Grablink series

Camera Link frame grabbers

At a glance
  • PCIe frame grabbers for Camera Link 80-bit, Full, Medium, Base and Lite configuration cameras
  • Directly compatible with hundreds of Camera Link cameras available on the market
  • ECCO+ / ECCO: Extended Camera Link Cable Operation
  • Feature-rich set of digital IO lines
  • Memento Event Logging Tool
 
Grablink Duo

Frame grabber for one full- or two base-configuration Camera Link cameras

 
Grablink Full XR

Frame grabber for one full-configuration Camera Link camera with support for extra long cables

 
Grablink Full

Frame grabber for one full-configuration Camera Link camera

 
Grablink DualBase

Frame grabber for two base-configuration Camera Link cameras

 
Grablink Base

Frame grabber for one base-configuration Camera Link camera

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.euresys.com/ecco" >ECCO+ / ECCO</a>: Extended Camera Link Cable Operation
ECCO+ / ECCO: Extended Camera Link Cable Operation

  • Use longer, up to 20 meters long, Camera Link cables!


High-performance DMA (Direct Memory Access)
High-performance DMA (Direct Memory Access)

  • Direct transfer into user-allocated memory and hardware boards that expose PCI addresses
  • Hardware scatter-gather support
  • 64-bit addressing capability


Line-scan triggering capabilities 2/2

  • The Grablink frame grabber controls the camera scanning rate based on the signals received from a motion encoder. When the parts move faster, the acquisition line rate of the camera increases. When the parts move slower, the acquisition line rate of the camera decreases.
  • The Grablink boards interpret A/B signals from quadrature motion encoders to know in which direction (forward or backward) the part is moving.
  • Optionally, the Grablink can be instructed to acquire lines only when the object is moving forward or only when the object is moving backward.
  • A feature called Backward Motion Cancellation stops the acquisition when a backward motion is detected. The line acquisition automatically resumes when the motion is again in the forward direction, at the exact place where the acquisition was interrupted.
  • A Rate Converter allows the camera to acquire lines at any programmable resolution lower or higher than the resolution of the motion encoder. This gives the designer incredible freedom and flexibility during the development of the application.
  • A Rate Divider allows the camera to acquire lines at a resolution lower than the resolution of the motion encoder. It divides the frequency of the incoming encoder signal by a programmable integer.


Directly compatible with hundreds of Camera Link cameras available on the market
Directly compatible with hundreds of Camera Link cameras available on the market

Check out our supported cameras page (in the Support menu)


Area-scan triggering capabilities

  • A trigger is used to start the acquisition when the part is in position. Hardware triggers come from the Grablink's I/O lines. Software triggers come from the application.
  • An optional trigger delay is available to postpone the acquisition for a programmable time.
  • A trigger decimation function allows to skip some of the triggers.
  • Camera exposure control allows the application to control the exposure time of the camera.
  • When the acquisition starts, at the appropriate timing, the Grablink board generates a signal to control an illumination device connected to one of its output lines.


Flexible line-scan camera operation with the rate converter

  • The rate converter is a smart, programmable frequency multiplier/divider.
  • Used with motion encoders and line-scan cameras, it allows the user to choose the aspect ratio of the pixels in the image.
  • It provides a way to calibrate the acquisition chain to easily reach square (1:1 aspect ratio) pixels.


General purpose I/O lines
General purpose I/O lines

Compatible with a wide range of sensors and motion encoders.


Line-scan triggering capabilities 1/2

Grablink supports continuous web scanning (to inspect infinite, continuously moving surfaces without losing a single line) and discrete object scanning (to acquire the image of objects moving in front of the camera).

  • A trigger is used to start the acquisition when the part is in position. Hardware triggers come from the board's I/O lines. Software triggers come from the application.
  • After it is started, the acquisition either:
    • Continues indefinitely (for web inspection applications)
    • Continues for a programmable number of lines (to acquire the image of objects of a known length)
    • Continues until an end trigger is received (to acquire the image of objects of a variable length)
  • An optional trigger delay is available to postpone the beginning of the acquisition for a programmable number of lines.


Windows, Linux and macOS drivers available
Windows, Linux and macOS drivers available

  • macOS and ARM support only available for Grablink Duo


Compare products by selecting them in the columns.
The differences between the products are highlighted in blue.
 
