Point Grey Research Launches FirePRO™ Family of Professional FireWire Components

FirePRO components are designed to maximize the effectiveness of the entire imaging pipeline, while minimizing the costs of component failure and system downtime. All FirePRO hubs, repeaters and host adapter cards are designed and manufactured by Point Grey Research at the company’s headquarters in Vancouver, Canada. Each product is put through an intensive unit and design testing process to ensure complete FirePRO component interoperability, as well as compatibility with select Point Grey digital camera products such as Flea2 and Grasshopper. In addition, all FirePRO products are backed by an industry leading two (2) year warranty and quick response e-mail and phone support. This allows systems integrators and developers to quickly build fast, reliable and cost effective single or multi-camera imaging arrays.

"A critical component of any machine vision system is the speed and reliability of the imaging pipeline, from light hitting the image sensor to data reaching host system memory," said Vlad Tucakov, Director, Point Grey Research. "We are seeing increased demand from customers for camera manufacturers to take ownership of the entire imaging chain by providing reliable, low-cost, end-to-end imaging solutions that include not only the camera itself, but also hubs, cables, host adapter cards and software drivers. The FirePRO product family is a direct result of this demand. Further, by leveraging our extensive experience with FireWire to design and manufacture the core components ourselves, we gain the ability to quickly respond to changing customer needs."

FirePRO components maximize system stability and minimize downtime due to bus resets or hardware failures. Locking screw connectors and ports on all products not only guarantee a reliable connection through the entire 1394b network, but also reduce stress on internal electronics that can be caused by cable movement. FirePRO hubs and repeaters are also designed to meet the needs of demanding industrial applications through the use of metal case enclosures and front/rear mounting options. FireWire cables carry both data and power, minimizing the need for additional cables or external power sources. In the event that extra power is needed, such as for large camera arrays, FirePRO hubs can be powered externally using standard off-the-shelf power supplies. All FirePRO products are fully compatible with IEEE-1394b and i.Link, and backward compatible with 1394a (cabling requirements vary).

The following FirePRO products are available from Point Grey Research and its network of distributors:

FirePRO IEEE-1394b PCI Express Single Bus Card (FWB-PCIE-01) – coming November 2007
FirePRO IEEE-1394b PCI Express Dual Bus Card (FWB-PCIE-02) – coming November 2007
FirePRO 2-Port IEEE-1394b Repeater (FWB-HUB-2PORT) – coming December 2007
FirePRO 3-Port IEEE-1394b Hub (FWB-HUB-3PORT) – currently available
FirePRO 5-Port IEEE-1394b Hub (FWB-HUB-5PORT) – coming December 2007
FirePRO 4.5m High Flex IEEE-1394b Cable (ACC-01-2012) – currently available
FirePRO 10m IEEE-1394b Cable (ACC-01-2014) – currently available
FirePRO 4.5m IEEE-1394b Cable (ACC-01-2006) – currently available