Aida Imaging AIDA CCS-USB VISCA Camera Control Unit & Software

The AIDA CCS-USB is a compact camera control unit that connects to a computer over USB and automatically sets up its own COM ports, no manual driver configuration required. It speaks Sony's VISCA protocol for up to 7 primary cameras and the Pelco pan/tilt/zoom protocol for up to 255 cameras, giving one small box control over most VISCA-compatible PTZ cameras on the market. Serial connections run over RS-232, RS-485, or RS-422, and an included RS-232 to RJ-45 crossover cable extends control runs when the camera is far from the operator position.

The bundled software gives an operator a graphical interface for pan, tilt, zoom, focus, and image settings including contrast, saturation, sharpness, gamma, exposure mode, and white balance, without needing a physical joystick controller. It runs on both Windows and Mac OS X, so a single laptop can become the control surface for a small multi-camera production. At 2.44 x 1.37 x 0.74 inches and 50 grams, it is small enough to travel in a laptop bag alongside the cameras it controls.