GeniCam support for CamLink cameras

[Bruce Hill <bhill@slac.stanford.edu>]

Is anyone looking into using GeniCam to interface w/ CamLink cameras?

We just got a GoldEye CamLink camera in from AlliedVision that only supports GeniCam's GenCP protocol for serial 
configuration.    GenCP is a low level binary protocol w/ 2 checksums and an incrementing command id that is used to 
read and write camera registers.   The GeniCam concept involves a vendor specific transport layer called a GenTL 
Producer that knows how to control and acquire images from the framegrabber, and how to send the GenCP message I/O via 
the vendor specific CamLink serial API.
GenCP and the XML files that map camera features to camera registers are also used by the aravisGigE module, but that 
module is based on the aravis GTK lib and while it can interface w/ GeniCam compliant gigE and USB cameras, aravis 
doesn't follow the GeniCam API so would likely not work w/ a vendor specific GenTL Producer lib.
I think I'll be able to get the basic GoldEye operation working via a streamdevice friendly ASCII register read/write 
protocol by wrapping our EDT vendor serial API w/ a GenCP compliant layer. However, from talking to Allied Vision tech 
support and EDT tech support, it looks like GeniCam is the going to be the standard before long.
Long term I see a need for an EPICS GeniCam module.   The nice thing about this approach is that a GeniCam module should 
work w/ any GeniCam compliant camera, whether it's interface is CamLink, CamLinkHS, GigE, USB3, CoaXPress, etc., as long 
as you have the appropriate GenTL library.
Cheers,

- Bruce

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Bruce Hill
Member Technical Staff
SLAC National Accelerator Lab
2575 Sand Hill Road M/S 10
Menlo Park, CA  94025