Scientific Solutions ® Inc.
Products for Concrete Batching Control and Cement Mixing
Scientific Solutions has been providing products for Concrete Batching Control and Cement Mixing Applications since the early 1980s. These products are used to provide control and to monitor the mixing of cement, aggregate, water and other materials to create the proper concrete mixture.
A typical cement mixing installation will have a computer that has a Scientific Solutions BaseBoard product installed. The BaseBoard product is connected to indicators that provide measurements from a scale.
Scientific Solutions offers both the ISA and the PCI versions of the BaseBoard. Historically, the cement mixers have used the ISA version. The PCI version should work equally well, and actually can provide an easier and better cable solution. Please consult with Scientific Solutions Technical support if you are interested in using the PCI version.
Erie Strayer is one of the major suppliers of concrete batch plants that use Scientific Solutions products. Erie Strayer are pioneers in the development of computer controlled concrete batch plants since the 1950s.
BaseBoard ISA
Erie Strayer has been using the Scientific Solutions BaseBoard ISA card for many years. This card is big, and requires a computer with an ISA slot. If you desire to use a computer with an ISA slot, then this is the product you would require. Or if you need to replace your current BaseBoard / ISA card with direct drop in replacement, then this is what you need.
BaseBoard PCI
Scientific Solutions also offers the BaseBoard PCI product. This product is made to work with computers that have a PCI slot instead of the older ISA slot. The Scientific Solutions BaseBoard PCI consists of a small PCI card that installs in your computer had has an external unit that contains the circuity, opto-isolation modules (if required) and RL-520 interface adapter (if required). Contact Scientifc Solutions if you desire to upgrade your system from and ISA to a PCI computer
If you are blowing up the BaseBoard Digital I/O circuits, you should read this..
Issues when Interfacing the BaseBoard to the Rice Lake RL-520 Weight Scale Indicator.
The BaseBoard / ISA contains four main Digital I/O controllers. These are the 40pin chips located along the top of the card. In some cement mixing applications, these Digital I/O controllers become damaged. This issue appears to be associated with interfacing the BaseBoard to the Rice Lake Indicator Model RL-520. Scientific Solutions tested the BaseBoard with the Rice Lake model RL-520 and found that depending upon how devices are powered-up and initialized, a situation could exist that causes "Latch-up" damage to the BaseBoard circuits.
This does not appear to be a design problem with the BaseBoard or the RL indicator, but rather is a system issue of properly mating the two pieces of equipment.
To solve this issue, Scientific Solutions suggests that you install Opto Isolation INPUT modules on the BaseBoard.
The Opto Isolation module attaches directly onto the BaseBoard card inside the computer and provides protection from damage when power is off to the BaseBoard but inputs from external equipment are active (a potential situation when interfacing to the RL indicators). The Opto module provides 2500v optical isolation protection and can handle over-voltage inputs and floating grounds. The Opto Isolation INPUT modules are about 2" x 3" with a 40 position socket connector and a 50 pin header connector. The module plugs onto the current 40 pin header connector of the BaseBoard. The 50 pin header of the Opto Isolation INPUT module is then used to connect to a ribbon cable.
- Without the Opto-Isolation INPUT module, the cable from the BaseBoard to the Load Cell Indicator is 40 conductor with:
- A 40 position socket connector on one end to connect directly to the BaseBoard
- A DB37M connector on the other end to connect to the DB37F Load Cell Indicator
- Note: The ribbon cable may have some twists and creative conductor routing to get the correct pin-out of signals from the 40 pin header to the DB37 on the the Load Cell Indicator
- With the Opto Isolation INPUT module, the ribbon cable from the RL indicator changes.
- There is a 50 conductor ribbon cable cable from the BaseBoard to a "new" RL-520 Interface Adapter
- The 50 conductor cable has:
- A 50 position socket connector on one end to connect to the Opto INPUT module
- A 50 position socket connector on the other end to connect to an RL Adapter
- The RL-520 Inferface Adapter performs the following tasks:
- Has a 50 pin connection to the BaseBoard and a DB37 connection to the RL-520
- Provides proper wiring of data and status signals
- Includes proper circuit termination and current limiting protection
- Has a DB37M connector to plug directly onto the DB37F on the back of the RL-520
- The 50 conductor cable has:
- There is a 50 conductor ribbon cable cable from the BaseBoard to a "new" RL-520 Interface Adapter
Scientific Solutions offers the Opto Isolation module and a Cable & Adapter kit that can be purchased directly from Scientific Solutions and installed in the field. With these items, the customer has everything they need to install the Opto Isolation INPUT module and cabling to protect their BaseBoard product from damage.
- The BaseBoard / ISA has four ports, labeled P1 thru P4.
