ADLINK PCI-9527 User Manual

PCI-9527

24-Bit High Resolution Dynamic Signal

Acquisition and Generation

User’s Manual

Manual Revision: 2.00
Revision Date: November 26, 2010
Part No: 50-11241-1000

Advance Technologies; Automate the World.

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology, Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

Revision History

Revision Release Date Description of Change(s)

2.00 2010/11/26

Document Created
Initial Release

ii

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

Preface

Copyright 2010 ADLINK TECHNOLOGY INC.

This document contains proprietary information protected by copy­right. All rights are reserved. No part of this manual may be repro­duced by any mechanical, electronic, or other means in any form
without prior written permission of the manufacturer.

Disclaimer

The information in this document is subject to change without prior
notice in order to improve reliability, design, and function and does
not represent a commitment on the part of the manufacturer.

In no event will the manufacturer be liable for direct, indirect,
special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the
use or inability to use the product or documentation, even if
advised of the possibility of such damages.

Environmental Responsibility

ADLINK is committed to fulfill its social responsibility to global
environmental preservation through compliance with the Euro­pean Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) direc­tive and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
directive. Environmental protection is a top priority for ADLINK.
We have enforced measures to ensure that our products, manu­facturing processes, components, and raw materials have as little
impact on the environment as possible. When products are at their
end of life, our customers are encouraged to dispose of them in
accordance with the product disposal and/or recovery programs
prescribed by their nation or company.

Trademarks

PC, PS/2, and VGA are registered trademarks of International
Business Machines Corp. Borland
and Delphi
Corporation. LabVIEW™ is a trademark of National Instruments
Corporation. Microsoft

Preface iii

®

are registered trademarks of the Borland Software

®

, Visual Basic®, Visual C++®, Windows

®

, Borland® C, C++ Builder®,

®

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

NOTE:

NOTE:

CAUTION:

WARNING:

User’s Manual Copyright 2010

98, Windows® NT, Windows® 2000, Windows® XP, and Windows

®

Vista® are registered trademarks of Microsoft® Corporation.
PCI™, is a registered trademark of the Peripheral Component
Interconnect Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG).

Product names mentioned herein are used for identification pur­poses only and may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks
of their respective companies.

Conventions

Take note of the following conventions used throughout this
manual to make sure that users perform certain tasks and
instructions properly.

Additional information, aids, and tips that help users per­form tasks.

Information to prevent minor physical injury, component

damage, data loss, and/or program corruption when try­ing to complete a task.

Information to prevent serious physical injury, compo-

nent damage, data loss, and/or program corruption
when trying to complete a specific task.

iv Preface

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527

Contact us should you require any service or assistance.

ADLINK Technology, Inc.

Address: 9F, No.166 Jian Yi Road, Chungho City,

Taipei County 235, Taiwan

؀קᗼխࡉؑ৬ԫሁ 166 ᇆ 9 ᑔ
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Ampro ADLINK Technology, Inc.

Address: 5215 Hellyer Avenue, #110, San Jose, CA 95138, USA
Tel: [phone]
Toll Free: [phone] (USA only)
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

ADLINK Technology (China) Co., Ltd.

Address: Ϟ⍋Ꮦ⌺ϰᮄᓴ∳催⾥ᡔು㢇᯹䏃 300 ো(201203)
300 Fang Chun Rd., Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park,

Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203 China
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

ADLINK Technology Beijing

Address: ࣫ҀᏖ⍋⎔Ϟഄϰ䏃 1 োⲜ߯ࡼ࡯໻ E ᑻ 801 ᅸ(100085)

Rm. 801, Power Creative E, No. 1, B/D

Shang Di East Rd., Beijing, 100085 China
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

ADLINK Technology Shenzhen

Address: ⏅ഇᏖቅ⾥ᡔು催ᮄϗ䘧᭄ᄫᡔᴃು

A1 󰶀 2 ὐ C  (518057)

2F, C Block, Bldg. A1, Cyber-Tech Zone, Gao Xin Ave. Sec. 7,

High-Tech Industrial Park S., Shenzhen, 518054 China
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

Preface v

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

ADLINK Technology (Europe) GmbH

Address: Nord Carree 3, 40477 Duesseldorf, Germany
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

ADLINK Technology, Inc. (French Liaison Office)

Address: 15 rue Emile Baudot, 91300 Massy CEDEX, France
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

ADLINK Technology Japan Corporation

Address: 151-0072 ᧲ㇺ⼱඙ᐈ䊱⼱㩷

1-1-2 ᦺᣣ↢๮ᐈ䊱⼱䊎䊦 8F
Asahiseimei Hatagaya Bldg. 8F

1-1-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0072, Japan
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

ADLINK Technology, Inc. (Korean Liaison Office)

Address: 昢殾柢 昢爎割 昢爎壟 1506-25 穢壊 B/D 2 猻

2F, Hando B/D, 1506-25, Seocho-Dong, Seocho-Gu,

Seoul 137-070, Korea
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

ADLINK Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Address: 84 Genting Lane #07-02A, Cityneon Design Centre,

Singapore 349584
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

ADLINK Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Indian Liaison Office)

Address: No. 1357, "Anupama", Sri Aurobindo Marg, 9th Cross,
JP Nagar Phase I, Bangalore - 560078, India
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

