Offering simple interfaces and compact modules for inclusion into your instrumentation.
These are not just general-purpose development boards, but turn-key modules for building into instruments,
with complete functions available as combined hardware / firmware / software modules.
Mostly incorporating Field Programable Gate-Array (FPGA) modules for rapid peripheral handling,
these modules can form the basis of high quality scientific instrumentation and software.
Pre-written VHDL firmware and array-base software, interfacing to the FPGA over the USB,
gives transparent access to multiple banks of sub-modules and instrument functions in the FPGA.
Each sub-module has an independent block of up to 256 USB interface registers, to configure the sub-instrument and for bi-directional data transfer.
This code forms the skeleton into which the sub-modules / instruments may be slotted, in a consistent manner.
Lab-Tools - Instrumentation - Precision DVM
Lab-Tools - Bespoke
In addition to off-the-shelf instruments, we can design new instrumentation, based on these modules or others, for you,
so please do discuss with us new designs that you may interested in commissioning.
Lab-Tools Instrumentation Modules:
USB Interfaced FPGA Master Module
This is the master module, that interfaces to the USB, and provides 80 high-speed interface pins to slave modules.
Uses credit-card-sized intermational CardStac form-factor module, holding an FTDI Morphic II FPGA :
On-board Altera Cyclone II FPGA, 50 MHz & 60MHz Clocks. Pre-written VHDL firmware for generating 120MHz, 10MHz, 1MHz, 1kHz and 1Hz sclocks.
Fast USB2 interface to PC : One USB link for both programming (less than 100ms) and also for high-speed data transfer (10ms for a 10kbyte block).
Does not also require an expensive USB Blaster, ideal for in-system use.
Also has a standard JTAG connector as an alternative programming method and for SignalTap probing (JTAG connector does require a USB Blaster).
Pre-written VHDL firmware skeleton providing USB interfacing between FT2232H USB2 interface and Bank / Address / Data busses to the sub-modules.
Slave modules to the same form-factor can be physically stacked with this master module, and their vhdl code slotted into the sub-module boxes.
Provides multiple header pins for IDC interconnection to external slave modules, with multiple earth and power pins.
Available with or without 4 gold-plated SMA screw connectors for coaxial cable connection, for fast logic data I/O or RF.
Without SMA Connectors : Order : L-T_Module_USB_FPGA_Cyclone-II
With 4x SMA Connectors : Order : L-T_Module_USB_FPGA_Cyclone-II+4xSMA
This VHDL firmware and GUI code distill 30 years of experience interfacing computers to the real-world. Data is transferred to and from the FPGA at the full USB2 rate of 480 MBit.s-1 (60 MByte.s-1).
A freely available binary only download is available for testing purposes :
Free Download - 2.5MByte, Version 0.95.
Note you will first need to download and install the
APLX Support Library from MicroApl .
If you run Norton: their Insight/Sonar programs were complaining. Now : "The Symantec Insight Dispute team has reviewed
your recent submission to the Insight Dispute Submission form Webpage form "FPGA_interface_demo_2012-05-13_TF."
In light of further investigation and analysis Symantec is happy to remove this detection from within its products."
Excellent pricing options for source code installations, to allow you to use this code for your own applications, are available for both personal use and commercial use.
Lab-Tools Transient Averager Modules
Transient Capture / Average / Process
A new Lab-Tools module nearing the end of development is a USB2 interfaced analogue transient averager module, with on-board FPGA for averaging and signal processing. Based on a coherent, stacking credit-card CardStac module form-factor, and on the Lab-Tools FPGA Modular Firmware Skeleton for multiple instruments.
Features :
2 channel 13 bit Digital Scope.
FPGA for on-board signal processing.
USB2 for fast data transfer and fast programming.
Single-ended or differential I/O,
gold plated SMA connectors.
2 x I/O Digital Triggers,
gold plated SMA connectors.
Tiny credit-card sized module.
Applications :
2 channel 13 bit 1 M sample.s-1 Transient Capture.
2 channel 13 bit 1 M sample.-1 Hardware Transient Averager
(firmware and software included).
2 channel 13 bit 1 M sample.-1 Transient Data Processor
(custom firmware and software by agreement if needed).
NMR and MRI data capture.
Ultrasonics data capture.
USB2 interfaced Transient Capture / Average / Process module.
FPGA Co-processors:
Lab-Tools FPGA Binning Co-processor for Apl
An example single-function USB2 interfaced FPGA co-processor has now been produced by Lab-Tools.
This implements a binning algorithm in a field programmable gate array, that for large data sets runs significantly faster than a single i7 processor.
This video describes an example USB2 interfaced FPGA co-processor for use with the array processing language Apl.
This co-processor implements a single scientific algorithm : Binning.
