FRAME GRABBER SELECTOR TABLE

As little as 40 years ago or so the average automobile production line was run completely by hand. Every car was cut, welded and assembled by hand. Today, you are far likely to find more robots than people on the majority of automotive production lines. In order for these robots to do their jobs, they have to be able to "see" what they are doing. This is where the vision processor is used; it takes the video feed from the cameras that act as the robots "eyes".

Machine vision is the process by which the fully automated production line uses the vision processor to examine each part before it is installed on the automobile and all throughout the installation phase. In order to ensure that everything is done according to established standards, many areas use special "smart" cameras that actually help the assembly robots "learn" their assigned tasks.

The robots then use their vision processor to verify that the correct part has been properly installed. This information is combined with that from a series of video surveillance cameras placed strategically along the production line to verify that everything it the full assembly process is progressing exactly as planned so that every car that rolls off the line is properly built. Today's robotically assembled cars are far better built and much safer than those made by hand 40 years ago.
The use of the vision processor has made all of this possible and many manufacturing industries are now using them in many different forms of robotic and high speed manufacturing processes. In today's production environment, speed is everything and human operators are no longer capable of keeping up. Fully automated production lines using robotic equipment is rapidly taking over from the human workforce.

In essence the vision processor is very similar in function to the human retina, in that it takes what the camera sees and converts it into useable data that can be used by the computer to direct the robot in its job. Without this highly complex piece of equipment the thousands of robots that are currently in use in the manufacturing world would not be able to function, they would in essence be running blind. There is a wide variety of different vision processors on the market today and the technology is continuing to advance, making it possible for robots to be able to do ever more complicated tasks.

Alacron specializes in machine vision, designing and building a vision processor for thousands of different applications. No matter what industry you are involved in, you will find that their engineers can help you automate your facility using the latest technology available. Here you will find a company that designs and creates frame grabbers, ultrasound and CT scan units as well as many other forms of real time inspection equipment for the manufacturing and health industry. They are dedicated to developing state of the art equipment to help your facility to run more efficiently and keep your operating costs under control.

 

Alacron.com is your source for quality framegrabbers, high performance accelerated vision systems, and vision processors that allow you to meet the demanding need for real-world applications. If you require processing power in addition to a balanced architecture of flexible I/O and computational and memory bandwidth, Alacron has the leading edge products to help you work more efficiently and cost effectively. For those looking for a camera link frame grabber that provides extreme I/O requirements or higher bandwidth, complex image processing and real-time fast storage in a cost effective platform, the FastX1703  series offers the features you need.

The FastX1703 Series camera link frame grabber is full raw-length PCIe board with six basic 85 MHz Camera Link Channels and more which provide input for the newest cameras as well as a header for adaptation of other high speed interfaces. The front end data is formatted and preprocessed by a FPGA before being sent to the memory subsection, processor or other outputs. Finally, the FastX1703 interfaces to the host computer through a PCIe x4 or x8 interface for state-of-the-art data acquisition.

The Fast-UXGA Boards are for users who anticipate a demand for extreme I/O requirements or higher bandwidth, complex image processing and real-time fast storage in a cost effective platform. This frame grabber base is a raw-length PCIe x4 or x8 board with two UXGA analog conversion channels using Analog Device’s AD9888. The front end data is formatted and preprocessed by a FPGA before being sent to the memory subsection, processor, or other outputs.

The FastX1703 framegrabber series offers a camera link frame grabber for those with complex image processing and real-time high-speed storage in a cost effective platform. The base is a full length raw form factor PCI x4 or x8 board with six basic 85 MHz Camera Link Channels or an extended camera link camera interface. An auxiliary I/O connector provides a header for formats such as UXGA or LVDS. The front-end data is formatted and preprocessed by a FPGA before being sent to the memory subsection, up to four PNX1702 500MHz processors with 256MB memory each while the FastX1703 interfaces to the host computer through a x4 or x8 PCIe interface for state-of-the-art data acquisition.

