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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

General Queries

1. I purchased a product, and it arrives today. How can I get the software and all the necessary documents to access this camera?

You can download the software from our Developer Resources. Then, all you need is your Sales Order (SO) number. You may refer to question number 8 for more details about the sales order.

Please follow the below instruction.

Here's a step-by-step instruction to register and download the files from our Developer Website.

  • 1. Register on our Developer Website by following this link - Developer Website: https://developer.e-consystems.com
  • 2. After successful registration, you will be directed to the Developer Website home page
  • 3. . Under Products, enter your Sales Order number and click Add Products. You will get a success notification once the product has been added to your account
  • 4. Then, click the respective product and download the files and sample application from there

2. What support does e-con Systems provide along with the camera?

e-con Systems will provide basic support on the evaluation for all the customers who have purchased the camera. We will help in choosing the best compatible camera based on the application use case of the customer. This will help the customer to choose the right product for their system. e-con Systems will also provide hardware/software/firmware customizations like form factor, interface type, IP rating, and lens mount based on your requirements.

3. Is there any software available for the USB camera?

Yes. e-con Systems provide the e-CAMView for Windows and QtCAM for Linux. This sample application will help demonstrate the capabilities of the USB cameras. Use the below link to download the applications.

e-CAMView Application: https://www.e-consystems.com/e-CAMView-Windows-camera-streaming-app.asp#Download

QtCAM Application: https://www.e-consystems.com/opensource-linux-webcam-software-application.asp#Download

4. Where can I track my order on your website?

You can certainly track your orders from our website in the following options Resources - Track Orders :https://www.e-consystems.com/auth/Account/Login?returnurl=cart Post logging in with your credentials, you can track your purchases.

5. Can I purchase the product through wire transfer/account payment mode?

Yes, you can purchase through wire transfer/account payment mode, but it requires some minimum order value - depending on the products. You can write your requirement to sales@e-consystems.com or contact us through chat to proceed further.

6. What is the delivery time for the product?

If you purchase any of our camera products in the online web store, we will ship them as per the lead time of the particular camera. As we use FedEx/UPS/DHL for shipping, it will take additional 3-4 business days to reach your place from the date of shipment.

7. Do you provide a CAD file for the product?

We do provide CAD files for our products after purchasing them. You can download the 3D STP file from our developer resource (https://developer.e-consystems.com). Please refer to question 1 for step-by-step instructions to register and download cad files from our Developer Website.

8. Where can I find my SO number?

You can find the SO number of your purchase from your invoice copy and camera box (red-colored card) in the email communication you receive once the order has been shipped.

9. What's the purpose of my SO number? Where can I use it?

A Sales Order (SO) number is a numeric code assigned to a particular request to buy our camera products. You can download the required files and software from our Developer Website using the SO number of your purchase of our camera products. Refer to question 1 for step-by-step instructions to register and download the files from our Developer Website.

10. I'm unable to add the products to developer resources. What to do?

If you find any difficulty or error message while trying to add your product to the developer resource site, please do reach out to our live chat support for a quick solution: https://www.e-consystems.com/contactus.asp or write to techsupport@e-consystems.com

11. How can I get the invoice copy for my order?

We can provide you with the invoice copy after the order ships. In case of any queries, please contact ordersupport@e-consystems.com. The hard copy of the invoice will be shipped along with the package.

12. How can I return my order?

You can return the product if it becomes defective or non-functional under normal operating conditions during the warranty period of 36 months. For more details, check out https://www.e-consystems.com/RMA-Policy.asp

13. What is the procedure involved in customs clearance?

You will receive an intimation from the carrier to your registered email address about the clearance process. Please get in touch with the local carrier facility to provide clearance-related documents, and if you require further support, contact ordersupport@e-consystems.com.

USB Cameras:

14. The frame rate is not consistent in UYVY format in e-con Systems' USB camera. Can I fix it?

By default, the camera is in auto exposure mode. When the scene has low-light conditions, the auto exposure algorithm will increase the exposure time, thus reducing the frame rate. You can set the maximum exposure limit using exposure compensation in the Extension Control menu or choose manual exposure to get desired frame rates. specific to the frame rate (to get 60fps, the maximum exposure time must be 1/60 => 16.66 milliseconds).

15. Do I need to install any special drivers to access e-con Systems' USB cameras?

Our USB cameras are UVC-compliant and do not require any special camera drivers to be installed on the host PC. It's just a plug-and-play device. For Windows, by default, the MJPEC codec will be installed when installing e-CAMView. However, the codec might have failed to install in some cases, resulting in an MJPG stream preview. You need to install the MJPEG codec to camera streaming MJPG format. Please go to the e-CAMView installed directory "C:\Program Files (x86)\e-con Systems\e-CAMView" and install the "MJPEGCodec_RETAIL". Refer to the below image for your reference and then check the MJEPG.

Also, camera-related documents can be downloaded from our Developer Website, as mentioned in question 1.

16. When I connect multiple cameras to the same host - the FPS drops, and the camera's LED blinks red and orange. What to do?

This may be due to bandwidth limitations in the USB host. It can occur when multiple cameras are connected to a single USB host or in USB hosts of less powerful embedded boards. Read this blog for more information on USB practical bandwidths. For MJPEG, reducing the Q-Factor will improve the FPS and stability in case of any issues. If still required, reduce the frame rates.

17. We have our own viewer application for Windows. So, I want to access the Extension Unit controls. Can you share the necessary SDK and API documents?

Our USB camera has some additional controls and features, and these are not quite common controls. Hence they are not included in the standard UVC controls but are listed as UVC Extension controls. We have provided the extension unit SDK package to access the Extension Unit controls. The extension unit SDK package and API document can be downloaded from Developer Resources, as answered in question 1.

