Accessories

AutoBox

Compact expansion boxes

for in-vehicle experiments

Key Features  Space for 6 or 13 dSPACE boards  Optional PC Link Boards for ISA, PCI,
PCMCIA or Ethernet connection
 Includes Link Board for
connection to host PC  AutoBoot Option for
stand-alone operation

Description Application Area Key Benefits

AutoBox is the ideal environment for using your
dSPACE real-time system for in-vehicle control
experiments such as test drives for engine or ABS
control development. You can install AutoBox
anywhere in a vehicle, for example, in the trunk
of your test car.
AutoBox is a robust, compact solution for mount-
ing the processor and I/O boards in a car, aircraft
or train. It provides space for dSPACE hardware
(up to 6 boards in the AutoBox, up to 13 boards
in the Tandem-AutoBox). Connecting AutoBox
to a notebook via the included Link Boards
enables you to control the experiment from the
passenger seat using ControlDesk.

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2008 Catalog 2008 • dSPACE • Technologiepark 25 • 33100 Paderborn • Germany • info@dspace.de • www.dspace.com
 AutoBox

Technical Details
Parameter Specification
General Enclosure  Compact aluminum chassis
 Shock mounts with rubber shoes
Slots  7 full-size 16-bit ISA slots (AutoBox)
 14 full-size 16-bit ISA slots (Tandem-AutoBox)
 1 slot reserved for Link Board or slot CPU board for Ethernet connection
 1 additional slot required if AutoBoot Option is used
Cooling and heating  Temperature-controlled fan with dust filter1)
 Heater (optional)1)
Power supply AutoBox  One power supply
Tandem-AutoBox  Two power supplies (each identical to the AutoBox power supply)
 All specifications stated here apply to both of the built-in power supplies.
Operating principle  Two-stage switching power supply with wide input voltage range and
independent output regulation.
Input voltage  8 V … 60 V DC normal operating range without heater
 8 V … 35 V DC normal operating range with heater
 Load-dump protection up to 120 V
Input current  20 A at 12 V nominal
 10 A at 24 V nominal
Overcurrent protection  32 A foldback current line
 60 A external fuse
Start-up current  ≤ 50 A
Quiescent current  < 1 mA with remote off
Output voltages  +5 V, 20 A
 +12 V, 3 A2)
 -12 V, 1.5 A
Output power  135 W at 12 V nominal input voltage
Efficiency  60% at 12 V nominal input voltage
Remote control  Overvoltage-protected remote on/off input. The remote voltage should not exceed
the supply voltage.
Input resistance at remote input  47 kΩ tied to GND
Remote on voltage >4V
Remote off voltage <1V
Power input connector  7-pin male connector
Heater Operating principle  The heater is a PTC thermistor (PTC = positive temperature coefficient). It regulates
(optional) the heat output power itself, depending on the temperature of the air flow from
the upstream fan:
Low temperature -> high current -> high heat output
High temperature -> low current -> low heat output
 The PTC is switched on automatically by the AutoBox power supply, if the
temperature of the air flow is below 0 °C (32 °F).
Power consumption3)  60 W ... 200 W, temperature-controlled
 From car battery
Mounting positions  Horizontal position (with shock mounts below)
 Vertical position
 Not allowed: upside down position
Grounding  Circuit ground is connected to ground of the backplane, which is isolated from car
battery ground.
Physical size AutoBox  195 x 200 x 480 mm (7.7 x 7.9 x 18.9 in) incl. shock mounts
(height x weight x Tandem-AutoBox  195 x 400 x 495 mm (7.7 x 15.7 x 19.5 in) incl. shock mounts
depth)
Weight AutoBox  Approx. 5.3 kg (11.7 lbs)
(without boards) Tandem-AutoBox  Approx. 10.6 kg (21.2 lbs)
Ambient temperature  0 ... 55 °C (32 ... 131 °F)
 -10 ... 55 °C (14 ... 131 °F) with optional heater
1)
In a Tandem-AutoBox, two fans/two heaters (if this option is used) are installed.
2)
If 3 A is fully utilized at +12 V, the current provided for 5 V is reduced to 16.2 A.
3)
The specification stated is valid only for one heater. Note: If you use Tandem-AutoBox with the heater option, two heaters are installed and therefore the power consumption doubles.

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Catalog 2008 • dSPACE • Technologiepark 25 • 33100 Paderborn • Germany • info@dspace.de • www.dspace.com 2008
 Accessories

Order Information

Order Number
Product
Ethernet Interface ISA Bus Link PCMCIA Link PCI Bus Link
AutoBox  AutoBox1  AutoBox/814/813/Opto  AutoBox/814/815  AutoBox/814/817/Opto
Tandem-AutoBox  TABX1  TABX/814/813/Opto  TABX/814/815  TABX/814/817/Opto

AutoBox Option Application Areas Requirements for AutoBoot Option

It is often inconvenient to download the  Requires slot CPU board for Ethernet
application from the host PC to the processor connection
board for every experiment. One such example  Requires 1 additional slot in AutoBox
is a test drive carries out by testers who have  Includes complete set of hardware
to investigate general characteristics such as (CompactFlash card with PCIMCIA adapter)
driving comfort and driving behavior. In these
cases, the AutoBoot option enables AutoBox
to start without any user interaction by booting
from an inserted memory card. You can still use
ControlDesk for test purposes.

With the AutoBox in the trunk of the test car, you can
control your experiment from the passenger seat.

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2008 Catalog 2008 • dSPACE • Technologiepark 25 • 33100 Paderborn • Germany • info@dspace.de • www.dspace.com
 AutoBox

Connection to the Host PC

Several Options for Connection
There are several options for connecting an
AutoBox to your host PC/Laptop: The physical
connection between the host PC and AutoBox
is established via a high-speed serial or optical
link. There are Link Boards for connecting host
PCs with ISA bus, PCI bus, PCMCIA interface or
Ethernet interface.
Shock and Vibration Test Link Boards
To verify its reliability under realistic operating
conditions, AutoBox was exposed to an extreme
8-hour shock and vibration test. Up to 5 g sine-
sweep vibration from 5 to 2000 Hz and a series
of shocks with 15 g peak acceleration in three
axes were applied. During the test, AutoBox
continuously executed a program, including I/O,
without any failures.

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Ethernet Interface (TCP/IP) ISA Bus Link

 Ethernet network adapter or PCMCIA  DS813 Link Board (PC)
Ethernet adapter for host PC  DS814 Link Board (box)
 Slot CPU board (X86/133 MHz) with  Optical connection
Ethernet interface for expansion box  100 megabit/s technology1)
 Ethernet connection
 100 megabit/s technology1)

PCMCIA Link PCI Bus Link

 DS815 Link Board (PC)  DS817 Link Board (PC)
 DS814 Link Board (Box)  DS814 Link Board (Box)
 High-speed serial link  Optical connection
 100 megabit/s technology1)  100 megabit/s technology1)

ExpressCard Link Board PCI Express Bus Link

 DS821 Link Board (PC)  DS819
 DS814 Link Board (Box)  DS814 Link Board (Box)
 High-speed serial link  Optical connection
 100 megabit/s technology1)  100 megabit/s technology1)
1)
This transfer rate describes the capabilities of the hardware components and circuits of our products. Depending on the software, the
achievable performance figures can deviate significantly from this hardware specification.

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Catalog 2008 • dSPACE • Technologiepark 25 • 33100 Paderborn • Germany • info@dspace.de • www.dspace.com 2008