colors - set in the TCI configuration
utility). In this case image data is in color until the grab
is stopped. Once the grab is stopped, the image data is
converted to 8 bit gray.
Why is the live grab slow and/or "jumpy" with my TCi-SE and
TCi-VGA?
The reason is most likely that your VGA card is not
DCI-capable. In this case, each frame of live video must be
converted to a "device-dependent-bitmap" before being
transfered to the View-window. This added processing is what
slows down the live grab.
Why do the Pan and Scroll Controls sometimes stop working with
the TCi-Ultra in single monitor mode?
See section 7.3
Groups of empty bins when reading the histogram: This will only
happen when your frame buffer is in 16 bit mode. When the
frame buffer is in 16 bit mode, the RGB data is arranged in
5551 format. In other words, each color element is assigned 5
bits. When Optimas reads the data from the TCi driver, it must
first be converted to 24 bit RGB (888) data. In this way, each
5 bit color element (coming from the frame buffer) is pushed
into the top 5 bits of each 8 bit color element (being passed
to Optimas).
How do I re-enable the "VGA Alignment" dialog box?
This is done by setting the ShowAlignmentDialog entry to 1 in
the OPTIMAS.INI file (see section 8.0 for more details).
Why do I get noise around the image in pass-through with a live
grab?
This is simply residual noise in the unused memory space of the
frame buffer. To get rid of this, simply set the Frame
Buffer's Logical Format to the same dimensions as your VGA
display (i.e. VGA in 1024x768, set the Logical Format to
1024x768). This will give the Optimas driver access to the
unused protion of memory so that it can be kept clear.
11.0 Know Bugs and limitations
TCi device driver limitation (version 2.40):
Hardware output lookup tables are only supported when the
Frame Buffer Pixel Type is Monochrome 8 bits.
Limitation with the Optimas driver (version 1.20):
There is a problem with the support of 16 and 32 bit
overlays (with the Ultra II in dual monitor overlay mode). The
problem is due to the fact that Optimas only supports a maximum
of 8 bit overlays and implements color using output lookup
tables for color and in 16 and 32 color modes, the overlay
frame buffer does not support output lookup tables. The result
is that we sometimes end up with unwanted leftover artefacts in
the overlay frame buffer.
Optimas 6.11 limitation:
Currently Optimas only supports monochrome input look-up
tables.
Problem with Optimas 6.11:
When the Frame Buffer Pixel Type RGB 16 or 32 and the TCi
driver for Optimas is started in 8 bit mono mode, the
monochrome thresholding will not display the yellow threshold
color.
Problem with Optimas 6.11:
When the Frame Buffer Pixel Type is Monochrome 8 bits, the
print preview will display the image in pseudo color instead of
monochrome data.
12.0 History of the Oculus TCi driver for Optimas
Version 1.20, December 5th, 1997
* Modified the Input Lookup Tables when a TCi-SE is
present.
* Added a small fix to the contrast adjustement when an
RGB source is present (the control was affecting the
contrast backwards).
* Added a dialog that warns the user if there are not
enough host frame buffers to do real-time sequence
acquisition to the host.
* Added an entry to the Optimas INI file
(ShowSequenceWarning) that allows the user to disable
the sequence acquisition warning.
* Fixed a problem that was preventing Optimas from
re-drawing the ROI when the view window was re-sized
(when a TCi-SE was present).
* Added the Advanced Camera Control dialog. This enables
control of external trigger adn camera exposure control
(consult your TCi frame grabber's users manual for
availability of these features).
* Added support for the 16 and 32 bit Overlay modes.
Note: There are problems with the support of 16 and 32
bit overlays given that Optimas only supports a maximum
of 8 bit overlays with output lookup tables for color.
The result is that we sometimes end up with unwanted
artefacts in the overlay frame buffer.
* Fixed a problem with the sequence acquisition in which
the last frame ended up as the first image in the
sequence.
* Fixed a problem with the TCi-SE: the live grab was not
scrolling properly when the view window was smaller
than the image size (display.c)
* Modified ScrollDisplay() and PanDisplay() so that the
frame buffer is panned and scrolled in dual monitor
mode.
* Fixed a problem with the view window tracking for the
TCi Ultra in keying mode. When the scroll bars were
visible, the Optimas-drawn overlays were sometimes out
of sync. with the contents of the frame buffer.
* Fixed a problem with the inability to move the view
window when a TCi-SE is present.
* Added support for real time Sequence Acquisition.
* Changed the driver file name from TCIDRV95.DLL to
TCIDRV32.DLL to indicate compatibility with Windows 95
and Windows NT.
* Fixed corrupted live grab during brightness / contrast
adjustements.
* Fixed the GPF that occurred when the TCi configuration
utility was accessed from the New Image dialog box.
* Now the Optimas-generated overlays (all TCi frame
grabbers in single monitor mode) stay visible during a
live grab.
* Now the Keying Alignment dialog is disable in the
Optimas INI file when the user selects "don't show this
dialog again". (This means that the user now has to
edit the Optimas INI file to make the dialog reappear).
* Added support for digital cameras having image sizes
greater than NTSC and/or PAL formats.
* Added support for Input Lookup Tables. Note: although
the TCi driver support color input lookup tables,
Optimas only support monochrome input lookup table.
* Fixed a problem that would not permit the changing of
input channels during a live grab.
* Added a new entry to the Optimas INI file for enabling
/ disabling the VGA alignment dialog box.
* Added support for the new configuration utility
(tciconf.exe) that comes with the TCi device driver
(version 2.00) for Windows 95.
* The frame rate of software passthrough (with the TCi-SE
and TCi-VGA in single monitor mode) has been improved
considerably.
Version 1.04 December 2nd, 1996
* Added support for odx function calls from Optimas
Macros (see section 9.0);
* Added a VGA "Chroma-Keying-Alignment" dialog. This
permits interactive adjustment of the VGA Alignment in
single monitor mode (TCi-Ultra and Ultra II);
* Added support for dual-monitor color overlays
(TCi-Ultra and Ultra II);
* Added support for output lookup tables (used for
thresholding in 256 color dual-monitor mode / TCi-VGA,
TCi-Ultra, Ultra II);
Version 1.03 June 18th, 1996
* Added support for the TCi-VGA and the TCi-Ultra;
* Added support for dual-screen operation (TCi-VGA and
TCi-Ultra);
* Added support for hardware pass-through (TCi-Ultra).
* Added macro support for "_deffbcycle" and
"_seteventfct". For the TCi-SE and the TCi-VGA, the
image-resfresh was rendered asynchronous in order to
increase the "image-refresh-rate" in the Optimas View
Window for the live grab.
Version 1.02 January 16th, 1996
* An incompatibility with the ODX configuration structure
is fixed.
Version 1.01 November 22nd, 1995
* DCI capability is added;
* DCI services are only used if "ForceNoDCI" is set to 0
in OPTIMAS.INI and if the user's system is DCI capable
(see your VGA card documentation for more information).
Version 1.00 November 9th, 1995
* This is the first implementation of Oculus TCI-SE
driver for Optimas;
* This implementation does NOT have DCI capability.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.