Important Information
Warranty
The NI PCI-1426 is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of shipment, as evidenced
by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective during the
warranty period. This warranty includes parts and labor.
The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects in
materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments
will, at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such defects
during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free.
A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before any
equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will pay the shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are covered by
warranty.
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the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of this document
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Compliance
Compliance with FCC/Canada Radio Frequency Interference
Regulations
Determining FCC Class
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rules to protect wireless communications from interference. The FCC
places digital electronics into two classes. These classes are known as Class A (for use in industrial-commercial locations only)
or Class B (for use in residential or commercial locations). All National Instruments (NI) products are FCC Class A products.
Depending on where it is operated, this Class A product could be subject to restrictions in the FCC rules. (In Canada, the
Department of Communications (DOC), of Industry Canada, regulates wireless interference in much the same way.) Digital
electronics emit weak signals during normal operation that can affect radio, television, or other wireless products.
All Class A products display a simple warning statement of one paragraph in length regarding interference and undesired
operation. The FCC rules have restrictions regarding the locations where FCC Class A products can be operated.
FCC/DOC Warnings
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in strict accordance with the instructions
in this manual and the CE marking Declaration of Conformity*, may cause interference to radio and television reception.
Classification requirements are the same for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Canadian Department
of Communications (DOC).
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by NI could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment under the
FCC Rules.
Class A
Federal Communications Commission
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC
Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated
in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this
equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user is required to correct the interference
at their own expense.
Canadian Department of Communications
This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.
Compliance with EU Directives
Users in the European Union (EU) should refer to the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) for information* pertaining to the
CE marking. Refer to the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) for this product for any additional regulatory compliance
information. To obtain the DoC for this product, visit ni.com/certification, search by model number or product line,
and click the appropriate link in the Certification column.
*
The CE marking Declaration of Conformity contains important supplementary information and instructions for the user or
installer.
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Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
<>
Angle brackets that contain numbers separated by an ellipsis represent a
range of values associated with a bit or signal name—for example,
AO <3..0>.
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.
bold
Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such
as menu items and dialog box options. Bold text also denotes parameter
names.
italic
Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an introduction
to a key concept. Italic text also denotes text that is a placeholder for a word
or value that you must supply.
monospace
Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from the
keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples.
This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories,
programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions, operations,
variables, filenames, and extensions.
NI 1426
NI 1426 refers to the NI PCI-1426 image acquisition device.
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Chapter 1
NI-IMAQ Driver Software..............................................................................1-2
National Instruments Application Software....................................................1-2
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection.........................................1-3
Integration with DAQ and Motion ..................................................................1-4
Chapter 2
Data Transmission...........................................................................................2-2
Connecting to a Quadrature Encoder ..............................................................2-6
High-Speed Timing .........................................................................................2-7
Acquisition and Region of Interest (ROI) .......................................................2-7
Bus Master PCI Interface ................................................................................2-8
Start Conditions...............................................................................................2-8
Chapter 3
Signal Connections
Connectors .....................................................................................................................3-2
MDR 26-Pin Connector...................................................................................3-2
15-pin D-SUB Connector................................................................................3-3
Connector Signal Connection Descriptions.....................................................3-4
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Contents
Appendix A
Cabling
Technical Support and Professional Services
Glossary
Index
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1
Introduction
The NI 1426 is an interface device that supports a diverse range of Camera
Link-compatible cameras. The NI 1426 acquires digital images in real time
and stores the images in onboard frame memory or transfers them directly
to system memory. Featuring a high-speed data flow path, the NI 1426 is
ideal for both industrial and scientific environments.
The NI 1426 is easy to install and configure. It ships with NI-IMAQ, the
National Instruments complete Vision driver software you can use to
directly control the NI 1426 and other National Instruments Vision
applications without having to program the device at the register level.
The NI 1426 supports the Camera Link Base configuration. The
MDR 26-pin connector provides access to base configuration cameras. For
further configuration information, refer to the Camera Link and the
NI 1426 section of Chapter 2, Hardware Overview.
The 15-pin D-SUB connector has four external TTL input/output (I/O)
lines you can use as triggers or as high-speed digital I/O lines. Should you
choose not to use the TTL I/O lines, the 15-pin D-SUB connector also
provides access to two optically isolated inputs and two RS-422 inputs.
These inputs can be individually selected in software.
For more advanced digital or analog system triggering or digital I/O lines,
you can use the NI 1426 and NI-IMAQ with the National Instruments data
acquisition (DAQ) or motion control product lines.
Synchronizing several functions to a common trigger or timing event can
be a challenge with image acquisition devices. The NI 1426 uses the
Real-Time System Integration (RTSI) bus to solve this problem.
