UEI Enhances its Ethernet-Based Distributed I/O System - PowerDNA Cube with Mobile Storage, High-Speed Synchronization and More Powerful Embedded CPU!
Canton, MA: October 26, 2005 - Data-acquisition and control hardware and software supplier United Electronic Industries (UEI) continues to build on the success of its patented PowerDNA cubes-smart, compact, I/O subsystems that can be distributed via Ethernet. Each cube packs a mixture of up to 144 analog or 288 digital I/O points in a compact, cubical, 4x4x4-in. or 6x4x4-in. enclosure.
UEI's latest cubes have been upgraded to include a 400-MHz PowerPC processor. This processor is based on the 603e core and can perform 760 million floating-point instructions per second. The floating-point-execution unit performs most commands in one or two clock cycles. The PowerDNA cube doubles to 128 Mbytes the amount of 266-MHz double-data-rate random-access memory the cube accommodates. The cube also accepts a secure-digital (SD) card for storing up to 4 Gbytes of data. A spring-loaded connector securely locks the card to the cube.
The SD-Card allows the cube to operate as a stand-alone data logger and can store many hours of data-including analog, digital, CAN-bus, temperature, or strain measurements. A user can program data logging to start and stop at certain times or upon a digital trigger or signal level. When logging is complete, the user can move the SD card from the cube to a card reader to access the accumulated data from a wide range of data-analysis applications.
The PowerPC cube fully supports internal and external synchronization interfaces. The front panel contains a powered, isolated cube-to-cube synchronization interface, which synchronizes data acquisition across multiple cubes. An internal SYNC interface allows triggering or clocking of all layers (UEI's name for the I/O boards that plug into its PowerDNA cubes) from the same signal line and synchronizing the layers' time-stamp counters.
The on-board PowerPC processor enables UEI to offer many software products for embedding local control in the cube. The company also offers simulation tools and an open-source real-time operating system. The availability of LAN, SD serial I/O ports simplifies integrating of the cube into embedded control systems.
The DNA PowerPC cubes can be powered from a wide range of DC voltages.
Price and Availability
The $995 (US) model DNA-PPC-5 ($1395 DNA-FPPC-5 for fiber optic interface), which accommodates three layers, and the $1295 (US) model DNA-PPC-8 ($1695 for DNA-FPPC-8), which accommodates six layers, are available in December 2005. A broad family of I/O layers is available including analog input (+/-100V), analog output (+/-40V), digital I/O (TTL and Industrial), Strain-gage signal conditioning with sensor excitation, CAN-Bus (4 ports), serial, and counter/timers.
The UeiDaq framework for Windows, an object-oriented software applications-programming interface, provides extensive support with examples for programming languages such as C, C++, and Visual Basic 6; the .Net framework and its managed programming languages, such as C#, VB.Net, and J#; Active X-compatible development environments such as Delphi and Borland CPP builder; the Excel spreadsheet application; and scientific-software packages such as LabVIEW, DASYLab, Matlab, and LabWindows/CVI. An OPC server is also included. The UeiDaq framework is available at no charge with each PowerDNA cube and can be downloaded at www.ueidaq.com/download
A Linux based API is also available at no charge and can be downloaded at www.ueidaq.com/download
About United Electronic Industries, Inc
Known as "The High-Performance Alternative," UEI (Canton, MA, www.ueidaq.com) is a supplier of leading-edge PowerDAQ PCI- and PXI-based data acquisition cards, the PowerDNA Ethernet-based distributed data-acquisition and automation system, signal-conditioning accessories and software. In particular, it has emerged as a market leader in the field of hard realtime data acquisition on PCs through its support of realtime Linux implementations and commercial RTOSs. A proprietary protocol on the PowerDNA Cube gives Ethernet-based I/O systems true realtime performance, but the system also runs with conventional Ethernet protocols, as well. Among the firm's major markets are sophisticated production test systems, process monitoring and control as well as research/development.
