Novastar MSD300

NovaStar MSD300 — the same as the MCTRL300, without the enclosure

The MSD300 is a bare sending card with no chassis, designed to be built into a host device: video processor, all-in-one controller, OEM enclosure, custom console. Functionally it is an MCTRL300 without its box: 1.3 million pixels, two Gigabit ports, DVI input, light sensor connector.

Specifications

Capacity: 1,300,000 pixels (2 x 650,000), 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz input
On-board connectors: 1 x SL-DVI, 2 x Gigabit RJ45, 1 x audio, 1 x USB 2.0 type-B, UART IN/OUT, light sensor
Power: DC 3.3 – 5.5 V, 0.6 A, 3 W — supplied by the host device
Dimensions: 130.1 x 99.7 x 14.0 mm — Weight: 104.3 g
Cascade: up to 20 units
Variant: MSD300-1

NovaStar MSD300 — technical analysis

The point to clarify before ordering, because many listings get it wrong: this is not a PCI or PCI Express card. It does not plug into a PC. It is a bare printed circuit with its own connectors, which the integrator fixes in their own chassis and powers at 3.3 to 5.5 V DC. NovaStar publishes no drilling plan or bracket description: the mechanical support is the integrator's responsibility.

It is therefore a manufacturer product rather than an installer one: panel makers wanting an embedded controller, street-furniture makers integrating electronics into the mast, integrators building a custom console. For a classic installation project, the standalone MCTRL300 is the right pick — same capacity, mains powered, ready to fit.

• Panel manufacturing — controller embedded in the finished product.
• Street furniture — electronics built into the mast or housing.
• Custom consoles and enclosures — OEM integration.
• Third-party video processors — a sending card to fit into an existing chassis.
• Industrialisation projects — 104 g and 3 W, low weight and power constraints.

• Not a PCI card — a bare PCB to fix into a host chassis, not to plug into a PC.
• Power to be supplied — DC 3.3 to 5.5 V from the host device: plan it into the design.
• Mechanical mounting — NovaStar publishes no drilling plan or bracket: support is the integrator's job.
• Boxed equivalent — for a classic installation take the MCTRL300, same capacity and ready to fit.
• MSD300-1 variant — exists in the catalogue, to confirm against the need.