Controlling Your Cameras

This guide covers how to add cameras, select active devices, and control PTZ movement and presets with MiniJoy.

• Add and manage cameras
• Select and move a camera
• Save and recall presets
• Record and replay PTZ Traces

Adding Cameras

There are two ways to add cameras to MiniJoy: network search or manual entry. The following sections cover both methods.

Via Network Search

Use this method to discover and add IP cameras automatically on your local network.

1. Press the SEARCH button on the controller.
2. Wait for the search to complete. The screen displays "Searching for devices, please wait."
3. Browse the list of discovered cameras using the joystick or F4 knob.
4. For each discovered camera, you can:
   • Edit camera settings before adding
   • Add to the device list: make the camera available for control
5. Press CAM LIST to view the device list and select a camera to control.

Cameras 1 Through 7

The first time you open the MiniJoy's OSD or Cam LIST, these camera slots will be shown as CAM 1 through CAM 7. See the table below.

Camera Slot	Protocol	IP Address
CAM 1	VISCA (UDP)	0.0.0.0
CAM 2	VISCA (UDP)	0.0.0.0
CAM 3	VISCA (UDP)	0.0.0.0
CAM 4	VISCA (UDP)	0.0.0.0
CAM 5	VISCA (UDP)	0.0.0.0
CAM 6	VISCA (UDP)	0.0.0.0
CAM 7	VISCA (UDP)	0.0.0.0

These are essentially blank canvases. As you discover and add cameras, you can assign them to these slots for easy access and control.

We recommend performing your search using the SEARCH button. Then when you want to add a camera select it from the list of discovered devices and assign it to one of the available camera slots. You can also rename the camera for easier identification during this process.

Camera Slots Beyond 7

The MiniJoy controller supports additional camera slots beyond the initial seven. When adding a camera, instead of selecting 1 through 7, scroll down the OSD sub menu until you reach the Save option. This allows you to assign the camera to a slot beyond the first seven.

important

Pressing the Search button will not initiate a search while in the MiniJoy's On Screen Menu. Pressing the Cam LIST button will not display your added cameras, unless you exit the On Screen Menu. Added cameras no longer appear in the search list.

Add a Camera Manually

Use this method when you know the camera IP address or when the camera is not discovered by search.

1. Press MENU to open the keyboard settings menu.

2. Navigate to Device Manager > Add New Device.

3. Configure the fields required by the selected protocol:

   Field	Requirement
   Camera Name	Optional descriptive name for the camera
   Protocol	VISCA UDP, VISCA TCP, VISCA Serial, ONVIF, NDI, Pelco-P, or Pelco-D
   IP Address	Camera network address; not required for serial connections
   Port	Control port for network protocols
   Address	Camera serial address for serial connections
   Baudrate	Communication speed for serial connections; must match the camera
   Video Stream Address	Camera streaming URL for preview video
   RTSP Transport Protocol	TCP for reliability or UDP for lower latency; UDP is recommended for PTZOptics cameras
   Authentication	Enable when the camera service requires authentication
   RTSP Username / Password	Credentials used for RTSP authentication
   Reset Camera Address	Reset the camera address to its default value

4. Select Add to Device List.

5. Select the camera ID. Choose CAM 1 through CAM 7, or select Save to use an ID beyond CAM 7.

6. Exit the menu and press CAM LIST to select the added camera.

Editing & Removing Cameras

1. Press MENU > Device Management > Device List.
2. Select the camera you want to edit. You can:
   • Edit the camera name
   • Change the control protocol
   • Modify the IP address
   • Adjust compatibility mode
   • RTSP transport method: select either TCP or UDP. We recommend UDP for PTZOptics cameras.
     • RTSP over TCP: Prioritizes reliability by retransmitting lost data. This may add latency if the network is congested, but it generally provides a more stable preview.
     • RTSP over UDP: Prioritizes low latency and does not retransmit lost data. This provides a more responsive preview, but dropped packets may cause brief artifacts or interruptions.
   • Edit the RTSP Authentication username and password
   • Delete the device from the list

Changing the RTSP Transport Method

TCP and UDP do not change the stream address itself. They determine how RTSP video is transported from the camera to the joystick.

