Adding a USB Joystick or Other USB Controller
This section describes how to set up a USB joystick or other USB controller to control PIVOTCam cameras, in conjunction with the PIVOTCam Control Panel.
The PIVOTCam Control Panel is a DashBoard panel that enables you to configure and control PIVOTCam robotic cameras. For information about installing and using the PIVOTCam Control Panel, see the PIVOTCam Control Panel User Guide (4506DR-001-xx).
PIVOTCam functions that can be controlled by a USB controller fall into three groups; camera selection, camera motion (pan, tilt, zoom, and focus), and paintbox controls (lens iris and lens shutter speed).
Depending on the USB controller(s) available, you can control all functions with a single controller, or add a separate controller for each group of functions.
You can also configure otherwise unassigned buttons on the controller to open DashBoard device views or panels.
Note: When you press a controller button to open a device view or panel other than the PIVOTCam Control Panel, the controller cannot select or control cameras until the PIVOTCam Control Panel is the active panel (in focus). We recommend that you assign a button to open the PIVOTCam panel.
Note: USB controllers can control PIVOTCam cameras only. If you have a Lightning Control System that includes other types of cameras, the controller can not control them.
To add a USB controller to control PIVOTCam cameras:
1.Close DashBoard.
2.Plug the USB controller into a USB port on the DashBoard computer.
3.Start DashBoard.
When DashBoard starts, it detects the controller.
4.In DashBoard, on the File menu, select New, and then select Other.
The New dialog box appears.
Figure 1.1 - Adding a USB Controller
5.In the Wizards list, expand Game Controller, and then double-click New Game Controller.
The New Game Controller Connection dialog box appears.
Figure 1.2 - Connecting to a USB Controller
6.In the Display Name box, type a name for the controller.
7.In the Controller list, select the type of USB controller you plugged in.
Note: If the controller type is not on the list, either it was not detected or it is already registered in DashBoard.
8.Click Finish.
A node for the controller appears within the Input Devices node in the DashBoard Component Tree. The node has the name you provided for the controller.
9.In the Component Tree, expand the Input Devices node, and then double-click the controller node you added.
The configuration interface for the controller appears.
10.In the Device Classes list, add a new device class named paintbox.
11.In the Device Classes list, add a new device class named selector.
Figure 1.3 - Mapping USB Controller Data to PIVOTCam Control Panel Parameter OIDs
12.Create mappings for the parameters you want the controller to control.
When you create mappings, you link data items reported by the controller to parameters (OIDs) in the PIVOTCam Control Panel.
Tip: To determine which Axis Controls and Buttons correspond to physical controls on the controller, move the controller’s joystick and push its buttons while observing changes in the Value column.
Relevant columns in the Axis Controls mapping table are as follows:
•ID - The ID of the control, as reported by the controller. This is not configurable.
•Name - You can name the controls for future reference. (optional).
•Sensitivity - Responsiveness of the input. This is configurable.
•Invert - When selected, reverses the direction of joystick motion required to move the axis. For example, if the camera is ceiling mounted, select Invert for pan and tilt so when you move the joystick, the camera moves as desired.
•Value - Shows the current data value reported by the controller. This is useful for testing.
•Mapped OID - Specify the parameter OID from the PIVOTCam Control Panel to be mapped to the control.
Relevant columns in the Buttons mapping table are as follows:
•ID - The ID of the control, as reported by the controller. This is not configurable.
•Name - You can name the controls for future reference. (optional).
•Action - If you are going to use buttons on the controller for camera selection, set Action for each such button to Set Value.
•Value (Off) - This is the value of the parameter when the button is not pressed.
•Value (On) - This is the value of the parameter when the button is pressed.
•Value - Shows the current data value reported by the controller. This is useful for testing.
•Mapped OID - Specify the parameter OID from the PIVOTCam Control Panel to be mapped to the control. For buttons, the parameter OID is selector.selection.
Tip: If you are configuring multiple controllers and dividing the control functions among them, the controls within each device class must be assigned to a single controller. The name of each parameter OID starts with the name of its device class (selector, ptzjoystick, or paintbox).
