Basler Vision Technologies Sprint Series, User Manual

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Physical Interface
Basler sprint Mono Cameras 37
2.9 RS-644 Serial Communication
The camera is equipped for RS-644 serial communication via a serial port integrated into the frame
grabber as specified in the Camera Link standard. The RS-644 serial connection in the Camera Link
interface is used to issue commands to the camera for changing modes and parameters. The serial
link can also be used to query the camera about its current setup.
The Basler Camera Configuration Tool Plus (CCT+) is a convenient, graphical interface that can be
used to change camera modes and parameters via the serial connection. The configuration tool is
installed on your host PC as described in the Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link
Cameras. The guide is available in the downloads section of the Basler website:
www.baslerweb.com.
Basler has also developed a binary read/write command protocol that can be used to change
camera modes and parameters via the serial connection from within your own application software
using the API delivered with the frame grabber. See Section 7.3 on
page 196 for details on the
binary read/write command protocol.
2.9.1 Making the Serial Connection
Frame grabbers compliant with the Camera Link specification are equipped with a serial port
integrated into the Camera Link interface that can be used for RS-644 serial communication. The
characteristics of the serial port can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
If you are using the Basler Camera Configuration Tool Plus (CCT+) to configure the camera, the
tool will detect the characteristics of the serial port on the frame grabber and will determine the
appropriate settings so that the tool can open and use the port.
If you are configuring the camera using binary commands from within your application software,
your software must be able to access the frame grabber serial port and to determine the appropriate
settings so that it can open and use the port. Consult your frame grabber’s documentation to
determine the port access method and the port characteristics.
Note
In order for the CCT+ to detect and use the port, the characteristics of the port
must comply with the Camera Link standard and the clser**** dll called for in
the standard must be present.
When the camera is powered on or when a camera reset is performed, your
PC may receive one random character on the serial interface. We recommend
clearing the serial input buffers in your PC after a camera power on or reset.