How to access OSD Menu with Serial Joystick
In this weeks, Secret Feature of the Week, we discuss the need to access the OSD (On Screen Display) Menu over a serial joystick connection. Using Preset 95, you can use the SONY VISCA protocol to access the OSD menu allowing users to remotely adjust advanced PTZ camera settings.
joystick controller OSD Menu Access
Once you bring up the OSD menu using Preset 95 you can use the joystick to move up and down inside the menu. This allows for access of the cameras core settings such as color, exposure, back light compensation, wide dynamic range and more. To move in and out of the menu items you can use the +/- iris buttons.
-
- Daisy Chain Camera Control
-
- Control Multiple Cameras via Joystick
-
- DB9 Joystick Connection
The pictures above outline the cabling required to setup multiple PTZ cameras on the HC-Joy from HuddleCamHD which uses the SONY VISCA protocol to control the PTZOptics cameras. As you can see the joystick uses a DB9 cable to connect to the first camera. This camera can then have daisy-chained control to multiple other PTZ cameras. As you can see on the back of each PTZOptics camera we have an RS-232 in and out port that can be used for this. The middle picture shows the joystick controller connected via a DB9 to 8-pin mini din connector. The second camera connects with a cascade cable which has two 8-pin mini-din connectors to cascade camera control in a daisy-chain layout.
PTZ Camera Daisy-Chain Layout
In the wiring diagram above, you can see the joystick controlled next to our cabling color code legend which includes HDMI, HD-SDI, RS-232 and DB9. Now you can see the cascade cabling which is a male to male 8 Pin Mini-din cable which connects every camera after the first camera. The first camera connected in the daisy chain can use the DB9 to 8 pin mini-din cable included with every PTZOptics camera. If your first camera is located a long distance from your joystick controller you can use a DB9 extension cable to extend the joystick cable to the location of your installed PTZ camera. In this case, you will still want to use your included DB9 to 8 pin mini-din cable which will be extended and connected to your DB9 extension cable. These DB9 extension cables are available on our website at: http://ptzoptics.com/cables/. The DB9 Extenders give you the ability to extend your serial/VISCA cables over a longer distance, giving control of your camera via joystick or USB to Serial adapter to your PC with the VISCA software of your choice. These serial DB9 Male to Female cables are plenum rated and they come in black.
More on PTZ Joystick Controllers
PTZOptics RS-232 Serial joystick product page here.
