Home >>See3CAM - USB 3.0 Camera >> TaraXL - USB 3.0 Stereo Camera >> TaraXL - USB 3.0 Stereo Camera faq FAQ

Frequently asked Questions (FAQ)

	1.1	Is the TaraXL camera pre-calibrated?
	1.2	Where is the calibrated data of the camera stored?
	1.3	What is IMU? How do we configure it?
	1.4	What is the calibrated file's format?
	1.5	What are the output formats supported in the TaraXL Camera?
	1.6	Is the SDK provided with the source code?
	1.7	What is the procedure to be followed while building OpenCV?
	1.8	Is it mandatory to have OpenCV, to test the TaraXL Studio?
	1.9	Is the SDK applications use rectified images?
	1.10	In the SDK, can the Exposure and Brightness of the camera be altered in run time?

2. TaraXL After Purchase Questions

	2.1	I have purchased the product and it arrives today. But how could I get the software and all the necessary documents to access this camera?
	2.2	I am unable to login using the login credentials.
	2.3	Where could I get the latest firmware for the camera that I have purchased from e-con Systems?
	2.4	While attempting to download documents from e-con Systems website, a particular download link is not working.
	2.5	I am unable to register in e-con Systems website with my personal email ID. It is asking to enter corporate ID for registration.
	2.6	I am unable to register with my corporate email ID by following the above link.

3. Tara vs TaraXL

	3.1	What is the difference between Tara and TaraXL
	3.2	The hardware looks identical between Tara and TaraXL. Are they the same?
	3.3	Why is there a price difference in Tara and TaraXL?
	3.4	Will TaraXL work only on NVIDIA TX2?
	3.5	Will it also work on PC
	3.6	OK, who should buy Tara and who should buy TaraXL?
	3.7	If I buy, TaraXL today can I use it on the PC?
	3.8	I am a Tara customer and have the hardware with me. Can I run the accelerated SDK?

1. TaraXL

1.1 Is the TaraXL camera pre-calibrated?

Yes, the camera is factory calibrated. Do not disturb the casing or the lens, which would alter the calibration.

1.2 Where is the calibrated data of the camera stored?

The calibrated data is stored in the flash memory of the camera. The SDK applications get access through the extension unit APIs.

1.3 What is IMU? How do we configure it?

Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) is a self-contained system that measures linear and angular motion with a triad of gyroscopes and triad of accelerometers and sometimes the magnetic field surrounding the body, also called as magnetometers.

TaraXL supports a LSM6DS0 or LSM6DS33 chip which is a 6dof (degree of freedom) IMU featured with triaxial accelerometer and triaxial gyroscope and supports different modes of configuration. To configure the IMU please refer to the Extension Unit API document.

1.4 What is the calibrated file's format?

The camera is calibrated using OpenCV. The calibrated files are in the yml format.

1.5 What are the output formats supported in the TaraXL Camera?

The output formats supported in TaraXL are Y16 and RGB24.

In Y16 (8bpp) format, the Pixel arrangement are:
Byte 1 - M9 M8 M7 M6 M5 M4 M3 M2
Byte 2 - S9 S8 S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2

In RGB24(10bpp) format, the Pixel arrangement are:
Byte 1 - X X X X M1 M0 S1 S0
Byte 2 - M9 M8 M7 M6 M5 M4 M3 M2
Byte 3 - S9 S8 S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2

Note: Key - X - Don't care, M - Master, S - Slave.

1.6 Is the SDK provided with the source code?

No. Sample code will be provided to show how to use the TaraXL SDK.

1.7 What is the procedure to be followed while building OpenCV?

Configure.sh file along with TaraXL SDK package which will download, build and install all the necessary dependencies.

1.8 Is it mandatory to have OpenCV, to test the TaraXL Studio?

Yes, it is mandatory to have OpenCV to test the TaraXL Studio.

1.9 Is the SDK applications use rectified images?

Yes, the applications in the SDK use rectified images. Rectified such that there is only displacement in the x axis.

1.10 In the SDK, can the Exposure and Brightness of the camera be altered in run time?

Yes, the Exposure and Brightness of the camera can be altered. On the camera settings of the UI those options are provided.

2. TaraXL After Purchase Questions

2.1 I have purchased the product and it arrives today. But how could I get the software and all the necessary documents to access this camera?