The RTSI bus uses the National Instruments RTSI bus interface and ribbon
cable to route additional timing and trigger signals between the NI 1426
and up to four National Instruments DAQ, Motion Control, or image
acquisition devices.
For detailed specifications of the NI 1426, refer to the Specifications
section of Getting Started with the NI PCI-1426.
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Software Overview
Programming the NI 1426 requires the NI-IMAQ driver software for
controlling the hardware. National Instruments also offers the following
application software packages for analyzing and processing your acquired
images.
•
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection—Allows you to configure
solutions to common inspection tasks.
•
Vision Development Module—Provides customized control over
hardware and algorithms.
NI-IMAQ Driver Software
The NI-IMAQ driver software ships with the NI 1426. NI-IMAQ has an
extensive library of functions—such as routines for video configuration,
continuous and single shot image acquisition, memory buffer allocation,
trigger control, and device configuration—you can call from the
application development environment (ADE). NI-IMAQ handles many of
the complex issues between the computer and the image acquisition device,
such as programming interrupts and camera control.
NI-IMAQ performs all functions required for acquiring and saving images
but does not perform image analysis. Refer to the National Instruments
Application Software section for image analysis functionality.
NI-IMAQ is also the interface between the NI 1426 and LabVIEW,
LabWindows™/CVI™, or a text-based programming environment. The
NI-IMAQ software kit includes a series of libraries for image acquisition
for LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, and Measurement Studio, which
contains libraries for Microsoft Visual Basic.
NI-IMAQ features both high-level and low-level functions. Examples
of high-level functions include the sequences to acquire images in
multi-buffer, single-shot, or continuous mode. An example of a low-level
function is configuring an image sequence, since it requires advanced
understanding of the Vision device and image acquisition.
National Instruments Application Software
This section describes the National Instruments application software
packages you can use to analyze and process the images you acquire with
the NI 1426.
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Vision Builder for Automated Inspection
NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (AI) is configurable machine
vision software that you can use to prototype, benchmark, and deploy
applications. Vision Builder AI does not require programming, but is
scalable to powerful programming environments.
Vision Builder AI allows you to easily configure and benchmark a
sequence of visual inspection steps, as well as deploy the visual inspection
system for automated inspection. With Vision Builder AI, you can perform
powerful visual inspection tasks and make decisions based on the results
of individual tasks. You also can migrate the configured inspection to
LabVIEW, extending the capabilities of the applications if necessary.
Vision Development Module
NI Vision Development Module, which consists of NI Vision and
NI Vision Assistant, is an image acquisition, processing, and analysis
library of more than 270 functions for the following common machine
vision tasks:
•
•
•
•
•
Pattern matching
Particle analysis
Gauging
Taking measurements
Grayscale, color, and binary image display
You can use the Vision Development Module functions individually or
in combination. With the Vision Development Module, you can acquire,
display, and store images, as well as perform image analysis and
processing. Using the Vision Development Module, imaging novices and
experts can program the most basic or complicated image applications
without knowledge of particular algorithm implementations.
As a part of the Vision Development Module, NI Vision Assistant is an
interactive prototyping tool for machine vision and scientific imaging
developers. With Vision Assistant, you can prototype vision applications
quickly and test how various image processing functions work.
Vision Assistant generates a Builder file, which is a text description
containing a recipe of the machine vision and image processing functions.
This Builder file provides a guide you can use for developing applications
in any ADE, such as LabWindows/CVI or Visual Basic, using the Vision
Assistant machine vision and image processing libraries. Using the
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Chapter 1
Introduction
LabVIEW VI creation wizard, Vision Assistant can create LabVIEW VI
diagrams that perform the prototype you created in Vision Assistant.
You can then use LabVIEW to add functionality to the generated VI.
Integration with DAQ and Motion
Platforms that support NI-IMAQ also support NI-DAQ and a variety of
National Instruments DAQ devices. This allows integration between image
acquisition devices and National Instruments DAQ devices.
Use National Instruments high-performance stepper and servo motion
control products with pattern matching software in inspection and guidance
applications, such as locating alignment markers on semiconductor wafers,
guiding robotic arms, inspecting the quality of manufactured parts, and
locating cells.
Camera Link
This section provides a brief overview of the Camera Link standard. Refer
to the Specifications of the Camera Link Interface Standard for Digital
Cameras and Frame Grabbers manual for more detailed information about
Camera Link specifications. This manual is available on several Web sites,
including the Automated Imaging Association site at
Overview
Developed by a consortium of camera and image acquisition device
manufacturers, Camera Link is a standard for interfacing digital cameras
with image acquisition devices. Camera Link simplifies connectivity
between the image acquisition device and the camera by defining a single
standard connector for both. This standard ensures physical compatibility
of devices bearing the Camera Link logo.
