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Acquisition Applets for marathon ACL#

This topic tells you about the acquisition applets available for the marathon ACL frame grabber.

The functionality of a frame grabber is defined by a specific hardware-related program. This hardware implementation is called applet. For each frame grabber, several applets are available.

By loading an applet onto the frame grabber, you define the functionality of the frame grabber and adapt it to the requirements of your specific application.

The acquisition applets for marathon ACL are included in the Framegrabber SDK.

On marathon frame grabbers, an applet is available as soon as it is flashed onto the frame grabber.

Requirements#

  • Host software: Framegrabber SDK (5.7, 5.10a, or higher) with hardware-dependent acquisition applets
  • Hardware: A marathon ACL frame grabber is connected to your system

Limitation

In all applets, buffers larger than 4GB can't be allocated. Even if the applet allows a larger buffer size, you can't allocate buffers larger than 4GB due to limitations in the driver and firmware.

You can calculate the buffer size as follows:

Buffer size = image height * image width * (pixel width / 8).

For RGB images: buffer size = (image height * image width * (pixel width / 8)) * 3 .

Documentation#

The following sections provide links to the acquisition applets documentation:

Area Acquisition Applets Line Acquisition Applets Test Applet
Acq_SingleBaseAreaBayer PDF
Acq_SingleBaseAreaGray PDF Acq_SingleBaseLineGray PDF
Acq_SingleBaseAreaRGB PDF Acq_SingleBaseLineRGB
Acq_SingleFullAreaBayer PDF Acq_SingleFullLineBayer_RB_GG PDF
Acq_SingleFullLineBayer_RG_GB PDF
Acq_SingleFullAreaGray PDF Acq_SingleFullLineGray PDF
Acq_SingleFullAreaRGB PDF Acq_SingleFullLineRGB PDF
Acq_SingleMediumAreaBayer PDF
Acq_SingleMediumAreaGray PDF Acq_SingleMediumLineGray PDF
Acq_SingleMediumAreaRGB PDF Acq_SingleMediumLineRGB PDF
Acq_DualBaseAreaBayer PDF Acq_DualBaseLineBayer_RG_GB PDF
Acq_DualBaseAreaGray PDF Acq_DualBaseLineGray PDF
Acq_DualBaseAreaRGB PDF Acq_DualBaseLineRGB PDF
FrameGrabberTest PDF

Area Scan Acquisition Applets#

The following Area Scan Acquisition Applets are available:

  • Acq_DualBaseAreaBayer
  • Acq_DualBaseAreaGray
  • Acq_DualBaseAreaRGB
  • Acq_SingleBaseAreaBayer
  • Acq_SingleBaseAreaGray
  • Acq_SingleBaseAreaRGB
  • Acq_SingleFullAreaBayer
  • Acq_SingleFullAreaGray
  • Acq_SingleFullAreaRGB
  • Acq_SingleMediumAreaBayer
  • Acq_SingleMediumAreaGray
  • Acq_SingleMediumAreaRGB

The denominators "single" and "dual" in the name of the applet refer to the maximum number of cameras you can connect. For more information, see Choosing the Right Area Scan Acquisition Applet.

Choosing the Right Area Scan Acquisition Applet#

You must choose the right applet for your camera setup. Otherwise, the image received from the camera can't be processed or displayed correctly or camera performance may be reduced significantly.

Which applet is the right one depends on the number of cameras, the number of channels per camera, and the desired ROI step size.

The ROI step size depends on the parallelism of the image preprocessing and therefore varies by camera and frame grabber.

