Signal Interfacing

Components you need to complete your system

Industrial Enclosures – Eurocards Installed

Single Board Enclosures – Eurocards Enclosed

Cables
Analog connections shown in the three drawings above use MSCBL 040-01. Digital connections shown use MSCBL 054-01 and MSCBL 076 digital filter adapter board.

Each Data Acquisition Processor (DAP) system starts with a data acquisition board and adds signal interface (SI) modules that follow a specific channel architecture.

Several DAP boards – in any combination of model numbers – can work together as a single, synchronized, PC-based system [1]. Some simple DAP systems will have only a handful of inputs and outputs; others may have maybe a hundred or so. A multi-DAP system potentially may have several thousand analog and digital inputs and outputs. Whatever the case, the signals have to connect somewhere. The examples here illustrate the channel architecture used by Microstar Laboratories: signal connectors on 3U (100mm high) Eurocard B [2] (220mm deep) boards – Eurocards – that often pre-process a signal.

All Microstar Laboratories Eurocards – other than DAP-to-backplane interfaces – offer one or more types of termination. Most also multiplex inputs or outputs. Many perform additional functions. All new designs are described as signal interface (SI) modules. This SI designation is reserved for MSXB products – among those listed below – that are intelligent: a DAP can communicate with them and configure them. Browse the full range, arranged in the eight main function groups.

The need for one or more of the listed functions, the number and speed of inputs and outputs, the mix of analog and digital signals, and termination choices – as well as the extent that your application can benefit from onboard processing – determines the DAP board, Microstar Laboratories Eurocards, and enclosure models required. To understand the part number suffixes for our Eurocard boards, take a look at the explanatory table. Or contact us. Account Representatives and Application Engineers at Microstar Laboratories know the product range, know how it works in a number of applications, and they welcome the opportunity to talk with you about how it can work in yours.

Feel free to look around more on your own. [3] Whether you do that first or not, do please talk with us about your application. Between us we can confirm a suitable channel architecture and overall signal configuration, illustrated by a 3-D line drawing, like the samples you see here. You will clearly see the products you need and the ways they connect. We do not charge for this service, so go ahead and call and talk to us today.

See also Part-Number Suffixes.

Eurocards

Simple Termination: Termination boards allow quick and secure connection of discrete wires to a DAP. The MSTB 009 and MSTB 010 include traces for voltage divider resistors and 0-20 mA termination resistors to condition analog signals.: MSTB 008: Digital Termination Boards; MSTB 009: Analog Termination Boards; MSTB 010: Termination Boards for the DAP 840; MSTB 011: Analog Termination Boards with DB37 Connectors; MSXB 042: Analog Termination Boards for the iDSC 1816 only – see related products; MSXB 043: Analog Termination Boards with BNC connectors for the iDSC 1816 only – see related products

Simple Multiplexing: Signal interface modules allow for monitoring and control of many channels with a single DAP. A single DAP can handle up to 66 analog control outputs and 1024 digital control outputs based on as many as 512 analog inputs and 128 digital inputs.: MSXB 086: Isolated 4-20 mA Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 085: Isolated Analog Input and Output Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 084: Isolated Analog Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 082: Channel-to-Channel Isolated High-Speed Analog Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 081: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 4-20 mA Current Loop Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 080: Channel-to-Channel Isolated Analog Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 078: Isolated Digital Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 076: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 16-Bit Analog Output Signal Interface Modules, Eight Channels; MSXB 075: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 16-Bit Analog Output Signal Interface Modules, Four Channels; MSXB 074: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 4-20 mA Current Loop Output Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 060 & MSXB 061: Differential Analog Input Expansion Boards; MSXB 056: 16-Bit Analog Output Expansion Boards; MSXB 038: Digital Expansion Boards; MSXB 037: Analog Input Expansion Boards

Products for the iDSC 1816 only, a specialized DAP board that filters out all aliases and samples all channels simultaneously:

Eurocards: MSXB 042: Analog Termination Boards; MSXB 044: Signal Conditioning Boards included in the SCS-xx Signal Conditioning Systems packages
Other Boards: MSXB 043: BNC Termination Boards; MSXB 045: LVDS Boards for iDSC synchronization for SCS-xx systems with multiple iDSC 1816 boards

Anti-Alias Filtering: MSXB 048: Filtered Analog Input Expansion Boards; MSXB 067: Signal Conditioning and Filtering Expansion Boards for Resistive Sensors; MSXB 065: Signal Conditioning and Filtering Expansion Boards for Voltage Inputs

Simultaneous Sampling: MSXB 082: Channel-to-Channel Isolated High-Speed Analog Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 081: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 4-20 mA Current Loop Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 080: Channel-to-Channel Isolated Analog Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 028: Simultaneous Sampling Boards; MSXB 067: Signal Conditioning and Filtering Expansion Boards for Resistive Sensors; MSXB 066: Signal Conditioning Expansion Boards for Resistive Sensors; MSXB 065: Signal Conditioning and Filtering Expansion Boards for Voltage Inputs; MSXB 064: Signal Conditioning Expansion Boards for Voltage Inputs

Isolation: MSXB 086: Isolated 4-20 mA Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 085: Isolated Analog Input and Output Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 084: Isolated Analog Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 082: Channel-to-Channel Isolated High-Speed Analog Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 081: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 4-20 mA Current Loop Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 080: Channel-to-Channel Isolated Analog Input Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 078: Isolated Digital Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 076: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 16-Bit Analog Output Signal Interface Modules, Eight Channels per Module; MSXB 075: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 16-Bit Analog Output Signal Interface Modules, Four Channels per Module; MSXB 074: Channel-to-Channel Isolated 4-20 mA Current Loop Output Signal Interface Modules; MSXB 039: Digital Opto-Isolator Boards; MSXB 027: Analog Isolation Boards

Counter/Timer: MSXB 036: Counter/Timer Boards

Quadrature-Decoder: MSXB 050: Quadrature Decoder Boards

Signal Conditioning: MSXB 067: Signal Conditioning and Filtering Expansion Boards for Resistive Sensors; MSXB 066: Signal Conditioning Expansion Boards for Resistive Sensors; MSXB 065: Signal Conditioning and Filtering Expansion Boards for Voltage Inputs; MSXB 064: Signal Conditioning Expansion Boards for Voltage Inputs

[1] On one PC or several networked PCs. DAPcell Local Server and DAPcell Network Server software allow a number of DAP boards to act as a single synchronized system even though spread across networked PCs.

[2] The Eurocard A format, used in CompactPCI systems, has the same 3U height (100mm) but not the depth: 160mm against 220mm for the Eurocard B format.

[3] Do you need a specific function added to your DAP system? Try the overview table.

Do you know the part number of the signal interface board you need? Browse the part number list.

Do you know the DAP board you use – or will use – and only want to see the signal interface boards that work with it?

iDSC 1816	DAP 840
DAP 5400a or DAP 5380a	All other a-Series DAP boards

Looking for an unlisted model number? Contact us for more information, or look for technical notes, about other Eurocards.