how to use a Camera Link Frame Grabber as slave with a splitter?

[Jeroen12345]

Hello,

According to the NI knowledge base it should be possible to use a framegrabber as a slave device ( see http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/45C1506C829B62F4862570910073012B). I have a splitter as mentioned in the article and my framegrabber is a PCIe-1430. I also have an icd file for my camera. Without the splitter the framegrabber works, but as a slave it doesn't. I suspect this has to do with the control signals, which are not available to the slave. How can I get the PCIe-1430 to work as a slave. Do I have to modify the icd file? if so, how?

[ninlmartijn]

Dear Jeroen,

thank you so much for your post on our webforum.  What device are you using as camera master device? Is this device working well (when trying to grab a image with the NI framegrabber) with the splitter in place?

Best regards,

[Jeroen12345]

Hello,

The camera master device is specially developed for us, but basically it is a PC with a framegrabber. The machine itself remains functioning perfectly with the splitter in place. So the master is the machine( special PC with framegrabber), slave is the monitoring pc with the PCIe-1430 NI framegrabber and the camera is a Dalsa Falcon 1.4M100.

[ninlmartijn]

Dear Jeroen,

can you try to create a custom camera file? You can leave all items which controls the camera out. You can find the camera file generator on this location.

Best regards,

[Jeroen12345]

Hello,

I used the generator to create the icd file (see attachment). It doesn't work. Everytime I select the grab option while the camera is being used by the 'master', I get the popup about the time-out. It suggest increasing the IMAQ time-out setting, but this doesn't solve it.

[ninlmartijn]

Dear Jeroen,

bad to hear that this didn't solve it. I couldn't find any information that another camera file should be used so this was only short attempt.

- Are you able to test this the other way around; so your current master as slave and the PCIe 1430 as master on the splitter?

- Is it possible for you to try another type of camera link base camera on the splitter?

Best regards,

[ninlmartijn]

Dear Jeroen,

we definitely need the original camera file, so no need to modify that. Please let me know how the tests are going; we can also try lower resolutions, free running mode.

Best regards,

[Jeroen12345]

Hello,

I tried switching the master and the slave a couple of times, first it didn't work, but somehow now it does. It's strange since I've spent so much time getting it to work and now with the same setup and the original camera file it just works. I cannot explain it. Maybe it was the order in which I powered up the machine, PC with framegrabber and the splitter.

I do this all from the measurement and automation explorer. When I press the 'grab' button I do still have that it times out after  a few seconds. Increasing the time-out value does not help. 

You are talking about free running mode. This is what I basically want. I thought what I'm doing now is using free running mode, or is there still a free running mode I can put the framegrabber in?