DSO-101 USB Digital Storage Scope

The DSO-101 from Audon Electronics is an USB-powered digital storage oscilloscope with dual 20MS/s inputs and a 2MHz bandwidth that is small enough to fit in your pocket. The DSO-101 packs some powerful features including a hardware preamp, adjustable digital triggering, and 32kB memory depth on each of the two 8 bit input channels. The DSO-101 is powered by an open-source graphical user interface for Windows and Linux.

The DSO-101 is a general-purpose two-channel oscilloscope for the teaching, development and debugging of electronic circuits. Channels A and B are sampled simultaneously and stored in oscilloscope memory before being sent for display to the host computer. Consequently, they are always time aligned and triggered from the same trigger signal. The oscilloscope timebase frequency is derived from a crystal oscillator, so it can be expected to be precise and stable.

The fully functional, easy to use software supports multiple triggering modes, waveform scrolling, saving waveforms to a file, and cursor measurements. Source code is included. The user can add and modify the graphic user interface as desired.

The PC connects to the oscilloscope hardware via a USB cable so that no other power source is required. The USB interface emulates a serial port so that the oscilloscope may be accessed as a serial port device

EMB MEGA32 AVR Single Board Computer Board

Available from Audon Electronics is the EMBMEGA32 embedded microcontroller board based on ATMEGA32 AVR microcontroller family. It is low cost and flexible, making it ideal as an embedded controller for industrial, automation, security and process control applications.

The board has 32 digital I/O ports, a mini buzzer, reset switch and one RS232 port. It also has a serial 256k EEPROM and a battery backed DS1307 real time clock. The board has a LCD connector for common character LCD modules, together with a contrast pot, power supply and current limit resister for LCD backlight. The EMBMEGA32 also has 8 x 10-bit analogue inputs for measuring real world signals.

All ports on the board are connected to IDC connectors and analogue input connections are also available using screw terminals. A range of relay and opto-input expansion boards simply plug-in to the IDC connectors. DC and stepper motor control expansion boards are also available. The EMBMEGA32 board measuring only 82mm x 82mm is a two-layer design intended for demanding industrial applications.

The board provides a standard 10-pin in-system programmer header for connection to a wide variety of AVR ISP programmers. Compatible with the Atmel AVR Studio Assembler and the BASCOM Basic Complier. BASCOM is an easy to use but powerful Basic complier for the Atmel AVR RISC processors as used in the Audon range of Single Board Computers and PLC-style embedded computer boards. It greatly simplifies program development with a feature-rich list of BASIC commands, has built-in simulation and programming tools. A 4k code limited version of BASCOM can be freely downloaded from the Audon Electronics website.

Blootooth Wireless Data Acquisition and Control

The MFC-4422 is a Analogue and Digital multifunction I/O bluetooth interface for professional wireless control applications in data acquisition, automation and facility management applications. The Board has 2 Analogue inputs, 2 analogue outputs, 2 relays, 2 TTL outputs and 2 opto-isolated and 2 TTL inputs. Suitable for integration in machinery and office equipment. Supplied with FREE Windows and PDA Software chart display and datalogging and programming examples

The MFC-4422 has a rich mix of inputs and outputs; 2 analogue inputs suitable for measuring real world parameters such as temperature or pressure etc. 2 digital inputs, 2 digital/relay outputs and 2 analogue outputs. The 2 opto-isolated digital inputs can be used as counter inputs. Counter-states or frequency can be read out wirelessly, which makes it most suitable for metering applications like electricity, gas, water meters. Digital outputs comprise 2 Relays and 2 TTL outputs. Digital Outputs can be switched remotely. A time off delay may be set to switch off the outputs when connection to the board is lost. The MFC-4422-provides 2 analogue outputs. Each of those outputs are provided as both a voltage signal in the range of 0-5 VDC and as pulse-width modulated TTL (PWM) signal.

The MFC-4422 can be used as a dumb I/O device or it can be operate in stand-alone mode with 2 independent on/off or PID controllers. Each control channel comprises one analogue input and one output. For on/off control, the measured input signal is compared with threshold points to switch on or off a relay output. With PID control, the measured value is used by a PID algorithm to derive an analogue output signal. The PID parameters can be adjusted by the user. Thus the MFC-4422 can be used as a 2 channel alarm unit or used to accurately control a process.

