| DataLab IO is a family of industrial
I/O units with USB interface. Modular design of DataLab IO devices enables combination of I/O modules
according to application needs—DataLab IO units have one, two or four slots for modules
providing digital or analog inputs or outputs, counter inputs, inputs
for various Resistance Temperature Detectors etc.
DataLab IO is a new generation of
input/output devices for industrial applications. Unit's design
is consistently modular. Every unit has four, two or just one slot for
I/O modules, which can be chosen according the user needs.
Individual module kinds (input or output, relay or open-collector,
digital or analog etc.) may be combined within one unit. Available
modules include analog inputs with 16-bit resolution, analog output
with 12-bit digitization, counter modules, modules for Pt100/Pt1000
temperature sensors etc. Also combined modules, comprising e.g. four
analog inputs, two analog outputs and two digital input/outputs on
single module, are also available. The set of I/O modules is not
closed—new kinds of modules are added.
It is possible to use less modules than the particular device
supports, if the application requires less I/O points. It is of
course possible to attach multiple I/O devices to one computer to
increase total number of I/O points when necessary. If the number
of free USB ports of the particular PC is less than required (2 to 6
USB ports are common on todays PCs), it is possible to expand number
of ports with USB hub. USB transfer speed is high enough to easily
handle communication of multiple industrial units on one USB port.
DataLab IO units communicate with the host
PC through the fast Universal Serial Bus (USB). USB becomes commonly
accepted standard, replacing older serial lines (COM ports), parallel
interfaces (LPT ports) etc. While it is not possible to buy a new PC
without USB interface now, traditional RS-232C interfaces are often
missing.
USB brings to users number of advantages:
First, USB is standard and universally widespread. High transfer speed 480 Mbps
(USB 2.0 High Speed) or 12 Mbps
(USB 1.1 Full Speed) allows fast transfer of large amount of
data. The configuration is fully automatic (Plug and Play),
including driver installation. Just plug the DataLab IO device to the PC and the rest is performed by
the operating system and the device driver. No settings of transfer
speed, parity, number of stop bits etc. are necessary. Also the
addressing of devices is automatic. Nobody needs to know the actual
address to communicate with USB device. USB cable contains different connectors on the host side
(USB-A) and the client side (USB-B). This disables the wrong
connection of USB devices with computer
The USB connector contains also power and ground pins (in
addition to data pins, of course). The USB devices are divided to
two groups from the power consumption point of view:
USB ports available on PCs should always provide at last
500 mA for each port to allow attachment of high consumption
devices. The different situation is with USB hubs. If the hud is
bus-powered, it usually takes 100 mA for itself. Than 100 mA
can be provided for each of 4 attached low consumption devices. The
hub is a high-consumption device from the host point of view and
provides 4 low-consumption ports. There are also hubs with dedicated
power supply. Such hub usually allows attachment of 4 high consumption
devices.
Individual DataLab IO devices differ in
number of modules they can work with as well as in the capability to
use external power supply.
DataLab IO1
DataLab IO1 devices contain 1 slot for
single I/O module.
The DataLab IO1 device (left)
and its inside (right) Because the power requirements of single I/O module never
exceeds the USB limit (500 mA), these
devices do not contain power supply and the external power
connector is not present. There is only the USB connector on the
DataLab IO1 device.
DataLab IO2
DataLab IO2 devices contain 2 slots
for two I/O modules. The unit also contains USB connector and
connector for external power supply 10 to 40 V DC.
The DataLab IO2 device (left)
and its inside (right) The DataLab IO2 devices can work in
two modes—bus-powered and self-powered.
The DataLab IO2 ability to work in
bus-powered mode depends on the modules used in the device.
DataLab IO4
DataLab IO4 devices contain 4 slots
for two I/O modules. The unit also contains USB connector and
connector for external power supply 10 to 40 V DC.
The DataLab IO4 device (left)
and its inside (right) The DataLab IO4 devices can work in
two modes—bus-powered and self-powered.
The DataLab IO4 ability to work in
bus-powered mode depends on the modules used in the device.
DataLab PC/IO
DataLab IO4 devices can be embedded
into the DataLab PC industrial computer
case.
DataLab PC/IO—the DataLab IO4 device
embedded into DataLab PC case Similarly to the standalone DataLab IO4 device, this unit contains 4 slots for
I/O modules. USB connection to computer motherboard as well
as the power lines are wired internally. Because the
DataLab IO4 device is connected directly
to the motherboard, all USB connectors on the DataLab PC I/O panel remain free for another
peripherals.
If the DataLab IO devices are configured
as bus-powered, the required current always exceeds 100 mA, so they
are high-consumption devices. If the bus-powered DataLab IO is connected through a hub, the hub should be
self-powered.
DataLab IO devices in bus-powered mode are
suitable not only for permanent mounting to distribution boxes etc.,
but they are also ideal for usage as desktop I/O devices in
laboratories and schools for ad-hoc experiments, laboratory training
etc. DataLab IO can be easily connected to
laptops and portable computers, where plug-in cards are not usable and
which are sold without RS-232C interfaces now.
DataLab IO driver for Control Web process control software is available for free.
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