The PCI-8 is an 8-channel, PCI-based AE system on a board. Its 8 high-speed AE channels offer simultaneous AE data acquisition, waveform processing and data transfer. The board’s standard PCI form factor enables installation in standard PCs, as well as in any of Physical Acoustics’ specialized AE system chassis, while the PCI bus enables AE data transfer at speeds of up to 132 Mb/s, at a frequency range of 1 kHz to 400 kHz.
The board’s built-in feature extraction capability provides high-speed transient data analysis at high hit rates. Extracted features include time of 1st threshold crossing, time to peak, peak amplitude, and more. Additionally, each PCI-8 board is capable of supporting up to 2 analog parametric inputs at a 10 kHz sample rate. The board’s power-efficient design makes the board well suited for portable applications.
When configured as part of a SAMOS AE system, the PCI-8 offers a comprehensive solution for AE data acquisition and analysis. Multiple PCI-8 boards can be used side-by-side in a single chassis for additional AE channels.
Physical Acoustics’ Windows-based AEwin™ data acquisition and analysis software enables features such as advanced 2-D and 3-D graphing of collected data, location determination, as well as software selection of filtering for each AE channel, from a choice of 4 high pass and 4 low pass filters.
Features
- Low power consumption.
- 8 digital (16-bit A/D) complete AE channels on one full-size PCI card.
- PCI-bus provides AE data transfer rates of up to 132 Mb/sec to a PC computer.
- 4 High Pass, 4 Low Pass filter selections for each channel, totally under software control.
- Up to 2 parametrics on each PCI-8 board with update rates up to 10,000 readings/second (when attached to hit data).
- Designed with multiple FPGA’s and ASIC IC’s, to provide extreme high performance and minimize components and cost.
- Hit LED drivers are built within the PCI-8 board so that AE activity LED’s can be attached directly.
- Built-in AE feature extraction provides high speed transient data analysis at high hit rates.
- Built in waveform processing with DMA & Bus Mastering transfer for high speed transfer of waveforms on all 8 AE channels.
- Digital signal processing circuitry virtually eliminates drift, thereby achieving high accuracy and reliability.
Specifications
| Physical |
| Size |
13.415" L x 4.8" H x 0.7" T |
| Weight |
1.1 lbs |
| Power consumption |
10 Watts (w/o Preamps) |
| DC Power |
+12.0 volts, 0.4 amps
-12.0 volts, 0.1 amps
+5.0 volts, 1.0amp |
| Electrical |
| AE Inputs |
8 channels |
| Input Impedance |
50 Ohms |
| Preamplifier Power |
28V Phantom Power Power and Signal on Coxial Connection |
| Sensor Testing |
AST built-in |
| Frequency Response |
1 kHz - 400 kHz (at -3 dB points) |
| Signal processing |
| AE Signal Gain |
0dB, 6 dB computer selectable |
| Filters |
4 High Pass computer selectable filters:
1 kHz, 5.0 kHz, 20 kHz, 100 kHz, 4th order Butterworth
4 Low Pass computer selectable filters:
50 kHz, 100 kHz, 200 kHz, 400 kHz, 4th order Butterworth |
| Max. Signal Amplitude |
Up to 100 dB AE
Up to 99 dB ASL |
| ADC Type |
16 bit, 3MSPS per channel maximum |
| Waveform Sample Rate |
Computer selectable: 100 kSPS,
200 kSPS, 500 kSPS, 1MSPS, 3MSPS |
| Extracted AE Features |
Time of 1st Threshold Crossing, Time to Peak, Peak Amplitude,
Envelope Strength, Duration, Rise Time, Counts, True Energy,
RMS, ASL, Parametric 1 and 2 |
| Analog Parametrics |
| Parametric Channels |
2 Channels |
| Parametric A/D Resolution |
16 bits |
| Parametric Sample Rate |
10 kHz sample rate for each analog parametric |
| Time Driven Data Rate |
Controlled by software 10 msec. to 60 seconds |
| Time Parametrics |
All parametrics are available in time data set |
| Digital I/O |
8 Digital Inputs
8 Digital Outputs |
| AE Out and Audio Monitor Interface |
Analog switch and buffer to select desired channels
to be routed to PAC audio monitor board |
| LED Activity Monitor |
On board LED driver to directly drive LED’s on front panel.
LED minimum ontime is 0.05 seconds |
