Summary of Contents for Dalsa PC2-Comp Express OC-P2EM-COMP0
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DALSA • 7075 Place Robert-Joncas, Suite 142 • St-Laurent, Quebec, H4M 2Z2 • Canada http://www.dalsa.com/ PC2-Comp Express™ User's Manual Part number OC-P2EM-COMP0 Edition 2.01 *OC-P2EM-COMP0*...
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Use of the products described herein is understood to be at the user's risk. DALSA Corp. assumes no liability whatsoever for the use of the products detailed in this document and reserves the right to make changes in specifications at any time and without notice.
ROUBLESHOOTING NSTALLATION ROBLEMS Recovering from a Firmware Update Error ............. 15 Windows Event Viewer....................16 DALSA Device Manager Program................16 Information Window......................17 PCI Configuration..................... 18 Sapera and Hardware Windows Drivers ..............19 Log Viewer ........................ 20 Windows Device Manager ..................21 Symptoms: CamExpert Detects No Boards...............
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Symptoms: Board does not grab ................22 Symptoms: Board Grabs Black ................. 22 THEORY OF OPERATION ....................23 ...................... 23 CQUISITION ROCESS Analog Front End...................... 23 Onboard Memory ...................... 24 DMA Controller ......................24 Events and Status ...................... 24 Event-Related Definitions ....................25 Acquisition Events .....................
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......................53 APERA Overview ........................53 Using the Grab Demo ....................53 Grab Demo Main Window ....................54 EMI C ....................... 59 ERTIFICATIONS DALSA CONTACT INFORMATION................61 ......................61 ALES NFORMATION ......................62 ECHNICAL UPPORT GLOSSARY OF TERMS ..................... 63 INDEX ............................ 67 Contents •...
Describes in detail the Sapera Grab Demo example and how to use it. • Using Sapera CamExpert with PC2-Comp Express Describes the Sapera CamExpert tool and how to use it with PC2-Comp Express. Support • DALSA Contact Information Phone numbers, important web site links and email addresses. Introduction • 1 PC2-Comp Express...
About the Manual This manual exists in Adobe Acrobat® (PDF) format. The PDF format makes full use of hypertext cross-references and includes links to the DALSA home page on the Internet, located at http://www.dalsa.com, accessed using any web browser. For PC2-Comp Express specific information, visit the DALSA web site at http://www.dalsa.com/.
PC2-Comp Express Overview PC2-Comp Express is a PCIe x1 format board that provides image capture and transfer to the host.. The acquisition circuitry interfaces with standard (NTSC/RS-170 and PAL/CCIR) analog cameras. PC2-Comp Express is supported by Sapera LT 5.20 (or later). It is also fully supported by the Sapera Image Processing library.
Sapera LT is a powerful development library for image acquisition and control. Sapera LT provides a single API across all current and future DALSA hardware. Sapera LT delivers a comprehensive feature set including program portability, versatile camera controls, flexible display functionality and management, plus easy to use application development wizards.
The Sapera LT Development library (or ‘runtime library’ if application development is not being performed) must be installed prior to the PC2-Comp Express device driver. • Insert the DALSA Sapera LT CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. The DALSA installation window appears if AUTORUN is enabled. •...
Windows Logo testing is displayed, click on Continue Anyway to finish the PC2- Comp Express driver installation. Reboot the computer when prompted. • When using Windows Vista or Windows 7, a message asking to install the DALSA device software is displayed. Click Install. 8 • Installing the PC2-Comp Express...
• During the installation the PC2-Comp Express Device Manager firmware loader application starts. Click Update All. For more information on the Device Manager application, see "Device Manager Firmware Loader" on page • When the installation is complete, the following dialog box is displayed: Device Manager Firmware Loader The Device Manager-Firmware Loader program determines if the PC2-Comp Express requires a firmware update.
Firmware Update: Automatic Mode Click Automatic to update the PC2-Comp Express firmware. If there are multiple PC2-Comp Express boards in the system, all will be updated with new firmware. If any installed PC2-Comp Express board installed in a system already has the correct firmware version, an update is not required.
