New I/O boards 'significantly' enhance functional density says GE

The VME multifunction I/O boards have been designed to address problems caused by the growing constraints on size, weight and power in military platforms. According to GE, in a single chassis slot, the VME-6500 6U I/O board can deliver the same analogue and digital I/O capabilities that could previously have occupied four slots. "Modern military embedded computing platforms are being deployed in an increasingly diverse and challenging range of scenarios – scenarios like unmanned vehicles - that require them to be as compact and light weight as possible," said Rob McKeel, vice president, Military & Aerospace Embedded Computing at GE. "Systems designers need to pack the maximum functionality and maximum computing performance into the smallest space possible – and the VME-6500 is designed to enable them to do that. Expect to see further, similar multifunction products from GE in the near future that will continue to offer our customers a sustainable competitive advantage." The device features eight analogue input channels, eight analogue output channels, 16 digital input channels and 16 digital output channels. Each analogue input channel is equipped with a 16bit adc and each analogue output channel with a 16bit dac. Analogue inputs are software-programmable, while analogue outputs feature programmable voltage and current rates, together with waveform generation.