Select a product
Select a product
Mechanical
Format
Standard profile, half length, 8-lane PCI Express card
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Cooling method
Air cooling, fan-cooled heatsink
Air cooling, fan-cooled heatsink
Housing
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Aluminum housing
Mounting
For insertion in a standard height, 8-lane or higher, PCI Express card slot
Desktop
Connectors
  • 'QSFP+' on bracket:
    • Enhanced Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable port
    • CoaXPress-over-Fiber host interface
  • 'EXTERNAL I/O' on bracket:
    • 26-pin 3-row high-density female sub-D connector
    • I/O lines and power output
  • 'INTERNAL I/O 1' and 'INTERNAL I/O 2' on PCB:
    • 2x 26-pin 2-row 0.1" pitch pin header with shrouding
    • I/O lines and power output
  • 'I/O EXTENSION' on PCB:
    • 26-pin 2-row 0.05" pitch pin header with shrouding
    • I/O extension lines and power output
  • 'AUXILIARY POWER INPUT' on module:
    • 6-pin PEG power socket
    • 12 VDC power input for I/O power
  • 'C2C-LINK' on module:
    • 6-pin 2-row 0.1" header
    • Card to card link
  • 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D' on front panel:
    • 4x Micro BNC female connectors
    • CoaXPress host interface
  • 'QSFP+' on rear panel:
    • Enhanced Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable port
    • CoaXPress-over-Fiber device interface
  • 'POWER IN' on rear panel:
    • 2-pin 5.08mm pitch terminal socket
    • 24 V DC power input for internal use and PoCXP
LED indicators
  • 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D' on bracket:
    • Bi-color red/green LEDs
    • CoaXPress Host connector indicator
  • 'FPGA STATUS LAMP' on PCB:
    • Bi-color red/green LED
    • FPGA status indicator
  • 'BOARD STATUS LAMP' on PCB:
    • Bi-color red/green LED
    • Board status indicator
  • 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D' on front panel:
    • Bi-color red/green LEDs
    • CoaXPress Host connector indicator
  • 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D' on rear panel:
    • Bi-color red/green LEDs
    • CoaXPress Device connector indicator
  • 'FPGA OK' on rear panel:
    • Bi-color red/green LED
    • FPGA status indicator
  • 'BOARD OK' onrear panel:
    • Bi-color red/green LED
    • Board status indicator
Switches
'RECOVERY' on PCB:
  • 3-pin 1-row 0.1" header or 2-way DIP switch
  • Firmware emergency recovery
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Dimensions
PCB L X H: 167.65 mm x 111.15 mm, 6.6 in x 4.38 in
L 112 mm x H 55 mm x D 208 mm
Weight
176 g, 6.21 oz (without transceiver)
TBD g, TBD oz (3629)
Host bus
Standard
PCI Express 3.0
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Link width
  • 8 lanes
  • 1 lane, 2 lanes or 4 lanes with reduced performance
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Link speed
  • 8.0 GT/s (PCIe 3.0)
  • 5.0 GT/s (PCIe 2.0) with reduced performance
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Maximum payload size
512 bytes
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DMA
32- and 64-bit
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Peak delivery bandwidth
7,800 MB/s
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Effective (sustained) delivery bandwidth
6,700 MB/s (Host PC motherboard dependent)
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Power consumption
Typ. 16.5 W ( 3.0 W @ +3.3V, 12.5 W @ +12V), excluding I/O power output and optical transceiver module
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Camera / video inputs
Interface standard(s)
CoaXPress 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1 and 2.0, CoaXPress-over-Fiber Bridge Protocol 1.0
CoaXPress 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1 and 2.0, CoaXPress-over-Fiber Bridge Protocol 1.0
Connectors
  • Enhanced Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP+) port
  • Compliant with SFF-8436 (4 x10 Gbit/s Pluggable Transceiver) specification
  • Compliant with CoaXPress over Fiber
  • Available power for the module: 3.5 W (SFF-8436 Power Level 4)
Four micro-BNC 75 Ohms (also known as HD-BNC™) CXP-12
Status LEDs
One CoaXPress Host connection status LED per connection
One CoaXPress Host connection status LED per connection
Number of cameras
  • Area-scan cameras:
    • One 1- or 2- or 4-connection camera
  • Line-scan cameras:
    • One 1- or 2- or 4-connection camera
  • Area-scan cameras:
    • One 1- or 2- or 4-connection camera
  • Line-scan cameras:
    • One 1- or 2- or 4-connection camera
Maximum aggregated camera data transfer rate
5,000 MB/s
50 Gbit/s (5,000 MB/s)
Supported CXP down-connection speeds
1.25 GT/s (CXP-1), 2.5 GT/s (CXP-2), 3.125 GT/s (CXP-3), 5 GT/s (CXP-5), 6.25 GT/s (CXP-6), 10.0 GT/s (CXP-10), and 12.5 GT/s (CXP-12)
1.25 GT/s (CXP-1), 2.5 GT/s (CXP-2), 3.125 GT/s (CXP-3), 5 GT/s (CXP-5), 6.25 GT/s (CXP-6), 10.0 GT/s (CXP-10), and 12.5 GT/s (CXP-12)
