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Innovative Taiwanese manufacturer ADLINK has been responsible for some of the most cost-effective PXI instrumentation hardware of the last couple of years, and its latest instrumentation chassis range, including both PXI and CompactPCI products, provides a typically versatile, practical and economical solution.

The new range, available in the UK through Adept Scientific, includes a 3U, 6-slot chassis which features a plug-in power supply and high brightness 6.4″ TFT display. The unit is compact size (4U high) with side handles for portable applications, feet on the bottom for desktop applications, and a wall-mounting kit too.

PXI (‘PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation’) is a modular instrumentation platform specification that extends CompactPCI for measurement and control applications. It enables us to mix and match modules from multiple vendors, whilst retaining standard communication systems such as the 132 MB/s PCI bus. PXI also integrates timing and synchronisation into the system, allowing signals to be passed between instruments without additional cabling.

PXI delivers industrial-standard performance in relatively small, rugged packaging. It’s an ideal platform for automated test systems, as multiple vendors provide a wide array of instrumentation modules: there are estimated to be over 800 PXI products currently available, including oscilloscopes, multimeters, waveform generators, RF analysers, and switch multiplexers.

PXI’s use of standard PC technology offers performance at a much lower cost than with, for example, VXI, VME, or GPIB approaches. It also integrates with GPIB, serial or Ethernet instrumentation, avoiding having to abandon earlier systems. That’s why it’s the fastest-growing standard since IEEE-488 (GPIB). Commentators are suggesting that the measurement capabilities of PXI will possibly soon surpass traditional dedicated instrumentation, and thanks to the ability for users to combine innovative specialist technologies from multiple suppliers, we’re seeing the development of test and measurement systems which have never been possible before.

Adlink hardware and software is supplied and supported in the UK by Adept Scientific plc, Amor Way, Letchworth, Herts. SG6 1ZA; telephone (01462) 480055, fax (01462) 480213, email daq@adeptscience.co.uk; or see Adept’s World Wide Web site at http://www. adeptscience.co.uk/.

With offices in the UK, USA, Germany and throughout the Nordic region, Adept Scientific is one of the world’s leading suppliers of software and hardware products for research, scientific, engineering and technical applications on desktop computers.