Spectrum M2i.60xx, M2i.60xx-exp Hardware Manual

SPECTRUM SYSTEMENTWICKLUNG MICROELECTRONIC GMBH · AHRENSFELDER WEG 13-17 · 22927 GROSSHANSDORF · GERMANY
PHONE: [phone] · FAX: [phone] · E-MAIL: [e-mail] · INTERNET: http://www.spectrum-instrumentation.com

M2i.60xx

M2i.60xx-exp

fast 14 bit arbitrary waveform generator,

D/A converter board

for PCI-X, PCI and PCI Express bus

Hardware Manual

Software Driver Manual

English version June 2, 2015

(c) SPECTRUM SYSTEMENTWICKLUNG MICROELECTRONIC GMBH
AHRENSFELDER WEG 13-17, 22927 GROSSHANSDORF, GERMANY

SBench and digitizerNETBOX are registered trademarks of Spectrum Systementwicklung Microelectronic GmbH.

Microsoft, Visual C++, Visual Basic, Windows, Windows 98, Windows NT, Window 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7,
Windows 8 and Windows 10 are trademarks/registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

LabVIEW, DASYLab, Diadem and LabWindows/CVI are trademarks/registered trademarks of National Instruments Corporation.

MATLAB is a trademark/registered trademark of The Mathworks, Inc.

Keysight VEE, VEE Pro and VEE OneLab are trademarks/registered trademarks of Keysight Technologies, Inc.

FlexPro is a registered trademark of Weisang GmbH & Co. KG.

PCIe, PCI Express and PCI-X are trademarks of PCI-SIG.

LXI is a registered trademark of the LXI Consortium.

3

Introduction....................................................................................................................... 8

Preface ............................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8

General Information ............................................................................................................................................................. 8

Different models of the M2i.60xx series .................................................................................................................................. 9

Additional options.............................................................................................................................................................. 11

Star-Hub...................................................................................................................................................................... 11

System Star-Hub ........................................................................................................................................................... 11

BaseXIO (versatile digital I/O) ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Digital outputs.............................................................................................................................................................. 12

The Spectrum type plate ...................................................................................................................................................... 13

Hardware information......................................................................................................................................................... 14

Block diagram.............................................................................................................................................................. 14

Technical Data ............................................................................................................................................................. 15

Dynamic Parameters ..................................................................................................................................................... 17

Order Information......................................................................................................................................................... 18

Hardware Installation ..................................................................................................... 19

System Requirements .......................................................................................................................................................... 19

Warnings.......................................................................................................................................................................... 19

ESD Precautions ........................................................................................................................................................... 19

Cooling Precautions...................................................................................................................................................... 19

Sources of noise ........................................................................................................................................................... 19

Installing the board in the system.......................................................................................................................................... 20

Installing a single board without any options.................................................................................................................... 20

Installing a board with digital inputs/outputs mounted on an extra bracket .......................................................................... 22

Installing a board with option BaseXIO ........................................................................................................................... 23

Installing multiple boards synchronized by star-hub option ................................................................................................. 24

Software Driver Installation............................................................................................. 25

Interrupt Sharing ................................................................................................................................................................ 25

Important Notes on Driver Versions 2.22 and Control Center 1.41 and newer .......................................................................... 25

Windows 2000 ................................................................................................................................................................. 26

Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 26

Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 27

Windows XP 32/64 Bit ...................................................................................................................................................... 28

Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 28

Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 28

Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 29

Windows 7, 32/64 Bit....................................................................................................................................................... 30

Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 30

Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 31

Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 31

Linux................................................................................................................................................................................. 32

Overview .................................................................................................................................................................... 32

Standard Driver Installation............................................................................................................................................ 32

Standard Driver Update ................................................................................................................................................ 33

Compilation of kernel driver sources (option) ................................................................................................................... 33

Update of self compiled kernel driver .............................................................................................................................. 33

Library only ................................................................................................................................................................. 34

Control Center ............................................................................................................................................................. 34

4

Software ......................................................................................................................... 36

Software Overview............................................................................................................................................................. 36

Card Control Center ........................................................................................................................................................... 36

Discovery of Remote Cards and digitizerNETBOXes.......................................................................................................... 37

Hardware information................................................................................................................................................... 38

Firmware information .................................................................................................................................................... 38

Driver information......................................................................................................................................................... 38

Installing and removing Demo cards ............................................................................................................................... 39

Debug logging for support cases .................................................................................................................................... 39

Feature upgrade........................................................................................................................................................... 39

Software License upgrade.............................................................................................................................................. 39

Performing card calibration ........................................................................................................................................... 40

Performing memory test ................................................................................................................................................. 40

Transfer speed test........................................................................................................................................................ 40

