Trigger Drop warnings in Encoder Trigger mode

Question

Why do I get Trigger Drop warnings in Encoder Trigger mode?

Answer

There are a number of Gocator settings that determine how fast the sensor can run, such as Exposure, Active Area, Sub-Sampling (Gocator 4.x), or Resolution (Gocator 3.x). The maximum speed the sensor can run is displayed in the Trigger panel as the Max Frame Rate.

If the Gocator receives triggers from the encoder at a faster rate than the max frame rate, triggers will start to be dropped and a warning message is displayed.

Example: A Gocator is configured so that the max frame rate is 500 Hz. An encoder is monitoring the movement of a conveyor belt, which is going at a speed of 30 meters/minute. 30 m/min = 500 millimeter/second, so this means that the smallest trigger spacing the user can request is 1 mm, i.e., that's the 500 Hz. Anything below 1 mm will result in trigger drops.