The basis for the Camera Link standard is the National Semiconductor
Channel Link chipset, a data transmission method consisting of a
general-purpose transmitter/receiver pair. The Channel Link driver takes
28 bits of parallel digital data and a clock and serializes the stream to
four LVDS (EIA-644) data streams and an LVDS clock, providing
high-speed data transmission across 10 wires and over distances of up
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2
Hardware Overview
This chapter provides an overview of NI 1426 hardware functionality and
explains the operations of the NI 1426 functional units.
Functional Overview
The NI 1426 features a flexible, high-speed data path optimized for
receiving and formatting video data from Camera Link cameras.
Figure 2-1 illustrates the key functional components of the NI 1426.
Synchronous Dynamic RAM
Data
Data
SDRAM
Data
Interface
Enables
Channel
Link
PCI Interface
Pixel Clock and Camera Enables
and
Scatter-Gather
Receiver
Pixel
Clock
DMA Controllers
Camera
Control
Advanced
Timing
Acquisition,
ROI, and Triggering
Serial
Differential
Converter
Control
UART
External Triggers
RTSI Bus
Figure 2-1. NI 1426 Block Diagram
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Chapter 2
Hardware Overview
Camera Link and the NI 1426
The NI 1426 supports the Camera Link Base configuration.
Base Configuration
The Camera Link Base configuration places 24 data bits and four enable
signals (Frame Valid, Line Valid, Data Valid, and a spare) on a single
Channel Link part and cable.
The Base configuration includes asynchronous serial transmission as well
as four digital camera control lines for controlling exposure time, frame
rates, and other camera control signals. These four control lines are
configured in the camera file to generate precise timing signals for
controlling digital camera acquisition.
Base configuration includes the following bit allocations:
•
•
•
•
•
•
8-bit × 1, 2, and 3 taps (channels)
10-bit × 1 and 2 taps
12-bit × 1 and 2 taps
14-bit × 1 tap
16-bit × 1 tap
24-bit RGB
Data Transmission
A 28-to-4 serializing Channel Link chip drives the data and camera enable
signals across the Camera Link cable, and the camera’s pixel clock controls
the Channel Link’s data transmission. The four LVDS pairs are then
deserialized by another Channel Link chip on the NI 1426.
Note Exact timing of camera and image acquisition device communication is camera
dependent. Refer to the Specifications of the Camera Link Interface Standard for Digital
Cameras and Frame Grabbers manual for more information about Camera Link timing
requirements.
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Hardware Overview
Hardware Binarization
The NI 1426 supports binarization and inverse binarization. Binarization
and inverse binarization segment an image into two regions: a particle
region and a background region. Use binarization and inverse binarization
to isolate objects of interest in an image.
To separate objects under consideration from the background, select a pixel
value range. This pixel value range is known as the gray-level interval, or
the threshold interval. Binarization works by setting all image pixels that
fall within the threshold interval to the image white value and setting all
other image pixels to 0. Pixels inside the threshold interval are considered
part of the particle region. Pixels outside the threshold interval are
considered part of the background region.
Inverse binarization flips the assigned bit numbers of the particle region and
the background region. Thus, all pixels that belong in the threshold interval,
or the particle region, are set to 0, while all pixels outside the threshold
interval, or the background region, are set to the image white value.
Figure 2-2 illustrates binarization and inverse binarization.
NORMAL
INVERSE
Sampled Data
Sampled Data
Figure 2-2. Binarization and Inverse Binarization
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Chapter 2
Hardware Overview
Multiple-Tap Data Formatter
Many digital cameras transfer multiple taps, or channels, of data
simultaneously to increase the frame rate of the camera. However, the data
in each tap may not be transferred in the traditional top-left to bottom-right
direction. Also, the taps may not transfer data in the same direction.
The multiple-tap data formatting circuitry on the NI 1426 can reorder the
data from up to three taps. The data from each tap can be independently
scanned either from left-to-right or right-to-left and top-to-bottom or
bottom-to-top.
Note For your convenience, data reformatting instructions for these cameras have been
preprogrammed into the camera files.
SDRAM
Depending on the memory option purchased, the NI 1426 has 16 MB or
32 MB of onboard high-speed synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM). The
NI 1426 uses the onboard RAM as a FIFO buffer to ensure a complete
acquisition. Even when the data rate from the camera exceeds PCI
throughput, you can acquire without interruption until the onboard RAM
is full.
