Diamond Systems Helios

Introduction

Helios is a medium performance PC/104 form factor single board computer combining a low power, highly integrated CPU with Diamond Systems’ renowned high-accuracy data acquisition circuitry on a single board. Helios utilizes a 300MHz or 800MHz Vortex integrated single chip CPU and 128MB or 256MB of RAM soldered on the board.

Helios incorporates advanced features such as four USB 2.0 ports, an IDE hard drive interface, mounting capability for a solid state flashdisk up to 4GB, and optional VGA/LCD graphics. Helios also provides a 10/100Base-T Ethernet interface, four RS-232 serial ports (two have RS-422/485 multiprotocol capability) and legacy keyboard and mouse interfaces.

Helios is extremely rugged, featuring 128MB or 256MB of soldered DRAM and -40°C to +85°C fan-less operation. Optional hardwired jumpers and latching connectors are available for increased resistance to shock and vibration. Conformal coating is available as an extra cost option.

Data Acquisition

Helios’s integrated data acquisition features include 16 analog inputs with 16-bit A/D and 100KHz sample rate, 4 12-bit analog outputs, up to 40 digital I/O lines, and 2 counter/timers. It uses an enhanced 512-sample FIFO with programmable threshold for maximum flexibility and data reliability.

The analog circuitry utilizes Diamond Systems’ industry leading Autocalibration technology to calibrate its A/D and D/A circuits. This means you get analog I/O performance with the maximum possible accuracy over the full operating temperature range of the product.

Diamond Systems' free Universal Driver containing data acquisition programming software for Linux, Windows 98/2000/XP/CE.NET, DOS, QNX, and VxWorks is included.

Operating System Support

The Helios supports DOS, Linux, QNX, Windows CE.Net.

Helios Development Kit

A Helios Development Kit is available with all the components you need to get started on your embedded design project. The kit contains a Helios board (HLV800-256AV), flashdisk module with Linux installed, cable kit, panel I/O board, AC adapter, and software CD.

Pandora and Panel I/O Board

Helios single board computers can be mounted inside Diamond's Pandora PC/104 enclosure with a cable-free panel I/O board to form a rugged, compact, completely self-contained industrial computer system. The Pandora enclosure, coupled with the panel I/O board, features fast and easy assembly due to the fact that most or all internal cables can be eliminated. Rather than requiring the installation of special corner mounts or forcing the stack into a set of corner guides, the entire stack is bolted directly to the front plate of the case, forming a rugged, easily-handled assembly.

Note - the Helios panel I/O board (part number is PNL-HLV-01) is different to the panel I/O board used on the previous Prometheus/Athena/Athena II/Electra CPU boards (part number is PNL-EAP-01) - this is due to the Helios having different connectors. Additionally, the connector layout of the new panel board differs to the old one - hence a new panel endcap is required (PBEC-14-K).

Transition Cables or PC-Style Connectors

All I/O on Helios is made available on 2mm pitch pin headers for use with low-cost cables. To enhance the use of Helios in harsh environments requiring outstanding resistance to shock and vibration, Diamond Systems offers the rugged Pandora PC/104 enclosure that provides a cable-free configuration via a small panel I/O board that installs directly on top of the Helios to instantly convert all I/O to PC-style connectors.

Helios Cable Kit

The Helios cable kit includes cables for Helios input and output. All cables are also available individually.