Single-Board RIO Accessory Design: Reference Design with NI Multisim & Ultiboard

This reference design provides engineers with the various files and background to define their own breakout board for Single-Board RIO. All files and designs are available for National Instruments suite of design tools: NI Multisim capture and simulation, and NI Ultiboard layout and routing. By using this reference design you have a foundation for your own custom designs, with pre-defined connectors, layouts and examples, which will assist you in quickly using National Instruments tools to define your own custom hardware for Single-Board RIO.

This is one in a series of articles and resources available for you to do custom design, which includes:

1. Introduction to Custom Daughter Card Design with NI Single-Board RIO
2. Reference Design: Custom CompactRIO Module Development
3. Custom CompactRIO Module Design
4. Creating a R-Series to M-Series Connector Board

1. Why Build Custom Designs for Single-Board RIO?
2. Design Tools
3. Application
4. Reference Design Files
5. Multisim Schematic Reference Files
6. Ultiboard Reference Files
7. Reference Design Fabrication Files
8. Sunstone Circuits
9. Conclusion

Each NI Single-Board RIO integrates an embedded real-time processor, a high-performance FPGA, and onboard analog and digital I/O onto a single board. All I/O is connected directly to the FPGA, providing low-level customization of timing and I/O signal processing. The FPGA is connected to the embedded real-time processor via a high-speed PCI bus. LabVIEW contains built-in data transfer mechanisms to pass data from the I/O to the FPGA and also from the FPGA to the embedded processor for real-time analysis, post-processing, data logging, or communication to a networked host computer.

Depending upon your application, domain specific signal conditioning may be necessary to effectively complete your design. Such an accessory can also facilitate the interfacing of signals from the SB-RIO card to an external source. For example, you may need to breakout a measurement into separate signals to interact with different elements of a system.

One type of custom circuitry that you may need to define is to make a connection to pre-existing C-Series modules. If CompactRIO has in the past been your prototyping platform of choice, then a connector board that allows you to easily connect to C-Series modules will allow you to quickly jump into a Single-Board RIO deployed solution.

Design Tools

For this reference design, we are able to use National Instruments suite of circuit prototyping tools: NI Multisim capture and simulation, as well as NI Ultiboard layout and routing. Multisim is an easy-to-use capture environment, which augments the design process with accessible simulation. Ultiboard is a flexible environment to layout PCBs, and export industry standard Gerber files for prototype fabrication.

As National Instruments tools, we are able to provide additional references and materials that will make your design efforts easier, quicker and simpler. Within this reference design you will find a complete set of files including:

1. Multisim file containing a completely captured design
2. Ultiboard file with a completed design, ready for fabrication
3. Gerber files to fabricate your own physical copy of this design

This reference design outlines the methodology to create your own daughter card for the SB-RIO 96XX platform.

Note

Although this design reference library is intended to be as accurate as possible and has been checked by Application Engineers at National Instruments, it is always recommended to closely check documentation provided with the hardware purchase. It is always suggested that you reference materials associated with NI hardware to verify correct pin assignments and to check correct layout guidelines and pin spacing.

In this reference design we outline the design of a C-Series Module Pass Through module. The purpose of this kind of circuitry is to allow you to make a connection to the C-Series connectors on the side of Single-Board RIO platform, wrap them to the top so that the modules can be connected parallel to the board, rather than to the side.

This can allow you prototype/deploy a complete application utilizing Single-Board RIO in a compact fashion. It can also allow you to easily re-use your C-Series modules for this design, rather than having to refashion pre-existing circuitry for such a deployment.

The design allows you to connect the male C-Series connector on the side of Single-Board RIO (Figure 1), and route those signals to another male connector which allows you to connect a C-Series module parallel to the board.

With this reference design, you have available to you the fundamental resources to not only define your own custom connector interface in Multisim and Ultiboard, but also a complete set of fabrication files (industry standard Gerber files that can be sent to fabrication houses such as Sunstone Circuits for prototyping) should you wish to have this connector for your own uses.

Packaged together in the attached 8214_design_files.zip file (available at the bottom of the article) are:

1. Multisim schematic file: cRIO Fem to Male Passthrough.ms10
2. Ultiboard layout file: cRIO Fem to Male Passthrough.ewprj

If you are new to the concept of custom designing PCBs for National Instruments prototyping platforms (Single-Board RIO or CompactRIO), I highly recommend some of these other resources which provide you with reference materials, designs and technical specs on creating custom modules, breakout boards and reference designs.

