What is VINT?: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 18:09, 1 September 2023

Introduction

A VINT Hub Phidget

VINT stands for Versatile Interface and it is the system that all modern Phidgets use to communicate.

The system is built around VINT Hubs. A VINT Hub allows you to connect VINT devices to your computer. Every VINT port on a VINT Hub can also be used independently as an analog input, digital input or digital output.

The main advantages of VINT are versatility, stability, and connectivity.

Versatility

As mentioned above, VINT Hub ports are capable of functioning as analog inputs, digital inputs, and digital outputs—simply select your mode in software and go. This allows you to tailor your system to your exact needs.

VINT Device Mode

This mode is for connecting to a VINT device. The VINT Hub and VINT device communicate using a digital protocol.

Digital Input Mode

In digital input mode, the VINT Hub port can act as an active-low digital input. This mode is great for reading the state of buttons, switches, and any other logic-level input.

Voltage Ratio Input Mode

In voltage ratio input mode, the VINT Hub port will read the voltage on the white wire and compare it to the voltage supplied on the red wire. This mode will let you read any ratiometric Phidget sensor.

Voltage Input Mode

In voltage input mode, the VINT Hub port will read the voltage on the white wire. This can be used to interface a non-ratiometric sensor or to measure the voltage in a 5V digital circuit.

Digital Output Mode

In digital output mode, a VINT Hub port can behave like a 3.3V digital output. You could use this mode to blink an LED or switch on a MOSFET.

Stability

An example of isolation on a VINT device.

Normally, an analog sensor operates by measuring its surroundings, converting that measurement into a voltage between 0 and 5 volts, and pulling its data line up to that voltage. The advantage of a system like this is that it's simple and usually compatible with other systems. One major downside, however, is how vulnerable this signal is to electromagnetic interference. A strong magnetic field produced by a running motor, the arc on a mechanical relay, or other mechanisms in the system can push the voltage on the data line up and down, resulting in inaccurate data.

VINT avoids this problem by communicating using a digital protocol rather than an analog voltage. If the electromagnetic interference is severe, the sensor may drop a data packet or two, but will soon resume sending data. This way, you can be sure that any data you receive is unaffected by interference.

Many VINT devices also have built-in data and power isolation to prevent power fluctuations from entering the system. Power fluctuations can cause unreliability by distorting reference values and in serious cases, damage parts of the system. These kinds of problems normally occur when multiple devices are powered by the same supply and current from the ground of one device enters other systems, or generally any application where small, sensitive components and high-power electronics need to coexist in the same system. An attached VINT device that has isolation built-in can be thought of as an entirely separate circuit, because power is provided via a small transformer, and data is transmitted with an opto-coupler.

Connectivity

Prior to the introduction of VINT, larger Phidget systems tended to sprawl, taking up several USB ports and sometimes causing reach problems due to USB cable length restrictions (5-meter maximum).

With newer VINT systems, fewer USB ports are required, and devices can extend up to 50 meters from a VINT Hub.

