RMUX16

RMUX16 is a plug-and-play card for an extension slot of the IM7/x. It allows you to connect up to 16 electrochemical cells to the electrochemical workstation simultaneously. For each measurement, a user-defined number of cells are measured (multiplexed) sequentially. When plugged into an empty extension slot, the card is recognized automatically by the instrument.

The counter electrode and reference electrode outlets of the internal IM7/x potentiostat are switched to the active cell only. The working electrode and the sense electrode are connected internally and share a common outlet. Inactive cells are left open-circuit.

The IM7/x can control up to eight RMUX16 add-on cards for up to 128 multiplexed channels.

Packing List

• RMUX16 extension card

Note

The cell cable set RMUX16 CS is required for the measurement with the RMUX16 add-on card. This set includes the potentiostat connection cable (Lemosa plug to ODU plugs Probe E/I) and the 16-channel cell connection cable (D-SUB to 4mm banana plugs) with 16x CE, 16x Ref, 16x WE.

The type of electrochemical workstation (or serial number) must be specified when ordering.

Installation

If the RMUX16 card is purchased together with a base unit, it will already be installed in the IM7/x system. Upgrading an existing IM7/x with RMUX16 cards is straightforward — simply insert the cards into the available expansion slots. See IM7 Chapter for further information.

Note

The RMUX16 plug-in card requires an expansion slot with a width of 4TE (corresponds to approx. 20mm). When upgrading, a new, smaller cover panel may be required for the remaining slots. This can be ordered as an accessory.

Specifications

Table 34 RMUX16 Addon Card

Channels	16 (with common working electrode)
Input Impedance	100 GΩ, 30 pF
Maximum Current	±500 mA (per channel)
Connector	44-pin D-Sub
Max. RMUX16 Cards Supported	4 (IM7) for up to 64 channels 8 (IM7/x) for up to 128 channels

Configuration

Caution

Before connecting either the RMUX16 to the IM7/x or the cells to the RMUX16, switch off the potentiostat!

RMUX16 functions are controlled through the internal system bus, while the analog signal connections must be set up externally. For this purpose, a Y-adapter cable is required (included in the RMUX16 cable set). The single-ended connector plugs into the RMUX16 outlet; the two remaining connectors go to the Probe-I and Probe-E ports of the IM7/x. The connectors are keyed to fit only their corresponding outlets and cannot be mixed up.

The pin assignment of the Lemosa (ERA0S.304.CLL) outlet on the RMUX16 front panel is as follows:

Table 35 RMUX16 Potentiostat Connector

Pin	Signal
1 | CE counter electrode
2 | WE working electrode (common)
3 | RE reference electrode
4 | WEs working electrode sense (common)

Cell Connection

The optional RMUX16 cable set (RMUX16 CS) comes with a multi-lead cell cable which is connected to the 44-pin D-Sub outlet of the RMUX16.

The multi-tail cable provides three leads for each of 16 cells. The color coding is as follows:

• Black - WE working electrode (common signal)

• Green - RE reference electrode

• Red - CE counter electrode

The lead triplets are labeled with the corresponding channel number. When connecting cells, use only the factory-supplied cable.

Note

The complete pinout of the D-SUB port is shown below. The image shows the pinout with a view of the socket from the front.

Table 36 RMUX16 HD-DSUB-44 Pinout

Pin	Signal	Information
1	CE1	counter electrode channel #1
2	CE2	counter electrode channel #2
3	CE3	counter electrode channel #3
4	CE4	counter electrode channel #4
5	CE5	counter electrode channel #5
6	CE6	counter electrode channel #6
7	CE7	counter electrode channel #7
8	CE8	counter electrode channel #8
9	CE9	counter electrode channel #9
10	CE10	counter electrode channel #10
11	CE11	counter electrode channel #11
12	CE12	counter electrode channel #12
13	CE13	counter electrode channel #13
14	CE14	counter electrode channel #14
15	CE15	counter electrode channel #15
16-27	WE	working electrode (common)
28	RE13	reference electrode channel #13
29	RE14	reference electrode channel #14
30	CE16	counter electrode channel #16
31	RE1	reference electrode channel #1
32	RE2	reference electrode channel #2
33	RE3	reference electrode channel #3
34	RE4	reference electrode channel #4
35	RE5	reference electrode channel #5
36	RE6	reference electrode channel #6
37	RE7	reference electrode channel #7
38	RE8	reference electrode channel #8
39	RE9	reference electrode channel #9
40	RE10	reference electrode channel #10
41	RE11	reference electrode channel #11
42	RE12	reference electrode channel #12
43	RE16	reference electrode channel #16
44	RE15	reference electrode channel #15

Front Panel Display

The RMUX16 card provides a two-digit seven-segment front panel display and shows the currently selected RMUX16 channel.

Control of the RMUX16

You can select any channel from 1 to 16. Selecting channel 0 deactivates all channels. If you have multiple RMUX16 cards, do not select a non-zero channel on more than one card at a time, as this would connect those channels in parallel to the MAIN potentiostat.

API

The active RMUX16 channel is selected via the SetHardwarePropertyJob with uri="RMUX16:1", key="MUX_CHANNEL", and value set to the desired channel number (1–16, or 0 to deselect all). A typical workflow loops over all channels, switching the relay before each measurement.

Table 37 SetHardwarePropertyJob Parameters for RMUX16

Parameter	Description	Example
uri	locator of the card with index	"RMUX16:1"
key	property of the card to set	"MUX_CHANNEL"
value	number of the channel, 0 for none	15

The TempuRmuxMio.ipynb example notebook shows how to scan all 16 channels and perform a single-frequency impedance measurement on each cell.

Zahner Lab

The RMUX16 card offers full flexibility when controlled via the Custom Experiment Builder, enabling you to conduct experiments across multiple channels.

Use the Control RMUX16 block to switch between channels directly within your custom experiment. This allows you to automate multi-channel workflows - for example, measuring impedance on each of the 16 channels in sequence using a loop.