pco 2.6.0

Installation

Install from pypi (recommended):

$ pip install pco

For cameras with USB interface on linux you will need to add usb rules to the system. This can be done with executing the following command (sudo permissions required):

[ ! -f "/etc/udev/rules.d/pco_usb.rules" ] && sudo mkdir -p "/etc/udev/rules.d" && echo 'SUBSYSTEM=="usb" , ATTR{idVendor}=="1cb2" , GROUP="video" , MODE="0666" , SYMLINK+="pco_usb_camera%n"' | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/pco_usb.rules > /dev/null && udevadm trigger || true

To use the XCite class for controlling the Excelitas XCite light sources, on linux you need to make sure to have access to the serial ports, i.e. that the current user is in the group dialout. This can be done with executing the following command (sudo permissions required):

sudo adduser $USER dialout

Basic Usage

import pco
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

with pco.Camera() as cam:

    cam.record(mode="sequence")
    image, meta = cam.image()

    plt.imshow(image, cmap='gray')
    plt.show()

Recorder Modes

Depending on your workflow you can choose between different recording modes.

Some modes are blocking, i.e. the record() function waits until recording is finished, some are non-blocking. Some of them are storing the images in memory, the others directly as file(s) on the disk. However, for the recorder modes which store the images as files, accessing the recorded images is identical with the modes which store the images in memory.

Image Formats

All image data is always transferred as 2D or 3D numpy array. Besides the standard 16 bit raw image data you also have the possibility to get your images in different formats, shown in the table below.

The format is selected when calling the image() / images() / image_average() functions of the Camera class. The image data is stored as numpy array, which enables you to work with it in the most pythonic way.

Logging

Logging is implemented according to the python logging package (https://docs.python.org/3/library/logging.html). Supported logging levels are:

• ERROR

• WARNING

• INFO

• DEBUG

logger = logging.getLogger("pco")
logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)
logger.addHandler(pco.stream_handler)

...
[2023-10-16 16:33:10,450] [3.930 s] [sdk] open_camera_ex: OK.
...
[2023-10-16 16:33:13,485] [0.001 s] [rec] copy_image: OK.
...

Documentation (overview)

The full Documentation can be found on our pco.python page in the Documentation tab

The pco.Camera class offers the following methods:

• __init()__ Open and initializes a camera with its default configuration.

• __exit()__ Close the camera and cleans up everything (e.g. end of with-statement).

• close() Close the camera and cleans up everything.

• default_configuration() Set default configuration to the camera

• record() Initialize and start the recording of images.

• stop() Stop the current recording.

• wait_for_first_image() Wait until the first image has been recorded.

• wait_for_new_image() Wait until a new image has been recorded.

• get_convert_control() Get current color convert settings.

• set_convert_control() Set new color convert settings.

• load_lut() Set the lut file for the convert control setting.

• adapt_white_balance() Do a white-balance according to a transferred image.

• image() Read a recorded image as numpy array.

• images() Read a series of recorded images as a list of numpy arrays.

• image_average() Read an averaged image (averaged over all recorded images) as numpy array.

• switch_to_camram() Set camram segment for read via image functions.

• set_camram_allocation() Set allocation distribution of camram segments.

• configureHWIO_1_exposureTrigger() Configure the hwio connector 1 of the camera (input, which is exposure trigger)

• configureHWIO_2_acquireEnable() Configure the hwio connector 2 of the camera (input, which is acquire enable)

• configureHWIO_3_statusBusy() Configure the hwio connector 3 of the camera (output, which is typically status busy)

• configureHWIO_4_statusExpos() Configure the hwio connector 4 of the camera (output, which is typically status exposure)

• auto_exposure_on() Activate auto-exposure

• auto_exposure_off() Deactivate auto-exposure

• configure_auto_exposure() Configure auto-exposure (i.e min-max exposure range, relevant image regions)

The pco.Camera class has the following properties:

• camera_name Get the camera name.

• camera_serial Get the serial number of the camera.

• interface Get the interface of the camera.

• is_recording Get a flag to indicate if the camera is currently recording.

• is_color Get a flag to indicate if the camera is a color camera.

• raw_format Get current bit resolution setup of the camera

• recorded_image_count Get the number of currently recorded images.

• configuration Get/set the camera configuration.

• description Get the (static) camera description parameters.

• exposure_time Get/set the exposure time (in seconds).

• delay_time Get/set the delay time (in seconds).

• has_ram Get flag that indicates camram support of the camera.

• camram_segment Get segment number of active camram segment

• camram_max_images Get number of images that can be stored in the active camram segment

• camram_num_images Get number of images that are available in the active camram segment

The pco.Camera class holds the following objects:

• sdk Offer direct access to all underlying functions of the pco.sdk.

• rec Offer direct access to all underlying functions of the pco.recorder.

• conv Offer direct access to all underlying functions of the pco.convert according to the selected image format.

The pco.Xcite class offers the following methods:

• __init()__ Open and initializes a XCite light source with its default configuration.

• __exit()__ Close the XCite and cleans up everything (e.g. end of with-statement).

• close() Close the XCite and cleans up everything.

• xcite() Get the XCite handle

• default_configuration() Set default configuration to the XCite light source

• switchOn() Switch the configured lights on

• switchOff() Switch all lights off

The pco.Xcite class has the following properties:

• configuration Get/set the XCite configuration.

• description Get the (static) XCite description parameters.