Related Pages

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Category:Primer]]
+{{#seo:|description=VINT stands for Versatile Interface and it is the system that all modern Phidgets use to communicate.}}
+__TOC__
+[[Category:IntroGuide]]
+==Introduction==
+[[Image:HUB0002.jpg|thumb|<center>A VINT Hub Phidget</center>|link=https://www.phidgets.com/docs/images/3/31/HUB0002.jpg]]
+VINT stands for '''Versatile Interface''' and it is the system that all modern Phidgets use to communicate.
-__NOTOC__
-[[Image:VINTports.jpg|link=|300px]]
+The system is built around [https://www.phidgets.com/?tier=2&catid=64&pcid=57 VINT Hubs]. A VINT Hub allows you to connect VINT devices to your computer. Every VINT port on a VINT Hub can also be used independently as an analog input, digital input or digital output.
-VINT stands for '''V'''ersatile '''Int'''erface, and it's the system that all modern Phidget boards use to communicate to one another. Everything is backwards compatible and we still support all direct-to-USB Phidgets. A {{VINTHub}} hosts a number of VINT ports than can be used to connect to other Phidgets, or directly to switches, LEDs or sensors. The main advantages of VINT are ''versatility, modularity, connectivity'' and ''stability''.
-===Versatility===
+The main advantages of VINT are [[#Versatility|versatility]], [[#Stability|stability]], and [[#Connectivity|connectivity]].
-A VINT Hub Port is a versatile interface that combines the functionality of Phidgets analog inputs, digital inputs, and digital outputs. It uses the same [[Phidgets Connectors|connector type]] as Phidgets Analog Inputs, so you can use the same sensor cables that came with those sensors. The mode of each port can be selected in software by creating a new object and opening it on the desired port. This allows for maximum flexibility and ensures that you can make the most of the ports on your hub. For information on the differences between VINT Ports and Analog Inputs, go to the [[Phidgets Connectors]] page.
+==Versatility==
+As mentioned above, VINT Hub ports are capable of functioning as analog inputs, digital inputs, and digital outputs—simply select your mode in software and go. This allows you to tailor your system to your exact needs.
+{{VINTTable}}
-{|style="color: black; width: 100%; text-align:center; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px;" cellpadding="10"
+== Stability ==
-|- valign="top"
+[[Image:isolation.jpg|link=|thumb|300px|An example of isolation on a VINT device.]]
-|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" |
+Normally, an analog sensor operates by measuring its surroundings, converting that measurement into a voltage between 0 and 5 volts, and pulling its data line up to that voltage. The advantage of a system like this is that it's simple and usually compatible with other systems. One major downside, however, is how vulnerable this signal is to electromagnetic interference. A strong magnetic field produced by a running motor, the arc on a mechanical relay, or other mechanisms in the system can push the voltage on the data line up and down, resulting in inaccurate data.
-=== VINT Device Mode ===
-[[Image:vint-v.jpg|280px|link=]]
+VINT avoids this problem by communicating using a digital protocol rather than an analog voltage. If the electromagnetic interference is severe, the sensor may drop a data packet or two, but will soon resume sending data. This way, you can be sure that any data you receive is unaffected by interference.
-This mode is for connecting to a Phidgets VINT device. These devices differ from analog sensors because instead of just reporting a 0-5V voltage, they can communicate with the VINT hub to provide more complex data or receive commands from the VINT hub to change settings. Because the communication is digital, it is also immune to electrical interference between the hub and the device.
-|-
-|
-=== Digital Input Mode ===
-[[Image:vint-di.jpg|280px|link=]]
+Many VINT devices also have built-in data and power isolation to prevent power fluctuations from entering the system. Power fluctuations can cause unreliability by distorting reference values and in serious cases, damage parts of the system. [[Improving_Phidgets_Hardware_Reliability|These kinds of problems]] normally occur when multiple devices are powered by the same supply and current from the ground of one device enters other systems, or generally any application where small, sensitive components and high-power electronics need to coexist in the same system. An attached VINT device that has isolation built-in can be thought of as an entirely separate circuit, because power is provided via a small transformer, and data is transmitted with an opto-coupler.
-In digital input mode, the VINT port can act as an active-low digital input. This mode is great for reading the state of buttons and switches.
-|
-=== Voltage Ratio Input Mode ===
-[[Image:vint-vr.jpg|280px|link=]]
-In voltage ratio input mode, the VINT port will read the voltage on the white wire and compare it to the voltage being supplied on the red wire. This mode will let you read any ratiometric Phidgets sensor.
-|-
-|
-=== Voltage Input Mode ===
-[[Image:vint-vi.jpg|280px|link=]]
