I/O cards help speed data logger design

"The cards are a standard PCI-X form factor so we can easily integrate them into our product for the data acquisition part, enabling us to concentrate on adding our expertise of turning that data into useful information for the customer," he commented. he cards have a very high data acquisition speed of up to 125MHz and a choice of 8/16 bit and 32 bit I/O.  This makes the data logger ideal for test and measurement applications particularly in the avionics and automotive electronics industries.  It provides an efficient way to collect and time-stamp real-time data from a wide variety of embedded targets, over many weeks if necessary.

CPU embedded systems communicate their commands and data along digital bus networks most commonly 8, 16 and 32 bits wide. Successful execution of code and timing performance are critical factors. 

Being able to track down run-time problems across different CPU based systems using an easy-to-use single generic device clearly provides a superior solution to many traditional data loggers and logic analysers, which can be CPU specific as well as complicated to configure.

An essential part of the task is collection and storage of time-stamped trace data and where collection extends too many days, even weeks, so a deep storage facility within the device is important. 

The Rapita Verification Suite (RVS) analyses code execution trace data collected from the target by the RTBx. This provides a complete timing and coverage analysis solution, which is essentially a thorough testing of embedded systems source code program behaviour

The RTBx Data Logger can be configured to a whole range of automotive and avionic embedded CPU-based systems with varying data bus configurations. Also the Spectrum M2i card's adjustable sampling rates and extended data streaming functionality (FIFO mode) allows digital trace capture over several weeks or more. The data logger utilises the M2i card within a special industrial 19-inch rack computing platform and integral deep data storage facility. Connection to the data logger is easily performed from its rear panel via a ribbon cable to the dedicated output port on the embedded system, which is the source of data (instrumentation points) every few CPU machine code cycles.

An alternative connection can also be made to the address bus of the system under test, where the user can write a small instrumentation point routine to provide the data at a specific address. The front panel provides a neat LCD display showing logging status, logging data, estimated recording time, network (IP) address and software version.

The data logger can be used straight out of the box with the target system, with the further facility of control via an Ethernet connection using a Windows or Linux Host running the Rapita Systems graphical user interface. RTBx is designed to work hand-in hand with RVS.