XZ060

USER MANUAL
FAMILY OF
10-BIT DIGITIZERS
For Use with DC Series Digitizers

Models covered:
DC122 / DC152
DC222 / DC252 / DC282

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers ZM020170B Rev.B

January 2006

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and may not be construed in any
way as a commitment by Acqiris. While Acqiris makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and contents
of the document it assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear.

All software described in the document is furnished under license. The software may only be used and
copied in accordance with the terms of license. Instrumentation firmware is thoroughly tested and thought
to be functional but it is supplied “as is” with no warranty for specified performance. No responsibility is
assumed for the use or the reliability of software, firmware or any equipment that is not supplied by
Acqiris SA or its affiliated companies.
Any versions of this manual which are supplied with a purchased product will be replaced at your request
with the latest revision in electronic format. At Acqiris we appreciate and encourage customer input. If
you have a suggestion related to the content of this manual or the presentation of information, please
contact your local Acqiris representative or Acqiris Technical Support ([email protected]) or come
visit our web site at http://www.acqiris.com.
Trademarks: product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective
companies

Acqiris Headquarters: Acqiris USA: Acqiris Asia-Pacific:

Acqiris SA Acqiris LLC Acqiris Pty Ltd

18, chemin des Aulx 234 Cromwell Hill Rd. Suite 7, Level 1
CH-1228 Plan-les-Ouates P.O. Box 2203 407 Canterbury Road,
Geneva Monroe, NY 10950-1430 P.O. Box 13
Switzerland USA Surrey Hills 3127
Australia

Tel: +41 22 884 33 90 Tel: 845 782 6544 Tel: +61 3 9888 4586
Fax: +41 22 884 33 99 Fax: 845 782 4745 Fax: +61 3 9849 0861

© Copyright January 2006, Acqiris SA. All rights reserved.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 2 of 60

CONTENTS
1. OUT OF THE BOX ...........................................................................................................................5
1.1. Message to the User......................................................................................................................5
1.2. Using this Manual.........................................................................................................................5
1.3. Conventions Used in This Manual................................................................................................5
1.4. Disclaimer and Safety...................................................................................................................6
1.5. Warning Regarding Medical Use..................................................................................................6
1.6. Packaging and Handling ...............................................................................................................6
1.7. Warranty .......................................................................................................................................7
1.8. Warranty and Repair Return Procedure, Assistance and Support.................................................7
1.9. System Requirements ...................................................................................................................7
1.10. Transport & Shipping ...................................................................................................................8
1.11. Maintenance..................................................................................................................................8
1.12. Cleaning........................................................................................................................................8
1.13. Disposal and Recycling ................................................................................................................8
2. INSTALLATION...............................................................................................................................9
2.1. IC414 Installation .........................................................................................................................9
2.1.1. IC414 Hardware installation hints ....................................................................................9
2.1.2. IC414 Windows software installation...............................................................................9
2.2. Installing the Software under Windows......................................................................................10
2.2.1. Warnings.........................................................................................................................10
2.2.2. Multiple Versions ...........................................................................................................10
2.2.3. Installation ......................................................................................................................11
2.3. Installing the Software for Linux................................................................................................21
2.3.1. Kernel Mode Driver Compilation...................................................................................21
2.3.2. Special cases ...................................................................................................................22
2.3.3. Environment variables for the Firmware ........................................................................22
2.4. Installing the Hardware...............................................................................................................22
2.5. After Restarting ..........................................................................................................................23
2.5.1. Windows 2000................................................................................................................23
2.5.2. Windows XP...................................................................................................................23
2.5.3. MATLAB .......................................................................................................................26
2.6. LabVIEW RT .............................................................................................................................26
2.7. Distribution for Windows 2000/XP ............................................................................................26
2.8. Distribution for Linux.................................................................................................................30
3. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ...........................................................................................................32
3.1. Overview ....................................................................................................................................32
3.2. Channel Input .............................................................................................................................33
3.2.1. Standard & High Impedance Coupling...........................................................................33
3.2.2. Impedance.......................................................................................................................33
3.2.3. Input Protection ..............................................................................................................33
3.2.4. Mezzanine Front-end ......................................................................................................34
3.2.5. Bandwidth and Rise Time ..............................................................................................34
3.2.6. Input Voltage and Offset ................................................................................................34
3.2.7. Vertical Resolution .........................................................................................................34
3.2.8. DC Accuracy and Linearity ............................................................................................34
3.2.9. Using Probes...................................................................................................................34
3.3. Data Acquisition .........................................................................................................................35
3.3.1. Sampling Rate.................................................................................................................35
3.3.2. Acquisition Memory.......................................................................................................35
3.3.3. Single and Sequence Acquisition Modes........................................................................35
3.3.4. Timing ............................................................................................................................36
3.3.5. Timebase Range .............................................................................................................36
3.3.6. Combining channels .......................................................................................................36
3.3.7. Data Readout ..................................................................................................................36

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 3.4. Trigger ........................................................................................................................................37
3.4.1. Trigger Source ................................................................................................................37
3.4.2. Trigger Coupling ............................................................................................................37
3.4.3. Trigger Level ..................................................................................................................37
3.4.4. Edge Trigger Slope .........................................................................................................37
3.4.5. Window Trigger .............................................................................................................37
3.4.6. HF Trigger ......................................................................................................................37
3.4.7. Spike Stretcher................................................................................................................38
3.4.8. Pre- and Post-Trigger Delay ...........................................................................................38
3.4.9. Trigger Status .................................................................................................................38
3.5. External Clock and Reference ....................................................................................................38
3.6. Internal Calibration.....................................................................................................................39
3.7. ASBus2........................................................................................................................................39
3.8. Special Front Panel Inputs and Controls.....................................................................................39
3.9. External Trigger Output..............................................................................................................40
3.10. Electrical, Environmental and Physical Specifications...............................................................40
3.10.1. Electrical.........................................................................................................................40
3.10.2. Environmental and Physical ...........................................................................................41
4. RUNNING THE ACQIRISLIVE APPLICATION.......................................................................42
4.1. Getting Started with AcqirisLive ................................................................................................42
4.2. Control Panel and Functions.......................................................................................................43
4.2.1. Control Panel Mode........................................................................................................43
4.2.2. Displaying Multiple Traces ............................................................................................44
4.2.3. Numeric Editor ...............................................................................................................45
4.2.4. Keyboard shortcuts .........................................................................................................45
4.2.5. Input Voltage Scale, Offset and Coupling ......................................................................46
4.2.6. Trigger ............................................................................................................................46
4.2.7. Acquisition Mode ...........................................................................................................47
4.2.8. Timebase and Memory ...................................................................................................48
4.2.9. Using digitizers of different models simultaneously ......................................................48
4.2.10. Segmented Memory........................................................................................................48
4.2.11. Display Features, Zoom and Persistence ........................................................................49
4.3. Top Line Menu of AcqirisLive ...................................................................................................49
4.4. Setup ...........................................................................................................................................50
4.5. Store, Autostore and Conversion of Waveforms ........................................................................50
4.6. Calibrate......................................................................................................................................51
4.7. Combine channels.......................................................................................................................51
4.8. External 10 MHz Reference and External Clock........................................................................52
4.9. Additional Waveform Information .............................................................................................52
4.10. Display Features .........................................................................................................................52
4.11. Command Line Switches ............................................................................................................52
5. RUNNING THE GEOMAPPER APPLICATION .......................................................................55
5.1. Who needs a Geographical Map of Modules..............................................................................55
5.2. When should the GeoMapper Application be used.....................................................................55
5.3. How to run GeoMapper ..............................................................................................................55
6. APPENDIX A: ASBUS2 FOR COMPACTPCI/PXI DIGITIZERS ............................................58
7. APPENDIX B: XA001 BATTERY BACKUP FOR COMPACTPCI DIGITIZERS .................59
8. APPENDIX C: XA100 BNC INPUT OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTION ..................................60

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1. Out of the Box

1.1. Message to the User

Congratulations on having purchased an Acqiris data conversion product. Acqiris Digitizers are high-
speed data acquisition modules designed for capturing high frequency electronic signals. To get the most
out of the products we recommend that you read this manual carefully. We trust the product you have
purchased will meet with your expectations and provide you with a high quality solution to your data
conversion applications.

1.2. Using this Manual

This guide assumes you are familiar with the operation of a personal computer (PC) running a Windows
2000/XP or other supported operating system. It also assumes you have a basic understanding of the
principles of data acquisition using either a waveform digitizer or a digital oscilloscope.
The manual is divided into 5 separate sections. To understand the elements of operation for the module it
is essential that you read them all.
Chapter 1 OUT OF THE BOX, describes what to do when you first receive your new Acqiris
product. Special attention should be paid to sections on safety, packaging and product
handling. Before installing your product please ensure that your system configuration
matches or exceeds the requirements specified.
Chapter 2 INSTALLATION, covers all elements of installation and performance verification.
Before attempting to use your Acqiris product for actual measurements we strongly
recommend that you read all sections of this chapter.
Chapter 3 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION, provides a full description of all the functional elements
of the digitizer.
Chapter 4 RUNNING THE ACQIRISLIVE APPLICATION, describes the operation of
AcqirisLive 2.15, an application that enables basic operation of Acqiris digitizers in a
Windows 2000/XP environment. Note: AcqirisMAQS is a new software application
offering many interesting possibilities for the control of acquisition systems in a single
or multi-machine environment. Ask your salesman or Acqiris for more information.
Chapter 5 RUNNING THE GEOMAPPER APPLICATION, describes the purpose and operation
of the GeoMapper application which is needed for some ASBus2 Multi-instrument
systems.
For information necessary for writing you own software to control Acqiris products you should refer to
the Programmer’s Guide and the Programmer’s Reference Manual.

1.3. Conventions Used in This Manual

The following conventions are used in this manual:

This icon to the left of text warns that an important point must be observed.
WARNING Denotes a warning, which advises you of precautions to take to avoid being electrically
shocked.
CAUTION Denotes a caution, which advises you of precautions to take to avoid electrical,
mechanical, or operational damages.
NOTE Denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.
Italic text denotes a warning, caution, or note.
Bold Italic text is used to emphasize an important point in the text or a note
mono text is used for sections of code, programming examples and operating system
commands.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 5 of 60

 1.4. Disclaimer and Safety
The 10-bit DC Series CompactPCI/PXI Digitizers have been designed to operate inside a
CompactPCI/PXI crate. The crate provides the modules with all needed power. Acqiris does not
recommend operation of the DC Series modules outside of a CompactPCI/PXI crate.
CAUTION: Do not exceed the maximum input voltage rating! The maximum input voltage for
50 Ω input impedance is ±5 V. The maximum input for 1 MΩ input impedance is
±300 V (dc + ac).

1.5. Warning Regarding Medical Use

The Digitizer cards are not designed with components and testing procedures that would ensure a level of
reliability suitable for use in treatment and diagnosis of humans. Applications of these cards involving
medical or clinical treatment can create a potential for accidental injury caused by product failure, or by
errors on the part of the user. These cards are not intended to be a substitute for any form of established
process or equipment used to monitor or safeguard human health and safety in medical treatment.
WARNING: The modules discussed in this manual have not been designed for making direct
measurements on the human body. Users who connect an Acqiris module to a human
body do so at their own risk.

1.6. Packaging and Handling

Your Digitizer is shipped with the following components:
• A compact disc that includes
o 7 product user manuals in electronic form (Family of 8-bit Digitizers, Family of 10-bit
Digitizers, Family of 12-bit Digitizers, Family of Averagers, Family of Analyzers,
CC10X Family of CompactPCI Crates and CC121 CompactPCI Crate),
o 1 Programmer’s Guide and 1 Programmer’s Reference Manual,
o device drivers with sample software for different operating systems, environments and
languages,
o the AcqirisLive application, a demonstration program for our digitizer and averager
products,
o the AP_SSRDemo application, a demonstration program for the Acqiris AP235/AP240
Analyzers,
o the APx01Demo application, a demonstration program for the Acqiris AP101/AP201
Analyzers,
o product data sheets,
o full installation procedures for use with Microsoft Windows, National Instruments
LabVIEW RT, Phar Lap ETS, Wind River VxWorks, and Linux software.
• A declaration of conformity
• Optional documentation such as a model-dependent document giving Specifications &
Characteristics, a Calibration Certificate, or a Performance Verification
After carefully unpacking all items, inspect each to ensure there are no signs of visible damage. Also
check that all the components received match those listed on the enclosed packing list. Acqiris cannot
accept responsibility for missing items unless we are notified promptly of any discrepancies. If any items
are found to be missing or are received in a damaged condition please contact the Customer Support
Center or your local supplier immediately. Retain the box and packing materials for possible inspection
and/or reshipment.

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 1.7. Warranty
All Acqiris Digitizer products are warranted to operate within specification, assuming normal operation,
for a period of three years from the date of shipment. It is recommended that yearly calibration be made in
order to verify product performance. All repairs, replacement and spare parts are warranted for a period of
3 months. A 5-year repair warranty is available as an option.
Acqiris endeavors to provide leading edge technology that includes the latest concepts in hardware and
software design. As such software and firmware used with the products is under continual refinement and
improvement. All software and instrument firmware is supplied “as is” with no warranty of any kind.
Software and firmware is thoroughly tested and thought to be functional at the time of shipment. At
Acqiris' discretion software and firmware may be revised if a significant operational malfunction is
detected.
Products supplied but not manufactured by Acqiris are covered solely by the warranty of the original
equipment manufacturer.
In exercising this warranty, Acqiris will repair or replace any product returned to the Customer Support
Center, or an Authorized Repair Center, within the warranty period. The warranty covers all defects that
are a result of workmanship or materials. This excludes defects that are caused by accident, misuse,
neglect, or abnormal operation.
The purchaser is responsible for returning the goods to the nearest Customer Support Center. This
includes transportation costs and insurance. Acqiris will return all warranty repairs with transportation
prepaid.

