Description
Key Technical Specifications
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Model Number: VMIVME-1330
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Manufacturer: GE (legacy VMIC)
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Input Channels: 64 bits, arranged as eight 8-bit ports
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Signal Types: Differential (RS-422/485 compatible) or single-ended, jumper-select per port
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Common-Mode Range: -30 to +66 V continuous
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Differential Sensitivity: ±100 mV over -7 to +12 V common-mode
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Single-Ended Threshold: 1.25 V to 66 V, 1 % accuracy typical
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Input Impedance: 33 kΩ typical
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Logic Sense: Open-circuit = 0 or 1, jumper-selectable
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Change-of-State (COS): Any bit transition can assert VME IRQ 1-7, maskable per port
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Filtering: Optional RC debounce, time-constant jumpers
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BIT: On-board self-test, worst-case bit-pattern generator, front-panel FAIL LED
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Connectors: Dual 64-pin DIN 41612 front; P2 rear I/O option
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Power: +5 V @ 1 A typical
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Form Factor: 6U double-Euro, single-slot VME slave, A16 short I/O map
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Temp: 0 – 70 °C operating, -40 – +85 °C storage
VMIVME-1330
Field Application & Problem Solved
Switch-yard status lights live on 125 VDC battery, ground potential swings 40 V when a 4 kV feeder starts, and the DCS sits 300 ft away. Run copper straight to the CPU and you’ll read phantom highs every time the lightning arrester pops.
Switch-yard status lights live on 125 VDC battery, ground potential swings 40 V when a 4 kV feeder starts, and the DCS sits 300 ft away. Run copper straight to the CPU and you’ll read phantom highs every time the lightning arrester pops.
Drop in a VMIVME-1330 and you just bought immunity and speed. The -30 to +66 V common-mode lets you land battery voltage directly—no interposing relays—and the ±100 mV sensitivity still picks up a dry contact sitting on 60 V of noise. The on-card change-of-state logic fires a VME interrupt the instant a breaker auxiliary contact moves, so your SOE log timestamps to the micro-second. I’ve used this exact card on a 13.8 kV breaker lineup: 64 breaker-status inputs, one slot, and the COS interrupt caught a 4 ms contact bounce that proved the breaker was failing—saved a forced outage.
Core value: relay-rack density without the relays, plus an edge-triggered bloodhound that tells you when the contact moved, not just what it is.
Installation & Maintenance Pitfalls (Expert Tips)
Differential vs. single-ended is jumper-per-port
Each 8-bit port has a jumper block. Land a differential pair on a port set to single-ended and you’ll read noise; land a single-ended line on a differential port and you’ll see 50 % duty-cycle chatter. Check silk-screen JP1-8 before you torque the screws.
Each 8-bit port has a jumper block. Land a differential pair on a port set to single-ended and you’ll read noise; land a single-ended line on a differential port and you’ll see 50 % duty-cycle chatter. Check silk-screen JP1-8 before you torque the screws.
COS mask is port-level
Interrupts are enabled per 8-bit port. If you only want bits 0-3 to interrupt, you still get the whole port—mask the unwanted bits in software or you’ll flood the CPU with chatter from the other five bits.
Interrupts are enabled per 8-bit port. If you only want bits 0-3 to interrupt, you still get the whole port—mask the unwanted bits in software or you’ll flood the CPU with chatter from the other five bits.
Open-circuit sense is jumper-select
“Open = 1” is great for normally-closed contacts; “open = 0” is safer for open-collector sensors. Pick the wrong sense and a broken wire looks like a valid signal—set it to the fail-safe state for your application.
“Open = 1” is great for normally-closed contacts; “open = 0” is safer for open-collector sensors. Pick the wrong sense and a broken wire looks like a valid signal—set it to the fail-safe state for your application.
Threshold jumper is not a pot*
The 1.25 V to 66 V threshold is set by resistor pack RP1-8. If you need 12 V detection and the pack is 5 V, you’ll get false highs. Verify the pack value with a DMM before you call the channel “bad.”
The 1.25 V to 66 V threshold is set by resistor pack RP1-8. If you need 12 V detection and the pack is 5 V, you’ll get false highs. Verify the pack value with a DMM before you call the channel “bad.”
Filter jumpers kill speed
Optional RC debounce is great for pushbuttons, death for 10 kHz encoder pulses. If your count is short by 5 %, pull the filter jumpers on those channels; response drops to <1 µs and accuracy comes back.
Optional RC debounce is great for pushbuttons, death for 10 kHz encoder pulses. If your count is short by 5 %, pull the filter jumpers on those channels; response drops to <1 µs and accuracy comes back.
VMIVME-1330
Front-panel FAIL LED is latched
FAIL LED stays on until you read the BIT register. If your scan task only polls data, the LED remains lit and the next fault is masked. Read the status byte every scan and clear the flags—takes one extra D08 cycle.
FAIL LED stays on until you read the BIT register. If your scan task only polls data, the LED remains lit and the next fault is masked. Read the status byte every scan and clear the flags—takes one extra D08 cycle.
Technical Deep Dive & Overview
The 1330 is a bank of 64 high-impedance comparators feeding a VME slave interface. A 22V10 PLD decodes the short I/O address, latches the data, and asserts DTACK in <150 ns. Differential receivers give you 70 dB CMRR at 60 Hz, so you can read a 5 V contact sitting on 60 V of ripple and still resolve ±100 mV. The on-card COS logic monitors every bit for 0→1 or 1→0 and can fire any VME IRQ line—no CPU polling required. Because the card is purely hardware-defined, there’s no firmware to corrupt—just deterministic bits and edge timestamps every scan, even when the yard looks like a lightning rod
The 1330 is a bank of 64 high-impedance comparators feeding a VME slave interface. A 22V10 PLD decodes the short I/O address, latches the data, and asserts DTACK in <150 ns. Differential receivers give you 70 dB CMRR at 60 Hz, so you can read a 5 V contact sitting on 60 V of ripple and still resolve ±100 mV. The on-card COS logic monitors every bit for 0→1 or 1→0 and can fire any VME IRQ line—no CPU polling required. Because the card is purely hardware-defined, there’s no firmware to corrupt—just deterministic bits and edge timestamps every scan, even when the yard looks like a lightning rod
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