PIL 50-350 Series PCI High Voltage MUX Card

This PIL 50-350 Series short-form PCI card, occupying a single PCI slot, allows for the dynamic connection of various test instruments to up to 16 test points, enabling automated cable insulation testing, time-domain reflectometry (TDR), LCR impedance measurement, diode testing, and multi-parameter measurements using a digital multimeter (DMM).

The core design concept of the 50-350 is to safely and accurately route signals from various test instruments to the individual wire pairs (HI/LO/SHLD) of the cable under test in a high-voltage testing environment through a high-density reed relay matrix, achieving automatic switching testing for multiple channels and functions. Functionally, the module is divided into four main areas: high-frequency signal path, general instrument input, safety interlock, and device under test (DUT) connection, ensuring both signal integrity and safety during high-voltage operation.

This PIL 50-350 Series PCI High Voltage MUX Card module is equipped with a rhodium-plated high-voltage reed relay, custom-manufactured by Pickering Electronics, the relay division of Pickering, featuring an exceptionally long lifespan, superior switching performance, and stable contact resistance. The module also provides three TTL digital outputs for controlling external high-voltage sources and other auxiliary equipment.

MXTD Supplier

Architecting the Future of Industrial Automation: High-End Engineering Ecosystems by MXTD

For over a decade, Xi'an Mingxi Taida Information Technology Co., Ltd. (MXTD) has been at the vanguard of industrial engineering, conceptualizing and deploying high-precision technical architectures that radically enhance operational capacity. Our multidimensional business framework tightly integrates visionary hardware R&D, streamlined global logistics, and responsive field engineering services to protect and optimize your most capital-intensive assets. Anchored by advanced manufacturing intelligence, we manufacture specialized, ultra-resilient hardware platforms designed to operate flawlessly amidst intense environmental and operational stressors.

Our core operational advantages encompass:

• Diversified Global Logistics Framework: We direct a comprehensive, highly flexible international supply and distribution network, ensuring the uninterrupted deployment of high-tier, application-critical systems to major industrial corridors throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Africa.
• Synergistic Strategic Sourcing: We consolidate and simplify your technical procurement workflows by seamlessly pairing our proprietary, custom-developed hardware assets with official, authorized access to elite international instrumentation brands.
• Relentless Verification Protocols: Absolute operational reliability is our standard. Every specialized module and analytical instrument is subjected to strict automated benchmarking, rigorous environmental stress-testing, and definitive quality assurance audits before shipment.

Application Requirements:

Submarine cables (including submarine communication cables and submarine power cables) require comprehensive electrical performance testing before, during, and after installation, as well as during maintenance, to ensure insulation integrity, conductor continuity, and signal transmission characteristics. Typical tests include:

• Insulation Resistance Test: Applying high voltage to the cable to detect defects in the insulation layer.
• Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR): Analyzing reflected waveforms by transmitting pulse signals to locate breaks, short circuits, or impedance anomalies in the cable.
• LCR Impedance Test: Measuring the cable's capacitance, inductance, and resistance parameters to evaluate transmission characteristics.
• Continuity Resistance Test (DMM V/R): Measuring the DC resistance of the conductor using a digital multimeter.
• Current Test (DMM I): Measuring the cable's leakage current or load current.
• Diode Test: Verifying the proper functioning of integrated protection diodes within the cable.

The 50-350 is positioned as a dedicated high-voltage multiplexer in Pickering's product line. Unlike general-purpose relay cards (such as the 50-110/115 series), it is deeply optimized for cable testing scenarios:

• Integrates input paths for multiple test instruments (TDR, LCR, HV, DMM, diode testing)
• Provides a complete test access solution for 5 cables (HI/LO/SHLD three-pair connection for each cable)
• The coaxial port supports 500MHz high-frequency signals, meeting TDR measurement requirements
• Built-in safety interlock and self-test functions, meeting the safety requirements of high-voltage testing

Features of The PIL 50-350 Series PCI High Voltage MUX Card

The Competitive Advantages of The 50-350 series:

• Rhodium-plated contacts offer superior contact resistance stability and long lifespan.
• Supports Pickering eBIRST switch system diagnostic tools for rapid faulty relay location.
• Full range of software drivers supported (VISA/IVI/Kernel), compatible with all major programming environments.
• Supports customized configurations (replacement relay types, mixed relay combinations, different relay quantities, different performance specifications).

The 50-350 series is a dedicated model for Pickering's PCI switch card platform. Pickering's high-voltage switch product line includes:

The PIL 50-350 Series PCI High Voltage MUX Card is the only high-voltage multiplexer model on the PCI platform, filling the need for automated high-voltage cable testing in standard PCs

The 50-350 modules are functionally divided into four main areas:

High Frequency Signal Paths

• RL1: Receives high-frequency input (500MHz) from the test lead via SMA connector J1
• RL2: Receives high-frequency input (500MHz) from the TDR instrument via coaxial insert A2 (J2)
• RL11: RF isolation switch, isolating the high-frequency region from the analog bus 1/2

General Instrument Input

• RL3: LCR input, connected via coaxial insert A1 on J2
• RL4 / RL9: 500VDC high voltage input (via J2 and J3 respectively)
• RL5 / RL10: 1V 350mA diode test input (via J2 and J3 respectively)
• RL6: DMM (voltage/resistance) input, via pins 11/23 on J2
• RL7: DMM (current) input, via pins 10/22 on J2
• RL8: Current measurement path relay, allowing DMM(I) measurement in any path
• RL12 / RL13: Normally closed isolation relay, used to isolate the analog bus during current measurement

