USB Data Acquisition Box for Harsh & Hot Applications
The new MF16080-T series is a family of small portable USB data acquisition boxes with an extended temperature range of -40°C to +105°C usable for a wide range of industrial, offshore and military applications. For OEM applications the inside PCB is also available separately with an extended temperature range of -40°C to +120°C which is unique on the market.
The cards enclosure is made of 2mm aluminum providing excellent shielding, maximum stability and durability for everyday use in the field. A design goal was to use standard connectors; the card is equipped with an industry standard 37 pole DSUB connector and a mini USB device connector. There are no proprietary cables needed. The dimensions are only 105 x 72 x 16 mm including connectors. Not larger than the DSUB connector, it can be simply hooked up onto terminal blocks and BNC boxes. At a weight of 105g it fits easily into a pocket. The card is bus powered and requires less than 0.25W in operation.
The box offers 16 analog inputs and 8 analog outputs. Input voltage ranges are available from 4 to 24V maximum, and differential input mode is software-selectable. The resolution is 12 bit for both analog inputs and outputs. The inputs operate at a maximum sample rate of 30kHz if one channel is used and up to 100kHz if all 16 channels are scanned. The box has a "near-simultaneous" sampling feature, the delay between 2 adjacent channels is 10µs regardless of the sample rate. For example at 1kHz sample rate the phase error introduced is only 1% of the sampling period instead of 100%. The 8 analog outputs that are fed from 8 independent D/A converters provide output voltages in the range 0 to 4.096V at 2mA maximum current. The digital port lines are TTL compatible. Each line can be programmed as input or output. 4 lines can source up to 15mA for direct LED or relay connection, the other lines source up to 2mA. Thermal stability is ensured by a low power design, a reference voltage source, parts with low temperature coefficient and a built-in temperature sensor. For external circuitry the card provides a 5V sensor power supply.
The MF16080-T is a robust instrument with an extended temperature range of -40°C to +105°C as Box version and -40°C to +120°C as OEM version that can be applied to nearly any industrial data acquisition, monitoring or logging problem. Its primary advantages are the high versatility because of the high number of inputs and outputs. The size makes it one of the smallest USB data acquisition system available. Data acquisition applications include monitoring industrial machinery for control, maintenance and troubleshooting, automotive testing, closed-loop control systems and in general amplitude, phase and timing measurements.
The software package consists of an API for creating own applications using Microsoft Visual Studio, VB, VC/C++, Delphi, Agilent VEE, LabVIEW and TransEra HT-Basic. Furthermore the data logger enables the user to immediately stream data to disk and export data in an Excel compatible text format. A comprehensive manual and example programs for every supported programming language complete the package. Many more features are available using the included PCDAQ Scope software. It features virtual instruments such as an oscilloscope, data logger and signal analyzer with more than 500 mathematical functions from the wellknown MatLab analysis software including signal processing.
The combination of the top quality aluminum case, the unique extended temperature range, the high number of inputs and outputs and the small size make the MF16080-T box series a unique product returning a high value for its price of 595 EUR. After installing the included software and plugging in the card using the provided USB cable it is ready to operate. System requirements are Windows 2000, XP or Vista and a free USB port. Mac OSX and Linux driver support are available on request. The complete manual can be downloaded at www.hacker-technology.com
