12-Bit PCI Digitizer Cards Make Data Acquisition Affordable

May 10, 2004

Low-cost data acquisition is now available from two new two-channel ATS1250/1220 12-bit PCI digitizer cards at 50/20 Msamples/s. Priced at $1795 and $1295, respectively, the cards include 128 kbytes per channel. Larger versions are available up to 8...

Roger Allan

Each card provides independently programmable input ranges from ±20 mV to ±20 V, ac/dc coupling, and 50-Ω and 1-MΩ input impedances on each of the two channels. The sampling rate is also programmable from 50 Msamples/s down to 10 ksamples/s. Signal-to-noise ratio is 60 dB.

Users can capture signals from rapidly occurring triggers by using a Multiple Record mode that allows both pre- and post-triggering. A 40-bit time stamp allows each trigger event to be recorded relative to all other triggers on a given session.

Acquired data can be transferred to the host PC memory using bus-mastering scatter-gather DMA techniques. These provide transfer rates in excess of 40 Mbytes/s. The cards come with ATScope software, which enables users to set up the digitizer, acquire signals, and view and store them without writing any code.

Cards can be integrated using the Windows XP/2000/98SE software development kit, the ATS-SDK. The $250 kit includes sample programs written in C/C++ and VisualBASIC. A high-performance $250 LabView VI kit, the ATS-VI, is also available.

Lower-memory units of the two cards, plus the software-development kits, come from stock. Higher-memory versions are available within 12 weeks.

AlazarTechwww.alazartech.com (877) 725-2927

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About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.