NI strengthens its I/O (RIO) Platform
National Instruments (NI) has expanded its growing NI reconfigurable I/O (RIO) platform with the addition of the first multicore NI CompactRIO systems and smallest NI Single-Board RIO devices. The new NI cRIO-908x systems feature an Intel Core i7 dual-core processor for increased processing power, Xilinx Spartan-6 field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and the option of a Windows Embedded Standard 7 (WES7) OS configuration for monitoring and control applications that require exceptional performance and the ruggedness of CompactRIO. For high-volume and OEM applications, the new NI sbRIO-9605/06 devices are sized from less than 102.87 mm x 96.52 mm and offer customization and I/O support than previous versions.
With the Intel Core i7 dual-core 1.33 GHz processor and up to a Xilinx Spartan-6 LX150 FPGA, the cRIO-908x systems deliver the processing power of any CompactRIO product and perform complex signal processing and control within applications. The controllers can be configured with a WES7 OS, which gives engineers access to a broad ecosystem of Windows-based software and integrated graphics, or a real-time OS for reliable, deterministic performance. The systems provide a variety of high-performance peripheral connectivity including two Gigabit Ethernet ports, a MXI Express port, four USB ports, RS232 and RS485 serial ports and a new CPU eXpansion Module (CXM) that makes it possible to add custom connectivity and expansion to CompactRIO using industry standard protocols.
"By combining the power of the Intel Core i7 processor and the productivity of National Instruments integrated CompactRIO hardware and LabVIEW software, we are giving engineers a high-performance solution to quickly solve their advanced control and monitoring problems," said, Michelle Tinsley, General Manager, Intel Embedded Computing Division.
"NREL is working directly with National Instruments to develop advanced power electronics inverter control hardware based on reconfigurable FPGA technology for renewable, electric vehicle and smart grid systems. With the new high bandwidth connector on these NI Single-Board RIO devices and LabVIEW programming tools, we now can take our simulations and advanced algorithms from prototype to high-volume, deployable targets more quickly than ever," said Bill Kramer, who manages research and development for Energy Systems Integration Technologies, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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