Number of Cameras Number of Camera Ports Number of Frame Grabber Ports Mode Applet ROI Step Size [px] Topology
1 1 2 Bayer Pattern Acq_SingleBaseAreaBayer x: 4
y: 1
One Camera, One Port, Bayer Pattern
1 1 2 Grayscale Acq_SingleBaseAreaGray x: 4
y: 1
One Camera, One Port, Grayscale
1 1 2 RGB Acq_SingleBaseAreaRGB x: 8
y: 1
One Camera, One Port, RGB
1 2 2 Bayer Pattern Acq_SingleFullAreaBayer
Acq_SingleMediumAreaBayer
x: 8; y: 1
x: 4; y: 1
One Camera, Two Ports, Bayer Pattern
1 2 2 Grayscale Acq_SingleFullAreaGray
Acq_SingleMediumAreaGray
x: 16; y: 1
x: 4; y: 1
One Camera, Two Ports, Grayscale
1 2 2 RGB Acq_SingleFullAreaRGB
Acq_SingleMediumAreaRGB
x: 4; y: 1
x: 4; y: 1
One Camera, Two Ports, RGB
2 1 2 Bayer Pattern Acq_DualBaseAreaBayer x: 4
y: 1
Two Cameras, One Port Each, Bayer Pattern
2 1 2 Grayscale Acq_DualBaseAreaGray x: 4
y: 1
Two Cameras, One Port Each, Grayscale
2 1 2 RGB Acq_DualBaseAreaRGB x: 1
y: 1
Two Cameras, One Port Each, RGB

Specifications Common to All Area Scan Acquisition Applets#

Max. Image Size [px] 16k x 64kb
Camera Clock Max. 85 MHz
Image Selector Yes
LUT Full resolution

Specifications Differing Between Area Scan Acquisition Applets#

Camera Ports Camera Type ROI Step Size [px] Bit Depth Processing [bit] Bit Depth Output [bit] Mode Mirroring Tap Geometry Sorting Bayer Color Reconstruction (HQe) White Balance Bandwidth: Mean per Camera [MP/s] Bandwidth Total DMA [MB/s] c
Acq_DualBaseAreaBayer 2 BASE x: 4
y: 1
8 per color component BGR 24 Bayer Pattern Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) Yes, High Quality Extended (HQe) Yes 255 1800
Acq_DualBaseAreaGray 2 BASE x: 4
y: 1
16 Grayscale 8, 10 packed, 12 packed, or 16 Grayscale Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) No No 255 900
Acq_DualBaseAreaRGB 2 BASE x: 1
y: 1
8 per color component BGR 24 RGB Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) No Yes 85 900
Acq_SingleBaseAreaBayer 1 BASE x: 4
y: 1
12 per color component BGR 24, 48 Bayer Pattern Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) Yes, High Quality Extended (HQe) Yes 255 1800
Acq_SingleBaseAreaGray 1 BASE x: 4
y: 1
16 Grayscale 8, 16 Grayscale Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) No No 255 1800
Acq_SingleBaseAreaRGB 1 BASE x: 8
y: 1
8 per color component BGR 24 RGB Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) No Yes 85 1800
Acq_SingleFullAreaBayer 1 FULL x: 8
y: 1
10 per color component BGR 24,or 48 Bayer Pattern Yes, horizontal 8, 10 (horizontal) Yes, High Quality Extended (HQe) Yes 850 1800
Acq_SingleFullAreaGray 1 FULL x: 16
y: 1
10 Gray-scale 8, 10 packed, or 16 Grayscale Yes, horizontal 8, 10 (horizontal) No No 850 1800
Acq_SingleFullAreaRGB 1 FULL x: 4
y: 1
10 per color component BGR 24, or 48 RGB Yes, horizontal 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) No Yes 284 1800
Acq_SingleMediumAreaBayer 1 MEDIUM x: 4
y: 1
12 per color component BGR 24, or 48 Bayer Pattern Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) Yes, High Quality Extended (HQe) Yes 340 1800
Acq_SingleMediumAreaGray 1 MEDIUM x: 4
y: 1
12 Grayscale 8, or 16 Grayscale Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) No No 340 1800
Acq_SingleMediumAreaRGB 1 MEDIUM x: 4
y: 1
12 per color component BGR 24, or 48 RGB Yes, horizontal and vertical 1, 2, 4 (horizontal and vertical) No Yes 170 1800