1.8. Warranty and Repair Return Procedure, Assistance and Support

Before returning any Acqiris product for repair please contact your nearest service center for a Return
Authorization Number (RAN). In order to issue a RAN we suggest that you communicate with us using
eMail. Our standard form will require your name, company, phone number and address, the model and
serial numbers of the unit to be repaired and a brief description of the problem. If a unit returned under
guarantee is found to be working normally and this procedure was not followed we reserve the right to
charge you for the work done.
As well as providing you with an RAN, Acqiris Support Centers can assist you with any questions
concerning the installation, operation or service of your equipment. For your nearest customer support
center contact Acqiris at 1-877-ACQIRIS in the USA, +41 22 884 33 90 in Europe or +61 3 9888 4586 in
the Asia-Pacific region.

1.9. System Requirements

In order to obtain reasonable performance from your digitizer, Acqiris products need the following
minimum PC System Requirements:
Processor: 150 MHz Pentium (higher recommended)
Memory: 64 Mbytes RAM. The previous number is a very rough estimate. Assuming that you are using
AcqirisLive or an application of your own that operates on the acquired data it seems
reasonable to ask for 10 times the total acquisition memory that you will be using at the same
time in the application. Performance is likely to be degraded if less memory is available.
Display resolution: At least 800 x 600 pixels and 256 colors for use of AcqirisLive or AcqirisDemo
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 2000/XP, Phar Lap Real-time ETS 12.0 Kernel, Wind River
VxWorks 5.5.1, and Linux (RedHat 8.0 - Kernel Version 2.4.18, RedHat 9.0 - Kernel Version
2.4.20, or Fedora Core 3 – Kernel Version 2.6). Linux kernel driver source code is available for
compilation.
Hard Drive Space: 20 Mbytes Minimum
CD Drive (or any method to copy Acqiris Software installation files from CD to the hard drive such as
LAN, floppy drive, etc.)

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ETS: The example files are for Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 with Phar Lap ETS 12.0 support.
LabVIEW: The Acqiris LabVIEW driver is available for National Instruments LabVIEW versions 6.0,
6.1, 7.0, or 7.1
LabVIEW RT: The Acqiris LabVIEW RT driver is available for National Instruments LabVIEW RT
version 7.1 or higher. The VISA driver must be version 3.0 or higher (and not 3.2,3.3, or 3.3.1
for DC2x2).
MATLAB: The Acqiris MEX interface can be used with MathWorks MATLAB 6.5 or a newer vesion.
Alternatively, to successfully use the Acqiris MATLAB Adaptor you must have at least
MathWorks MATLAB 6.5 with the Data Acquisition Toolbox.
Visual BASIC: The interface files and examples are available for Microsoft Visual Basic versions 5 or 6
and the interface files only for .NET.
Tornado: The example files are useable with Wind River Tornado 2.2.1

1.10. Transport & Shipping

CAUTION: Cards can be safely transported in their original shipping packages. DC cards can be
transported when properly mounted in a CompactPCI crate.

1.11. Maintenance
The cards do not require any maintenance. There are no user serviceable parts inside. A periodic
calibration can be obtained on request.

1.12. Cleaning
Cleaning procedures consist only of exterior cleaning.
Clean the exterior surfaces of the module with a dry lint-free cloth or a soft-bristle brush. If any dirt
remains, wipe with a cloth moistened in a mild soap solution. Remove any soap residue by wiping with a
cloth moistened with clear water. Do not use abrasive compounds on any parts.

1.13. Disposal and Recycling

Electronic equipment should be properly disposed of. Acqiris Digitizers and their accessories must not
be thrown out as normal waste. Separate collection is appropriate and may be required by law.

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2. Installation
This chapter describes how to install the Acqiris hardware and software for Windows 2000/XP, Linux,
National Instruments LabVIEW RT, Phar Lap ETS, or Wind River VxWorks.
NOTE: For a first time installation Acqiris strongly recommends installing the software before
inserting the hardware into the PC.

2.1. IC414 Installation

NOTE: If you are going to install an IC414 interface for the first time and are running Windows 2000 or
XP you should follow the procedure below before installing the Acqiris hardware.

2.1.1. IC414 Hardware installation hints

The PCI-8570/PXI-8570 User's Manual (Rev. 1.00) section 2.5 gives Hardware Installation instructions.
CAUTION: Turn off the power of the PC; the PC may have to be unplugged to ensure that the PCI
bus has no power available.
CAUTION: Touch the antistatic package to a grounded object before removing the card from the
package. Electrostatic discharge can damage the card.
The standard cable pair provided each have a red connector on one end and a black connector on the
other. Therefore the correct connection can be made by plugging the Red connector into the L0Rx socket
and the Black connector into the L0Tx socket on the PXI module and the other Red connector into the
PCI module socket furthest from the PCI card internal base connector and the Black connector into the
next socket.
If you intend to use 64-bit 66MHz transfer to maximize data transfer speed you should cable a “bundled
link” use two standard cable pairs and both the L0 and L1 pairs of connectors. You should also make sure
that you configure the PXI-8570 M66EN Jumper correctly.

2.1.2. IC414 Windows software installation

Linux users do not need to read any further since there is no special software installation.
Windows users should have the hardware installed as noted above. This software installation should be
done before any Acqiris modules are placed in the CompactPCI crates. This may mean that you have to
remove the module from the crate as delivered.
The crate should be turned on first followed by the PC. If the cabling and start-up sequence is done
correctly there will be no LED illuminated on the PCI unit connected pair and the LED's of the PXI
connected pair will be lit.
For Windows XP installation, Select the Control Panel under Settings in the Start menu. Then, if you
are using the Category View select Printers and Other Hardware. After this, for both Category and
Classic views, go to System and then display the Hardware tab to get access to the Driver Signing
menu. Since neither the AdLink nor the Acqiris driver has been submitted for Windows Logo testing you
must select either the Ignore or Warn action. The resulting menu looks as shown:

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The PCI-8570/PXI-8570 User's Manual (Rev. 1.00) section 2.4 contains the software installation
instructions. These should be executed before allowing the hardware installation process to look for the
driver. If you have an AdLink CD Version 2004A4 or later you can use it; if not you should download the
latest driver from the WEB site (http://www.adlinktech.com/). You can then continue with the Hardware
Installation. A reboot will then be necessary. At this point the Stargen Fabric PCI Adapter and the Stargen
Aruba Fabric-to-PCI Bridge should appear correctly installed under System Devices in the Device
Manager.
NOTE: If you have an AdLink CD Version 2005A3 or 2005A4 you can find 8570install.exe in the folder
X:\Driver Installation\PXI Platform\PXI Extension\PCI_PXI-8570\Wnt2kxp and the starfab1.inf file in
the folder X:\Driver Installation\PXI Platform\PXI Extension\PCI_PXI-8570\Win98.

2.2. Installing the Software under Windows

2.2.1. Warnings
If Setup detects a previous installation of Acqiris software on your system, a warning screen will be
displayed. It is recommended to exit Setup and uninstall older versions.
The installer from software releases prior to Acqiris Software 2.0 installed the Digitizer Driver DLL
files into the System directory. These will be removed by Setup. If you wish to keep the old installation
on your system, you should exit Setup, and move all Acqiris driver files (acqiris*, acqrs* and acqir*) to
some archive directory.
The DLL files will be installed into the bin subdirectory of the Acqiris software root, and the
corresponding path will be added to the PATH environment variable.

2.2.2. Multiple Versions

With the software installation from Acqiris Software 2.0 (or above), it is possible to keep multiple
versions on the same system, but you must specify a different root directory (i.e. Install Folder). If you
keep the same directory, Setup will overwrite your previous installation.
To go back to a previous version, you must change the PATH environment variable and reinstall the
Kernel driver. Note that the 10-bit instruments are not supported by Kernel versions before 1.8 which was
part of Acqiris Software 2.13c. Under Windows 2000/XP,

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 1. Copy the SYS file from <old_AcqirisSoftware_root>\bin\kernel to the
Windows\System32\drivers directory.
2. Change the AcqirisDxRoot, AcqirisDxDir and PATH environment variables to the old root.
3. Reboot the computer.

2.2.3. Installation
Before installing the Acqiris hardware, you should complete the following steps to install the software for
Windows 2000/XP.
NOTE: You will need administrator privileges to complete the software installation under
Windows 2000//XP.
1. Insert the Acqiris Software CD into the CD-ROM drive of your computer. If the Autorun program
does not start automatically (Autoplay disabled), you can start it manually, or navigate to the
AcqirisSoftware\Windows folder in order to display the files included.
2. Choose Install AcqirisSoftware for Windows 2000/XP (or run Setup.exe from the
AcqirisSoftware\Windows folder). After several seconds for initialization the following screen will
appear.

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3. To proceed with the installation click “Next”. The following screen will be shown.

4. Please enter your user information and click “Next” to continue. If the program finds that there is still
Acqiris software installed on your machine a warning panel (not shown) will appear. Otherwise, the
next screen shows:

5. Pick the desired combination of module families and click "Next" to continue.

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6. The screen above will normally allow the documentation to be installed. Remove the check from the
box if you do not want online access to the manuals.
7. The next screen allows you to enable LabVIEW RT, Phar Lap ETS, and/or Wind River VxWorks
support. By default there will be none but if desired you can install any of them together with
Windows support or without Windows support. Click “Next” to continue.

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8. The screen below asks for the desired installation type. After having made your choice Click “Next”
to continue.

9. If you chose the Custom installation, the following screen will let you select each package
individually. Note that the space indicated for LabVIEW, Firmware and UserManual packages is
incorrect. The correct values are 10 MB, 23 MB, and 27 MB respectively.

10. If MATLAB is installed on your machine, you will be asked to point the installer to the MATLAB
root directory. You should do this if you want the installer to modify the standard startup.m file to
incorporate the Acqiris adaptor.

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11. Now that the elements of the installation have all been decided you will be prompted for the
installation folder. This will be the root directory of the Acqiris software installation. If User Manuals
(27 MB) and Firmware (23 MB) are loaded more space than indicated here will be required on the
drive. For the case of a Tornado 2.2 installation the folder name should not contain any spaces.

12. Furthermore, you should give a name to the shortcut folder. This is the menu entry under Start →
Programs where you will find the shortcuts for AcqirisLive, manual(s), etc.

13. If you have enabled the installation of 12-bit Digitizers, Averagers, or Analyzers, the next screen lets
you change the name of the directory where the FPGA firmware will be installed.

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14. AcqirisLive needs the LabWindows/CVI 7.0 Run-Time Engine to run. If Setup has detected that a
LabWindows/CVI Run-Time Engine is already installed on your system, it will ask you if you would
like to install it locally for AcqirisLive anyway. If you are not sure about the version of the CVI Run-
Time Engine on your system, it is recommended to install it locally. Click “Next” to continue.

15. Depending on the install type, you may be asked which LabVIEW version format you want for the
LabVIEW files. Select the appropriate format and click “Next” to continue.

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16. A summary will be shown to allow you to check what you have asked for

17. You are now ready to install. You may still go back to any previous screen to modify your selection.
Click “Install” when ready.

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18. Setup will now copy the files and make the necessary changes to your system. When done, an
information screen will be displayed. Please read this carefully.

19. Registration of your installation will help us provide you with better support. You will also be
notified of updates and upgrades. All information submitted to Acqiris will be treated confidentially
and never be disclosed outside the company.

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20. Setup will prepare a registration e-mail in your e-mail client application upon termination of the setup
procedure. You can then decide whether or not you wish to send it. You may also add comments.
Uncheck the box if you do not want to register your installation.

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21. Click “Finish”. The software installation is now complete.
22. You can now either accept the suggestion to restart the computer or you should shutdown your
computer and proceed with the hardware installation.

