PC bus systems
Based on our substantial experience, we have a detailed understanding of the various factors that affect a PC's performance in demanding machine vision applications. We are able to supply preconfigured, fully tested PCs, with the acquisition interface included, ensuring that our customers always receive a system that exactly meets their performance requirements. All systems provided by STEMMER IMAGING are validated to work at demanding data rates with all our acquisition interface boards. Historical evidence concludes that many PCs suitable for general computing are just not designed or tested to work at the data rates demanded by machine vision. Our service reduces the time needed for the integration of a system. You can be secure in the knowledge that we manage the life cycle of our systems, ensuring we can deliver compatible solutions when the PC reaches its end of life.
PC bus architectures
Since the development of the first PC/AT interface system architectures have developed significantly. Firstly the PCI bus and now the PCI Express bus. As the ISA bus is no longer used, it will not be discussed here. The section should help you to select the correct interface that will deliver the required performance. Currently we see PCs with both PCI and PCI Express interfaces, however, it is obvious that PCI Express is becoming the dominant interface while the importance of the PCI bus diminishes in new designs.
PCI bus
Many people imagine that the PCI bus is universally compatible; however, older PCI cards used 5 V signalling whereas new motherboards only support 3.3 V signalling. As the following graphic shows, all devices on a PCI bus use the same data channel whereby the available bandwidth has to be divided among them.