Software Overview - National Instruments NI PCIe-8255R User Manual

Introduction

Software Overview

© National Instruments Corporation
The NI PCIe-8255R (NI 8255R) is a OHCI compliant IEEE 1394a and
IEEE 1394b interface device for PCI Express (PCIe) with reconfigurable
I/O (RIO).
The NI 8255R device ships with NI Vision Acquisition Software, which
contains all of the drivers in the NI Vision product line. With NI Vision
Acquisition Software, you can quickly and easily start your applications
without having to program the device at the register level.
The NI 8255R includes TTL inputs and outputs for triggering, and isolated
inputs and outputs for connecting to external devices, such as lighting
controllers, proximity sensors, and quadrature encoders.
Behind the digital I/O of the NI 8255R is an FPGA which has been
preconfigured with the functionality required for most common machine
vision tasks. However, if the factory configured functionality does not
fulfill your requirements, the FPGA is user-configurable using the
LabVIEW FPGA Module. The NI 8255R provides a convenient 44-pin
D-SUB connector on its front panel to access the digital I/O.
For detailed specifications of the NI 8255R, refer to the Specifications
section of Getting Started with the NI PCIe-8255R.
Programming the NI 8255R requires two drivers to control the hardware:
NI-IMAQdx and NI-IMAQ I/O. Both drivers are included with the
NI Vision Acquisition Software.
NI-IMAQdx controls the IEEE 1394 cameras connected to the NI 8255R.
NI-IMAQdx has an extensive library of functions you can call and handles
the communication between the computer and the image acquisition
device, such as programming interrupts and camera control. NI-IMAQ I/O
provides functions to control the I/O on the NI 8255R.
National Instruments also offers the following application software
packages for analyzing and processing your acquired images. For detailed
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NI PCIe-8255R User Manual