ZMC Industrial Platform for Embedded Measurement, Control & Motion

Processors are easy to program using the high-level NI LabVIEW™ Embedded Module and the Schmid’s ZBrain real-time system services. Every board function can also be accessed with a “C” Application Programming Interface (API), even in a preemptive multithreading environment such as VisualDSP++ Kernel (VDK). Custom specific platforms can be easily derived by reducing or adding features/functions or creating individual form factors. Due to the low power consumption they can be scaled also for battery supported systems, handheld metering devices and rugged PLC platforms.

Graphical programming with National Instruments LabVIEW as a domain specific fourth generation language (4GL) combined with this application oriented hardware empowers engineers and process specialists to concentrate on the system level functionality from day one. High-level functions scaling from process I/O to signal processing, embedded webservices, mobile file systems and graphical user interfaces can be drag & dropped into the graphical code and wired into a self documented block diagram. This convenient approach offers space for creativity, allows for creating variants and produces revisable results in a matter of days, especially useful for rapidly changing requirements.

ZMC Block Diagram

Features

  • Analog Devices Blackfin BF548 Processor
  • 64MB DDR SDRAM, 16MB Burst Flash, 2KB NV-FRAM
  • Graphical embedded system design with NI LabVIEW or C/C++
  • Efficient graphical debugging (Builtin HIL)
  • Preemptive, thread-safe Multitasking with royalty-free kernel (VDK)
  • Deterministic real-time [µs] services
  • 1xRS232, 1xRS422/485, 1xTWI
  • Ethernet with PHY, 2xCAN
  • 1x USB OTG, 1x USB Device
  • 12x Analog In, 16 Bit, up to 250 kS/s
  • SD-Card
  • 6x Analog Out, 16 Bit
  • 6x Digital In, 6x Digital Out
  • GUI with 272x480 Color TFT with Touch, other displays on request

Example Applications

  • Stationary and mobile devices
  • Measurement instruments
  • Closed-loop control systems
  • Robotic motion
  • Process controller
  • Rugged PLC's
  • Measurement handhelds
  • Battery supported systems

Processors

Complementary ADI Components

Most analog and power components on the BOM are selected from Analog Devices. The ZMC platform is not only a Blackfin reference design, but a hardware that integrates mixed signal components that analog devices is offering: ADC, DAC, Power, RS232, RS422, etc.

Tools

National Instruments LabVIEW Embedded Module

  • NI LabVIEW Full license
  • Embedded Module for ADI Blackfin processors with built-in C-Generator and link to the default Blackfin toolchain

Schmid Engineerings ZBrain BSP for NI LabVIEW

  • Real-time [us] services
  • 200+ embedded function VI's on top of the default LabVIEW palette
  • One high-level function block (driver) for every low-level feature
  • Live hardware debugging in graphical context
  • Target management
  • Diagnostics, Bootloader, flash tools
  • Software frameworks running on all ZBrain Platforms

Operating Systems

  • VDK / LabVIEW

Supporting Documents

Third Party Support

ZMC

Contact

Schmid Engineering
Email: info@schmid-engineering.ch
Phone: +41 71 969 35 90