Camera Link Image Acquisition
NI 1428
• High-resolution and high-speed
image acquisition for Camera
Link cameras
• Simple, small cabling
• Onboard programmable region
of interest
Operating Systems
• Windows 2000/NT/XP
Recommended Software
• LabVIEW™
• LabWindows™/CVI™
• Measurement Studio™
• Vision Development Module
• Pixel decimation and image scaling
• Four 256 by 8-bit LUTs
• 16 MB of onboard memory
• 4 external triggers (digital I/O lines)
• RTSI bus or PXI trigger bus
synchronization with data
acquisition, motion, and CAN
• Camera control with LVDS
(EIA-644) differential output
or asynchronous serial control
Other Compatible Software
• C/C++
Driver Software (included)
• NI-IMAQ™
Overview and Applications
Serial Interface
For machine vision and scientific imaging developers who need Use the serial interface on the Camera Link connector to easily
very high-resolution digital imaging with simple cabling, the configure and control the camera with NI-IMAQ and
National Instruments 1428 devices are for image acquisition from NI Measurement & Automation Explorer software. An NI 1428
Camera Link cameras.
includes a National Instruments counter/timer ASIC that generates
real-time control signals. You can use the advanced triggering to send
strobe pulses and pulse trains.
Camera Link
Camera Link is an industrial high-speed serial data and cabling
standard developed by National Instruments, camera vendors, Synchronize Motion and Vision
and other image acquisition companies. Created for easy Onboard trigger control and mapping circuitry route, monitor,
connectivity between the PC and the camera, Camera Link and drive the external RTSI bus trigger lines for PCI. Using the
provides simple, flexible cabling for high-speed, high-resolution RTSI bus, you can develop applications where motion, vision, and
digital cameras. A Camera Link cable is a slender 26-pin cable with measurements are tightly integrated. You can use the RTSI bus to
24-bit data, clock, and enables as well as control signals. You can route an incoming trigger on your PCI-1428 to an NI measurement
control camera functionality by asynchronous serial control or device to synchronize data acquisition. The PXI trigger bus offers
LVDS differential lines through a Camera Link cable. Camera Link similar features.
offers future data rate capabilities up to 2.3 Gb/s. You can
interchange Camera Link digital cameras from a variety of vendors NI-IMAQ and Interchangeable Cameras
with Camera Link image acquisition hardware.
NI-IMAQ driver software for image acquisition can scale between
many types of cameras and acquisition methods. Using NI-IMAQ,
you can begin by using a low-cost RS-170 camera and image
Onboard Memory
NI 1428 devices come with 16 MB of onboard high-speed acquisition device and then upgrade to a faster, higher-resolution
synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM). You can use the onboard digital camera and acquisition device with minimal software
memory as a FIFO buffer for high-speed image acquisition.
changes. When using a camera, you can configure the new board and
camera in NI Measurement & Automation Explorer and then
immediately reuse your software. Because NI-IMAQ driver software
uses one set of function calls, it works for a wide variety of cameras,
and there is no need to rewrite your software.