Upgrading Sapera LT or any DALSA Device Driver When installing a new version of Sapera LT or a DALSA device driver into a computer with a previous installation, the current version must be first uninstalled! Upgrade scenarios are described below.
If the new driver is on a Sapera CD-ROM, follow the installation procedure described in the section “Installaing PC2-Comp Express Hardware and Driver”. Important: Sapera LT must be installed on your computer in order to install a DALSA device driver. Sapera LT and Device Driver Upgrades Follow the procedure described below when both Sapera LT and the DALSA device driver are upgraded.
Connecting Cameras Figure 2: PC2-Comp Express Connector Bracket J1 - Y/C Input Connect cable assembly OR-B20C-42000 to J1 and to your Y/C video source. Refer to "J1: DIN 4 Pin, Y/C Video Input" on page 35 for a description of J1. 72"...
This section describes what the user can verify to determine the problem or the inspection checks to do prior to contacting the DALSA Technical Support department. If you require help and need to contact DALSA Technical Support, make detailed notes of your installation and/or test results for Technical Support to review. See "Technical Support"...
(default file name: BoardInfo.txt). Execute the program using the Windows Start Menu shortcut Start • All Programs • DALSA • PC2- Comp Express Device Driver • Device Manager. If the DALSA Device Manager program does not run, it will exit with a message that the board was not found.
Information Window The following figure shows the DALSA Device Manager information screen. Click to highlight one of the board components and the information for that item will be displayed on the right-hand window, as shown below. Click on File • Save Device Info to save all information to a text file. Email this file when requested by DALSA Technical Support.
One of the first items to check when there is a problem with any PCI board is to examine the system PCI configuration and ensure that there are no conflicts with other PCI or system devices. The DALSA PCI Diagnostic program (cpcidiag.exe) allows for examination of the PCI configuration registers and can save this information to a text file.
Sapera and Hardware Windows Drivers The next step is to make certain that the appropriate DALSA drivers have started successfully during the boot sequence. For example, click Start • All Programs • Accessories • System Tools • System Information •...
Log Viewer This step in the verification process saves a text file with the report obtained when the DALSA Log Viewer is run. Run the program via the Windows Start menu shortcut Start • All Programs • DALSA •...
• Using Sapera version 5.20 or later: When starting CamExpert, if no DALSA board is detected, CamExpert will start in offline mode. There is no error message produced and CamExpert remains functional for creating or modifying camera configuration files. If CamExpert should have but did not detect the installed board, troubleshoot the installation problem as described below.
Troubleshooting Procedure When CamExpert detects no installed DALSA board, there could be a hardware problem, a PnP problem, a PCI problem, a kernel driver problem, or a software installation problem. • Make certain that the board is properly seated in the PCIe slot.
Theory of Operation Acquisition Process The PC2-Comp Express supports dual destination transfers, enabling the transfer of acquired images to both the video display buffer and the host buffer simultaneously. The acquisition process data flow is illustrated below. Display Buffer Vertical Flip Video (YUY2) Mono/Color...
Onboard Memory Onboard memory behaves as a temporary buffer between the camera interface and the host PCIe system. The onboard memory for image frame buffers is 8MB. Maximum captured frame size is limited by onboard memory: one incoming frame must fit into onboard memory. Onboard memory allows capture from cameras requiring a bandwidth exceeding the PCIe x1 practical maximum of 200MB/second.
Trigger Onboard PCIe Host Controller Memory Memory Camera Start of End of image End of PCIe image capture transfer Figure 7: Acquisition/Transfer Interrupts Event-Related Definitions An interrupt is a signal sent by the PC2-Comp Express board to the computer CPU Interrupt that indicates an event on the frame grabber.
Frame Lost The Frame Lost event indicates that an acquired image could not be transferred to onboard memory. An example would be if there were no free onboard buffers available for the new image. This will usually be the case if the image transfer from onboard buffers to host PC memory cannot be sustained due to PCI bus bandwidth.
End of Odd Field The End of Odd Field event is only available for interlaced scan cameras. There is an End of Odd Field event when the odd field has been transferred from front end to onboard memory. The Sapera event value is CORACQ_VAL_EVENT_TYPE_END_OF_ODD.