Trigger Control and Mapping Circuitry
The trigger control and mapping circuitry routes, monitors, and drives
the external and RTSI bus trigger lines. You can configure each line to start
an acquisition on a rising or falling edge and drive each line asserted or
unasserted, much like a digital I/O line. You also can map pulses from the
high-speed timing circuitry or many of the NI 1426 status signals to these
trigger lines. Four RTSI bus triggers and four external triggers (all of
which are programmable for polarity and direction) are available for
simultaneous use.
Individually configure the four external triggers in Measurement and
Automation Explorer (MAX), the National Instruments Configuration
utility, as single-ended I/O lines or, alternatively, as isolated or RS-422
input only lines. You can configure the four external triggers in any
combination of single-ended I/O or input only lines. Table 2-1 lists the
configuration options available for each trigger source.
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Table 2-1. Trigger Configuration Options for the NI 1426
Single-ended
Input/Output
Alternative
Input Only
Trigger Number
0
1
2
3
TTL_TRIG(0)
TTL_TRIG(1)
TTL_TRIG(2)
TTL_TRIG(3)
ISO_IN(0)
ISO_IN(1)
RS422_IN(0)
RS422_IN(1)
Note If not configured as single-ended I/O lines, triggers have input only capability.
Wiring an Isolated Input to Output Devices
You can wire an isolated input to both sourcing and sinking output devices.
Refer to Figures 2-3 and 2-4 for wiring examples by output type. Refer to
Getting Started with the NI PCI-1426 for information about switching
thresholds and current requirements.
Caution Do not apply a voltage greater than 30 VDC to the isolated inputs. Voltage greater
than 30 VDC may damage the NI 1426.
Note Isolated inputs are compatible with 5 V logic if the external circuit meets the voltage
and current requirements listed in Getting Started with the NI PCI-1426.
Sensor
Power
PNP (Sourcing)
Output Device
Vcc
IN+
IN–
Current
Limiter
Sensor
Common
NI 1426
Figure 2-3. Example of Connecting an Isolated Input to a Sourcing Output Device
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Sensor
Power
Vcc
IN+
IN–
Current
Limiter
NPN (Sinking)
Output Device
NI 1426
Sensor
Common
Figure 2-4. Example of Connecting an Isolated Input to a Sinking Output Device
Connecting to a Quadrature Encoder
The NI 1426 accepts differential (RS-422) line driver inputs. Shielded
encoder cables are recommended for all applications. Unshielded cables
are more susceptible to noise and can corrupt the encoder signals. Refer to
Figure 2-5 for an example of connecting differential line drivers.
Encoder
NI 1426
Phase A+
7
8
+
–
Phase A
Phase B
26LS32
26LS32
Twisted
Pair
Phase A–
Phase A–
Phase B+
14
15
+
–
Twisted
Pair
Phase B–
Phase B–
Figure 2-5. Example of Connecting Differential Line Drivers
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High-Speed Timing
Built from high-speed counters, the high-speed timing circuitry on the
NI 1426 can generate precise real-time control signals for your camera.
Map the output of this circuitry to a trigger line to provide accurate pulses
and pulse trains. Map these control signals to the camera control lines to
control exposure time and frame rate.
Note For your convenience, the external control for cameras that support the NI 1426 has
been preprogrammed into the camera file. You can use MAX to specify the frequency and
duration of these signals in easy-to-use units.
The NI 1426 also allows you to route the external trigger inputs 0–3 onto
the camera control lines 1–4. Use MAX to select the source for the camera
control lines. You have the option to choose either the default control signal
that is specified in the camera file or the external trigger input as the source
for the camera control lines.
Acquisition and Region of Interest (ROI)
The acquisition and ROI circuitry monitors incoming video signals and
routes the active pixels to the multiple-tap data formatter and SDRAM.
The NI 1426 can perform ROI acquisitions on all video lines and frames.
In an ROI acquisition, select an area within the acquisition window to
transfer across the PCI bus to system memory.
Configure the following parameters on the NI 1426 to control the video
acquisition window:
•
Acquisition window—The NI 1426 allows the user to specify a
particular region of active pixels and active lines within the incoming
video data. The active pixel region selects the starting pixel and
number of pixels to be acquired relative to the assertion edge of the
horizontal (or line) enable signal from the camera. The active line
region selects the starting line and number of lines to be acquired
relative to the assertion edge of the vertical (or frame) enable signal.
•
Region of interest—The NI 1426 uses a second level of active pixel
and active line regions for selecting a region of interest. Using the
region-of-interest circuitry, the device acquires only a selected subset
of the acquisition window.
Note You can use MAX to set the acquisition window on the NI 1426.
