The Racal Instruments™ 1256L switching system is a high-density 12-slot switching and control system in a compact 2U rack-mountable package. This new switching system complies with LXI Device Specification 2011 and is based on the proven legacy Racal Instruments™ 1256 product, which is compatible with the Adapt-a-Switch™ series of plug-in switching and digital I/O products.
Wide Range of Plug-Ins
The 1256L controls up to 12 Adapt-a-Switch™ switching plug-ins. You can easily configure these plug-ins into a high-performance, low-cost solution to satisfy many kinds of switch applications. A single 1256L can accommodate any one of the following configurations plus many others:
- Matrix up to 4x432
- Multiplexer up to 768 channels
- Up to 960 SPST channels
- Up to 120 1x4 RF multiplexers
High-Speed Switching
The 1256L switching system reduces test times with its high throughput and advanced timesaving features. It is capable of scanning more than 100 channels per second.
Non-Volatile Memory
The non-volatile memory stores up to 100 complete switch states and includes a separate automatic power-up state. In addition, the 1256L can store all user-designated preferences, such as USB/ GPIB address, module names, and path names, and then have these automatically restored at power-up.
Advanced Triggering
The 1256L synchronizes with other equipment using the external trigger in/out signals. Coupled with the advanced scan list features, the triggering facilitates rapid automated measurements with minimal user intervention from the system controller.
Intuitive Web-Based Interface Control
Each switching plug-in has its own powerful web-control interface, which provides easy access to all relay states, system preferences, and non-volatile memory features.
Ethernet, GPIB, and USB Remote Interfaces
The Ethernet, GPIB, and USB remote interfaces provide any terminal or computer with access to all standard features. The remote interfaces are IEEE 488.2 and SCPI compliant. In addition, interfaces can access advanced features:
- Path Level Switching – Assign names to relay paths for ease of reference
- Include Lists – Automatically close multiple relays with a single command
- Exclude Lists – Build large scanners using mutually-exclusive relay groups
- Scan List – Define sequentially-closed relay groups
- Trigger Delays – Time relay closures to coincide with external events
- Switch Mode – Select make-before-break, break-before-make, or immediate relay
- Confidence Mode – Automatically verify relay response
