EURESYS GRABS MARKET OPPORTUNITY MVPro speaks to Euresys CEO Marc Damhaut, about to launch a new, affordable four channel frame grabber.
Euresys intends to fill a gap in the market with the imminent launch of the Coaxlink Quad CXP-3, an affordable four-channel CXP-3 frame grabber that is significantly cheaper than the CXP-6 version.
grabber that is a lot cheaper than the CXP-6 version. It can be connected to four CXP-3 cameras. “What we have done is basically taken one of our cards and used a slower chip. The 6 Gbps chip is pretty expensive, it is a significant part of the manufacturing cost of our card. But the cheaper version that runs at 3 Gbps is good enough for many applications, so we are releasing a CPX-3 version of our four channel card this year which will be significantly less expensive than 6 Gbps version.” Marc also explains that the idea for the new frame grabber came from one of their partners, Japanesebased CIS, which now offers compact CXP-3 cameras.
Marc says most of their customers started to use CoaXPress because of the bandwidth. And what camera and frame grabber manufacturers saw in CoaXPress, was a solution to go beyond Camera Link Full. The first cameras available used the full bandwidth, with four simultaneous connections at 6 Gbps (CXP-6). “Today, we see different applications where CoaXPress is used for its other advantages. A single coaxial cable carrying video from the camera, control data and power to the camera,” explains Marc. Several camera manufacturers such as Adimec, Vieworks, Sentech and CIS now make compact one-connection CoaXPress cameras. Customers see CoaXPress as an easy upgrade path from analog.
President of camera-maker CIS Yusuke Muraoka said: “Not only for its high bandwidth, but also for its reliability and cable length, we saw CoaXPress as an ideal next-gen interface for addressing various applications where signal integrity matters. CIS has started launching CXP cameras with resolutions ranging from VGA to 25MPix., and for our CXP-3 models, we are seeing a rise in demands ranging from conventional machine vision to ITS and robotics applications. “In order to fully cater to the CXP-3 customer requirements, the only and key missing link was the availability of affordable, multi-channel frame grabber. We welcome Euresys’ introduction of Coaxlink Quad CXP-3 as a blessing, and a critical step forward for further expansion of CXP applications." And Euresys hopes that the robotics sector in particular, as mentioned by CIS, will become a major user of the Coaxlink Quad CXP-3.
But, as Marc highlights, many of these applications do not need the full CXP-6 bandwidth and CXP-3 is enough. The key point is that CXP-3 is significantly cheaper than CXP-6. And at CXP-3 speed, the maximum cable length is over 100 meters, whereas it is 40 meters with CXP-6. Marc: “Which is why we are releasing the Coaxlink Quad CXP-3, an affordable four-channel CXP-3 frame
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