Several of the customized integrated circuits used in our products are available as unmounted ICs for those manufacturers who prefer to design their own controller, but with much less development time and with the advanced features of the DIVA Automation products.
This product line is extremely attractive to electronic components distributors because they are all based on standard production components that have been programmed with the DIVA Automation code to perform a specific task. Before the programming process, they may be sold as generic components at a price level suggested by the manufacturer of the chip and as established by the marketplace. After being programmed, there is no fixed value or direct competition. A $10 standard microcontroller may now be sold as a proprietary product at four or five times the price of the unprogrammed device.
This chip is the heart of our servo controller for smaller motors. A reference design is supplied with the chip. A complete digital servo controller can be built using only the SuprMotrM and two or three low cost support chips for interfacing to the motor and the position encoder.
No electronic or software design is required for integrating this controller into a machine or a larger circuit.
The SuprDAQ is similar to the SuprMotrM, but has been programmed to act as a data acquisition and control device. No support chips are required for the construction of a complete circuit for accessing up to 70 discrete switch or logic inputs. Each of the 70 inputs may also be selected as an output for driving LEDs or relays or even on/off motor drivers. Eight of the 70 can also be used as analog inputs with conversion of one part in 256. (0.39%). Two of the 70 can also function as analog output signals with a similar resolution--one part in 256. These outputs are used in the SuprMotrV product to drive a servo motor.
Additional uses of the 70 I/O lines include two lines as high speed multi-mode counter inputs that can be used to count pulses or measure pulse width. They may also be used as internal timers to generate variable width, variable frequency pulses for external use. Six of the 70 I/O signals may be used as external interrupts.
The system software supplied with the SuprDAQ includes a virtual instrument program written in Visual BASIC that allows each of the 70 signal ports to be assigned to the selected function. They may also be assigned names. All of the analog inputs may be converted to engineering units for display, using user selectable values for scaling and offset adjustment. The analog outputs may also be controlled in selectable engineering units by assigning a scale factor. Data may be collected on chip at high speed for later transmission to a host computer or local buffer. The conversion time of the analog inputs is a very fast 6.25 microsec. Likewise, the settling time of the analog output is only 3 microsec.
The SuprDAQ may also be used in a completely stand-alone application with the addition of a low cost circuit for user program storage or the user program may be incorporated into the SuprDAQ chip under separate contract. Over 75% of the SuprDAQ’s internal ROM is available for internal expansion.
Three communications interfaces are available. An asynchronous serial interface suitable for use with RS-232 or USB drivers uses two I/O signals, which is the example used above. A high speed synchronous interface is also available, which normally uses three signals and there is also the option of assigning 30 of the ports as a complete microprocessor bus with addressing for 64 KB external memory or even 65,536 external I/O signals.
The SuprDAQ draws 5 mA of current at 3-5.5 V, and also has multiple low power modes for battery powered applications that reduce the power drain to as low as 0.1 microAmps. Normal operating power can be reduced to 800 microAmps by reducing the clock frequency.
The DIVA Automation DiMAC Macro Language is also incorporated on chip with 50 or more commands for on-board program sequencing and data manipulation and control. Commands are available for selecting function (input, output, etc.), as well as logical control functions that allow operation to be synchronized with an external event such as a start button or a trigger from an external device. A full-featured floating point BASIC interpreter is also available.
The functions of dozens of laboratory instruments such as voltmeters, variable power supplies, counters, timers, pulse generators and arbitrary function generators can be implemented simultaneously or as separate products with a common base.
The SuprEnc is a PLD (programmable logic device) that has been programmed to act as a quadrature encoder interface as well as to incorporate limit switch protection and assorted “glue logic” functions so that additional logic elements are not required.
A complete documentation package is supplied with each license. It consists of:
Updated on ... October 5, 2007