################################################################################ RELEASE NOTES ============== Firmware Basler blaze-101 Note: Firmware versions not listed in this document are not released publicly. They are created for internal purposes only and don’t contain any changes that would affect the behavior of the camera. On occasion, cameras with such a firmware version may be shipped to customers. Updating cameras to a higher version than the latest publicly available firmware is not required since such an update would not change camera functionality or add new features. Version: 4.0.4 Release date: 2021-05-14 Preceding release: 4.0.1 Products affected: blaze-101 (order number 107796), hardware revision 11 CHANGES --------- Support for hardware revision 11. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- *WARNING*: This firmware release is only compatible with cameras with hardware revision 05 or above. Uploading this firmware version to a blaze-101 camera with a lower hardware revision will render the camera non-functional! Once an incompatible firmware has been uploaded, the camera won't function or may not boot up at all. *WARNING*: Once updated, the firmware can't be downgraded anymore. *WARNING*: To update the camera's firmware to firmware version 4.0 or above, the camera's current firmware version has to be at least 2.3.0. If the current firmware version is below 2.3.0, you first have to update the camera to firmware version 3.0.1. Afterwards, you can perform an update with the latest camera firmware version. Firmware update packages and update instructions can be downloaded here: http://www.baslerweb.com/blaze-software *Note*: To operate blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 4.0.0 or above, the pylon Supplementary Package for blaze 1.0.0 or above or the Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0 or above is required. To use new features introduced by firmware versions 4.0.x, you have to update to pylon Supplementary Package for blaze 1.0.0 or above or to Basler blaze SDK 4.0 or above. The latest Basler software for blaze cameras can be downloaded here: http://www.baslerweb.com/blaze-software *Note*: Applications built using the Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0 or above or the pylon Supplementary Package for blaze 1.0.0 or above can't access cameras with firmware versions below 3.0.0. These cameras have to be updated to firmware 3.0.0 or above when you migrate to the pylon Supplementary Package for blaze 1.0.0 or above or to Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0 or above. Mixing 2.x cameras with 3.x cameras in the same application is not possible. Firmware update packages and update instructions can be downloaded here: http://www.baslerweb.com/blaze-software ################################################################################ RELEASE NOTES ============== Firmware Basler blaze-101 Version: 4.0.1 Release date: 2021-04-13 Preceding release: 4.0.0 Products affected: blaze-101 (order number 107796), hardware revision 10 CHANGES --------- This release only affects blaze-101 cameras with hardware revision 10. * SensorPosition parameter is available now. * ZOffsetOriginToCameraFront parameter is available now. * Exposure time can now be set to values lower than 250us. * Temperature thresholds are now as specified. ################################################################################ Version: 4.0.0 Release date: 2021-04-09 Preceding release: 3.0.1 Products affected: blaze-101 (order number 107796), hardware revision 03 or above. NEW FEATURES ------------ * Added the DeviceUserID parameter for assigning a user-defined camera name. * Added the OutlierRemovalThreshold parameter for controlling the strength of the Outlier Removal feature. * Added the AmbiguityFilter parameter for disabling/enabling the Ambiguity Filter feature. * Added the AmbiguityFilterThreshold parameter for controlling the strength of the Ambiguity Filter feature. * Added the GenerateDebugInfo parameter for creating log file archives that can be downloaded from the camera by using a web browser. * Added the StreamChannelCount and EventChannelCount parameters. CHANGES --------- * Fixed a problem that may have caused a camera firmware hang. * Fixed a problem that may have caused invalid depth data when starting data acquisition. * Fixed problems causing the PTP clock synchronization to fail. * Fixed IP address assignment problems. * Fixed a problem preventing the Camera Reset feature from working properly. * Fixed an issue with abruptly changing depth information when setting the exposure time to values above resp. below 250 microseconds. * The Readout Time feature reported an incorrect value. * Renamed the following features to make feature naming more consistent: [old name] [new name] FilterSpatial SpatialFilter FilterTemporal TemporalFilter FilterStrength TemporalFilterStrength *NOTE:* The renamed features can still be accessed using their previous names. Nevertheless, Basler recommends reviewing your code and using the new feature names. * Updated jQuery to version 3.6. jQuery is used by the firmware update service running on the blaze camera. