NI introduces USB plug and play functionality
January 2014
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
National Instruments has announced four new R Series boards with USB connectivity, which help engineers add FPGA technology to any PC-based system using one of the most widely adopted buses on the market. These products, based on the LabVIEW RIO architecture, are a result of the company’s continued investment in the R Series product family.
The LabVIEW RIO architecture is an integral part of the NI graphical system design platform. A modern approach to designing, prototyping and deploying embedded monitoring and control systems, graphical system design combines the open NI LabVIEW graphical programming environment with commercial off-the-shelf hardware to dramatically simplify development, which results in higher-quality designs with the ability to incorporate custom design.
“Using these new USB R Series devices, engineers and scientists can create highly customisable measurement and control systems using standard PC technology,” says Jamie Smith, director of embedded systems marketing at National Instruments. “They are ideal for high-performance medical, life science and semiconductor machines.”
Key features include:
* Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA: Implement tasks like custom timing and triggering, synchronisation, multirate sampling, high-speed control and onboard signal processing.
* Improved I/O: Take advantage of analogue input and analogue output rates of up to 1 MHz for closed-loop control tasks, as well as digital I/O (DIO) rates of up to 80 MHz.
* Selectable logic levels from 1,2 to 3,3 V: Adjust DIO levels to meet specific application requirements.
* Selectable gain for analogue input ranges: Get more resolution at lower voltage ranges.
* OEM options available: Get the same power in a board-only form factor with the flexibility to create your own I/O interface.
For more information contact National Instruments, +27 (0)11 805 8197, [email protected], www.southafrica.ni.com
Further reading:
Loop signature Part 2-6
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
The Loop Signature series turns to frequency plot theory, explaining Bode open-loop plots and how dynamic gain, phase lag and crossover frequency can be extracted from test data to inform more accurate control loop tuning.
Read more...
PC-based control in surgery
Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Researchers at the University of Basel are using Beckhoff PC-based control technology to develop a miniature laser robot for minimally invasive bone surgery.
Read more...
IIoT controller for the field and control cabinet
ifm - South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
The IIoT controller from ifm is a powerful, communicative and flexible PLC solution in machine and plant digitalisation.
Read more...
How the DCS can step off the hardware obsolescence treadmill
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Ageing servers and unsupported operating systems are quietly eroding the stability of process plants that rely on distributed control systems. Kobus Vermeulen of Schneider Electric explains how virtualising the DCS environment can break the hardware obsolescence cycle without disrupting operations.
Read more...
Centralised control rooms where growth is elastic, not physical
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Modernised control rooms feature distributed control system architecture consolidated into centralised compute environments. replacing traditional PCs with thin clients.
Read more...
Advanced DCSs preserve what must not change while enabling
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Next-generation DCSs, such as Schneider Electric’s Foxboro, are preserving the best of the old while introducing the new in a less disruptive manner.
Read more...
Siemens launches new generation of logic controller
Siemens South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Siemens has launched the latest generation of its proven intelligent logic controller, LOGO! 9. This enables simple implementation of small automation projects.
Read more...
DCS for maximum plant efficiency and reliability
ABB South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
ABB has introduced SPR2025, the latest Symphony Plus DCS package release to enable modernisation and efficient performance for the process and power industries.
Read more...
Future-proof automation
Vepac Electronics
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
The highly adaptable SALZ control system consists of open hardware, modular engineering software based on a virtualisation concept and an integrated app store.
Read more...
Robust PLC for field applications
ifm - South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
ifm is a leading suppliers of robust control systems for mobile use. Its ecomat series comprises PLCs, I/O modules and sensors that can withstand the harsh environmental influences of mobile applications.
Read more...