User’s Manual Copyright 2010

vi Preface

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

Table of Contents

1 Introduction ........................................................................ 1

1.1 Features............................................................................... 2

1.2 Applications ......................................................................... 2

1.3 Specifications....................................................................... 3

1.3.1 Analog Input ............................................................... 3

1.3.2 Analog Output............................................................. 7

1.3.3 Triggers, Timebase..................................................... 9

1.3.4 General Specifications.............................................. 10

1.4 Software Support ............................................................... 11

1.4.1 Software Support ...................................................... 11

1.4.2 Programming Library ................................................ 11

1.4.3 DSA-DASK ............................................................... 11

2 Getting Started ................................................................. 13

2.1 Installation Environment .................................................... 13

2.2 Package Contents ............................................................. 15

2.3 Device Layout and IO Connectors ..................................... 16

2.4 Installing the Module.......................................................... 17

2.5 Signal Connection.............................................................. 18

2.5.1 BNC Connector Polarity ........................................... 18

2.5.2 Analog Input Connection .......................................... 18

2.5.3 Analog Output Connection ....................................... 19

3 Operation Theory ............................................................. 21

3.1 Functional Block Diagram.................................................. 21

3.2 Analog Input Channel ........................................................ 22

3.2.1 Analog Input Front-End Configuration ...................... 22

3.2.2 Input Range and Data Format .................................. 24

3.2.3 ADC and Analog Input Filter ..................................... 25

3.2.4 FIFO and DMA Transfer For Analog Input ............... 26

Table of Contents vii

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

3.3 Analog Output Channel...................................................... 28

3.3.1 Analog Output Front-End Configuration ................... 28

3.3.2 Output Range and Data Format ............................... 29

3.3.3 DAC and Analog Output Filter .................................. 29

3.3.4 FIFO and DMA Transfer For Analog Output ............. 30

3.4 Trigger Source and Trigger Mode...................................... 31

3.4.1 Trigger Sources ........................................................ 31

3.4.2 Trigger Mode ............................................................ 33

3.5 ADC and DAC Timing Control ........................................... 35

3.5.1 Timebase Architecture.............................................. 35

3.5.2 DDS Timing VS ADC/DAC Relationship................... 35

3.5.3 Timing Constraint When AI and

AO Enabled Simultaneously..................................... 36

3.5.4 Filter Delay in ADC and DAC.................................... 37

4 Calibration......................................................................... 39

4.1 Calibration Constant .......................................................... 39

4.2 Auto-Calibration ................................................................. 40

4.3 Offset Error Compensation During

AI Sampling Rate Change ....................................... 40

viii Table of Contents

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

List of Figures

Figure 1-1: PCI-9527 Product Image ................................................. 1

Figure 1-2: Analog Input Channel Bandwidth, ±10 V Input Range ....5

Figure 1-3: Magnitude Response of AC Couple of Input Channel..... 6

Figure 3-1: Linked List of PCI Address DMA Descriptors ................ 27

Figure 3-2: Trigger Architecture of the PCI-9527 ............................. 31

Figure 3-3: Analog Trigger Conditions ............................................. 32

Figure 3-4: Post-trigger Acquisition / Waveform Generation............ 33

Figure 3-5: Delay Trigger Mode Acquisition /

Waveform Generation.................................................... 34

Figure 3-6: PCI-9527 Timebase Architecture................................... 35

List of Figures xi

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xii List of Figures

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

List of Tables

Table 1-1: Channel Characteristics................................................... 3

Table 1-2: Crosstalk.......................................................................... 4

Table 1-3: Transfer Characteristics................................................... 4

Table 1-4: Analog Input Channel Bandwidth .................................... 4

Table 1-5: AC Coupling..................................................................... 5

Table 1-6: Integrated Electronic Piezoelectric (IEPE)....................... 6

Table 1-7: Channel Characteristics................................................... 7

Table 1-8: AO DC Accuracy.............................................................. 7

Table 1-9: Output Impedance ........................................................... 8

Table 1-10: AO Dynamic Characteristics ............................................ 8

Table 1-11: Triggers............................................................................ 9

Table 1-12: Analog Trigger ................................................................. 9

Table 1-13: Digital Trigger .................................................................. 9

Table 1-14: Timebase ......................................................................... 9

Table 1-15: Bus and Physical Specifications .................................... 10

Table 1-16: Environment Requirements ........................................... 10

Table 1-17: Calibration...................................................................... 10

Table 1-18: Power Consumption ...................................................... 10

Table 2-1: Analog Input Connection ............................................... 18

Table 2-2: Analog Output Connection............................................. 19

Table 3-1: Input Configurations....................................................... 22

Table 3-2: Input Range and Data Format ....................................... 24

Table 3-3: ADC Sample Rates VS DSS Outpu Clock..................... 25

Table 3-4: Output Configuration...................................................... 28

Table 3-5: Digital Input Code and Analog Output Range................ 29

Table 3-6: DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) ................................ 29

Table 3-7: Timing Relationship of the ADC, DAC and DDS Clock . 35

Table 3-8: ADC Filter Delay............................................................ 37

Table 3-9: DAC Filter Delay............................................................ 37

Table 4-1: Offset Compensation Time Required

for Different Sampling Rates.......................................... 40

List of Tables xiii

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xiv List of Tables

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

1 Introduction

The PCI-9527 is a high-performance, 2-CH analog input and 2-CH
analog output dynamic signal acquisition board. This board is spe­cifically designed for use in audio testing, acoustic measurement,
and vibration analysis applications.

The PCI-9527 features two 24-bit simultaneous sampling analog
input channels. The 24-bit sigma-delta ADC provides a sampling
rate up to 432 KS/s at high resolutions, making it idea for higher
bandwidth dynamic signal measurements. The sampling rate can
be adjusted by setting the onboard DDS clock source to an appro­priate frequency. All channels are sampled simultaneously and
accept an input range from ±40 V to ±0.316 V. The PCI-9527 ana­log input supports software selectable AC or DC coupling and 4
mA bias current for integrated electronic piezoelectric (IEPE) sen­sors.

The PCI-9527 also has two channels of 24-bit resolution, high
fidelity analog output. The outputs occur simultaneously at soft­ware programmable rates up to 216 KS/s. A software programma­ble output range of 0.1 V, 1 V, and 10 V is available on the output
channels.

