Kithara Real-Time Timer

Real-time on Windows

Do you still remember the never ending problems with MultiMedia-Timer on your first Pentium computer? Today standard mechanisms mediate a faster and more solid impression. Though the timing plays a decisive part. Woe betide anyone who wants to run multiple applications at the same time or needs high-precision time stamps for long-term tests! This is where the "fair weather real-time" ends and other solutions are more suitable. Especially for industrial automotion applications a cyclic acquisition of data or an exact surveillance of process states in real-time is necessary.

Our high-frequency timer for Windows are used in modern process measuring, control and adjustment applications. The programming of them is possible at the application level as well as the kernel level. Their mode of operation is comparable to the precision of real-time operating systems. Kithara's timer are programmable to 10 kHz and beyond at the kernel level. The abberation (jitter) is only few microseconds. For fast data exchange between the kernel and application level there are events, shared memory and comfortable pipe mechanisms available.

Many applications can just be described by a complex model of actions. Therefore they need adequate efficient intruments for conversion. Hardly any approach is more suitable for that purpose than a priority based preemptive real-time multitasking system. Realize tasks up to 255 priority stages, which certainly guarantee that the highest ranked task is executed, of course in real-time.

The precondition for achieving "hard" real-time characteristics is the execution of your application code at the system's kernel level. At this Kithara's various real-time extensions support your demands. Use the following benefits:

• Highest timer frequencies and least jitter
• Priority based preemptive real-time multitasking
• Accurate real-time, programmable up to 10 kHz and beyond
• Abberation is only few microseconds
• Timing in different formats
• High precision short-time delay in 0,1-microsecond steps
• C/C++ or Delphi (Win32 native) are supporting usage on kernel level
• Operating systems: Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, 2000 and NT

Unlike other suppliers we allocate you function libaries. This way you benefit from a slender, demand-oriented programming. Because it is not a black box, your developers can master it down to the last detail and thereby make modifications themselves.

Realize your complex applications by using our know-how! Utilize multitasking and real-time ethernet communication up to 1 GBit/s for manifold automotion applications, for example applications with EtherCAT, Profibus or CAN based field bus. The concept is completed by suitable and capable development tools like the Kernel Tracer for accurate microsecond monitoring of all procedures or the Master Monitor for graphical visualization and control of affiliated I/O-clamps, sensors and actuators.

Press releases regarding Kithara real-time timer can be found here.