Meilhaus Electronic ME-8100, ME-8100A PCI, ME-8100B PCI, ME-8100A cPCI, ME-8100B cPCI Series Manual

Meilhaus Electronic Manual

ME-8100 Series 3.0E

(PCI- and CompactPCI-Versions)

Opto-Isolated I/O Board

with Bit-Pattern Comparator and Optional Counter

Imprint

Manual ME-8100 Series

Revision 3.0

Revised: 2018-08-29

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 ....................................................... 8

1.5 Software Support ............................................................. 8

2 Starting up ............................................................ 9

2.1 Software Installation ......................................................... 9

2.2 Test Program .................................................................... 9

3 Hardware ............................................................ 10

3.1 Block Diagram ................................................................. 10

3.2 Digital I/O ....................................................................... 12

3.2.1 Opto-Isolated Inputs .................................................... 12

3.2.2 Opto-Isolated Outputs ................................................. 12

3.2.1.1 Sink Driver: ....................................................... 13

3.2.1.2 Source Driver: ................................................... 14

3.3 Counter .......................................................................... 15

3.3.1 Counter Chip ............................................................... 15

3.3.1.1 Wiring Counter Inputs ........................................ 15

3.3.1.2 Wiring Counter Outputs ..................................... 16

3.3.1.3 Cascading the Counters ..................................... 16

4 Programming ....................................................... 17

4.1 Digital-I/O Section ........................................................... 17

4.1.1 Simple Input/Output ..................................................... 18

4.1.2 Bit-Pattern Recognition ............................................... 18

4.1.2.1 Bit-Pattern Match ............................................. 18

4.1.2.2 Bit-Pattern Change ............................................ 19

4.1.2.3 Order of Operation ............................................. 19

4.2 Counter .......................................................................... 20

4.2.1 Standard Operation Modes ........................................... 20

5 Appendix ............................................................. 21

A Specification .......................................................................... 21

B Pinout ................................................................................... 24

B1 ME-8100A/B PCI and cPCI ............................................... 24

C Accessories ........................................................................... 25

D Technical Questions ................................................................ 26

D1 Hotline ........................................................................... 26

E Index ..................................................................................... 27

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- and CompactPCI-ver­sions of the ME-8100 series if not otherwise noted.

1.1 Important Notes

1.1.1 Use in Accordance with the Requirements

The PC boards of the ME-8100 series are designed for acquisition
and output of digital signals with a PC. Depending on type install
the models of the ME-series into:

a free PCI slot (ME-8100A/B PCI) or

a free CompactPCI slot (ME-8100A/B 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:

 Electrically isolated digital-I/O board of the board family ME-

8100 for PCI- or CompactPCI-bus.

 Manual in PDF format on CD/DVD.
 Driver software on CD/DVD.
 ME-8100 PCI/cPCI: 78-pin D-Sub male connector.

1.3 Features

Model Overview

Model

Opto-Isolated Digital I/Os

Counter

ME-8100A PCI
ME-8100A cPCI

16 inputs and16 outputs (24 V)

3 x 16 bit (24 V)

ME-8100B PCI
ME-8100B cPCI

32 inputs and 32 outputs (24 V)

3 x 16 bit (24 V)

The boards of the ME-8100 series come with digital input and out­put ports and with three 16-bit counters. The digital ports and the
counter signals are optically isolated and are designed for control
applications requiring 24 V voltage level.

The ME-8100A board has 16 inputs, 16 outputs and a 16-bit-wide
bit-pattern comparator. The ME-8100B has 32 inputs, 32 outputs
and two bit-pattern comparators each 16 bits. All boards have
three 16-bit counters available.

The ME-8100 models offer the option of switching from “source”

drivers to “sink” drivers by software. This guarantees an individual

adaption to your needs. First the outputs of all models are in a
high-impedance state if the PC is off or after power up. That means
the voltage level at the output pin depends on your external wiring.
After a „1“ is set on the output there is current.

As a special feature the ME-8100 offers the operation modes „bit­pattern match“ and „bit-pattern change“. If the bit-pattern at the

inputs matches a defined pattern or when a bit toggles from a de­fined bit, an interrupt occurs.

1.4 System Requirements

The ME-series may be installed into any PC (Intel® Pentium® pro­cessor) with a free standard PCI, PCI-Express 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-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 and Windows 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

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

3 Hardware

3.1 Block Diagram

Depending on the version not all functional groups included in the
block diagram above are available:

ME-8100A: 16 inputs and 16 outputs, 1 x 16-bit-wide bit-pattern
comparator, 3 x 16-bit counters.

