National Instruments is offering four advanced digital modules for Compact FieldPoint and LabVIEW realtime control applications. Because these small, rugged eight-channel digital modules can withstand high shock, vibration and wide temperature ranges, control and design engineers now can perform high-speed counting, pulse width modulation control and pulse train generation in harsh environments, including embedded machine control, industrial data acquisition, data logging and in-vehicle applications.
The cFP-CTR-500 and cFP-CTR-502 are digital high-speed counter modules, delivering eight counter channels, four gate inputs and four digital outputs. Engineers now can perform high-speed counter applications using input signals up to 50 kHz and perform frequency measurements using the internal frequency reference or external gate inputs. The counter modules work with standard industrial control signals such as 5,12 and 24 V d.c. sourcing and sinking devices. These powerful and versatile counter modules feature configurable, low-pass filters that eliminate high-frequency noise. With cascadable counter channels, control and design engineers can create up to 128-bit, high-resolution counters to store trillions of counts. For discrete control applications, such as packaging, they can configure the digital output channels to automatically switch external devices.
NI also relesed two advanced digital output modules, the cFP-PMW-520 and the cFP-PG-522, for embedded control applications. The NI cFP-PWM-520 delivers eight pulse-width modulation output channels with independently programmable duty cycles for PWM-based control applications. Engineers commonly use PWM outputs to efficiently control DC devices, such as the speed of a DC servo motor or the heat of an industrial heater. The cFP-PG-522 pulse generator module provides eight outputs that can generate finite or continuous pulse trains with programmable frequency and duty cycle.
About Compact FieldPoint
Industry analysts categorised Compact FieldPoint with a new line of products called programmable automation controllers (PACs) that combine the reliability and ruggedness of the PLC with the software functionality and flexibility of an industrial PC. Unlike PLCs, control and design engineers can use Compact FieldPoint and easy-to-use LabVIEW software to efficiently perform analog control and custom calculations. Using PACs, control and design engineers can perform analog and discrete control, user-defined data logging, Web-enabled application, and advanced control algorithms. Compact FieldPoint is ideal for high-vibration applications, withstanding 50 g of shock and 5 g of RMS vibration, even when mounted on heavy machinery or in vehicles. Compact FieldPoint operates in temperatures ranging from -25 to 60°C, enabling users to run embedded LabVIEW applications in extreme environments where many industrial PCs fail.
About National Instruments
National Instruments ( ni.com) is a technology pioneer and leader virtual instrumentation - a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists approach measurement and automation. Using the PC and its related technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs for customers worldwide through easy-to-integrate software, such as the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment, and modular hardware, such as PXI modules for data acquisition, instrument control and machine vision. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 3000 employees and direct operations in 40 countries. In 2002, the company sold products to more than 25 000 different companies in more than 80 countries around the world.
For more information contact National Instruments, 0800 203 199.
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