Troubleshoot NI Vision: Hardware - CameraLink

The focus of this guide is to help start troubleshooting Vision Hardware communication and bus issues with a focus on CameraLink. This is part of a collection of guides aimed at troubleshooting NI Vision. If "CameraLink Troubleshooting" is not the problem being experienced head back to the Troubleshooting NI Vision Guide.

CameraLink is a digital standard that sends back serialized data instead of parallel. All bits pass through a converter onboard the camera, which places all the data on a single line (LVDS). The device then sends this single line back through a converter to return the data to the camera. This standard allows for thinner cables and uses a standard connector. The CameraLink standard can support pixel clocks greater than 20 MHz and can travel up to 10 meters (30 feet). CameraLink standard eliminates specialty cables.
 
This guide first explains the CameraLinks requirements and communication method and then reviews the general troubleshooting steps.

By the end of this article, you can expect to have been through the generalized troubleshooting steps common to this topic area. By reading through the first steps and generic troubleshooting steps you will know more search terms related to "NI Vision hardware" and "CameraLink" that can help inspire questions and different ways to look at the problem.

CameraLink Requirements and Communication:

The first step when troubleshooting CameraLink is to confirm that the requirements for CameraLink Frame Grabbers are met:

• NI Driver: NI-IMAQ or NI-IMAQdx installed with NI Vision acquisition software
• NI Hardware: NI CameraLink Frame Grabber
• NI hardware and software support Camera Link cameras that conform to the Camera Link standard (base, medium, full, and extended). 
• Camera Link cameras require a camera file to tell the driver how the camera’s attributes are exposed, so not all Camera Link cameras are supported.

The second step is to confirm the correct method of communication is being implemented. CameraLink uses integrated communication. Use either serial commands or control pulses (with CC lines). Use the same VIs or function calls for both methods. 

• Serial Commands: NI-IMAQ and your camera's camera file manage the serial commands and control pulses as required by your camera. The camera file also makes the use of serial commands and control pulses transparent. These serial commands defined in the Camera file can be configured by the Camera File Generator
• Control Pulses: Camera Control lines (CC lines) can also be controlled by the Camera file and configured by the Camera File Generator. CC lines can generate digital control pulses like Exposure time. Some cameras may expect rising-falling edge signals as Pulse Time = shutter time or Pulse frequency = frame rate.

Note: You can set the shutter with serial commands, control pulses, or both. See your camera documentation for more information on which method your camera uses.

Generic Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Compatibility validation: Verify if NI supports the camera on Industrial Camera Advisor
2. Installation troubleshooting: Follow the steps from the Camera Link Getting Started Guide
3. Check if your case is from the common errors list within the Troubleshooting Camera Link document

Next Steps

If you are still experiencing a problem please head back to the Troubleshooting NI Vision Guide .