Basler CXP-12 Interface Card Setup Under Ubuntu: Quick Guide and Troubleshooting#

Since pylon 6, you can use the CXP-12 Interface Card under Linux.

With previous pylon versions, you usually didn't have to install drivers at all for USB or GigE interface cards.

With CoaXPress however, you must install a kernel driver, which is not installed by default, to find and operate the Basler CXP-12 Interface Card under Linux.

You can find out how to use and troubleshoot the interface card under Linux by reading the Install and Readme files delivered with the pylon installer.

However, if you have troubles following the instructions, this quick guide details how to properly set up the CXP-12 Interface Card under Ubuntu. It is valid for Ubuntu versions >= 16.04 (applies to Ubuntu and Debian install packages).

Quick Guide#

Follow the steps below:

1. Make sure your Ubuntu packages are up-to-date: Open a terminal and type in sudo apt update and then sudo apt upgrade.
2. Download and install the pylon software suite from our website. Look for the Debian Installer Package with the suffix .deb.
3. Install the package by double-clicking the .deb file. You may need administrator permissions for the installation.
   Alternatively, install it from the terminal via sudo dpkg -i pylon_{version-name}.deb.
4. Make sure that Secure Boot is disabled.
   This option is available in the PC BIOS settings and can be found for the most BIOS's in the Boot section or under Security.
5. Install the menable driver: Go to /opt/pylon/share/pylon and double-click menable-dkms_x.x.x_all.deb.
   Alternatively, install it from the terminal with sudo dpkg -i menable-dkms_x.x.x_all.deb.

After the installation, open the pylon Viewer. The CXP-12 Interface Card should be visible. If you have a Basler boost camera connected, it should be visible as well.

Troubleshooting#

If the interface card still isn't displayed in the pylon viewer, try the following troubleshooting steps:

1. Add your current user to the group video by entering sudo usermod -a -G video {username} in the terminal.
2. The environment variable for the GenTL path may be wrong or missing. Source the setup environment script by entering source /opt/pylon/bin/pylon-setup-env.sh /opt/pylon in the terminal.
3. Check if the interface is visible now in pylon viewer.

If not, run the following command in terminal to check if the menable driver is recognized:

lsmod | grep menable

If there is no output, it means that the menable driver wasn't installed properly.

Run the installation again from terminal as described above. Check the output and if there is an error try to fix it. If you don't know how or need help, copy the output and send it to Basler Support.

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