Data acquisition systems on single VXlbus modules

Citation

(1998), "Data acquisition systems on single VXlbus modules", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 70 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1998.12770bad.011

Data acquisition systems on single VXlbus modules

Data acquisition systems on single VXlbus modules

Racal Instruments has launched the ProDAQ range, a new architecture for VXIbus modules to address the data acquisition systems market. Comprising the 6700 Series of single-slot VXIbus motherboard modules with a range of plug-in function cards, Racal's ProDAQ system offers users and system integrators a new level of flexibility and configurability. Maximising the use of available chassis space, each 6700 Series ProDAQ motherboard module accommodates up to eight multi-channel function cards. This level of configurability will enable users from almost any industry to integrate high channel density and multi-function systems at substantially lower cost and in reduced time. Easy to use, the system's complementary software, including the VXIplug&play driver, simplifies the operation of the module.

Racal Instruments' new ProDAQ range, a new architecture for VXIbus modules to address the data acquisition systems market

ProDAQ is specifically designed to reduce the cost of developing and building data acquisition systems for a wide variety of applications covering scientific research, engineering and process control in a variety of industries from automotive and petrochemical to avionics and defence.

The new data acquisition system's motherboard module contains a high-speed internal bus allowing any combination of up to eight identical or different function cards to be simply plugged in to provide the required system configuration. It also includes software to automatically detect and configure all the function cards after they are fitted or on request.

The ProDAQ 6700 Series of motherboard modules provides the mechanical and electronic interfaces for the function cards as well as the interface to the VXIbus backplane with its associated trigger, synchronisation and control facilities. In addition, ProDAQ's freely configurable, comprehensive trigger matrix enables the systems to handle the most demanding of nested trigger requirements with ease.

With eight interface ports available for function cards, ProDAQ now allows the design of systems with large channel counts per VXIbus slot. For example, 192 A-D (analogue to digital) channels, 128 D-A (digital to analogue) channels or 384 digital input/output channels in a single VXIbus slot. Configuring a single 13-slot VXIbus chassis, using the same type of function card, allows the possibility of compiling a system with up to 2304 A-D channels or 1536 D-A channels or 4608 digital input/output channels.

The first products in the ProDAQ range being launched are the 6753 motherboard module and three separate function cards from the range. These new function cards comprise the Type "A", 48 channel digital I/O, the Type "C", 24 channel 16 bit A-D and the Type "D", 16 channel 16 bit D-A. Designed for high-performance, these function cards provide an autonomous data acquisition (ADA) mode, allowing a complete scan of data to be accomplished in hardware without the intervention of software. Users may select any number of channels across a single function card, a populated motherboard module or even a complete chassis system. All channels may be synchronized and triggered, the required conditions across the channels identified, the data captured and read back in D32 block transfer mode at speeds of up to 16MBytes/sec with appropriate controllers.

ProDAQ's system on a card concept is believed to be a major advantage, maximising data throughput, and its digital signal processing (DSP) and memory options provide reductions in analysis time and bus traffic. Ensuring confidence in the data accuracy, ProDAQ provides on-the-fly calibration facilities to enable users to calibrate each and every scan of data, if circumstances demand. These calibration facilities even permit temperature drift compensation during measurement scans.

Conforming to the VXIbus standard and VXIplug&play compatible, ProDAQ's modules are supplied with full function VXIplug&play compatible drivers for Windows 3.1, Windows 95 or Windows NT and operate with all the major software environments available for data acquisition, such as LabWindows/CVI and LabVIEW.

This new generation of VXIbus data acquisition modules is the latest addition to Racal's already extensive range of VXIbus chassis and instrumentation cards. ProDAQ is synergistic with Racal's existing test and measurement VXIbus product ranges enabling instrumentation and data acquisition applications to be integrated in smaller, lower cost single chassis systems.

Details from European Sales contact: John Brampton. Tel: +44 (0)1628 604455; North American Sales contact: Malcolm Levy, Tel: +1 (714) 859 8999.