As such it is an example of what can be achieved using field-programmable gate array co-processors with Apl.
The FPGA module used is the Morphic II, available from FTDI. This module has the advantage that it does not require a USB Blaster to program it.
Software, firmware and modules are also available from Lab-Tools Ltd., who are also developing a series of credit-card sized interface and data I/O modules to interface with them.
The FPGA co-processor is accessed and controlled from AplX, a version of the array processing language Apl, from Micro-Apl.
Lab-Tools' is adding the simple credit-card sized Linux computers "Raspberry Pi" to the list of instrumentation in the
design stable. These may offer very compact ways to host some of the other more advanced Field Programmable Gate Array
(FPGA) instrumentation that Lab-Tools develops. These boards may also speed the implementation of other highly compact
designs such as the multi-processing Adapteva Parallella.
So Lab-Tools has implemented a good set of technologies that are now up and running on the Raspberry Pi
credit-card Linux computer :
SSH + SCP : control the Raspberry Pi from a text window on a Windows lap-top, transfer files.
TightVNC : control the Raspberry Pi from a copy of the Raspberry Pi graphical desktop, on a Windows lap-top.
A page of technical notes to describe how to configure a Raspberry Pi with SSH + SCP + VNC, to do the above, is at :
www.lab-tools.com/instrumentation/tech-tips/RaspberryPi-HowTo.html
Lab-Tools also sells a fully up-to-date 4 GByte SD card for the Raspberry Pi,
based on the Raspbian "wheezy" distribution with hardware floating point, but
fully configured as above, with SSH + SCP + VNC. £10 plus postage plus VAT.
Apache + PHP + SQL: Serves active web pages, with optional Database Server.
Lab-Tools also sells a fully up-to-date 4 GByte SD card for the Raspberry Pi,
based on the Raspbian "wheezy" distribution with hardware floating point, but
fully configured as above, with SSH + SCP + VNC + Apache + PHP + SQL. £15 plus postage plus VAT.
The first Raspberry Pi has just been configured as an active web
server :
URL
- (this address may change soon).
Useful web-server applications will be added to this in the near future.
To order, email me - Dr. Beau Webber - so I can decide on postage, then use the PayPal box below.
Raspberry Pi - Apache Web Server with SSH + VNC control windows on PC laptop.
For ordering items that you have discussed with me, enter the description,
click the button, and you will get a box to enter the agreed amount.
Pay by Secure PayPal and/or Credit Card.
Coming Soon:
Nearing the end of design and prototype development is a range of
high performance USB interfaced signal generation / digital scope
/ transient recording / transient averaging modules, with optional RF and low-noise
pre-amp stages.
Applicable to a wide range of instrumentation, including Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)Ultrasonics, capturing and processing decoded Optical information, or just general laboratory or school digital interfacing :
USB Direct Digital Synthesizer : frequency agile / sweeping:
0.001 to 150MHz, 14 bit, optional dual-channel for quadrature (real:U & imaginary:V) signals
USB Averaging Analogue Data-Capture for Digital Scope / Transient Recorder / Transient Averager uses and Digital RF :
Dual Channel, 2x 0 to 65MS.s-1, 12 bit.
USB Averaging Analogue Data-Capture for Digital Scope / Transient Recorder / Transient Averager uses :
Dual Channel, 2x 5 MS.s-1, 12 bit, ± 1V input range.
USB Averaging Analogue Data-Capture for Digital Scope / Transient Recorder / Transient Averager uses :
Dual Channel, 2x 1 MS.s-1, 13 bit.
Software-selectable input ranges : ± 10 V, ± 5 V, ± 2.5 V, 0 V to +10 V.
USB R.F. Digital-Receiver, with direct digital sampling of the RF,
quadrature 32 bit digitally controlled oscillators,
three stages of FIR filtering, digital output gain scaling,
followed by optional signal processing and Transient Recorder/Averager stage:
0.1 to 32MHz (below Nyquist), 12 bit.
Optional data processing algorithms in firm-ware uploaded to a 80k gate FPGA
over the USB interface, in less than 100 ms, so they can be re-loaded on the fly to 'morph' the function of the unit.
Optional data processing algorithms in high-level array-manipulating languages.
If you have specific requirements that can be best encompassed at the
design stage, please contact me regarding them :
Beau@Lab-Tools.co.uk
Example instrumentation constructed using similar Lab-Tools modules
Multi-module USB interfaced R.F. instrument for Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance (NMR) research :
The R.F. processing is implemented in VLSI devices, the I.F. processing in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device, and the A.F. processing in the PC using an Array Programing language.
Note: The RF modules are Export Controlled devices.
Please contact me if you would like a copy of an existing design, or would
like to commission the design and construction of a new piece of
laboratory apparatus or software.
E-mail : Dr. Beau Webber 2000 ... 2012
