Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative Chooses Matrox Extio F1400 Solutions to Monitor Power Grid

MONTREAL -

- Matrox remote graphics extension technology solves system interference and USB connectivity issues related to legacy KVM solutions

Matrox Graphics, the leading manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, today announced that Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative has selected Matrox Extio F1400 Remote Graphics Units (RGU) to distance the control room workstations from their operator dispatching center. The Extio F1400 RGU separates up to four monitors and other user interface peripherals from the host computer by up to 250m (820 ft) of fiber-optic cable.

Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO), a generation and transmission rural electric cooperative that supplies power to members in Western Iowa, required a graphics extension technology that would address their interference problems. Although the Keyboard, Video, and Mouse (KVM) extenders were able to distance the workstations from the dispatching work area, these Cat-5 cables were subject to induced magnetic fields and interference - from a variety of sources - leading to KVM switch lock-ups and system instability. With a single non-conductive, multimode fiber-optic cable, the Extio F1400 eliminated all interference issues while offering enhanced multiple monitor graphics for control operators managing power flow. An additional benefit of Extio over the legacy KVM solutions was that there were now USB ports to support keyboard, mouse, PC audio, and other workstation devices at the operator location.

“Without the Matrox Extio remote graphics technology, NIPCO would be confronted with many challenges of operating a number of PC workstations away from the actual area where they are needed,” stated Dennis Hill, VP Telecommunications Services, Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative. “Extio is a unique, superior product that has fully filled the needs of Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative.”

Read the complete story: www.matrox.com/graphics/nipco/

About Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative

Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative was formed in 1949 by the rural electric cooperatives. The driving force behind this new organization was the need to deliver hydropower from the Missouri River Dams.

For more information, visit www.nipco.coop/.

About Matrox Graphics Inc.

Matrox Graphics is a leading manufacturer of graphics solutions for professional markets. In-house design expertise, top-to-bottom manufacturing, and dedicated customer support make our solutions the premier choice in industries that require stable, high-reliability products.

For more information, visit www.matrox.com/graphics or contact Matrox Graphics directly at graphics@matrox.com.

CONTACT: Steve Choi +1-514-822-6000 schoi@matrox.com

Source: Matrox Graphics

Steve Choi, +1-514-822-6000, schoi at matrox.com