Silicon Software [e] - microDisplay

microDisplay 3 - information at your fingertips.

The new version of microDisplay is one part of the actual installation version 3.0. Besides of new and improved hardware applets for microEnable III / microEnable III-XXL and extended SDK functionalities, microDisplay is the heart of the new software package.

microDisplay is completely new written and designed. The advantage is an environment, which works faster and offers a more comfortable handling. Together with a redesigned diagnosis program microDiagnosis, you receive a software package, which eases the installation and operation with a microEnable frame grabber.

After installation of microEnable and a first function test with microDiagnosis, you can start with microDisplay. The assistant offers the choice between a manual selection of an applet and a recall of a saved or the last configuration. We decide on the manual one.

The second assistant window appears and offers a selection of board and applet. A filter dialog helps o find the applet, you want to work with. By selecting and confirming an applet, the frame grabber is loaded and ready to operate.

REMARK: Please regard the notes for the entry of the license code, if necessary.

The program usually starts with a loaded frame grabber. As default configuration, you see an acquisition area on the left side of the screen. On the right side, you find three configuration fields, below of the acquisition area, you find the status and acquisition information and above of it, the textual menu list field and main icon list field.

microDisplay3 Screen

Default start screen of microDisplay:
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REMARK: The window bar of the main program indicates the version number of microDisplay. Please keep this information in case of support.

microDisplay3 Screen

Operation and version information:
1) Version of microDisplay
2) Name of loaded applets, board- and port information
3) Display of detected boards
4) Display of ports with active camera clock
5) Display of ports, which are used by the applet
6) Display of loaded single- or dual applets
7) Display of active window
8) Serial number of detected boards
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One of a list of new features are the support of several boards in one microDisplay application. This is concerning to a configuration of all board of a system as well as the display of several acquisition windows in one instance of the program.

We start with the configuration fields. The top one indicates the number of detected boards. The red and green fields indicate detected cameras on the according port. Only by an active camera clock, that means, a powered camera with correct cable connection to the frame grabber, the field changes the color from red to green.

With the right mouse click, an applet can be unloaded and loaded in the board. Also an entry in the menu enables the loading of a new applet. The selection take place by a list scrolling or preselection by filters.

A configured board displays an additional icon for the applet and an acquisition window.

The configuration in the top field is finished.

microDisplay3 Screen

Board information:
Information of the detected frame grabber, loaded applet, active ports and windows
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In the middle field, you can start the adaptation on the camera and trigger system. The settings are divided in main folder and subfolders, which can be displayed by the "plus" icon. For the entry of the data, there are different ways. A double-click on the descriptor or in the value field opens an editable text area. A right mouse-click on the field enables the display of a slider, which can be used for graphical changes of he values. You can combine a field from several sliders, which also can be closed or sorted.

microDisplay3 Screen

Parameter settings:
Access of frame grabber parameter listed by a folder structure. Entries are sorted in the groups Display, CameraLink, Trigger, CC Signals, Digital I/O and Miscellaneous with according subfolders.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGES:

microDisplay with slider window

Working on the configuration, you get additional information about the function, limits and usage in applications. The bottom field only indicates information. It is not editable.

microDisplay3 Screen

Parameter information:
Further information of the operation oparameter, selected in parameter settings. Display of defaults, range of values, steps of values, kind of access to the values and function equivalent in SDK
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After finishing the configuration, you can adapt the graphical surface to your individual handling. The slim buttons at the acquisition and parameter windows allow a vertical switch or a minimizing. This can also be done by the according buttons in the main list field above.

microDisplay3 Screen

Control of the dockbars
1) Minimising and maximising of the parameter field
2) Horizontal change of the parameter field
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microDisplay3 Screen

Layout of dockbars:
1) Function parts of the main icon bar can be separated by dragging in acquisition area (separated in Toolbar and Tools), can also be arranged in a horizontal (default) or vertical bar. Icon field Tools offers possibilities to change the layout. Two icons change the horizontal position of the parameter field, two further ones optimize the position and size of the acquisition windows.
2) Minimising and maximising of the parameter field
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ADDITIONAL IMAGES:

