User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers ZM020170B Rev.D
June 2007
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and may not be construed in any way as a
commitment by Agilent Technologies Inc. While Agilent Technologies 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 Agilent Technologies Inc. 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 Agilent Technologies 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
(support@acqiris.com) 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:
Agilent Technologies SA
12, chemin des Aulx
CH-1228 Plan-les-Ouates
Geneva
Acqiris USA:
Agilent Technologies Inc.
P.O. Box 2203
Monroe, NY 10949
USA
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 4 of 55
1. Out of the Box
1.1. Message to the User
Congratulations on having purchased an Agilent Technologies 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
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
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 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.
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.
3 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION, provides a full description of all the functional elements of the
digitizer.
4 RUNNING THE ACQIRISLIVE APPLICATION, describes the operation of AcqirisLive 3.1, an
application that enables basic operation of Acqiris digitizers in a Windows 2000/XP environment.
Note: AcqirisMAQS is an alternate 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.
5 RUNNING THE GEOMAPPER APPLICATION, describes the purpose and operation of the
GeoMapper application which is needed for some ASBus
2
Multi-instrument systems.
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.
NOTEDenotes a note, which alerts you to important information. Italictext denotes a warning, caution, or note. Bold Italictext 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.
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. Agilent Technologies does not recommend operation of the
DC Series modules outside of a CompactPCI/PXI crate.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 5 of 55
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 small 3.5” compact disc in an Acqiris paper CD envelope that includes
o 10 product user manuals in electronic form (Signal Analyzers, Streamer Analyzers, Family of 8-bit
Digitizers, Family of 10-bit Digitizers, Family of 12-bit Digitizers, Family of Averagers, Family of
Analyzers, Family of Time Counters, 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 AcqirisAnalyzers application, a demonstration program for the AC/SC Analyzer products,
o the AcqirisLive application, a demonstration program for our digitizer and averager products,
o the DemoSSR application, a demonstration program for the Acqiris AP235/AP240 Analyzers,
o the DemoAPX01 application, a demonstration program for the Acqiris AP101/AP201 Analyzers,
o the DemoTC application, a demonstration program for the Acqiris TC840/TC890 Time Counters,
o product data sheets,
o full installation procedures for use with Microsoft Windows, National Instruments LabVIEW RT,
Wind River VxWorks, IVI-COM/C, 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. Agilent Technologies 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 Agilent service center or your local supplier
immediately. Retain the box and packing materials for possible inspection and/or reshipment.
1.7. Warranty
All Agilent Technologies 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.
Agilent Technologies 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 Agilent Technologies’
discretion software and firmware may be revised if a significant operational malfunction is detected.
Products supplied but not manufactured by Agilent Technologies are covered solely by the warranty of the original
equipment manufacturer.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 6 of 55
In exercising this warranty, Agilent Technologies will repair or replace any product returned to the Agilent service
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 Agilent service center. This includes
transportation costs and insurance. Agilent Technologies will return all warranty repairs with transportation prepaid.
1.8. Warranty and Repair Return Procedure, Assistance and Support
Agilent Technologies Inc. acquired Acqiris SA and its product lines in December 2006. Before returning any Agilent
Technologies Acqiris product for repair please contact your nearest Agilent Technologies Service Center.
You can find information about technical and professional services, product support, and equipment repair and
service on the Web, see
click on Contact Us). The service center will ask for 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.
Before issuing a Service Order they will ask you to communicate with us by phone or eMail so that we can learn as
much as needed about the problems observed. 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.
For your nearest customer support center contact Acqiris at 1-877-ACQIRIS in the USA, +41 22 884 32 90 in
Europe or +61 3 9210 2890 in the Asia-Pacific region. Alternatively, please contact Acqiris Technical Support
(support@acqiris.com) or come visit our web site at http://www.acqiris.com. The Agilent Technologies Support
Centers can also help redirect you for any questions concerning the installation and operation of your equipment.
http://service.tm.agilent.com (or http://www.agilent.com/ and after selecting your country
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 including 2003 Server, Wind River VxWorks 5.5.1, and Linux.
The following Linux versions have compiled loadable kernel modules:
RedHat Enterprise Linux Version 3 - Kernel Version 2.4.21-4.EL
RedHat Enterprise Linux Version 3 - Kernel Version 2.4.21-4.ELsmp,
Suse Linux 9.2 - Kernel version 2.6.8-24-smp,
Debian Sarge 3.1 2.6.8-3-686,
Debian 4.0 etch Kernel version 2.6.18-4-686,
Scientific Linux 4.4 Kernel version 2.6.9-11.EL).
Linux kernel driver source code is available for compilation. Support for Windows 95/98/NT4 is included “as is”
since these operating systems are no longer supported by Microsoft.
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.)
LabVIEW: The Acqiris LabVIEW driver is available for National Instruments LabVIEW versions 7.1or 8.0
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 version.
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
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 7 of 55
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.
To package the instrument for shipping:
Step Notes
1. Place the instrument in its original packaging materials.
2. Surround the instrument with at least 3 to 4 inches (8
to 10 cm) of its original packing material or bubble-pack
to prevent the instrument from moving in its shipping
container.
3. After wrapping it with packing material, place the
instrument in its original shipping container or a strong
shipping container that is made of double-walled
corrugated cardboard with 159 kg (350 lb) bursting
strength.
4. Seal the shipping container securely with strong nylon
adhesive tape.
5. Mark the shipping container “FRAGILE, HANDLE
WITH CARE” to help ensure careful handling.
6. Use the address obtained from your Agilent
Technologies Service Center.
7. Retain copies of all shipping papers.
CAUTION: Damage can result if the original packaging materials are not used. Packaging materials should be
anti-static and cushion the instrument on all sides. NEVER USE STYRENE PELLETS IN ANY SHAPE AS
PACKAGING MATERIALS. They do not adequately cushion the instrument or prevent it from moving in the
shipping container. Styrene pellets can also cause equipment damage by generating static electricity or by lodging
in fan motors.
• If the original packaging materials are not available,
use a professional packaging service. Contact your
Agilent Service Center for more information.
• The shipping container must be large and strong
enough to accommodate your instrument and allow at
least 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) on all sides for packing
material.
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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 8 of 55
2. Installation
This chapter describes how to install the Acqiris hardware and software for Windows 2000/XP, Linux, National
Instruments LabVIEW RT, Linux, or Wind River VxWorks.
NOTE:For a first time installation we strongly recommend 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.
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 66 MHz transfer to maximize data transfer speed you should cable a “bundled link”, using
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:
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 9 of 55
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 later 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,
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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 10 of 55
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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 11 of 55
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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 12 of 55
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 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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 13 of 55
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
4.1 MB, 21 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.
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 (21
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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 14 of 55
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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 15 of 55
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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 16 of 55
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.
User Manual: Family of 10-bit Digitizers Page 17 of 55
Loading...
+ 38 hidden pages
You need points to download manuals.
1 point = 1 manual.
You can buy points or you can get point for every manual you upload.