Figure 1-1: PCI-9527 Product Image

Introduction 1

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

1.1 Features

 24-Bit Sigma-Delta ADC and DAC

 2-CH simultaneous sampling analog inputs

 2-CH simultaneous updated analog outputs

 432 KS/s maximum ADC sampling rate with software pro-

grammable rate

 216 KS/s maximum DAC sampling rate with software pro-

grammable rate

 Programmable input range: ±40 V, ±10 V, ±3.16 V, ±1 V,

±0.316 V

 Programmable output range: ±0.1 V, ±1 V, ±10 V

 AC or DC input coupling, software selectable

 A trigger I/O connector for external digital trigger signal

 Support IEPE output on each analog input, software-config-

urable

1.2 Applications

 Audio signal testing

 Acoustic measurements

 Environment noise testing

 Vibration test

 Machine conditioning monitoring

2Introduction

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

1.3 Specifications

1.3.1 Analog Input

Channel Characteristics

Number of channels 2

Input configurations Differential or pseudodifferential

Input coupling AC or DC, software selectable

ADC resolution 24-bits

ADC type Delta-sigma

Sample rates (fs) 432KS/s maximum, 2KS/s to 432KS/s in

454.7uS/s increments, maximum

FIFO buffer size Total 4096 samples shared for AI channels

Data transfers Direct memory access (DMA)

Input signal range ±40V

±10V
±3.16V
±1V
±0.316V

Input Common Mode
Range

Overvoltage protection Differential input: ±40 Vpk

Input impedance Differential Configuration

T able 1-1: Channel Characteristics

±10V for both Differential and Pseudodifferential
Configuration

Pseudo-Differential

 Positive terminal: ±40 Vpk
 Negative terminal: ±10 Vpk

Between (+) and GND: 1MΩ
Between (-) and GND: 1MΩ

Pseudodifferential Configuration

Between (+) and GND: 1MΩ
Between (-) and GND: 50Ω

Introduction 3

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

Crosstalk

Crosstalk

Adjacent channel < -110 dB

Measured with +/-10V input
Input signal is 18 Vpp @ 1KHz sine wave

T able 1-2: Crosstalk

Transfer Characteristics

AI Offset Error Input Range Offset (±mV) @ Tcal ± 5°C

±40 V 120

±10 V 3

±3.16 V 1.4

±1 V 0.6

±0.316 V 0.5

AI Gain Error ±10 V ±0.5% max

T able 1-3: Transfer Characteristics

Analog Input Channel Bandwidth

Input Range Bandwidth (-3dB)

±40 V 30 KHz

±10 V, ±3.16 V, ±1 V, ±0.316 V 130 KHz

T able 1-4: Analog Input Channel Bandwidth

4Introduction

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527



1K 10K 100 K

-10

-9

-8

-7

-6

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

Frequency (Hz)

Magnitude (dB), Refer to 10Hz

Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

Figure 1-2: Analog Input Channel Bandwidth, ±10 V Input Range

AC Coupling

-3 dB cutoff frequency 6.5 Hz

-0.1 dB cutoff frequency 40 Hz

T able 1-5: AC Coupling

Introduction 5

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.



1 10 100

-16

-15

-14

-13

-12

-11

-10

-9

-8

-7

-6

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

Input Frequency (H z)

dB refer to 100Hz

User’s Manual Copyright 2010

Figure 1-3: Magnitude Response of AC Couple of Input Channel

Integrated Electronic Piezoelectric (IEPE)

Current 4 mA, each channel independently software

selectable

Compliance 24 V

6Introduction

Table 1-6: Integrated Electronic Piezoelectric (IEPE)

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

1.3.2 Analog Output

Channel Characteristics

Number of channels 2

Output configurations Differential or Pseudodifferential (50 to chassis

ground), balance output, each channel indepen­dently software selectable

Output coupling DC

DAC resolution 24-bits

DAC type Delta-sigma

Update rates (fs) 1KS/s to 216 KS/s in 227.3 uS/s increments,

maximum

Minimum working load 600 Ω

Short circuit protection Indefinite protection between positive and nega-

tive

Onboard FIFO buffer size 2048 samples for each AO channel

Data transfers Direct memory access (DMA)

Output signal range ±10 V

±1 V
±0.1 V

T able 1-7: Channel Characteristics

AO DC Accuracy

Output Range AO Offset Error, ±mV AO Gain Error, ±%

±0.1 V 1 0.5

±1 V 1 0.4

±10 V 1 0.4

Table 1-8: AO DC Accuracy

Introduction 7

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

Output Impedance

Differential
Configuration

Between positive output and chassis
ground

Between negative output and chassis
ground

Between positive and negative outputs 100 KΩ 100 KΩ

T able 1-9: Output Impedance

AO Dynamic Characteristics

-3dB bandwidth, analog 110 KHz

AO THD + N 100 Hz - 20 KHz, 200 KS/s

±0.1V -89 dB

±1 V -101 dB

±10V -101 dB

Table 1-10: AO Dynamic Characteristics

10 KΩ 10 KΩ

10 KΩ 50 Ω

Pseudodifferential
Configuration

8Introduction

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

1.3.3 Triggers, Timebase

Triggers

Trigger source Software command, analog input, external digital

trigger

Trigger mode Post trigger, delay trigger

Trigger function Start trigger

Table 1-11: Triggers

Analog Trigger

Source AI0 - AI1

Level ± Full-scale, programmable

Trigger conditions Positive or negative

Trigger resolution 24-bit

Table 1-12: Analog Trigger

Digital Trigger

Sources Front panel SMB connector

Compatibility 5V TTL

Trigger polarity Rising or falling edge

Pulse width 25 ns minimum

Table 1-13: Digital Trigger

Timebase

Frequency 80 MHz

Internal Timebase Accu­racy

Introduction 9

±20 ppm, over operating temperature range

T able 1-14: Timebase

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

1.3.4 General Specifications

Bus and Physical

Bus interface 32-bit / 33MHz PCI bus, support 3.3V and 5V PCI sig-

Physical dimension PCI: Half-size PCI card

T able 1-15: Bus and Physical Specifications

Environment Requirements

Operating environment Temperature:0°C - 50°C

Storage Environment Temperature: -20°C - +80°C

T able 1-16: Environment Requirements

Calibration

Onboard reference +5V

Temperature coefficient ≤ ±5 ppm/°C

Self-Calibration On software command, the PCI-9527 corrects offset

External Calibration Interval 1 year

Warm-up time 15 minutes

naling

106.6 mm (H) X 174.6 mm (W)

Relative humidity: 5% - 95%, non-condensing

Relative humidity: 5% - 95%, non-condensing

and gain error relative to internal high stability, high
precision reference

Table 1-17: Calibration

Power Consumption

Power Rail Standby Current (mA) Full Load (mA)

+5V 720 1490

+12V 290 340

Table 1-18: Power Consumption

10 Introduction

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

1.4 Software Support

1.4.1 Software Support

ADLINK provides versatile software drivers and packages to suit
various user approaches to building a system. Aside from pro­gram-ming libraries, such as DLLs, for most Windows-based sys­tems, ADLINK also provides drivers for other application
environment such as LabVIEW®.