Horizontal alignment of the toolbars
Vertical alignment of the toolbars
Floating alignment of the toolbars

microDisplay3 Screen

Change of the layout:
Change of the parameter field on the left side.
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With the display of the acquisition window, you find in the window bar the information about the loaded applet and in the bottom part of the window, additional status information.

microDisplay3 Screen

Acquisition window:
1) The acquisition window is opened with the default settings of height and width or the values, which are saved in the mcf configuration file. The window size can be altered by a direct interaction (resizing and repositiong). Sliders appear, if the size of the windows is smaller than the camera image size.
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The first icons of the status bar show the current technical status of the camera and trigger system. Hereby the camera clock, FVAL, LVAL, ExSync, incoming trigger signals are measured as well as the status of buffer loads. The text field of the status bar indicates information about image number, frame rate, activity and data transfer. The signal icons and the written texts help to analyse the communication between camera and frame grabber as well as the communication to the trigger and PC system.

microDisplay3 Screen

Status information:
1) Status of camera- and camera communication: camera clock. FVAL, LVAL, ExSync, external trigger and buffer status
2) Display of the current image number
3) Display of the frame rate
4) Display of the current frame grabber activity
5) Status of data transfer (DMA length)
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The icon bar, directly below the camera image, is separated in acquisition and replay, zoom, histogram, local settings and cursor information.

The acquisition icons offer different methods of image or sequence recording as well as replaying. The recording capability is strongly dependent of the complete system performance. The acquisition window can be resized by drawing the window frame and changed in the resolution by the zoom icons or pull down zoom factors. Histogram and cursor information gives you more information about the acquired image.

microDisplay3 Screen

Acquisition control:
1) Acquisition icon "single image", "continous acquisition" and "stop"; according to icons in 2)
2) Acquisition icon "single image", "continous acquisition" and "stop"; according to icons in 1); additional icon for storing images or sequences
3) Selection of acquisition mode
4) Control of replay mode with information of frame buffer setting
5) Zoom functionality by inlcreasing or decreasing in steps or direct selection of zoom factor by pull down menu.
6) Histogram function
7) Display of the local settings, which are according to the relevant acquisition window.
8) Information about cursor position and color value.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGES:

Histogram display in microDisplay

REMARK: The local settings are set according to the parent window. The global settings in the main icon bar are valid for all windows and are used as default values.

microDisplay3 Screen

Settings:
1) Global settings, which are valid as default setting for each acquisition window. According to icon 2)
2) Global settings, which are valid as default setting for each acquisition window. According to menu entry 1)
3) Local settings, which are used for the relevant acquisition window.
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Some special settings are accessible over the main icon bar and are according to shading, white balancing or lookup table settings. These features are displayed if the according applet is loaded.

microDisplay3 Screen

Special configurations:
1) Selected an applet with additional features, the according icons "white balacing", "shading" or "lookup table" are displayed in the icon bar. A window dialog appears.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGES:

Shading dialogue in microDisplay
Lookup Table dialogue in microDisplay
White Balancing dialogue in microDisplay

Finally, the configuration file will be a central role of your application. All settings, done in microDisplay, can be stored in a environmental setting, called "microEnable configuration file" or abbreviated mcf. If you have visually set all parameters for your application in microDisplay, store it in a file. This eases the continuous working in microDisplay, a complete configuration for different application setups or the usage in SDK applications.

microDisplay3 Screen

Configuration files:
1) Icons for loading an applet, openinng a configuration file or saving the parameters in a configuration file. According to menu entry "File"
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microDisplay3 Screen

Help:
1) Direct access onto manual and SILICONSOFTWARE website.
2) Function related information by "mouse over"
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microDisplay 3 is prepared for multi language use and can be easily adapted for regional settings. It will be the base for new hardware and software enhancements. It is also prepared for a compatibility with new software product lines.

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