ME-8100B: 32 inputs and 32 outputs, 2 x 16-bit-wide bit-pattern
comparator, 3 x 16-bit counters.

PCI-/cPCI models: 78-pin D-Sub female connector.

3.2 Digital I/O

The opto-isolated inputs and opto-isolated outputs of the ME-8100
series are designed for control applications requiring 24 V voltage
level.

For programming please read chapter 4.1 "Digital-I/O Section" on
page 17:

3.2.1 Opto-Isolated Inputs

The 16 resp. 32 opto-isolated input channels (DI_A 0…15/ DI_B
0…15) of the ME-8100A/B are connected to the opto-couplers

through resistors Rv. These resistors are sized for inputs of typical
24 V (Rv = 2.2 kΩ). For over voltage protection of the opto-cou­plers a protection diode (26 V) was assembled. If required, the re­sistors Rv and the protection diode can be sized for TTL signal level
inputs. The digital lines must be referenced to the external ground
(ext. GND).

3.2.2 Opto-Isolated Outputs

The 16 resp. 32 opto-isolated output channels (DO_A 0…15/ DO_B
0…15) of the ME-8100A/B are assembled with special output

driver chips. Depending on the application, the user can set the
outputs as active low (sink driver chip ULN2803; default) or active
high (source driver chip UDN2982). Additionally the outputs can be
set to a high-impedance state by port. A reference to external
ground (ext. GND) must be done.

3.2.1.1 Sink Driver:

The maximum current (IC = I

Sink

) depends on the saturation voltage
UCE and is limited by the power dissipation of the sum of the chan­nels to P

tot

= 1 W per chip (DO 0…7 = chip 1, DO_ 8…15 =

chip 2, …), see Diagram 6: "Saturation voltage ULN2803".

P

tot

= P0 + … + P7 ≤ 1 W (per chip at 70 °C)

with P0 = IC0 · U

CE0

3.2.1.2 Source Driver:

Please see the following table for the maximum current per output
(IC = I

Source

). The power dissipation of the sum of channels may not

exceed P

tot

= 0.7 W per chip (DO_ 0…7 = chip 1, DO_ 8…15 =

chip 2, …).

P

tot

= P0 + … + P7 ≤ 1 W (per chip at 70 °C)

with P0 = IC0 · U

CE0

and UCE = typ. 1.8 V

Number of used channels

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

I

Cmax

[mA]

350

175

115

85

70

55

50

40

3.3 Counter

3.3.1 Counter Chip

The counter component is the standard 82C54 chip. This flexible
component has 3 independent down counters, each 16-bit.

The ME-8100 series boards use the standard counter chip of type
82C54. This flexible component has 3 independent 16-bit (down)
counters. All counter signals are available on the external D-Sub­connector. After the GATE signal has been properly set (0V) the
counter counts down on every falling edge. The clock (CLK) sourcing
the counter must be supplied externally and can have a maximum
frequency of 1 MHz. The counters can be cascaded by making the
proper external connections.

The “Clk”, “Gate” and “Out” pins on the ME-8100 are opto-isola­ted. The counter outputs have pull up resistors (RUP = 2.2 kΩ). All
the counter signals are designed for control applications requiring
24 V (Rv = 2.2 kΩ) voltage level. All counter signals require a refer­ence to counter ground (ext. GND).

For programming the counters please read chapter 4.2 on page

20.

3.3.1.1 Wiring Counter Inputs

3.3.1.2 Wiring Counter Outputs

3.3.1.3 Cascading the Counters

The outputs of the counter(s) can be cascaded in line by making the
proper external connections. The following example explains how to
cascade counters 0…2:

 The clock input of counter 0 (Clk 0) is connected to the source

clock.

 The output of counter 0 (Out 0) is connected to the clock input

of counter 1 (Clk 1).

 The output of counter 1 (Out 1) is connected to the clock input

of counter 2 (Clk 2).

 For enabling the counters the gate inputs (Gate 0…2) must be

connected to 0 V.

 At the output of counter 2 (Out 2) is the cascaded counter sig-

nal.

4 Programming

For programming the device please use the Meilhaus Electronic In­telligent Driver System (ME-iDS) included in your package. The ME­iDS is a unique driver system covering different devices and operat­ing systems. It supports Windows 2000 and higher and contains a
universal function library (API) for all common programming lan­guages (the extent of the current software support can be found in
the README-files of the ME-iDS).