18. Can we use different lenses in e-con Systems' USB cameras? What are the sources for (M12) S-mount lenses?

Yes. You can use any different lens. Most of our cameras have S-mount (M12) lens holders, and some are CS-Mount and C-mount cameras. Depending on your requirement, you can buy any S-mount (M12) lens from vendors like commonlands, corning, Megapixel Lenses, Sunex, and Edmund optics.

19. In the e-CAMView sample application, the device is selected - but the preview window is white. What to do?

You need to install the latest version of the e-CAMView application. Download the latest e-CAMView application from our website.

https://www.e-consystems.com/e-CAMView-Windows-camera-streaming-app.asp#Download

20. I want to access the HID controls of e-con Systems' USB cameras in Windows. Can you please share information on how to do this?

We provide the extension unit SDK package for our USB camera in Windows. You can refer to the Extension Unit SDK API Manual of the USB camera to perform this. The Extension Unit SDK package and API document can be downloaded from Developer Resources, as stated in question 1.

21. Do e-con Systems' USB cameras work with OpenCV?

We have developed an OpenCV-based sample application v4.5.5 - OpenCVCam, a command line application for streaming and image capture, along with the support for standard UVC controls of e-con Systems' cameras in Windows and Linux.

https://github.com/econsystems/opencv

Please refer to the installation manual to install the OpenCVCam application from here: https://github.com/econsystems/opencv/tree/master/Documents

22. Can we use e-con Systems' USB cameras in the Raspberry PI board?

Yes. Our USB cameras are UVC-compliant and do not require any special camera drivers to be installed on the host PC. It's just a plug-and-play device. The native UVC drivers of Linux Operating Systems shall be compatible with this camera. It should work with any direct show and V4L2 application. For more details, please refer to this blog.

23. We want to access the extension unit controls, but while opening the UVC extension tab - we get this error message. What to do?

You need to download and install the latest version of the e-CAMView application from the below link.

https://www.e-consystems.com/e-CAMView-Windows-camera-streaming-app.asp

24. How to update the firmware in e-con Systems' USB cameras?

Please find the step-by-step instructions for registering and downloading files from our Developer Website.

  • 1. Download the SeeCAM_DFU firmware tool from the Developer Website: https://developer.e-consystems.com (refer to question 1)
  • 2. After installing the SeeCAM_DFU firmware tool, connect the device to the PC
  • 3. Download the respective USB camera firmware from the Developer Website: https://developer.e-consystems.com
  • 4. Open the See3CAM_DFU application and select the camera in the drop-down list
  • 5. From the DFU tool, browse for the above image file and select it - See3CAM_xxx.img - DO NOT select any other files as it may lead to corruption
  • 6. Before clicking Start Update, make sure the camera is connected to the PC - DO NOT disconnect the camera during the entire firmware update process
  • 7. Click Start Update and wait for 2 to 5 minutes. The update will be finished, and the camera will be automatically detected with the new firmware

25. How to find the firmware version of e-con Systems' USB cameras?

In Linux, the firmware version can be obtained by using our QtCAM application. Please go to the Extension Setting tab and click on the Firmware version. In Windows, the firmware version can be obtained using our e-CAMView application. Please go to the UVC Extension menu and click on the Firmware version.

26. How to find the e-CAMView and QtCAM versions of e-con Systems' USB cameras?

The e-CAMView application version can be obtained by clicking the Help menu -> About option.

The QtCAM application version can be obtained by clicking the About tab on the QtCAM application window.

27. Are e-con Systems' cameras available with ISP?

Yes. All our USB color cameras have an inbuilt ISP (Image Signal Processor). Our color camera has an onboard ISP to perform major image processing functions like debayering, WB control, Color correction and other image quality improvement features, reducing the processing load in the host platform. You could use any direct show and V4L2-based applications to access our camera.

Platform Cameras

28. Do e-con Systems' MIPI cameras support OpenCV?

Our MIPI cameras use Video4Linux2 (V4L2) APIs and are V4L2 compliant. So, any V4L2-based application can be used to access this camera. OpenCV is also compatible since it uses V4L2 to access the camera. Please refer to this blog for detailed information about OpenCV support in our cameras.

29. Can we get the application source code for e-con Systems' MIPI cameras?

Yes. We provide a sample “Video for Linux Version2 (V4L2)” application, called ecam_tk1_guvcview (GUI-based application), e-multicam.elf,(command line based application) and argus-based application called eCAM_argus (GUI based application).

You can find the source codes in the camera release package under Application\ecam_tk1_guvcview\Source. In addition, the camera release package can be downloaded from Developer Resources, as stated in question 1.

30. I have purchased e-con Systems' Jetson MIPI cameras. Which Jetpack version does your camera driver package support?

Find the support Jetpack/L4T version of the camera driver under the Software tab on the camera page. Also, please refer to the below image.

The camera driver release package can be downloaded from Developer Resources, as stated in question 1.

31. Can we update the MIPI camera driver to the latest Jetpack version?

We have provided the complete driver source code, necessary kernel, and DTB patches for the MIPI camera along with our release package. One of the benefits of having the driver source code is that we enable all our customers to port the drivers to the Jetpack version of their choice and also different carrier boards. We have noticed that all our customers can perform the porting without hiccups. Also, we will update the camera driver. If there is any major update in the L4T and if it is stable, only then will we upgrade our camera drivers and release it via the Developer Website. Please note that NVIDIA frequently releases Jetpack.

32. I tried to install the camera driver, but it was aborted due to an L4T Device mismatch. Can you please advise how to fix this issue?

The wrong Jetpack version causes this error. We have mentioned the supported Jetpack version of the camera on the camera software page. Refer to the below image.

Please try to flash the Jetson Dev kit with our camera driver-supported Jetpack version.