User`s manual

VTI Instruments Corp.
12 EX7000 Series Introduction
Each driver board is capable of recognizing and controlling either latching or non-latching switch
modules. A programmable delay (per driver board) dictates the amount of time allocated to relay
settling times and current cutoffs (for latching relays). Each driver board has a single
programmable delay parameter. The programmable delay for any board should be set to the
maximum value required by any component connected to that board.
Data is latched to the gate of the output coil drive FET dictating whether or not the FET will sink
current and energize the relay coil. See the EX7000 Manual (P/N: 82-0118-000) for more details.
INTERFACING WITH OTHER COMPONENTS
The EX7000 board set is capable of controlling other programmable components, such as filters
and attenuators, through either the high-current channels or the 32-bit parallel I/O. Access to the
control lines can be achieved in various ways. The high-current channels are available from the
EX71HD, EX72SF, and EX72CC via pass-through switches that mount on the front panel in place
of one or more switches. These switches consist of a flat mounting plate with mounting holes to
match the multi-throw switch it replaces. A multi-pin connector is mounted to the plate and the
connector is wired directly to one of the relay driving connectors, allowing external use by the
user.
In addition to the high-current control lines, the EX72SF and the EX72CC also has a rear panel
mounted, 32-channel, TTL-level, general purpose IO bus available. Refer to Section 3 for details
or obtain a copy of the EX7000 Manual for more information on this bus. Contact the factor or
visit the VTI Instruments Corp. website for a copy of this document.
FEATURES
Relay Odometer
Each relay drive line has an associated “odometer” which tracks the number of times a relay coil
has been actuated. This data is written to non-volatile memory and can be queried from application
code or the web interface. This assists preventative maintenance programs as relays can be closely
monitored as they near end-of-life.
Exclude Lists
The supplied API supports the implementation of exclude lists. Undesirable combinations of relay
closures can be stored and warnings or errors will be generated any time an excluded combination
is attempted. This helps prevent unsafe conditions such as shorting sources to ground or coupling
one source to another.
Scan Lists
Up to 16,000 scan list elements can be stored to help reduce overhead that can be accrued when
relying on the host controller to manage the sequencing of switch states. A predefined list of
switch states can be stored on-board and advanced through hardware control/handshaking with
external system devices via the LXI Trigger Bus or the GP digital I/O port. Use of scan lists can
considerably speed up test execution times.
Configuration Table
The information included in the DCF allows the user to establish a complete signal route by
indicating only the end points in a compliant IVI-Switch Connect statement, thus simplifying the
programming task.
Programmable MBB and BBM
The application code can globally define whether or not the relays ‘break-before-make’ or ‘make-
before-break’ when sequencing through relay setups in a scan list.