Protee : How to setup machine vision cameras

[janton79]

I tried the new camera lenses last night and the problem I found is that they seemed be really zoomed in. So the view area for the Vcam was about 12 inches. I would turn the knob to try to shift it out but it would lose focus. The only way to get them to focus was to turn one know completely one way and the other knob completely the other way. So it was a really zoomed and narrow view. Otherwise the picture was way out of focus. Same issue with the Hcam.

[janton79]

Oh, and when I went back to the lenses that Protee provided, the Vcam picked up my clubhead rather than the ball. I was getting a 27 degree launch angle for my driver. Very strange. I didn't have the time to play with it last night so will need to spend more time setting up the cams.

[ZMax]

12" does not seem right. How far is the camera from the center of the sim? You don't need a big FOV. The idea is to avoid distortion. Setup it up to look like mine and use my settings to start off with. If you continue to have trouble, you need to post some screen captures like mine so we can see what is going on.

[janton79]

The V-camera is about 2 feet in front of the mat (any further out and I would need to point the camera back towards the tee) and about 5 feet to the side. I have a really narrow area. Otherwise, I used the setting that you showed in the initial post.

[psace]

Janton, do you have the resolution set to 640 x 480. I have my vcam about 6 or 7 feet to the side and 2 feet in front. I had to have the resolution at 640 x 480 and the lens focus the same as you. You have to play with the minimum grayscale and/or the camera device settings to get the ball and not the club detected.

[janton79]

Janton, do you have the resolution set to 640 x 480. I have my vcam about 6 or 7 feet to the side and 2 feet in front. I had to have the resolution at 640 x 480 and the lens focus the same as you. You have to play with the minimum grayscale and/or the camera device settings to get the ball and not the club detected.

How do you change the resolution to 640 x 480?

[ZMax]

How do you change the resolution to 640 x 480?

I told Dennis that he needs to preset these cameras to 640X480 before sending them out. Anyway, you can change the resolution of the cameras in the settings file. I need to update my procedure once I sober up....

In the Proteeinterface folder, open the settings.pgs file with Notepad. Look for the "video settings" section. Change the width and height to 640 and 480 respectively. Scroll down a little bit and do it again for the other camera. Save it and restart the interface. Let me know if it works. The other option is to use the camera stream window.

[Video settings]
Selected_cam=Firefly MV FMVU-03MTM
Capture_interval=10
Video_frame_rate=125
Video_widht= 640
Video_height= 480

[janton79]

So I went into the settings.pgs file and changed the resolution for both cameras. I attached the new lense that Zmax suggested to the vcan and below is a screenshot of the setup page. Seems like the picture is really zoomed in. Just the ball and my feet take up the entire picture. Also, the vcam is about 2 feet in front of the sensor mat and 5 feet to the side. I had to point the camera back about 30 degrees just to get the ball in the red box. I'll post a screenshot of how things look with the lense that Protee provided below.
new lense - vcam1.jpg

[janton79]

Here's a screen shot with the lense that Protee provided.
old lense - vcam1.jpg

[psace]

Janton, your resolution is still 320 x 240 with both lenses. You need to change the resolution to 640 x 480 in the settings file. If you did not install the updates as "administrator" you may have two settings files. (I did the same thing) Do a search for the settings file and see if you find you have two of them. When you change the resolution in the settings file and save it, you should have the 640 x 480 resolution. Check the camera stream to make sure.

The new lense will not work well for you in 320 x 240 resolution but if you change it to 640 x 480 it should look the same as the old lenses at 320 x 240.

[ZMax]

camerstream.jpg

Using the "camera stream window to change resolutions. Enable format 7 and use those settings above.

[psace]

After my first two rounds of real golf, I have to say the winter play on the ProTee has had measureable improvement in my game. My driving has never been more accurate and just like on the simulator. Pitching has also been better and similar to the ProTee play. I now know I have to work on my putting and iron play more. I hate practice but I do need it.