- Most cement mixing installations only use two of the four ports.
- Normally one port per scale indicator, and most installations have two scales
- So for the typical installation, you will need two Opto Isolation modules with cables & adapters.
- Qty=2, of Opto Input Module
- Qty=2, of Cable & Adapter Kit for your particular Load Cell Indicator
Currently, Scientific Solutions has a Cable & Adapter kit for the Rice Lake Indicator Model: RL-520.
Using the Opto Isolation INPUT module isolates the BaseBoard electronics from the indicator and therefore allows more versatility to use different indicators if desired, i.e. changing from one indicator to another would be more transparent.
If you require a Cable & Adapter kit for a different indicator, please contact Scientific Solutions to discuss your needs.
Scientific Solutions BaseBoard cards for Erie Strayer Cement Mixers
| Image |  |
|---|---|
| Part Number | 020025 |
| Title | BaseBoard / ISA |
| Overview | BaseBoard / ISA is a single ISA card for the computer that provides 96 Digital I/O signals The BaseBoard provides flexible, programmable digital input/output for the ISA computer. 96 lines of TTL compatible I/O are distributed on four 40 pin header connectors across one full size PC board. Optional plug in modules can extend the features of the card by adding opto-isolation to the Digital I/O while providing both over-voltage protection and increased buffer/driver capabilities; adding Analog-to-Digital capabilities; and by adding Digital-to-Analog capabilities. |
| Features |
|
| Product Includes | BaseBoard ISA circuit assembly, CDROM with driver and LabPac Library, Printed User's Guide |
| Manual | BaseBoard User's Guide (PDF) that comes with the card |
| Datasheet | BaseBoard Datasheet(PDF) |
| Product Specifications | Full Description and Specifications |
| Software | Win32 Device Drivers with LabPac32 function library |
| Add to Cart |
| Image |  |
|---|---|
| Part Number | 811600 |
| Title | BaseBoard / PCI |
| Overview | The BaseBoard / PCI provides flexible, programmable digital input/output for the PCI computer. The unique design of the BaseBoard / PCI allows you to add from 96 to 384 lines of TTL compatible Digital I/O to your computer using a single small PCI card. The BaseBoard / PCI remains 100% compatible with the well established BaseBoard / ISA card allowing customers to upgrade to PCI systems without having to rewrite their existing software or re-cable their test environment! Optional plug in modules can extend the features of the card by adding opto-isolation to the Digital I/O while providing both over-voltage protection and increased buffer/driver capabilities; adding Analog-to-Digital capabilities; and by adding Digital-to-Analog capabilities. |
| Features |
|
| Product Includes |
|
| Manual | BaseBoard User's Guide (html) |
| Datasheet | Not Available |
| Product Specifications | Full Description and Specifications |
| Software | Win32 Device Drivers with LabPac32 function library |
| Add to Cart |
Scientific Solutions BaseBoard Accessories for Erie Strayer Cement Mixers
| Image |  |
|---|---|
| Part Number | ic100019 |
| Title | 8255 40 pin DIP part |
| Overview | This is a Scientific Solutions 8255 digital I/O chip that is used on the BaseBoard / ISA to perform the digital I/O feature. |
| Features |
|
| Product Includes | SSI ic100019 single chip 8255 device |
| Manual | Not Available |
| Datasheet | Not Available |
| Product Specifications | Not Available |
| Software | Not applicable |
| FAQ | None |
| Add to Cart |
| Image |  |
|---|---|
| Part Number | 020027 |
| Title | Opto IN Module |
| Overview | Opto IN Module installs directly on the BaseBoard and provides optical isolation, over-voltage protection, increased voltage handling, and increased electrical current sinking. The module incorporates Scientific Solutions PowerTag technology that allows software to automatically identify and configure the module. |
| Features |
|
| Product Includes | Opto IN Module |
| Manual | Not Available |
| Datasheet | Not Available |
| Product Specifications | Full Description and Specifications |
| Software | Win32 Device Drivers with LabPac32 function library |
| FAQ | None |
| Add to Cart |
| Image | 
|
|---|---|
| Part Number | 020040 |
| Title | RL-520 Load Cell Interface Cable & Adapter Kit |
| Overview | Cable and adapter to interface the BaseBoard that has an Opto Module installed to the Rice Lake Load Cell Indicator Model RL-520 |
| Features |
|
| Product Includes | Interface Adapter, 50 pin ribbon Cable |
| Manual | Not Available |
| Datasheet | Not Available |
| Product Specifications | Full Description and Specifications |
| Software | Win32 Device Drivers with LabPac32 function library |
| FAQ | None |
| Add to Cart |
Specifications subject to change without notice.
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