Transfer Events Transfer events are the events related to the transfer module. Transfer events provide feedback on image transfer from onboard memory frame buffers to PC memory frame buffers. End of Frame The End of Frame event is generated when the last image pixel is transferred from onboard memory into PC memory.
Any pulse smaller than the programmed value is blocked and therefore not seen by the acquisition circuitry. A minimum pulse of 100 nsec is recommended for proper operation. Note: DALSA recommends that a debouncing value always be used (even a minimal 1 s delay) to μ...
Trigger-To-Image Reliability Trigger-to-image reliability incorporates all stages of image acquisition inside an integrated controller to increase reliability and simplify error recovery. The trigger to image reliability model brings together all the requirements for image acquisition to a central management unit. These include onboard frame buffer memory to compensate for PCI bus latency and comprehensive error notification.
Transfer Events: • "End of Frame" on page 28 • "End of Field" on page 28 • "End of Odd Field" on page 28 • "End of Even Field" on page 28 • "End of Transfer" on page 28 Supported Transfer Cycling Methods The PC2-Comp Express supports the following transfer cycle modes which are either synchronous or asynchronous.
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32 • Theory of Operation PC2-Comp Express...
Technical Reference Hardware Specifications PCIe x1 – half-length rev. 1.0a compliant. Board Connect up to 6 monochrome or 2 Y/C (4 CV and 1 YC or 2 CV and 2 YC) cameras. Acquisition Standard RS-170, NTSC, CCIR, and PAL formats. Composite video 75Ω...
Camera Compatibility Go to the DALSA Camera Database web page for the latest camera information at http://www.imaging.com/camsearch. PC2-Comp Express Connector and Jumper Locations This section describes the PC2-Comp Express connectors, jumpers, and configuration switches. Any item defined as Reserved must not be connected to, or in the case of a shorting jumper or switch, must not be changed from the default factory position.
Connector, Jumper, & Status LED Summary Details for connectors, status LEDs, and jumpers follow the summary table. Connector Description Connector Description DIN 4 Pin, Y/C Video Input D12, D13 Acquisition status LEDs General 4 Video Input Board firmware status LED Video Output, Trig In Boot Recovery Mode J1: DIN 4 Pin, Y/C Video Input...
D12, D13: Acquisition and Trigger Status LEDs Two LEDs, located on the top edge of the PC2-Comp Express board, provide visual feedback for the acquisition and trigger status. It is necessary to open the host system case to see the LED states (this is typical when doing system setup and verification).
J19: Boot Recovery Mode • Default Mode: Shunt jumper is installed. PC2-Comp Express boots normally on system power-up and is ready to execute image capture applications. • Boot Recovery Mode: Shunt jumper is removed if any problems occur while updating the PC2- Comp Express firmware.
Sapera LT Configuring Sapera Viewing Installed Sapera Servers The Sapera Configuration program (Start • Programs • DALSA • Sapera LT • Sapera Configuration) allows the user to see all available Sapera servers for the installed Sapera-compatible boards. The System entry represents the system server. It corresponds to the host machine (your computer) and is the only server that should be present at all times.
memory that has been allocated successfully. The default values will generally satisfy the needs of most applications. The Sapera buffers value determines the total amount of contiguous memory reserved at boot time for the allocation of dynamic resources used for host frame buffer management, such as DMA descriptor tables as well as other kernel needs.
Sapera Server and Parameters The following table lists the Sapera server available for PC2-Comp Express. Note that a single server supports both monochrome, color, and Y/C cameras. Servers Resources Name Description Type Name Index Description PC2-Comp PC2-Comp Acquisition Standard Composite Video Express Composite (color/mono) and Y/C video...
Using CamExpert with PC2-Comp Express CamExpert is the camera interfacing tool for frame grabber boards supported by the Sapera library. CamExpert generates the Sapera camera configuration file (your_camera.ccf) based on timing and control parameters entered. For backward compatibility with previous versions of Sapera, CamExpert also reads and writes the *.cca and *.cvi camera parameter files.