A detailed description of the functions can be found in the ME-iDS
manual (see CD/DVD enclosed or online:

www.meilhaus.de/download/ME-iDS.

Further details regarding the assignment of the subdevices and de­vice specific arguments can be found in the help file (help file format
under Windows, *.chm) which can be accessed via the „ME-iDS

Control Center“ in the info area of the task bar (as a rule in the

lower right corner of the screen) or via the Windows start menu.

If you do not want to program your board with the ME-iDS but with
the legacy driver you can find the last revision of the old function
reference in the ME-8100 manual Rev. 1.6 (see:www.meil-

haus.com). Please note, that we cannot support this driver any-

more.

4.1 Digital-I/O Section

Each digital port of the ME-8100 series is considered to be an in­dependent functional group (subdevice) in the Meilhaus Intelligent
Driver System (ME-iDS). These subdevices of a device are num-

bered always starting with „0“. Because of the different model ver-

sions with a various number of ports the counting of subdevices
differs. The assignment of the ports to the subdevices can be
found in the ME-iDS help file (see ME-iDS Control Center).

For wiring the digital ports please read chapter 3.2 on page 12.
The following operation modes are possible:

4.1.1 Simple Input/Output

The input/output of single digital values is done in operation mode

„Single“. Each digital port is accessed as a unique subdevice of

type ME_TYPE_DI (port DI_A, DI_B) resp. ME_TYPE_DO (port DO_A,
DO_B), subtype ME_SUBTYPE_SINGLE. Note the order of operation
as described in the ME-iDS manual. The following parameters can
be configured by the functions and

 Determine subdevice with … functions.
 Port direction: input or output, if not fixed by opto-isolation.
 Port width: bit, byte or word operation.

4.1.2 Bit-Pattern Recognition

As a special feature the ME-8100 series offers the operation
modes “bit-pattern match” and “bit-pattern change”.

4.1.2.1 Bit-Pattern Match

In the “bit-pattern match” mode, a bit-pattern written to the com­parison register is compared to the bit-pattern on the correspond­ing input port. An interrupt is initiated when bit-pattern is match­ing (see diagram 10).

4.1.2.2 Bit-Pattern Change

In the “bit-pattern change” mode, one or more input lines can be
defined which should be monitored on toggling a bit. The respective
bits of the corresponding mask register serve as a reference. If
toggling (0 → 1 or 1 → 0) of at least one bit, masked with “1”, an
interrupt occurs (see diagram 11).

4.1.2.3 Order of Operation

Programming is done in operation mode “Interrupt” A digital port
used for bit-pattern recognition must be of type ME_TYPE_DI. The
following parameters can be configured by the functions

and

 Determine Subdevice with … functions.
 Interrupt channel: always “0”.
 Interrupt source (<iIrqSource>) on bit-pattern match:

 Bit-pattern match: ME_IRQ_SOURCE_DIO_PATTERN
 Bit-pattern change: ME_IRQ_SOURCE_DIO_MASK

 Parameter <iIrqEdge> not relevant:

ME_VALUE_NOT_USED.

 In parameter <iIrqEdge> the appropriate reference bit-pat-

tern is passed for the comparison register in the operation
mode.

 „bit-pattern match“ resp. mask register in the operation mode

Example for bit-pattern change:

When passing the value FFHex in parameter <iIrqArg> of the
function all bits are monitored. If only single bits
should be monitored (e.g. <iIrqArg> = 0FHex for the 4 lower

significant bits) a transition of a higher significant bit doesn’t
matter. Only toggling of a bit, which is set to „1“ in parameter
<iIrqArg> an interrupt is initiated.

 The width of the reference can be determined by parameter

<iFlags>.
Analyzing the interrupt event is done by the function

Further details for the order of operation can be found in the chap­ter „interrupt operation“ with and without callback-functions de­scribed in the ME-iDS manual.

4.2 Counter

The programming of the counters is done in operation mode “Sin­gle”. A counter device of type 82C54 provides three 16-bit coun-

ters. Each counter is accessed as a subdevice of type
ME_TYPE_CTR, subtype ME_SUBTYPE_CTR_8254. Note the order
of operation as described in the ME-iDS manual.

4.2.1 Standard Operation Modes

The counters can be configured independently of each other by the
function for the following 6 operation modes (a
description of the modes can be found in the ME-iDS manual):

 Mode 0: Change state at zero.
 Mode 1: Retriggerable „One Shot“.
 Mode 2: Asymmetric divider.
 Mode 3: Symmetric divider.
 Mode 4: Counter start by software trigger.
 Mode 5: Counter start by hardware trigger.