-In voltage input mode, the VINT port will read the voltage on the white wire. This can be used to interface a non-ratiometric sensor, or to measure the voltage in a 5V digital circuit.
-|
-=== Digital Output Mode ===
-[[Image:vint-do.jpg|280px|link=]]
-In digital output mode, a VINT port can behave like a 3.3V digital output. You could use this mode to blink an LED or switch on a MOSFET. And don't worry if you still need a 5V digital output; there are VINT modules available that provide multiple 5V digital outputs on a single VINT port.
-|}
-===Modularity===
-[[Image:ioboards.jpg|300px|thumb|right|link=|Various VINT I/O extension modules]]
-In the past, we needed to strike a delicate balance when it came to adding inputs and outputs to our Phidgets. Include too few, and many users would need to buy additional InterfaceKits for their project. Add too many, and a bunch of users would be forced to pay for the increased cost and size of the Phidget. Due to the versatility of VINT, you can program the Phidget's ports to behave as whatever yout project needs. For example, if you only needed digital outputs, you could set all six ports to digital output mode. If you need more than six inputs or outputs, you can buy an I/O module.
-Our I/O modules are intelligent VINT devices that expand the number of inputs or outputs you can have on a VINT Hub Phidget. If your project needed a ton of voltage inputs to interface Phidgets sensors, you could program all six ports as intelligent VINT devices and connect six 8x Voltage Input Phidgets, resulting in 48 sensor inputs on one USB connection.
-The bottom line is that nobody has to pay for extra functionality they'll never use, and the users that need extra won't be paying any more than before since all of the I/O modules are competitively priced.
-===Connectivity===
-While the InterfaceKit was often the center of a Phidget system, there were many Phidgets that were too complicated to connect through simple analog and digital ports: Accelerometers, LED controllers, motor controllers, and thermocouple adapters, just to name a few. As a result, larger Phidget systems tended to sprawl, taking up several of your computer's USB ports and sometimes causing reach problems due to the maximum USB cable distance of 5 meters. This has all changed with VINT; intelligent VINT versions of these complicated Phidgets have been made, so you can connect them directly to a VINT Hub Phidget with ordinary 3-wire sensor cables.
+==Connectivity==
+Prior to the introduction of VINT, larger Phidget systems tended to sprawl, taking up several USB ports and sometimes causing reach problems due to USB cable length restrictions (5-meter maximum).
 [[Image:VINTcompare.jpg|link=|370px]] [[Image:boldarrow.jpg|link=|100px]] [[Image: VINTcompare2.jpg|link=|380px]]
+With newer VINT systems, fewer USB ports are required, and devices can extend up to 50 meters from a VINT Hub.
+== Related Pages ==
-Of course, you can still use other USB-connected Phidgets alongside the VINT Hub Phidget if you want, and you can control both from the same program.
+* [[What is a Phidget?]]
+* [https://www.phidgets.com/docs/VINT_Upgrades VINT Upgrades]
-=== Stability ===
+* [[Phidgets Connectors]]
-[[Image:isolation.jpg|link=|thumb|300px|An example of isolation on a VINT device. The orange regions illustrate the two isolated halves of the board. The chips that straddle the halves on the top and bottom are optocouplers that transmit the communication from your PC to the processor on the board. The chip in the middle also straddles the two halves, but this chip has internally isolated these two pins from the rest of them.]]
-Normally, an analog sensor operates by measuring its surroundings, converting that measurement into a voltage between 0 and 5 volts, and pulling its data line up to that voltage. The advantage to a system like this is that it's simple and usually compatible with other systems. One major downside, however, is how vulnerable this signal is to electromagnetic interference. A strong magnetic field produced by a running motor, the arc on a mechanical relay, or other mechanisms in the system can push the voltage on the data line up and down, resulting in inaccurate data. VINT communications avoid this problem by communicating using a protocol rather than a raw voltage. If the electromagnetic interference is great enough, the sensor may drop a data packet or two, but will soon resume sending data. This way, you can be sure that any data you receive is unaffected by interference.
-Many VINT devices also come built-in with data and power isolation to prevent power fluctuations from entering the system. These fluctuations can cause unreliability by distorting reference values and in serious cases, damage parts of the system. [[Electricity Primer#Shared_Grounds|These kinds of problems]] normally occur when multiple devices are powered by the same supply and current from the ground of one device enters other systems, or generally any application where small, sensitive components and high-power electronics need to coexist in the same system. An attached VINT device that has isolation built-in can be thought of an entirely separate circuit, since power is provided via a small transformer and data is transmitted with an opto-coupler.
-<br clear="all">

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