The MFC-4422 is addressed by means of a simple ASCII instruction set, which can be employed with any common programming language. No specific bluetooth-programming knowledge is required. Messages between board and PC/PDA are exchanged in plain text. The bluetooth-connection is established over a so called virtual com-port. Programming of a virtual com port is identical to programming a standard hardware serial interface. Visual-basic examples for PC and PDA are delivered on a CD together with the board. Your PC or PDA has to have a bluetooth interface in order to be able to connect with the board.

The MFC-4422 is supplied with FREE Windows and PDA utilities - WCI-software. With the WCI-software, you are able to manage all board parameters and to read and write to the different inputs and outputs. Also includes a chart recorder style display for analogue inputs and data logging capabilities. Data is logged to a Excel compatible data file.
The MFC-4422 is also supplied with an ActiveX component and Windows and PDA VB programming examples.

Remote Control and Monitoring via your mobile phone

The Audon Electronics GSM-8000 is a low cost solution to Remote Control and Monitoring via your mobile phone. The GSM-8000 can monitor 8 analogue and 8 digital switch inputs. A SMS alarm message can be sent when inputs exceed preset limits. The user can also interrogate the inputs through SMS messaging. The GSM-8000 also has 8 relay outputs which can be activated via SMS and used to switch lamps, pumps, heaters etc. The GSM-8000 is complete with an LCD display for local status display, keypad and built-in Dual Band Modem.

The GSM-8000 has 8 x 12-bit 4-20mA analogue inputs, compatible with industry standard sensor transmitters. The input signals can be converted into meaningful engineering units such as °C or RPM and displayed on the LCD screen. Each analogue input can be assigned a high alarm setpoint and a low alarm setpoint. Alarm activation notification is sent via SMS messaging to up to two different mobile phone numbers. The user can also interrogate the analogue input readings at any time by SMS messaging.

The GSM-8000 has 8 digital inputs which can also be used to trigger a SMS alarm message when a contact is made. Again, input status can be read through SMS messaging.

The GSM-8000 also has 8 mains-rated relays which can used for remote control purposes. The relays can be activated and their status checked all via SMS messaging.

Typical applications areas include Industrial process plant, security and building management systems, traffic/transport systems, freezer/furnace monitoring and water/gas/electricity plant monitoring and control.

USB DAQ Unit has Flexible I/O

Available from Audon Electronics is the LabJack U3 low-cost USB multifunction data acquisition and control device. The U3 has 16 "flexible" inputs which can be configured for any mix and analogue, digital input or digital output making for a very versatile general purpose DAQ unit. The U3 is supplied with a wide range of FREE Data logging software and examples for use with most programming and DAQ packages.

The LabJack U3 can have up to 16 analogue inputs available on the flexible I/O lines. Single-ended measurements can be taken of any line compared to ground, or differential measurements can be taken of any line to any other line. Analogue input resolution is 12-bits with an input range of 0-2.4 volts. Optional signal conditioning adaptors are available that can condition the inputs to 0-5V, 0-10V or 4-20mA.

The LabJack U3 can have up to 20 digital I/O channels. 16 are available from the flexible I/O lines, and 4 are dedicated digital I/O. Each digital line can be individually configured as input, output-high, or output-low. The digital I/O use 3.3 volt logic and are 5 volt tolerant. Up to 2 flexible I/O lines can be configured as timers. The timers are very flexible, providing options such as Pulse Width Modulated output, pulse timing, pulse counting, and quadrature input from encoders. Up to 2 flexible I/O lines can be configured as 32-bit counters.

The LabJack U3 also has 1 or 2 dedicated analogue outputs which can be set to provide an output voltage between 0 and 5 volts with 8-bits of resolution.

The LabJack U3 is supplied with a range of free software. The LabJack Control Panel application handles configuration and testing of the U3. When first opened it searches for connected LabJacks and displays a panel whereby all the I/O types can be configured. The application also displays analogue/digital inputs and has boxes to set analogue/digital outputs. The U3 has field upgradeable flash memory. The self-upgrade application programs the latest firmware into the processor. FREE firmware upgrade will be available from time to time bringing improved performance and new features.