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 2.3. Installing the Software for Linux
The Acqiris Software is ready to install and run on Linux systems with either RedHat versions 8.0
(Kernel Version 2.4.18-14) or 9.0 (Kernel Version 2.4.20-8), or Fedora Core 3 (Kernel Version 2.6.9-
1.667 and 2.6.9-1.667smp), or Debian Sarge (Kernel Version 2.6.8-2-686). The driver and the library
were compiled with GNU gcc 3.3. The Kernel Driver source code is available for recompilation for users
with other Linux systems.
The tar file AcqirisLinux.bz2 should be copied to a local directory (e.g. your home directory) and then
unpacked by using the following command
tar xjf AcqirisLinux.bz2
The resulting directory AcqirisLinux contains an install script drv-install and a graphical Demo program
demo/AcqirisDemo.
Before installing the driver you have to put the correct version of the Kernel mode driver into
acqirisPCI.o. By default the version 2.4.18 RH8 is ready. If this is not what is needed type
cp lib/modules/acqrsPCI.o[.n] lib/modules/acqrsPCI.o
where the driver is from the following list
acqrsPCI.o.2.4.18-14 for Kernel Version 2.4.18 and RH8
acqrsPCI.o.2.4.20-8 for Kernel Version 2.4.20 and RH9
acqrsPCI.o.2.4.21-4.EL Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 3
acqrsPCI.o.2.4.21-4.ELsmp for above with SMP
acqrsPCI.o.2.6.9-1.667 for Kernel Version 2.6.9 and the Fedora Core 3
acqrsPCI.ko.2.6.9-1.667smp for above with SMP
acqrsPCI.ko 2.6.8-2-686 for Debian Sarge
To install the driver and the load script to the system, you have to get super user privileges and execute
the driver install script by typing,
cd AcqirisLinux
./drv-install add
You can check that the driver is loaded properly with lsmod or dmesg. The drv-install script has the
following additional functionality:
drv-install rem to remove the driver and load script
drv-install res to restart the driver
If you intend to use an Averager, an Analyzer, or a 12-Bit Digitizer you must install the Firmware .bit
files. You can either copy them from the Firmware directory of the CD-ROM or download them from our
WEB site. They should be placed in the Firmware subdirectory of AcqirisLinux. In the case of the CD-
ROM, this can be done by continuing the above command sequence with the following:
cp /mnt/CDRom/Firmware/*.bit Firmware/

2.3.1. Kernel Mode Driver Compilation

For some special kernels, for example SMP, the kernel mode driver will have to be recompiled on the
target system. All files needed to compile a new kernel mode driver are in AcqirisLinux/linuxdriverpci for
Kernel 2.4 or in AcqirisLinux/linux2.6driverpci for Kernel 2.6
The makefile can be used for compilation under a Redhat compatible distribution. To compile the driver,
the kernel header files need to be installed. The path variable INCLUDEDIR in the Makefile has to point
to the correct kernel header files. The default path INCLUDEDIR = /usr/src/linux-2.4 or /usr/src/linux-
2.6, respectively. This path usually is a link to the actual header files (driver source).
To compile for a new kernel under linux-2.4, issue the following commands:
ƒ cd linuxdriverpci
ƒ make clean to remove all *.o files in AcqirisLinux/linuxdriverpci.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 21 of 60

 ƒ make to generate a new kernel mode driver acqrsPCI.o and also copy it to the directory
AcqirisLinux/lib/modules where the install script (drv_install) can access it.
ƒ drv_install rem to remove the previous installed kernel mode driver.
ƒ drv_install add to install the new driver.
To compile for a new kernel under linux-2.6, issue the following commands:
ƒ cd linux2.6driverpci
ƒ make clean all to generate a new kernel mode driver acqrsPCI.ko from scratch.
ƒ make install to copy the kernel module where it should reside.
Note that this version of the loadable kernel module had been tested on Linux kernel versions up
to 2.6.13.

2.3.2. Special cases

If you are running a Linux distribution that doesn’t use the standard paths for the load scripts, you can
load the driver with the command
cd AcqirisLinux
./drv-install load
Copy the driver to the module directory as follows:
cp lib/modules/acqrsPCI.o[.n] /lib/modules/{kv}/ACQIRIS/acqrsPCI.o
where [.n] is the optional designation of the desired version of the acqrsPCI driver as given above and
{kv} is the appropriate system kernel version (i.e. 2.4.20).
Then add the following command to rc.local.
/sbin/insmod –f /lib/modules//{kv}/ACQIRIS/acqrsPCI.o

2.3.3. Environment variables for the Firmware

Automatic loading of the firmware needed by 12-bit and AP modules relies on the environment variable
AcqirisDxDir pointing to the directory containing the file AqDrv4.ini which in turn points to the
directory containing the Firmware .bit files. Therefore, assuming that your Firmware is in
/usr/local/AcqirisLinux/Firmware and that AqDrv4.ini is in /usr/local/AcqirisLinux/demo then you
must edit AqDrv4.ini so that it contains the line
fpgaPath=/usr/local/AcqirisLinux/Firmware
Then, if your shell is csh or tcsh modify the /etc/csh.login file to contain the line
setenv AcqirisDxDir /usr/local/AcqirisLinux/demo
or, if your shell is bash, ksh, zsh or sh, modify the /etc/profile file to contain the lines
AcqirisDxDir=/usr/local/AcqirisLinux/demo
export AcqirisDxDir

2.4. Installing the Hardware

1. Turn off the power of the PC and the crate in the case of a CompactPCI module. For PCI
modules the PC should be unplugged to ensure that the PCI bus has no power available.
However, CompactPCI crates can be left plugged in since this ensures proper grounding.
CAUTION: Touch the antistatic package to a grounded metal part of the PC or crate before
removing the card from the package. Electrostatic discharge can damage the card.
2. Module in a CompactPCI crate: Follow the instructions of the crate manufacturer to insert the
DC Series card into a free 6U CompactPCI peripheral slot. Be sure to ground yourself by
touching the grounded crate and avoid touching any components on the DC Series card. Be sure
to tighten both front panel mounting screws to lock the module into place and insure proper
grounding of the frame.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 22 of 60

 NOTE: To ensure the best possible performance, users of Acqiris CC121 Crates with ASBus2 systems
should respect the module placement rules to be found in the Acqiris CC121 CompactPCI Crate User
Manual.
3. Turn on the power of the crate(s), and then the PC and start the operating system.
NOTE: Acqiris Digitizers are equipped with a LED. If this LED is not glowing orange or red when
the power is applied there is a severe problem. Either the module is broken or the necessary voltages
for its use are not available.
NOTE: For proper system operation when using the IC200, IC414, or other PCI extension interface
from Acqiris to connect a CC10X crate to a remote PC, the crate must be powered on before the PC
in order for the PC BIOS to recognize the presence of the CompactPCI crate.
4. Devices that were installed using a previous version of Acqiris Software the instruments in
these logical positions will still appear as Unknown Devices. This can be changed to the new
Acqiris type category with the Grey Diamond icon by Uninstalling the device and then
Installing again. Instructions on this procedure can be found in the ReadMe.txt file in the
manuals folder of your Acqiris Software installation.

2.5. After Restarting

2.5.1. Windows 2000

Under Windows 2000, you must login with administrator privileges after the first boot following the
hardware installation; the Plug&Play system must have the appropriate privileges to be able to complete
your hardware installation successfully. After a successful hardware installation, you will be able to use
your Acqiris Digitizer(s) with normal privileges.
At the first boot following the hardware installation, Windows will detect the new hardware and will
install the devices automatically. The following image will appear.

NOTE: In some systems an application program (such as AcqirisLive) will not yet work correctly at this
point. One additional boot cycle may be needed if this is the first time that a hardware board is being
installed.

2.5.2. Windows XP
Under Windows XP, you must login with administrator privileges after the first boot following the
hardware installation; the Plug&Play system must have the appropriate privileges to be able to complete
your hardware installation successfully. After a successful hardware installation, you will be able to use
your Acqiris Digitizer(s) with normal privileges.
If you login with administrator privileges after the first boot following the hardware installation,
Windows will detect the new hardware and start the “Found New Hardware Wizard” after a few seconds.
NOTE: Acqiris Digitizers and the drivers provided do not support the Standby mode. You may want to
de-activate this feature if it is in use on your PC. An error message will occur if the transition into
Standby mode is attempted.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 23 of 60

To proceed with the installation click "No, not this time" and then “Next”. The following window will
appear:

To proceed with the installation click “Next”. You should then see

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 24 of 60

and then

NOTE: In some systems an application program (such as AcqirisLive) will not yet work correctly at this
point. One additional boot cycle may be needed if this is the first time that a hardware board is being
installed.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 25 of 60

 2.5.3. MATLAB
If you want to use the Data Acquisition Toolbox interface then the Acqiris Adaptor has to be registered.
This can be done with the following command:
>> Aq_Install
This command will also generate diagnostic information that confirms that the installation succeeded.
Since a calibration will be performed the command may take a while to execute. If no errors are shown
the CallAcqiris.dll file was successfully installed. You should see messages like this:
Registering the Acqiris Adaptor... 'aq.dll' successfully registered.
AdaptorDllName: 'C:\Program Files\Acqiris\bin\aq.dll' Location
AdaptorDllVersion: '1, 2, 0, 1' DLL Version
AdaptorName: 'aq'
BoardNames: {'DP240[12767]'} Either Model [Serial Number]
or {1xn cell}
InstalledBoardIds: {'0'} Board Identifiers for MATLAB
ObjectConstructorName: {'analoginput('aq','0')' '' ''}
or {nx3 cell}
Help for CallAcqiris module
Syntax: CallAcqiris('FunctionName', ArgIn, ..., ArgOut, ...)
List of available functions from this module:
CallAcqiris('SetString', instID, 'attribute', 'string') {Set an
attribute value (String)}
Followed by more help lines and the next command prompt.
If there is an error, please check your paths under MATLAB and contact us if needed.

2.6. LabVIEW RT
There is only one Acqiris Driver. It supports all Acqiris Instruments. The instructions below concern
LabVIEW RT as used in NI PXI processors.
The Aq_RT.inf and AqRT_4.ini files must be uploaded to the target. To do this,
• start the MAX application,
• right click on the target
• select file transfer
• select the Aq_RT.inf file on your host machine and upload ('To Remote') to the LabVIEW
RT working directory (/NI-RT/system) on the target
• select the Aq_RT.ini file on your host machine and upload ('To Remote') to the LabVIEW
RT working directory (/NI-RT/system) giving it the name AqDrv4.ini
For Acqiris modules which need FPGA files you should,
• create the folder \firmware in the /NI-RT/system directory using the file transfer application
• select the FPGA files (from <AcqirisDxRoot>\Firmware) you want to copy to the target and
upload them into the firmware directory
Restart the target after finishing the file transfers.
Restart the MAX Explorer and you should have Acqiris digitizers detected in your PXIsystem.

2.7. Distribution for Windows 2000/XP

After a complete installation of Acqiris Software for Windows (supports Windows 2000/XP), the
following files and directories should exist in the chosen installation directory:
ƒ irunin.* miscellaneous install files

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 26 of 60

- AcqirisApp directory:
ƒ AcqirisLive.exe AcqirisLive Windows application
ƒ AP_SSRDemo.exe AP SSRDemo application
ƒ APx01Demo.exe APx01Demo application
ƒ GeoMapper.exe Acqiris GeoMapper application
ƒ cviauto.dll NI software needed by AcqirisLive
ƒ cvirt.dll NI software needed by AcqirisLive
ƒ cvirte.dll NI software needed by AcqirisLive
ƒ dataskt.dll NI software needed by AcqirisLive
ƒ mesa.dll software needed by AcqirisLive
ƒ cvirte directory containing bin and fonts subdirectories
ƒ Data directory to be used for saved data files from AcqirisLive or APx01Demo
ƒ AqSC_.* files created only after 1st run
- Bin directory:
ƒ aq.dll software needed by MATLAB Adaptor
ƒ AqDrv4.dll Acqiris Windows Digitizer Driver DLL
ƒ AqDrv4.fp CVI function panel: contains all the driver C-functions
ƒ AqDrv4.ini Optionally created to indicate where FPGA .bit files can be found.
ƒ AqDrvMex.dll software needed by MATLAB MEX interface
ƒ AqISl3.dll software needed by AcqirisLive and MATLAB Adaptor
ƒ AqRT_4.dll software needed for LabVIEW RT
ƒ AqSCl3.dll software needed by AcqirisLive and MATLAB Adaptor
ƒ CallAcqiris.dll software needed by MATLAB Adaptor
ƒ FactoryInstrumentSettings.AqSettings MATLAB Instrument Settings Configuration file
ƒ msvcp71.dll Microsoft VC run-time
ƒ msvcr71.dll Microsoft VC run-time
ƒ qt-mt332.dll software needed by AcqirisLive and MATLAB Adaptor
ƒ qt-mt333.dll software needed by AcqirisLive and MATLAB Adaptor
- Bin\kernel directory (only the files needed for your OS will be present):
ƒ acqirv00.vxd Win9x low level driver
ƒ acqirv04.inf Win9x/2000 low level driver
ƒ Acqir400.sys WinNT4 low level driver
ƒ Acqir500.sys Win2000 low level driver
ƒ Aq_RT.inf LabVIEW RT driver
- CVI directory with the files needed for a LabWindows/CVI program:
ƒ GetStarted.c C source code of CVI sample program
ƒ GetStarted.h Header associated with the User Interface file of CVI sample program
ƒ GetStarted.prj LabWindows/CVI project file of CVI sample program
ƒ GetStarted.uir CVI User Interface file of CVI sample program
- ETS directory with the files need for a Phar Lap ETS sample program
ƒ GetStartedETS.cpp C source code of ETS sample program
ƒ GetStartedETS.dsp VisualC++ 6.0 project file of ETS sample program
ƒ GetStartedETS.dsw VisualC++ 6.0 workspace file of ETS sample program
(only after 1st run)
ƒ GetStartedETS.lnk ETS application linker file
ƒ GetStartedETS.rc VisualC++ 6.0 resource file of ETS sample program
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 27 of 60
 ƒ GetStartedETS.vsb VisualSystemBuilderProject file of ETS sample program
ƒ resource.h Header associated with the resources for the ETS sample program
ƒ RTOS.ini ETS Configuration file
- Firmware directory containing FPGA .bit files for AC210, AC240, AP100, AP101, AP200, AP201,
AP235, AP240, DP306, DP308, DP310, DC436, DC438, DC440, SC210, and SC240.
- Include directory with:
ƒ AcqirisD1Import.h Header file for C/C++
ƒ AcqirisD1Interface.h Acqiris Device Driver Interface Definitions (API)
ƒ AcqirisDataTypes.h Data Structure Header file for C/C++
ƒ AcqirisErrorCodes.h Acqiris Error Code definitions
ƒ AcqrsD1Interface.bas Header file for Visual Basic
ƒ AcqrsD1Interface.vb Header file for Visual Basic .NET
ƒ visatype.h VISA types, already installed if you have LabWindows/CVI
ƒ vpptype.h already installed if you have LabWindows/CVI
- Lib directory with C/C++ link libraries for major compilers:
ƒ AqDrv4.lib default, Microsoft compiler
ƒ borland\AqDrv4.lib Borland compiler
ƒ msvc\AqDrv4.lib Microsoft compiler
ƒ AqETS4.lib Phar Lap ETS libraries
ƒ AqLibETS.lib Phar Lap ETS libraries
ƒ AqRT_4.lib LabVIEW RT library

