Using Micro Manager with an industrial camera for your microscopy application

Learn how to control and automate microscopic applications using Micro Manager, open-source software available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. When fully integrating ImageJ, an image processing package, it serves as a complete image acquisition and microscope control package. In this article, we will guide you on how to install and use Daheng machine vision cameras with Micro Manager for your microscopy application.

Installation of Micro Manager

Before installing Micro Manager, make sure that you’ve installed the Daheng SDK for your industrial cameras first. Follow our QuickStart article for a detailed installation process. Next, download Micro Manager (the link is on the official website) and follow their instructions. After that, download the Daheng.dll which is in our download area and paste a copy at the Micro Manager installation directory, e.g. C:\Program Files\Micro-Manager-2.0.

Select the Daheng.dll in the Hardware Configuration Wizard
 

To select the Daheng.dll via the Hardware Configuration Wizard, follow these steps:

First create new Configuration.
 
Select the contained file in the Daheng Imaging directory. Click on Add… and select OK.
 
Select next, you will see the following window:
 
Create a new config file (e.g. Daheng.cfg)
 
Click on Finish when you’re done.

Connect industrial cameras to Micromanager

In the Device Property Browser, you can change the camera’s parameters. 

Please be aware that not every parameter can be changed at this moment.
 
Once you’ve set up the camera, you can start the acquisition by clicking on the Live button. 
 

Support for Micro Manager

If you need any support when using machine vision cameras with Micro Manager, you can find the official forum at the Micro-Manager Community. With Micro Manager, controlling and automating microscopic applications has never been easier.