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AutoBox/Tandem-AutoBox

Housing for in-vehicle use

With AutoBox, dSPACE modular hardware can be used for in-vehicle applications. It provides extended robustness and can be directly powered by a car battery.

  • Robust housing
  • Power supply via car battery, for 12 V, 24 V, and 48 V electrical systems
  • Improved cold start behavior

Application Areas

AutoBox is the ideal enclosure for using your modular dSPACE real-time system to carry out in-vehicle control experiments such as test drives in the development of powertrains, chassis control or advanced driver assistance systems. You can install AutoBox quite easily in your test car, e.g., in the trunk or the passenger cabin.

Key Benefits

AutoBox is a robust box for mounting processor boards and I/O boards. It provides space for dSPACE hardware (7 slots in the AutoBox, 15 slots in the Tandem-AutoBox). Designed for in-vehicle use, AutoBox can operate with 12 V, 24 V and 48 V power supplies under rough environmental conditions. 

Parameter Specification
AutoBox Tandem-AutoBox
General Chassis
  • Compact aluminum chassis, shock mounts with rubber shoes
  Slots
  • 7 full-size 16-bit ISA slots
  • 1 slot reserved for link board or slot CPU board for Ethernet connection (both not required for PHS-bus systems based on DS1007)
  • 15 full-size 16-bit ISA slots
  • The rightmost slot is recommended for a short card like a link board or a slot CPU board for Ethernet connection.1)
  Cooling
  • Temperature-controlled fan with dust filter
Power supply Input voltage
  • 10 V ... 60 V DC normal operating range
  • 6 V ... 10 V DC undervoltage crank condition, time-limited (> 10 s at 6 V DC, measured at input connector)
  Load dump protection2)
  • 60 V … 70 V DC
    • Fully operational, not time-limited
    • Meets transient test case of 48 V vehicle onboard power supply system
  • 70 V … 100 V DC1)
    • Delayed shutdown depending on input overvoltage level and load
  • Reverse polarity protection up to 100 V DC2)
  Max. input current
  • 25 A at ≥ 10 V input voltage
  • 40 A at ≥ 10 V input voltage
  Input protection
  • Adaptive overcurrent/short-circuit protection
  Start-up current
  • Max. 6 A
  • Soft start
  • 230 ms at 12 V DC start-up time
  Quiescent current
  • < 1 mA with remote off at 12 V
  • < 3 mA with remote off at 48 V
  Max. output currents3)
  • 40 A, +5 V
  • 10 A, +12 V
  • 3 A, -12 V
  Max. output power
  • 300 W
  Efficiency
  • 85% within input voltage operation range
  • Approx. 90 % at 48 V input voltage
  Input/output isolation2)
  • 100 V
  Power input connector
  • 7-pin male connector
Remote control General
  • Overvoltage-protected remote on/off input. Overvoltage protection of the remote pin is also 100 V.
  Input resistance at remote input
  • 44 kΩ tied to GND
  Remote on voltage
  • > 4 V
  Remote off voltage
  • < 1 V
Power input connector
  • 7-pin male connector
  • Max. 20 µH differential mode inductance for the supply cabling
Status LEDs
  • 1 multi-color LED on the bracket of the power supply board
  • 3 multi-color LEDs on the component side of the power supply board
Shock and vibration resistance ISO 16750 – 3:2012/4.2.2
  • Mechanical test of shock resistance
  • Test conditions: 
    • Shock direction: six spatial directions
    • Acceleration: 50 g/6 ms; half-sinusoidal
    • Number of shocks: 10 per direction
    • Operating
ISO 16750-3:2012/4.1.2.4 
Test IV
  • Mechanical test of vibration resistance
  • Test conditions (-3 dB):
    • Broad band noise, 1 h per axis/3 spatial axes
    • RMS acceleration 19.2 m/s2
    • Operating
  • Test conditions (-6 dB):
    • Broad band noise, 1 h per axis/3 spatial axes
    • RMS acceleration 13.54 m/s2
    • Operating
Mounting positions
  • Horizontal position (with shock mounts4) at the bottom)
Grounding
  • Circuit ground is connected to the backplane ground, which is isolated from the vehicle battery ground
Physical size
  • 195 x 220 x 480 mm (7.7 x 8.6 x 18.9 in) incl. shock mounts
  • 195 x 415 x 495 mm (7.7 x 16.3 x 19.5 in) incl. shock mounts
Weight (without boards)
  • Approx. 6.5 kg (14.3 lbs)
  • Approx. 10.8 kg (23.8 lbs)
Ambient temperature5)
  • 0 ... 55 °C (32 ... 131 °F)

 

1) A link board or a slot CPU board is not required for PHS-bus systems based on DS1007.
2) The maximum voltage between any input pins or any output pins and output ground must not exceed 100 V. 
3) The sum of the output currents must not exceed the maximum output power of the supply rails. 
4) Shock mounts must be regularly inspected for visible signs of wear or damage and have to be replaced if necessary. 
5) The dSPACE processor and I/O boards have different maximum ambient temperatures. When they are installed together, the lowest maximum ambient temperature applies.

Basic Information Related Topics Product Information