For the first time all of the on-board memory can be used when recording or replaying with 16 channels, eight, four, two, or one
Until now all other high-speed digital input/output boards used a 16 bit or 32 bit memory word regardless of the number of active channels.
When using only one channel on a 16-channel board, 15 bits of memory were wasted for each useful recorded or generated bit.
As a result engineers were often forced to buy more expensive add-on memory than should have been necessary.
Although Strategic Test recognised this problem last year and introduced a minimum data width of 8 bit onto the existing UltraFast Digital I/O cards, its engineers saw the need for a new card design that would optimise the use of the available memory.
The new Ultrafast UX7005 3U PXI card, UC7005 6U CompactPCI card and the UF7005 PCI card all utilise the new memory-saving design.
For example, a traditional digital input or output card with 1024Mbit of memory has a fixed 64Mbit memory depth per channel.
In comparison, the UX7005 would have 64Mbit/channel with 16 active channels, 128Mbit with eight channels, 256Mbit with four channels, 512Mbit with two channels and the entire 1024Mbit when only using one channel.
The UX7005 is a 3U format PXI card with 16 TTL channels that can be programmed for recording or signal generation.
The clock rate can be adjusted from 1kHz to a maximum rate of 125MHz.
Alternatively, an external clock can be used to synchronize the card with external equipment and, in this case, the clock rate can be from DC to 125MHz.
The card is supplied with 128Mbit on-board memory as standard, but this can be increased in increments of 256Mbit and 512Mbit up to 1024Mbit when long signals need to be recorded or generated at the maximum clock rates.
Software drivers for Windows XP, 2000, NT, ME, 98 and Linux are supplied, while drivers for Matlab, Labview, Agilent's-Vee and Dasylab are available as cost-options.
The UX7005 has two operating modes.
In standard mode, the card works independently of the PC and uses the on-board memory to store the signal data.
This mode allows all 16 channels to be used at the maximum output rates of up to 125MHz without being limited by the PXI bus data transfer rate. The alternative Fifo Mode uses the PXI bus master capability of the card to continuously transfer data between the PXI CPU card and the UX7005 during the recording or generation process.
This has the advantage that signals longer than the available on-board memory can be recorded or generated, albeit at slower clock rates.
Using either mode, tests can be repeated much quicker than traditional GPIB bus-based instrument that have a limited data transfer rate between instrument and the PC of typically 1MB/s. Engineers who do not want to make their own programs can use the SBench program running under Microsoft Windows that is supplied with the card.
SBench supports all of the UX7005's features such as pattern and mask trigger-enabled digital recording and signal generation.
Data can be transferred to third-party programs such as Matlab for more detailed analysis.
In addition to the on-board memory options, the Multiple Recording and Replay option will record or output a series of digital waveforms at very high speed (several hundred per second are possible) and the Gated Recording and Replay option can be used to start/stop the input or output when an external TTL signal changes level.
The Ultrafast UX7005 with 16MB memory costs US$2954, with 32MByte $3878, 64MByte $4949 and with 128MByte $6174.
All UltraFast cards are supplied with free drivers for Windows and Linux, the SBench measurement and signal generation program, source code programming examples in Visual Basic, C/C++ and Delphi; two years hardware warranty and lifetime software updates including future Windows and Linux drivers.
Technical support is provided at no cost for the product lifetime.