- Manuals directory with:

ƒ AqDrv4.HLP C driver help
ƒ ProgrammersGuide.pdf
ƒ ProgrammersReferenceManual.pdf
ƒ ReadMe.txt A user oriented ReadMe file with information about the
installed software
ƒ ShortCutNames.txt needed for (Un)Install
ƒ UserManual12BitDigitizers.pdf
ƒ UserManual10BitDigitizers.pdf
ƒ UserManual8BitDigitizers.pdf
ƒ UserManualAnalyzers.pdf
ƒ UserManualAveragers.pdf
ƒ UserManualCC10XCrates.pdf
ƒ UserManualCC121Crate.pdf
- MATLAB directory with:
ƒ InstrumentSettings.AqSettings MATLAB Instrument Settings Configuration file
(only after 1st run)
ƒ Aq_startup.m example for use in Toolbox\local\Aq_startup.m
ƒ daq\Aq_install.m needed for registration and validation
ƒ daq\Aq_ModeLive.m example
ƒ daq\Aq_MultipleAcquisition.m example
ƒ daq\Aq_SingleAcquisition.m example
ƒ mex\Aq_GetStarted.m example
ƒ mex\help\Aq_*.m help files for all routines

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 28 of 60

- ReplacedSystemFiles directory with old versions for possible recovery (not for Windows XP):
ƒ msvcp60.dll
ƒ msvcrt.dll
- tornado directory with sample program:
ƒ GetStartedVxW.cpp Source file for Tornado sample program
ƒ GetStartedVxW.wpj Tornado Project file for Tornado sample program
ƒ GetStartedVxW.wsp Tornado Workspace for Tornado sample program
- VB directory with the files needed for either a 12-bit digitizer or 8-bit digitizer Visual Basic program:
ƒ AcqirisShow12.frm Source code for main window of VB sample program
ƒ AcqirisShow12.vbp Visual Basic project file of VB sample program
ƒ AcqirisShow12.vbw VBW file of VB sample program
ƒ AcqirisShow8.frm Source code for main window of VB sample program
ƒ AcqirisShow8.vbp Visual Basic project file of VB sample program
ƒ AcqirisShow8.vbw VBW file of VB sample program
ƒ DevCtrlForm12.frm Source code for device control dialog box of VB sample program
ƒ DevCtrlForm8.frm Source code for device control dialog box of VB sample program

- VC directory with the files needed for either an averager or a digitizer VisualC++ program:
ƒ GetStartedAvgVC.cpp C++ source code of VC sample program
ƒ GetStartedAvgVC.dsp VisualC++ 6.0 project file of VC sample program
ƒ GetStartedVC.cpp C++ source code of VC sample program
ƒ GetStartedVC.dsp VisualC++ 6.0 project file of VC sample program
ƒ GetStartedVC.rc Resource file of VC sample program
ƒ resource.h Resource file of VC sample program
- vxworks directory with:
ƒ AcqirisVxWUmode.out AcqrsD1 VxWorks driver
ƒ VxWorksDriverPCI.out AcqrsD1 VxWorks Low Level driver
- LabVIEW\help directory with the help file needed for a LabVIEW program:
ƒ AQDRV4.HLP
- LabVIEW\Instr.lib\AqDx directory with the files needed for a LabVIEW program:
ƒ acstat.mnu
ƒ applic.mnu
ƒ AqDx.llb
ƒ AqDx_obs.llb
ƒ AqDx_u.llb
ƒ AqRT.llb
ƒ AqRT_u.llb
ƒ config.mnu
ƒ data.mnu
ƒ dir.mnu
ƒ util.mnu
- “Windows ” directory (Windows or WINNT)
ƒ Acqiris Software Setup Log.txt a readable record of installation activity
- “Windows system” directory (Windows\system or WINNT\system32)
ƒ acqirv00.vxd Win9x

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 29 of 60

 ƒ drivers\Acqir400.sys NT4
ƒ drivers\Acqir500.sys Win2000
ƒ msvcp60.dll Microsoft VC run-time
ƒ Msvcrt.dll Microsoft VC run-time
- “Windows” \Inf directory (WINNT\Inf)
ƒ acqirv04.inf Win9x/2000

2.8. Distribution for Linux

- AcqirisLinux directory:
ƒ drv-install install script, creates system load script
ƒ .acqstartstop hidden file used by the install script
- demo directory:
ƒ AcqirisDemo script to start the AcqirisDemo application
ƒ AcqirisDemo.bin AcqirisDemo application, based on the Qt GUI
ƒ libqt-mt.so.3 Qt 3.3.2 GUI library
ƒ AqDrv4.ini to indicate where FPGA .bit files can be found
- Firmware directory containing FPGA .bit files
- lib directory:
ƒ modules/acqrsPCI.o the device driver for Kernel 2.4.18 or RH8
ƒ modules/acqrsPCI.o.2.4.18-14 alternate driver for Kernel 2.4.18 or RH8
ƒ modules/acqrsPCI.o.2.4.20-8 alternate driver for Kernel 2.4.20 or RH9
ƒ modules/acqrsPCI.ko.2.6.9-1.667 alternate driver for Kernel 2.6.9 or Fedora Core 3
ƒ modules/acqrsPCI.ko.2.6.9-1.667smp for above with SMP
ƒ modules/acqrsPCI.o.2.4.21-4.EL Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 3
ƒ modules/acqrsPCI.o.2.4.21-4.ELsmp for above with SMP
ƒ modules/acqrsPCI.ko.2.6.8-2-686 Debian Sarge
- linuxdriverpci directory:
ƒ Makefile to create acqrsPCI.o
ƒ LinuxGeneral.h header file
ƒ DDrIORules.h header file
ƒ LinuxDriverPCI.c kernel driver main source code
ƒ LinuxDriverPCI.h kernel driver header file
ƒ LinuxConfigPCI.c kernel driver configuration code
- Linux2.6driverpci directory:
ƒ Makefile to create acqrsPCI.o
ƒ LinuxGeneral.h header file
ƒ DDrIORules.h header file
ƒ LinuxDriverPCI.c kernel driver main source code
ƒ LinuxDriverPCI.h kernel driver header file
ƒ LinuxConfigPCI.c kernel driver configuration code
- usr/include directory:
ƒ AcqirisD1Import.h Header file for C/C++
ƒ AcqirisD1Interface.h Acqiris Device Driver Interface Definitions (API)
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 30 of 60
 ƒ AcqirisDataTypes.h Data Structure Header file for C/C++
ƒ AcqirisErrorCodes.h Acqiris Error Code definitions
ƒ visatype.h VISA types
ƒ vpptype.h
- usr/lib directory:
ƒ libAnDBSLib.a Linux Acqiris library (compiled with gcc-3.2)
ƒ libAqLib.a Linux Acqiris base library
- usr/src directory:
ƒ GetStarted Linux sample program
ƒ GetStartedc Linux sample program
ƒ GetStartedc.c Linux sample program source
ƒ GetStarted.cpp Linux sample program source
ƒ GetStarted.o Linux sample program object
ƒ Makefile makefile to create the application

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 31 of 60

3. Product Description

3.1. Overview
Simplified Block Diagram
once for each channel
Signal
10-bit
Input
Input 10- bit DEMUX
Signal 256K
SH + ADC
Amplifier Acq Mem

50
Ohms

TIMEBASE

trigger
Input
Trigger
Signal TRIGGER
Amplifier circuit
Thr
DAC
50
Ohms

Cal Card PCI Interface

DAC Controller PCI Bus

The 10-bit DC series products are CompactPCI/PXI compliant and require an appropriate CompactPCI
crate. The digitizers are all fully programmable over the PCI bus and deliver oscilloscope-like
performance. Data captured by the digitizers can be transferred to a host processor, either in the PC, in the
crate, or interfaced to the crate, over the PCI bus. The 6U units (DC222, DC252, and DC282) can operate
at 64-bit − 66 MHz with peak transfer speeds approaching 500 MB/s. The 3U units (DC122 and DC152)
work at 32-bit − 33 MHz. The digitizers occupy a single slot of a 3U or 6U CompactPCI crate and they
comply with the 3U or 6U CompactPCI standard (PXI compliant).
Acqiris digitizers are designed to provide superior measurement precision and accuracy. Key acquisition
specifications (such as DC accuracy, integral and differential non-linearity) have been optimized to
deliver maximum measurement fidelity. Careful circuit layout, custom IC’s and special packaging
techniques have all been employed to reduce overall system noise. The use of custom IC’s also
dramatically reduces the total number of discrete components required. This has tremendous benefits on
reliability and also allows the modules to use a minimal amount of power.
For complete technical specifications concerning your particular digitizer please refer to the product’s
Specifications & Characteristics. In addition, Acqiris maintains up-to-date versions of all product data
sheets on our web site (www.acqiris.com). The data sheets are available in pdf format and are best viewed
using Adobe Acrobat software. If you have trouble accessing our web site, or viewing the data sheets,
please contact your nearest sales office.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 32 of 60

 3.2. Channel Input
The 10-bit digitizer family can be configured with a variety of front-end mezzanine boards offering
different capabilities. The currently available front end options are detailed below:

Impedance Bandwidth BW Limiter FS Voltage Maximum

Front End
Guaranteed selections Ranges Offset
Option
(typical) / Max. Voltage
/ Risetime

Standard 50 Ω 2 GHz 20, 200, 700 MHz 0.05 – 5.0 V ±5V

(Std) 0.17 ns ±5V
High- 50 Ω 950 MHz 20, 200, 700 MHz 0.05 – 5.0 V ±5V
Impedance ( 1 GHz) ±5V
(HZ) 0.35 ns

1 MΩ (300 MHz) 20, 200, 700 MHz 0.05 – 50 V ± 20 V (> 0.5 V FS)
1.2 ns (see remark below) ± 200 V (> 5V FS)
± 300 V
High- 50 Ω 3 GHz 1V ± 0.5 V
Frequency 0.12 ns ±2V
(HF)
A given unit’s model number will indicate which front end option is installed. If nothing follows the
number itself then the standard front end option is present.
Units with either Standard or HF front end options can be ordered with BNC or SMA connectors. The HZ
units use BNC connectors.
For FS > 5 V only the 20 MHz Bandwidth Limiter is available.

3.2.1. Standard & High Impedance Coupling

Both AC and DC coupling modes are available. The AC mode couples signals capacitively thus removing
the input signal’s DC component and filtering out any signal component below 16 Hz for the HZ option
or 32 Hz for the Std option. DC mode allows all signal components to be passed through to the digitizer.

3.2.2. Impedance
The input channels of the DP and DC Series digitizers offer termination in either 50 Ω or 1 MΩ. The
50 Ω coupling mode for the Standard and High-Impedance front ends offers high quality termination with
better than ± 1% precision. It is ideally suited to use with 50 Ω transmission lines (coax), high bandwidth
low impedance (typically 500 Ω) probes or active probes. The HF 50 Ω coupling mode has ± 2%
precision The 1 MΩ coupling mode provides a high impedance (low load) capability that is suited for use
with most standard high impedance probes. The high impedance mode also features low (14 pF typical)
capacitance that helps to minimize loading effects that can occur when probing high frequency circuits.

3.2.3. Input Protection

The input amplifiers are protected against over-voltage signals as shown in the table. The High-
impedance limit refers to the input signal’s DC + peak AC < 10 KHz voltage.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 33 of 60

 3.2.4. Mezzanine Front-end
The front-end electronics are all mounted on a removable mezzanine card. In the event of accidental
damage or as components fatigue over time (e.g. relays in high duty cycle automated testing applications),
the mezzanine card allows for fast and efficient replacement.

3.2.5. Bandwidth and Rise Time

The bandwidth specification indicates the frequency at which an input signal will be attenuated by 3 dB
(approximately 30% loss of amplitude). The bandwidth also affects the minimum rise and fall times that
can be passed through the front-end electronics. A pulse with a very sharp edge will be observed to have a
minimum rise time (τmin) determined by the front-end electronics. In general a pulse with a given 10-90%
rise time (τ10-90real) will be observed with a slower value given by:

τ10-902 = τ10-90real2 + τmin2 where τmin (ns) ≈ 0.35 (GHz-ns) / BW (GHz)

For the HZ option in 1 MΩ coupling the 700 MHz Bandwidth Limiter cannot be used. Furthermore, for
FS gain > 5V the 200 MHz Bandwidth Limiter is always active.

3.2.6. Input Voltage and Offset

The input channel provides a fully programmable amplifier with variable input voltage and offset. Full
Scale (FS) input voltages are selectable in a 1, 2, 5 sequence for the range shown above. Care should be
taken to select an input voltage range that will allow the signal to be recorded using as much dynamic
range of the digitizer as possible. The Variable Offset is programmable in the range of ±2 V when using
an FS Input Voltage setting of 500 mV or below, increasing to ± Maximum Offset for FS settings above
500 mV (see the preceding table). The raw 10-bit ADC data values are read as 16-bit integers in the range
[-32768, +32704] with nominal steps of 64 LSB’s between successive codes and the first and last values
reserved for underflow and overflow respectively. The midpoint value, 0, of the range corresponds to the
negative of the offset voltage. Thus the Full Scale Range (FSR) goes from
–Offset Voltage – (FS/2) to –Offset Voltage + (FS/2)
Signals going outside of the FSR will be clipped and data values for the clipped portion of a signal should
be regarded as erroneous.