The FastFrame-CB is the newest PCMCIA, cardbus, camera link frame grabber at Alacron which is available in both analog, digital, and camera link configurations for greater flexibility and cost savings. If features 16 MB of dedicated high speed SDRAM, collects NTSC/PAL?SECAM data from up to four digital cameras, and offers digital capture, 32 data bits with control and clock. The camera link frame grabber features one 85 MHz Camera Link input and is programmable FPGAs for I/O interface configuration. Go to www.alacron.com to learn more about which camera link frame grabber offers the features you need to help you get your work done more efficiently.

At Alacron.com, you will find the imaging and machine vision products that have the high performance you are searching for. Alacron offers a comprehensive line of products based on Microprocessors and FPGA’s. Their FastX1703 frame grabber series is for users who anticipate a demand for extreme I/O requirements or higher bandwidth, complex image processing and real-time fast storage in a cost effective platform. You can learn about the FastX1703 key series features and camera link specification on their website. The Camera Link is a camera interfacing specification developed by the camera and frame grabber community to simplify camera/frame grabber interfacing and qualification.

The Camera Link specification defines a standard connector that will be used on both the camera and the frame grabber in addition to a standard cable to connect the camera and the frame grabber. The camera link specification also defines the standard camera control inputs, a standard method for transmitting serial communication data between the camera and the frame grabber. In addition, a standard chip set that will be used in the camera and frame grabber for data transfer. Camera Link is based on the Channel Link LVDS chip set manufactured by National Semiconductor. The chipset consists of a transmitter, receiver, and is used to transfer digital data.

The Camera Link specification shows that the camera link uses the National Semiconductor’s channel chips links to define the interface. Using one or two transmitters or receiver channel link chips, the standard defines a basic, medium, and full camera link specification. The camera link specification shows the many features of the camera/frame grabber interfacing with 20 to 85 MHz shift clock support, 50% duty cycle on receiver output clock, 2.5/0 ns Set & Hold Tomes on TxINPUTs, low power consumption and more. Both devices are also available in 64 ball, 0.8 mm fine pitch ball grid array (FBGA) package.

For the FastX1703 PCI-Express Boards, you will find a detailed listing of all its features and applications in addition to the Camera Link Specification to get even more information. Alacron’s framegrabber and accelerated framegrabber subsystems can be integrated into a variety of operating environments on PCIe, cardbus, PCI, PMC, PCMCIA, or Express Bus platforms using Windows 2000, Windows XP, Solaris, and Linux. All of the subsystems are supported by a full range of software development tools including a highly optimized object oriented microcoded signal and image processing libraries.

The Camera Link Specification option for you at www.alacron.com will provide you with the extra information you need to decide which products provide the solutions you are looking for. The imaging and machine vision community that is continually seeking improved framegrabbers and high performance systems to meet their demanding real-world applications will find that Alacron has those products. You will also get the customer support you want to ensure you are getting the answers to all of your questions. They provide expertise in a number of different applications including CT Scanning, Real-Time Inspection, Ultrasound, Machine Vision, Vibration & Noise Analysis and more. Visit them online and get the details you need to find the right solutions for your needs.

Alacron.com offers frame grabber and accelerated framegrabber subsystems that can be integrated into a variety of operating environments on PCIe, PCI, PMC, PCMCIA (cardbus), or Express Bus platforms using Windows 2000, Windows XP, Solaris, and Linux. All of these subsystems are supported by a full range of software development tools including a highly optimized object oriented microcoded signal and image processing libraries. Their application development platforms make it easier and more efficient for you to bring your demanding applications to market on time, and on budget. Their line of products includes processor and multiprocessor accelerated frame grabbers, framegrabbers, I/O boards, daughter cards, system software like comprehensive application libraries, and complete integrated application development platforms.

Alacron works to continually improve their FastSeries frame grabber series. They introduced their FastX1703, Fast-X, FastXe, FastFrame-XB, and FastVault-FL to their line of products to provide you with the highest performance frame grabber on the market, providing customers with a state-of-the-art upgrade path. They understand the increasing demand for imaging, vision and machine vision solutions so they continue to evolve their product line to meet the changing needs of their customers. At their site, you will find complete listings of their products and their applications to help you choose the frame grabber that will work for you.