All software options are included in the ADLINK All-in-One CD.
Commercial software drivers are protected with licensing codes.
Without the code, you may install and run the demo version for
trial/demonstration purposes only up to two hours. Contact your
ADLINK dealers if you want to purchase the software license.

1.4.2 Programming Library

For customers who want to write their own programs, ADLINK pro­vides the DSA-DASK function library that is compatible with vari­ous operating systems.

1.4.3 DSA-DASK

The DSA-DASK includes device drivers and DLL for Windows 98/
NT/2000/XP/Vista/Win7. DLL is binary compatible across Win­dows 98/ NT/2000/XP/Vista/Win. This means all applications
developed with DSA-DASK are compatible with these Windows
operating systems. The developing environment may be VB,
VC++, Delphi, BC5, or any Windows programming language that
allows calls to a DLL. The DSA-DASK user's and function refer­ence manuals are in the ADLINK All-in-One CD. (\\Manual\Soft­ware Package\DSA-DASK).

Introduction 11

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

 Supported Operating System

 Windows 7/ Vista/XP

 Linux

 Recommended Application Environments

 VB.NET/VC.NET/VB/VC++/BCB/Delphi

 Driver Support

 DAQPilot for Windows

 DAQPilot for LabVIEW

 DASK for Windows

 DASK/X for Linux

 Toolbox adapter for MATLAB

 Application Software

 Dynamic Signal Assistant

ADLINK’s Dynamic Signal Assistant is a ready-to-run
software utility designed for dynamic signal acquisition
modules, such as the PCI-9527. This software provides
a windows-based configuration interface for setting
parameters, in addition to a real-time visualized data dis­play on the screen. An instrument-like user interface is
also provided for basic waveform generation. The
Dynamic Signal Assistant can also log data acquired
from hardware modules. With the Dynamic Signal Assis­tant, signal acquisition and generation can be performed
in just a few minutes without any programming effort.

12 Introduction

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527

NOTE:

Copyright 2008 User’s Manual

2 Getting Started

This chapter further describes the proper installation environment,
installation procedures, its package contents and basic information
users should be aware of.

Diagrams and images of equipment illustrated are used
for reference only. Actual system configuration and specs
may very.

2.1 Installation Environment

Whenever unpacking and preparing to install any equipment

described in this manual, please refer to the Important Safety
Instructions chapter of this manual.

Only install equipment in well lit areas on flat, sturdy surfaces with
access to basic tools such as flat and cross head screwdrivers,
preferably with magnetic heads as screws and standoffs are small
and easily misplaced.

Recommended Installation Tools

 Phillips (cross-head) screwdriver

 Flat-head screwdriver

 Anti-static Wrist Strap

 Anti-static mat

ADLINK PCI-9527 DAQ cards are electro-static sensitive equip­ment that can be easily damaged by static electricity. The equip­ment must be handled on a grounded anti-static mat. The operator
must wear an anti-static wristband, grounded at the same point as
the anti-static mat.

Getting Started 13

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

CAUTION:

User’s Manual Copyright 2008

Inspect the carton and packaging for damage. Shipping and han­dling could cause damage to the equipment inside. Make sure that
the equipment and its associated components have no damage
before installing.

The equipment must be protected from static discharge
and physical shock. Never remove any of the socketed
parts except at a static-free workstation. Use the anti­static bag shipped with the product to handle the
equipment and wear a grounded wrist strap when
servicing.

14 Getting Started

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527

WARNING:

Copyright 2008 User’s Manual

2.2 Package Contents

Before continuing, check the package contents for any damage
and check if the following items are included in the packaging:

 PCI-9524 Multi-function Data Acquisition Card

 ADLINK All-in-one Compact Disc

 Software Installation Guide

 PCI-9524 User’s Manual

If any of these items are missing or damaged, contact the dealer
from whom you purchased the product. Save the shipping materi­als and carton in case you want to ship or store the product in the
future.

WARNING: DO NOT install or apply power to equipment
that is dam-aged or if there is missing/incomplete
equipment. Retain the shipping carton and packing
materials for inspection. Please contact your ADLINK
dealer/vendor immediately for assistance. Obtain
authorization from your dealer before returning any
product to ADLINK.

Getting Started 15

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

AI0

AI1

AO0

AO1

Ext.TRG

User’s Manual Copyright 2008

2.3 Device Layout and IO Connectors

16 Getting Started

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2008 User’s Manual

2.4 Installing the Module

To install the card:

1. Turn off the system/chassis and disconnect the power
plug from the power source.

2. Remove the system/chassis cover.

3. Select the PCI slot that you intend to use, then remove
the bracket opposite the slot, if any.

4. Align the card connectors (golden fingers) with the slot,
then press the card firmly until the card is completely
seated on the slot.

5. Secure the card to the chassis with a screw.

6. Replace the system/chassis cover.

7. Connect the power plug to a power source, then turn on
the system/chassis.

Getting Started 17

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

Positive (+)

Negative (-)

User’s Manual Copyright 2008

2.5 Signal Connection

2.5.1 BNC Connector Polarity

The following figure shows the polarity of the BNC connector:

2.5.2 Analog Input Connection

The PCI-9527 input channels can be configured as pseudo-differ­ential or differential. For ground-reference signal source, user
should configure analog input as differential. For floating signal
sources, the analog input should be configured as a pseudo-differ­ential input in order to provide a reference. In pseudodifferential
configuration, the (-) port of AI is connected to ground through a
50 Ω resistor.

Signal Source Type AI Channel Configuration

Floating Pseudo Differential

Ground-Reference Differential

T able 2-1: Analog Input Connection

18 Getting Started

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2008 User’s Manual

2.5.3 Analog Output Connection

If the DUT inputs are ground-referenced, the differential output
mode can be used for the elimination of measuring errors which
caused by ground loops.

If the DUT inputs are in a floating system (ex. a floating earphone),
setting to pseudo-differential output mode will provide a reference
ground connected to the positive output of the BNC through a 50
Ω resistor.

