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Product of the Month

New PCI and CompactPCI^® I/O boards provide ten counter/timers for quadrature and other I/O functions.

New APC48x and AcPC48x counter/timer modules for desktop PCI or CompactPCI feature high channel density to conserve precious card slots by processing more I/O from a single card.

Acromag’s new counter/timer I/O boards, the APC48x for desktop PCI and AcPC48x for CompactPCI, offer several models with up to ten quadrature/counter/timer channels. Various configurations are available with 16 or 32-bit counters and TTL or RS422 interfaces. The counter/timers can be used for counting events, generating waveform control signals, measuring pulse-widths or periodic rates, and other process monitoring operations. Quadrature measurement supports X1, X2, X4 and index pulse decoding. With more channels on a single card, computer developers can use fewer boards to perform many I/O functions which greatly reduces the cost of their systems. The standard models are priced at $800 with extended temperature models ($950) also available for operation from –40 to 85°C. more

Visit www.acromag.com for more information or call 248-624-1541.To request product literature or our catalog, click here.

Acromag mourns passing of founder, President, and CEO Henry W. Patton II.
A key figure in the development of signal conditioning technology, Henry W. Patton II, founder and President/CEO of Acromag, Incorporated died on July 23, 2003. Friends and family joined together to mark his passing with deep sadness in honoring their well-respected colleague. Mr. Patton pioneered the use of magnetic amplifiers for process measurement applications. As a young engineer at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids, IA, Mr. Patton realized the mag-amp’s potential for measuring low-level sensor signals and founded Acromag, Inc. in 1957 in Detroit, MI. more

Feature Rep
Lite Cycles, Inc. (LCI) of Tucson , AZ develops and manufactures multifunctional commercial and military laser and lidar/ladar systems. They have developed laser systems for many applications including precision materials processing, test and measurement, laser guidestar source for adaptive optics, eye-safe laser rangefinders, laser designators, and many others. LCI specializes in ladar transceivers based on solid-state laser and proprietary wavelength conversion technology.

Lite Cycles originally tried another PMC board supplier's multifunctional module, however they could not obtain consistent results. After a successful evaluation test using the Acromag PMC730E Module, Lite Cycles, Inc. purchased the Acromag unit.

The PMC730E will provide the interface to the gimbal system for the ROAR (Rapid Overt Airborne Reconnaissance) project. LCI plans to utilize the full capability of the PMC730E Module: anaolg output will handle gimbal commands; analog input will control the gimbal position and various test /temperature monitors; the digital TTL I/O supports various test and control functions.

The  ROAR Project is funded by the Office of Naval Research with the goal of developing the next-generation underwater mine detection lidar system. Ultimately, this system will be implemented into future UAV-based mine sensing systems.

Vic Myers Associates, Phoenix, AZ will provide for the local customer support.

Product Updates
PMC730 multi-function I/O modules are now available with a choice of front or rear connectors. This PMC module provides a variety of I/O functions on a single plug-in card. These new high-density modules perform both high-speed and high-resolution A/D and D/A conversion and also handle digital I/O and counter/timer functions.

The IP-1K100 Industry Pack FPGA Module is no longer recommended for new designs, but will still be available for existing customers. Please see the new IP-1K110 which is functionally equivalent for new designs.

Ask the I/O Experts
Question: I require an I/O module that can run my application-specific logic routines and process data using custom algorithms. What would I need to program and download my code into Acromag's IP-1K110 FPGA Industry Pack Module?

Answer: To program the IP-1K110 or IP-1K125 module, you will need Acromag’s Engineering Design Kit (IP-1K110-EDK or IP-1K125-EDK). The IP-1K110-EDK includes example VHDL code, and a "C" source program for downloading the Hex code to the FPGA on the IP-1K110 module. By downloading this example code to the IP-1K110 you can quickly confirm the IP’s operation before starting the development of your own code. The example VHDL code provides important information for communicating over the IP bus and pin configuration of the FPGA. The IP-1K125-EDK provides all of the benefits of the IP-1K110-EDK but also includes a JTAG adapter board for downloading Hex code to the FPGA configuration memory (flash memory). To ensure easy integration with your operating system, we also recommend our OS software support packages for VxWorks, QNX, and Windows.         -- More --

Real-Time Show
See Acromag at the Real-Time & Embedded Computing Conference which is designed for those developing computer systems and time-critical applications serving multiple industries; data communication and telephony, military and aerospace, industrial control, instrumentation, consumer electronics, image processing, process control, medical instrumentation, vehicular control and maintenance, embedded appliances and more.

Next Show: October 23, 2003 - Newport, Rhode Island.

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Acromag, Inc.
30765 S. Wixom Rd.
P.O. Box 437
Wixom, Michigan 48393-7037
Phone: 248-624-1541
Fax: 248-624-9234
e-mail: sales@acromag.com
www.acromag.com