Thorlabs DCx (UC480) Cameras¶

Installation ¶

Download and install ThorCam from the Thorlabs website, which comes with the uc480 API libraries. (Since these cameras are rebranded IDS cameras, you may instead install the IDS uEye software)
Make sure the path to the shared library (uc480.dll, uc480_64.dll, ueye_api.dll, or ueye_api_64.dll) is added to your PATH. The library will usually be located in the Thorlabs or IDS folder inside your Program Files folder. On my system they are located within C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\Scientific Imaging\DCx Camera Support\Develop\Lib.
Run pip install pywin32 nicelib on the command line to install the pywin32 and nicelib packages.
Use list_instruments() to see if your camera shows up. This will automatically build the bindings to the DLL. If this doesn’t work (and your camera is plugged in an works with the ThorCam software), try to import the driver module directly: from instrumental.drivers.cameras import uc480. If this fails, the error should give you information about what went wrong. Be sure to check out the FAQs page for more information, and you can use the mailing list or GitHub if you need additional help.

Added gain_boost, master_gain, gamma, blacklevel, and many auto-x Facets/properties
Made sure framerate is set before exposure time