Q+A CENTER

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz regarding the introduction of the Gig E Vision standard. Although Gig E does not offer the data rates of Camera Link the eventual utilization of 10 Gig E will provide the fastest data rates in the industry.

“Currently Gig E utilizes low cost Cat 5 & Cat 6 cabling, however these cables often lack the mechanical properties to be able to withstand the constant motion of factory applications. However, ongoing development work with cable construction and the incorporation of the Honda thumbscrew receptacles will provide the machine vision industry with Gig E cabling solutions that can withstand the rigors of factory floor applications,” said Ron Folkeringa, Business Manager for Intercon 1 (Baxter, Minn.) “As one recent camera manufacturer said to me, we want to be able to provide our customers with a robust cable solution that will not fail in the field, thereby eliminating the need for a costly service call.”

Folkeringa noted that the desire to provide customers with solutions that look at the long-term costs, which will continue to foster the development of new and exciting cabling solutions. “But don’t assume Camera Link is a standard that has seen its better days,” he said. “It continues to see significant demand and maintains a significant percentage of the applications that are in the field. In addition, the development of PoCL (Power over Camera Link) will find further applications for the standard. This development along with the cable manufacturer’s continuous drive to provide unique solutions to the numerous and varied challenges that customers throw our way will insure that machine vision remains a strong, vibrant and exciting industry for many years to come.”

Engineering Design Team (EDT, Beaverton, Ore.) has released its newest RCX C-Link Module for full mode applications.

The RCX C-Link Module from EDT provides long range and electrical isolation for base, medium and now full mode Camera Link cameras at data rates approaching 750 MBytes/second.