ANY-maze Help > Cameras and Videos > USB cameras

USB cameras

Introduction

USB cameras are usually the best choice for ANY-maze. USB webcams are inexpensive and work well in many situations, while industrial USB cameras are flexible and work very well in almost all apparatus. That said, there are still some circumstances where analogue cameras can provide better performance and/or a cheaper option - for more details about the pros and cons of the different camera types, refer to Choosing a camera.

Webcams - recommended specifications

Most modern USB webcams are suitable for use with ANY-maze, although we'd advise against very cheap devices as these can provide poor quality images. We recommend devices from manufacturers such as Microsoft and Logitech.

The only significant choice you'll need to make when selecting a webcam is the resolution. Although it might seem that higher resolution will be better, this isn't usually the case, as high resolution images just require more processing without adding much additional information (from a tracking point of view). That said, if you only plan to use a single camera then (unless you have an old computer) any resolution should be fine, but if you want to connect multiple cameras, using devices with lower resolutions would be better.

Industrial cameras - recommended specifications

We recommend the industrial USB cameras from The Imaging Source, specifically their USB 2.0 Monochrome Industrial Cameras. That said, devices from other manufactures should work fine, as long as they are provided with a DirectShow driver (most will be).

A few points to note:

Choosing a lens

Industrial cameras are not supplied with a lens, so you will need to purchase one separately. Choosing a lens is relatively simple once you've calculated the minimum lens angle you need - see Lens calculations. However, you still need to consider the following points:

Extending a USB cable

USB webcams are usually supplied with captive cables (you can't unplug the cable) of about 2 or 3 metres in length. As the camera has to be mounted over the apparatus, and the computer will ideally be positioned out of the animal's view, these short cables can be a problem.

Industrial USB cameras don't have a captive cable, so you can purchase a long USB cable and use that, but be careful - the USB specification mandates that cables are no longer than 15 feet (4.8m). Some manufacturers do make longer cables, but these can be unreliable and we'd strongly advise against using them.

If you need to extend a USB cable, then you should use what's called an active extension cable. These include electronics which 'repeat' the USB signal, thus allowing it to travel another 15 feet. Again, some manufacturers exceed the distance specification, and you should avoid cables which are longer than 15 feet as they may prove to be unreliable. You should also avoid any extension cable which is not active, unless the total length of all the cables from the camera to the computer will be no more than 15 feet.

We don't recommend connecting multiple extension cables together - so using a standard 15 foot cable with a single 15 foot active extension, giving 30 foot (around 10m) in total, is the maximum distance you can achieve.

We don't recommend a specific product, but a search of Google for 'Active USB extension cable' will usually turn up a wide range of options.

Finally, there are USB extension cables available which convert the USB signal to a network signal, which can then be transmitted through a long (50m or more) network cable, before being converted back to USB again. In theory these should allow you to extend a USB cable well beyond the 10m limit, but we have never tried them and so can't provide any sort of recommendation.

Mounting a USB camera

While it might seem an obvious thing to mention, don't forget that you'll have to mount your camera above your apparatus. Industrial cameras come with a standard fitting in their base which allows them to be screwed onto a camera mount; however USB webcams don't include this feature.

As webcams are usually very light, the easiest way to mount them is simply to stick them to the ceiling with duct tape - not too elegant, but it works. Alternatively, if you have a suspended ceiling, cut a hole the size of the lens in a ceiling panel and stick the lens through the hole - the panel will easily be strong enough to support the camera's weight.

See also:

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ANY-maze help topic T1327