National Instruments NI-1742 Smart Camera

The NI-1742 Smart Camera (part number 780147-01) from National Instruments is a durable camera based on vision capabilities. The small yet powerful Smart Camera houses an image sensor, CPU, and digital I/O. The NI-1742 utilizes a conventional C-mount lens, and it is equipped with both a Gigabit Ethernet interface and an RS-232 serial port. With a 640 × 480 resolution, the NI-1742 Smart Camera is monochrome and image sensor-based. It contains 128 MB of nonvolatile program/data memory and 128 MB of SDRAM.

The Freescale PowerQUICC II Pro Processor of the NI-1742 operates at 533 MHz. For illumination control, the smart camera also features a 5 V TTL strobe output and an unregulated 24 V strobe output. Additionally, the device has segregated inputs and outputs for connecting to external devices, four DIP switches to configure starting parameters, and LEDs to communicate system status.

This camera features 2 sourcing/sinking isolated inputs with a minimum pulse width of 1 ms. The 2 optically isolated output channels are also sourcing/sinking, and are able to be configured independently. The power supply for external loads ranges from 19 V to 30 V. The NI-1742's image sensor operates at 60 frames per second, capturing pictures with 8 bits of pixel depth. 

NI’s Automated Inspection Vision Builder and LabVIEW application tools are used to configure the NI-1742, which features a wide variety of AI features. These AI capabilities include edge detection, pattern recognition, spatial calibration, and system coordination. Both a lighting controller with direct driving and support for a quadrature encoder are integrated into the camera.

Physically, the housing of the NI-1742 Smart Camera is made from die-cast aluminum and measures 11.77 cm × 8.58 cm × 5.06 cm (4.63 in. × 3.38 in. × 1.99 in.) in dimensions. The device weighs in at only 525 g (18.52 oz). It can be operated within temperatures ranging from 0 to 45 °C, and the camera housing can reach a maximum temperature of 65 °C. When in storage, the device can be safely stored within a storage temperature range of -15 to 45 °C.