Need 1200 digital outputs that can be updated at 1 MHz

ramblin.tim · ‎08-11-2006

I need to control about 1200 digital outputs (CMOS or TTL) at high speed (1 MHz). Any platform
that gets the job done is OK, but I usually program in a WinXP environment. I also have a problem
of distributing these signals to many units over a roughly 50 by 50 foot area, so I also need hardware
to either drive the outputs over an extended length of wire or to wirelessly distribute the signals to
multiple substations which each operate between 10 and 50 units.

A small number of inputs (maybe just two) would be very useful to control the timing of the
state transitions.

unclebump · ‎08-11-2006

Can you give us some more info on what will be connected to these devices??? Solenoids, LED's,... What do you need to accomplish with this project?? 5Vdc??

ramblin.tim · ‎08-11-2006

Thanks for your response.

Our application is controlling LED's for a computer graphics application.

http://gl.ict.usc.edu/Films/RelightingHumanLocomotion/index.html has some pictures of the apparatus, as well as a short video showing how
it works and the results we've got so far.

The basic idea is to capture varying illumination conditions extremely rapidly using high-speed (Vision Research) cameras that go at 5000 fps
or so. The signals that drive the lights are just 5V DC, currently supplied by a large number of PICS, but we are hoping to find a more
centralized solution, as well as a higher performance solution (large program memory for many lighting patterns, high speed processing to
support flexible computation of patterns, high speed updating of outputs to allow for multiple on/off states within a single 200 usec interval
to simulate grayscale control of the LED's).

If the system is fast enough, it is possible that a smaller number of outputs could drive a large bank of latches that provide the final outputs,
but ideally this would be handled by the NI hardware. In other words, we would just buy enough output units, hook them up, and then the
programmer just sets the 1200 bits of memory as desired and then triggers the refresh.

To distribute the signals, one possibility is to have output units with between 10 and 50 outputs that can be connected to the central
controller with long cables (up to 40 feet) and which in turn drive individual lights through wires about 10 feet long. Wireless would be
even better if it exists.

Hansjörg Oech · ‎08-12-2006

Hm,

1200 lines => 150Byte * 1MHz = 150MB/sec. PCI can handele max 133MB/sec and
the software less than this.
You need a standalone hardware, to example FPGA for that. Look at the FPGA
hardware on the NI webpage.

"ramblin.tim" <x@no.email> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:1155330610898-403312@exchange.ni.com...
> I need to control about 1200 digital outputs (CMOS or TTL)  at high
speed (1 MHz).  Any platform
> that gets the job done is OK, but I usually program in a WinXP
environment.   I also have a problem
> of distributing these signals to many units over a roughly 50 by 50 foot
area, so I also need hardware
> to either drive the outputs over an extended length of wire or to
wirelessly distribute the signals to
> multiple substations which each operate between 10 and 50 units.
>
> A small number of inputs (maybe just two) would be very useful to control
the timing of the
> state transitions.