CoaXPress frame grabber

CoaXPress is a new camera interface standard that takes advantage of common coax cabling to transmit images at rates and distances above and beyond previous standards. With CXP, image data can be transmitted at up to 6.25 Gbps using a single coaxial cable and up to 25 Gbps using four cables to a maximum of 40 meters. CXP’s high-bandwidth makes it the right match for a new generation of cameras with larger and faster image sensors. CXP’s full duplex design enables the transmission of camera configuration and control along with image data on the same cable. The Power over CoaXPress (PoCXP) capability further simplifies cabling by providing a camera with up to 13W per cable. This unified cabling facilitates the upgrade of legacy imaging systems from analog to digital.

The Matrox Radient eV-CXP provides four independent CXP links through the required BNC connectors. This allows for simultaneous capture from up to four cameras each running at different CXP speeds (i.e., 1.25, 2.5, 3.125, 5.0 or 6.25 Gbps). For high-bandwidth applications, the frame grabber can also capture from a single camera transmitting image data at up to 25 Gbps using link aggregation. To reliably handle these high data rates, the Matrox Radient eV-CXP uses a PCIe® 2.0 x8 host interface – with a peak transfer rate of up to 4GB/s – combined with up to 4GB SDRAM of on-board buffering. In cases with extremely high video frame rates (i.e., thousands of frames per second), users have the option of relying on the on-board MicroBlaze™ soft processor to offload image acquisition management from the host CPU. The frame grabber can also offload the host CPU from having to perform image preprocessing task (i.e., Bayer interpolation, color space conversion and LUT mapping).

The Matrox Radient eV-CXP further simplifies overall system integration by providing camera power, trigger and control over each CXP link, as well as four independent sets of auxiliary I/O for interfacing with rotary encoders, photoelectric sensors and strobe controllers. By having the primary set of auxiliary I/Os on the same bracket as the BNC connections, the Matrox Radient eV-CXP offers a true single PCIe® slot solution for single camera applications. Each component on the Matrox Radient eV-CXP was carefully selected to ensure product availability in excess of five years. The Matrox Radient eV-CXP is also subject to strict change control to provide consistent supply. Longevity of stable supply lets you achieve maximum return on the original investment by minimizing the costs associated with the repeated validation of constantly-changing products.