USB-IO board enables control and monitoring

Embedded systems and display solutions provider, Review Display Systems (RDS) has announced the introduction of a new USB control and monitoring interface board. The intelligent USB-IO board features a comprehensive range of I/O (input/output) ports which can be easily controlled and monitored using a single USB serial interface.

The USB-IO board has been designed and developed by RDS for use in embedded systems, IoT applications and stand-alone equipment to enable the control and monitoring of external hardware and systems such as relays, smart sensors, actuators, lighting, and motors.

The USB-IO board features a general-purpose 16-bit Texas Instruments MSP430 microcontroller (MCU) which enables full user control and interrogation of all the on-board input/outport ports, interfaces, and sensors. The user interface for the USB IO board is controlled via a single USB serial connection to a host controller or embedded computer.

Liam Layton, application engineer, Review Display Systems said, “Many embedded computers are not designed with support for general purpose I/O (GPIO). As a result, this lack of easily accessible I/O can create challenges in embedded applications when trying to control and monitor external hardware and systems. The new RDS USB-IO board overcomes these obstacles by providing a simple and easy-to-use interface with many different I/O options available.”

To enable use in a host of automation and control systems the USB-IO board features the following built-in features:

• 9 x digital inputs, normally high

• 3 x digital inputs, normally low

• 4 x 3.3V digital outputs

• 9 x 5V outputs (PWM selectable)

• 7 x 12V outputs (PWM selectable)

• 1 x 250V, 5A mains relay

• temperature and humidity sensors

• NFC (Near Field Communication) for user/admin access control

The USB-IO board is part of the SensConnect product portfolio available from Review Display Systems. SensConnect is a fully user configurable hardware-focussed, data-collection platform that enables monitoring, analysis, and control of systems with digital technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and IoT (internet of things). A typical SensConnect solution consists of three individual elements, where monitoring, analysis and control systems are combined to provide effective, efficient digital intelligence.