Product Update

Embedded systems based on the PC/104 standard get serial communications through the SIO.104+2, an RS-232/RS-422/RS-485 interface. The card operates at data rates up to 460.8 kbits/s on two ports. A 128-bit first-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer ensures error-free operation. The module comes with drivers for Windows 95 or later as well as drivers and application notes for operating the module under DOS, Linux, and QNX. Price: $169. Sealevel Systems, Liberty, SC. 864-843-4343; www.sealevel.com.

For measuring shock and vibration on small objects, you can use the Model 22, which Endevco claims is the world's smallest accelerometer. The device requires no external power and connects to the company's Model 133, 2275A, or Oasis 2000 signal conditioners. Its 0.14-g weight effectively eliminates mass loading from measurements. Price: $825. Endevco, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 949-493-8181; www.endevco.com.

When data processing can't wait for a PC, you can use an onboard digital signal processor (DSP). Data Translation's DT9841 Fulcrum II uses eight ADCs and a Texas Instruments' floating-point DSP to acquire data and process it on the fly. The card, which comes in a stand-alone box or on a board for OEM applications, lets you program the DSP to produce digital filters, fast Fourier transforms, or other functions in real time. Applications include sound and vibration analysis.

The DT9841 communicates with a PC through a USB 2.0 link and requires Windows 2000 or XP. You communicate with the card through the supplied drivers and DSP function library. To write code for the DSP, you need Code Composer Studio, a development package from Texas Instruments (www.dspvillage.ti.com).

The DT9841 uses eight 24-bit, 100-ksamples/s ADCs for inputs and two 24-bit, 100-ksamples/s DACs for analog outputs. It also includes 24 digital I/O lines and three counter/timers. The company offers two models—the DT9841-64/2 includes 64 Mbytes of SDRAM and 2 Mbytes of Flash memory while the DT9841-128/2 comes with 128 Mbytes.

Base price: $3995. Data Translation, Marlboro, MA. 508-481-3700; www.datatranslation.com.

When you need to use both 3U and 6U CompactPCI or PXI cards, you can install them in the GX7100 chassis. The rack-mountable chassis accepts up to 13 I/O cards plus one system controller or MXI interface card. The 13 slots can hold up to 13 3U cards or up to six 6U and seven 3U cards.

The GX7100 chassis occupies 4U of rack space and includes a hard-disk drive, a floppy-disk drive, and a CD-ROM or CD-RW drive. Another version, the GX7110, omits the disk drives. Applications include automated test, switching, and data acquisition. Both models supply 450 W of power, delivering +5 V up to 35 A, +3.3 V up to 36 A, +12 V up to 8 A, and –12 V up to 4 A, although not all at the same time. An 800-W version is also available.

Prices: GX7100 (400 W, with disk drives)—$4500; GX7110 (without disk drives)—$3750. Geotest—Marvin Test Systems, Irvine, CA. 949-263-2222; www.geotestinc.com.

When measuring leakage current and resistance, you need to excite the device under test with a voltage and measure current, often with just a few picoamperes. Keithley's Model 6487 lets you drive a device with a voltage stimulus up to 500 V and measure leakage current with 20-fA resolution.

With the 5½ -digit display, you can measure voltages from 20 mA to 20 fA. The meter can also provide a direct readout of resistance up to 5x10¹⁶. When measuring resistance, the 6487 uses the alternating-voltage method to minimize the effects of lead resistance and offset voltages. It can take 1000 readings/s and store up to 3000 readings, which you can download in bulk.

In addition to storing raw data, the 6487 can provide minimum and maximum readings plus calculate standard deviation. A relative (REL) function lets you measure the difference in current from a baseline value, then express the difference in absolute value or in logarithmic form.

The instrument has IEEE 488 and serial ports, and software lets you control the instrument from Microsoft Excel.

Price: $2995. Keithley Instruments. Cleveland, OH. 440-248-0400; www.keithley.com.

PFU Systems has introduced its first two system-on-module (SOM) components for OEM embedded applications. Each Blazor S10K and S11K series board incorporates an Intel Pentium III low-voltage 933-MHz CPU with a 512-kbyte L2 cache, two 64-bit/66-MHz PCI buses (with 1-Gbyte/s aggregate bandwidth), one 32-bit/33-MHz PCI bus, and memory expansion slots for up to 2 Gbytes of SDRAM. The S11K board also includes an onboard 2-D/3-D PCI graphics controller with support for LCDs and CRT displays.

Other features include dual UltraDMA100 IDE channels and dual USB 1.1 interfaces, SMBus interfaces, and serial ports. A CPU health monitor checks for excessive processor junction temperature and core voltages.

Blazor S10K and S11K series modules, which measure 216x121x32 mm, target high-performance embedded applications in industrial and medical imaging, defense intelligence, network security, and test and measurement.

Base price: $1500. PFU Systems, Santa Clara, CA. 408-327-1750; www.PFUsystems.com .

Customers using Texas Instruments' low-power TMS320C55x digital signal processors (DSPs) can take advantage of the company's DSP starter kit (DSK), which now includes power-management tools. These tools let designers tune their systems to maximize efficient power consumption in applications ranging from portable Internet appliances to high-speed wireless-communications products.

The DSK combines extendable USB plug-and-play hardware, TI's DSK Code Composer Studio (CCStudio), and the power-management tools, which include a software-based power analyzer and a power-scaling library that let you evaluate system power and alter it at the beginning of development.

The TMS320C5510 DSK features the C5510 DSP, a 200-MHz device that delivers up to 400 million instructions per second. Based on the low-power TMS320C5000, the DSP serves applications such as GPS receivers and wireless modems. Other DSK features include embedded IEEE 1149.1 support via USB, a 24-bit stereo codec, four audio jacks, 256 kwords of flash memory, an 8-Mbyte SDRAM, an expansion port connector, an IEEE 1149.1 interface, and a +5-V universal power supply.

Base price: $395. Texas Instruments, Houston, TX. 408-327-1750; www.ti.com.

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