New Depth Camera Controller Firmware: Build 52

– Mike Bourgeous

A long overdue firmware update is now available for the Depth Camera Controller from Nitrogen Logic. This update brings Hue support out of beta, adds a new page for setting up zones, and adds new ways of monitoring zones.

Click the Check for updates… link on your controller’s Settings page to download the new firmware, then upload it to the controller using the firmware update section of the same Settings page.

Note: this firmware update makes breaking changes to the port 14308 text protocol. The Automation Controller has not yet been updated for these changes, so stick with build 35 or 46 if you use an Automation Controller. You will also need to update any rules based on center of gravity or surface area in whatever automation software you use.

build 52 release notes

new features

  • Added Zones page for viewing and editing detailed zone parameters.
  • Added selectable occupation detection parameter (the new “param” parameter). This means that a zone can be considered “occupied” based on brightness level, surface area, raw pixel count (the “pop” parameter), and center of gravity.
  • Added the ability to invert a zone’s occupied value (the new “negate” parameter). Useful if a zone should be occupied when a parameter is below a certain value, rather than above.
  • Added delay-based and threshold-based zone hysteresis (the new “on_level”, “off_level”, “on_delay”, and “off_delay” parameters). This can eliminate light flicker if someone is standing just at the edge of a zone, and can also require zone presence for a minimum amount of time before the zone becomes “occupied”.

fixes and improvements

  • Added a confirmation prompt before clearing all zones.
  • Made zone creation and deletion faster (no page reload).
  • Fixed Enter key on Rules page (updates the rule instead of copying).
  • Fixed Enter key on Add Zone dialog (creates the zone instead of canceling).
  • Added partial support for newer Kinect for Windows and Kinect for Xbox 360 models.
  • Changed zone units from meters to millimeters, so there are no more fractions. All surface area thresholds in Automation Rules and the Nitrogen Logic PC Remote will need to be updated.
  • Changed X/Y/Z Center (the “xc”, “yc”, and “zc” parameters) to proportional values between 0 and 1000 (-1 for unoccupied), regardless of zone location. All center of gravity thresholds in Automation Rules and the Nitrogen Logic PC Remote will need to be updated.