[ZMax]

That is awesome psace. For me, it feels like I never had a Winter break. We've been lucky here and I was able to play at least twice each month since January. Combined with practice on the Protee, I'm not missing a beat. My only issue at the moment is that I'm having a little difficulty drawing the ball with the driver. I'm still coming in from the inside(not much) but having a hard time squaring the face. Been hitting a lot of push fades. Looking at new shafts or maybe my grip is off.

[mhale]

My machine vision cameras are shipping tomorrow, so I was wondering how you mounted your hcam camera on ceiling, and also vcam on floor or wall and how you attached it.

[ZMax]

My V-cam is mounted inside a dummy security camera housing using double sided tape. The housing came with an adjustable mount that made it easy to adjust the camera's vertical and horizontal tilt.

My H-cam is mounted on the side of a floor joist(basement not finished yet) with a simple adjustable security camera mount. I should probably mount it in another dummy security camera housing also for protection.

[psace]

I spent the most time trying to figure out the best way to mount the cameras. I ended up using the bracket from a dummy dome security camera for the hcam and mounted it to my light track. For the vcam I used the same dome security camera with the camera inside the glass dome mounted to the bracket inside. I screwed the base of the dome to a block of wood for the final height. The brackets only swivel up and down so a mount with a 360 degree swivel would be more ideal.

[janton79]

Can you guys post pictures of the mounts for your vcam and hcam? Just curious.

[ZMax]

Sure. Will do it late tonight or tomorrow.

[bubba22]

I have a simple setup with a mounting bracket from home depot for the above cam. The side cam is mounted on a metal stand (just velcroed on) and protected with a simple hard plastic with front cutout for the lens. Kinda home made but done up to look like a dark box.

[psace]

DSCF0223.jpgDSCF0219.jpgDSCF0224.jpgDSCF0185.jpg

Hope this helps!

[ZMax]

LA cam is inside this housing. It can be easily adjusted and it comes with a filtered glass that will help reduce the light, especially if used for the H-cam.

IMG_20120410_201412.jpg

H-cam:

IMG_20120410_203034.jpgIMG_20120410_201551.jpg

[janton79]

Great, thanks for posting the cam pics. Now I just need to find some time to fix my camera issues!

[ZMax]

You're welcome. Pictures do say 1000 words. They also make it looks simple and doable. Once you have it setup properly, you'll enjoy the accuracy of the ball measurements.

[psace]

Yes, we do need more pictures of our setups. Your dummy camera looks very cool, Zmax. I found the hcam is the hardest to get aligned properly. A swivel mount that can turn in a full circle would be the easiest for alignment.

[janton79]

You know, I find the setup process to be so difficult because I am not a very good golfer and am not consistent. Sometimes I hit left, right, straight. Hook, slice. Push, pull. You name it and I can do it within 20 swings. So it's hard to tell if the sim is setup properly.

[ZMax]

Are you referring to the camera setup process, Protee sim, or both?

Have you considered paying somebody to set it up and tweak it for you?

[psace]

One step at a time Janton. Don't be afraid to ask a ton of questions either here or by pm. I know what you mean as there is a bit of a learning curve. We can all walk you throught it. Dennis at ProTee can do a remote very easily with you to help you overcome any hurdles.

[janton79]

Are you referring to the camera setup process, Protee sim, or both?

Have you considered paying somebody to set it up and tweak it for you?

I was referring to the entire process. My game is so inconsisten that I wont really know if the sim is properly setup and settings tweaked. Is there anyone locally that would come in and do a setup?

[psace]

I think that the settings for everyone should be quite similar, especially in the interface. It is true that the better the golfer you are the easier it is to confirm the results you are seeing. I have friends with totally different handicaps and they are seeing accurate results on the ProTee. My advice is don't make the process too difficult for yourself because in the end it really isn't that hard.

Do you have any questions for the forum members about the setup? No question is too stupid.

[ZMax]

Janton,

I'm in the west suburbs also. How far are you from Fry's electronics?