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Scatter-Gather DMA Controllers
The NI 1426 uses three independent onboard direct memory access (DMA)
controllers. The DMA controllers transfer data between the onboard
SDRAM memory buffers and the PCI bus. Each of these controllers
supports scatter-gather DMA, which allows the DMA controller to
reconfigure on-the-fly. The NI 1426 can perform continuous image
transfers directly to either contiguous or fragmented memory buffers.
Bus Master PCI Interface
The NI 1426 implements the PCI interface with a National Instruments
custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the PCI miniMITE.
The PCI interface can transfer data at a theoretical maximum rate of
133 MB/s in bus master mode.
Start Conditions
The NI 1426 can start acquisitions in the following ways:
•
•
•
Software control—The NI 1426 supports software control of a start
acquisition. You can configure the NI 1426 to capture a fixed number
of frames. This configuration is useful for capturing a single frame or
a sequence of frames.
Trigger control—You can start an acquisition by enabling external
or RTSI bus trigger lines. Each of these inputs can start a video
acquisition on a rising or falling edge. You can use all four external
triggers and up to four RTSI bus triggers simultaneously.
Delayed acquisition—Use either software or triggers to start
acquisitions instantaneously or after skipping a specific number of
frames. You can use delayed acquisition for post-trigger applications.
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Chapter 2
Hardware Overview
Serial Interface
The NI 1426 provides serial connections to and from the camera through
two LVDS pairs in the Camera Link cable. All Camera Link serial
communication uses one start bit, one stop bit, no parity, and no hardware
handshaking.
The NI 1426 supports the following baud rates: 56000, 38400, 19200,
9600, 7200, 4800, 3600, 2400, 2000, 1800, 1200, 600, and 300 bps.
You can use the serial interface interactively with MAX and
clsercon.exe, or programmatically with LabVIEW and C.
Interactively:
•
MAX—Use MAX with a camera file containing preprogrammed
commands. When an acquisition is initiated, the commands are sent to
the camera.
• clsercon.exe—Use the National Instruments terminal emulator for
Camera Link, clsercon.exe, if a camera file with preprogrammed
serial commands does not exist for your camera. With
clsercon.exe, you can still communicate serially with your
camera. Go to <NI-IMAQ>\binto access clsercon.exe.
Programmatically:
•
LabVIEW—Use the serial interface programmatically, through calls
to the NI-IMAQ driver using the IMAQ Serial Write and IMAQ Serial
Read VIs. Go to <LabVIEW>\vi.lib\vision\driver\
imaqll.llbto access these files.
•
C—Use the serial interface programmatically, through calls to the
NI-IMAQ driver using imgSessionSerialWriteand
imgSessionSerialRead.
Note IMAQ Serial Read, IMAQ Serial Write, clsercon.exe,
imgSessionSerialRead, and imgSessionSerialWriteare used for directly
accessing the NI 1426 serial port and are not required for most users.
National Instruments also fully supports the recommended serial API
described in the Specifications of the Camera Link Interface Standard for
Digital Cameras and Frame Grabbers manual. This manual is available on
several websites, including the Automated Image Association Web site at
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Chapter 3
Signal Connections
Connectors
This section describes the MDR 26-pin connector and the 15-pin D-SUB
connector on the NI 1426.
MDR 26-Pin Connector
The MDR 26-pin connector provides reliable high-frequency transfer rates
use a 3M Camera Link cable. Refer to the Camera Link Cables section of
Appendix A, Cabling, for additional information about Camera Link
cables, including available cable lengths and ordering information.
Figure 3-2 shows the NI 1426 MDR 26-pin connector assignments. Refer
to Table 3-1 for a description of the MDR 26-pin and 15-pin D-SUB signal
connections.
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23 10
24 11
25 12
26 13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
DGND
CC(4)+
CC(3)–
CC(2)+
CC(1)–
SerTFG–
SerTC+
X(3)–
XCLK–
X(2)–
X(1)–
X(0)–
DGND
DGND
CC(4)–
CC(3)+
CC(2)–
CC(1)+
SerTFG+
SerTC–
X(3)+
XCLK+
X(2)+
X(1)+
X(0)+
DGND
Figure 3-2. MDR 26-Pin Connector Assignments
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Chapter 3
Signal Connections
15-pin D-SUB Connector
The 15-pin D-SUB connector connects to general purpose digital I/O. The
I/O lines, two optically isolated input lines, and two RS-422 input lines.
National Instruments provides a generic 15-pin cable assembly kit
Specifications section of Appendix A, Cabling, for information about
ordering a cable assembly kit.