The FastX1703 Frame Grabber series is designed for users who demand extreme I/O requirements or higher bandwidth, complex image processing and real-time fast storage in a cost effective platform. The base FastX1703 is full length  raw-length PCIe x4 board with six basic 85 MHz Camera Link Channels and more to provide input for the newest cameras and as a header for adaptation of other high speed interfaces. The front end data is formatted and preprocessed by a FPGA before being sent to the memory subsection, processor, GigE interfaces or other outputs.  The frame grabber also interfaces to the host computer through a PCIe x4 interface for state-of-the-art data acquisition.

Go to www.alacron.com to see the diagram of the FastX1703 frame grabber series which outlines the basic functional sections. These features include full length  raw PCIe  form factor board with dedicated high speed DDRAM off the Xilinx FPGA for sustained real-time on-board storage. It collects data from up to six asynchronous basic Camera Link Channels and it has programmable FPGA and memory subsystem for l/O interface configuration and processing. It also features PNX1702 VLIW processor for floating point intensive processing.

The FastX1703 PCIe frame grabber series is also used by those who anticipate a demand for extreme I/O requirements or higher bandwidth, complex image processing and real-time fast storage in a cost effective platform while the Fast-XDIG frame grabber series offers dedicated high speed DDRAM for sustained real-time on-board storage and digital LVDS input. To learn more about these and more products, go to www.alacron.com. If you have more questions about these products or want to discuss and idea with them, just go to the sales/support section.

If you are on the lookout for a new framegrabber but seem to be having some difficulty in finding the right one that suits your needs as well as the needs of your budget, then you are more than likely well aware of just how frustrating this can be.  Many customers spend hours, days and sometimes weeks trying to find knowledgeable professionals, placing several phone calls to make inquiries, and even browsing through multiple websites that have a lack of information for their products, or simple too much disorganized information that usually just results in more confusion.  Not to worry – there is a simple solution.  The user friendly website of Alacron has all of your framegrabber needs addressed.  For quite some time now, our site has been up and running to provide each of our valued clients with plenty of information for framegrabbers so that informed decisions can be made.  We value each of our clients and in the unlikely incident that there is not enough information available, a tech savvy representative is a mere mouse click or a phone call away and would be more than happy to assist you in finding the right framegrabber for your specific  needs and price range.

One of the many features of our website that makes it much easier for our clients to find the right framegrabbers for their industry is quite simply that Alacron has made sure to include plenty of information, but organized in a way that is easy to understand, evaluate and compare to other framegrabbers.  You will have access to detailed product specifications, photographs and manuals for each framegrabber that Alacron carries and this saves valuable  time in the long run.  If you know precisely what your company needs in a quality framegrabber in order to record objects that are moving at an extremely high speed, sometimes requiring real time analysis and computerized decisions,  the Alacron framegrabber chart is a quick and easy reference point..  It  includes information regarding the host interface, form factor, camera inputs, digital interface bits, digital interface types, camera links, analog interface types, analog channels, muxed analog channels, color acquisition, NTSC/PAL color, analog digitization rates, processors, on-board processors, supported/OS, SDK, imaging libraries, and the board power.  Some of the models Alacron offers include:  the FASTX1703, FASTX-UXGA, FFRAME-XB, FFRAME-CB2, FIMAGE-1303, AND THE FFRAME-1303.  With such a wide selection and superior quality and pricing, it is hardly any wonder at all why more and more people are  referencing  the Alacron website to find  a quality framegrabber. 

Now that you are just a little bit more familiar with only a few of the benefits that come from shopping at Alacron’s website (savings, selection, and saved time), all that is left is to log on to www.Alacron.com to gather further details.  The site is designed for easy navigation, and you will find detailed descriptions of everything from products and parts to the unique and inspirational history our company.  For further information, be sure to look through the charts and lists of compatible cameras, because these will help you to narrow down the framegrabber options to find the solution that is best for you, your business and the desired application.

