Vicon Connectivity nodes
- Gisela Roberts
- Dev Ops
- Ben Stanley
You use the Vicon Connectivity node on the System tab of the Resources pane to configure Vicon connectivity units (eg, Vicon Locks), which are smart boxes that can be combined to create a distributed architecture.
See also:
Except where noted, references to Vicon Lock, Lock units, and Lock apply to all current models of the Vicon Lock unit (at the time of publication, this includes Vicon Lock Studio and Vicon Lock Lab).
Vicon Connectivity node context menu
You can select the following commands from the context menu displayed when you right-click on the Vicon Connectivity node:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Reorder | Display the Reorder Devices dialog box in which you can change the order in which Vicon connectivity units are displayed in the System Resources tree. |
| Reboot All Vicon Connectivity Units | Stop and restart all of the Vicon connectivity units in the Vicon system. |
Vicon Lock node
Vicon Lock nodes are displayed under the Vicon Connectivity node on the System tab of the Resources pane when Vicon Nexus is connected to a Vicon system with at least one Lock unit and is in Live mode.
These connectivity unit nodes enable you to manage the identification and configuration settings for each Vicon Lock unit included in your Vicon system architecture.
For each connectivity unit the node name includes:
- The device position number
- Any display name specified in the Identification property
- The device type listed in parentheses
For example,#1 Name (Lock Lab).
If either or both analog option cards are installed in the Lock Lab, the sample rates are displayed in brackets, for example,#1 Name [1000Hz/1000Hz] (Lock Lab), and an Analog Card (Slot 1) sub node is displayed as appropriate. If no analog source is selected,[No Source]is displayed after the device name.
See also:
Vicon Lock node context menu
You can select the following commands from the context menu displayed when you right-click on a node for a specific Lock unit.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Reboot | Stop and restart the selected device. |
| Reset Timecode | Reset the Timecode to 00:00:00:00. |
Vicon Lock node properties
You can configure settings in the following sections of the Properties pane for the Vicon Connectivity node and nodes for any current Vicon connectivity units:
If you are using an analog card (this applies to all Lock Lab units), see also:
Identification section
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A user-defined display name for the entire set of Vicon connectivity units or for each individual connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
| Type | The device type Default: Identified on connection. |
| Device ID | The unique identification number Vicon assigns to each connectivity unit during manufacture. The Vicon Connectivity node takes no value. Default: Identified on connection |
Status section
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Connected | Whether or not the connectivity unit is currently connected to the Vicon system. Default: Identified on connection |
| Enabled | Whether or not the connectivity unit is currently enabled for use. Default: Selected |
| Sync Locked | Whether or not the connectivity unit is receiving and locked to the main (source) synchronization signal for the Vicon system. Default: Identified on connection |
| Sync Source | Whether or not the connectivity unit is designated as the synchronization source for the Vicon system. For more information, see Change the synchronization source in the Vicon Nexus User Guide. Default: Identified on connection |
Genlock section
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Enabled | Whether or not Genlock functionality supported by the connectivity unit is currently enabled. If so, the scan rate of the incoming video signal from a PAL or NTSC video source is synchronized with Vicon cameras. Default: Identified on connection |
| Source | The genlock device source. Default: Internal |
| Standard |
The video standard of the external video source with whose incoming video signal scan rate the connectivity device is to synchronize the Vicon cameras. If one is not identified, None is displayed.