DUT Input Reference Type AO Channel Configuration

Floating Pseudo Differential

Ground-Reference Differential

Table 2-2: Analog Output Connection

Getting Started 19

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2008

20 Getting Started

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527

AI Channel 0

Front End

Circuit

AI Channel 1

Front End

Circuit

AO Channel 0

Front End

Circuit

AO Channel 1

Front End

Circuit

ADC

Interface

DAC

Interface

Offset/Gain
Correction

Offset/Gain
Correction

Local
FIFO

FP

FIFO

PF

FIFO

PCI Interface

DDS

Timing Control
and Trigger In

Calibration

Mux and

Reference Src

PCI Bus

Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

3 Operation Theory

This chapter contains information about the PCI-9527 operating
concepts, including analog input, analog output, triggering and
timing.

3.1 Functional Block Diagram

Operation Theory 21

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

ADC

AI+

AI-

Calibratio n

Source

IEPE

x1 or x1/4

+2.5V

10~24V @ 4mA (adjustable)

x1

x3.16

x10

x31.6

User’s Manual Copyright 2010

3.2 Analog Input Channel

3.2.1 Analog Input Front-End Configuration

Input Configuration, Differential or Pseudo Differential

The differential input mode provides the anode and cathode inputs
of the BNC connector that respond to signal voltage difference
between them. If the signal source is ground-referenced, the dif­ferential input mode can be used for the common-mode noise
rejection.

If the signal source is a floating signal, setting to pseudo-differen­tial input mode will provide a reference ground connected to the
cathode input of the BNC through a 50ohm resistor. This will pre­vent the floating source from drifting over the input common-mode
range.

The recommended configurations for the signal sources are as fol­lowes.

Signal Source Type Card Configuration

Floating Pseudo Differential

Ground-Reference Differential

Table 3-1: Input Configurations

22 Operation Theory

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

Input Coupling, DC Coupling or AC Coupling

The input coupling can be AC or DC. When you select DC cou­pling, the DC offset present in the input signal is pass to ADC. Use
the DC coupling configuration if the signal source has a small
amount of offset voltage or if the DC content of the signal is impor­tant.

When you select AC coupling, the DC offset present in the input
signal is removed. Use the AC coupling configuration if the DC
content of the input signals that you want to reject.

AC coupling enable a high pass R-C filter through the input signal
path. The corner frequency (-3dB) is about 3Hz.

Input for IEPE

For applications that require sensors such as accelerometer or
microphone, PCI-9527 provides an excitation current source.

The common excitation current is usually between 4mA for these
IEPE sensors. A DC voltage offset is generated because of the
excitation current and sensor impedance. When enable the IEPE
current sources, the PCI-9527 will set input configuration to AC
coupling automatically.

Operation Theory 23

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

3.2.2 Input Range and Data Format

When using an A/D converter, users should first know about the
properties of the signal to be measured. Users can decide which
channel to use and how to connect the signals to the card. Please
refer to section 2.5 for signal connections.

The A/D acquisition is initiated by a trigger source; users must
decide how to trigger the A/D conversion. The data acquisition will
start once a trigger condition is matched. After the end of an A/D
conversion, the A/D data is buffered in a Data FIFO. The A/D data
can now be transferred into the PC's memory for further process­ing.

The following table illustrates the idea transfer characteristics of
various input ranges of the PCI-9527. The data format of the PCI­9527 is 2’s complement.

Description Bipolar Analog Input Range Digital Code

Full-scale Range ±40V ±10V ±3.1622776V ±1V ±0.316227V

Least significant bit 4.76uV 1.19uV 0.37uV 0.119uV 0.037uV

FSR-1LSB 39.99999952V 9.99999881V 3.1622773V 0.999999881V 0.31622773V 7FFFFF

Midscale +1LSB 4.76uV 1.19uV 0.37uV 0.119uV 0.037uV 000001

Midscale 0V 0V 0V 0V 0V 000000

Midscale –1LSB -4.76uV -1.19uV -0.37uV -0.119uV -0.037uV FFFFFF

-FSR -40V -10V -3.1622776V -1V -0.31622776V 800000

Table 3-2: Input Range and Data Format

24 Operation Theory

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

3.2.3 ADC and Analog Input Filter

ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter)

The ADCs on PCI-9527 are sigma-delta ADC which is very suit­able for vibration, audio and acoustic measurement. The analog
side of sigma-delta ADC is a 1-bit ADC. On digital side, it performs
oversampling, noise shaping and digital filtering. For example, if
desired sampling rate is 108KS/s, each ADC samples input signal
at 6.912MS/s, 64 times the sampling rate. The 1-bit 6.912MS/s
data streams from 1-bit ADC to its internal digital filter circuit to
produce 24-bit data at 108KS/s. The noise shaping removes quan­tization noise from low frequency to high frequency. With the digi­tal filter at the last stage, the digital filter improves the ADC
resolution and removes high frequency quantization noise.

The relationship between ADC sample rate and DDS output clock
is as followed

Sampling Rate 2 K - 54 KHz 54 K - 108 KHz 108 K-216 KHz 216 K - 432 KHz

DDS CLK 512 K - 13.824 MHz 6.912 M-13.824 MHz 6.912 M-13.824 MHz 13.824 M - 27.648 MHz

Table 3-3: ADC Sample Rates VS DSS Outpu Clock

Filter

Each channel has a two-pole low pass filters. The filters limit the
bandwidth of the signal path and is useful for rejecting out of band
noise.

Operation Theory 25

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

3.2.4 FIFO and DMA Transfer For Analog Input

FIFO

There is only one FIFO implemented on PCI-9527 for analog input
data storage. The FIFO depth is 4096 samples. The 4096 samples
are shared for both AI channels. When user enables only one AI
channel, the 4096-sample-FIFO is used for one channel data stor­age. When user enables two AI channels, the 4096-sample-FIFO
shares for both channel.

Bus-mastering DMA Data Transfer

PCI bus-mastering DMA is essential for continuous data stream­ing, as it helps to achieve full potential PCI bus bandwidth, and
also to improve bus efficiency. The bus-mastering controller con­trols the PCI bus when it becomes the master of which, and the
host CPU is free of burden since data are directly transferred to
the host memory without intervention. Once analog input opera­tion begins, the DMA returns control of the program. During DMA
transfer, the hardware temporarily stores acquired data in the on­board AD Data FIFO, and then transfers the data to a user-defined
DMA buffer in the computer.

