COT’S PICKS

High sensitivity, extreme linearity, and exceptional thermal stability at a competitive price

The Measuring Division of Kaman Precision Products, Inc. highlights the DIT-5200L noncontact differential impedance transducer, which offers true differential for common mode rejection at an economical price. Capable of subnanometer resolution with high sensitivity (up to 10v/mil, 39 mV/μm) and outstanding linearity (up to 0.1% full range), this product provides a powerful solution for a diverse set of applications that demand exacting precision.

The DIT-5200L is a commercially-based, fully analog product built to IPC A-160 Class 3 standards. The I/O is on a 9-pin mini-D connector, and the input power connections are reverse voltage protected. Depending on the program requirements, it also offers the opportunity for commercial off-the-shelf up screening.

EKF Elektronik launched two new 3U Compact PCI processor boards with 11th-generation Intel Core and Xeon processors (Tiger Lake H45). The boards will be available in two variants: the first is a CompactPCI Serial design, and the second supports CompactPCI Classic and CompactPCI PlusIO. The latter supports the classic parallel PCI bus, for which numerous COTS and proprietary expansion cards are still available today. This enables developers of CompactPCI-based systems to implement any CompactPCI system design and secure their investment

The product’s signal conditioning electronics are packaged in a die-cast aluminum box with MCX-style sensor connections, and the overall package size is just 7.7 cubic inches. The product is CE-marked when purchased in the original enclosure. The electronics can also be supplied as a bare PCB for installation inside the user’s enclosure, and custom configurations can be designed for OEM application requirements upon request.

Under the hood, the product features high-precision eddy current balanced bridge technology. In an eddy current differential system, the two coils in the inductive bridge are housed in two separate sensors. Rather than one active coil and one reference coil, both sensors contain active coils. These two sensors are typically placed on opposite sides of the target or the target pivot point.

Due to the theory of operation, differential systems provide more excellent resolution and thermal stability than single-ended systems. As the target moves closer to one sensor, it moves farther away from the other, increasing the impedance in one leg of the inductive bridge and in this PICMG standard, launched in 1999, long into the future. The new boards will be available until at least 2032 – just like the existing CompactPCI CPU boards with 7th generation Intel Xeon E3 v6 processors (codename Kaby Lake), which the company also offers for all three CompactPCI sub-specifications.

“Support for the PCI bus is essential for older CompactPCI system designs, yet some vendors are withdrawing from this market. The announcement that EKF Elektronik will continue to support the PCI bus for new CompactPCI designs, therefore, sends an important message to many users: They can safeguard their investment in this legacy technology for many more years, continue to upgrade their system designs with the latest processor technology, and reap all the benefits that come with it,” explains Manuel Murer, Business Development Manager at EKF Elektronik.

As 11th Gen Intel Core and Xeon processors decreasing it in the other. This push-pull effect amplifies the linear output-per-displacement and eliminates the need for summation amplifiers that add noise and drift. Ultimately, this provides exceptional thermal stability, namely, ±.03% FS/°C and ±.005% FS/°C at null. no longer support PCI natively, EKF Elektronik has installed a software-transparent PCIe-to-PCI bridge on the processor boards with CompactPCI Classic and CompactPCI PlusIO support. This allows developers to port existing applications to the new boards seamlessly. Advantages of such upgrades include higher energy efficiency, higher processor-integrated security, computing power, up-to-date software support, and support for artificial intelligence and the latest graphics features to provide the best possible user experience.

Available in single and dual-channel configurations, the product fits various applications across industry verticals. These include servo control feedback, stage positioning, angular displacement indication, X-Y orbit position feedback, and stylus position. The product’s applications are essential in precision optics, fast-steering mirrors, laser communications, directed energy, celestial applications, and magnetic bearing systems.

CompactPCI PlusIO users will find a new J2 connector on the new CompactPCI PlusIO (PICMG 2.30) boards, which is footprint-compatible with the CompactPCI Classic (PICMG 2.0) specification. This change was necessary because the J2 connector developed for PlusIO was discontinued. But there is no need to redesign the backplane. The only restriction is that high-speed backplane transfer is limited to 2.5 GT/s for PCIe Gen 1 and 1.5 Gbit/s for SATA. Depending on the application and system, it is possible to use the total bandwidth. The CompactPCI‘s PCI bus can be used in the usual bandwidth of up to 133Mbyte/s.