Supported CXP up-connection speeds
  • Low-speed 20.83... Mbps (CXP-1 to CXP-6)
  • Low-speed 41.66... Mbps (CXP-10, CXP-12)
  • Low-speed 20.83... Mbps (CXP-1 to CXP-6)
  • Low-speed 41.66... Mbps (CXP-10, CXP-12)
Number of CXP data streams (per camera)
1 data stream per camera
1 data stream per camera
Maximum CXP stream packet size
16,384 bytes
16,384 bytes
PoCXP (Power over CoaXPress)
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  • PoCXP Safe Power:
    • PoCXP Device detection and automatic power-on
    • Overload and short-circuit protections
  • A +24V power source must be connected to the POWER IN connector
Camera types
  • Area-scan cameras:
    • Grayscale and color (YCbCr, YUV, RGB and Bayer CFA)
    • Single-tap (1X-1Y) progressive-scan
  • Line-scan cameras and contact imaging sensors:
    • Grayscale and color RGB
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Camera pixel formats supported
  • Mono8, Mono10, Mono12, Mono14, Mono16
  • BayerXX8, BayerXX10, BayerXX12, BayerXX14, BayerXX16 where XX = GR, RG, GB, or BG
  • RGB8, RGB10, RGB12, RGB14, RGB16
  • RGBA8, RGBA10, RGBA12, RGBA14, RGBA16
  • YCbCr601_422_8, YCbCr601_422_10
  • YCbCr709_422_8, YCbCr709_422_10
  • YUV422_8, YUV422_10
  • Raw
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Area-scan camera control
Trigger
  • Precise control of asynchronous reset cameras, with exposure control.
  • Support of camera exposure/readout overlap.
  • Support of external hardware trigger, with optional delay and trigger decimation.
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Strobe
  • Accurate control of the strobe position for strobed light sources.
  • Support of early and late strobe pulses.
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Line-scan camera control
Scan/page trigger
  • Precise control of start-of-scan and end-of-scan triggers.
  • Support of external hardware trigger, with optional delay.
  • Support of infinite acquisition, without missing line, for web inspection applications.
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Line trigger
  • Support for quadrature motion encoders, with programmable noise filters, selection of acquisition direction and backward motion compensation.
  • Rate Converter tool for fine control of the pixel aspect ratio: Rate Conversion Ratio in the range 0.001 to 1000 with an accuracy better than 0.1%.
  • Rate Divider tool
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Line strobe
  • Accurate control of the strobe position for strobed light sources.
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On-board processing
On-board memory
4 GB
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Image data stream processing
  • Unpacking of 10-/12-/14-bit to 16-bit with selectable justification to LSb or MSb
  • Optional swap of R and B components
  • Little endian conversion
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Flat-field correction
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Input LUT (Lookup Table)
  • Monochrome 8-bit to 8-bit transformation
  • Monochrome 10-bit to 8-, 10- or 16-bit transformations
  • Monochrome 12-bit to 8-, 12- or 16-bit transformations
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Bayer CFA to RGB decoder
'1-camera' firmware variant:
  • 3x3 linear interpolation method
  • 3x3 median-based interpolation method
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Pixel binning
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CustomLogic firmware variants
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Data stream statistics
  • Measurement of:
    • Frame rate (Area-scan only)
    • Line rate
    • Data rate
  • Configurable averaging interval
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Event signaling and counting
  • The application software can be notified of the occurrence of various events:
    • Standard event: the EVENT_NEW_BUFFER event notifies the application of newly filled buffers
    • A large set of custom events
  • Custom events sources:
    • I/O Toolbox events
    • Camera and Illumination control events
    • CoaXPress data stream events
    • CoaXPress host interface events
  • Each custom event is associated with a 32-bit counter that counts the number of occurrences
  • The last three 32-bit context data words of the event context data can be configured with event-specific context data:
    • Event-specific data
    • State of all System I/O lines sampled at the event occurrence time
    • Value of any event counter
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Metadata Insertion
Recording of metadata beside image data.
  • The metadata are composed with a configurable set of general purpose event counters, quadrature encoder position counters and/or I/O line status.
  • Line metadata are captured every acquired image line.
  • Buffer metadata are only captured when the first image line of a buffer is acquired.