Line Scan Acquisition Applets#

The following Line Scan Acquisition Applets are available:

  • Acq_SingleBaseLineGray
  • Acq_SingleBaseLineRGB
  • Acq_SingleFullLineBayer_RB_GG
  • Acq_SingleFullLineBayer_RG_GB
  • Acq_SingleFullLineGray
  • Acq_SingleFullLineRGB
  • Acq_SingleMediumLineGray
  • Acq_SingleMediumLineRGB
  • Acq_DualBaseLineBayer_RG_GB
  • Acq_DualBaseLineGray
  • Acq_DualBaseLineRGB

The denominators "single" and "dual" in the name of the applet refer to the maximum number of cameras you can connect. For more information, see Choosing the Right Line Scan Acquisition Applet.

Choosing the Right Line Scan Acquisition Applet#

You must choose the right applet for your camera setup. Otherwise, the camera may not work or camera performance may be reduced significantly.

Which applet is the right one depends on the number of cameras, the number of channels per camera, and the desired ROI step size.

The ROI step size depends on the parallelism of the image preprocessing and therefore varies by camera and frame grabber.

Number of Cameras Number of Camera Ports Number of Frame Grabber Ports Mode Applet ROI Step Size [px] Topology
1 1 2 Grayscale Acq_SingleBaseLineGray x: 4
y: 1
One Camera, One Port, Grayscale
1 1 2 RGB Acq_SingleBaseLineRGB x: 1
y: 1
One Camera, One Port, RGB
1 2 2 Bayer Pattern Acq_SingleFullLineBayer_RB_GG
Acq_SingleFullLineBayer_RB_GB
x: 8; y: 1
x: 8; y: 1
One Camera, Two Ports, Bayer Pattern
1 2 2 Grayscale Acq_SingleFullLineGray
Acq_SingleMediumLineGray
x: 8; y: 1
x: 8; y: 1
One Camera, Two Ports, Grayscale
1 2 2 RGB Acq_SingleFullLineRGB
Acq_SingleMediumLineRGB
x: 4; y: 1
x: 4; y: 1
One Camera, Two Ports, RGB
2 1 2 Bayer Pattern Acq_DualBaseLineBayer_RG_GB x: 4
y: 1
Two Cameras, Two Ports, Bayer Pattern
2 1 2 Grayscale Acq_DualBaseLineGray x: 4
y: 1
Two Cameras, Two Ports, Grayscale
2 1 2 RGB Acq_DualBaseLineRGB x: 1
y: 1
Two Cameras, Two Ports, RGB

