Wixom, MI - June 19, 2019 - Acromag continues to expand their offering of AcroPack rugged I/O modules based on the PCI Express mini card (mPCIe) standard with a new isolated RS232 communication module. The AP513 module provides four individually isolated RS232 serial ports on a compact 30 x 70mm board. Each port is isolated to 250V from digital circuitry and 100V from the other 3 ports. The isolation protects equipment and signal integrity in electrically noisy environments with potential for high common model voltages, harmful transient signals, and ground loops. Designed for COTS applications, these mPCIe mezzanine modules deliver a SWaP-optimized solution for military, aerospace, and industrial systems performing data collection, control, test, and simulation functions. A variety of carrier cards are available to host a mix of up to four AcroPack I/O modules on PCI Express, VPX, CompactPCI-Serial, or other small form factor computer platforms.

A number of advanced features simplify configuration and improve performance. Software-configuration helps you quickly set baud rates, character-sizes, stop bits, and parity. For more efficient data processing, each serial port is equipped with large 256-byte FIFO buffers on the transmit and receive lines to minimize CPU interaction. Programmable triggers, extensive handshake support, interrupt controls, and a 16550-compatible UART provide additional flexibility.

"Development of this isolated quad RS232 module is an example of how we continue to add new I/O capabilities in response to customer requirements,"" noted Robert Greenfield, Acromag's Business Development Manager. "The AcroPacks are ideal for high-density computing systems requiring a mix of I/O signal interfaces, and we are dedicated to help solve those ever-evolving application challenges.”

AcroPack mezzanine modules improve on the mini PCI Express architecture by adding a down-facing 100-pin connector that securely routes the I/O through a carrier card without any loose internal cabling. Carrier cards for rack-mount, field-deployable, industrial chassis, desktop, and small mezzanine computing platforms let you combine up to four I/O function modules on a single computer board. More than 25 models are available for data acquisition, signal processing, test & measurement, command/control, and network communication applications. Software tools support embedded applications running on Linux®, Windows®, or VxWorks® operating systems.