I/O boards fall into several categories. Simply stated they are data acquisition boards that have both an input (I) and an output (O) function. I/O boards are made up primarily of a combination of four elements: Analog Inputs that go into an A/D board and Digital Inputs going into a Digital Input port, plus Analog outputs coming from a D/A board and Digital Outputs coming from a Digital Output port.

      I/O boards from Measurement Computing are most commonly referred to as a Data Acquisition boards or cards.

      I/O boards, when combined with a personal computer make a most flexible data acquisition and control system. I/O board’s functions are packed on a small printed circuit board or card that plugs directly into a PCI slot, in the case of a PCI based personal computer.

      With the four elements mentioned above, almost any measurement and control system can be configured using I/O boards and a personal computer.

      A simple example using all four elements could be at an oil processing plant. The Analog Inputs might be used to measure the flow of oil through a pipe, while the Analog Outputs were used to control a valve. The Digital Inputs can be used to monitor when a valve is open or closed, while the Digital Outputs could be used to turn on or off the pump.

      Going further with more detail: the Analog Inputs can be used to measure the volume of oil in a pipe, the viscosity of the liquid, the temperature, and the rate at which the liquid flow. Various sensor or transducers are used to convert the properties of the oil to voltage levels. The Analog Outputs can be used to control heaters or coolers, pumps and valves, while the Digital Inputs and Digital Outputs can be used to monitor and or control any on or off conditions.

      Measurement Computing Corporation offers the largest selection of PC-based data acquisition and measurement products. Shop our online catalog by selecting a category above. From PCI, USB, PC104, ISA, and PCMCIA bus boards to external systems based on USB, RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 and GPIB interfaces; Measurement Computing has everything you need for your PC-based data acquisition and control applications.