At the 2013 Embedded World Exhibition, Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. presented the Cupertino (MAXREFDES5#) subsystem reference design, a precise drop-in-ready isolated 16-bit analog front-end (AFE). This highly integrated subsystem reference design meets the needs of industrial sensors, process control, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Its analog -10V to +10V, 0 to 10V, and 4-20mA inputs support the ubiquitous analog outputs of industrial sensors. In addition, both power and data are fully isolated. Maxim provides all the hardware design files, example driver code, and test results needed to speed design development.
Industrial control and automation applications often require isolation, high resolution, and a wide range of input voltages. Many industrial sensors have high or wide-ranging analog output voltages. Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and microcontrollers often cannot accept these high analog voltages directly. The Cupertino design solves this problem by providing an interface solution between the sensor and the controller while also integrating isolated power and data, all in a small 96.52mm x 20.32mm form factor. The Cupertino AFE connects directly to FPGA/CPU development kit expansion ports that conform to the Pmod™ standard from Digilent.
Maxim Integrated
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