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UPC Sensor
Interface Cards
Description
Features
Specifications
Application Notes:
Free Data
Logging Software for Excel
Description
Sensor interface cards provide
real world data acquisition and control for IBM and compatible
personal computers. These cards accept up to 16 analog sensor
inputs directly; no external signal conditioning is required.
Thermocouples, RTDs, potentiometers, strain gages, LVDTs, variable
reluctance pressure sensors, as well as low level DC voltages
may be wired to the card in ANY MIX OR COMBINATION! All the required
excitation, amplification and linearization is provided. 14 bit
A/D resolution and 11 stages of programmable gain amplification
allow accurate measurements from the sensor signals. The analog
conversion rates available are 5,000 10,000 and 20,000 conversions
per second, depending on model. In addition to analog inputs,
the full-size cards provide two channels of frequency input which
will accept zero-crossing (AC) or TTL input signals. 16 bits of
digital I/O are also provided by these cards, which may be interfaced
directly to a solid-state relay rack. Two analog output channels
are also available which may be programmed for +/-10 VDC or 4-20
mA.
The half-size card provide the
16 programmable analog inputs and have one frequency input. The
half-card does not provide any digital I/O or any analog output
capability.
Analog Inputs:
A wide variety of temperature sensors
are supported by the cards.
Thermocouple types B,E,J,K,T,R and S may be wired directly in
any mix or combination. A highly accurate, fourth-order linearization
scheme and cold junction compensation are provided. RTDs and thermistors
may also be wired directly to the card; a nominal 1 mA excitation
source is included. Linearization for 0.00392 and 0.00385 RTD
alpha coefficients is provided. Balco and YSI thermistor linearization
is also included. RTDs, thermocouple types, thermistors, and transistors
may be used in any mix or combination to make the temperature
measurement you need.
Strain gages may be interfaced
directly to your PC without external signal conditioning. Resolution
to 0.15 micro-strain is typically achievable with the combination
of 14 bit resolution and programmable gain. A precision 4 Vdc
excitation capable of driving 120 Ohm strain gages is supplied
by the card. Four, five and six-wire input configurations are
supported.
Variable reluctance pressure transducers
may be wired directly to the card which supplies a 4 Vdc square-wave
excitation and digital demodulation scheme to provide complete
pressure measurements. Zero balance and span adjustment are provided
in software such that any engineering units of pressure may be
read directly from the card in floating point format.
Position measurement using many
types of LVDTs is possible with the card, as well as displacement
measurement using potentiometers. DC voltage inputs are supported
in any combination of differential or single-ended configurations.
There are 11 full scale programmable
ranges, from +/-10 mV to +/-10.24 Vdc. The programmable gain feature
allows the full 14 bit resolution of the A/D converter to be applied
to the gain range selected. The full scale range is programmable
separately for each input using software; there are no jumpers
or switches to set. Sensor and DC inputs may be mixed in any combination
up to 16 single-ended or 8 differential inputs.
In addition to thermocouple and
RTD linearization, the card will accept scale and offset factors
for each input channel so that sensor inputs may be converted
directly to engineering units. The values returned by the card
are in short floating point format, linearized separately for
each channel thus saving host PC CPU time. There is also a programmable
averaging function which is used to specify the number of readings
averaged prior to transfer to the PC software. This is used to
smooth the sensor input readings so that further calculation by
the PC is not required.
Additional I/O for Full Size
Cards
Two channels of frequency input
are available to accept signals from positive displacement flow
meters and speed pick-ups. A single frequency input is available
on the half-card. Using a programmable time-base, frequencies
from 0.02 Hz to 50 KHz may be measured directly with 16 bits of
resolution. Each channel may be set independently for TTL inputs
or AC signals. The AC mode has three software programmable threshold
levels and will accept inputs from 10 mVrms to 20 Vrms.
Digital I/O
Full size cards provide 16 bits
of digital I/O that may be independently programmed as inputs
or outputs for each bit. The digital I/O port may be interfaced
directly to a solid state relay rack so that power switching of
up to 220 VAC @ 3.5 A is possible. Contact closure sensing is
also available via the solid state relay input modules. The card
provides all power needed to operate the logic side of the solid
state relays.
Analog Outputs
The full size cards provide two
channels of analog output which may be programmed for +/-10 VDC
or 4-20 mA. 12 bits of resolution are provided on each range,
respectively. The 4-20 mA outputs will source the current through
loop loads to 400 Ohms.
Software
The sensor interface cards come
complete with Easy sense, a user-friendly menu-driven data acquisition
software package. Easy Sense allows the set up of analog inputs,
outputs and digital I/O, and provides data logging and graphical
display functions. Up to four cards may be supported by Easy Sense.
Real time graphing is supported for up to 32 inputs, and ASCII
logging files are supported.
Features
- Direct Sensor Interface to
PC - No Signal Conditioning Needed
- Accepts ANY COMBINATION of
Thermocouples, Thermistors, Strain Gages, LVDTs, RTDs, Variable
Reluctance, Diff or SE DC Volts.