  • Allows line-scan applications to correlate image data with system events including motion encoder positions.
NOTE: Only available on selected line-scan firmware variants. Refer to release notes.
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General Purpose Inputs and Outputs
Number of lines
20 I/O lines:
  • 4 differential inputs (DIN)
  • 4 singled-ended TTL inputs/outputs (TTLIO)
  • 8 isolated inputs (IIN)
  • 4 isolated outputs (IOUT)
NOTE: The number of I/O lines can be extended using I/O modules attached to the I/O EXTENSION connector.
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Usage
  • Any I/O input lines can be used by any LIN tool of the I/O Toolbox
  • Selected pairs of I/O input lines can be used by any QDC tool of the I/O toolbox to decode A/B signals of a motion encoder
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Electrical specifications
  • DIN: High-speed differential inputs, up to 5 MHz, compatible with ANSI/EIA/TIA-422/485 differential line drivers and complementary TTL drivers
  • TTLIO: High-speed 5V-compliant TTL inputs or LVTTL outputs, compatible with totem-pole LVTTL, TTL, 5V CMOS drivers or LVTTL, TTL, 3V CMOS receivers
  • IIN: 200 kHz isolated current-sense input with wide voltage input range up to 30V, compatible with totem-pole (push-pull) HTL drivers, 5V TTL/RS-422 differential line drivers, 5V CMOS drivers, potential free contacts, solid-state relays and opto-couplers
  • IOUT: Isolated contact outputs compatible with 30V / 100mA loads
NOTE: IIN and IOUT lines provide a functional isolation grade for the circuit technical protection. It does not provide an isolation that can protect a human being from electrical shock!
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Filter control
  • Glitch removal filter available on all System I/O input lines
  • Configurable filter time constants:
    • for DIN and TTLIO lines: 50 ns, 100 ns, 200 ns, 500 ns, 1 µs
    • for IIN lines: 500 ns, 1 µs, 2 µs, 5 µs, 10 µs
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Polarity control
Yes
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Power output
Non-isolated, +12V, 1A, with electronic fuse protection
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I/O Toolbox tools
The I/O Toolbox is a configurable interconnection of tools that generates events (usually triggers):
  • Line Input tool (LIN): edge detector delivering events on rising or falling edges of any selected input line.
  • Quadrature Decoder tool (QDC): a composite tool including:
    • A quadrature edge detector delivering events on selected transitions of selected pairs of input lines.
    • An optional backward motion compensator for clean line-scan image acquisition when the motion is unstable.
    • A 32-bit up/down counter for delivering a position value.
  • Device Link Trigger tool (DLT): delivers an event on reception of a valid high-speed CoaXPress 2.0 connection trigger packet message from the remote device.
  • User Actions Scheduler tool (UAS): to delegate the execution of 'User Actions' at a scheduled time or encoder position. Possible user actions include setting low/high/toggle any bit of the User Output Register or generation of any User Events.
  • Delay tool (DEL): to delay up to 16 events from one or two I/O toolbox event sources, by a programmable time or number of motion encoder ticks (any QDC events).
  • Divider tool (DIV): to generate an event every nth input events from any I/O toolbox event source.
  • Multiplier/divider tool (MDV): to generate m events every d input events from any I/O toolbox event source.
  • The 'Input Tools' (LIN, QDC, DLT and UAS) can be further processed by the 'Event Tools' (DEL, DIV and MDV) to generate any of the following "trigger" events:
    • The "cycle trigger" of the Camera and Illumination controller
    • The "cycle sequence trigger" of the Camera and Illumination controller
    • The "start-of-scan trigger" of the Acquisition Controller (line-scan only)
    • The "end-of-scan trigger" of the Acquisition Controller (line-scan only)
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I/O Toolbox composition
Determined by the selected firmware variant:
  • '1-camera': 8 LIN, 1 QDC, 2 DLT, 1 UAS, 2 DEL, 1 DIV, 1 MDV, 2 C2C
  • '1-camera, line-scan': 8 LIN, 1 QDC, 2 DLT, 1 UAS, 2 DEL, 1 DIV, 1 MDV, 3 C2C
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C2C-Link
Description
  • Accurate synchronization of the trigger and the start-of-exposure of multiple grabber-controlled area-scan cameras.
  • Accurate synchronization of the start-of-cycle, start-of-scan and end-of-scan of multiple grabber-controlled line-scan cameras.
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Specification
  • C2C-Link synchronizes cameras connected to:
    • the same card
    • to different cards in the same PC (requires an accessory cable such as the "3303 C2C-Link Ribbon Cable" or a custom-made C2C-Link cable)
