USB FAQs

Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 at 32- and 64-bit

Yes. We do certify all of our enclosed cameras for the CE mark. All board level cameras are CE ready with an appropriate CE certified enclosure.

Please contact our Support team at [email protected] for more information. Please provide the camera model you are using in your email.

Windows XP requires a minimum of Service Pack 2.
Windows Vista recommended to be at Service Pack 2.
Windows 7 recommended to be at Service Pack 1.

The most recent version of the LuCam software is always posted on our website. You can determine the version you are working with by opening the LuCam Capture's application's About box. This box displays the software versions for the overall LuCam software, the LuCam API, the device driver, the camera firmware and its FPGA load.

Other than the Lucam Capture application, many useful sample applications are accessable in the following folder through the Lucam software: C:\Program Files\Lumenera Corporation\LuCam Software\SDK\Executables. These sample applications are the compiled executable versions of the source code samples included with the purchase of the Lumenera SDK. They demonstrate the use of the many LuCam API functions. As sample executables, these programs are provided for demonstration, but not all functions are supported on every camera model. A detailed list of the executable sample applications can be found in the last section of the USB Camera User’s Manual. Of the samples available, these are the most commonly used:

An electronic copy of the LuCam User Manual is installed with the LuCam software. The document is in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. It is located in a Documentation folder where the LuCam Software was installed. Typically this is the location:

C:\Program Files\Lumenera Corporation\LuCam Software\

No. This camera will only support one video stream to one application at a time. However, you can have more than one application access the camera at a time.

The exposure time can be controlled through the LuCam API. The LucamSetProperty() function with the LUCAM_PROP_EXPOSURE property provides the mechanism to control the exposure of the camera when in video mode. In snapshot mode you can set the exposure parameter of the LUCAM_SNAPSHOT structure.

The camera supports a parameter "frame rate" (set through LuCam Set Format) that allows the user to set the value to a rate that is below the maximum. The actual frame rate will be set to the nearest frame rate that is equal to, or below, this desired frame rate.

The USB 2.0 camera will work with your computer's power management scheme. The camera will turn off when your computer turns off or sleeps and turns on when the computer is awake. If you want to turn off the camera without turning off the computer or putting it to sleep you will need to unplug the USB 2.0 cable and the external power supply (if used) from the camera.

In theory, you can have up to 127 USB 2.0 devices on one USB 2.0 bus. This value includes all hubs required to connect all the other USB 2.0 devices on the bus. Assuming you wanted to connect as many cameras as possible and you assume that each hub has 4 ports, you would be able to connect, in theory, up to 94 cameras using 33 hubs. In practicality though, we do not recommend connecting more than 4 at a time as the performance of each camera will be reduced with each camera.

There are two options. Either you can purchase a USB 2.0 Adapter card for your computer with extra USB 2.0 ports or you can purchase a USB 2.0 hub.

The standard cable we provide is a 6' (2m) cable. We can provide a 10' (3m) or 15' (5m) cable upon request. Please contact [email protected] if you require more information on ordering these cables

If the camera does not show up in the Windows Device Manager, the cause could be one of the following:

• Confirm that the camera has the correct DC voltage if it is a camera that requires external power (most newer models include over-voltage protection that will disable the camera circuitry when power input exceeds the required voltage - however, older models do not include over-voltage protection. Care must be taken to ensure that the correct input voltage is supplied. The requirements are always indicated on the camera body. Many models function with only the USB bus power.
• Verify that the USB cable is not faulty. Test the camera with another USB cable.
• Test the camera by connecting it into another USB port, or on another PC. If the camera is detected by host, an entry will appear in the Windows Device Manager – regardless of whether the device driver is loaded on the computer.
• Refer to the Troubleshooting Guide for further suggestions.

• This describes the situation that occurs when the correct device drivers are not loaded to the camera by the operating system. It may occur if the camera is connected to the PC before the software and device drivers have been installed. Lumenera camera device drivers are now signed and compliant with Microsoft requirements, so device drivers should load automatically whenever the camera is connected to a PC where the device drivers are resident.
• Refer to the Troubleshooting Guide for further suggestions.

This issue, known as vignetting, happens when the lensing used is too small for the camera's sensor. Make sure that you use the proper lens/optics for the camera. Your camera's datasheet will state the size of the sensor used so that you can properly match your lens/optics.

There are a few reasons why you cannot get the advertised frame rate.
The selected exposure time limits the frame rate. Make sure that the exposure time < 1/desired frame rate.
There is not enough computer resources to keep up with the current camera data rate. You will need to minimize the resource usage or operate the camera on a faster computer.

This is an issue with any development environment, not just Visual Basic. The issue is that the DirectShow filters are still trying to stream to the preview window but it is no longer available. What you need to do to avoid this issue is to stop the stream and close the preview window either by closing the preview dialog box or by calling LucamDestroyDisplayWindow(), if it was created by the LuCam API.

Yes.

Our cameras support any C-Mount based lens. You can also order cameras with either CS-Mount or microlens mount.

A Mac interface is available for the INFINITY camera models only. The microscopy cameras are supported by INFINITY ANALYZE for Mac, or through an ImageJ plug-in.