Default: Identified on connection |
| Status | The status of the Genlock functionality: None, In Use, Ready To Use, Requires Other Frame Rate, Requires Device To Be Sync Source, or Requires Genlock. Default: Identified on connection |
Timecode section
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Enabled | Whether or not Timecode functionality supported by an connectivity unit nis currently enabled. If so, the connectivity unit can be configured to trigger from or be time-stamped from a connected VITC (video) or LTC (audio) Timecode source. Default: Identified on connection |
| Source | The source designated as the main Timecode signal generator: VITC (external video device), LTC (external audio device), or Internal (Vicon connectivity unit). Default: Internal |
| Dropped Frames | Whether or not the connectivity unit is to adjust its internal counter to drop frames for the NTSC video standard. This option is available only if Internal is specified in Source. If selected, the separator character in the Timecode display in the Capture tools pane changes between a colon ( : ) for non-drop frames and semicolon ( ; ) for drop frames. Default: Cleared |
| Standard | The video standard of the Timecode source from which the connectivity unit will trigger data capture or be time-stamped. If one is not identified, None is displayed. Default: Identified on connection |
| Status | The status of the Timecode functionality: None, In Use, Ready To Use, Requires Other Frame Rate, Requires Device To Be Sync Source, or Requires Genlock. Default: Identified on connection |
Sync Out section
The characteristics of a synchronization pulse that the connectivity unit is to generate to synchronize third-party hardware with the Vicon system (for technical details, see the Vicon Vantage Reference Guide). The general purpose output driver (*.gpo file) you specify here determines the output frequency of the synchronization pulse. You can select a driver for each of the sync outputs.
For each sync output, use the Browse for a folder button to navigate to the folder containing the .gpo files (by default, C:\Program Files\Vicon\Nexus2.# \GPO) and then used the drop-down list button to select the desired file (None, Duration, DV_Double, DV_Half, DV_Normal, or DV_Quarter):
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Socket 1 | The .gpo configuration file to use to specify the synchronization signal for Powered Sync Output 1 in the rear panel of the connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
| Socket 2 | The .gpo configuration file to use to specify the synchronization signal for Powered Sync Output 2 in the rear panel of the connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
| Socket 3 | The .gpo configuration file to use to specify the synchronization signal for Powered Sync Output 3 in the rear panel of the connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
| Socket 4 | The .gpo configuration file to use to specify the synchronization signal for Powered Sync Output 4 in the rear panel of the connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
| Socket 5 | The .gpo configuration file to use to specify the synchronization signal for Sync Output 5 in the rear panel of the connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
| Socket 6 | The .gpo configuration file to use to specify the synchronization signal for Sync Output 6 in the rear panel of the connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
| Socket 7 | The .gpo configuration file to use to specify the synchronization signal for Sync Output 7 in the rear panel of the connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
| Socket 8 | The .gpo configuration file to use to specify the synchronization signal for Sync Output 8 in the rear panel of the connectivity unit. Default: Blank |
Hardware section
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| MAC Address | The Media Access Control (MAC) address assigned to the connectivity unit during manufacture. This is a hexadecimal value in the format ##.##.##.##.##.##. The top-level entry for all connectivity units takes no value. Default: Identified on connection |
| IP Address | The Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to the connectivity unit on the Vicon system Ethernet network. The top-level entry for all connectivity units takes no value. Default: Identified on connection |
Firmware section
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Firmware Version | The version number of the firmware currently installed on the connectivity unit. Default: Identified on connection |
| Firmware Complete | Whether or not the currently installed firmware is complete. If not, you can reprogram the firmware. See Update firmware in the Vicon Nexus User Guide. Default: Identified on connection |
Commands section
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Reboot | Stop and restart the connectivity unit. |
Analog card properties
Configuration section
You can configure the following settings in the Properties pane for an analog card connected to a connectivity unit:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Sampling Frequency (HZ) | The sample rate for the analog card. The default analog sampling frequency is 1000 Hz and the corresponding default Vicon system frame rate is 100 Hz. The analog frequency must be an integer multiple of the frame rate and both must divide evenly into 135 MHz (the overall clock frequency). If you change the frame rate, the analog frequency may change automatically to meet these criteria. Similarly, if you enter an invalid analog sampling rate, its value is automatically adjusted to meet the criteria. Default: Identified on connection |
| Channel Count | The number of channels provided by the analog card Default: 64 |