3.2.7. Vertical Resolution

The digitizers described in this manual use an ADC system with 10 bits of vertical resolution (1024
levels). The dynamic range of the ADC covers the Full Scale Range (FSR) of the Input Voltage setting.
For example, if the Input Voltage is set to 1 V then the ADC resolution is equivalent to 0.977 mV. To
obtain the best dynamic range from the ADC care should be taken to ensure that the input signal varies
over more than 50% of the Input Voltage FSR setting.

3.2.8. DC Accuracy and Linearity

These 10-bit digitizers use low noise front-end electronics in order to ensure voltage measurement is
made with accuracy and precision. DC voltage accuracy, at 0 V offset, is better than ±2% (±1% typical)
of the input voltage full scale. The static differential nonlinearity is < 2 LSB. The integral linearity is good
to ± 1 LSB (typical).

3.2.9. Using Probes

The 50 Ω and 1 MΩ input impedance settings make it possible to use Acqiris digitizers with a wide
variety of probes. The 50 Ω setting is most commonly used for active probes and low impedance (500 Ω)
passive probes. The 1 MΩ setting is normally used for high impedance probes. While it is possible to use
a variety of different manufacturers high impedance probes Acqiris recommends the use of its model
P001 Passive Probe. The model P001 is matched to the Acqiris digitizers to ensure that effects that can
reduce measurement quality, such as bandwidth loss and capacitive loading, are minimized. The P001
features 300 MHz bandwidth, 10 MΩ input impedance and 10:1 attenuation. These specifications make it
an excellent choice for most general purpose probing applications. Before using any Passive Probe with a

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 34 of 60

 digitizer care should be taken to check that the probe has been correctly adjusted (refer to the Probe’s
Calibration procedure).
NOTE: Passive high impedance probes are not suitable for high fidelity measurements above 100 MHz.
The non-negligible (5-10 pF) tip capacitance loads the signal causing distortion and/or ringing when
combined with the ground lead inductance.

3.3. Data Acquisition

The table below summarizes the characteristics discussed in the sections that follow:

Model Max. Max. Default Memory Maximum Maximum

Sampling CONVERTERS Optional
points/ channel Segments
Rate PER CHANNEL/ Memory
CHANNELS
points/ channel
DC122 4 GS/s 1/1 512K -- 1K
DC152 4 GS/s 2/2 256K -- 1K
DC222 8 GS/s 1/1 1024K 1G 125K
DC252 8 GS/s 2/2 512K 512M 125K
DC282 8 GS/s 4/4 256K 256M 125K

3.3.1. Sampling Rate

All Acqiris digitizers contain an analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) system that can sample waveforms,
in a real time sampling mode, at rates from the maximum allowed rate down to 100 S/s (10 ms per point).
The sampling rate can be programmed and is selectable in a 1, 2, 2.5, 5 sequence (i.e. 1 MS/s, 2 MS/s,
2.5 MS/s, 5 MS/s, 10 MS/s, etc.). The maximum sampling rate shown above exploits the possibility of
combining channels.

3.3.2. Acquisition Memory

Data from the ADC is stored in on-board acquisition memory. The amount of memory in use for
acquisition can be programmed and is selectable from 1 point to the full amount of acquisition memory
available.
For technical reasons, a certain acquisition memory “overhead” is required for each waveform, reducing
the available memory by a small amount. In order to simplify programming, Acqiris provides an interface
function, which recommends the best sampling rate and the maximum possible number of data points,
taking into account the available memory, the requested time window, the number of segments (in
Sequence mode), as well as the required memory overhead.
To ensure maximum sampling rate and high timing resolution, Acqiris strongly recommends the use of
long acquisition memories whenever possible.
Optional Memory is available on most models. It allows the maximum number of segments to be
increased significantly. However, this memory is divided into 2K sample pages and a segment must start
at the beginning of the page. Additional memory is used for segment time stamps. These constraints must
be kept in mind when trying to understand how the driver limits the number of points as the number of
segments changes.

3.3.3. Single and Sequence Acquisition Modes

Digitizers acquire waveforms in association with triggers. Each waveform is made of a series of measured
voltage values (sample points) that are made by the ADC at a uniform clock rate. The digitizer can also
measure and store the arrival time of each trigger using the information from the on board Trigger Time
Interpolator (TTI). Readout of the individual trigger time stamps makes it possible to determine the time
from one trigger to any other trigger. Time differences up to 213 days can be measured. The TTI
resolution sets the resolution of the trigger time stamps (see section 3.3.4 TIMING). To maximize

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 35 of 60

sampling rates and utilize memory as efficiently as possible, the digitizers include both Single and
Sequential storage modes.
The Single Acquisition mode is the normal operation of most digitizer products. In this mode an
acquisition consists of a waveform recorded with a single trigger. The user selects the sampling rate and
acquisition memory size and sets the number of segments to 1 (default value).
The Sequence Acquisition mode allows the capture and storage of consecutive “single” waveforms.
Sequence Acquisition mode is useful as it can optimize the digitizer’s sampling rate and memory
requirements for applications where only portions of the signal being analyzed are important. The mode is
extremely useful in almost all impulse-response type applications (RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR, Time-of-
Flight, Ultrasonics, Medical and Biomedical Research, etc.).
In Sequence Acquisition mode the acquisition memory is divided into a pre-selected number of segments.
Waveforms are stored in successive memory segments as they arrive. Each waveform requires its own
individual trigger. The memory can be divided into any number of segments between 2 and 1000 (up to
16000 segments with the M32M option in a DC282 and 125000 segments with options M256M or
greater). In Sequence Acquisition mode the user needs to specify the sampling rate, the total acquisition
memory, and the number of segments. Note that the Single Acquisition mode is just a special case of the
Sequence Acquisition mode with the number of segments set to 1.
Sequence acquisition enables successive events, which can occur within a very short time, to be captured
and stored without loss. A crucial feature of Sequence Acquisition mode is that it has a very fast trigger
rearm time. A fast trigger rearm helps produce very low “dead time” (< 350 ns for the highest available
sampling rates using internal memory and < 1.8 μs with optional memory) between the segments of a
sequence acquisition. The “dead time” is the period after the end of an event when the card cannot
digitize data for a new trigger event.

3.3.4. Timing
A crystal-controlled timebase is used to clock the ADC system of the digitizers. The timebase accuracy is
guaranteed to be better than 2 ppm . The digitizers also include a built-in Trigger Time Interpolator (TTI)
that measures the time from the trigger point to the first sample point. This information is essential for
determining the precise relation between the trigger or other event of interest and the digitized samples of
the signal. The TTI resolution is ~10 ps.

3.3.5. Timebase Range

The timebase range defines the time period over which data is being acquired. For example, the DC282
has a standard acquisition memory of 256 Kpoints and maximum sampling rate of 2 GS/s. Therefore, at
the maximum sampling rate, the digitizer can record a signal over a timebase range of up to 130 μs
(approx. 260,000 points * 0.5 ns/point). The timebase range can be adjusted by varying the amount of
acquisition memory or the sampling rate of the digitizer.

3.3.6. Combining channels

The DC152, DC252, and DC282 digitizers offer the possibility of combining the converters (and their
memories) from two or four channels to analyze a single input channel. With this feature the maximum
sampling rate and the maximum amount of acquisition memory can be doubled or quadrupled if all of the
input channels are not of immediate interest.

3.3.7. Data Readout

The DC222, DC252, and DC282 digitizers are capable of handling 64-bit 66 MHz readout. Such
operation requires a single board computer or a cPCI interface + PC supporting such functionality. All
devices in the crate must be capable of 66 MHz readout. The crate may also have to be set so as to allow
this mode; this means M66EN must be open and V(I/O) should be 3.3 V. Acqiris CC103, CC105, and
CC108 crates have toggle switches to select such use. This cannot be done in larger crates such as the
Acqiris CC121. The actual transfer speed obtainable will depend on many other system characteristics.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 36 of 60

 3.4. Trigger
Normally the trigger settings applied to the digitizer are used to determine the time at which the device
will stop acquiring data. They are also capable of a ‘Start on Trigger’ mode of acquisition (see the
Programmer’s Guide for further details). The various trigger settings are outlined below.

3.4.1. Trigger Source

The trigger source can be a signal applied to either an Input Channel (internal triggering) or the External
Trigger Input. A standardized trigger in signal can also be routed via the PXI Bus Star Trigger line.
The digitizers provide a separate front panel input that can be used as an External Trigger Input. The
External Input provides a fully functional trigger circuit with selectable coupling, level and slope as for
the Internal Triggering source. The external trigger has a fixed 50 Ω termination impedance. It allows
optional BW limiter selections of 20, 200, or 700 MHz. The external trigger circuit has diode protection
against overload. In all 50 Ω cases a ±5 V limit on trigger signals should be respected, although somewhat
higher voltages for short time periods will not damage the unit.

3.4.2. Trigger Coupling

Trigger coupling is used to select the coupling mode applied to the input of the trigger circuitry. Modes
available include AC LF Reject and DC. The AC LF Reject mode couples signals capacitively and
removes the input signal's DC component and signals below 50 Hz. DC mode allows all signal
components to be passed through to the trigger circuit. The HF Reject mode removes signal components
above 50 KHz.

3.4.3. Trigger Level

The trigger level specifies the voltage at which the selected trigger source will produce a valid trigger.
The trigger level is defined as a set voltage. Using the internal trigger, the level is set with respect to the
midpoint voltage (Vm= – Offset voltage) of the digitizer’s vertical scale. Internal trigger level settings
(expressed in %) must be within Vm ± 0.5 FS, where FS is the channel Full Scale. All trigger circuits have
sensitivity levels that must be exceeded in order for reliable triggering to occur.
The digitizers allow the user to choose the external trigger Full Scale from the set of values 0.5, 1.0, 2.0
or 5.0 V. The external trigger level can then be set to values in the range ± 0.5 FS.
The digitizers will trigger on signals with a peak-peak amplitude > 15% FS from DC to their bandwidth
limit.

3.4.4. Edge Trigger Slope

The trigger slope defines which one of the two possible transitions will be used to initiate the trigger when
it passes through the specified trigger level. Positive slope indicates that the signal is transitioning from a
lower voltage to a higher voltage. Negative slope indicates the signal is transitioning from a higher
voltage to a lower voltage.

3.4.5. Window Trigger

The digitizers implement a Window trigger. Two trigger level thresholds are used to define the desired
range. The trigger can then be chosen to occur either when the signal exits or enters the window range.
This mode can be thought of as the appropriate OR of two edge triggers of opposite slope.

3.4.6. HF Trigger
The digitizers implement an HF trigger that allows triggers to be reliably accepted at rates above ∼ 1
GHz. In this mode, triggers occur on every fourth positive edge. The window trigger mode is not
available.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 37 of 60

 3.4.7. Spike Stretcher
The trigger circuit also has a Spike Stretcher mode which ensures that even very short pulses are capable
of generating triggers. This mode is useful if the time interval during which the trigger signal satisfies the
threshold condition is less than 0.5 ns and the trigger frequency is less than 10 MHz. The trigger slope is
positive in this mode.

3.4.8. Pre- and Post-Trigger Delay

To increase trigger flexibility a pre- or post-trigger delay can be applied to the trigger position.
The amount of pre-trigger delay can be adjusted between 0 and 100% of the acquisition time window (i.e.
sampling interval x number of samples), whereas the post-trigger delay can be adjusted within the time
interval corresponding to [0, 235 – 1 samples].
Pre- or post-trigger delays are just different aspects of the same trigger positioning parameter:
• The condition of 100% pre-trigger indicates that all data points are acquired prior to the trigger, i.e.
the trigger point is at the end of the acquired waveform.
• The condition of 0% pre-trigger (which is identical to a post-trigger of 0) indicates that all data points
are acquired immediately after the trigger, i.e. the trigger point is at the beginning of the acquired
waveform.
• The condition of a non-zero post-trigger delay indicates that the data points are acquired after the
trigger occurs, at a time that corresponds to the post-trigger delay, i.e. the trigger point is before the
acquired waveform.
The digitizer hardware accepts pre- and post-trigger adjustments in increments of 16 samples. By
definition post-trigger settings are a positive number and pre-trigger settings are a negative number.
Thus it is only natural that the software drivers provided by Acqiris treat pre- and post-trigger delays as a
single parameter in seconds that can vary between –nbrSamples * samplingInterval (100% pre-trigger)
and +maxPostTrigSamples * samplingInterval (max post-trigger). Since the Acqiris software drivers
provide very accurate trigger position information upon waveform readout, the accepted resolution of the
user-requested pre-/post-trigger delay is much better than 16 samples. For more details, refer to the
Programmer’s Guide.

3.4.9. Trigger Status

The front panel includes a tri-color LED indicator to show the status of the trigger. When the LED is
green it indicates the trigger is armed and waiting for a valid trigger to occur. Red indicates that the
trigger has occurred, the acquisition is complete and the data is waiting to be readout. The user can
override the default functions and program the LED color in an application-specific manner.

