Matrox partners with Goma Elettronica SpA; introduces PCIe x16 Octal graphics card

Matrox Graphics Inc.and Goma Elettronica SpA will develop custom workstations for defense, industrial, and transportation environments. Goma has validated the Matrox M-Series, P-Series, and Extio Series multi-display graphics solutions with its industrial PC product line.

By Renee Robbins January 13, 2010

Matrox M9188 PCIe x16 Octal Graphics Card

Matrox Graphics Inc., maker of specialized graphics solutions, has partnered with Goma Elettronica SpA to develop custom workstations for defense, industrial, and transportation environments. Goma has validated the Matrox M-Series, P-Series, and Extio Series multi-display graphics solutions with its industrial PC product line. Matrox also introduced the M9188 PCIe x16 Octal graphics card for mission-critical environments, which supports up to eight DisplayPort or DVI Single-Link outputs and can be combined with a second unit to drive up to 16 displays from a single workstation.

Actively involved in the deployment of railway control room systems for the visualization of synoptic maps, Goma recently incorporated Matrox M-Series Dual and QuadHead cards to run six digital monitors-at resolutions 1920×1200 per display-from a single PC. The M-Series cards were able to satisfy customer workspace requirements because the solutions offered both PCIe x16 and x1 bus types, complying with PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) standards that permit only one single PCIe x16 expansion slot on the backplane. In another interesting transportation application, Goma selected the Matrox P690 as part of a two-monitor avionics graphics console for installation on a Falcon aircraft. The graphics solution was selected based on performance, dimensions, weight, power dissipation, and long life requirements, to enable mission data management and visualization operations at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet.

Goma Elettronica is an embedded system integrator targeting the industrial, defense, and telecommunications markets. "With form factors ranging from PCI to PCIe x1 and PCIe x16 across many product families, Matrox solutions are compatible with a variety of specialized systems," states Irene Gozzo, sales & marketing manager for Goma Elettronica SpA. "This, plus display drivers that offer industry-leading capabilities, with the ability to support multi-board configurations with up to eight displays-to power up to 8 displays-provide us many options when designing Goma Elettronica industrial PCs."

The new Matrox M9188 PCIe x16 Octal graphics card can support eight DisplayPort or DVI Single-Link outputs from a single workstation. It includes 2GB of memory, resolutions up to 2560×1600 per output, and advanced desktop management features, such as independent or stretched desktop modes.

"The M9188 is designed specifically for professional monitoring environments that require visualization of large amounts of data at once to enhance mission-critical decision making," says Ron Berty, Matrox business development manager. "The expansive multi-monitor configuration allows system operators to accurately manage energy grids or train dispatch applications, while ensuring maximum performance across all displays."

The Matrox M9188 supports Microsoft Windows XP, Window 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server, and Linux. A second addition to the M-Series product line, the Matrox M9128 LP PCIe x16, DualHead DisplayPort graphics card, is a dual-monitor add-in board that can support applications delivered across two displays at resolutions up to 2560×1600 pixels.

– Edited by Renee Robbins, senior editor
Control Engineering News Desk
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