EDT RCX C-Link series User Manual

User’s Guide

RCX C-Link Series:
Remote Camera Link Extenders

for use with Camera Link cameras

Doc. 008-02368-03d
Rev. 2011 June 29



Engineering Design Team (EDT), Inc.
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EDT, Inc. ii

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EDT, Inc. iii

Contents

RCX C-Link Series: Remote Camera Link Extenders

Overview...................................................................................................................................................... 1

Care and Cautions.......................................................................................................................... 1

Related Resources.......................................................................................................................... 2

Connecting the Extender Assembly........ ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .......................................... ... .... .............. 3

Mounting the Extender.................................................................................................................... 4

Base Mode... .... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... ....................................... ... .... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .................................. 4

With a standard framegrabber ........................................................................................... 4

With a FOX framegrabber.................................................................................................. 5

Medium or Full Mode ....... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... .... ... .......................................... ... ..................................... 5

With a standard framegrabber ........................................................................................... 6

With a FOX framegrabber.................................................................................................. 7

Eighty-bit packing............................................................................................................... 7

The LED....................................................................................................................................................... 7

Configuration and LED Configuration Codes............................................................................................... 7

Base Mode... .... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... ....................................... ... .... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .................................. 8

Medium or Full Mode ....... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... .... ... .......................................... ... ..................................... 9

Resetting or Changing the Operating Mode.................................................................................... 9

Backward Compatibility................................................................................................................. 10

Status and LED Status Codes ................................................................................................................... 11

Firmware.................................................................................................................................................... 12

Versions........................................................................................................................................ 12

Querying, Verifying, and Updating................................................................................................ 12

Transceivers............................................................................................................................................... 14

Coaxial Cable ... ....................................... ... ... ... ... .... ... ....................................... ... ... ... .... ............................ 14

Pinouts....................................................................................................................................................... 15

Camera Link.................................. ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... ... ....................................... ... ... ... ... ................ 15

Power............................................................................................................................................ 16

Cable assembly – Lemo to loose wire ............................................................................. 16

Cable assembly – Lemo to male DB9.............................................................................. 16

Cable assembly – Lemo to female DB9 RS232............................................................... 17

Cable assembly – Lemo resync....................................................................................... 18

Power Supply............................................................................................................................................. 18

Dimensions ................................................................................................................................................ 20

Appendix................................................................................................................................................................. 21

Alternative Mounting and Connecting Methods ......... ... ... ....................................... ... .... ... ... ... ................... 21

Mounting Holes............................................................................................................................. 21

Adapter Cabling ........ .... ... ... .......................................................................................................... 21

Revision Log ................. ... ... ... .... ... ... ....................................... ... ... .... ... ... ... ............................................................. 22

EDT, Inc. iv

RCX C-Link Series: Remote Camera Link
Extenders

Overview

EDT’s RCX-series remote Camera Link extenders are compact modules that can be used to extend Camera
Link data over fiberoptic or coaxial cabling. All components work just as they do with Camera Link cabling.

This guide covers the following extenders: the RCX C-Link, which works with fiberoptic cable; and the RCX
C-Link Coax2, which works with coaxial cable. Thus, for simplicity, this guide will refer to them as follows:

• RCX C-Link Fiber extender

• RCX C-Link Coax2 Coax extender
Two extenders can link a camera to a standard framegrabber via fiber or coaxia l cable; or one extender can

connect a camera to an EDT FOX framegrabber, which has fiberoptic transceivers built in.
Specially configured pairs are available for medium or full mode operation (fiber version only).

NOTE All EDT extenders and framegrabbers mentioned in this guide are for Camera Link. For details on our

legacy AIA product, RCX LVDS / RS422, see its product page at www.edt.com.

Care and Cautions

Your EDT extender is built to withstand a variety of extreme conditions, as listed in the specifications on its
datasheet (see Related Resources on page 2). However, it is nonetheless a high-performan ce component
which, for optimal results, should be treated with care, as detailed below.

• The extender must be protected from even momentary power spikes over 18 volts.

• The connectors – especially the fiberoptic transceivers – must be kept clean and dry. If you su spect the

presence of moisture or debris in the connectors, you should blast a burst of compressed air:
— directly into the ports to dislodge any debris that has collected there; and
— away from the electronic components to blow out any moisture that has collected in the air nozzle.