By using a high-level programming library for high speed DMA
data acquisition, users simply need to assign the sampling period
and the number of conversions into their specified counters. After
the AD trigger condition is met, the data will be transferred to the
system memory by the bus-mastering DMA.

In a multi-user or multi-tasking OS, such as Microsoft Windows,
Linux, and so on, it is difficult to allocate a large continuous mem­ory block. Therefore, the PCI controller provides DMA transfer with
scatter-gather function to link non-continuous memory blocks into
a linked list so users can transfer large amounts of data without
being limited by memory limitations. In non-scatter-gather mode,
the maximum DMA data transfer size is 2 MB double words (8 MB
bytes); in scatter-gather mode, there is no limitation on DMA data
transfer size except the physical storage capacity of your system.
Users can also link descriptor nodes circularly to achieve a multi­buffered DMA. Figure 4-6 illustrates a linked list that is comprised
of three DMA descriptors. Each descriptor contains a PCI address,

26 Operation Theory

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527

Local Memory

(FIFO )

PCI Bus

r

Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

PCI dual address, a transfer size, and the pointer to the next
descriptor. PCI address and PCI dual address support 64-bit
addresses which can be mapped into more than 4 GB of address
space.

First PCI Address

First Dual Address

Trnfr iz

Next Descripto

PCI Addr ess

Dual Address

Trnfr iz

Next Descriptor

Figure 3-1: Linked List of PCI Address DMA Descriptors

PCI Address

Dual Address

Trnfr iz

Next Descriptor

Operation Theory 27

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

DAC

CH0

AO CH0+

AO CH0- / AOGND

Attenuator

x1

x0.1

x0.01

Differential

Driver

XLR

Switch

IV

Converter

DAC

CH1

Differential

Driver

IV

Converter

AO GND

CHASSIS

GND
AO CH1+/ AO CH0­AO CH1- / AOGND

User’s Manual Copyright 2010

3.3 Analog Output Channel

3.3.1 Analog Output Front-End Configuration

Output Configuration - Differential, Pseudo Differential

The differential output mode provides the anode and cathode out­puts of the BNC connector that respond to the DAC outputs volt­age difference between them. If the DUT inputs are ground­referenced, the differential output mode can be used for the elimi­nation of measuring errors which caused by ground loops.

If the DUT inputs are in a floating system (ex. a floating earphone),
setting to pseudo-differential output mode will provide a reference
ground connected to the cathode output of the BNC through a
50ohm resistor. This will prevent the floating system from drifting
over its input common-mode range.

The recommended configurations respect to the input reference
types of DUT are as followed.

DUT Input Reference Type Card Configuration

Floating Pseudo Differential

Ground-Reference Differential

T ab le 3-4: Output Config uratio n

28 Operation Theory

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

3.3.2 Output Range and Data Format

The following table illustrates the PCI-9527 idea transfer charac­teristics of various input codes versus output voltages. The data
format of the PCI-9527 is two’s-complement.

Description Digital Input Code Bipolar Analog Output

Full-scale Range ±10V ±1V ±0.1V

Least significant bit 1.19uV 0.119uV 0.012uV

FSR-1LSB 7FFFFF 9.99999881V 0.999999881V 0.099999988V

Midscale +1LSB 000001 1.19uV 0.119uV 0.012uV

Midscale 000000 0V 0V 0V

Midscale –1LSB FFFFFF -1.19uV -0.119uV -0.012uV

-FSR 800000 -10V -1V -0.1V

Table 3-5: Digital Input Code and An a log Output Range

3.3.3 DAC and Analog Output Filter

DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)

The DACs on PCI-9527 are two 24-bit delta-sigma DACs. It sepa­rates the sample rates into four regions between 1KS/s to
216KSps (table 3.3.1). Each region has different bandwidth of
internal digital filter, this will optimize the DA dynamic performance
over all sample rate region. For example, when setting at lower
sample rate, the digital filter bandwidth is lower too. It improves
SNR of output current and release the need for external analog
low pass filter.

The relationship between DAC sample rate and DDS output clock
is as followed

Update Rate 1K-27KHz 27K-54KHz 54K-108KHz 108K-216KHz

DDS CLK 512K-13.824MHz 6.912M-13.824MHz 6.912M-13.824MHz 13.824M-27.648MHz

T able 3-6: DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)

Operation Theory 29

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

Analog Front-End Filter

Each channel has a 3-pole low pass filter. The cutoff frequency is
set at 110 KHz to limit the bandwidth of the signal path. This will
mostly reject out of band images and noise.

3.3.4 FIFO and DMA Transfer For Analog Output

FIFO

There are two FIFOs implemented on PCI-9527 for the analog
output function. Each FIFO depth is 2048 samples.

Bus-mastering DMA Data Transfer

For analog output operation, the data will be transferred from host
PC memory to onboard FIFO by DMA transfer. Please refer to
section 3.2.4 for detail description.

30 Operation Theory

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527

Trigger Source Mux

Software Trigger

TRG Input

SMB Connector

Digital Trigger Input

Trigger

Decision

To Internal

FPGA Circuit

AI CH0 Analog

Trigger

AI CH1 Analog

Trigger

Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

3.4 Trigger Source and Trigger Mode

This section describes information about triggering theory of oper­ation. In PCI-9527, the operation of AI and AO share the same
trigger source. Therefore, when user enables AI and AO operation
simultaneously, the trigger signal is valid only when AI and AO are
ready to receive trigger signal. For more detail in programming the
PCI-9527, please refer to software operation manual.

3.4.1 Trigger Sources

Figure 3-2: Trigger Architecture of the PCI-9527

Within the PCI-9527, a trigger is a signal that starts the acquisition
of data. When configuring the triggers, you have to decide where
the trigger comes from. PCI-9527 supports internal software trig­ger, external digital trigger, as well as analog trigger.

Software Trigger

The software trigger is generated by software command. The trig­ger asserts right after executing specified function calls to begin
the operation.

Operation Theory 31

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

Trigger Level

Positive-Slope Trigger Event

Occurs

Negative-Slope Trigger

Event Occurs

Analog

Signal

User’s Manual Copyright 2010

External Digital Trigger

An external digital trigger occurs when a TTL rising edge or a fall­ing edge is detected at the SMB connector on the front panel. As
illustrated in Figure x-x, the trigger polarity can be selected by soft­ware. Note that the signal level of the external digital trigger signal
should be TTL compatible, and the minimum pulse width is 25 ns.

