EURESYS Grablink Collection Card Selection and Trigger Configuration Guide

EURESYS Grablink Series Camera Link Capture Card Selection and Trigger Configuration Guide

The Euresys Grablink series is a mature camera link digital image acquisition card product line, covering various models from single base configuration to dual base, full configuration (Full/80 bit), and Full XR supporting ultra long cables. It is widely used in machine vision scenarios such as electronic manufacturing AOI, flat panel inspection, print quality inspection, and high-speed motion analysis. The Camera Link interface still holds an important position in high-end visual systems due to its high bandwidth, low latency, and stable industrial characteristics. This article is based on the Grablink series technical specifications, systematically sorting out the differences between various models, hardware installation points, trigger and encoder configuration, I/O wiring, onboard processing functions, and common troubleshooting processes, to help system integration engineers quickly complete selection and deployment.

Product Family Overview and Selection Decision

The current mainstream models of the Grablink series include:

Model: Camera supports bus/bandwidth, onboard memory, I/O quantity, featured functions

Grablink Base single Base/Lite PCIe x 1200 MB/s 64 MB (image 32 MB) 10 wire (2 differential+4 isolated inputs+4 isolated outputs) ECCO (15 meter cable), PoCL

Grablink DualBase dual Base/Lite PCIe x4850 MB/s 128 MB (64 MB per channel) 2 × 10 wires (independent per channel) dual cameras for independent acquisition, PoCL

Grablink Full Single Base/Medium/Full/72-bit/8-bit PCIe x4850 MB/s 128 MB (64 MB image) 10 line support for 10 tap cameras, high bandwidth

Grablink Full XR single channel full configuration (same as Full) PCIe x4850 MB/s 128 MB 10 wire ECCO+(20 meter cable), PoCL， Standard height card

Selection suggestion:

Single Base Camera (such as common 1-tap or 2-tap black and white/color): Grablink Base offers the best value for money, with PCIe x1 occupying fewer slots.

Dual Base cameras require synchronous capture (such as stereo vision or double-sided detection): Grablink Dual Base, with two independent I/O and trigger channels that can be controlled separately.

High resolution/high-speed area or line array cameras (such as 8-tap, 10 tap, with bandwidth requirements exceeding 200 MB/s): Grablink Full or Full XR, the former with standard height and the latter supporting longer Camera Link cables (20 m) with PoCL.

Long distance cabling scenarios (over 10 meters): Prioritize Full XR (ECCO+) or Base/DualBase ECCO (15 meters) with high-quality cables.

Hardware installation and system requirements

2.1 Physical dimensions and slots

Base/DualBase/Full: Low profile, half length (167.65 mm × 68.90 mm), single slot or x4 slot (Full requires x4 or higher).

Full XR: Standard height (111.15 mm), half length, requires x4 or higher slots, pay attention to the chassis height.

2.2 Power Requirements

The board is powered through PCIe slots (3.3V and 12V), with a typical base power consumption of 3.8 W and a typical Full XR power consumption of 8.2 W.

If PoCL (Power over Camera Link) is enabled, an additional 4-pin MOLEX power socket (+12V DC) needs to be connected to power the camera. Both Base/DualBase/Full XR support PoCL and have overload, overvoltage, and short circuit protection.

Simultaneously providing non isolated+5V/1A and+12V/1A outputs (electronic fuses), which can be used for external sensor power supply.

2.3 Connector Description

Camera interface: SDR (Shrunk Delta Ribbon) MiniCL socket, Base single channel, DualBase two-way, Full/Full XR divided into BASE and MEDIUM/FULL SDR ports (Full configuration requires two ports to be connected).

External I/O: Base is a DB25 female head (standard bracket), DualBase consists of two internal 26 pin pin pins (requiring adapter), Full and Full XR are high-density HD26 or DB25.

Internal I/O: 26 pin 0.1 "pin, used for internal wiring of the chassis.

Detailed explanation of trigger and encoder configuration

The core advantage of the Grablink series lies in its flexible triggering mechanism, support for both area and line cameras, and built-in motion encoder interface.

3.1 Trigger Mode of Area Camera

Hardware trigger: Start frame acquisition through external I/O inputs (differential DIN, isolated input IIN) or orthogonal encoder signals.

Software trigger: Send instructions through API (MultiCam).

Trigger Delay: Programmable delay that adapts to the precise moment when an object reaches the field of view.

Decimation: Take one frame for every N trigger signals, used for high-speed strobe scenes.

Exposure control: It can generate precise exposure enable signals, control camera asynchronous reset, and support exposure and readout overlap to improve frame rate.

Strobe output: Trigger the light source according to the set timing (early/late pulse) after the acquisition starts.

3.2 Linear Camera Trigger and Encoder

Linear scanning is divided into two modes: continuous web scanning and discrete object scanning

Roll mode: unlimited collection, uninterrupted output, suitable for continuous surfaces such as fabrics, paper, metal strips, etc.