Precision Time Protocol (PTP)

Precision time protocol is a protocol used to synchronize clocks over a computer network. With a small amount of setup (and a PTP-compatible Allied Vision camera!), you can achieve microsecond level synchronization between camera frames and Trodes data packets.

Please read ahead, as there are limitations on which cameras this works with and which operating systems this has been tested on.

Contributors and Sponsors

Thanks to the Frank Lab at UCSF for sponsoring the development time for this feature. Thanks to Tom Davidson, Abhilasha Joshi, and Alison Comrie for contributing to the initial development, testing of the feature, and lending of cameras!

Allied Vision Camera setup

Only a few models of Allied Vision cameras support PTP, specifically Manta, Prosilica GT and Prosilica GC cameras.

After setting up your ethernet network with the camera (See our hardware setup guide), open VimbaViewer, AVT’s proprietary software to tweak settings. Follow the Properties tab and go to settings GigE -> PTP. Set PtpMode to “Slave”. Continue setting up the rest of your camera settings, such as exposure, brightness, etc.

ptpmode_slave.png

ptpmode_slave.png

Trodes setup

  1. Open up Trodes and edit your workspace in the Workspace Editor.

  2. In the first tab, make sure as SysClock is added in the list of devices. If not, do so now. sysclock_editor.png

  3. In the last tab, add the module “cameraModule” to the list of automatically launched modules.

  4. Highlight cameraModule, and click on +Add Argument. In the Flag field, type in ptpEnabled and leave the Value field empty. cammod_ptp_arg.png

  5. Save and Open the workspace. CameraModule should open automatically, and the extra flag enables a series of checks for PTP.

Computer and network setup

Ubuntu

  1. Install ptpd: sudo apt-get install ptpd

  2. Find the ethernet network interface your camera module is located on (e.g eth0 or enp0s25)

    • Make sure this is not the MCU!

  3. Start the PTP daemon in master mode: sudo ptpd -M -i eth0

And you’re done! If you set up the camera correctly, it should be attempting to calibrate and sync with the computer. Open Trodes and CameraModule, and the status should have changed to “Calibrating”. It takes a few minutes (5-20) to sync.

The PTP daemon must be restarted every time the computer shuts down or logs off.

Windows

There currently is no tested solution for Windows. In theory, any PTP service should work, as it is a standardized protocol. There are some free PTP services for Windows available, but none have been tested. Contact us and we would be glad to help if this is something you need.