NI digital I/Os, timer boards suit automotive apps

National Instruments Corp. has introduced three channel-to-channel isolated digital I/O and timing devices that deliver advanced capabilities and a high-reliability industrial feature set suitable for automotive, aerospace, industrial monitoring, and control applications.

The PCI-6528 and CompactPCI/PXI-6528 digital I/O devices feature channel-to-channel isolation, up to 60Vdc range on both inputs and outputs, 5V logic thresholds and isolated I/O to the PXI trigger bus (RTSI).

The devices feature programmable power-up states, digital I/O watchdogs, change detection and programmable input filters. Engineers can use these features for the safe operation of potentially dangerous actuators such as industrial pumps, valves and motors.

The PCI-6624 counter/timer board also offers channel-to-channel isolation and extended voltage ranges, which make it suitable for connecting directly to high-voltage industrial devices at different ground potentials. The board features a 48Vdc range and 5V logic thresholds, as well as isolation to protect the electronics from transient voltage spikes. These features are useful for frequency/period measurements and pulse-train/pulse-width module signal generation applications in systems with digital sensors, valves, solenoids, heaters and relays.

Each product offers a fully software-configurable, jumperless setup, and works with the company's NI-DAQmx software technology, which includes automatic code generation for creating applications in LabVIEW 7 Express, C, and Microsoft Visual Basic.NET and C#.

Engineers can take measurements by using the DAQ Assistant to guide them to fast, accurate data without requiring any programming. NI-DAQmx also offers multithreading streaming technology as well as other advanced features including automatic timing, triggering, and synchronization.