PDF1. Overview
Figure 1. Top and bottom views of sbRIO-9606 featuring a RIO Mezzanine Card connector.
The RIO Mezzanine Card (RMC) connector is a high-speed, high-bandwidth connector providing direct access to FPGA digital I/O lines as well as certain processor-specific functions. The connector is the primary method to extend the I/O of NI Single-Board RIO systems that do not implement direct C Series I/O connectors, such as the sbRIO-9605, sbRIO-9606, sbRIO-9623, and sbRIO-9626. The RMC connector enables users to design custom daughter cards, or RIO Mezzanine Cards, to further customize NI Single-Board RIO to fit specific applications requiring custom circuitry or combination of I/O and peripherals. The RMC connector is a high-density 240-pin Searay connector. The mating connector used for RIO Mezzanine Card designs can be ordered through the connector's manufacturer, Samtec, or through a distributor such as Arrow or Avnet. National Instruments recommends SEAM-40-03.0-S-06-2-A-K-TR as the mating connector.
2. Pin Listing
The RIO Mezzanine Card connector gives access to 96 FPGA digital I/O lines, USB, and power lines. The FPGA I/O can be used to interface the NI Single-Board RIO FPGA to custom circuitry and can be controlled with LabVIEW FPGA, giving users the ability to reconfigure the FPGA using a graphical programming language. The connector also provides a VBAT line to power the Real-Time Clock chip with a battery on a RIO Mezzanine Card. When VBAT is implemented on RIO Mezzanine Cards connected to NI Single-Board RIO, the Real-Time Clock chip allows users to keep track of absolute time in applications even in the event of power loss. There are two main voltage pins used to power a RIO Mezzanine Card. The 5V rail is the main rail used to provide power to the RIO Mezzanine Card while the FPGA_VIO lines are used to supply I/O power and determine I/O levels for the FPGA I/O pins. Figure 2 shows the connector pinout.
Figure 2. Pin Listing of RIO Mezzanine Card Connector.
Additional processor functionality, such as RS232/485 and CAN, may also be exposed through the RIO Mezzanine Card connector. For further information on additional processor I/O, contact your local National Instruments sales engineer.
3. Next Steps
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