Multifunction Pico-I/O Module Provides 8 Optically Isolated Inputs, 4 Solid State Relay Outputs, and Two 16-Bit Analog Inputs

The tiny module occupies just half the area of a PC/104 board yet approaches the capability commonly found on the larger board standard. This board is perfect for deployment into space-limited applications and follows the ever-shrinking platform of the single board computer into the Pico-ITXe standard by VIA and other manufacturers. Bus and power connections are built on the SUMIT™ (Stackable Unified Module Interconnect Technology) connector standardized by the Small Form Factors Special Interest Group (SFF-SIG: www.sff-sig.org) and manufactured by Samtec, Inc.

The PICO-II8IDO4A is especially useful in applications where high common-mode external voltages are present. Isolation is required to guard electronics from transient voltage spikes and offers greater common-mode noise rejection in electrically noisy surroundings containing industrial machinery and inductive loads. These applications include factory automation, energy management, military/mission-critical, industrial ON/OFF control, security systems, manufacturing test, process monitoring, and kiosks. In addition to protecting industrial applications from accidental contact with high external voltages, the isolation provided eliminates troublesome ground loops.

The on-going development of the Pico-I/O and Pico-ITXe form factors, together with the widespread need for small-size, low-cost, and high reliability, makes this a valuable option for system architecture decisions.
Key features of the PICO-II8IDO4A include:

* Pico-I/O™ USB device featuring SUMIT™ stacking connector
* 8 individually optically isolated inputs (channel to channel and channel to ground)
* Polarity insensitive AC/DC inputs accept up to 31 VDC or AC RMS
* Jumper selectable filtering per input channel for AC or voltage transients
* 4 optically isolated fully protected FET high-side switch outputs
* Outputs capable of switching from 5-34 VDC at up to 3A
* Two general purpose 16-bit A/D inputs with optional 4-20mA
* Up to 4 I/O expansion boards in SUMIT™ stack
* Custom high-speed function driver
* Extended temperature
* Optional USB connector allows for standard USB connectivity

The PICO-II8IDO4A utilizes a high-speed custom function driver optimized for a maximum data throughput that is 50-100 times faster than the USB human interface device (HID) driver used by many competing products. This approach maximizes the full functionality of the hardware along with capitalizing the advantage of high-speed USB 2.0. The PICO-II8IDO4A is supported for use in most operating systems and includes a free Linux (including Mac OS X) and Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7 compatible software package. This package contains sample programs and source code in Visual Basic, Delphi, and Visual C++ for Windows. Also provided is a graphical setup program in Windows. Third party support includes a Windows standard DLL interface usable from the most popular application programs, and includes LabVIEW VIs. Embedded OS support includes Windows XPe.