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- *WARNING*: This firmware release is only compatible with cameras with hardware revision 03 or above. Uploading this firmware version to a blaze-101 camera with a lower hardware revision will render the camera non-functional! Once an incompatible firmware has been uploaded, the camera won't function or may not boot up at all. *WARNING*: Once updated, the firmware can't be downgraded anymore. *WARNING*: To update the camera's firmware to firmware version 4.0 or above, the camera's current firmware version has to be at least 2.3.0. If the current firmware version is below 2.3.0, you first have to update the camera to firmware version 3.0.1. Afterwards, you can perform an update with the latest camera firmware version. Firmware update packages and update instructions can be downloaded here: https://www.baslerweb.com/baslermedia/blaze-getting-started/?dir=Firmware *Note*: To operate blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 4.0.0 or above, the Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0 or above is required. For using new features introduced by firmware versions 4.0, you have to update to Basler blaze SDK 4.0 or above. The latest Basler blaze SDK can be downloaded here: https://www.baslerweb.com/baslermedia/blaze-getting-started/?dir=SDK *Note*: Applications built using the Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0 or above can't access cameras with firmware versions below 3.0.0. These cameras have to be updated to firmware 3.0.0 or above when you migrate to the Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0 or above. Mixing 2.x cameras with 3.x cameras in the same application is not possible. Firmware update packages and update instructions can be downloaded here: https://www.baslerweb.com/baslermedia/blaze-getting-started/?dir=Firmware KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ - The Basler pylon Camera Software Suite does not yet fully support Basler blaze-101 cameras. As programming interfaces, you should use the C++ or .NET APIs included in the Basler blaze SDK. The preliminary pylon compatibility is subject to change. Applications built with the Basler pylon API should not rely on the current state of image data format and feature set. ################################################################################ Version: 3.0.1 Release date: 2020-12-11 Preceding release: 2.3.1 Products affected: blaze-101 (order number 107796), hardware revision 03 or above. CHANGES --------- - Reduced motion artifacts. - Reduced latency. The delay after triggering the first image has been reduced. - Added IntensityCalculation feature. This provides an alternative method for calculating the intensity image, which is useful for keeping depth image and intensity image in synch. - Added timer synchronization using PTPv2 (IEEE1588-2008). - Added Synchronous Free Run for operating multiple cameras simultaneously without their light sources interfering with each other. - Added the following acquisition timing-related parameters, which provide information required for setting up cameras for synchronous free run: StartupTime, ResetTime, ReadoutTime, FrameDuration. - Added MultiCameraChannel feature for operating multiple cameras simultaneously without their light sources interfering with each other. This feature requires hardware revision 08 or above. - Improved intensity image calculation when operating the camera in ShortRange operating mode. - Starting with hardware revision 08, the exposure time can be reduced to 100 µs in order to avoid saturation effects caused by overexposure. - Confidence map no longer contains binary information only. Instead, 16-bit values indicate the confidence in the depth data. - The value range of the ConfidenceThreshold parameter has been adjusted to match the values in the confidence map. When your application sets a ConfidenceThreshold value, you have to multiply the previously set value by 16 to achieve the same effect as with previous firmware versions. - Fixed issue causing missing network packets do be resent multiple times. - Fixed issue causing the counting of frame IDs to start at 2 instead of 1. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- *WARNING*: This firmware release is only compatible with cameras with hardware revision 03 or above. Uploading this firmware version to a blaze-101 camera with a lower hardware revision will render the camera non-functional! Once an incompatible firmware has been uploaded, the camera won't function or might not boot up at all. Once updated, the firmware can't be downgraded anymore. Note: To operate blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 3.0.0 or above, you have to recompile your software using the Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0 or above. You should review and adapt your code if it is affected by the feature changes listed in this document. Specifically when using the confidence map or when adjusting the ConfidenceThreshold parameter, your code has to be adapted according to the changes listed above. The latest Basler blaze SDK can be downloaded here: https://www.baslerweb.com/baslermedia/blaze-getting-started/?dir=SDK Note: Applications built using the Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0 can't access cameras with firmware versions below 3.0.0. These cameras have to be updated to firmware 3.0.0 or above when you migrate to the Basler blaze SDK 3.0.0. Firmware update packages and update instructions can be downloaded here: https://www.baslerweb.com/baslermedia/blaze-getting-started/?dir=Firmware KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ - When PTP-enabled cameras or network devcies are added to the network, PTP clock synchronization may fail on blaze-101 cameras. If this happens, power-cycle or reset all connected blaze-101 cameras and repeat PTP configuration. - The Basler pylon Camera Software Suite does not yet fully support Basler blaze-101 cameras. As programming interfaces, you should use the C++ API included in the Basler blaze SDK. The preliminary pylon compatibility is subject to change. Applications built with the Basler pylon API should not rely on the current state of image data format and feature set. ################################################################################ Version: 2.3.1 Release date: 2020-10-27 Preceding release: 2.3.0 Products affected: blaze-101 (order number 107796), hardware revision 09 CHANGES --------- - Added support for hardware revision 09. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- To operate blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 2.3.1 or above, you have to recompile your software using the Basler blaze SDK 2.1.0 or above. KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ The same limitations as for firmware version 2.3.0 apply. ################################################################################ Version: 2.3.0 Release date: 2020-09-03 Preceding release: 2.2.1 Products affected: blaze-101 (order number 107796), hardware revision 08 CHANGES --------- - Added support for hardware revision 08. - Performance improvements. - Fixed occasional crash when changing exposure time. - The ThermalDriftCorrection feature is enabled by default. - Improved check for hardware compatibility when performing firmware updates. - Added SensorPixelWidth and SensorPixelHeight features. - Added SensorPosition feature. - Added ZOffsetOriginToCameraFront feature. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- To operate blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 2.3.0 or above, you have to recompile your software using the Basler blaze SDK 2.1.0 or above. KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ General: - Simultaneous operation of multiple cameras isn't supported yet. - The PTP feature isn't available yet. - The experimental ThermalDriftCorrection feature for correcting temperature- dependent depth drift may change considerably in future versions. - The Basler pylon Camera Software Suite does not yet fully support Basler blaze-101 cameras. As programming interfaces, you should use the C++ API included in the Basler blaze SDK. The preliminary pylon compatibility is subject to change. Applications built with the Basler pylon API should not rely on the current state of image data format and feature set. ################################################################################ Version: 2.2.1 Release date: 2020-07-15 Preceding release: 2.1.0 Products affected: blaze-101 (order number 107796), hardware revision 07 CHANGES --------- - Added support for hardware revision 07. - Fixed issue where stopping image acquisition could take up to 1 second. - Fixed issue where after stopping image acquisition, the camera was no longer available and had to be power-cycled. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- *WARNING*: This firmware release is only compatible with hardware revision 07 cameras. Uploading this firmware version to a blaze-101 camera with an earlier hardware revision will render it non-functional! Once an incompatible firmware has been uploaded, the camera won't boot up and the firmware can't be downgraded anymore. Note: To operate blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 2.1.0 or above, you have to recompile your software using the Basler blaze SDK 2.0.0 or above. You should review and adapt your code if it is affected by the feature changes and renamings listed in this document. Note: Applications built using the Basler blaze SDK 2.0.0 can't access cameras with firmware version before 2.0.0. These cameras have to be updated to firmware 2.0.0 or above when you migrate to the Basler blaze SDK 2.0.0. Firmware update packages and update instructions can be downloaded from: https://www.baslerweb.com/baslermedia/blaze-getting-started/Firmware Use the following