Tap Configuration for PCIe-1427 Framegrabber

[KG45]

Hi,

I am still new to Vision and camera file generation, so I hope I am understanding things right.

I am using a CIS sensor (like a line scan camera) from Tichawa Vision, which is connected via Cameralink using a PCIe-1427 frame grabber.

The framegrabber has a cameralink base port and as far as I know, 24bit or 3 8bit taps can be transferred per clock using this port. The image captured by the CIS should be transmitted via three taps and a depth of 8 bit.

In the Camerafile generator a selection of three taps is provided, but greyed out.
However, the following documentation does not provide a configuration of 3 taps in general: https://www.ni.com/de-de/support/documentation/supplemental/18/framegrabber-specifications-for-the-n...

I also tried the configuration with a PCIe-1429 frame grabber. With this 1,2,4,8 and 10 taps are selectable, but 3 taps can not be selected either.

So my question is: Is it possible to capture an image divided into 3 taps with 8bit depth with a PCIe-1427 framegrabber? Or are the 3 Taps used for RGB images and if so, can I somehow use them as 3 taps anyways?

I hope someone can give me advice.

Thanks,
Kerstin

[AmitShachaf]

Hi,

First I want to note that you can submit service request and get Help from NI. It is part of what they do.

Many times CIS will already have the camera file for NI frame grabber. You just need to ask them for it.

But if you want to do it yourself. Then 24bit color (3x 8bit) is considered 1Tap.

You open Settings --> Camera and define line scan camera

Then set the other parameters in the acquisition window. 

Myself I did it few times and always got help from the camera manufacturer. In your case it is CIS.

Usually I didn't get optimal file without their help.

Good luck - Amit

[KG45]

Hi,

thank you for your reply. I also submitted a service request to NI (got no reply yet) and I am communicating with the CIS (contact image sensor) producer to create the camera file. The producer does not provide a camera file for NI frame grabbers, so I have to create it myself.

The procedure you describe seems to be working if you are trying to set up an RGB-Image, but I need to get a grayscale image with 3 taps next to each other. This configuration is specified by the producer and needed due to performance reasons.
I am not sure if this tap configuration is provided by the Framegrabber PCIe-1427 because the option is greyed out in the camera file generator. And I want to find out if there is any way to get this 3 tap image, because Cameralink base can transfer 3 signals per clock with 8 bit depth. So it should be possible to get 3 taps out of a Cameralink base connection, but I don't know how.

I hope this describes my problem better.

-Kerstin

[KG45]

Hi,

I finally got an answer from NI. It is not possible to get a monochrome 3 tap image with 8bit depth using the PCIe-1427 framegrabber, although it says so in the manual:

"Base configuration includes the following bit allocations:

• 8-bit × 1, 2, and 3 taps (channels)

• …"

Here is a Link to a documentation also saying, it is not possible.

https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA00Z000000kHzSSAU&l=de-DE

If someone knows a workaround, I am still interested.

-Kerstin

[SamiF]

I would be interested in knowing which camera you are using.

The only ones I know are the Photonfocus MV1-DXXX-240-CL.

Although these cameras are CL Base, it is highly recommended to avoid using the 1427 anyway as it would not sustain the required bandwidth (3 x 80Mpixels/s).

At the time we interfaced this camera with a 1433, the 3 taps 8 bits configuration did not exist so we declared the camera as a RGB24 and then during the acquisition we had to run a specific function to "cast" the fake RGB image returned by NI-IMAQ to the real monochome data.

I guess you could do the same if you want to use the 1427.

Sami Fathallah

Opto France