Matrox Meteor2-DIG/4/L PCI Frame Grabber for LVDS

The Matrox Meteor2-DIG/4/L is a PCI frame grabber for high-speed digital image acquisition from LVDS sources. It captures data from digital area scan and line scan cameras—including multi-tap configurations—with minimal host CPU overhead. The board integrates Matrox’s custom Video Interface ASIC (VIA) to perform real-time acquisition into onboard memory and stream data over the PCI bus, enabling cost-effective PC-based imaging systems across industrial, laboratory, and enterprise environments.

– Technical Specifications

Digital Interface
• LVDS differential signaling with 32-bit configurable input
• Interface modes: 4×8-bit, 2×16-bit, or 1×32-bit
• Sampling rate: Up to 50 MHz LVDS (40 MHz baseline; 50 MHz requires MIL 7.1 or higher)
• PCI bus master/slave: 32-bit/33 MHz interface
• PCI bus master mode transfers without continuous host intervention
• Sustained data transfer rate: Up to 130 MB/second

Image Processing
• Real-time reformatting via Video Interface ASIC (VIA)
• Packed or planar transfer modes for color and monochrome streams
• Cropping (Region of Interest capture)
• Horizontal and vertical sub-sampling: 2 to 16× (by decimation)
• Horizontal and vertical zoom: 2× and 4× (by replication)
• Multi-tap camera reconstruction
• Image data reordering: odd/even pixel, odd/even line, and opposite scan segments

Memory & Lookup
• Extensive onboard buffering for real-time capture
• Configurable LUT: four 256×8-bit or two 4K×16-bit

Synchronization & Control
• Opto-isolated differential trigger input (video-synchronized)
• Dedicated timer outputs
• Auxiliary I/O: TTL or RS-422/LVDS spare outputs (configuration dependent)
• RS-232 serial interface for camera and peripheral control (not on PC/104-Plus version)

– Key Features

• Monochrome and component RGB digital video support
• Real-time on-board data reformatting and sub-sampling
• Opto-isolated trigger synchronization
• PCI bus mastering for efficient data streaming

– Typical Applications

• Industrial machine vision and inspection systems
• Laboratory image acquisition and analysis
• Multi-tap camera systems requiring frame reconstruction
• Real-time line scan and area scan capture

– Compatibility & Integration

Programming via Matrox Imaging Library (MIL). Standard PCI interface supports 32-bit/33 MHz host buses.