Matrox Solios Series Frame Grabbers

Technical Dossier

Product Details And Specifications

Matrox Solios Series: Comprehensive Module Range and Technical Overview

The Matrox Solios series represents one of the most widely deployed families of Camera Link frame grabbers in global heavy industry. Installed across chemical processing plants, nuclear power facilities, petroleum refineries, semiconductor fabs, and automotive assembly lines, the Solios platform established a benchmark for deterministic image acquisition in machine vision systems operating under 24/7 industrial conditions. Its PCIe and PCI bus variants enabled integration into both legacy and modern host architectures, making it a long-cycle asset in facilities where control system replacement cycles span 10–20 years. The series supports Base, Medium, Full, and Extended Full Camera Link configurations, accommodating monochrome and color cameras at line rates exceeding 85 MHz. The SOL2MEVCLB specifically is a dual-channel Medium/Full Camera Link frame grabber on a PCIe x4 interface, designed for high-throughput inspection systems requiring simultaneous multi-camera acquisition.

The Evolution of Solios Architecture

The Solios family was introduced by Matrox Imaging as a successor to the Meteor and Corona series, transitioning from PCI to PCI-X and ultimately PCIe host interfaces. Early Solios variants (circa 2004–2007) targeted the PCI bus with Base and Medium Camera Link support, suitable for single-camera inspection cells. The mid-generation introduced PCI-X variants with expanded bandwidth for Full Camera Link cameras operating at 80 MHz pixel clock. The PCIe generation — which includes the SOL2MEVCLB — delivered a significant architectural shift: x4 PCIe lanes, hardware-accelerated data transfer via DMA engines, and compatibility with Matrox MIL (Matrox Imaging Library) for deterministic frame timing. Later revisions added support for Camera Link HS (High Speed) and GigE Vision through companion products, while the Solios CL line remained the reference platform for Camera Link-specific deployments. As of 2024, the Solios CL series has entered end-of-life status, with Matrox transitioning customers toward the Matrox Rapixo and Radient families. However, installed base volumes in refinery and nuclear environments ensure continued demand for Solios spare parts through the 2030s.

Solios Full Catalog & Functionalities (SKU List)

The following SKUs represent verified, commonly deployed Matrox Solios Camera Link frame grabbers. Each entry reflects a distinct hardware configuration:

SOL2MEVCLB: Dual-channel Medium/Full CL, PCIe x4, 85 MHz pixel clock, monochrome/color
SOL2MEVCLF: Dual-channel Full Camera Link, PCIe x4, extended pixel depth support
SOLIOSECLB: Single-channel Extended Full CL, PCIe x1, compact form factor
SOLIOSECLF: Single-channel Extended Full CL, PCIe x1, full pixel clock bandwidth
SOL2MEVCLB-R: Dual-channel Medium/Full CL, PCIe, ruggedized thermal spec variant
SOLIOSBCLB: Single-channel Base Camera Link, PCI bus, legacy integration target
SOLIOSBCLF: Single-channel Base Camera Link, PCI bus, full pixel clock
SOLIOSMCLB: Single-channel Medium Camera Link, PCI bus, 64-bit DMA
SOLIOSMCLF: Single-channel Medium Camera Link, PCI bus, extended color support
SOLIOSFCLB: Single-channel Full Camera Link, PCI-X bus, 133 MHz bus speed
SOLIOSFCLF: Single-channel Full Camera Link, PCI-X bus, full configuration
SOL2MEVCLB-E: Dual-channel Medium/Full CL, PCIe, extended temperature industrial variant
SOLIOSXCLB: Single-channel Extended Full CL, PCI-X, high-resolution line scan support
SOLIOSXCLF: Single-channel Extended Full CL, PCI-X, full pixel depth
SOL4MEVCLB: Quad-channel Medium Camera Link, PCIe x8, multi-camera array acquisition
SOL4MEVCLF: Quad-channel Full Camera Link, PCIe x8, maximum throughput configuration
SOLIOSDCLB: Dual-channel Base Camera Link, PCI-X, entry-level dual-camera support

Sourcing Hard-to-Find & Obsolete Solios Parts

Quality Control for the Solios Range

Matrox Solios frame grabbers present specific test challenges due to their multi-lane PCIe backplane interface, onboard FPGA firmware, and Camera Link serializer/deserializer (SerDes) circuits. DriveKNMS applies a structured test protocol to each Solios unit: PCIe enumeration verification under Windows and Linux host environments; MIL driver installation and board detection confirmation; Camera Link signal integrity test using a calibrated pattern generator at Base, Medium, and Full configurations; DMA transfer throughput benchmarking against published Matrox specifications; FPGA firmware version verification and update where applicable; thermal cycling under load to identify marginal capacitors or solder joint failures common in aged PCIe boards. Units that pass all stages are issued a DriveKNMS test certificate with board serial number, firmware version, and test date. Units with partial failures are quarantined and not offered for sale.