Digital Bit Stream PXI Card offers 1-16 channels.

Strategic Test Corporation Apr 30, 2004

Press Release Summary:

Ultrafast UX7005 3U format PXI Card features 16 TTL channels that can be programmed for recording or signal generation. Clock rate is adjustable from 1 kHz to 125 MHz. Card is supplied with 128 Mbit on-board memory as standard, but can be increased in increments of 256 Mbit and 512 Mbit up to 1,024 Mbit when long signals need to be recorded or generated at max clock rates. Software drivers for Windows XP, 2000, NT, ME, 98, and Linux are supplied.

Original Press Release:

Strategic Test Releases Ultrafast UX7005 125 MHz 1 to 16 Channel Digital Bit Stream PXI Card

For the first time all of the on-board memory can be used when recording or replaying with 16, 8, 4, 2 or 1 channels

Boston, USA -- April 28, 2004. Until now all other high-speed digital input/output boards used a 16 bit or 32 bit memory Word regardless of the number of active channels. When using only one channel on a 16-channel board, 15 bits of memory were wasted for each useful recorded or generated bit. As a result engineers were often forced to buy more expensive add-on memory than should have been necessary.

Although Strategic Test recognized this problem last year and introduced a minimum data width of 8 bit onto the existing UltraFast Digital I/O cards, its engineers saw the need for a new card design that would optimize the use of the available memory. The new Ultrafast UX7005 3U PXI card, UC7005 6U CompactPCI card and the UF7005 PCI card all utilize the new memory-saving design.

For example, a traditional digital input or output card with 1024 Mbit of memory has a fixed 64 Mbit memory depth per channel. In comparison, the UX7005 would have 64 Mbit/channel with 16 active channels, 128 Mbit with 8 channels, 256 Mbit with 4 channels, 512 Mbit with 2 channels and the entire 1024 Mbit when only using one channel.

The UX7005 is a 3U format PXI card with 16 TTL channels that can be programmed for recording or signal generation. The clock rate can be adjusted from 1 kHz to a maximum rate of 125 MHz. Alternatively, an external clock can be used to synchronize the card with external equipment and, in this case, the clock rate can be from DC to 125 MHz.

The card is supplied with 128 Mbit on-board memory as standard, but this can be increased in increments of 256 Mbit and 512 Mbit up to 1024 Mbit when long signals need to be recorded or generated at the maximum clock rates.

Software drivers for Windows XP, 2000, NT, ME, 98 and Linux are supplied, while drivers for MATLAB, LabVIEW, Agilent's-VEE and DASYLab are available as cost-options.

The UX7005 has two operating modes. In Standard Mode, the card works independently of the PC and uses the on-board memory to store the signal data. This mode allows all 16 channels to be used at the maximum output rates of up to 125 MHz without being limited by the PXI bus data transfer rate. The alternative FIFO Mode uses the PXI Bus Master capability of the card to continuously transfer data between the PXI CPU card and the UX7005 during the recording or generation process. This has the advantage that signals longer than the available on-board memory can be recorded or generated, albeit at slower clock rates. Using either mode, tests can be repeated much quicker than traditional GPIB bus-based instrument that have a limited data transfer rate between instrument and the PC of typically 1 MB/s.

Engineers who do not want to make their own programs can use the SBench program running under Microsoft Windows that is supplied with the card. SBench supports all of the UX7005's features such as pattern and mask trigger-enabled digital recording and signal generation. Data can be transferred to third-party programs such as MATLAB for more detailed analysis.

In addition to the on-board memory options, the Multiple Recording and Replay option will record or output a series of digital waveforms at very high speed (several hundred per second are possible) and the Gated Recording and Replay option can be used to start/stop the input or output when an external TTL signal changes level.

The Ultrafast UX7005 with 16 MB memory costs $2954, with 32 MByte $3878, 64 MByte $4949 and with 128 MByte $6174.

All UltraFast cards are supplied with free drivers for Windows and Linux, the SBench measurement and signal generation program, source code programming examples in Visual Basic, c/c++ and Delphi; two years hardware warranty and lifetime software updates including future Windows and Linux drivers. Technical support is provided at no cost for the product lifetime.

About Strategic Test
With the introduction of more than 130 new high-speed Digitizer, Arbitrary Waveform Generator and high-speed Digital I/O PCI, 3U PXI and 6U CompactPCI cards during the last three years, Strategic Test Corporation now offers the widest range of high-speed PC-based instruments. The UltraFast cards are designed at the R&D facility in northern Germany and distributed through our Head Office in Stockholm (Sweden), the US office in Boston and a distributor in Japan.

The first high-speed measurement card for PC's was designed in 1989. All of the current range of more than 145 cards has been developed since 1999. Strategic Test's clients include global electronics, semiconductor, defense, telecommunications and medical instrument companies, government funded research labs and universities in five continents.

For further information please contact:
Bob Giblett
President
Strategic Test Corporation
One Broadway, Suite 600
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States
Tel: (617)621-4010
Fax: (617)577-1209
Email: bobgiblett@strategic-test.com
http://www.strategic-test.com