IOLITE - DAQ and Control

Redundant EtherCAT Bus Systems

Each IOLITE data acquisition system is equipped with two fully independent EtherCAT bus systems that work in parallel. 

The Primary Bus

The primary bus is used for perfectly timed and synchronized data acquisition via Dewesoft X data acquisition software. The IOLITE connects via any EtherCAT RJ45 cable to the PC running Dewesoft X DAQ software and streams any number of input and output channels in high-speed to the PC's the hard drive. 

The Secondary Bus

IOLITE's secondary EtherCAT bus can be used in two ways:

1. Low latency front-end interface for any 3rd party EtherCAT compatible real-time controllers
2. Redundant data acquisition system bus for critical DAQ applications

Data Acquisition and Control Combined

Until the IOLITE, the worlds of data acquisition and control were completely disconnected. Controller / PLC systems are dedicated to reacting to events as fast as possible, and recording data is a secondary concern. On the other hand, the data acquisition systems are made to acquire data as fast as possible, and doing real-time control is secondary or simply unavailable in many of them.

Very often test benches require both precise signal conditioning and processing, and real-time control. In the past, DAQ and PLCs were often connected by using analog connection - one cable for each signal.

This is where the IOLITE system shines with its dual independent EtherCAT buses. There is only one EtherCAT line between the PLC and DAQ. This greatly reduces cabling and eliminates redundant analog-to-digital conversion of the same signals. Finally, the different worlds of control and data acquisition are combined in one elegant system.

The Endless Possibilities

IOLITE - a perfect solution for your data acquisition and control applications. And this is just the start.

With its outputs, the IOLITE data acquisition and control system totally eliminates the need for the PLC hardware! Any PLC software can fully control the outputs of IOLITE.

Only your preferred EtherCAT based real-time controller software is needed, and the IOLITE system can drive the actuators.

There is no longer a need for two systems, one system can perform everything - Dewesoft IOLITE.

Redundant Power Supply

Every IOLITE data acquisition system is equipped with a redundant power supply completing the feature set for the ideal and reliable front-end system. 

If the primary power supply fails, the system will be powered by a secondary power supply without any interruption or system shutdown/restart.

IOLITEr - 19-inch Rack Cabinet Mount Chassis

Standard IOLITE aluminum chassis is compatible and can be mounted in any 19-inch rack cabinet. This is perfect for the test-bed installations.

The IOLITEr chassis height is 4U and can host up to 12 IOLITE I/O modules.

Real-life Example - Durability Tests

Let’s look at a real-life example for IOLITE use.

Automotive durability test benches require hundreds of input channels for very precise data acquisition. They need to record force, torque, linear or angular motion, and more - and everything must be acquired with high precision and fast sample rates. 

Typically, the data acquisition devices are connected to PLCs which control the tests via analog outputs. So each analog output from signal conditioning is connected to inputs of PLC. Hundreds of signals … hundreds of cables … long set-up times and lots of work to connect everything.

But with IOLITE, only a single Ethernet digital interface is required to capture all of this data in real-time and then perform actions via IOLITE analog, digital or CAN outputs.

As a final touch, Dewesoft software monitors the performance of the controller, making sure that the controller and actuators are working flawlessly.

IOLITE is perfect for Industry 4.0 automation, automotive test benches, aerospace component testing, structural monitoring and alarming - just to name a few applications.

We are very happy that this dual bus technology is recognized and used already in the testing of the most advanced systems in the world, including testing a new engine for the most powerful European rocket ever built.