Created for high-speed communication, the Multisystem Extension Interface bus (MXIbus) is used to provide a link between devices. It serves as a gateway, allowing for communication between at least two, but often many, MXIbus devices. Personal computers, stand-alone instruments, workstation computers, modular instruments, and VXIbus mainframes are examples of the types of devices that may use the MXIbus. Virtual Machine Environment (VME) based computers may also use the MXIbus as a gateway for general purposes. A flexible, round cable is used to provide a connection.
The MXIbus links devices to each other through a process that maps together portions of device address space. In this way, remote MXIbus devices may work like memory resources for other devices. Using shielded connections, an MXIbus system is made up of a procession of connected devices. A straight-line connection is employed for devices and cables with common signals. In such systems, star-type configurations are not used.
The MXIbus architecture allows for several 8-, 16-, or 32-bit devices to communicate with each other dynamically. When considering the architecture of the MXIbus, you’re likely to find that the connection between devices is very high performance. The MXIbus maps the bus cycles of one device to the cycles of a different device. Also, the way in which remote devices are accessed with the MXIbus is very straightforward. This is because memory mapping is used for the reading and writing of MXIbus memory.
The MXIbus allows much flexibility, because it can be used to link so many different types of instrumentation and computer hardware. It is useful in a full range of applications, many of which take place in harsh environments. For such applications, there are special MXIbus cables that include bulkhead connectors. These types of cables are often designed and marketed specifically for use in harsh conditions.