Meilhaus Electronic ME-5100, ME-5100 cPCI, ME-5100 PCIe Series Manual

Meilhaus Electronic Manual

ME-5100 Series 3.0E

32-Channel High-Speed Digital-I/O Board

(alternatively: Frequency Measurement and Pulse Generator)

Imprint

Manual ME-5100 Series

Revision 3.0E

Revised: 2018-05-08

Meilhaus Electronic GmbH
Am Sonnenlicht 2
D-82239 Alling bei München
Germany

www.meilhaus.de

© Copyright 2018 Meilhaus Electronic GmbH

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or distributed in any form whether photocopied, printed, put on mi­crofilm or be stored in any electronic media without the expressed
written consent of Meilhaus Electronic GmbH.

Important note:

The information contained in this manual has been reviewed with
great care and is believed to be complete and accurate. Meilhaus
Electronic assumes no responsibility for its use, any infringements
of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from
use of this manual or the product. Meilhaus Electronic assumes no
responsibility for any problems or damage which may result from
errors or omissions. Specifications and instructions are subject to
change without notice.

Note the Meilhaus Electronic general terms of business:

www.meilhaus.de/en/infos/my-shop/tob/

All trademarks acknowledged. All trademarks are property of their
respective owners.

Content

1 Introduction ........................................................... 5

1.1 Important Notes ............................................................... 5

1.1.1 Use in Accordance with the Requirements ....................... 5

1.1.2 Improper Application ...................................................... 6

1.1.3 Unforeseeable Misapplications ........................................ 6

1.2 Package Contents ............................................................. 7

1.3 Features .......................................................................... 7

1.4 System Requirements ..................................................... 10

1.5 Software Support ........................................................... 10

2 Starting up .......................................................... 11

2.1 Software Installation ....................................................... 11

2.2 Test Program .................................................................. 11

2.3 Fitting the Plug-on Boards ............................................... 12

2.4 Power Supply for PCI-Express Models................................ 13

3 Hardware ............................................................ 15

3.1 Block Diagram ................................................................. 15

3.2 ME-5100 cPCI ................................................................ 16

3.3 ME-5100 PCIe ................................................................ 16

3.4 Digital Input/Output ......................................................... 17

3.4.1 Digital Inputs .............................................................. 17

3.4.2 Digital Outputs ............................................................ 18

3.4.3 External Trigger ........................................................... 18

3.4.3.1 External Trigger Inputs ....................................... 18

3.4.3.2 Edge Detection .................................................. 18

3.5 Frequency Input/Output ................................................... 19

3.6 External Interrupt ........................................................... 20

3.7. Additional Functions ........................................................ 20

3.7.1 System Clock Output ................................................... 20

3.7.2 Termination ................................................................. 20

3.7.3 Logic Level Matching .................................................... 21

3.7.4 ”DATA_VALID” Pin ....................................................... 21

4 Programming ....................................................... 22

4.1 Single Operation Mode ..................................................... 24

4.1.1 Digital Input/Output ..................................................... 24

4.1.2 Frequency Input/Output ................................................ 25

4.1.2.1 Frequency Measurement .................................... 26

4.1.2.2 Pulse Generator ................................................ 27

4.2 Streaming Operation Mode............................................... 27

4.2.1 Digital Input/Output ..................................................... 27

4.2.1.1 Stream Timer .................................................... 28

4.2.1.2 Stream Trigger Sample ...................................... 28

4.2.1.3 Burst Mode ....................................................... 28

4.2.1.4 Wraparound Mode ............................................. 28

4.2.1.5 External Trigger ................................................. 28

4.3 Interrupt Operation ......................................................... 30

4.3.1 Bit-pattern Change ...................................................... 31

5 Appendix ............................................................. 32

A Specifications ........................................................................ 32

B Pinout ................................................................................... 36

B1 78-pin D-Sub (ST1) – ME-5100 ............................................... 37

B2 Adapter Board – ME AB-D78/IDC ............................................. 38

C Accessories ........................................................................... 41

D Technical Questions ................................................................ 42

D1 Hotline ........................................................................... 42

E Index ..................................................................................... 43

1 Introduction

Valued customer,

Thank you for purchasing this device from Meilhaus Electronic. You
have chosen an innovative high-technology product that left our
premises in a fully functional and new condition.

Please take the time to carefully examine the contents of the pack­age for any loss or damage that may have occurred during shipping.
If there are any items missing or if an item is damaged, please con­tact us immediately.

Before installing the board in your computer, we recommend you
read this manual carefully, especially the chapter describing board
installation.

The descriptions in this manual concern PCI-Express- and Com­pactPCI-versions of the ME-5100 series if not otherwise noted.

1.1 Important Notes

1.1.1 Use in Accordance with the Requirements

The PC boards of the ME-5000 series are designed for acquisition
and output of digital signals with a PC. Depending on type install
the models of the ME-5000 series into:

a free PCI-Express slot (PCIe) or

a free CompactPCI-slot (cPCI)

For information on how to install a plug-in board or connect a USB
device, please read the manual of your PC.

