Sensoray 817 - Manual (Page 3)

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Revision history
Rev.B, April 2009 – reflects changes to the API implemented in the SDK versions 2.x.
Please note: SDK versions 2.x are not compatible to versions 1.x. Data structures and
functions have changed. Application software requires some modifications.
Rev. A, September 2008 – original release.
Software Installation and Demo Applications
Sensoray provides Software Development Kits (SDK’s) for Windows and Linux. Each
SDK includes some examples of programming the model 817 board (demo applications).
Please refer to the readme file provided with the software for software installation
instructions and demo applications’ descriptions.
Overview
Model 817 ‘s SDK’s for Windows and Linux allow the development of custom
application software. The Application Programming Interface (API) provided by the
drivers offers maximum flexibility in the application development.
Both Windows and Linux SDK’s include a number of demo applications illustrating the
use of the API. Those provide a good starting point for the custom application
development.
The API supports multiple 817 boards (currently up to 4). Each capture channel (an
entity corresponding to a video source, for example, a camera) is configured and
controlled individually. Wherever possible an effort was made to allow independent
settings for video channels. Capture is performed either in single or continuous mode. In
continuous mode the board captures frames with a selected frame rate and sends the
data to the host automatically, provided the buffers on the host side are emptied
promptly by the application. Capture frame rates for bitmaps and JPEGs can be set up
independently. Image parameters (brightness, contrast, saturation), compression quality
settings, even the image scale can be set individually for each capture channel.
A set of tools is provided for monitoring the board’s status (see Troubleshooting and
Debugging Tools
section). Though not required to be used, those may provide some
insight in cases when questions related to the performance arise.
The Data Types section describes special data types of the SDK and provides most of the
information regarding the board’s capabilities and operation restrictions. The Functions
section lists the API’s functions.