Synchronizing Multiple Boards
You have various options to connect and synchronize multiple microEnable 4 CL boards and/or multiple trigger extension boards:
- Connecting 1 trigger board (outputs are wired-ORed) to multiple microEnable 4 CL boards (synchronization),
- Connecting several trigger boards (inputs are wired-ORed) in parallel to microEnable 4 CL (for example, to use the same trigger in two or more different voltage domains), or
- Connecting multiple microEnable 4 CL boards without trigger board: In this case, one master microEnable 4 CL board synchronizes all its slave microEnable 4 CL boards.
|
Connect only Devices Seated in the Same Host PC |
|
We recommend to connect and synchronize only microEnable 4 CL devices that are plugged into the same host PC. Otherwise, it can come to ground loops or to other problems related to potential differences. |
|
In most use cases, for synchronization, microEnable 4 CL (or multiple microEnable 4 CL devices) is/are connected to each other and/or the trigger board by a specific 34-pin flat cable (Multi-board Trigger Cable) provided by Silicon Software.
|
Multi-board Trigger Cable |
||
|
To connect to several microEnable 4 CL devices, we recommend to use a specific 34-pin flat cable (Multi-board Trigger Cable) provided by Silicon Software. The Multi-board Trigger Cable offers one connector for the trigger board and multiple connectors for the microEnable 4 CL devices. The signals of the Multi-board Trigger Cable use open collector drivers.
|
||
|
Using one trigger extension board for several microEnable 4 CL devices makes synchronizing the microEnable 4 CL devices most easy. By sharing the trigger input lines of the trigger extension board, all microEnable 4 CL devices in the PC are accurately synchronized. There is no limit how many microEnable 4 CL devices can be connected to one trigger extension board. However, we recommend to connect only microEnable 4 CL devices seated in the same PC. Commonly, a trigger extension board supports all microEnable 4 CL devices in one PC.
Using a trigger extension board for synchronizing multiple boards is useful if the acquisition is controlled by an external generator. However, there are applications where no external source is available or desired. In these cases, a master microEnable 4 CL device needs to synchronize all its slave microEnable 4 CL devices.
|
Connecting microEnable 4 CL Devices via Front GPIO |
|
Alternative to using the Multi-board trigger cable, it is also possible to connect and synchronize the frame grabbers via Front GPIO. Silicon Software doesn't provide cables for this purpose. We recommend to connect only microEnable 4 CL devices that are plugged into the same host PC. Otherwise, it can come to ground loops or to other problems related to potential differences. |
|
Additional Information |
|
The following sections may be helpful when connecting and synchronizing multiple boards: |