New SMS (scalable modular system) products from Microstar Laboratories consist of a DAPserver with up to two DAP boards connected to eight input SI (signal interface) modules and two output SI modules in a 3U card-cage - all in the same enclosure. The input SI modules, part number MSXB 080, provide isolated analogue inputs for DAP systems. All inputs are differential, and each analogue channel is isolated from all others and from any other system component. The output SI modules, part number MSXB 076, provide isolated analogue outputs for DAP systems. Each analogue channel is isolated from all others and from any other system component.
Channel-to-channel isolation eliminates ground currents, a potential source of noise in the measurements and in the output signals.
Each of the MSXB 080 SI modules has eight onboard analogue-to-digital converters synchronised to within a few nanoseconds of each other to eliminate timing skew. Eight analogue signals become eight 16bit data streams running at up to 250Ksamples/s for a total throughput of two million samples per second. Eight of the MSXB 080 SI modules connected to a single DAP board give a total of 64 simultaneously sampled analogue inputs. SI modules connected to multiple DAP boards can be synchronised for more inputs or higher throughput.
Each of the MSXB 076 SI modules has eight onboard digital-to-analogue converters synchronised to within a few nanoseconds of each other to eliminate timing skew. Two of the MSXB 076 SI modules connected to a single DAP board give a total of 16 simultaneously updated analogue outputs. In the packages on offer, a single DAP board has a throughput of two million samples per second. So, with two DAP boards included in one DAPserver package, all 64 channels can be sampled simultaneously at an aggregate rate of up to four million samples per second.
DAPservers allow controlling of the data acquisition application from any PC on the network. A DAPserver combines a 5-slot PCI backplane and a 10-slot Eurocard cage in an industrial-grade chassis. A Pentium M processor runs server software on a board that occupies one of the PCI slots, leaving space for up to four DAP boards. The SATA hard drive is preloaded in every DAPserver with all the software needed to start development immediately.