3.5. External Clock and Reference

For applications where the user wants to replace the internal clock of the digitizer and drive the ADC with
an external source, either an External Clock or an External Reference signal can be used. The Clock or
Reference signals can be entered into the digitizer by the dedicated MMCX. In addition, the PXI Bus 10
MHz system clock signal (PXI_CLK10) can be used as the reference.
The External Clock must be continuously present for use by these digitizers. The input signal must have a
frequency between 200 MHz and 2 GHz and a minimum amplitude of at least 0.5 V peak to peak into 50
Ω at the front of the digitizer. The transitions of the clock are defined with the aid of a threshold that is
user selectable in the range [-3.0 V, 3.0 V]. The signals should not exceed ±5 V amplitude. For a detailed
discussion on the programmed use of the external clock, refer to the Programmer’s Guide.
For applications that require greater timing precision and long-term stability than is obtainable from the
internal clock, a 10 MHz Reference signal can be used. The External Reference is nominally at 10 MHz.
However, frequencies in the range [9.97 MHz, 10.03 MHz] will be accepted. If you do this you may need
to correct for the difference in your application since the digitizer and the driver have no way to know
about such deviations. The amplitude and threshold conditions, for an External Reference, are the same as
for the External Clock. If synchronization between several digitizers is required, the reference signal
should be applied to all of them.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 38 of 60

 3.6. Internal Calibration
The software drivers supplied by Acqiris include calibration functions for the timing, gain and offset
settings, which can be executed upon user request. The digitizers are never calibrated in an “automatic”
way, i.e. as a side effect of another operation. This ensures programmers have full control of all
calibrations performed through software in order to maintain proper event synchronization within
automated test applications.
The digitizers include a high precision voltage source and a 16-bit DAC, used to determine the input
voltage and offset calibration.
For accurate time and voltage measurements it is recommended to perform a calibration once the module
has attained a stable operating temperature (usually reached within a few minutes of digitizer operation
after power on). Further calibration should not be necessary unless temperature variations occur.
A full internal calibration of a digitizer can be very time consuming (> 100 s/digitizer), in particular for
the HZ models. Therefore, several other options are available. They are documented in the
Programmer's Reference Manual. A program can always be started with the digitizer in an uncalibrated
state and data taken can be used for many kinds of testing. However, as soon as good data respecting the
specifications of the instrument is required a calibration of at least the current acquisition state is needed.
The full internal calibration has the advantage that it generates the calibration constants needed for any
possible configuration of the instrument; its disadvantage is the time taken. If a more selective calibration
is done it will allow the generation of good data in the current acquisition state. This calibration will
remain useable whenever that acquisition state is used again for as long as the temperature of the
instrument does not change significantly. A fast calibration of a channel in a configuration can be done in
around a second. Many applications can save time by only performing calibration for the configurations
that will actually be used.

3.7. ASBus2
The digitizers may be used in applications that require many data acquisition channels. In such cases it is
possible to use more than one digitizer in a standard CompactPCI/PXI crate. Each DC Series 10-bit
2
digitizer includes ASBus , a proprietary high bandwidth auto-synchronous bus system that allows
multiple digitizers to work together synchronously.
2
ASBus distributes both the clock and trigger signals along a plug-in front panel bus, between all the
digitizers that participate in the system. It allows any digitizer to act as the trigger source and any other
digitizer to act as the clock source (acquisition master), enabling all the digitizers to be clocked at the
same time. Synchronizing the clock signals between the devices improves the accuracy of cross-channel
measurements and is essential for accurate time correlation between signals on different channels.
2
ASBus is intended to connect modules of the same type, i.e. of the same model number, although some
exceptions to this rule might be possible. If modules with the same model number, but different memory
length options, are connected only the shortest memory length can be used.
2
The ASBus connector is located on the front panel of each module. Bridges are used to connect adjacent
2
modules for synchronization. An ASBus multi-instrument is activated through software by a function
call. The master module will always be the one furthest to the right. Up to 5 6U modules, or 3 3U
2
modules, may be synchronized with the ASBus . More detailed information and the commands required
2
to set up the ASBus clock and trigger distribution are included in the Programmer's Guide and Reference
manuals.

3.8. Special Front Panel Inputs and Controls

Connector Function
MMCX CLK IN 50 Ω External Reference or External Clock Input
MMCX I/O A User configurable (see below)
MMCX TR OUT Signal occurs after an accepted TRIGGER.
MMCX I/O B User configurable (see below)

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 39 of 60

The I/O A and I/O B signals are 3.3 V compatible CMOS. This means that, on input, low is < 0.7 V and
high must be in the range [1.7 V, 5.0 V]. An unconnected signal will be high. This definition ensures TTL
compatibility. On output, the low level will be in the range [0 V, 0.7 V] and the high level in the range
[1.7 V, 3.3 V] for HiZ. The high level output will typically give 0.8 V into 50 Ω. The I/O A or B
connectors can be used for an Enable trigger input or the following output signals: 10 MHz reference
clock, Acquisition skipping to next segment, Acquisition is active, Trigger is armed.

3.9. External Trigger Output

When the digitizer is ready to be triggered and a valid trigger signal occurs, a trigger output is generated
for external use. It is always available on the Front Panel Trigger Out MMCX connector. The pulse ends
when the data acquisition for the trigger in question is complete.
NOTE: The External Trigger Output functionality is implemented in the hardware. No Trigger Out signal
occurs for software-generated triggers such as those of the AUTO mode of AcqirisLive or through the use
of the function AcqrsD1_forceTrigger. However, AcqrsD1_forceTriggerEx does generate the signal.

Trigger Output Block diagram: Signal: 1.6V swing

50 Ohm
0v centered
G=1 Trigger Out
The output swing is 1.6 V (±
0.8 V) when unloaded and 0.8 Offset: +/-2.5 V
V when terminated on 50 Ω.
The rise and fall times are 2.5 ns typical. The offset can be adjusted, by software control in the range [–
2.3 V, +2.3 V] unloaded, or [-1.15 V, +1.15 V] into 50 Ω. The maximum output current capability is ± 15
mA. As the output is retro-terminated, it is possible to drive a 50 Ω line unterminated (HiZ) without loss
of performance.
GND +5V
For a TTL compatible signal, set the offset to 1.0 V and the ECL R TTL
swing at destination will be +0.2 to +1.8 V. R Signal
220 signal
68
For an ECL compatible signal, terminated on 50 Ω to –1.2
Trigger
V, set the offset to –1.2 V and the output will be in the range Out Trigger Out R
R With 68
[–0.8 V, –1.6 V]). With 220
Offset
Alternatively, to reduce the current drawn from the digitizer, Offset +1.18V GND
-1.18V -5V
the terminations shown here can be used:
A standardized trigger out signal can also be routed to the PXI Bus Star Trigger line.

3.10. Electrical, Environmental and Physical Specifications

3.10.1. Electrical
PCI Max. Power Current Requirements (A)
Rev. Consumption (W)
Model +12 V +5 V +3.3 V -12 V
DC122 2.2 25 0.1 2.9 2.5 0.05
DC152 2.2 26 0.1 3.2 2.5 0.05
DC222 2.2 39 0.1 4.6 4.2 0.05
DC222HF 2.2 36 0.1 4.4 3.8 0.05
DC252 2.2 41 0.1 5.1 4.2 0.05
DC282 2.2 44 0.1 5.7 4.2 0.05
DC282HF 2.2 38 0.1 4.7 3.8 0.05
DC282HZ 2.2 44 0.1 5.7 4.2 0.05

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 40 of 60

The digitizers can use the PCI Bus at 32-bit − 33 MHz, all models, or at 64-bit − 66 MHz, DC2x2 only .
The latter allows data to be transferred at average rates up to 350 MB/s with appropriate hardware under
Windows and Linux. The CompactPCI modules are compatible for either V I/O = 3.3 V or 5V.

3.10.2. Environmental and Physical

The modules have a Declaration of Conformity according to ISO/IEC Guide 22 and EN45014 and CE
Marks of Compliance.
The American Standard MIL-PRF-28800F has been used as the source for many of the characteristics
specified below. Those indicated with a ‘*’ are compatible with Class 3 as defined in that standard.
The front panels of the CompactPCI modules are in compliance with the IEEE 1101.10 standard.

Operating Temperature
0° to 40°C
The above values are for the ambient temperature of the room (or equivalent) where the CompactPCI
crate is located. The temperature as measured on the board may well be significantly higher. On-board
temperatures above 60°C should be avoided.

Relative Humidity*
5 to 95% (non-condensing)

Dimensions
The DC122 and DC152 conform to the 3U CompactPCI standard (100 mm × 160 mm × 20 mm). All
other DC modules conform to the 6U CompactPCI standard (233 mm × 160 mm × 20 mm).

Shock*
30 G, half-sine pulse

Vibration*
5-500 Hz, random

Safety
Complies with EN61010-1

EMC Immunity
Complies with EN61326-1: Industrial Environment

EMC Emissions
Complies with EN61326-1: Class A for radiated emissions

Required Airflow
> 2 m/s in situ

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 41 of 60

4. Running the AcqirisLive Application
AcqirisLive is an application to control and demonstrate the capabilities of Acqiris Digitizers on a single
machine. AcqirisMAQS is a new software application offering many interesting possibilities for the
control of acquisition systems in a single or multi-machine environment. Ask your salesman or Acqiris
for more information.

4.1. Getting Started with AcqirisLive

Once the software and hardware installation described in Section 2 of this manual is complete, you will
find AcqirisLive in the start menu of your computer. Start AcqirisLive from the menu. An initial
AcqirisLive load screen will appear followed by a panel of controls and a waveform display window.
During startup, AcqirisLive searches for all Acqiris Digitizers on the PCI bus. If no digitizers are found
on the PCI bus, AcqirisLive will display an error message indicating that no digitizers were found, and
the program will continue in simulation mode. If this is not wanted, turn off the computer, install and turn
ON the hardware on the PCI bus and, then, restart the computer.
AcqirisLive is intended to verify the functionality of the card and to serve as an easy to use and
convenient program for capturing, displaying, and archiving captured data into the format of your choice,
binary or ASCII. AcqirisLive is provided free with the purchase of any Acqiris Digitizer.
Acqiris supplies drivers on the CDROM for National Instruments LabWindows/CVI, LabVIEW,
Microsoft Visual C++, and Visual Basic. Acqiris also provides some examples (GetStarted applications)
as a guide or starting point for programmers developing their own applications to interface with the DC or
DP series digitizer cards.
When you start AcqirisLive a display like that shown below appears.

AcqirisLive displays two independent windows, a control window and a display window. The control
window contains functions that allow you to manipulate the acquisition parameters of the card. In order to
display an acquired waveform, connect a signal to the input, and then select the Auto acquisition mode at
the bottom of the control panel. A waveform should appear in the display.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 42 of 60

Other controls in the control panel allow you to select the optimal acquisition settings for your particular
signal. Each of the other control panel functions will be discussed in detail in the following Control Panel
Functions section. Here is a sample result.

4.2. Control Panel and Functions

4.2.1. Control Panel Mode

DSO TR In AcqirisLive there are two control panel modes available, Oscilloscope Mode and
Transient Recorder Mode. The choice of mode is entirely determined by the preference of
the user.
Both modes provide the same set of functional capabilities but display the settings slightly
differently. For example in Transient Recorder Mode, the user selects the Full Scale Range of the
amplifier whereas in Oscilloscope Mode the user selects the input voltage scale set in Volts/Div. The
desired mode is selected using one of the two buttons shown at the top of the control panel. The
distinction between the control panels for the two operating modes can be seen in the images below.
In both modes it is possible to set the memory depth and the sample speed independently within the limits
of the maximum available memory. However the two modes differ in the following way.
In Oscilloscope Mode, the user selects the time window (time per div) and the sampling rate will be
adjusted to the fastest possible within the limits of the available memory. The maximum available
memory is programmable.
In Transient Recorder Mode, the user selects the capture time window, the sampling rate, or the number
of samples. When selecting the capture time window, the number of samples is adapted, keeping the
current sampling rate and number of segments, up to the maximum available memory on the card. When
selecting the sampling rate, the number of samples is adapted, keeping the current capture time window
and number of segments, up to the maximum available memory on the card. When selecting the number
of samples, the capture time window is adapted, keeping the current sampling rate and number of
segments.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 43 of 60

 Oscilloscope Mode Transient Recorder Mode

4.2.2. Displaying Multiple Traces

If multi-channel modules, or several single channel modules, are installed on the PCI bus, multiple
waveform displays, one from each installed channel, are overlaid on the display.
The current channel is selected by clicking on the channel name within the upper portion of the control
panel. The vertical settings of the current channel and the timebase and trigger of the correspondent
digitizer are then indicated. A unique name is given to each channel installed on the PCI bus. The current
channel is indicated by a dark highlight over the name. Settings changed on the main control panel will
only affect the active channel. Always verify proper acquisition setting for each channel prior to
collecting data.
There is a small rectangular indicator button to the left of each channel name in the channel list. If this
indicator is filled in, the channel waveform is active; the channel is turned on and displayed in the display
window. Clicking on this indicator once turns it transparent. This deactivates the reading of the data from
the channel and clears the waveform display. Clicking once again on the indicator turns the channel back
on and the indicator is filled in. After making such changes the channel data will not be displayed until
after the next acquisition.
The image at the left shows a channel list with four
active channels in the system. All are turned on and
displayed in the display window as indicated by the
black indicators at the left. The DC271 Ch1 is the
currently selected channel.
The channel list image at the right shows the same
system with the DC271 Ch2 selected as the current
channel. The other indicators are transparent and
therefore their channels are turned off and not
displayed.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 44 of 60

 As an alternative to controlling the channels to be displayed from
the control panel you can also control them by selecting the
desired channels from the list of channel gains shown at the right
hand side of the display window.
Pressing the Finder button at the top of the control panel will
identify the module associated with the current channel. When
the finder button is depressed, the LED on the front panel lights
up yellow on the digitizer module with the current channel.
4.2.3. Numeric Editor
The numeric editor is shown in the control
window at locations where numeric values
are set. The Acqiris Numeric Editor enables
easy input of numeric values, particularly those ranging over
many decades. The numeric value can be changed in multiple
ways.
A number can be typed directly into the white number display
area or alternatively, the Acqiris Numeric Editor may be used. In
order to use the Acqiris Numeric Editor, click on the green
numeric editor icon at the left of the number display. A numeric
editor control will appear as shown.
The methods to change the values are:
1. Increment or decrement any digit with the arrow buttons
by pressing the increment or decrement button. When
the button is held down, the digit will continue to
increment or decrement automatically.
2. Click on a digit and drag the mouse up or down to
increase or decrease the value.
3. Type a new value with the keyboard for any highlighted
digit.
The value is constrained to fall
within its allowed range
whenever the user attempts to
enter a larger or smaller value.
Digits that are below the resolution or granularity cannot be modified.
A message is displayed in the numeric setting control window when the
pointer is positioned over a digit that is below the allowed granularity
and cannot be changed.

