Product category:
Sensors and Data Acquisition
News Release from: Spectrum Systementwicklung Microelectronic | Subject: M2i.46xx series
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 24 October 2006
Acquisition cards feature large onboard
memories
Card series combines high precision input amplifiers, single-ended or differential inputs, eight input ranges and onboard calibration.
Spectrum has released the M2i.46xx card series with 16bit resolution, eight synchronous channels and up to 3Msample/s sampling rate The M2i.46xx is a completely new series with high precision input amplifiers, single-ended or differential inputs, eight input ranges and onboard calibration
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 25 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Besides individual and combinable trigger engines the cards also feature large onboard memories, very fast interfaces and comprehensive software support.
12 different versions are available, ranging from two channels at 200Ksample/s up to eight channels at 3Msample/s All cards are fully synchronous: each channel has its own amplifier as well as its own A/D convertor.
In contrast to more common multiplexed cards, all channels are simultaneously sampled at the full sampling rate.
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Data are stored in the 64Mbyte onboard memory (upgradeable up to 4 Gbyte) and can be read out either continuously using FIFO mode or after end of the acquisition.
Besides this the M2i card series offers a wide variety of application focused features like individual trigger engines for every channel with level, edge, re-arm, window, pulsewidth or spike trigger and the possibility to combine these events with AND and/or OR masks.
Using the star-hub option which allows the synchronisation of up to 16 cards in one system with no phase delay, it is possible to set up synchronous systems with up to 128 channels.
The cards are fully compatible with PCI and PCI-X slots with 3.3 as well as 5V I/O voltage.
Great emphasis has been put on the design of the input amplifier.
This input amplifier allows the individual selection of eight input ranges between +/-50mV and +/-1 V as well as the programming of an input offset of +/-5V when running in single-ended mode (related to a common ground).
Besides this each channel can be individually changed to a true differential mode.
Unlike the common pseudodifferential inputs which only allow the feed-in of a single ground signal, the true differential inputs allow a complete signal swing with individual grounds to be fed into each phase of the input.
Even with differential mode the complete number of equipped input channels is available for use (up to eight differential channels).
As an example, the M2i.4641 running with 1Msample/s achieves more than 14.5 ENOB (effective number of bits) with a +/-5V differential input.
The SFDR (spurious free dynamic range) reaches more than 110dB in the same configuration.
But even when using the small input ranges the RMS noise is only around 20uV.
In addition to this the input section is also equipped with an automatic offset and gain calibration invoked by a simple software command.
The cards of the M2i series are delivered with drivers for Windows and Linux.
All standard windows versions starting with Windows 2000 and including 32 and 64bit versions are supported.
For Linux precompiled kernel modules for about 10 standard distributions like Suse, Redhat, Fedora or Debian are delivered with the card.
Against a signed NDA the Linux driver sources are available for compilation with any further distribution.
For direct use with different programming languages, examples and project files for Visual C++, Borland C++ Builder, Visual Basic, Borland Delphi and Gnu C++ are delivered with the drivers.
As an option a huge variety of third-party products like LabView, LabWindows, Matlab, VEE, DasyLab or MS Excel is supported. Request a free brochure from Spectrum Systementwicklung Microelectronic ...
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