The parameters that can be mapped are as follows:
Parameter (Mapped OID) |
Description |
---|---|
selector.selection |
Camera selection. Map this parameter to a set of buttons to be used for selecting the camera to be controlled. Each row in the Buttons table corresponds to a button on the controller. For each button you want to assign as the selector for a camera, do the following: •In the Name column, assign a camera name for future reference (optional). •Set Action to Set Value. •Set Value Off to -1 •Set Value (On) to a camera number (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.) |
ptzjoystick.vel.tilt |
Tilt axis |
ptzjoystick.vel.pan |
Pan axis |
ptzjoystick.vel.zoom |
Zoom axis (lens zoom) |
ptzjoystick.vel.focus |
Focus axis (lens focus) |
paintbox.vel.shutter.preset |
Shutter speed (lens shutter speed) |
paintbox.vel.iris.control |
Iris axis (lens iris) |
13.If you want to save the mappings in a file that can be loaded onto other DashBoard computers, click the SAVE button and specify a file name and path.
Note: The mappings are specific to the controller(s) you configured. You can use the mappings on other DashBoard computers only if their controllers are the same model, or report the exact same controls.
14.In the Component Tree, within the DashBoard Services node, double-click Device Class Mappings.
The Device Class Mappings interface appears.
Figure 1.4 - Device Class Mappings for a USB Controller
15.If you plan to use the controller to adjust lens iris and lens shutter speed, in the paintbox row set Selected Device to the controller you are configuring.
Tip: If a class you want to map is already mapped, click Clear Selection and then map it to the controller.
16.If you plan to use the controller to move cameras (pan, tilt, zoom, focus), in the ptzjoystick row set Selected Device to the controller you are configuring.
17.If you plan to use buttons on the controller to select cameras in the PIVOTCam panel, in the selector row set Selected Device to the controller you are configuring.
18.In the Component Tree, expand the DashBoard Services node, and then double-click Selector UI Mappings.
The Selection Mapping interface appears.
Figure 1.5 - UI Follow and Autowire Settings
19.Tap one of the following buttons:
•Autowire Follows UI ON
If you select this option, you cannot use the controller to select and control cameras unless the PIVOTCam Control Panel is the active DashBoard panel (in focus).
This option helps prevent accidental movement of cameras while the operator is using other DashBoard panels or device views. It also ensures that the PIVOTCam panel is always readily available while you are controlling cameras.
•UI Follows Selection OFF
If you select this option, you can use the controller to select and control cameras regardless of which panel or device view is active (in focus).
This option enables you to use the PIVOTCam panel and other DashBoard panels or device views for other tasks while you use the controller to select and control cameras.
This option is suitable for controlling PIVOTCam cameras as part of the Lightning Control System.
•UI Follows Selection ON
Use this option if you want to configure otherwise unassigned controller buttons to open DashBoard panels and device views on demand, such as Carbonite control, or the PIVOTCam Control Panel.
If you select this option, whenever a configured controller button opens a DashBoard panel or device view, that panel or device view becomes active (in focus). If the PIVOTCam Control Panel is active and you press a controller button to open a different panel or a device view, the PIVOTCam Control Panel loses focus.
This option is suitable for controlling PIVOTCam cameras as part of the Lightning Control System.
20.If there are unassigned buttons on the controller and you want to configure them to open device views or panels, do the following:
A new mapping row appears in the Selection Mapping table.
b.In the new mapping, set ID to any number, except those you configured as Value (On) values in previous button mappings.
c.Specify a Name for the mapping (optional).
d.For UI Primary Identifier, navigate to select the panel or device view that you want DashBoard to open whenever you press the controller button you are configuring.
Tip: If you want to select a panel, you must open the panel’s .grid file so the panel appears in the Open Panels list.
Tip: Make a note of the ID value and which panel or device view it is intended to open.
e.Repeat Step20a to Step20d for each button you want to configure.
f.In the Component Tree, within the Input Devices node, double-click the controller node you added.
The configuration interface for the controller appears.
g.In the Buttons table, for each button you want to assign to open a panel or device view, configure settings in the corresponding row as follows:
•In the Name column, specify a name the mapping for future reference (optional).
•Set Action to Set Value.
•Set Value Off to -1.
•Set Value (On) to the number you mapped for the desired action in step Step20b.
•Set Mapped OID to selector.selection.
h.If you want to save the mappings in a file that can be loaded onto other DashBoard computers, click the SAVE button and provide a file name and path.
Note: The mappings are specific to the controller(s) you configured. You can use the mappings on other DashBoard computers only if their controllers are the same model, or report the exact same controls.