Properties

• 4 USB2.0 connectors for connection of DataCam cameras

• Ethernet network interface 10/100Mbps or 1Gbps

• External power supply

• Construction for DIN-rail assembly or optional desktop type

Digital cameras of DataCam series are equipped with USB 2.0 interface with 480 Mbps transfer speed. Besides the high transfer speed the USB interface brings to the user a number of advantages. USB connector includes also lines providing power for connected devices, so that the cameras are connected to the computer with a single cable and there is no need for separate power source and cord (device consumption is naturally limited, but the DataCam cameras comply with the limits with a big margin). USB cables are standardized and therefore there is no possibility of wrong connection etc. Also the program support is designed so that the user does not have to perform any configuration and setting. USB device is simply connected and used (this concept is called „Plug-and-Play“).

On the other hand, the disadvantage of USB connection is the limited distance between the device and the computer. A single USB cable can be only 5 m long. Using the so-called USB active extension cables can this distance extend to 10 or 15 m, but the cable connection and active USB element are necessary every 5 m. With very long connections a supply problem can occur—energy, which is available on USB, is consumed by active elements, and also the voltage drops over the long lines due to their electrical resistance.

The DataCam ETH Adapter solves problems with connection of DataCam cameras over the long distance, offering remote connection of cameras thrue the Ethernet interface. There is a compact computer with Intel Atom processor in the core of the DataCam ETH Adapter. Although the computer works on 1.8 GHz and contains two processor cores and is able to run four threads in parallel, maximum consumption is only around 10 W and typical consumption is only a few watts. No fan is needed for cooling and the heat sink is only passive. Software is located on mSATA SSD (Solid State Disk), firmly connected with the main board, and there are no moving parts in the whole device. That guarantees long-term reliability, durability against shocks or vibrations etc.

The Ethernet interface supports transmission speed 1Gbps and slower 10/100 Mbps and allows integration to all common local area networks. Compact unit uses the same supply voltage 12 V DC and power connectors like e.g. the DataLight lighting units. Thus, it is possible to use the identical power source for the ETH Adapter as for the rest of the machine vision system.

Single DataCam ETH Adapter includes 4 USB 2.0 ports and allows the simultaneous connection of up to 4 DataCam cameras. Naturally, if several cameras share a single Ethernet interface, the number of transmitted frames per second decreases. The real transmission speed depends also on further factors, such as on the speed of connected Ethernet interface (1 Gbps or 100 Mbps), on network elements between the ETH Adapter and the computer (switches, routers etc.), but it will be always lower than the transmission speed of camera connected only via USB directly to the computer. But the decrease of speed is regular with cameras conected over the network.

Using of DataCam ETH

The support for DataCam cameras connected through DataCam ETH Adapter unit is available in Control Web v6.1 system since the service pack SP10. Please make sure the service pack SP10 is installed before use. Control Web v6.1 SP10 update adds new „camera_ip_address“ parameter to all cameras instruments. This parameter allows the definition of IP address of DataCam ETH Adapter unit, to which the camera is connected.

If a single DataCam camera is connected to the DataCam ETH Adapter unit, there is no need to define the „camera_id“ parameter, and the unit uses the first camera found. But if more cameras are connected, it is necessary to set the „camera_id“ parameter for each camera to be uniquely determined which virtual instrument works with which physical camera. This behavior is identical with locally connected cameras, too.

There is no difference between a camera connected directly by USB interface or a camera connected over the network for the rest of the program. Naturally the number of transmitted frames per second will decrease with the descending network transmission speed and with the longer responses of IP protocol.

Configuration of network interface of DataCam ETH Adapter is set via WWW interface.

Technical specifications