Analog and Digital I/O With CompactRIO: The Ultimate Multipurpose Controller
Contents
- Connect to Any Sensor or Any Bus
- Supplement Your Control or Measurement System with NI Remote I/O
- Next Steps
Connect to Any Sensor or Any Bus
Digital systems interface with the physical world through sensors, and in the hyper-connected world of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), these connections are growing rapidly. With the CompactRIO platform, you can take advantage of decades of NI leadership and innovation in acquiring high quality signals from any sensor or bus with C Series I/O modules that feature measurement-specific signal conditioning and options for bank and channel-to-channel isolation.
Figure 1. Take advantage of decades of NI leadership and innovation in acquiring high quality signals.
With more than 150 NI and third-party C Series modules for measurement, control, and communication to choose from, you can connect CompactRIO to any sensor, signal, or bus. In addition to built-in signal conditioning, these hot-swappable modules feature numerous options for sensor connectivity including screw-terminal, BNC, and D-sub connections. Furthermore, C Series modules are designed to operate in the harshest of environments – with extended operating temperature ranges of -40 °C to 70 °C (-40 °F to 158 °F), 50 g shock rating, and a variety of international safety, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and environmental certifications and ratings using these modules to connect your sensors to CompactRIO is sure to meet your needs. See table 1 for a full list of I/O capabilities available for the CompactRIO platform.
Learn more about the C Series I/O module offering for CompactRIO.
Table 1. Choose from more than 150 NI and third-party I/O modules for measurement, control, and communication.
In addition to measurement specific I/O modules options, C Series modules enables you connect your CompactRIO to variety of devices, equipment, and infrastructure through numerous supported protocols such as PROFINET, OPC UA, EtherCAT, and more.
Learn more about the industrial communciation protocols supported by CompactRIO.
Supplement Your Control or Measurement System with NI Remote I/O
NI Remote I/O is a low-cost, modular I/O system for simple machine control and measurements. Remote I/O can be used to round out a system with low-cost I/O for simple tasks while the controller handles advanced tasks such as image processing, motion control, and high-speed or specialty measurements.
Remote I/O is a low-cost, modular system used for simple tasks while a controller handles advanced tasks such as image processing, motion control, and high-speed or specialty measurements. You may have also heard this form factor called block or slice I/O.
Remote I/O is generally installed in a cabinet. Depending on your I/O needs and how distributed your system is, your remote I/O system will likely be installed either in the same cabinet as your controller or in a separate cabinet located near your I/O point. In both cases, the remote I/O system is controlled from an NI real-time controller connected via EtherCAT (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Common system configurations for remote I/O are (A) installed in a central control cabinet next to your controller and (B) installed in a cabinet near the I/O.
How Does Remote I/O Compare to Other I/O from NI?
Often, advanced control or measurement systems have two categories of I/O – (1) high-speed, high-precision, high-accuracy, or specialty measurements, and (2) basic, slow I/O. The first category can be addressed with C Series I/O modules. The second category can be addressed with C Series or remote I/O modules. Each of these I/O options has its strengths (Table 1).
Explore remote I/O modules for current, voltage, and temperature as well as analog and digital I/O.
Next Steps
Learn more about the CompactRIO platform, or read more about the CompactRIO Controller.
| Signal Type | Channels | Measurement Types | Max Rate | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analog Input* | ||||
| Voltage | 4, 8, 16, 32 | ±200 mV, ±1 V, ±5 V, ±10 V, ±60 V, 300 V rms, 400 V rms, 800 V rms | 1 MS/s/ch | Ch-ch isolation, high-voltage bank isolation, anti-aliasing filters |
| Current | 4, 8, 16 | ±20 mA, 5 A rms | 200 kS/s | Anti-aliasing filters, ch-ch isolation, built-in shunt resistors |
| Universal | 2, 4 | V, mA, TC, RTD, strain, Ω, IEPE | 51.2 kS/s/ch | Excitation, bridge completition, anti-aliasing filters, ch-ch isolation, built-in shunt resistors, amplification |
| Thermocouple | 4, 16 | J, K, T, E, N, B, R, and S types | 75 S/s/ch | CJC, bank isolation, amplification, filtering |
| RTD | 4 | 100 Ω | 400 S/s | 50/60 Hz filtering |
| Strain/Bridge Based | 4, 8 | 1/4, 1/2, full bridge (120 or 350 Ω) | 50 kS/s/ch | Excitation, bridge completition, anti-aliasing filters |
| Acceleration and Sound | 3, 4 | ±5 V, ±30 V | 102.4 kS/s/ch | IEPE, anti-aliasing filters |
| Analog Output** | ||||
| Voltage | 4, 16 | ±10 V | 100 kS/s/ch | Ch-ch isolation, bank isolation |
| Current | 4 | 0 mA-20mA | 100 kS/s/ch | Open-loop detection |
| Digital I/O | ||||
| Input | 4, 8, 16, 32 | LVTTL, 5 VTTL, 12 V, 24 V, 30 V, 250 VDC/VAC; | 55 ns | Ch-ch isolation, bank isolation, sinking and sourcing |
| Output | 4, 8, 16, 32 | LVTTL, 5 VTTL, 12 V, 24 V, 60 V, 0 V-50 V programmable; | 55 ns | Ch-ch isolation, bank isolation, sinking and sourcing |
| Input/Output | 4, 8, 16, 32 | LVTTL, 5 VTTL, 12 V, 24 V | 55 ns | Ch-ch isolation, bank isolation |
| Relays | 4, 8 | 30 VDC, 60 VDC, 250 VAC; SPST and SS | 1 op/sec | Ch-ch isolation, bank isolation |
| Specialty | ||||
| Synchronization | 1, 3 | Cabled, GPS | — | Pulse per second (PPS) accuracy of ±100 ns for multichassis synchronization |
* Up to 24 bit resolution
**Up to 16 bit resolution