Select and Move a Camera

Choose a Camera

Choose one of the following methods:

Method	Steps
Device List	Press CAM LIST, then select a device using the joystick or F4 knob
Direct Selection	Press CAM + a number key followed by ENTER to directly select a camera

Moving the Camera

The MiniJoy's 4D joystick allows for simultaneous pan, tilt, and zoom control.

Movement	Description
Pan	Move the joystick left or right
Tilt	Move the joystick up or down
Zoom	Rotate the joystick clockwise (telephoto) or counter-clockwise (wide-angle)
Return to Home	Press the top joystick button to return the currently selected camera to the home position. Additionally, the joystick's top button can be used to make selections within the MiniJoy OSD.

Save and Recall Presets

Control Modes

The MiniJoy uses three different control modes:

• SET: Pressing the SET button transitions the joystick into preset saving mode. The button will remain backlit while in this mode.
• CALL: Pressing the CALL button transitions the joystick into preset recall mode. The button will remain backlit while in this mode.
• DELETE: Pressing the DELETE button transitions the joystick into preset deletion mode. The button will remain backlit while in this mode.

Saving a Preset Camera Position: SET Mode

tip

Before setting presets, we recommend choosing your desired Keypad Numeric Mode. The MiniJoy supports Keypad Numeric Mode 10, which allows setting presets 1 through 10, and Keypad Numeric Mode 255, which allows for setting presets up to 255. To configure the keypad numeric mode, refer to the MiniJoy OSD settings.

With the desired camera selected, follow the steps below to save a preset camera position.

1. Move the camera to the desired position.
2. Press the SET button to enter preset saving mode.
3. Press a number key (e.g., 1) to choose the preset slot for saving the current camera position.
4. Press ENTER to save the preset.

note

Many PTZOptics cameras provide a feature called Image Presets. This feature can be toggled ON or OFF in the camera's settings. When enabled, the camera will store additional image settings (such as exposure and white balance) along with the preset position.

Please keep this in mind when saving preset camera positions using the MiniJoy.

You can also enable a custom knob function called, Image with Presets, which enables the MiniJoy to store image settings along with the preset camera position.

Recall a Preset Position: CALL Mode

Follow the steps below to recall a preset camera position.

1. Press the CALL button to enter preset recall mode.
2. Press the desired preset's number key (e.g., 1).
3. Press ENTER to recall the preset.

Record and Replay PTZ Traces

PTZ Trace

PTZ Trace records a custom pan, tilt, and zoom movement to a preset number. You can then replay the movement once or continuously on a loop.

Configure PTZ Trace

Before using PTZ Trace, open the MiniJoy OSD knob settings or the Web UI knob configuration page and assign each of these functions to its own knob:

Function	Purpose
PTZ Trace Record	Record a camera movement
PTZ Trace Call	Replay a recorded movement
PTZ Trace Delete	Delete a recorded movement

In the MiniJoy OSD, navigate to Controls > PTZ Trace to configure playback behavior:

Setting	Description
Loop Playback	Enable to repeat the recorded movement until playback is stopped; disable to replay it once
P/T	Enable or disable recorded pan and tilt movements during playback
Zoom	Enable or disable recorded zoom movements during playback
Focus	Enable or disable autofocus during playback

Record a PTZ Movement

With the desired camera selected, follow these steps:

1. Press SET to enter preset saving mode.
2. Press the number key for the preset where you want to store the movement (for example, 1).
3. Press the knob assigned to PTZ Trace Record.
4. Perform the desired camera movement, including any pan, tilt, or zoom actions.
5. Press ENTER to save the movement.

Call a Recorded PTZ Movement

1. Press CALL to enter preset recall mode.
2. Press the number key for the preset where the movement was saved.
3. Press the knob assigned to PTZ Trace Call. The camera begins replaying the recorded movement.

When Loop Playback is enabled, the movement repeats until you stop it. Press ENTER at any time to stop playback.

Delete a Recorded PTZ Movement

1. Press DELETE to enter preset deletion mode.
2. Press the number key for the preset containing the recorded movement.
3. Press the knob assigned to PTZ Trace Delete.
4. Press ENTER to confirm the deletion.