National Instruments cRIO-9068 CompactRIO Controller

The National Instruments cRIO-9068 (Part Numbers: 782663-01 and 782663-02) is an Embedded, RT Controller designed for C Series Modules. This Controller comes with a dual-core processer, 512 MB DRAM, reconfigurable Zynq-7020 FPGA, 1 GB internal storage, and 8 slots. The device has a CPU frequency of 667 MHz. The NI cRIO-9068 is a combination of an embedded chassis and a real-time Controller for CompactRIO.

This model comes with two RS-232 Serial Ports, one RS-485 Serial Port, two Ethernet Ports, as well as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) host port. Unlike its predecessor, the cRIO 9068 has two power connectors which allows the user to utilize redundant power supplies in primary and secondary configuration. In its standard configuration, the National Instruments NI cRIO-9068 operates from the primary power source (V1 input) and switches over to the secondary power sources (V2) automatically in case of a disruption in primary power. The device has a 10/100/1,000 Ethernet network interface which is compatible with IEEE 802.3, and has communication rates of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1,000 Mbps auto-negotiated.

For the safety of the Controller and associated power supplies, the cRIO 9068 Controller comes with reverse-voltage protection. Different power accessories are available on the market for this module, including: NI PS-15 (Part Number: 781093-01) and NI PS-10 (Part Number: 782698-01) power supplies. Moreover, the user can also acquire NI 9979 (Part Number: 196939-01), which is a strain relief specifically designed for the 4-position power connector incorporated in the NI cRIO 9068.

The NI cRIO 9068 operates using the NI-Industrial communications for EtherCAT driver software. A choice Application Development Environment (ADE) such as LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI is also required. The software can be configured using the Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) tool. The device has 16 DMA channels with 32 logical interrupts. The device weighs 41.1 oz.

The universal serial bus host port provided in this model can be used for connecting various USB devices, including keyboards, a mouse, cameras, etc. The user can also utilize a USB-to-IDE adapter for attaching IDE storage devices with this Controller. In most cases, USB mass storage devices are used to transfer data to or from the Controller.