    • to different cards in different PCs (requires one "1636 InterPC C2C-Link Adapter" for each PC and one RJ 45 CAT 5 STP straight LAN cable for each adapter but the last one)
  • Maximum distance:
    • 60 cm inside a PC
    • 1200 m cumulated adapter to adapter cable length
  • Maximum trigger rate:
    • 2.5 MHz for configurations using a single PC, or up to 10 PCs and 100 m total C2C-Link cable length
    • 200 kHz for configurations up to 32 PCs and 1200m total C2C-Link cable length
  • Trigger propagation delay from master to slave devices:
    • Less than 10 ns for cameras on the same card or on different cards in the same PC
    • Less than 265 ns for cameras on different cards in different PCs (3 PCs and 40m total C2C-Link cable length)
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Electrical
Supply voltage
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24 V DC (tolerance. TBD), via external power supply block (not included)
Power connector
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POWER IN connector: 2-pin 5.08 mm pluggable terminal block socket
Power consumption
-
  • 29 W for internal use (estimation TBC)
  • 4 x 17 W for PoCXP
Software
Host PC Operating System
  • Microsoft Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7 for x86-64 (64-bit) processor architecture
  • Linux for x86-64 (64-bit) and AArch64 (64-bit) processor architectures
  • macOS for x86-64 (64-bit) and AArch64 (64-bit) processor architectures
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APIs
  • EGrabber class, with C++ and .NET APIs: .NET assembly designed to be used with development environments compatible with .NET frameworks version 4.0 or higher
  • GenICam GenTL producer libraries compatible with C/C++ compilers:
    • 'x86_64' dynamic library designed to be used with ISO-compliant C/C++ compilers for the development of x86-64 (64-bit) applications
    • 'aarch64' dynamic library designed to be used with ISO-compliant C/C++ compilers for the development of AArch64 (64-bit) applications
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Environmental conditions
Operating ambient air temperature
0 to +55 °C / +32 to +131 °F
0 to +50 °C / +32 to +122 °F (TBC)
Operating ambient air humidity
10 to 90% RH non-condensing
10% to 90% RH non-condensing (TBC)
Storage ambient air temperature
-20 to +70 °C/ -4 to +158 °F
-20 to +70 °C/ -4 to +158 °F (TBC)
Storage ambient air humidity
10% to 90% RH non-condensing
10% to 90% RH non-condensing (TBC)
Certifications
Electromagnetic - EMC standards
  • European Council EMC Directive 2014/30/EU
  • United States FCC rule 47 CFR 15
  • European Council EMC Directive 2004/108/EC (TBC)
  • United States FCC rule 47 CFR 15 (TBC)
EMC - Emission
  • EN 55032:2015 / CISPR 32:2012 Class B
  • FCC 47 Part 15 Class B
TBD
EMC - Immunity
  • EN 55035:2017 / CISPR 35:2016
  • EN 61000-6-2:2005 / IEC 61000-6-2:2016
  • EN 61000-4-2:2009
  • EN 61000-4-3:2006
  • EN 61000-4-4:2004
  • EN 61000-4-6:2014
TBD
KC Certification
Korean Radio Waves Act, Article 58-2, Clause 3
TBD
Flammability
PCB compliant with UL 94 V-0
PCB compliant with UL 94 V-0
RoHS
European Union Directive 2015/863 (ROHS3)
European Union Directive 2015/863 (ROHS3)
REACH
European Union Regulation 1907/2006
European Union Regulation 1907/2006
WEEE
Must be disposed of separately from normal household waste and must be recycled according to local regulations
Must be disposed of separately from normal household waste and must be recycled according to local regulations
Ordering Information
HS Acquisition

High speed image acquisition for AOI, 3D SPI, 3D lead/ball inspection machines.

The Coaxlink and Grablink cards are dependable industrial frame grabbers that provide robust and stable image acquisition from the fastest digital cameras available. They feature precise camera control and synchronization functions.
  • AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) machines
  • 3D SPI (Solder Paste Inspection) machines
  • 3D lead/ball inspection machines
LS Acquisition Elec

Very high resolution line-scan image acquisition for Flat Panel Display inspection and solar cell inspection

The Coaxlink and Grablink cards are dependable industrial frame grabbers that provide robust and stable image acquisition from the fastest digital cameras available. They feature precise line-scan camera control and synchronization functions.
LS Acquisition Man

Line-scan image acquisition for surface inspection machines

The Coaxlink and Grablink cards are dependable industrial frame grabbers that provide robust and stable image acquisition from the fastest digital cameras available. They feature precise line-scan camera control and synchronization functions.
LS Acquisition Textile

Line-scan image acquisition for textile inspection

The Coaxlink and Grablink cards are dependable industrial frame grabbers that provide robust and stable image acquisition from the fastest digital cameras available. They feature precise line-scan camera control and synchronization functions.