Analog Trigger

User can configure the PCI-9527 analog trigger circuitry to monitor
one of analog input channels from which you acquire data. Select­ing an analog input channel as the analog trigger channel does not
influence the input channel acquisition operation. The analog trig­ger circuit generates an internal digital trigger signal based on the
condition between analog signal and the trigger level you defined.

The trigger conditions for analog triggers is described as follows:

 Positive-slope trigger: The trigger event occurs when the

analog input signal changes from a voltage that is lower
than the specified trigger level to a voltage that is higher
than the specified trigger level.

 Negative-slope trigger: The trigger event occurs when the

analog input signal changes from a voltage that is higher
than the specified trigger level to a voltage that is lower than
the specified trigger level.

32 Operation Theory

Figure 3-3: Analog Trigger Conditions

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527

Time

Operation

start

Trigger

N sampled data

Analog

Input

Trigger Event Occurs
Acquisition or waveform
generation start

Acquisition or waveform generation
stop

Analog
Output

Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

3.4.2 Trigger Mode

There are two trigger modes working with trigger sources to initi­ate different data acquisition timing when a trigger event occurs.
The following trigger mode descriptions are applied to analog input
and analog output functions.

 Post trigger mode acquisition/generation

 Delay trigger mode acquisition/generation

Post Trigger Mode

If user configures the trigger mode as post trigger, following action
begins right after the trigger conditions are met:

 The analog input channel acquires a programmed number

of samples at a specified sampling rate.

 The analog output channel output pre-defined voltage at a

specified output rate.

Figure 3-4: Post-trigger Acquisition / Waveform Generation

Operation Theory 33

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

Time

Operation
start

Trigger

Analog

Input

Trigger Event
Occurs

Acquisition or waveform
generation stop

N sampled data

Acquisition or waveform
generation start

Delay Time

Analog
Output

User’s Manual Copyright 2010

Delay Trigger Mode

If user configures the trigger mode as delay trigger, user can spec­ify a delay time from when the trigger event asserts to the begin­ning of the acquisition and waveform generation. The operation is
illustrated below. The delay time is specified by a 32-bit counter
value and the counter is clocking based on the PCI clock. So the
maximum delay time is the period of PCI_CLK X (232 - 1) while
the minimum delay is the period of PCI_CLK.

Figure 3-5: Delay Trigger Mode Acquisition / Waveform Generation

34 Operation Theory

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527

DAC CH1

Onboard
125MHz
Oscillator

ADC CH0

ADC CH1

DAC CH0

1-to-4 Clock

Buffer

DDS

½

Divider

½

Divider

Resolution equal to

125MHz/2^32 = 0.029Hz

Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

3.5 ADC and DAC Timing Control

3.5.1 Timebase Architecture

Figure 3-6: PCI-9527 Timebase Architecture

To drive the sigma-delta ADC and DAC, an onboard timebase
clock is applied. The timebase clock frequency is much higher
than the sample rate and is produced from a DDS chip. The output
frequency of DDS chip is programmable with excellent resolution.

3.5.2 DDS Timing VS ADC/DAC Relationship

Sampling Rate 2 K - 54 KHz 54 K - 108 KHz 108 K - 216 KHz 216 K - 432 KHz

Update Rate 1K-27KHz 27K-54KHz 54K-108KHz 108K-216KHz

DDS CLK 512K-13.824MHz 6.912M-13.824MHz 6.912M-13.824MHz 13.824M-27.648MHz

Table 3-7: Timing Relationship of the ADC, DAC and DDS Clock

Operation Theory 35

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

3.5.3 Timing Constraint When AI a nd AO Enabled Simul­taneously

As users can see in the section 3.5.1, the ADC and DAC shares
the same Timebase source, i.e. the output of DDS clock. When
users enable the operation of ADC and DAC at the same time,
there are constraints that should be kept in mind:

1. The sampling rate of ADC and the update rate of DAC
are related. When you set the sampling rate of ADC to
certain value before configure DAC, the update rate of
DAC will be limited and fixed corresponding to the sam­ple rate of ADC. When you set the update rate of DAC to
certain value before configure ADC, the sampling rate of
DAC will be limited and fixed corresponding to the
update rate of DAC. Please refer to following table for
detail.

2. Because the ADC and DAC share the same trigger
source, users have to configure both AI and AO opera­tion before trigger event occurs. On the other words, trig­ger event cannot occur before AI & AO configuration
complete.

36 Operation Theory

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

3.5.4 Filter Delay in ADC and DAC

The filter delay indicates the time required fro data to propagate
through a converter. Both AI and AO channels have filter delay
due to the filter circuitry and the architecture of the converter. Fol­lowing tables show the filter delay in ADC and DAC.

ADC Filter Delay

Update Rate (kS/s) Filter Delay (Samples)

2K - 54KSps 12

54K-108KSps 7

108K-216KSps 5

216K-432KSps 5

Table 3-8: ADC Filter Delay

DAC Filter Delay

Update Rate (kS/s) Filter Delay (Samples)

2K - 54KSps 43.4

54K-108KSps 87.5

108K-216KSps 176.8

Table 3-9: DAC Filter Delay

Operation Theory 37

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

38 Operation Theory

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

4 Calibration

This chapter introduces the calibration process to minimize analog
input measurement errors and analog output errors.

4.1 Calibration Constant

The PCI-9527 is factory calibrated before shipment by writing the
associated calibration constants to the onboard EEPROM. Every
time the system boot up, the PCI-9527 driver will load these cali­bration constants that minimize the error in analog input path and
analog output circuit. ADLINK provides a software API for calibrat­ing the PCI-9527 whenever users want to calibrate the module.

The onboard EEPROM provides three banks for calibration con­stant storage in PCI-9527. The bank 0, which is the default bank,
records the factory calibrated constants. Bank 0 is written protec­tion that prevents any abnormal auto-calibration process occurred
in user’s environment. The banks 1 and 2, which are user-defined
space, provided for user’s self-calibration constants. When user
execute the auto-calibration process, the calibration constants will
be recorded to bank 1 or 2 based on user assignment.

