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DecisionCards Industrial Interface Section

Use the Index Tabs above to Select the type of interface card Required.
Choosing the type of Control Interface
Many applications only require non-isolated logic level, or 5volt, control signals. For such applications we have a range of cards that allow the input or output of such signals. The choice of card depends on the amount of channels or bits that are required and the style of card, PCI or ISA. Our range starts at 48 channels, or bits, which can be configured to be either input or output. Most of our cards use the ubiquitous 8255 chip which controls the I/O functions plus an 8254 chip which can perform timing or counting functions if required. Needless to say, these cards are used mainly by OEM's and persons who can write control software to use these cards as the interface. We do supply driver software, interface libraries and ActiveX controls for whether the software is to be developed using C++ or Visual Basic etc.

The simplest method to control external equipment, which needs to be isolated, is to use a plug in PCI or ISA relay/opto input/output card. The relay contacts and the opto inputs are brought out to a 'D' type connector on the rear panel which can then easily be wired to the equipment to control.

For bigger systems we have a system consisting of an industrial control card which plugs into the PC which can be connected to up to four Input/Output boxes. These boxes can be mounted close to the PC or in a panel with simple 25pin to 25pin 'D' type connectors back to the controller card in the PC.
Choosing the Style of PC Slot

 

Our industrial control cards and need to be plugged into a PC computer. This requires the removal of the lid, plugging in and securing the card, replacing the lid and powering up.

All cards plugged into a PC require software 'drivers' to run, these drivers will depend on both the type of card and the operating system. All our cards are supplied with the 'driver' software on a CD for most operating systems i.e. Windows95/98/ME/NT, Linux, Unix and DOS. These drivers help program bespoke software to run your control system.

Before you order a card you need to know what type of 'Expansion Slot' there is available within your PC. Our range consists of 3 types of card fitting the 2 types of expansion slot, either ISA or PCI.

PCI Slot:
This is the more modern type of Slot. Our cards that use this type of slot are Plug-n-Play, which means that the driver software is generally very straightforward to install. This style of card is the much preferred and the more 'future proof', but does come with a slight increase in cost.

ISA Slot:
Original PC's were fitted with this type of slot, and many modern PC's are still fitted with one or two ISA slots for compatibility with older expansion cards. The ISA slot cards are cheaper than PCI but may be a little more involved to configure. Our Budget range of cards uses only half of the full ISA slot and therefore only have the capacity to address up to IRQ 8 which can be a big restriction in some PC's.