5 Appendix

A Specification

PCI Interface

Bus system

Standard PCI (32 bit, 33 MHz, 5 V)

(depends on model)

CompactPCI (32 bit, 33 MHz, 5 V)

Plug&Play

automatic assignment of resources

Digital Input

Number

ME-8100A: 1 x 16-bit port, opto-isolated
ME-8100B: 2 x 16-bit ports, opto-isolated

Switching frequency

max. 1 kHz (depends on operation system and
application software)

Input level

typ. 24 V ±2 V

Input current

10 mA per channel

Operation modes

simple input; bit-pattern match, bit-pattern
change

Interrupt events

bit-pattern match or bit-pattern change of a
masked bit

Digital Output

Number

ME-8100A: 1 x 16-bit port, opto-isolated
ME-8100B: 2 x 16-bit ports, opto-isolated

Switching frequency

max. 1 kHz (depends on operation system and
application software)

Output level

typ. 24 V (depends on ext. power supply)

Output driver

ME-8100A/B: sink (ULN2803) or source
(UDN2982) driver selectable by software port by
port

Output current

The max. current per output (IC) depends on the
saturation voltage UCE and is limited by the power
dissipation of the sum of channels to P

tot

= 1 W

per chip:
P

tot

= P0 + … + P7 ≤ 1 W (at 70 °C)

ULN2803:

UDN2982:

Please see the table below for the max. current
per output (I

Source

) The power dissipation of the sum

of channels is limited to P

tot

= 0.7 W per chip:

P

tot

= P0 + … + P7 ≤ 0.7 W (at 70 °C)
with
P0 = IC0 U

CE0

and UCE = typ.1.8 V

Number of Channels

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

I

Cmax

[mA]

350

175

115

85

70

55

50

40

Counter/Timer

Number

ME-8100A/B: 3 independent

Type

82C54

Resolution

16 bit

Clock signal (Clk)

opto-isolated, input voltage typ. 24 V

Gate signal (Gate)

opto-isolated, low-active, input voltage typ.
24 V

Counter output (Out)

opto-isolated, output voltage typ. 24 V
(depends on ext. power supply)

Counter clock

ext. up to max. 1 MHz

General Information

Power consumption at
+5 V

typ. 1.3 A (without ext. load)

Physical size
(without mounting bracket

and connector)

ME-8100 PCI: 174 mm x 98 mm
ME-8100 cPCI: 3 HE CompactPCI board

Connectors

78-pin D-Sub female

Operating temperature

0…50 °C

Storage temperature

0…70 °C

Relative humidity

20…55 % (non-condensing)

Certification

CE

B Pinout

B1 ME-8100A/B PCI and cPCI

C Accessories

We recommend to use high-quality connector cables with single
shielded lines per channel.

For further accessories please refer to the current Meilhaus Elec­tronic catalog and the internet:

www.meilhaus.de/en/pc-boards/accessories/

D Technical Questions

D1 Hotline

Should you have questions or inquiries concerning your Meilhaus
device, please contact us:

Meilhaus Electronic GmbH
Repair & Service
Am Sonnenlicht 2
D-82239 Alling

Sales: Support:
Tel.: [phone] – 0 Tel.: [phone] – 188
Fax: [phone] – 129 Fax: [phone] – 169

eMail: [e-mail] eMail: [e-mail]

Download-Server and Driver Update:

To download current driver versions for Meilhaus Electronic devices
as well as manuals in PDF format, please go to:

www.meilhaus.org/driver

Service Department with RMA Process:

In case you need to return a board for repair purposes, we strongly
ask you attach a detailed description of the error as well as infor­mation regarding your computer/system and the software used.
Please register online using our RMA process:

www.meilhaus.de/en/infos/service/rma.htm.

E Index

A

Accessories 25
Appendix 21

B

Bit-Pattern Change 19
Bit-Pattern Match 18
Bit-Pattern Recognition 18
Block Diagram 10

C

Cascading the Counters 16
Counter 15, 20
Counter Chip 15

D

Digital-I/O Section 17

F

Features 7

H

Hardware 10
Hotline 26

I

Important Notes 5

M

ME-8100A/B PCI and cPCI 24

O

Order of Operation 19

P

Package Contents 7
Pinout 24
Programming 17

S

Simple Input/Output 18
Software Installation 9
Software Support 8
Specification 21
Standard Operation Modes 20
Starting up 9
System Requirements 8

T

Technical Questions 26
Test Program 9

W

Wiring Counter Inputs 15
Wiring Counter Outputs 16