- 14 Bit A/D Resolution over
11 Programmable Ranges
- Frequency Inputs, Analog Outputs
Available
- 16 Bits of Digital I/O
- On-Board Data Processing
- Data Acquisition Software Included
Specifications
General Specifications
Available I/O: 16 single-ended
inputs (which can be paired for up to 8 differential inputs) and
one additional input for the thermocouple cold junction temperature
sensor.
Half Size Card - 1 channel of
frequency input
Full Size Card - 2 channels of
frequency input
16 channels of digital I/O that
will interface directly with a Grayhill or Opto-22 solid state
relay rack
2 channels of analog output
Types of Inputs: Thermocouple,
RTD, Strain Gage, LVDT/RVDT/VR, Voltage, Resistance, Potentiometers,
and contact closures from solid state relay rack. Two frequency
inputs, TTL or AC. Types of Outputs: Full size cards provide digital
outputs (will interface to solid state relay rack), two D/A, 12
bits +/-10 Vdc or 4-20 mA.
Environmental: 0 to +70
deg C, 95% RH, non-condensing.
I/O Connections: 50 pin
ribbon cable connects analog input terminal block to board edge
connector.
Full Size Cards - Access
to frequency inputs, analog outputs and digital I/O is via separate
50 pin ribboncable cable which exits the computer via a notch
in the rear panel of the card. Optional 8 or 16 position solid
state relay rack and cable. Optional frequency input and analog
output terminal block.
Configuration: All channels
are programmable from Easy Sense software.
Power Requirements: +5
Vdc @ 1.2 Amps, +12 Vdc @ 0.45 Amps.
Sensor excitation current additional
200 mA from +5 Vdc supply.
Detailed Input/Output Specifications
Thermocouples: Types B,E,J,K,T,R,S
linearized for deg C or deg F. Typical resolution 0.05 deg C.
RTD: 10 Ohm to 2K Ohm,
0.00392 or 0.00385 alpha, linearized -200 to +850 deg C. Platinum,
nickel, copper and thermistor probes. 2, 3 or 4-wire configurations.
Excitation from internal current source provided. Typical resolution
0.05 deg C.
LVDT/VR: 2.5 mV/V to 1280
mV/V full scale in ten binary ranges: +/-2.5/ 5/ 10/ 20/ 40/ 80/
160/ 320/ 640/ and 1280 mV/V. 4 VAC (Square Wave) excitation and
digital demodulation.
Strain Gages: Typically
350 Ohm (120 Ohm minimum). Full bridge configuration. Partial
bridges completed on terminal block. Sensitivity to +/-2.5 mV/V
FS (+/-1250 microstrain FS, resolution 0.15 micro-strain, typical
for strain gage with gage factor of 2). 4 Vdc precision excitation
supplied.
Voltage: +/-10 mV to +/-10.24
Vdc full scale, single-ended or differential inputs in 11 binary
ranges: +/-10/ 20/ 40/ 80/ 160/ 320/ 640/ 1280/ 2560/ 5120 mV
and 10.24 Vdc.
Resistance: 10 Ohms to
12K Ohms, full scale.
Excitation: Integral 4
Vdc for strain gages, (0.2 Amps maximum).
Current source for RTDs at 1 mA.
4 VAC (square wave) excitation for LVDT/RVDT and VR devices.
Input Protection: Overvoltage
protection to +/-20 Vpk in power off condition, +/-25 Vpk with
power on. Typical static discharge to 4 KV is survived.
Common Mode: +/-10 V.
Cross Talk: -115 dB or
better.
A/D Resolution: 14 bits
(+/-13 bits).
Averaging: Programmable
averaging on each channel.
Sample Rate: 5000, 10,000
or 20,000 channels per second.
Accuracy: Total system
error 0.02% FSR. All factory calibration factors are stored in
EEPROM for each channel. Range tempco typically 50 ppm/deg C.
Offset autozero tempco typically 0.015 microVolts/deg C. Linearity
and symmetry errors typically 0.0012% FSR.
Channel Scanning: Number
of channels scanned software selectable.
Math Functions: Slope and
intercept, (Y = mX + b). Polynomial thermocouple, RTD and thermistor
linearization.
Data Storage: Software
included supports continuous streaming of data to disk at up to
20,000 channels per second.
Frequency Inputs: 0.02
Hz to 50 KHz with 16 bit resolution. TTL or AC input. 10 mVrms
to 20 Vrms input levels in AC mode.
Analog Output: 2 channels,
+/-10 Vdc 12 bit D/A resolution @ 5 mA, maximum. 7 microseconds
settling time. 4-20 mA current source output available in addition
to each voltage output, driving up to 400 Ohms loop load.
Digital I/O: 16 bits digital
I/O, suitable for direct connection to Opto-22 or Grayhill solid
state relay rack. Each bit individually programmable as an output
or input contact closure. Output switching up to 3.5 Amp @220
VAC with optional solid state relays.
PC I/O Ports: 8 sequential
addresses in PC I/O space. Starting address selectable from 200h
to 2F8h.
UPC Virtual
Catalog
All of the UPC series specifications,
descriptions, application notes, software demos and source code
are available from our Virtual Catalog for Windows. Download and
unzip Vircat.Zip to a temporary subdirectory, then run the Setup.Exe
file, and the virtual catalog will install itself into a separate
subdirectory of about 3.5 Mbytes . (You can delete the files in
the temporary subdirectory.)
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