Triggering a JAI Camera link Camera CVM4+CL with PCI 1428?

[Fuffkin]

I've got a Jai CVM4+CL (camera link) that I am trying to trigger from an external source on a PCI-1428. I have a D6804 cable attached to supply a simple test TTL trigger. The setup works fine when non-triggered, but when trying triggered using a basic example like "HL Triggered Snap.vi" (and switching the camera DIP switches to triggered) I just get a timeout. I know the camera is fine and the necessary switch settings for triggering are OK, as I have this working as expected on a non-NI card. Any ideas why the 1428 is doing this???

P.S. running under XP on LV 6.1

[Brent_R]

There are three ways to trigger an IMAQ acquisition.

1. Camera is in free run mode and the acquisition is setup as a triggered acquisition. When the board gets a trigger pulse, it captures the next available frame.

2. Camera is set up in a triggered mode and the board is simply waiting for a frame. In this case the external trigger signal is connected directly to the camera. When the camera receives a trigger, it sends a frame to the board. As far as the software is concerned this is configured as a non-triggered acquisition and the frame timeout is simply set long enough to accomodate the external trigger.

3. Camera and acquisition are set up in triggered mode and the external trigger is connected to the board. When the board receives a trigger, it immediately relays the trigger to the camera and captures the frame. The trigger to the board is edge controlled, while the signal relayed from the board to the camera can be edge controlled or level controlled, which allows for flexibility in programmatically controlling the exposure time.

From what I can tell, this particular camera file does not support option 3. For truely asynchronous operation, you will need to connect the trigger directly to the camera (pin 10 on the 12-pin Hirose connector). Configure the camera to receive the trigger on this line. Page 4 of the user manual indicates that this can be done either by setting an internal switch or a serial command ("TP"). I would recommend setting the switch, unless you are comfortable with the IMAQ Serial commands. You can find them in imaqll.llb, however they are not in the function pallette by default. There is not currently any documentation on these functions, but they are fairly straighforeward. If a timing error of up to 1 frame period is acceptable, then option 1 might be a little easier to implement.

Section 6.4 in the manual describes the various triggered modes for this camera.

Regards,

Brent R.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[Fuffkin]

Brent,

I am trying to run the camera as of option 3 and had set the jumpers up on the camera for the necessary mode. Are you saying that the board will not pass a trigger form the D6804 cable up to the camera via the Cameralink cable? Is this a function of the board or the camera file? If it is the camera file can this be changed? Can I change it?
I don't really wish to use to use Option 2 as I would prefer the tidier wiring of the CameraLink cable, plus the hirose signal is single-ended so less immune to noise. You are implying that the trigger would be "relayed" in an Option 3 solution rather than "passed-through" and that Option 2 is quicker. If this is the case what is the propagation delay on this?
What loss of trigger resolution can I expect?

As a
general point, how could I have found this out before investing time and money in trying this out for myself? Where is this information? Once again I am troubled by (what I believe to be) the lack of fundamental information/specs regarding products.

Regards

Jon