login credentials: User name: blaze Password: b4sl3ersw KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ General: - Simultaneous operation of multiple cameras isn't supported yet. - The PTP feature isn't available yet. - The experimental ThermalDriftCorrection feature for correcting temperature- dependent depth drift may change considerably in future versions. - A user's manual isn't available yet. - The Basler pylon Camera Software Suite does not yet fully support Basler blaze-101 cameras. As programming interfaces, you should use the C++ API included in the Basler blaze SDK. The preliminary pylon compatibility is subject to change. Applications built with the Basler pylon API should not rely on the current state of image data format and feature set. ################################################################################ Version: 2.1.0 Release date: 2020-06-17 Preceding release: 1.0.17 Products affected: blaze-101 (order number 107796), revision 03 or above CHANGES --------- - Added FastMode parameter. There is a trade-off between depth data accuracy and speed, i.e., frame rate. To achieve highest accuracy, disable the FastMode parameter. In order to maximize the frame rate or to reduce motion artifacts, enable FastMode. The general recommendation is to operate the camera with FastMode disabled (which is the default configuration). FastMode should only be enabled if the frame rate is not sufficient or to reduce motion artifacts. - Increased frame rate. When FastMode is disabled (default), the frame rate is 20 fps. 30 fps can be achieved by enabling FastMode. - Changed available options of OperatingMode parameter. The 'MidRange' operating mode has been removed. Use the 'LongRange' option instead. - Renamed several features in order to improve GenICam Standard Feature Naming Convention (SFNC) conformity. Former Feature Name New Feature Name --------------------------------------------------------------- fx Scan3dFocalLength fy Scan3dFocalLength cx Scan3dPrincipalPointU cy Scan3dPrincipalPointV - Improved accuracy of internal trigger frequency. - Optimized GigE network packet scheduling to avoid bursts of network packets which may result in the host missing network packets and having to request missed packets to be resent. - Added SoftwareTrigger parameter. - Added the Confidence Map image component. There are two confidence values: 0 indicates missing depth data, a value greater than 0 indicates availability of depth data. The confidence map can be used to mask pixels without depth information. - Added Scan3dInvalidDataValue parameter. This parameter allows you to control how missing depth data is represented in point clouds and the range images. If there is no valid depth data for a certain sensor pixel, in range images the corresponding pixel will be set to the value specified here. In point clouds, all 3 coordinates of the corresponding point are set to this value. The default value for Scan3dInvalidDataValue is zero. *Note*: This is a breaking change to previous firmware versions where missing depth information was encoded as "not a number" (NaN) values. You will have to adapt your applications. Refer to the Basler blaze SDK release notes for more details. - Added Scan3dCalibrationOffset parameter. This parameter allows you to adjust the internal camera calibration. The offset specified by Scan3dCalibrationOffset is added to the radial distances the camera measures. The camera transforms the radial distances into x, y, z coordinates in a Cartesian coordinate system whose origin lies in the camera's optical center. The Scan3dCalibrationOffset parameter can be used to manually correct a temperature-dependent drift. Note: Since Scan3dCalibrationOffset is added to the radial distances, it can't be used to translate the origin of the coordinate system, i.e., it can't be used to add a constant offset to the z coordinate. Specifically, you should not use it in an attempt to shift the origin of the camera's coordinate system from the optical center to the front of the camera housing. Trying to do so will result in measurement errors causing planar surfaces to appear curved. - Added the following parameters to query information about how 3D data is represented: o Scan3dDistanceUnit o Scan3dCoordinateSystem o Scan3dCoordinateSystemReference o Scan3dCoordinateSelector o Scan3dCoordinateScale o Scan3dCoordinateOffset o Scan3dAxisMin o Scan3dAxisMax - Added TimestampLatchValue and TimestampLatch parameters. These parameters provide access to the timer used for adding timestamps to images. Before reading the current value, the TimestampLatch command must be issued first. The latched timestamp can then be read out by getting the TimestampLatchValue parameter value. - Added ComponentSelector and ComponentEnable parameters. These parameters allow you to control which information to include in the data stream. - Stability improvements. - Improved GenICam GenTL 1.5 & Standard Feature Naming Convention (SFNC) conformity. The following parameters