NI PXI-2567 64-Channel External Relay Driver

The National Instruments PXI-2567 64-Channel External Relay Driver is designed to be 64-channel, multipurpose relay drive modules, capable of driving many types of external relays. The relay driver is the ideal choice when the current and voltage requirements for relays exceed those found in existing relay modules (or for relays embedded in a test system). High-current, high-voltage, or multipole RF switches all fit into the realm of possibilities. The National Instruments PXI-2567 can also drive small DC motors or other inductive relay coils.

The PXI-2567 can provide up to 50 V or 600 mA of drive capacity per channel when connected to an external power supply. Without an external power supply, the PXI-2567 can source up to 1.25 A from the 5 V pin or 500 mA from the 12 V pin provided by the PXI backplane. No one channel can drive more than 600 mA with either an internal or external source, and total module current is limited to 25 A of simultaneous drive.

The eight banks of eight drivers in the PXI-2567 protect against overvoltage and overcurrent conditions. When the condition clears, the channel is automatically reset so no disassembly of the module is required. A fly-back diode is also included to protect against damage from inductive loads.

The PXI-2567 are able to maximize throughput in automated test applications by the use of scanning. Scanning improves throughput by downloading a list of up to 32,000 connections to the switch modules and cycling through the list using an event (trigger) without any interruption from the host processor. Scanning is most efficiently accomplished by mating the PXI-2567 with an instrument, such as the National Instruments PXI-4070 FlexDMM, that issues a trigger after each measurement.