The U3 is also supplied with a copy of DAQFactory Express data acquisition and control, software. DAQFactory Express offers data logging, user designable screens with trending, automation capabilities and more. The U3 is also supported by the RealView Chart recorder software and the ProfiLab-Express programming package.

For programmers, the U3 is supplied with Visual C and Visual Basic modules for the LabJackUD driver, and simple example projects. A LabVIEW VI is also supplied.

The U3 is rugged and is designed for industrial use: the operating temperature range is -40°C to + 85°C and all I/O are overload and short-circuit protected. The ABS enclosure has screw mounting attachments and optional DIN rail mounting clips.

Available ex-stock from Audon Electronics for £69

Low cost USB Based temperature and Humidity Sensor

Now available from Audon Electronics is the DLP-TH1, a USB-based temperature and humidity sensor. The DLP-TH1 sensor is supplied with free Windows software that displays temperature, humidity, and dew-point data in both Celsius and Fahrenheit scales, plots data graphically to the screen, and logs to an Excel compatible data file on the hard drive. The software will also send an email to user-specified recipients if the temperature or humidity exceeds specified alarm setpoints.

The DLP-TH1 sensor uses a fully calibrated capacitive polymer-sensing element for relative humidity with a 0-100% range and a bandgap temperature sensor providing excellent long-term stability with a -40° to + 120°C range. Calibration coefficients for the sensors are permanently stored in digital memory within the DLP-TH1 module so that the module is fully interchangeable with any other DLP-TH1 module.

The DLP-TH1 is shipped with Windows 98/ME/2000/XP compatible software and USB drivers and there is also an ActiveX and LabVIEW VI's. No external power source is required as all power is taken from the USB port via the provided 2M USB cable. Up to 20 DLP-TH1 sensors can be connected to a single PC through USB hubs. Typical applications include monitoring temperature and humidity in Server/Host rooms, hydroponics labs and greenhouses and museum display cabinets.

UE9 is Power-House of Analogue and Digital I/O

The New LabJack UE9 available from Audon Electronics is a power-house of analogue and digital I/O. Whats more, it can connect to both USB AND Ethernet Systems.

The UE9 boast 14 analogue inputs, 2 analogue outputs and 23 digital I/O. The UE9 can connect to a host PC via a USB 1.1 or 2.0 interface or it can connect to a LAN via its Ethernet 10baseT Interface.

Each analogue input can be configured individually as unipolar 0-5 volts or bipolar ±5 volts. An internal PGA provides gains of 1, 2, 4, or 8 (unipolar ranges only at this time). Analogue input resolution is user adjustable; 12-bits at max speed of 50kHz increasing up to 16-bits at slower speeds. It is possible to connect thermocouples directly to the UE9, if you don't require great accuracy: a resolution of ±1 °C is achievable. The UE9 has an internal temperature sensor, which can be used for cold junction compensation. There are two 12-bit analogue outputs offering a 0-4.096V range.

The LabJack UE9 has 23 digital I/O channels which can be individually configured as input, output-high, or output-low. 8 of these lines are called flexible digital I/O (FIO) and can be software configured as up to 6 timers and 2 counters. The timers are very flexible, providing options such as Pulse Width Modulation output for motor control, pulse timing, and quadrature input for motor applications. Up to 2 FIO can be configured as 32-bit counters.

The UE9 is supplied with a free licensed copy of the DAQFactory Express software. This software provides allows you to create your own operator screens using up to 10 built-in components such as chart displays, bar charts etc, allows datalogging and you can even create simple automated control scripts. A collection of DAQFactory applications are also provided to get you started, showing how to acquire slow and high speed data, set the digital I/O and also how to set up a PWM output channel. DAQFactory Express can be upgraded to higher versions of DAQFactory if you require addition functionality such as alarms and PID control.

Also provided are LabVIEW VI's and sample applications in Visual Basic and C.

The UE9 has been designed for both experimental and industrial use. It is rated for use over an industrial temperature range and has built-in mounting fixtures. A selection of I/O are available at screw terminals and all I/O are routed to side mounted D-type connectors; A screw terminal board is available.