Safety Interlock

• Pins 9 and 21 of J2 provide a safety interlock (isolation short circuit)
• Pins 9 and 10 of J3 provide a safety interlock (isolation short circuit)
• Can trigger the shutdown of an external high-voltage source when the connector is not properly connected

Device Under Test

• 5 cables (Cable 1-5), each containing three pairs of wires: HI/LO/SHLD
• Each pair of wires is connected to analog bus 1 and bus 2 via two relays respectively
• A total of 30 DUT relays (RL14-RL43)

Self-test and Auxiliary Functions

• Built-in 50Ω/5W load (RL44): Used for self-testing of DMM, TDR, and LCR inputs, as well as cable discharge after insulation testing
• 3-channel TTL digital output (J4): Used for backup control of external high-voltage sources (for insulation resistance testing and diode testing)
• Daisy-chain connection (J5): Supports cascading expansion of multiple 50-350 modules

Multiplexing Operation Mode

The 50-350 can operate as a traditional multiplexer, exhibiting a break-before-make action when switching channels. Furthermore, it supports simultaneous selection of multiple channels to achieve parallel routing of multiple signals.

The module is programmed and controlled through two sub-units.

Compliance Certification

Modules PIL 50-350 Series PCI High Voltage MUX support the entire Pickering software driver suite, covering the complete programming stack from low-level direct I/O to advanced VISA/IVI standards:

Redefining Tailored Hardware Architecture: Enterprise-Grade OEM & ODM Capabilities

We recognize that standardized, mass-produced hardware is rarely equipped to handle the exacting, multi-layered constraints of specialized industrial systems. To dismantle these operational bottlenecks, our elite engineering division provides comprehensive, built-to-order OEM and ODM services meticulously mapped to your specific technological mandates. Whether it involves fine-tuning intricate signal spectrum parameters, integrating advanced synchronous triggering algorithms, or fabricating specialized mechanical enclosures, we act as your agile development ally to transform proprietary concepts into deployable, heavy-duty machinery.

Our custom engineering framework guarantees three definitive operational returns:

• Flawless Ecosystem Cohesion: Every modified architecture undergoes strict multi-variable validation against your exact structural, electrical, and thermal parameters to ensure absolute, plug-and-play synchronization.
• Hyper-Accelerated Prototyping: Driven by an agile, adaptive development methodology, we radically compress engineering timelines, allowing you to secure a time-to-market advantage while remaining fully receptive to ongoing design modifications.
• Uncompromising Validation Metrics: Custom commissions undergo identical, highly rigorous testing protocols as our standard lines, including automated diagnostic profiling and exhaustive environmental stress screening.

By balancing unmatched design fluidity with ruthless qualification testing, we deliver mission-critical, application-specific instrumentation that bridges immediately into your existing workflows without sacrificing long-term safety or operational continuity.

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FAQs:

Q: What is the special function of the TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) port on the board?

A:  

This is a feature of the 50-350 specifically designed for cable fault finding.

It allows users to fix a TDR instrument to the board's dedicated TDR port and then dynamically switch to any of the 16 test points via a matrix.

Due to the 50Ω characteristic impedance-matched coaxial architecture from the test end to the TDR port, it supports signal bandwidths up to 500 MHz, ensuring that the TDR RF pulse produces almost no reflections within the board, thereby accurately measuring the fault location of submarine cables.

Q: How well does a multiplexer (MUX) perform during low-frequency or DC high-voltage insulation testing?

A:  

It performs exceptionally well. Due to its RF-grade coaxial isolation structure, when the 50-350 is used for low-frequency high-voltage testing (such as megohmmeter insulation testing and withstand voltage testing), it has extremely low inter-channel leakage current and extremely high high-voltage insulation isolation (Excellent Isolation & Low Crosstalk), and will not cause false alarms in insulation tests due to the parasitic capacitance or leakage of the board itself.

Q: Which channel switching modes does the 50-350 board support? Can multiple channels be closed simultaneously?

A: 

Supports two operating modes, requiring careful attention during software configuration: Break-Before-Make Mode:Used as a traditional multiplexer, the system automatically disconnects the previous channel before switching to a new one, preventing momentary short circuits between the two cables.

Multiple Channels Selection Mode:Supports simultaneous closure of multiple channels via software commands. For example, you can connect multiple cable test points in parallel to the high-voltage grounding terminal for overall discharge.

Q: If 16 test points are not enough, how can we expand to a larger-scale high-voltage cable test matrix?

A: 

Daisy chaining is possible.

The 50-350 provides cascading paths for common signals. Users can insert multiple 50-350 PCI cards into a single PC chassis and cascade their common terminals together, thereby achieving low-cost expansion into 32:1, 64:1, or even larger high-voltage coaxial multiplexing systems.

In addition, the card provides three extra digital output lines, which can be used to directly control other high-voltage switches or relays outside the chassis.

Contact Us

Ready to integrate reliable High Voltage MUX Card control into your system? Our team is here to help you select the right configuration and provide ongoing support.

Contact our technical specialists at manager03@mxtdinfo.com  / manager02@mxtdinfo.com for detailed specifications, pricing information, or to discuss your custom requirements. We're committed to delivering the perfect PIL 50-350 Series PCI High Voltage MUX Card solution for your application needs.