If you or your company are in need of a brand new PCI express frame grabber or perhaps you are buying one for the first time, then you are more than likely well aware of just how difficult it can be to find one that suits your needs, especially if you are not technologically savvy.  When it comes to purchasing a PCI express frame grabber, many people spend hours of their time, spending days and sometimes weeks researching these products in magazines and on-line , only to discover that they have wasted their valuable time.  Stop adding to the frustration, and instead consider consulting   the professionals from Alacron.  This company has been a vanguards in the design and development of frame grabbers for more than 20 years, and were early to market with their  PCI express frame grabbers. Going straight to the source   will also save your  valued clients and projects time and  money in the long run.  The benefits that come through shopping online for a PCI express frame grabber are obvious. But some Web sites are better than others.  Alacron has built its Website both for education and well as ease of use. Its frame grabber selector table is easily located  and allows you to visually scan all the difference PCI  products. We invite you to see for yourself at www.Alacron.com where you can find answers to all of your PCI express frame grabber questions.

Ever since 1985, Alacron has been designing and manufacturing some of the best framegrabber and accelerated framegrabber subsystems that the industry has to offer.  For people who are in certain fields such as  manufacturing, medical, or military, a PCI express frame grabber from a company such as Alacron has become one of the most useful devices because they are among the best in quality and usefulness.   At Alacron, you can find one of the highest quality PCI express frame grabbers that the industry has to offer from a well established company, at a great price. By using the guidelines and PCI Express Bug in the Website’s frame grabber selector table, a user will find  the exact system that is needed without much efforts.  There is more than enough information available on www.Alacron.com so that an informed decision can be made.I If further details are needed, a tech savvy  representative is a mere mouse click or a phone call away.  This company would be more than happy to help guide you through the process of finding the right PCI express frame grabber to suit your needs in the event that you are unsure which one to purchase.

After visiting www.alacron.com and becoming a little more familiar with the overall quality that they have to bring to this industry, it will readily become apparent that this is one of the best places to shop for a PCI express frame grabber.  Stop wasting time and money. Consult Alacron’s Frame Grabber Selector Table and  browse through the extensive inventory of PCI express frame grabbers because there is plenty of information for each one and the variety is helpful in finding the best one for your company’s needs.

Those purchasing frame grabbers usually fall into one of three categories: 1) those buying their first frame grabber; 2) those upgrading or replacing an obsolete or broken frame grabber; and 3) those adding or enhancing existing systems that already include a frame grabber or multiple frame grabbers.

An additional factor that influences those purchasing a frame grabber is whether or not they already own the camera – the data gathering lens that feeds images into the frame grabber. If so, a frame grabber needs to interface easily with their existing camera. If not, some manufacturers of frame grabber provide a list of those cameras with which they interface. And some offer a “one stop shop” experience, where a customer can purchase a camera that is manufactured and/or offered as a package with their frame grabber. Alacron’s Web site (www.Alacron.com) is a good educational source for anyone purchasing a frame grabber. For 20 years, Alacron has been designing, engineering and manufacturing some of the world’s highest quality frame grabbers that are capable of capturing very high speed images, as well as analyzing image irregularities, if image analysis is required by the application. Additionally, Alacron’s frame grabbers can interface with back end subsystems, that can actually trigger a robotic response, or alert a human to respond, should an image irregularity require this. An example of this would be in the manufacturing industry, where robotics play an increasingly important role in evaluating quality control and culling flawed products while on the assembly line.

The complexity of intelligent frame grabbers, along with the importance of integration both with cameras as well as processing subsystems, create the need for on-line research when selecting the right frame grabber. Alacron’s Web site provides educational articles and links as well as allowing you to browse and find answers to nearly all your questions. And any remaining questions are answered by their highly skilled engineering team, quickly and simply by submitting a Web request. Not only does the Web site include everything to help customers make an informed decision regarding frame grabbers, their team of highly trained engineers will help evaluate your request by responding with questions specific to your application, to ensure that your selection is the correct one, both for the application as well as for your budget.

The Alacron Web site is easy to navigate, and the key components of different frame grabbers can be easily evaluated. The benefits of doing business with an industry expert are noticeable. When visiting www.Alacron.com, in addition to easy access to frame grabber data sheets, the “contact us” button will yield a timely and knowledgeable response