If you require twisted pair wiring, you must build a custom cable. Refer to
the connector pin assignments in Figure 3-3 and the 15-Pin D-SUB Cable
Specifications section of Appendix A, Cabling, to build a custom cable for
the 15-pin D-SUB connector.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
TTL_TRIG(0)
TTL_TRIG(1)
TTL_TRIG(2)
TTL_TRIG(3)
ISO_IN(0)+
ISO_IN(0)–
PHASE_A+
PHASE_A–
9
DGND
DGND
DGND
ISO_IN(1)+
ISO_IN(1)–
PHASE_B+
PHASE_B–
10
11
12
13
14
15
Figure 3-3. 15-Pin D-SUB Connector Pin Assignments
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Chapter 3
Signal Connections
Connector Signal Connection Descriptions
Table 3-1 describes the MDR 26-pin and 15-pin D-SUB signal
connections.
Table 3-1. I/O Connector Signals
Signal Name
TTL_TRIG<3..0>
DGND
Description
TTL external triggers/DIO lines (I/O).
Direct connection to digital GND on the NI 1426.
30 V isolated input only lines.
ISO_IN<1..0>
Use these lines instead of, not in addition to, TTL_TRIG<1..0>.
The primary use of these signals is for interfacing to a quadrature encoder.
PHASE_A
PHASE_B
Alternatively, these pairs can be used as independent RS-422 trigger inputs
instead of, not in addition to, TTL_TRIG<3..2>.
X<3..0>
XCLK
LVDS Base configuration data and enable signals from the camera to the
acquisition device.
Transmission clock on the Base configuration chip for Camera Link
communication between the acquisition device and the camera.
SerTC
Serial transmission to the camera from the image acquisition device.
Serial transmission to the frame grabber from the camera.
SerTFG
CC<4..1>
Four LVDS pairs, defined as camera inputs and acquisition device outputs,
reserved for camera control.
On some cameras, the camera controls allow the acquisition device to control
exposure time and frame rate.
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A
Cabling
This appendix contains cabling requirements for the NI 1426, including
Camera Link cable ordering information.
15-Pin D-SUB Cable Specifications
National Instruments provides a generic 15-pin cable assembly kit
(part number 190912-04) that breaks the connector out into 15 color-coded
wires for easy connectivity. Visit the National Instruments Web site at
ni.com/catalogto purchase a cable assembly kit for the NI 1426.
that you use twisted pair wiring to help reduce noise pickup from outside
sources and crosstalk. TTL I/O lines should be twisted together with a wire
connected to DGND. Isolated input and RS-422 input lines should be
twisted together in their proper +/– pairs.
Refer to the Connectors section of Chapter 3, Signal Connections, for
connector pin assignments.
Camera Link Cables
Use a standard Camera Link cable to connect your camera to the MDR
26-pin connector on the NI 1426. Camera Link cables consist of two MDR
26-pin male plugs linked with a twin-axial shielded cable and are available
in two shell configurations.
Note National Instruments recommends purchasing a Camera Link cable. Building your
own cable is not recommended due to the high-speed signaling on the Camera Link
interface.
Refer to the Specifications of the Camera Link Interface Standard for
Digital Cameras and Frame Grabbers manual for more information about
Camera Link cables.
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Appendix A
Cabling
Figure A-1 illustrates the Camera Link cable.
1
2
1
MDR 26-Pin Male Plug
2
2X Thumbscrews
Figure A-1. Camera Link Cable
Ordering Information
from both National Instruments and 3M.
Two-meter Camera Link cables (part number 187676-02) are available
from the National Instruments Web site at ni.com/catalog. Camera
Link cables are available in 1 to 10 m lengths from the 3M Web site at
www.3m.com. Refer to Figure A-2 for 3M part number information.
14X26-SZLB-XXX-0LC
Shell Retention Options:
B = Thumbscrew shell kit
T = Thumbscrew overmold shell
Length:
100 = 1 meter
200 = 2 meters
300 = 3 meters
450 = 4.5 meters
500 = 5 meters
700 = 7 meters
A00 = 10 meters
Figure A-2. 3M Part Number Ordering Information
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B
Technical Support and
Professional Services
Visit the following sections of the National Instruments Web site at
ni.comfor technical support and professional services:
•
Support—Online technical support resources at ni.com/support
include the following:
–
Self-Help Resources—For answers and solutions, visit the
award-winning National Instruments Web site for software drivers
and updates, a searchable KnowledgeBase, product manuals,
step-by-step troubleshooting wizards, thousands of example
programs, tutorials, application notes, instrument drivers, and
so on.
–
Free Technical Support—All registered users receive free Basic
Service, which includes access to hundreds of Application
Engineers worldwide in the NI Discussion Forums at
ni.com/forums. National Instruments Application Engineers
make sure every question receives an answer.
For information about other technical support options in your
area, visit ni.com/servicesor contact your local office at
ni.com/contact.