1. Designing for Single-Board RIO White paper
2. Single-Board RIO Reference Design
3. R-Series to M-Series Connector Board Reference Design
4. CompactRIO Custom Module Reference Design
5. CompactRIO Custom Breakout Board
   

Begin by opening the reference design in order to understand the various elements of the design::

1. Open Multisim (Start > All Programs > National Instruments > Circuit Design Suite 10.1 > Multisim 10.1)
2. Select File > Open
3. Browse to the cRIO Fem to Male Passthrough.ms10 file.

This is a very simple file which maps a C-Series female connector to a C-Series male connector. Since this is for the three C-Series connectors on the side of Single-Board RIO (in red in Figure 2), the mapping is repeated three times in the Multisim schematic (Figure 3).

Figure 2 - C-Series Connectors on Single-Board RIO

Figure 3 - Multisim Schematic for C-Series Connector Mapping (Female to Male)

The male and female connectors (Figure 4) are not a standard symbol in the Multisim database. If you wish to save these male and female connectors for your own future designs, you can easily add them to your database by:

Figure 4 - Multisim Symbol for C-Series Connector

1. Right-click on the J1 connector (cRIO_DB_15_Vertical_Fem in the top left hand corner of the design)
2. Select Properties.
3. Click on the Save Component to DB button.
4. Select the User Database tree element
5. Expand the tree by clicking on the + symbol
6. Select the Basic group
7. Click on the Add Family button
8. Type C_Series_Connector in the Enter Family Name dialog
9. Click on the OK button
10. A dialog will appear to tell you that the connector has been saved to the database. Click on the OK button.

You can repeat these 10 steps for the male connector (cRIO_DB15_Vertical Male) which is denoted as J2, to add it to the database also.

As mentioned previously, this is a simple design, and as such consists only of the mapping between these three connectors.

The design has already been exported from the Multisim environment to Ultiboard to allow you to actually fabricate these file. To view the Ultiboard file:

1. Open Multisim (Start > All Programs > National Instruments > Circuit Design Suite 10.1 > Ultiboard 10.1)
2. Select File > Open
3. Browse to the cRIO Fem to Male Passthrough.ewprj file.

As you open this file you will see that all of the various connections between each of the male and female connectors have been routed, with a board outline that is of the approximate size of a Single-Board RIO board.  You can even view the file having been routed by selecting Tools > View 3D. The 3D representation of the board appears, and you can use your mouse to rotate the board 360 degrees in all directions.

Figure 5 - Layout of Pass-Through Module

Reference Design Fabrication Files

We are now ready to begin exporting our completed file to our fabrication house, in this case Sunstone Circuits. We need to very simply:

1. Select File > Export.
2. The Export dialog box will appear.
3. You have the ability to export to both industry standard formats (Gerber RS-274D and Gerber RS-274X). In this demonstration we will go for the preferred format for Sunstone and most fabrication houses – Gerber RS-274X.
4. Select Gerber RS-274X in the dialog box (figure 6).
5. Click on the Properties button

Figure 6 - Export Dialog Box

6. You will now see the various layers and that can be exported to Gerber from the design (Figure 7).
7. To select multiple layers at once, hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard while clicking the various layer names in the dialog box.

Figure 7 - Gerber File Export

8. Select Board Outlines, Copper Bottom, Copper Top, Silkscreen Top, Solder Mask Bottom, Solder Mask Top, and Drill.
9. Click on the > arrow to the right of the “Available Layers” dialog.
10. Click on the OK button.
11. When you return to the Export dialog box you are ready to finally export your files.
12. Click on the Export button.
13. You will now iterate through the various layers of your board that you had previously selected to be exported into the Gerber format.
14. Click on the OK button.
15. Save the file to the appropriate location.
16. Repeat the above process for all of the layers in your design.
17. You are now ready to export the NC Drill file. Again select File > Export.
18. Select NC Drill in the Export dialog box.
19. Click on the Export button. Save the file to the appropriate location.

Sunstone Circuits

For National Instruments prototyping, Sunstone Circuits is a member of the Circuit Design Ecosystem. By sending Sunstone Circuits the above Gerber files to their online quick-turn service, you can be guaranteed your finished prototype in as little as a few days. Through our partnership, we have order integration, meaning that Sunstone has a previous knowledge of our circuit files and technology, making the prototype stages simpler.

Navigate to this click to receive a quote on your design and have Sunstone fabricate your prototype.

To learn more about Sunstone Circuits view our 3rd Party Design Network page here.

Figure 8 - 3rd Party Design Network

Conclusion

With Multisim, Ultiboard and the various resources available on ni.com, you have the tools to architect custom designs such as daughter cards, C-Series modules, accessories and connectors to complete your National Instruments design platforms.

To learn more about board-level design with Multisim and Ultiboard:

1. Circuit Design Technical Library
2. Download a 30 Day Free Evaluation of Multisim and Ultiboard
3. Learn more at ni.com/multisim

Downloads

8214_design_files.zip

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