Diamond Systems RUBY-MM-1616A : RMM-1616A-XT 16-Channel 16-bit Analog Output PC/104 Module with Digital I/O

Control and test systems often need more analogue outputs than a single-board computer provides: setpoints for valves and drives, 4-20 mA loops to process instruments, or synchronised signals for a test fixture. The RMM-1616A-XT is the 16-channel analogue output module in the Diamond Systems RUBY-MM-1616A series, adding 16-bit voltage and current outputs and digital I/O to a PC/104 stack.

All 16 outputs are 16-bit, and each channel takes its own range: 0-5 V, 0-10 V, ±5 V or ±10 V, or 0-20 mA, 4-20 mA and 0-24 mA current. Outputs update simultaneously from a software command or an external trigger, so channels driving one mechanism, such as the X and Y axes of a laser, move without time skew. A waveform generator runs on up to 16 channels, settling time is 10 µs maximum to ±0.003%, and individual DC/DC converters supply ±15 V to each DAC from the +5 V bus.

The module also carries 48 digital I/O lines, 40 byte-wide and eight bit-wide, with programmable direction, plus two 32-bit counter/timers on a 40 MHz clock and four 24-bit pulse width modulators. Analogue outputs sit on one 50-pin header with an external trigger input, and the digital lines on a second. For smaller output counts on the same board, the RMM-816A-XT has eight channels and the RMM-416A-XT has four.

The RMM-1616A-XT draws only +5 V from the PC/104 ISA bus and operates from -40 to +85 °C. A six-layer PCB with split analogue and digital power and ground planes keeps the outputs quiet, every output is digitally calibrated at the factory, and all lines reset to a known state at power-up. Jumpers can be replaced with 0-ohm resistors for high-vibration installs, Diamond quotes an MTBF of 100,000 hours, and the Universal Driver supports C programming under Windows, Linux and DOS.