•
•
•
Training and Certification—Visit ni.com/trainingfor
self-paced training, eLearning virtual classrooms, interactive CDs,
and Certification program information. You also can register for
instructor-led, hands-on courses at locations around the world.
System Integration—If you have time constraints, limited in-house
technical resources, or other project challenges, National Instruments
Alliance Partner members can help. To learn more, call your local
NI office or visit ni.com/alliance.
Declaration of Conformity (DoC)—A DoC is our claim of
compliance with the Council of the European Communities using
the manufacturer’s declaration of conformity. This system affords
the user protection for electronic compatibility (EMC) and product
safety. You can obtain the DoC for your product by visiting
ni.com/certification.
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Appendix B
Technical Support and Professional Services
•
Calibration Certificate—If your product supports calibration,
you can obtain the calibration certificate for your product at
ni.com/calibration.
If you searched ni.comand could not find the answers you need, contact
your local office or NI corporate headquarters. Phone numbers for our
worldwide offices are listed at the front of this manual. You also can visit
the Worldwide Offices section of ni.com/niglobalto access the branch
office Web sites, which provide up-to-date contact information, support
phone numbers, email addresses, and current events.
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Glossary
A
acquisition window
The image size specific to a video standard or camera resolution.
active line region
The region of lines actively being stored. Defined by a line start (relative to
the vertical synchronization signal) and a line count.
active pixel region
The region of pixels actively being stored. Defined by a pixel start (relative
to the horizontal synchronization signal) and a pixel count.
API
area
Application programming interface.
A rectangular portion of an acquisition window or frame that is controlled
and defined by software.
ASIC
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit. A proprietary semiconductor
component designed and manufactured to perform a set of specific
functions for specific customer needs.
B
buffer
Temporary storage for acquired data.
bus
A group of conductors that interconnect individual circuitry in a computer,
such as the PCI bus; typically the expansion vehicle to which I/O or other
devices are connected.
C
Camera Link
Interface standard for digital video data and camera control based on the
Channel Link chipset.
Channel Link
National Semiconductor chipset for high-speed data serialization and
deserialization for transmission across cables up to 10 m.
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Glossary
D
DAQ
Data acquisition. (1) Collecting and measuring electrical signals from
sensors, transducers, and test probes or fixtures and inputting them to a
computer for processing. (2) Collecting and measuring the same kinds of
electrical signals with A/D or DIO boards plugged into a computer, and
possibly generating control signals with D/A and/or DIO boards in the
same computer.
DMA
Direct memory access. A method by which data can be transferred to and
from computer memory from and to a device or memory on the bus while
the processor does something else; DMA is the fastest method of
transferring data to/from computer memory.
F
FIFO
First-in first-out memory buffer. The first data stored is the first data sent
to the acceptor; FIFOs are used on Vision devices to temporarily store
incoming data until that data can be retrieved.
L
LVDS
Low Voltage Differential Signaling (EIA-644).
N
NI-IMAQ
Driver software for National Instruments Vision hardware.
P
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. A high-performance expansion bus
architecture originally developed by Intel to replace ISA and EISA. PCI
offers a theoretical maximum transfer rate of 133 Mbytes/s.
pixel
Picture element. The smallest division that makes up the video scan line;
for display on a computer monitor, a pixel’s optimum dimension is square
(aspect ratio of 1:1, or the width equal to the height).
pixel clock
Divides the incoming horizontal video line into pixels.
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Glossary
Q
quadrature encoder
A device that converts angular rotation into two pulse trains, A and B. The
phase difference between A and B transmits information about the
direction of rotation and the number of transitions indicates the amount of
rotation.
R
real time
A property of an event or system in which data is processed as it is acquired
instead of being accumulated and processed at a later time.
resolution
RGB
The smallest signal increment that can be detected by a measurement
system. Resolution can be expressed in bits, in proportions, or in
percent of full scale. For example, a system has 12-bit resolution,
one part in 4,096 resolution, and 0.0244 percent of full scale.
Color encoding scheme using red, green, and blue (RGB) color information
where each pixel in the color image is encoded using 32 bits: eight bits for
red, eight bits for green, eight bits for blue, and eight bits for the alpha value
(unused).
ROI
Region of interest. A hardware-programmable rectangular portion of the
acquisition window.
RTSI bus
Real-Time System Integration Bus. The National Instruments timing bus
that connects image acquisition and DAQ devices directly, by means of
connectors on the devices, for precise synchronization of functions.
S
scatter-gather DMA
A type of DMA that allows the DMA controller to reconfigure on-the-fly.
Synchronous dynamic RAM.
