Product Description:

The C9900-A185 is a graphics expansion card distributed by Beckhoff within the C9 PC Accessories series. The board is installed in automation PCs to add independent video outputs, allowing production machines to drive several operator panels from a single controller. It therefore plays a support role in industrial visualization, extending the reach of control software without changing the main computing platform.

Electrically, the module follows the ADD2 standard and connects through a PCI Express x16 edge connector on the motherboard. Once seated, it provides 2 channels of framebuffer output, with each channel routed to a pair of DVI sockets so the direct panel count is limited to two. The sockets use external mounting, which simplifies cabinet wiring with standard cables. Screens can be arranged in Clone or extended mode to duplicate or span the desktop. Host compatibility covers Beckhoff models C5102, C6140, C6150, C6240, and C6250, making the same accessory suitable for multiple platform sizes. The duplicated timing circuitry prevents tearing by keeping each channel synchronized even when resolutions differ.

When a CU8810 repeater is added, the card can forward video and USB touch data to a maximum of 4 panels over the combined DVI/USB link. In that configuration, the desktop is mapped to half-screen portions on each panel so the aggregate workspace equals twice the display resolution while maintaining the correct aspect ratio. The remote extension uses internal equalizers to preserve signal integrity across factory-length cables, and it relies on the unused bandwidth of the second channel rather than increasing GPU load. By keeping those tasks off the main processor, the accessory helps retain deterministic cycle times for PLC tasks while still supplying rich diagnostics on distributed operator stations.