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V120:Duo external trigger possible?

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:04 am
by kamelsaidi
Hi,

We are thinking of purchasing a V120:Duo, but we need to know if it can accept an external trigger to force it to take a 6DoF measurement at a particular instant in time so that we can sync that measurement with another sensor. Is this possible through the I/O-X sync box described in the Duo's literature?

Thanks,
Kam...

Re: V120:Duo external trigger possible?

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:16 pm
by NaturalPoint - Mike
Hello -

Yes! The I/O-X unit functions exactly like the internal and external sync jacks of an OptiHub, and uses the same interface in Tracking Tools, Arena, and the Camera SDK.

Re: V120:Duo external trigger possible?

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:26 pm
by kamelsaidi
Great! Thanks.
Do we need any special cables to use the I/O-X sync capability?

Re: V120:Duo external trigger possible?

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:55 pm
by NaturalPoint - Mike
Nope! The I/O-X has BNC jacks on it, however you can adapt those to just about anything that carries your signal.

Re: V120:Duo external trigger possible?

Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 7:14 am
by kamelsaidi
Mike,

Following our telephone conversations yesterday, we did some tests in our lab to figure out why sending a 5 Volt signal to the Sync-In port on the I/O-X unit was not triggering our V120 Duo camera.

What we noticed was that the Sync-In port is at a constant 3.2 V when measured directly with a multimeter (which suggest LVTTL not TTL). In addition, we noticed that when the Sync-In port's terminals are shorted the camera is triggered. Is this normal? If so, then how is sending a 5 V signal to this port supposed to trigger the camera?

Could you please clarify (with possibly a circuit diagram of the I/O-X) what behavior the Sync-In port is expecting to see in order to trigger the camera? I don't want to damage anything by continuously shorting the Sync-In port if that's not the normal behavior.

Thanks,
Kam...

Re: V120:Duo external trigger possible?

Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:07 pm
by NaturalPoint - Mike
You're correct, it is 3.2v TTL, I had previously misspoken on this. You should be fine, though. I spoke with our hardware developer, and he suggested the following:

What you can do is set synchronization to low gated and provide a closure on the sync in when you want frames taken, however it will take them at full speed for the duration of the closure. High gated will work on a normally closed circuit to allow frames on a break in continuity. You can additionally use single pulses with the switch to trigger individual frames with a single closure. You don't need to use voltage to drive a signal with this method, just a closure.