CAUTION To avoid damaging your eyesight, never look directly into any transceiver.

EDT, Inc. 1

RCX C-Link Series Overview

Related Resources

The resources below may be helpful or necessary for your applications.

• To find complete EDT information on any EDT product, go to www.edt.com and find the appropriate

product page. That page will provide links to the product’s datasheet specifications and user’s guide.

• To find EDT information that is not related to a specific EDT product (for example, installation packages

or cable pinouts for multiple products), go to www.edt.com and look in Product Documentation.

EDT Resource Detail Web link

• Application programming interface HTML and PDF versions www.edt.com/manuals.html

• Installation packages Software / firmware www.edt.com/software.html

• Specifications for EDT products Datasheets www.edt.com (find by product name)

• Documentation for EDT products User’s guides " (Product Documentation page)

• Cabling and pinout documentation Details on cabling and pinouts " (Product Documentation page)

Standard / Specification For From Web link

• PCI / PCIe PCI / PCIe bus PCI Special Interest Group

(PCI SIG)

• Camera Link Camera Link Machine Vision Online (MVO) www.machinevisiononline.org

• IRIG-B IRIG-B timestamping Inter Range Instrumentation

Group mod B

www.pcisig.com

irigb.com

EDT, Inc. 2011 June 29 2

RCX C-Link Series Connecting the Extender Assembly

MDR26

power supply connector

thumbscrews

LC duplex fiberoptic
connector:

transmit
receive

LED

SMA coaxial
connectors:

transmit
receive

power supply connector

LED

Connecting the Extender Assembly

Each extender unit is factory-preset and labeled to connect to either a camera or a framegrabber (Figure 1).
Each unit, in order to work properly, must be connected to the device for which it was preset and labeled.

NOTE If you reconfigure your extender for a different device, relabel the extender to avoid future confusion.

Figure 1. Fiberoptic extender, labeled with factory presets



This label shows the unit’s factory presets, including:

• the end for which the unit was preset (camera end
or framegrabber end);

• the operating mode for which the unit was preset
(see Configuration and LED Configuration Codes

on page 7).

Once you have checked the labeling, you can connect each extender as explained below.

• Device end: Attach the correct device (camera or framegrabber) to the extender’s MDR26 connector.

• Cable end: Attach the correct cable to the extender’s cable connectors.

Figure 2 shows the extender connectors and other features, including the LED (see The LED on page 7).

Figure 2. Connectors and features on EDT extenders

Device end of an extender An extender connected to a camera

Cable end of a fiberoptic extender Cable end of a coaxial extender

EDT, Inc. 2011 June 29 3

RCX C-Link Series Connecting the Extender Assembly

Mounting the Extender

To mount an extender, use the thumbscrews or one of the alternative methods detailed in Alternative

Mounting and Connecting Methods on page 21. To mount a coax extender, you must use one of those

alternative methods.

Base Mode

For this setup, you’ll need two extenders (one at the camera end and one at the framegrabber end) or, if
you use an EDT FOX framegrabber, just one extender (at the camera end).

In base mode, each pixel clock transfers 24 bits of video data from the camera’s X channel. The extender
can transfer four camera control signals and has a bidirectional serial interface between framegrabber and
camera.

NOTE The extender generates its own pixel clock, so th e clock rate into the framegrabber may exceed the rate

of the camera. Thus, the amount of time spent in blanking will vary from line to line and frame to frame.

With a standard framegrabber

For a base-mode system with a standard framegrabber, you will need two extenders: one at the camera
end and one at the framegrabber end (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Base mode: multiple extenders + standard framegrabber

To set up this system:

1. Install the framegrabber according to its user’s guide (for EDT user’s guides, see Related Resources

on page 2).

2. Verify the extenders are configure d prop e rly (se e Configuration and LED Configuration Codes on

page 7) – one for the camera end, and the other for the frame grabber end.

3. Turn off power to all devices.

4. Connect the extender labeled “Camera End” to the MDR26 connector on the camera (see Figure 2).

5. Connect the extender labeled “Framegrabber End” to the MDR26 connector on the framegrabber.

6. Connect the two extenders to each other with the appropriate fiberoptic or coaxial cable.

7. Connect the power supply to the power connector on the back of the extender.

8. Turn on power to all devices.

9. Verify each LED shows a steady light (see Status and LED Status Codes on page 11).

EDT, Inc. 2011 June 29 4