4.2.4. Keyboard shortcuts

Two shortcuts have been defined to simplify applying changes of a parameter to a group of channels.
When the mouse is over the control of a channel parameter -
ƒ 's' can be used to set the current value to all channels of all available instruments
ƒ 'c' can be used to set the current value to all channels of the current instrument.
Other shortcuts are:
ƒ 'Ctrl-S' as a synonym for 'Save Setup'
ƒ 'Ctrl-R' as a synonym for 'Recall Setup'
ƒ 'Ctrl-C' as a synonym for Calibrate all (active) instruments'
ƒ 'Ctrl-E' functions as a toggle between 'Internal Clock' and 'External Clock' operation.

User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 45 of 60

 4.2.5. Input Voltage Scale, Offset and Coupling
Settings for input voltage scale, offset, coupling and impedance
are available in the portion of the control panel shown to the right.
The selected channel is shown on the upper section of the display.
Only this channel will be affected by changes in any settings on
the control panel. The input voltage scale is set by one of three
possible methods:

1. Clicking on the white numeric display of the voltage scale will show a pop-up list. Select the
desired gain setting with the mouse pointer.
2. Clicking on the Decrement / Increment icons will step the voltage scale up or down to the
next level for each click of the mouse.
3. Clicking Max / Min will toggle to the least sensitive gain setting or to the most sensitive gain
setting.
The input Coupling can be set for AC or DC. The selected setting is shown as an actuated indicator with a
green backlight. AC coupling blocks DC signal components from the input. The AC coupling mode acts
as a high pass filter passing frequencies above 10 Hz. In DC coupling all frequency components are
passed through the input.
The input voltage offset control applies an offset to the input amplifier in order to better digitize and
display signals offset away from 0 volts. Signals riding on a DC level can be most accurately
characterized when the offset is adjusted so that the acquisitions are made about the midpoint of the
digitizer’s Full Scale Range, and when as much of the 8-bit ADC range is used as possible. The ability to
select an offset voltage enables accurate measurement when offsets are present in the signal.
The Impedance selection allows the user to choose the appropriate internal input termination of 50 Ω or
1 MΩ.
The Adv button in this section gives access to the choice of hardware bandwidth limits for the channel.

4.2.6. Trigger
Trigger characteristics are set using the settings in the control
panel Trigger section. The trigger source setting can be either
Internal (trigger on any one of the input channels) or External
(trigger on an external input). The trigger source is indicated in
the display by the name appearing under Source.
In order to select the trigger source, click the drop-down source
menu in the trigger Source section of the control panel and choose
the desired one.
Notice that, for most digitizer models, when external trigger is selected, the controls for the trigger
termination, 50 Ω or 1 MΩ, are enabled in the Coupling section. Select the desired termination for the
external trigger.
The Coupling section also contains a selection for AC or DC coupling. AC coupling on the trigger sets
the trigger circuit to an AC Low Frequency Reject mode.
Use the Level section to set the desired trigger level. The relationship between coupling, trigger source,
and trigger level was discussed in section 3.4.3 Trigger Level. The 10-bit digitizers have two adjustable
trigger levels associated with the range of the window trigger.
The trigger Delay setting positions the acquisition with respect to the trigger. Pre-trigger values are
negative and are selectable in the range of [0 to – (10 * timebase)]. The value (10 * timebase) is
equivalent to the time window or capture-time. 100% pre-trigger is achieved by setting the Delay to
-capture-time. A 100% pre-trigger delay means the trigger point is at the right edge of the display and all
of the data in the acquired waveform were captured just prior to the trigger event.
Maximum Post trigger delay settings depend on the sample interval used. Post trigger delays are
adjustable up to 100 Mpoints.

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When a Slope box is shown next to the delay section, selecting the trigger slope is achieved by depressing
either the positive or negative slope buttons. The 10-bit digitizers extend the functionality of the slope
section to allow the choice of the window, HF divide, and Spike Stretcher trigger modes when the
multiple mode slope button is selected. When the Window trigger is chosen buttons below it will allow
the user to choose between trigger on entering or exiting the window trigger level range.
The Adv button in this section gives access to the choice of External Trigger range and Bandwidth
Limiter. It also allows the user to set the offset of the trigger out signal.

4.2.7. Acquisition Mode

The acquisition mode of the digitizers is selected using one of
four acquisition mode buttons in the Acquisition section of the
control panel. Available acquisition modes are Auto, Normal,
Single and Stop.
This Acquisition section of the control panel also indicates the number of waveforms acquired per second
by the digitizer. The use of each of the acquisition modes is described below. In the discussion, a valid
trigger indicates a trigger signal meeting the trigger conditions at a time when the digitizer is armed and
ready to acquire data.
Stop will stop the acquisition and hold the latest complete acquisition on the display.
Single mode is used in order to capture one event at the first valid trigger. It freezes the acquisition in the
digitizer’s memory, and on the display, until the user requests another acquisition. After an acquisition is
taken in Single mode, the digitizer will ignore subsequent trigger events until the Single button is pressed
again or another acquisition mode is selected. Pressing the single button re-arms the trigger and captures
one acquisition at the next valid trigger.
Normal mode is used to continuously acquire waveforms into memory for valid trigger events. The
display is updated with the new acquisitions in accordance with the Display Refresh Rate setting under
the Options menu on the top line of the AcqirisLive Control window. Acquisitions will happen for each
valid trigger until either single or Stop is pressed.
If the trigger indicator at the lower left of the waveform display does not blink green, the digitizer is not
receiving valid triggers. Check the trigger settings or select Auto mode in order to obtain a display of the
waveform.
Auto mode will acquire and display waveforms according to the trigger settings if a valid trigger is
present within a timeout interval. If a valid trigger is not available within this interval, the digitizer
generates its own trigger in order to digitize and display whatever signal is at the input at that time.
If valid triggers are received at a high enough rate, Auto mode behavior differs little from normal mode
behavior on the display. However if the trigger rate is too low or trigger settings are not appropriate for
the characteristics of the signal, the input signal will not be stable on the display. This occurs because the
internal auto-trigger generated by the digitizer is asynchronous to the input signal.
Auto mode is often used to aid in setup when the input signal must be quickly characterized in order to
determine proper trigger settings for Normal or Single mode acquisitions.

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 4.2.8. Timebase and Memory
The timebase and memory settings should be chosen together
in order to optimize the desired sample rate for the acquisition.
In oscilloscope mode the timebase settings range from
10 ns/div to 5 S/div. In transient recorder mode time windows
of 100 ns to 20 Ks are available when using a card with the
2 Mpoint memory option.
In order to change the timebase click on the white area
in the timebase display window and select the desired
timebase from the list. Alternatively, the Decrement /
Increment timebase selection buttons may be used in order to change the timebase in steps with each click
of the mouse. The sample rate and sample interval resulting from the combination of memory and
timebase are indicated under the Sampling section of the control panel.
The Memory setting shows the maximum number of points to be acquired. The actual number of points
acquired could be less than the maximum number set if the acquisition time window selected fills less
than the selected amount of memory at the full sample rate. Alternatively, in oscilloscope mode, if a
slower timebase is selected, in order to ensure that the selected amount of memory will be filled before
the acquisition is complete, the digitizer will reduce its sample rate as necessary. This action differs from
the same case in transient recorder mode where preference is given to the selected sample interval.
In transient recorder mode, the digitizer will continue to allocate more memory with increasing capture
times. This is done in order to maintain the selected sample interval for as long a time window as is
possible given the available memory. When the card memory is fully utilized, the sample rate will
decrease with increasing capture times.

4.2.9. Using digitizers of different models simultaneously

AcqirisLive features a single timebase (i.e. the set of acquisition parameters pertaining to the time axis of
the waveform, such as the sampling rate and the number of samples). It is therefore not possible to specify
different timebase settings for different digitizers. However, it is possible to run each digitizer at its
maximum available sampling rate performance in the following way:
• Select the Scope mode.
• In the channels list, select a channel from the fastest digitizer (that will make that digitizer the
current digitizer).
• Make sure the maximum number of samples (MAX samples in Memory panel) is large enough.
• Select the desired time per division setting (timebase panel): the fastest sampling rate for the
current digitizer, compatible with the maximum number of samples, will be selected and
applied to all digitizers in the system. Any digitizer not capable to satisfy that sampling rate
will run at its closest setting.
Finally, note that the sampling rate menu (visible in Transient recorder mode) contains the sampling rate
capability of all digitizers currently in use. You must turn off the channels of 'slower' digitizers in order to
view the highest sampling rates of the 'faster' digitizers.

4.2.10. Segmented Memory

Segmented memory enables the sequential acquisition mode. This feature is particularly useful when
capturing impulse-response type waveforms in a variety of applications. Segmented memory is available
in all acquisition modes. However, it is generally used in either Normal or Single mode. Waveform
display occurs only after all segments are filled. Segments can be displayed sequentially on the display or
they can be overlaid on top of each other. To select an overlaid display, select the item Overlay Segments
under the Options menu. Segmented data can be archived to any storage device on the computer in a
similar way to non-segmented acquisitions. If the acquisition needs to be stopped before all segments are
filled, press the Stop button.
In order to set up the sequential acquisition mode, simply select more than 1 segment on
the segment selection control under the Memory section of the control window and start the
acquisition.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 48 of 60
 4.2.11. Display Features, Zoom and Persistence
A waveform zoom feature is available under the
View menu of the display window. The screen image
below shows the normal display and the zoom
window that appears when zoom is selected.
The zoom scale and center position are modified
using the horizontal and vertical controls shown on
the zoom display window. To the right side of the
zoom window click on the “Horizontal” button, then
modify the zoom expansion factor by clicking the
“In” or “Out” buttons.
The vertical blue cursor, or box, (depending on the
zoom factor), shown on the main display window
indicates the center point and range of the zoom. The
vertical box or line can be dragged right or left with
the mouse in order to re-position the center point of
the waveform displayed in the zoom display window.
Alternatively, the right and left arrows at the bottom of the zoom display window will reposition the
horizontal center of the zoom.
In order to expand the zoom region vertically, select the “Vertical” button on the zoom display and click
the “In” / “Out” buttons. Alternatively, the up / down arrows on the scale indicator just below the vertical
button can be used. When the vertical scale is expanded, the top and bottom lines forming the blue box in
the main display window show the extent of the vertical zoom region. The vertical position of the box,
and thus the data region shown on the zoom display, may be changed by moving the box vertically with
the mouse or by clicking on the up and down arrows at the left of the zoom display window.
When expanding a waveform to the point where individual data points are seen, it may be desirable to use
the “Connect data points” option under the Options menu in AcqirisLive. When this option is selected,
larger data points are drawn on the display and a line connects each point.
The main display window contains a drop down selector that controls the display type for both the main
display and the zoom window. There are two modes available, the Live Display, or the Persistence
Display. When persistence display is selected, all points drawn to the display windows remain on while
new points are added from subsequent acquisitions. This mode is particularly suited for examining the
jitter on an edge of a periodic signal as shown in the image below.

To clear the display in persistence display mode, press the “Clear” button that appears on the main display
window.

4.3. Top Line Menu of AcqirisLive

The top line menu contains functions offering
additional utility to the AcqirisLive application.

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Provisions are included for storing instrument setups, waveforms, converting the format of stored data
files, identifying models and versions and in the Options Menu, calibrating the digitizer, extended control
of event acquisition and controlling the display properties. These possibilities are discussed in the next
few sections.

4.4. Setup
The Setup menu allows you to store and recover instrument configurations. When you store a
configuration the parameters used to configure each of the channels of each module together with the
timebase and trigger configurations will be saved in a file. You will be asked to choose the destination
directory for the file and be allowed to give it an appropriate name. When you choose to recover a file
you will be asked to give the name or navigate to it using the browser functionality. If you are using many
modules the settings in the configuration file will be associated preferentially with the digitizer that has
that serial number or then with the digitizer in the same location.
Only the parameters of the modules are stored in the configuration file. This means that parameters of the
AcqirisLive program, such as channel activation and display mode choices are not included.

4.5. Store, Autostore and Conversion of Waveforms

The store menu gives you two mechanisms to store waveforms.
1. The Store Waveform option allows you to store the last acquired waveform for the current
channel. To store the last acquired waveform for each of the active channels, you must
sequentially select each one to make it the current channel and use the Store Waveform menu
command. The title of the Store Waveform dialog indicates the name of the channel that will be
stored. The data is stored in ASCII format, as Raw ADC values or Amplitudes (in Volts).
2. The Autostore option allows you to store
consecutively acquired waveforms from
all of the active channels into files.
Configuration of Autostore is achieved
by selecting the Autostore item under the
Store menu. Autostore brings up the
dialog box shown here. Three formats are
available for stored waveforms, Binary,
Raw ADC values, and Amplitude values
(in Volts). The destination folder can be
selected or created on any system drive
using the Browse button. Waveforms will
be stored in a new folder under the
destination folder. The new folder will be
named AcqirisRun_{date}_{time}. Each
waveform will be stored in a file with a
name {channel identifier}_{i}.{suffix},
where i goes from 1 to N and the suffix
indicates the data type. If the data is
stored in Binary form, the suffix will be
.data and an additional ASCII format
.awh file is written which contains
necessary details about each of the other files. Otherwise, the suffix will be .awd.
The number of generations of waveforms to be stored with this function is selectable from 1 to
N. N is a maximum number dependent on the number of samples taken in each waveform. There
is also a user selectable limit on the total amount of data allowed in any single Autostore
acquisition series.
When using segmented memory with Autostore, a waveform is considered to be a complete set
of acquired segments. When storing Amplitudes, it is possible to write each segment as a
separate column of data in the waveform file. This is achieved by clicking the check box option
Segments as columns in the Autostore settings window. Formatting with segments in columns, in
Amplitude format, is limited to 200 segments.