Please note the instructions and specifications as presented in
this manual (Appendix A, Specifications):

 Please ensure sufficient heat dissipation for the board within

the PC housing.

 All unused inputs should be connected to the ground reference

of the appropriate functional section. This avoids cross talk be­tween the input lines.

 The opto-isolated inputs and outputs achieve an electrical isola-

tion of the application relative to PC ground.

 Note that the computer must be powered up prior to connect-

ing signals by the external wiring of the board.

 As a basic principle, all connections to the board should only be

made or removed in a powered-down state of all components.

 Ensure that no static discharge occurs while handling the

board or while connecting/disconnecting the external cable.

 Ensure that the connection cable is properly connected. It

must be seated firmly on the D-Sub connector and must be
tightened with both screws, otherwise proper operation of the
board cannot be guaranteed.

1.1.2 Improper Application

PC plug-in boards for the PCI-, PCI-Express- or CompactPCI-bus
may not be taken into operation outside of the PC. Never connect
the devices with voltage-carrying parts, especially not with mains
voltage. As power supply for the USB models only an authorized
power adaptor may be used.

Make sure that no contact with voltage-carrying parts can happen
by the external wiring of the device. As a basic principle, all connec­tions should only be made or removed in a powered-down state.

1.1.3 Unforeseeable Misapplications

The device is not suitable to be used as a children’s toy, in the

household or under unfavourable environmental conditions (e.g. in
the open). Appropriate precautions to avoid any unforeseeable mis­application must be taken by the user.

1.2 Package Contents

We take great care to ensure your delivery is complete. Nonethe­less, please check the list enclosed to verify the contents of your
delivery. You should find included:

 Digital-I/O board in one of the versions:

 ME-5100 PCIe or cPCI.
 ME-5100A with additional add-on board ME-5001.

 ME-5100B with additional add-on board ME-5004.
 Manual in PDF format on CD/DVD.
 Driver software on CD/DVD.
 78-pin D-Sub mating male connector, ME-5100A additional

25-pin mating male connector, ME-5100B additional 37-pin
mating male connector.

1.3 Features

There are different versions of ME-5100:

Model

TTL I/Os/Counters

ME-5100 PCIe/cPCI

ME-5100

32 I/O, TTL

ME-5100A PCIe/cPCI

ME-5100 + ME­5001

32 I/O, TTL

ME-5100B PCIe/cPCI

ME-5100 + ME­5004

32 I/O, 16 inputs, 16 out­puts, opto-isolated,
3 counters, 16 bit, opto­isolated

The ME-5100 is a fast digital-I/O board for the PCI-Express- and
CompactPCI-systems. The base board can optionally be extended
with plug-on boards (see Table 2 on page 10).

Overview:

Model

DIO

FIO*

3.3 V/5 V

Termination

ME-5100
(subdevice 0)

16 bit DIO

4 FI channels

✔

✔

(subdevice 1)

16 bit DIO

4 FO channels

✔

✔

*Alternative configuration can be activated via ME-iDC.

 High-speed digital-I/O ports: The ME-5100 has two 16-bit digi-

tal-I/O ports and a number of control lines. When operating in
single mode, the two ports can be configured, independently of
one another, as input or output. The direction of the ports is
defined in software. Immediately after powering up, all the
ports are configured as inputs. When operating in streaming
mode, the direction of the ports is specified by hardware: port
A is the input port, while port B is the output port.

 Frequency counter: The concept of the “configurable subde-

vices” allows subdevice 0 to be employed as a frequency coun­ter. Four independent channels are available for measuring the
frequency and duty cycle of rectangular signals (max. 5.5 MHz).

 Pulse generator: The concept of the “configurable subdevices”

allows subdevice 1 to be employed as a rectangular wave gener­ator. Four independent channels are available for the output of
a periodic, rectangular signal at up to 5.5 MHz with a variable
duty cycle.

 Signal level 3.3/5 V: the signal level of all the digital inputs/out-

puts and of the control lines can be switched together between

3.3 V and 5 V, depending on the external circuitry.

 For optimum signal matching, you are able to activate, via soft-

ware, an active 110 Ω termination at the digital inputs/outputs
of each port.

 The DATA_VALID and L_CLK signals are available for synchroni-

zation with the external circuitry. The DATA_VALID pin indi-

cates the validity of the data during output in streaming mode
operation, while the 66 MHz system clock can be accessed at
the L-CLK pin.

 Bit-pattern detection: The bit-pattern at the digital inputs can

be monitored if required. Depending on the configuration, an in­terrupt can be triggered in response to a change in the bit-pat­tern. In streaming mode operation, the bit-pattern detection
can also be used to control the input/output operation, depend­ing on the selected operation mode (not using interrupts).

Thanks to the DMA architecture, the data can be transferred very

quickly between the PC’s working memory and the board. In

streaming mode, an input/output rate of up to 30 MS/s, in which all
the ports must participate, is possible. (See also Table 3 on page

22). The actual transmission rate will depend on the operating
mode and the configuration of your computer.

