Product category:
CAM, CNC and production management software
News Release from: Amplicon | Subject: InstruNet data acquisition system
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 15 February 2000
32bit DSP data acquisition system for
PCI/PCMCIA
Providing true 14bit accuracy with a resolution in the microvolt range and high throughput rates, instruNet is a very accurate 32bit DSP data acquisition system for the PCI bus or PCMCIA.
Providing true 14bit accuracy with a resolution in the microvolt range and high throughput rates, instruNet from Amplicon Liveline is a very accurate 32bit DSP data acquisition system for the PCI bus or PCMCIA The units can be connected directly to the sensors at up to 300m from the PC thereby reducing noise dramatically
The external boxes contain signal-conditioning amplifiers for each channel, and can therefore be attached directly to the sensors such as thermocouples, thermistors, RTDs, strain gauges, resistance and voltage sources.
The units transmit the resultant information in the form of engineering units e.g volts, amps etc.
back to the PC.
At the heart of the system is a PCI controller board that plugs into Windows 95/98/NT PCs.
Each controller has a 32bit DSP with 256Kbyte RAM that manages the external "network" of the instruNet 100 analog units.
All real time tasks are off loaded to the processor; therefore the host computer is not burdened with real time issues.
Each instruNet 100 unit provides 16 single ended and 8 differential 14bit analog inputs, 8 analog outputs and 8 digital I/O lines.
The controllers provide 10 counter/timer channels/box, where each channel can function as a digital input/output bit, a clock output channel or a period measurement input channel.
Chart/oscilloscope software "instruNet World" is a free application program that manages the monitors and operates the instruNet system.
It digitises long continuous waveforms, streams them to disk, views incoming waveforms in real time and then allows post acquisition viewing - much like an oscilloscope or strip chart recorder.
InstruNet World provides a spreadsheet-like environment where channel parameters can be set and viewed: sensor type, integration time, analog and digital filters.
Each has its own on the spreadsheet, with the various options in the columns.
The instruNet system supports the digitising of multiple channels where each channel can be digitised at its own rate, with its individual amplifier gain, correction factor and units; each of which can be streamed to disk.
Each channel can be digitally filtered independently with low-pass, high-pass, band-stop and band-pass filters; where the filter specification for each channel is set independently by the software.
Each channel provides a programmable analog low-pass filter with programmable A/D measurement integration time.
The network can be up to 300m long and can support multiple hardware devices connected together in a daisy-chain configuration.
Since instruNet is modular it can be easily expanded.
Because the controllers are functionally identical hardware can be moved from one computer family to another.
Compatible with Microsoft Excel v8 for Windows, Testpoint, HP-VEE, DASYlab, iNET BASIC and drivers are available for LabVIEW.
The system can be controlled with any 32bit C compiler and Visual BASIC 34.0 (drivers are included free).
INet BASIC allows the user to automate the setting up of multiple channels, spool data to disk, perform data manipulation and control the system I/Os.
Because the instruNET does all the conversion to engineering units next to the sensor, the data transferred through the 25 way D connector is digital.
This provides for optical isolation or long cable runs.
Each iNET has an I/O connector, so the network starts at the PC and up to 16 iNET100 boxes can be daisy chained.
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