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 The Binary file format selection provides the fastest storage performance and generates the
smallest files on the hard drive. Binary files can be subsequently converted to either Raw ADC
values or to Amplitude values using the Data Format Conversion utility provided with
AcqirisLive.
Selecting the “Write files at end option” acquires all waveforms into memory first, before
converting to the selected format and writing the data to disk. This option allows for faster data
capture times. Selecting the “Show waveforms” allows the user to see the waveforms before
writing them to disk.
When all parameters are selected, click OK, and then select Normal, Auto or Single acquisition
mode. When the waveforms are recorded a progress bar will appear to show the status of the
acquisition and of writing the data to disk. The Autostore function can be aborted from the
progress bar.
Raw ADC values are the raw 16-bit ADC levels in ASCII format. The channel’s gain and offset are
needed in order to obtain the signal level in Volts. The required information to convert the Raw ADC
values to voltage is included in the header information of each Raw ADC ASCII file or in the .awh file
accompanying the binary files. In order to convert the Raw ADC values into Volts the following formula
should be used.
V = vGain * data – vOffset
The Amplitudes [V] selection stores the waveforms as voltage samples in ASCII format. This data has
already been adjusted for gain and offset and can be directly read out as a voltage. However, it requires
roughly twice as much space as Raw ADC value data.
For the sequential acquisition mode, the segment time stamps are also stored when waveforms are saved
using the Autostore and Save Waveform functions.
Data stored in binary format with Autostore must be
converted before it can be imported into a data processing
package or a spreadsheet (e.g. Excel). The Data Format
Conversion option is found under the store menu. Select
Data Format Conversion in order to bring up the following
window. The acquisition must be stopped in order to access
this menu.
To convert the binary data, simply select the source folder
where the data is located, select the output format and click
OK.
All binary data files found in the source directory will be converted to the desired format. If you are
writing amplitudes with multiple segments, formatting with segments in columns is limited to 200
segments.

4.6. Calibrate
The Calibrate item in the Options menu leads to a sub-menu where a particular type of calibration can be
invoked. In order to use this item the acquisition must be stopped; otherwise the Calibrate option is not
selectable. The possibilities are
ƒ Calibrate instruments - to perform a self-calibration on the digitizers, calibrating the gain, offset,
trigger level and the timing. Performing a calibration compensates for any drift in these
properties, typically due to component temperature variations.
ƒ Calibrate current combine configuration – to perform a calibration only at the current
configuration in each instrument.
ƒ Calibrate External Clock Timing – to do a calibration of the internal TDC in the Continuous
External Clock mode.

4.7. Combine channels

The Combine Channels function in the Options menu give the 10-bit digitizer user the control of how
many converters will be used for each channel. This allows the memory size and the sampling rate to be
increased in situations where not all of the input channels need to be acquired. Normally digitizer

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modules work with one converter/channel. If two or more converters/channel are desired, the identities of
the channels to be used have to be chosen with the Active Channel control.

4.8. External 10 MHz Reference and External Clock

Either one of the External 10 MHz Reference or External Clock options can be selected in the Options
Menu. The external input threshold option, available in the options menu, must also be set appropriately.
The 10 MHz Reference can be activated at the I/O B output.
The External Clock function is available in AcqirisLive only when using the control panel in Transient
Recorder mode. The input frequency should be keyed into the clock frequency selector (outlined in red)
on the control panel. Then the appropriate sampling frequency must be selected in order for the proper
timebase to be displayed on the waveform display window. The time window displayed can be
manipulated by allocating more or less memory to the acquisition.
The External 10 MHz Reference in AcqirisLive is designed to work either in Oscilloscope mode or in
Transient Recorder mode. The timebase and sample rate for waveform capture is fully selectable when
using the external reference, just as it is when using the digitizer’s own internal reference clock.

4.9. Additional Waveform Information

The Options menu also includes possibilities to obtain additional information about the waveform. In both
cases described below the display will be updated after each acquisition.
The “Show Segment Timestamps” option shows a display like the one below:
It gives you the information needed to better understand the trigger
times of the individual segments of an acquisition. By definition the first
trigger of an acquisition occurs at t1=0.0. There are two columns for
each digitizer. For the n’th row, the first column contains the difference
tn – tn-1 and the second column contains tn. The top line contains the
average value of the tn in the left column and the standard deviation of
the tn in the right one. The times are in ps.
The “Show Parameters” option activates a display of pulse parameters
for each active channel. Inactive channels will have parameter values of
0.0. The parameters will be calculated in a model in which the
distribution of measured voltages has two distinct peaks. If this
condition is not satisfied the results will be unreliable.

4.10. Display Features

Display features in the Options menu include items for
• turning the waveform display off (by de-selecting “Display Waveforms”),
• overlaying segments of a sequence,
• connecting displayed data points,
• modifying the display refresh rate,
• displaying the internal temperature of the currently selected module

4.11. Command Line Switches

When starting the AcqirisLive application, the executable's name in the command line can be followed by
one or more switches to change the running conditions.

Syntax
The syntax of the command line is the following:

path\AcqirisLive.exe [-a][-c][-d][-h][-i][-l][-m][-n][-p][-s][t][-v][-x]

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 Available Switches
List of available switches:
-a start in Averager mode
-c no initial calibration
-d use DMA for data transfers (default)
-h high priority process (default)
-i use acquisition interrupts
-l low priority process
-m medium priority process
-n no DMA for data transfers
-p Use acquisition polling
-r start in transient recorder control panel mode
-s simulation mode
-t temperature update off
-v show acquisition state
-x disable automatic multi-instruments

Operation Mode
Acqiris averagers can be operated in Averager Mode or in standard Digitizer Mode.
AcqirisLive operates in either mode, but since these are mutually exclusive, only instruments that support
the chosen mode are accessible in any given mode. E.g. only averagers are accessible in Averager Mode,
while both digitizers and averagers are accessible in Digitizer Mode.
The operation mode can be switched within the application. By default, AcqirisLive starts in Digitizer
Mode.

Calibration
Before operation, the instruments must undergo an internal calibration. As this calibration can only
proceed sequentially for each channel, the initialization time of AcqirisLive can become significant for
systems with many channels. Therefore, it can sometimes be desirable to be able to start the application
quickly by skipping the calibration (which must then be done "manually" before collecting correct data).

DMA Data Transfers

By default, data transfers on the PCI bus between the digitizer memory and the PC are done in DMA
(Direct Memory Access) mode, which allows the fastest transfer speeds (up to about 130 MB/s peak,
100 MB/s sustained acquisition data rate). These very high data rates are not well supported by all
hardware configurations (PC motherboard), and system hangs due to endless retries on the PCI bus have
been observed on some machines. Such problems disappear when switching DMA mode off (data transfer
rate is then about 2.8 MB/s).
Please note that switching DMA data transfer mode off precludes the use of acquisition interrupts. The –i
switch will therefore be ignored when –n is used.

Process Priority
When the program checks for an event from the operating system (e.g. to react to user input), it can put
itself to sleep for a specified period of time. This gives other applications more processor time, but limits
the performance of AcqirisLive in terms of maximum acquisition rate. The default is not to go to sleep,
but this can be overridden to allow better performance for other applications. Note that this sleep policy is
only in effect while the acquisition is running. When the acquisition stops, the sleep policy is always reset
to the longest sleep period.

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 Acquisition Interrupts
When performing acquisitions, there are 2 possible ways to wait for the acquisition to complete: polling
or using a hardware interrupt.
• -p Polling: AcqirisLive runs as a single thread process. After an acquisition is started, the
instruments are regularly polled to check when the acquisition is complete. The user interface is
still alive, but the latency for reading the data after the acquisition may vary.
• -i Hardware interrupt: In this mode, AcqirisLive is run as a multi-thread process. After starting
an acquisition, a new thread is created to wait for the hardware interrupt indicating that the
acquisition completed. This thread is put to sleep, and wakes up upon reception of the interrupt
from the instrument, or after a 2 seconds timeout.
Please note that switching the DMA data transfer mode off precludes the use of acquisition interrupts.
The –i switch will therefore be ignored when –n is used.

Transient recorder mode

The application will start in the transient recorder mode as opposed to the oscilloscope mode. In this case,
if a file name of an AqConfig setup file is given on the command line it will be loaded.

Simulation Mode
Simulation mode allows you to run AcqirisLive without having any digitizer installed in the PC.

Temperature Update
The internally measured temperature of the currently selected module is normally displayed. Using this
switch turns this feature off.

Acquisition State
This switch turns on the display of the current acquisition state (Stopped, Ready, Started, Reading, Data
ready). This is helpful when running with time-consuming settings (e.g. many segments overlaid, many
channels, large records, etc.), but will slow down the overall performance.

Multi-instruments
By default, AcqirisLive tries to detect instruments connected through ASBus, and will initialize any
connected digitizers as a multi-instrument. This behavior can be inhibited by the -x switch, in which case
any ASBus connector will be ignored.

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5. Running the GeoMapper Application

5.1. Who needs a Geographical Map of Modules

The GeoMapper application gives the user the possibility of telling the Acqiris driver crucial details of the
physical position of modules when this information cannot be deduced directly. It allows the driver to
2
correctly adjust trigger and clock delays between the different modules of an ASBus multi-Instrument
and arrange the modules in an intuitive order.
The GeoMapper application has been implemented as a Wizard with the goal of learning the physical
position of each module of a multi-bus system. The driver already knows the logical Bus and logical Slot
numbers of each Acqiris unit present. However, because of varying conventions for the compactPCI slot
arrangement on a bus, this is not sufficient to determine the physical position. Furthermore, with the aid
of the map, the software can ensure that the modules of an Auto-defined multi-Instrument will be ordered
to correspond to increasing physical slot number.
NOTE: The unusual slot numbering convention of the CC121 is documented in the CC121 CompactPCI
Crate User Manual. The CC10X crates have a simpler slot numbering convention that the Acqiris driver
already takes into account. CompactPCI Crates from other manufacturers represent an unknown element.
2
NOTE: The GeoMapper is of use for some ASBus systems in CC121 crates and, perhaps, crates from
other manufacturers. CC121 crate configurations with both an Acqiris acquisition module in one of the
last 7 slots and with the PC running under Windows 2000, NT, or XP will not need the GeoMapper. Users
who do not need GeoMapper do not need to read this chapter any further.

5.2. When should the GeoMapper Application be used

The application needs to be used whenever the bus or slot configuration of the system changes in a
fundamental way. The most obvious trouble symptom is that an expected multi-Instrument was not found.
Alternatively the driver can issue error messages that the AcqirisLive application and other programs will
see. Among them are
2
Modules are not contiguous in ASBus combination ACQIRIS_ERROR_MODULES_NOT_CONTIGUOUS
2
ASBus Candidate Modules not on same bus ACQIRIS_ERROR_MODULES_NOT_ON_SAME_BUS
'AcqGeo.map' file is invalid or corrupted ACQIRIS_ERROR_INVALID_GEOMAP_FILE
In all of these cases the GeoMapper application should be run to ensure that the map file is up to date.
If desired the GeoMapper application will generate a default configuration in which it allows the driver to
make all of the choices. This is done by specifying "None (Disable GeoMap)" as the desired configuration
in "Step1: Crate count" of the application.

5.3. How to run GeoMapper

After software installation you will find GeoMapper in the AcqirisApp directory of the installation
directory. After being started the program will learn about the Acqiris devices present and then show a
screen like the one below:

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The choice of the number of crates ranges from None up to the number of bus segments that the driver
has found containing Acqiris modules. If you choose None and save the resulting AqGeo.map file the
system will behave in its natural way without any additional user provided information. If you want to
give the driver information on the physical position of modules you should select the appropriate number
of crates. If the number of crates does not correspond to your expectations you may have hardware
problems (unpowered, broken, or badly cabled crates or modules).
The next step is to associate each bus segment with a physical crate. The menu to do this is shown below:

Selecting a row will cause all of the LED's of modules in that Bus to be turned on RED. This should make
it easy to identify which crate the modules are in.
The third step is to specify the number of slots in each crate. This is shown below:

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The 4th step consists of arranging the modules of each crate into the correct order. The menu shown below
is one in which all of this work has been done for the modules of a fully populated CC121. Selecting a
position will cause a module to have its red LED turned on. Then the Up and Down buttons will allow
you to move the module in question to the desired "Position in crate".

The final step is to actuate the Save button so that the final configuration will be memorized and made
available to the driver.
The GeoMapper application will always work with the standard AqGeo.map file. If you need to have
several such files corresponding to different configurations it is up to you to either rename the files or
transfer them to other directories in an appropriate manner.

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6. Appendix A: ASBus2 for CompactPCI/PXI Digitizers
Specification and User Instructions

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7. Appendix B: XA001 Battery Backup for CompactPCI Digitizers
Specification and Assembly Instructions

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8. Appendix C: XA100 BNC Input Overvoltage Protection
Specifications and User Instructions

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