EURESYS Grablink Collection Card Selection and Trigger Configuration Guide

Object mode: Starting from "page trigger", collecting a specified number of lines or stopping upon receiving "page end trigger".

Motion encoder interface: supports A/B phase difference signals (up to 5 MHz), decoding motion direction and speed.

Direction selection: You can specify the forward direction (A → B or B → A), and you can choose to collect only in the forward direction or only in the reverse direction.

Backward Motion Cancellation: Pause the acquisition when reverse movement is detected, resume forward and backward from the breakpoint, and ensure that the image is not overlapping or missing.

Rate Converter: Programmable multiplier/divider that converts encoder pulse frequency to camera line frequency, achieving any pixel aspect ratio (including 1:1 square pixels). The frequency division factor is an integer, and the converter supports finer adjustment.

Rate Divider: Simple integer division to reduce resolution.

Typical configuration process:

Connect the encoder A/B signals to differential input (DIN) or isolated input (IIN).

Set the line trigger source to the encoder channel in MultiCam.

Configure the parameters of the rate converter (target line frequency=encoder frequency x multiplier/divisor).

Set directional filtering and reverse compensation.

Set page trigger (if necessary) and page end conditions.

3.3 Input Filter

All trigger source inputs are equipped with programmable debounce filters, with optional time constants:

Frame/page trigger: 100 ns, 500 ns, 2.5 µ s

Row trigger (encoder): 40 ns, 100 ns, 200 ns, 500 ns, 1 µ s, 5 µ s, 10 µ s

Select appropriate filtering based on the on-site noise level to avoid false triggering.

I/O interface electrical characteristics and wiring

4.1 Input Types

Differential Input (DIN): Compatible with ANSI/TIA-422/485 and complementary TTL, high-speed (up to 5 MHz), used for encoders or long line triggering.

Isolated Current Type Input (IIN): Wide voltage range (5V, 12V, 24V, up to 30V), response to 50 kHz, independent isolation of each channel (500VAC RMS). Can connect dry contacts, solid-state relays, optocouplers, or TTL/CMOS outputs.

4.2 Output Types

Isolation Contact Output (IOUT): 30V/100mA load capacity, used to drive small relays or indicator lights.

4.3 Wiring precautions

Isolation input requires external power supply (provided by the user), pay attention to polarity (common ground or common source).

Differential input requires twisted pair shielded wires to avoid interference.

The output is an open collector, and an external pull-up resistor needs to be connected to the load power supply.

The board provides non isolated+5V and+12V outputs (1A each), which can be used to power encoders or sensors. Please note that the total current should not exceed the limit.

Onboard processing and image format

The Grablink series (Full/DualBase/Full XR) has built-in lookup tables (LUTs), Bayer decoding, bit depth conversion, and other preprocessing to reduce CPU burden.

Bit depth unpacking: 10/12/14-bit unpacking to 16 bit, can be left aligned or right aligned.

Bayer conversion: 3 × 3 kernel advanced interpolation (average/median), up to 125 MPixel/s (Base) or 225 MPixel/s (Full).

Image reconstruction: Multi tap cameras (such as 2-tap, 4-tap) can be reconstructed into a complete bitmap and support tap inversion.

ROI (Window of Interest): Only collect regions of interest, reduce data volume, and increase frame rate.

Software Drivers and Development Environment

All Grablink cards use a unified MultiCam driver (Windows 10/8.1/7 and Linux, 32/64 bit), providing C/C++API and support NET, ActiveX, and other encapsulation. Key features:

CamFile: Pre defined parameter files for various models of Camera Link cameras can be downloaded from the Euresys official website or edited by oneself.

Channel concept: Each camera corresponds to a collection channel, bound to a memory buffer, and configurable trigger source, image size, format, etc.

DMA engine: hardware scatter runner, directly writes to user allocated memory (64 bit addressing), with low CPU usage.

Memento event logging tool: records errors, timeouts, trigger losses, etc. during the collection process for easy debugging.

Common troubleshooting and solutions

7.1 No image or image splash screen

Check if the Camera Link cable is secure and if qualified high flexibility or robot cables are used (ECCO compatible cables are recommended for lengths exceeding 5 meters).

Confirm that the camera configuration (Base/Medium/Full) is consistent with the board settings, and that the Camera Link clock frequency is within the range of 20-85 MHz.

Check camera power supply: If using PoCL, confirm that the board is connected to a+12V power input and that the camera supports PoCL; Non PoCL cameras require external power supply.

Check the MultiCam error code, commonly "No camera detected" may indicate a failure in serial communication. Check the serial port baud rate in CamFile.

7.2 Trigger non response or collection misalignment

Measure whether the trigger signal level meets the DIN or IIN threshold using an oscilloscope.

Check if the filter setting is too large (e.g. 2.5 µ s filtered out narrow pulses).