Once you receive the product, our operations team will send you the confirmation email with the developer website login credentials.

2.2 I am unable to login using the login credentials.

Please write to techsupport@e-consystems.com with your requirement in detail to get immediate support.

2.3 Where could I get the latest firmware for the camera that I have purchased from e-con Systems?

Please download the latest firmware from the Developer Resources website login credentials.

2.4 While attempting to download documents from e-con Systems website, a particular download link is not working.

Please write to techsupport@e-consystems.com with your requirement in detail to get immediate support.

2.5 I am unable to register in e-con Systems website with my personal email ID. It is asking to enter corporate ID for registration.

Yes, you are requested to register with a valid corporate email ID. e-con Systems will not spam you. e-con Systems will save your corporate email ID in database to allow you to download any documents in e-con Systems website.

2.6 I am unable to register with my corporate email ID by following the above link.

Please write to camerasolutions@e-consystems.com with your requirement in detail to get immediate support.

3. Tara vs TaraXL

3.1 What is the difference between Tara and TaraXL

e-con Systems offers stereo vision camera solutions for Depth Sensing, Disparity Map, Point Cloud under the name Tara.

Tara - First USB 3.0 Stereo camera hardware with an opensource SDK for customers to develop their own depth mapping algorithms.

TaraXL - USB 3.0 Stereo camera hardware with a proprietary CUDA® accelerated Stereo SDK that runs on the NVIDIA GPU. TaraXL can provide 3D depth mapping upto 50fps out of the box for customers to build their solutions around it.

3.2 The hardware looks identical between Tara and TaraXL. Are they the same?

The hardware specifications are same between Tara and TaraXL. However, the firmware that runs on TaraXL is different and has been customized for the Tara Accelerated SDK. So Tara hardware will not work with the accelerated SDK.

3.3 Why is there a price difference in Tara and TaraXL?

e-con Systems has invested a lot into the development of the Tara accelerated SDK. e-con Systems provides unlimited and complete access to the accelerated SDK and offers basic technical support. So the price of TaraXL is higher than Tara in sample and pilot quantities..

3.4 Will it also work on PC?

Yes, TaraXL's accelerated stereo SDK uses NVIDIA GPU. The Latest SDK Supports Linux x86 platforms. e-con Systems will soon come up with the next version of the SDK which will support Windows platforms.

The newer SDK versions will be free upgrades for all TaraXL customers.

3.5 Will TaraXL work on Windows?

TaraXL's accelerated stereo SDK uses the GPU on NVIDIA. The first launch made now will work on NVIDIA TX2 platform & LINUX only.

e-con Systems will shortly come up with the next version of the SDK which will support NVIDIA graphics cards on the PC environment as well. Support for Windows on PC will follow as well.

The newer SDK versions will be free upgrades for all TaraXL customers.

3.6 OK, who should buy Tara and who should buy TaraXL?

If you are well versed in using stereo cameras and can develop your own 3D depth algorithms, optimize them, etc. and only need a stereo camera hardware for your work, you should be buying Tara. It comes with basic open source stereo SDK for you to get started and then you can build on your own.

If you are looking for an optimized stereo algorithm that can provide high quality 3D Depth map for 720 X 480 upto 50fps without stressing the CPU then you should be buying TaraXL.

If you are planning to use NVIDIA TX2, then you should be buying TaraXL. If you are planning to use a PC without any GPU on it, you should be buying Tara.

3.7 If I buy, TaraXL today can I use it on the PC?

Yes, TaraXL's accelerated stereo SDK uses NVIDIA GPU. The Latest SDK Supports Linux x86 platforms.

Windows Users can view the feed from the camera using eCamView applications which are provided along with the taraxl SDK.

e-con Systems intends to release the next version of the CUDA® accelerated TaraXL SDK with support for Windows soon. After that release advantages of accelerated SDK can be achieved on the Windows with an NVIDIA GPU card on it.

The newer SDK versions will be free upgrades for all TaraXL customers.

3.8 I am a Tara customer and have the hardware with me. Can I run the accelerated SDK?

Unfortunately, the TARA Accelerated Stereo SDK runs only on the new TaraXL hardware. The Tara hardware is not compatible with the accelerated SDK. Please contact camerasolutions@e-consystems.com with your use case and questions for direct support and consulting on this.