When PCI-9527 boot up, the driver will access the calibration con­stants and set to hardware automatically. Without user’s assign­ment, the driver will load constants stored in bank 0. If user wants
to load constants from bank 1 or 2, user can assign the bank 1 or 2
as the boot up bank through software. Once user re-assign the
bank, driver will load the constants when user re-boot the system.
This setting will be recorded to EEPROM and maintains no
change until user modify it.

Calibration 39

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.
User’s Manual Copyright 2010

4.2 Auto-Calibration

Because errors in measurement and outputs will vary with time
and temperature, it is recommended to re-calibration when the
card is installed in the user’s environment. The auto-calibration
can measure and minimize errors without external signal connec­tions, reference voltages, or measurement devices.

The PCI-9527 has an on-board calibration reference to ensure the
accuracy of auto-calibration. The reference voltage is measured
on the production line and recorded in the on-board EEPROM.

Before begining the auto-calibration procedure, it is recommended
to warm up the PCI-9527 for at least 20 minutes. Please remove
cables before an auto-calibration procedure is initiated.

4.3 Offset Error Compensation During AI Sampling Rate Change

To provide better measurement results, PCI-9527 has an internal
offset error compensation mechanism whenever user changes the
AI sampling rate. Following table shows the compensation time
required when setting different sampling rate. For example, when
changing the sampling rate from 432 KS/s to 2 KS/s, 6.2 sec is
required for offset compensation. Next time when the sampling
rate is set between 2 KS/s and 53.999 KS/s, it is not necessary to
have 6.2 sec for the offset compensation. Only the sampling rate
set to different ranges will cause a compensation time.

Note that it is not necessary to add delay in you application. The
PCI-9527 driver will automatically add the compensation time.

Sampling Rate

Offset Compen­sation Time

Table 4-1: Offset Compensation Time Required for Different Sampling

40 Calibration

2 KS/s -

53.999 KS/s

6.2 sec 2.6 sec 1.3 sec 0.65 sec

54 KS/s -

107.999 KS/s

Rates

108 K/s -

215.999 KS/s

216 KS/s ­432 KS/s

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2008 User’s Manual

5 Calibration

This chapter introduces the calibration process to minimize AD
measurement errors and DA output errors.

5.1 Loading Calibration Constants

The PCI-9524 is factory calibrated before shipment by writing the
associated calibration constants of TrimDACs firmware to the on­board EEPROM. TrimDACs firmware is the algorithm in the
FPGA. Loading calibration constants is the process of loading the
values of TrimDACs firmware stored in the on-board EEPROM.
ADKLINK provides a software utility for reading the calibration
constants automatically if necessary.

There is a dedicated space for storing calibration constants in the
EEPROM. In addition to the default bank of factory calibration con­stants, there are three more user-utilization banks. That means
users can load TrimDAC firmware values either from the original
factory calibration or from a calibration that is subsequently per­formed.

Because errors in measurements and outputs will vary with time
and temperature, it is recommended to re-calibrate when the card
is installed in the user's environment. The auto-calibration function
used to minimize errors will be introduced in the next sub-section.

Calibration 73

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

NOTE:

NOTE:

User’s Manual Copyright 2008

5.2 Auto-calibration

By using the auto-calibration feature of PCI-9524, the calibration
software can measure and minimize measurement errors without
external signal connections, reference voltages, or measurement
devices.

PCI-9524 has an on-board calibration reference to ensure the
accuracy of auto-calibration. The reference voltage is measured
on the production line through a digital potentiometer and compen­sated in the software. The calibration constant is memorized after
this measurement.

5.3 Saving Calibration Constants

Factory calibrated constants are permanently stored in a onboard
EEPROM data bank and cannot be modified. When you re-cali­brate the device, software stores new constants in a user-modifi­able section of the EEPROM. To return a device to its initial factory
calibration settings, software copies the factory calibrated con­stants to the user-modifiable section of the EEPROM. After an
auto-calibration is completed, users can save the new calibration
constants into the user-modifiable banks in the EEPROM. The
date, temperature and calibration constants of the auto-calibration
will be saved. Therefore users can store three sets of calibration
constants according to three different environments and re-load
the calibration constants later.

1) Before auto-calibration starts, it is recommended to warm up
the card for at least 25 minutes.

2) Please remove cables before an auto-calibration procedure
is initiated because the DA outputs will change in the calibra­tion process.

74 Calibration

ADLINK Technology Inc. PCI-9527
Copyright 2010 User’s Manual

Important Safety Instructions

For user safety, please read and follow all instructions,
WARNINGS, CAUTIONS, and NOTES marked in this manual and

on the associated equipment before handling/operating the
equipment.

 Read these safety instructions carefully.

 Keep this user’s manual for future reference.

 Read the specifications section of this manual for detailed

information on the operating environment of this equipment.

 When installing/mounting or uninstalling/removing

equipment:

 Turn off power and unplug any power cords/cables.

 To avoid electrical shock and/or damage to equipment:

 Keep equipment away from water or liquid sources;

 Keep equipment away from high heat or high humidity;

 Keep equipment properly ventilated (do not block or

cover ventilation openings);

 Make sure to use recommended voltage and power

source settings;

 Always install and operate equipment near an easily

accessible electrical socket-outlet;

 Secure the power cord (do not place any object on/over

the power cord);

 Only install/attach and operate equipment on stable

surfaces and/or recommended mountings; and,

 If the equipment will not be used for long periods of time,

turn off and unplug the equipment from its power source.

Important Safety Instructions 41

PCI-9527 ADLINK Technology Inc.

CAUTION:

User’s Manual Copyright 2010

 Never attempt to fix the equipment. Equipment should only

be serviced by qualified personnel.

 A Lithium-type battery may be provided for uninterrupted,

backup or emergency power.

RISK OF EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS REPLACED BY AN
INCORECT TYPE. DISPOSE OF USED BATTERIES
ACCORDING TO THEIR INSTRUCTIONS.

 Equipment must be serviced by authorized technicians

when:

 The power cord or plug is damaged;

 Liquid has penetrated the equipment;

 It has been exposed to high humidity/moisture;

 It is not functioning or does not function according to the

user’s manual;

 It has been dropped and/or damaged; and/or,

 It has an obvious sign of breakage.

42 Important Safety Instructions