Depending on requirements, you can select from the following oper-

ating modes:

 Single: In this operating mode, a single value can be read or

written under software control (see chapter 4.1.1 on page 24).

 Streaming: Data is read in/output in this operating mode via a

FIFO. It is possible to choose between a timer and/or external
trigger signals for timing control. A large number of trigger op-
tions, with which you can define start and stop conditions, are
available. Port A is specified as a 16-bit input port, and Port B
as a 16-bit output port (see chapter 4.2 on page 27).

 Interrupt: For interrupt handling in the “bit-pattern change”

and “bit-pattern comparison” modes (see chapter 4.3 on page

30).
Customer-specific versions of the firmware are available on re­quest.

Model

ME-5100

ME-5001

ME-5004

PC interface

cPCI/PCIe

- - Board type

base board

plug-on board

plug-on board

DIO channels

2 x 16 bit DIO

4 x 8 bit DIO

1 x 16 bit DI
1 x 16 bit DO

Streaming
channels

1 x 16 bit DI 1
x 16 bit DO

-

-

DI/DO/ I/O rate

30 MS/s /
30 MS/s

- - FI/FO frequency

5.5 MHz/

5.5 MHz

5.5 MHz/

5.5 MHz

300 kHz/
3 kHz

External trigger for
streaming

✔

-

-

Software Start/Stop
for streaming mode
operation

✔

-

-

Frequency
measurement

4 channels

8 channels

8 channels

Pulse generator

4 channels

8 channels

8 channels

Bit-pattern change

✔ ✔ ✔

Bit-pattern
compare

-

-

✔

DI/FI level

3.3 V/5 V (TTL)

3.3 V/5 V (4 x
8 bit**)

3…60 V

DO/FO level

3.3 V/5 V (TTL)

3.3 V/5 V (4 x
8 bit**)

15…30 V

Active termination

✔

4 x 8 bit**

-

Opto-isolation

-

-

✔

Sink/source
selection

-

-

✔

Temperature
monitoring

-

-

✔

External wiring

78-pin D-Sub
socket

25-pin D-Sub
socket

37-pin D-Sub
socket

Configurable
firmware

✔ ✔ ✔

Configurable
subdevices

✔ ✔ ✔

*opt. via ME-AK-D25F/S (cPCI) **only for subdevices 0..3

1.4 System Requirements

The ME-5000 series may be installed into any PC with PCI­Express- resp. CompactPCI-slot (32 bit, 33 MHz, 5 V). The board
is supported by the Meilhaus Electronic Intelligent Driver System
(ME-iDS).

1.5 Software Support

The ME-5000 series is supported by the Meilhaus Electronic Intel­ligent Driver System (ME-iDS). The ME-iDS is a unique driver sys­tem covering different devices and operating systems. It supports
Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8.1, 10 and contains a universal
function library (API) for all common programming languages.

A detailed description of the functions can be found in the ME-iDS
manual on the CD/DVD enclosed.

Please also note the corresponding README-files.

2 Starting up

Please read your computer’s instruction manual on how to install
new hardware components before installing the board.

2.1 Software Installation

• Installation under Windows

The following basic procedure should be used:

If you have received the driver software as an archive file please un­pack the software before installing the board. First choose a direc­tory on your computer (e.g. C:\Temp\Meilhaus\ME-iDS).

Use the Meilhaus Electronic Intelligent Driver System (ME-iDS) for
programming your new data acquisition hardware. For installation
and operation of the driver system please follow the documentation
in electronic form included with the software package.

2.2 Test Program

ME-PowerLab3: Run the program from the Windows Start menu.
This will allow you to test all the important functions of the hard­ware.

For simple testing of the board use the corresponding test pro­gram provided with the ME-iDS.

2.3 Fitting the Plug-on Boards

The boards should be handled with care in order to make sure that
the device is not damaged by electrostatic discharge (ESD), me­chanical stress or unsuitable current surges. Precautions should
also be taken to avoid an electric shock. Ensure that standard ESD
safety precautions are taken. At least one hand should be
grounded in order to dissipate any static charge.

Observe the following procedure:

1. If the base board is installed, you must first remove it in or-

der to be able to insert the plug-on board. Here you should
observe the procedure as described in the manual for your
PC system.

2. Make sure that electrostatic discharges cannot take place

through the plug-on board or the base board as you plug it
in. Follow the standard ESD safety precautions.

3. Push the plug-on board carefully, and with only a little force,

on to the male connector provided for it (see Diagram 1,
items 1, 2 and 3). Check that the board is fully plugged in.

4. Choose two adjacent slots for the installation. If necessary,

remove an additional mounting bracket for the slot of the
plug-on board.

5. Carefully plug the combination of the base and plug-on board

into the computer.

6. Screw the two slot brackets down firmly.

7. Close the PC system again.

2.4 Power Supply for PCI-Express Models

Because of the PCI-Express slot drive’s insufficient current for op­erating the board, an additional supply is required via the PC power
supply. For that purpose connect a free “MOLEX” connector of the
PC (as used for power supply of drives) with the appropriate termi­nal of the board (see the following diagram). Otherwise the board

may be irreversibly damaged!