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The CamExpert sections are: • Device: Select which acquisition device to control and configure a camera file for. Required in cases where there are multiple boards in a system and also when one board supports multiple acquisition types. • Camera: Select the timing for a specific camera model included with the Sapera installation or a standard video standard.
DALSA continually updates their camera application library that contains application information and prepared camera files. Along with the camera search utility on the DALSA web site, a number of camera files are ready to download from the DALSA FTP site [ftp://ftp.coreco.com/public/Sapera/CamFile_Updates].
CamExpert utility. CCA File Details DALSA distributes camera files using the ".CCA" extension (CORECO CAMERA files) that contains all parameters describing the camera video signal characteristics and operation modes (that is, what the camera outputs). The Sapera parameter groups located within the file are: •...
Camera Interfacing Check List Before undertaking the task of interfacing a camera from scratch using CamExpert: • Confirm that DALSA has not already published an application note with camera files [http://www.imaging.com/camsearch]. • Confirm that Sapera does not already have a .cca file for your camera installed on your hard disk.
Overview of Video Bandwidth and System Limitations Some high resolution/high frame rate cameras can output more data than can be transferred through the host computer PCI bus. A successful imaging application must account for the camera data bandwidth and possibly control frame rate or image resolution to bring the bandwidth requirements to within the system’s limitations.
When executed, Grab Demo first displays the "Acquisition Configuration" window. The first drop- down menu allows you to select any installed Sapera acquisition server (that is, installed DALSA acquisition hardware using Sapera drivers). The second drop-down menu allows you to select the available input devices present on the selected server.
CCF File Selection The 'Acquisition Configuration' window is also used to select the camera configuration file required for the connected camera. Sapera camera files contain timing parameters and video conditioning parameters. The default folder used for camera configuration files is also used by the CamExpert utility to save user generated or modified camera files.
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File Control Three controls are provided for image file transfers • New: Clears the current image frame buffer. • Load: Retrieves images in BMP, TIF, CRC, JPG, and RAW formats. • Save: Prompts for a file name, file save location, and image format. Acquisition Options Note: Unsupported functions are grayed out and not selectable.
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• Area Scan – Camera Control: Provides trigger, reset, and integrate controls when supported by the current hardware and driver. Also offers master HS and VS output. • Line Scan – Camera Control: This dialog is not applicable to the area scan frame grabber. 56 •...
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General Options Note: functions grayed out are not supported by acquisition hardware. • Buffer: Provides buffer count and size, type, and format controls. • Count and Size: Select the number of frame buffers of the configured image size. • Type – Contiguous: Frame buffers are allocated in contiguous system memory (single memory block - no segmentation).
The DALSA Log Viewer .txt file • The PCI Diagnostic PciDump.txt file • The DALSA Device Manager BoardInfo.txt file Note, all these tools are available from the Windows start menu shortcut Start•All Programs•DALSA •Sapera LT•Tools. 62 • DALSA Contact Information PC2-Comp Express...
Glossary of Terms Analog-to-Digital conversion is an electronic process in which a continuously variable (analog) signal is changed, without altering its essential content, into digital data. Back Porch The portion of the video waveform between the end of horizontal sync and the start of active video.
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Display Data Channel. A data channel used by newer monitor which communicates monitor properties (such as maximum resolution and refresh rate) to the associated video adapter. Driver Also called a device driver, a program routine that links a peripheral device to the operating system.
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Low Pass Filter A filter that blocks high frequencies and allows lower frequencies to pass through. Used to limit undesirable analog information (such as high frequency video noise) before converting to digital data. NTSC National Television Systems Committee. Color TV standard used in North America and other countries.
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RS-232 A standard serial communication port. RS-422 RS-422 is a serial communications standard that provides a much longer transmission distance (but fewer signal lines) than to RS-232. Scatter Gather Host system memory allocated for frame buffers is virtually contiguous but physically scattered throughout all available memory.
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static resources, 42 status LED, 35 LED, 38 Library runtime library, 7 Sapera Development library, 6, 7, 47 technical support, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22 Sapera Image Processing library, 4 transfer events end of even field, 28 end of field, 28 end of frame, 28 end of odd field, 28 master mode, 22...