Upgrade-Proof Your VMS Programs

Part 1

Overview

Upgrading to newer hardware is a time of excitement. In most cases this means a new up-to-date computer, new cameras with more pixels and better resolution, and new light LED’s that can produce more light. This is great for improving the performance of the machine.

However, it can also mean plenty of time editing VMS programs that were created using the old hardware. Suddenly the lights are now too bright because more powerful LED’s are now being used. Or finders are too small and slightly out of place. These are usually the biggest issues that arise and certainly the most tedious. This issue will cover tips on lighting and the next will cover finder sizing and location to help smooth out this process.

Light Setting Steps

In general, the usage of Light Settings inside finders is highly encouraged. The option for this is found in the advanced view of every finder type. This allows the user to define a certain set of lights that can be referenced later by any measurement step. It covers everything that would need to be set from the intensity of the lights to the position of the Programmable Ring Light (PRL).

Using a Light Settings step will save massive amounts of editing time in larger programs. For example, a program may have 5 measurement steps use the same finder lighting. Without using a Light Setting in the finders, the user would have to edit 5 steps every time the lighting needs to be changed. However, by using a Light Setting inside the finders only one edit to the Light Settings step is needed. That change to the lights will then be applied to all finders using that Light Setting.