Microstar Laboratories has released the MSXB 080, an eight-channel signal interface (SI) module with eight onboard analogue-to-digital converters and channel-to-channel isolation.
The module protects applications from ground loops and allows the user to sample all inputs simultaneously and at a high rate.
Its eight converters are synchronised to within a few nanoseconds of each other.
Each one converts an analogue signal to a 16-bit data stream at up to 250k samples/second for a total throughput of two million samples a second.
All inputs are differential and each analogue channel is isolated from the others and from other system components.
The gain of each channel can be set to one, two, five or 10 in software; channels can have different gains.
All SI modules include a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) programmed to communicate with, be configured by and respond to commands from a DAP.
Every DAP includes an onboard processor running a real-time operating system that communicates with, is configured by and responds to commands from a PC application.
DAPstudio is suitable for the application, as are third-party products such as LabVIEW.
The application can be run on a DAPserver or on any PC on a network.
The DAP does not have to be local to the PC that controls it.
A PC can communicate with applications - it can set channel-by-channel gains, for example - and the software takes care of the details.
Signal Interfacing SI modules such as MSXB 080 fit into a backplane in a standard industrial enclosure.
Signals connect to a DB37 male connector or to Wago connectors.
A backplane connector on each board connects it to a digital backplane factory-fitted into the industrial enclosure.
An interface board that also plugs into the backplane sends digitised waveforms to a DAP board controlled from a PC or DAPserver.
Each DAPserver comes in its own industrial enclosure and includes one or more DAPs and a 10-slot Eurocard cage with a pre-installed digital backplane for SI modules such as MSXB 080.
Separate industrial enclosures are required only when the 10-slot limit is exceeded.
