National Instruments has announced four new R Series boards (USB-7855R, USB-7856R, USB-7855R OEM and USB-7856R OEM) with USB connectivity, which help engineers add FPGA technology to any PC-based system using one of the most widely adopted buses on the market. These products, based on the LabVIEW RIO architecture, are a result of the company’s continued investment in the R Series product family.

The LabVIEW RIO architecture is an integral part of the NI graphical system design platform. A modern approach to designing, prototyping and deploying embedded monitoring and control systems, graphical system design combines the open NI LabVIEW graphical programming environment with commercial off-the-shelf hardware to dramatically simplify development, which results in higher-quality designs with the ability to incorporate custom design.

“Using these new USB R Series devices, engineers and scientists can create highly customizable measurement and control systems using standard PC technology,” said Jamie Smith, director of embedded systems marketing at National Instruments. “They are ideal for high-performance medical, life science and semiconductor machines.”

Key features:

• Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA: Implement tasks like custom timing and triggering, synchronization, multirate sampling, high-speed control and onboard signal processing.

• Improved I/O: Take advantage of analog input and analog output rates of up to 1 MHz for closed-loop control tasks, as well as digital I/O (DIO) rates of up to 80 MHz.

• Selectable Logic Levels From 1.2 to 3.3 V: Adjust DIO levels to meet specific application requirements.

• Selectable Gain for Analog Input Ranges: Get more resolution at lower voltage ranges.

• OEM Options Available: Get the same power in a board-only form factor with the flexibility to create your own I/O interface.

CAS DataLoggers and Lascar has introduced an affordable new AC and DC Millivolt Data Logger compatible with AC and DC current clamps. Featuring a current clamp input and 4mm banana plug inputs, the logger’s USB interface enables quick setup and data download. A very useful device for electrical engineers who want a portable metering solution, this new device is now available for about $150.

When used with a current clamp, the new data logger measures and stores up to 127,232 AC and DC current readings over a 0 to 1000 amp DC measurement range (0 to 723 amps for AC). In Energy Monitoring mode, this data is converted into power, cumulative energy (using a user-defined voltage value) and cumulative cost (using a user-supplied energy unit cost). The logger’s AC and DC millivolt measurement mode allows for direct measurement of voltage up to 1V DC (700mV AC).

high contrast 4-digit LCD shows a variety of current, power, energy and cost information. At the touch of a button, users can cycle between the most recent, maximum and minimum measurement values. The LCD also displays battery status, alarm indicators and measurement units. Users can choose among immediate, delayed and push-to-start logging modes, and it’s easy to configure custom alarm thresholds. The standalone data logger measures and stores up to 127,000 AC or DC current readings. Users can set logging rates anywhere between once a second and once every 12 hours.

visit the website at www.DataLoggerInc.com

Badger Meter announces the introduction of the Vision Series turbine flow meters, which comply with lead-free provisions of the United States Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and are bisphenol A (BPA) free. The compact meters are designed for flow measurement of low-viscosity and non-aggressive liquids, including de-mineralized water, alkaline solutions, oils, fuel, beverages, water solutions and coolants.

The Vision turbine flow meter is intended for use in diverse applications found in the food, medical products, chemical, pharmaceutical, automotive and general industrial fields. Many of these applications are affected by the SDWA, which authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set health-based standards to protect against both naturally occurring and man-made contaminants in the nation's drinking water supply.

The Vision Series consists of two turbine flow meter models: the V1000 for measuring liquid flow as low as 0.026 gallons per minute (gpm) and up to 0.65 gpm, and the V2000 for measuring liquid flow as low as 0.13 gpm and up to 9.2 gpm. The flow meters provide accuracy of ±3 percent with resolution up to 70,000 pulses per gallon (ppg), depending on the model. They have a temperature range of –4…212° F and withstand operating pressure up to 362.50 pounds per square inch (psi).

For more information about the Vision turbine flow meter, please visit Vision Series

At this year's trade fair, HIMA will introduce the new X-CPU 31 processor module with integrated system bus. The CPU complements the HIMax® system family for nonstop plant operation and is used with small and medium-sized safety applications.

The new SILworX® engineering tool V6, used to program HIMax and HIMatrix safety controllers, will also be presented. The SILworX tool now allows the integration of proprietary C programs and C source codes from external tools. In this way, highly complex safety solutions, such as those that are model-based, are easier to implement. The new version also supports Structured Text (ST), which can be especially useful in simplifying implementation of loop programming and CRC calculations as well as for the insertion of functions in text format.

HICore 1, the safety system-on-chip, also makes its world premiere.

The chip includes all functions of a safety-related PLC and comes with an intrinsically safe operating system and middleware. In addition to hardware and software, HIMA offers related comprehensive services. All components of the package are certified according to IEC 61508 up to SIL 3, which greatly simplifies and accelerates TÜV approval. HICore 1 is the ideal foundation for safety-critical applications – ranging from embedded system to control in machinery and plant engineering – that require verification of functional safety.

Apart from logistics/intralogistics, typical HICore 1 applications can be found in medical engineering and energy production plants as well as sensor technology and actuator engineering.

At last year's trade fair, the HIMatrix M45 the prototype was presented. Now in production, this new safe motion control solution includes certified function blocks, high mathematical computing power, backplane bus extension and various encoder interfaces. HIMatrix M45 is especially suited for complex and safety-critical applications in logistics and machine safety, such as storage and retrieval machines, driverless conveying systems, cranes and electric monorail conveyors. The new solution provides an easier, more flexible and more economical implementation of safe motion control tasks.