Specifications Common to All Line Scan Acquisition Applets#

Camera Clock 85 MHz
Image Selector Yes
LUT Full resolution

Specifications Differing Between Line Scan Acquisition Applets#

Image Size [px] b Camera Ports Camera Type ROI Step Size [px] Bit Depth Processing [bit] Bit Depth Output [bit] Mode Mirroring Tap Geometry Sorting Bayer Color Reconstruction (HQe) White Balance Bandwidth: Mean per Camera [MP/s] Bandwidth Total DMA [MB/s] c
Acq_DualBaseLineBayer_RG_GB 16k x 64k 2 BASE x: 4
y: 1
8 per color component BGR 24 Bayer Pattern No No Yes (2 lines) Yes 566 900
Acq_DualBaseLineGray 48k x 16M 2 BASE x: 4
y: 1
12 Grayscale 8, or 16 Grayscale Yes, horizontal 1, 2, 3, 4 (horizontal) No No 250 900
Acq_DualBaseLineRGB 32k x 16M 2 BASE x: 1
y: 1
8 per color component BGR 24 RGB Yes, horizontal 1, 2, 4 (horizontal) No Yes 85 900
Acq_SingleBaseLineGray 48k x 16M 1 BASE x: 4
y: 1
16 Grayscale 8, or 16 Grayscale Yes, horizontal 1, 2, 3, 4 (horizontal) No No 255 1800
Acq_SingleBaseLineRGB 64k x 16M 1 BASE x: 1
y: 1
8 per color component BGR 24 RGB Yes, horizontal 1, 2, 4 (horizontal) No Yes 85 1800
Acq_SingleFullLineBayer_RB_GG 16k x 16M 1 FULL x: 8
y: 1
8 per color component BGR 24 Bayer Pattern Yes, horizontal 8, 10 (horizontal) Yes (2 lines) Yes 850 1800
Acq_SingleFullLineBayer_RG_GB 16k x 16M 1 FULL x: 8
y: 1
8 per color component BGR 24 Bayer Pattern Yes, horizontal 8, 10 (horizontal) Yes (2 lines) Yes 566 1800
Acq_SingleFullLineGray 51k x 16M 1 FULL x: 8
y: 1
10 Grayscale 8, or 16 Grayscale Yes, horizontal 8, 10 (horizontal) No No 850 1800
Acq_SingleFullLineRGB 32k x 16M 1 FULL x: 4
y: 1
10 per color component BGR 24, or 48 RGB Yes, horizontal 1, 2, 4 (horizontal) No Yes 284 1800
Acq_SingleMediumLineGray 48k x 16M 1 MEDIUM x: 8
y: 1
12 Grayscale 8, or 16 Grayscale Yes, horizontal 1, 2, 3, 4 (horizontal) No No 340 1800
Acq_SingleMediumLineRGB 32k x 16M 1 MEDIUM x: 4
y: 1
12 per color component BGR 24, or 48 RGB Yes, horizontal 1, 2, 4 (horizontal) No Yes 170 1800

Frame Grabber Test Applet#

This applet is a frame grabber test applet. Its purpose is to test the hardware.

The applet offers the following features:

Feature Explanation
DMA Performance Test Tests different image dimensions for varying memory sizes and interrupt rates
RAM Test Checks for errors and processing
Check Camera Port Image Acquisition Checks camera port image acquisition
Send Trigger Signals to Camera Sends trigger signals to camera
GPIO Monitoring Monitors the GPIs and set the GPOs
Event Test Generates a software callback event
General Monitoring Monitors FPGA temperature, power management, PoCXP, etc.

Using Acquisition Applets#

Find here general information about using the applets with the Framegrabber SDK: Acquisition Applets.

Installing Applets#

Before you can use a specific applet on your frame grabber, you must install it on the frame grabber. Instructions for installing the applets are available at Managing Applets (microDiagnostics).

Adding an Applet Manually#

To add an applet you received as *.dll file (and not in form of an installer) to your host file system:

  1. Get the applet file (*.dll) you have received.
  2. Copy this file into the following directory: <Framegrabber SDK directory>/Dll/<Frame grabber model>

Now you can use the new applet.

Testing Image Acquisition#

Before you start using an applet in your own software (via API), you might want to test the system set-up or an individual applet (and its parametrization options).

For this purpose, you are provided with the tool microDisplay X that has been installed on your computer as part of the Framegrabber SDK environment. For instructions how to load and test your applet, see Configuring the Applet (microDisplay X).

Saving Applet Configuration#

After you have configured your applet (in microDisplay X or via Framegrabber API), you can save your configuration. For more information, see Other Tasks (microDisplay X).


  1. Framegrabber SDK version 5.9 doesn't support mE5 frame grabb 

  2. k Px and M Px in this case refer to a binary format. Examples for binary calculations are:

    16M px = 16384k px = 16777216 px

    8M px = 8192k px = 8388608 px

    64k px = 65536 px

    48k px = 49152 px

    32k px = 32768 px

    16k px = 16384 px 

  3. The actual DMA bandwidth depends on the specific mainboard and chip set of the host computer.