SDRAM
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Glossary
T
tap
A stream of pixels from a camera. Some cameras send multiple streams,
or taps, of data over a cable simultaneously to increase transfer rate.
transfer rate
The rate, measured in bytes/s, at which data is moved from source to
destination after software initialization and set up operations. The
maximum rate at which the hardware can operate.
trigger
Any event that causes or starts some form of data capture.
trigger control and
mapping circuitry
Circuitry that routes, monitors, and drives external and RTSI bus trigger
lines. You can configure each of these lines to start or stop acquisition on a
rising or falling edge.
TTL
Transistor-transistor logic.
V
VI
Virtual Instrument. (1) A combination of hardware and/or software
elements, typically used with a PC, that has the functionality of a classic
stand-alone instrument. (2) A LabVIEW software module (VI), which
consists of a front panel user interface and a block diagram program.
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Index
configuration, Camera Link
Base configuration, 2-2
connectors
15-pin D-SUB connector, 3-3
I/O connector signals (table), 3-4
MDR 26-pin connector (figure), 3-2
NI 1426 connectors (figure), 3-1
Numerics
15-pin D-SUB connector, 3-3
cable specifications, A-1
A
acquisition and region of interest (ROI)
circuitry, 2-7
acquisition start conditions, 2-8
acquisition window control
active pixel region (acquisition
window), 2-7
D
data formatter, multiple tap, 2-3, 2-4
data transmission, 2-2
Declaration of Conformity (NI resources), B-1
delayed acquisition start conditions, 2-8
DGND signal (table), 3-4
diagnostic tools (NI resources), B-1
DMA controllers, 2-8
region of interest, 2-7
B
Base configuration, Camera Link, 2-2
documentation
NI resources, B-1
drivers (NI resources), B-1
D-SUB connector, 15-pin, 3-3
C
cabling
15-pin D-SUB connector, A-1
Camera Link cable (figure), A-2
Camera Link cables, A-1
calibration certificate (NI resources), B-2
Camera Link
overview, 3-3
pin assignments (figure), 3-3
Base configuration, 2-2
cabling
description, A-1
ordering information, A-2
overview, 1-4
H
hardware overview, 2-1
acquisition, region of interest (ROI), 2-7
binarization, 2-3
block diagram (figure), 2-1
CC<4..1> signal (table), 3-4
clock signals, XCLK signal (table), 3-4
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Index
bus master PCI interface, 2-8
Camera Link, Base configuration, 2-2
data transmission, 2-2
National Instruments
application software, 1-2
support and services, B-1
NI 1426
high-speed timing, 2-7
multiple-tap data formatter, 2-4
SDRAM, 2-4
start conditions, 2-8
wiring an isolated input to a
sourcing/sinking output device, 2-5
wiring an isolated input to output
devices, 2-5
Camera Link, 1-4
Inspection, 1-3
NI Vision Development Module, 1-3
NI-IMAQ driver software, 1-2
NI support and services, B-1
help, technical support, B-1
high-speed timing circuitry, 2-5, 2-7
I
I/O connector. See connectors
installation, cabling
PHASE_A signal (table), 3-4
15-pin D-SUB cable specifications, A-1
Camera Link cables, A-1
instrument drivers (NI resources), B-1
integration with DAQ and motion control, 1-4
ISO_IN signal (table), 3-4
Q
quadrature encoder
connecting to, 2-6
K
KnowledgeBase, B-1
L
Real-Time System Integration (RTSI) bus, 1-1
region of interest (ROI) circuitry, 2-7
region of interest, in acquisition window
control, 2-7
LabVIEW, Vision Builder AI, 1-3
M
mapping circuitry, 2-4
MDR 26-pin connector, 3-2
multiple-tap data formatter, 2-3, 2-4
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Index
S
scatter-gather DMA controllers, 2-8
SDRAM, 2-4
technical support, B-1
timing circuitry, high-speed, 2-7
serial interface, 2-9
training and certification (NI resources), B-1
trigger
SerTC signal (table), 3-4
SerTFG signal (table), 3-4
signal connections
configuration options (table), 2-5
control and mapping circuitry, 2-4
troubleshooting (NI resources), B-1
TTL_TRIG signal (table), 3-4
connectors
15-pin D-SUB connector, 3-3
MDR 26-pin connector, 3-2
NI 1426 connectors (figure), 3-1
software (NI resources), B-1
software controlled start conditions, 2-8
software programming choices, 1-2
integration with DAQ, 1-4
Inspection, 1-3
Web resources, B-1
X<3..0> signal (table), 3-4
XCLK signal (table), 3-4
NI Vision Development Module, 1-3
NI-IMAQ driver software, 1-2
start conditions
delayed acquisition, 2-8
software control, 2-8
trigger control, 2-8
support, technical, B-1
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