have been added: o GevScpPacketSize o DeviceTLVersionMajor o DeviceTLVersionMinor o DeviceLinkSelector o GevInterfaceSelector o GevMACAddress o GevCurrentIPConfigurationLLA o GevCurrentIPConfigurationDHCP o GevCurrentIPConfigurationPersistentIP o GevCurrentSubnetMask o GevCurrentDefaultGateway o GevPersistentIPAddress o GevPersistentSubnetMask o GevPersistentDefaultGateway - The ThermalDriftCorrection parameter is disabled by default. As the previous default setting was enabled, you may notice that the depth values may differ compared to measurements taken before the update. If you notice this, try enabling the ThermalDriftCorrection parameter again and check whether this leads to more accurate results. This experimental feature for correcting temperature-dependent depth drift was introduced in firmware version 1.0.13 and is available for hardware revision 5. Experimental features may change considerably in future versions. KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ General: - The Basler pylon Camera Software Suite does not yet fully support Basler blaze-101 cameras. As programming interfaces, you should use the C++ API included in the Basler blaze SDK. The preliminary pylon compatibility is subject to change. Applications built with the Basler pylon API should not rely on the current state of image data format and feature set. - Simultaneous operation of multiple cameras isn't supported yet. - The PTP feature isn't available yet. - The experimental ThermalDriftCorrection feature for correcting temperature- dependent depth drift may change considerably in future versions. - A user's manual isn't available yet. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- To operate blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 2.1.0 or above, you have to recompile your software using the Basler blaze SDK 2.0.0 or above. You should review and adapt your code if it is affected by the feature changes and renamings listed above. Note: Starting with hardware revision 7, blaze-101 cameras are shipped with firmware version 2.1.0 or above. Note: Applications built using the Basler blaze SDK 2.0.0 can't access cameras with firmware version before 2.0.0. These cameras have to be updated to firmware 2.0.0 or above when you migrate to the Basler blaze SDK 2.0.0. Firmware update packages and update instructions can be downloaded from: https://www.baslerweb.com/baslermedia/blaze-getting-started/Firmware Use the following login credentials: User name: blaze Password: b4sl3ersw ################################################################################ Version: 1.0.17 Release date: 2020-03-16 Release type: beta (incomplete functionality) Preceding release: 1.0.15 CHANGES --------- This firmware version doesn't provide any new features or improvements compared to firmware version 1.0.15. There is no need to update cameras from 1.0.15 to 1.0.17. KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ The same limitations as for version 1.0.15 apply. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- The same compatibility information as for version 1.0.15 applies. ################################################################################ Version: 1.0.15 Release date: 2020-03-02 Release type: beta (incomplete functionality) Preceding release: 1.0.13.1 CHANGES --------- * Improved over temperature and VCSEL failure detection. When the camera gets too hot or if a VCSEL failure is detected, the camera stops acquiring images and turns off the VCSELs. Use the new TemperatureState parameter to check if the camera is about to overheat (TemperatureState="Critical") or is too hot (TemperatureState="Error"). The new LastError parameter can be used to check for error conditions. LastError=4 indicates overheating, LastError=7 indicates VCSEL-related problems. In case of a temperature problem, the ClearLastError parameter can be used to reset the error condition and to enable image acquisition again after the camera has cooled down. * Optimized accuracy of internal trigger frequency. KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ General: * The camera hasn't reached feature complete yet. The naming of parameters isn't final and is subject to change. * The Basler pylon Camera Software Suite does not yet fully support Basler blaze-101 cameras. As programming interfaces, you should use the C++ API included in the Basler blaze SDK. The preliminary pylon compatibility is subject to change. Applications built with the Basler pylon API should not rely on the current state of image data format and feature set. * Simultaneous operation of multiple cameras isn't supported yet. * The PTP feature isn't available yet. * The camera currently operates at a reduced frame rate. The frame rate is approximately 20 fps when the camera is operated in Short Range, Mid Range, or Long Range mode. When the camera is operated in Long Range HQ mode, the frame rate is approximately 12 fps. * A user's manual isn't available yet. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION -------------------------- blaze-101 cameras with hardware revisions of 5 or above and blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 1.0.13 or above can't be operated with applications built with a blaze SDK before 1.0.13.1. You have to migrate to blaze SDK 1.0.13.1 or above if you want to work with these cameras. ################################################################################ Version: 1.0.13.1 Release date: 2020-01-20 Release type: beta (incomplete functionality) Preceding release: 1.0.11 CHANGES -------- - The exposure time range is 250–1000 µs. You can change the exposure time using the ExposureTime parameter. When switching the operating mode, the exposure time recommended for the particular mode is set automatically. If you have to adjust the exposure time, set the operating mode first. The exposure time should be adjusted only if you're experiencing over-exposure. Setting other exposure time values than the default ones might result in increased noise and reduced measurement accuracy. - Improved distortion correction to avoid discretization artifacts resulting in circle-like shapes. - To improve the result of the outlier removal filter, distance values below 100 mm are considered measurement errors and therefore discarded. - The value range and scaling of the ConfidenceThreshold parameter has been reduced from 0–65535 to 0–255. To achieve the same result as with previous firmware versions, former threshold values have to be divided by 8. - The gamma correction has been adjusted to achieve a "better-looking" intensity image. - The camera's IP configuration can be changed from DHCP/LLA to static IP addresses. Use the blaze IP Configurator tool included in the Basler blaze SDK to adjust the camera's IP configuration. On Windows systems, the IP Configurator is located in the Tools folder. On Linux systems, the tool is located in the /opt/Basler_blaze/bin folder. - There is a DeviceReset parameter to reboot the camera device. - The camera implements a heartbeat mechanism according to the GigE Vision standard. If an application unexpectedly crashes or the connection between host and camera is lost, the camera stops acquisition after a timeout period has expired. The default timeout is 3 seconds. - Improved GigE Vision compatiblity. For control protocol communication, the UDP port 3956 specified by the GigE Vision standard is used. - The network host name of each camera device is unique. The serial number is part of the host name. - Starting with hardware revision 5, the OUI part of the cameras' MAC addresses indicates Basler as the camera manufacturer. - An experimental feature for correcting temperature-dependent depth drift was introduced in hardware revision 5. This feature may be developed further or removed in future versions. KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ General: * The camera hasn't reached feature complete yet. The naming of parameters isn't final and is subject to change. * The Basler pylon Camera Software Suite does not yet fully support Basler blaze-101 cameras. As programming interfaces, you should use the C++ API included in the Basler blaze SDK. The preliminary pylon compatiblity is subject to change. Applications should not rely on the current state of image data format and feature set. * Simultaneous operation of multiple cameras isn't supported yet. * The PTP feature isn't available yet. * Software triggering isn't available yet. * The camera currently operates at a reduced frame rate. The frame rate is approximately 20 fps when the camera is operated in Short Range, Mid Range, or Long Range mode. When the camera is operated in Long Range HQ mode, the frame rate is approximately 12 fps. * A user's manual isn't available yet. COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION --------------------------- blaze-101 cameras with hardware revisions of 5 or above and blaze-101 cameras with firmware version 1.0.13 or above can't be operated with applications built with a blaze SDK before version 1.0.13.1. You have to migrate to blaze SDK 1.0.13.1 or above if you want to work with these cameras. ################################################################################ Version: 1.0.11 Release date: 2019-09-27 Release type: beta (incomplete functionality) Preceding release: n/a KNOWN LIMITATIONS ------------------ General: * The camera hasn't reached feature complete yet. The naming of parameters isn't final and is subject to change. * The Basler pylon Camera Software Suite does not yet support Basler blaze-101 cameras. As programming interfaces, you should use the C++ API included in the Basler blaze SDK. * Simultaneous operation of multiple cameras isn't supported yet. * The PTP feature isn't available yet. * Software triggering isn't available yet. * Manual IP address assignment isn't possible yet. * The camera currently operates at a reduced frame rate. * The camera freezes sporadically. If this happens, power-cycle the camera. * A user's manual isn't available yet.