New family of I/O boards

First in new family of I/O boards significantly enhances functional density

GE Intelligent Platforms has announced the first in a new family of VME multifunction I/O boards designed specifically to address the problems caused by the growing constraints on size, weight and power in today’s military platforms. It is also highly appropriate for commercial applications that are similarly challenged. The VME-6500 6U VME Multifunction I/O Board can deliver in a single chassis slot the analog and digital I/O capabilities that could previously have occupied four slots, and can therefore make a significant contribution to substantially enhanced performance and functional density.

With data acquisition becoming an increasingly common requirement in military applications such as radar, image capture and processing and video tracking, the rugged VME-6500 also responds to the requirement to place data acquisition hardware as close as possible to the sensors with its ability to operate over wide temperature ranges and to withstand shock and vibration. Further, the VME-6500 provides a highly cost-effective, off-the-shelf alternative to a custom-built solution.

“Modern military embedded computing platforms are being deployed in an increasingly diverse and challenging range of scenarios – scenarios like unmanned vehicles - that require them to be as compact and light weight as possible,” said Rob McKeel, Vice President, Military & Aerospace Embedded Computing at GE Intelligent Platforms. “Systems designers need to pack the maximum functionality and maximum computing performance into the smallest space possible – and the VME-6500 is designed to enable them to do that. Expect to see further, similar multifunction products from GE in the near future that will continue to offer our customers a sustainable competitive advantage.”

The VME-6500 features eight analog input channels, eight analog output channels, 16 digital input channels and 16 digital output channels. Each analog input channel is equipped with a 16-bit ADC (analog-to-digital converter), and each analog output channel with a 16-bit DAC (digital-to-analog converter). Analog inputs are software-programmable to provide exceptional flexibility in sample rates, gains, filters and current ranges, while analog outputs are similarly flexible with programmable voltage and current rates, together with waveform generation.

Digital input channels are capable of multiple voltages and current ranges, and feature programmable input thresholds and de-bounce times. Digital outputs support high voltage and current drivers, and are protected for short circuit, over current and over temperature conditions.