Using Multiple Boards in one Host

You can use multiple frame grabber boards in one host PC.

You can

Maximum number of frame grabbers in one host PC:
The maximum number of frame grabbers you can use in one host PC is defined by the number of PCIe slots available on the main board of your host PC (theoretical maximum: 32 frame grabber boards).

Maximum number of connected cameras: The maximum number of cameras connected to the host PC depends on two factors:

Examples:

API (SDK) Handling:
Each frame grabber board in the host PC has a unique board ID. The board ID is used as frame grabber handle in the Silicon Software API (Silicon Software SDK).

The board ID is displayed in the runtime tools that come with the runtime installation, for example, microDiagnostics or microDisplay X.

microDiagnostics

microDisplay X

The numbering does not necessarily correspond to the order of the frame grabbers in the PC. You can re-number the board IDs

as you please using the option Tools -> Re-Sort Boards in microDiagnostics, see Re-Sorting Boards.

For managing the DMA transfers of multiple frame grabbers in one system, you have the DMA indexes (DmaIndex) available for handling the DMA channels of the individual boards.

Available Bandwidth

The bandwidth available for an individual frame grabber board depends on various factors:

Bandwidth actually used by microEnable 4 CL

The bandwidth used by microEnable 4 CL depends on the following factors:

Bandwidth information in microDiagnostics

As soon as you open microDiagnostics, the tool scans the environment and provides you with some basic PCIe speed information in the log:

To get detailed information about the actual bandwidth for your frame grabber running a specific applet:

  1. Open microDiagnostics.
  2. Select a board in the left upper corner.
  3. From the menu, select Diagnosis -> Performance (or use according button).

    The performance test gets started. The test is carried out for the first applet available in the runtime installation for the selected frame grabber (alphabetical sorting).

The results of the performance test are displayed. You see the actual transfer rates for example image sizes (on the X axis, the image dimensions are stated (image width = image height):

The results will always be applet throughput max. bandwidth.

You can run the performance test for all applets designed for microEnable 4 CL.

Frame Grabber Test Applet

 

To find out about the maximum bandwidth of the frame grabber without regard to any applet specifics, use the Frame Grabber Test Applet (FrameGrabberTest) for testing the performance. The results inform you about the full frame grabber bandwidth available under the specific conditions (like PCIe generation provided by PCIe slot, available PCIe lanes, etc.).

   

To test the performance with another applet:

  1. Select the applet you want to test on from the drop down list in the bottom area of the program window.
  2. Repeat the performance test by clicking the according icon , or by selecting from the menu Diagnosis->Performance.