Firmware upgrade........................................................................................................................................................ 41

Compatibility Layer (M2i cards only) .................................................................................................................................... 41

Usage modes............................................................................................................................................................... 41

Abilities and Limitations of the compatibility DLL ............................................................................................................... 42

Accessing the cards with SBench 5.x .................................................................................................................................... 42

C/C++ Driver Interface....................................................................................................................................................... 42

Header files ................................................................................................................................................................. 43

General Information on Windows 64 bit drivers............................................................................................................... 43

Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 and 2005 32 Bit ..................................................................................................................... 43

Microsoft Visual C++ 64 Bit........................................................................................................................................... 43

Borland C++ Builder 32 Bit ........................................................................................................................................... 44

Linux Gnu C/C++ 32/64 Bit ......................................................................................................................................... 44

C++ for .NET............................................................................................................................................................... 44

Other Windows C/C++ compilers 32 Bit ........................................................................................................................ 44

Other Windows C/C++ compilers 64 Bit ........................................................................................................................ 44

National Instruments LabWindows/CVI........................................................................................................................... 45

Driver functions .................................................................................................................................................................. 45

Borland Delphi (Pascal) Programming Interface ...................................................................................................................... 50

Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 50

Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 51

Visual Basic Programming Interface and Examples ................................................................................................................. 52

Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 52

Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 53

.NET programming languages ............................................................................................................................................. 54

Library ........................................................................................................................................................................ 54

Declaration.................................................................................................................................................................. 54

Using C#..................................................................................................................................................................... 54

Using Managed C++/CLI.............................................................................................................................................. 55

Using VB.NET .............................................................................................................................................................. 55

Using J# ...................................................................................................................................................................... 55

Python Programming Interface and Examples......................................................................................................................... 56

Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 56

Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 57

Programming the Board .................................................................................................. 58

Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 58

Register tables ................................................................................................................................................................... 58

Programming examples....................................................................................................................................................... 58

Initialization....................................................................................................................................................................... 59

Initialization of Remote Products........................................................................................................................................... 59

Error handling.................................................................................................................................................................... 59

Gathering information from the card..................................................................................................................................... 60

Card type.................................................................................................................................................................... 60

Hardware version......................................................................................................................................................... 61

Production date ............................................................................................................................................................ 61

Last calibration date...................................................................................................................................................... 61

Serial number .............................................................................................................................................................. 61

Maximum possible sampling rate ................................................................................................................................... 62

Installed memory .......................................................................................................................................................... 62

Installed features and options ......................................................................................................................................... 62

Miscellaneous Card Information ..................................................................................................................................... 63

Used type of driver ....................................................................................................................................................... 63

Reset................................................................................................................................................................................. 64

5

Analog Outputs ............................................................................................................... 65

Channel Selection .............................................................................................................................................................. 65

Important note on channels selection............................................................................................................................... 66

Setting up the outputs.......................................................................................................................................................... 66

Output Amplifiers ......................................................................................................................................................... 66

Output offset ................................................................................................................................................................ 67

Maximum Output Range................................................................................................................................................ 67

Output Filters ............................................................................................................................................................... 68

Differential Output ........................................................................................................................................................ 68

Double Out Mode ........................................................................................................................................................ 69

Programming the behaviour in pauses and after replay ..................................................................................................... 69

Generation modes........................................................................................................... 70

Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 70

Setup of the mode ........................................................................................................................................................ 70

Commands........................................................................................................................................................................ 70

Card Status.................................................................................................................................................................. 71

Acquisition cards status overview ................................................................................................................................... 72

Generation card status overview .................................................................................................................................... 72

Data Transfer ............................................................................................................................................................... 72

Standard Single Replay modes ............................................................................................................................................ 74

Card mode.................................................................................................................................................................. 74

Memory setup .............................................................................................................................................................. 74

Continuous marker output .............................................................................................................................................. 75

Example ...................................................................................................................................................................... 76

FIFO Single replay mode..................................................................................................................................................... 77

Card mode.................................................................................................................................................................. 77

Length of FIFO mode..................................................................................................................................................... 77

Difference to standard single mode................................................................................................................................. 77

Example (FIFO replay)................................................................................................................................................... 78

Limits of segment size, memory size...................................................................................................................................... 79

Buffer handling .................................................................................................................................................................. 79

Output latency ................................................................................................................................................................... 83

Data organisation .............................................................................................................................................................. 84

Sample format ................................................................................................................................................................... 84

Hardware data conversion .................................................................................................................................................. 84

Clock generation ............................................................................................................. 85

Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 85

The different clock modes .............................................................................................................................................. 85

Clock Mode Register..................................................................................................................................................... 86

Internally generated sample rate .......................................................................................................................................... 86

Standard internal sampling clock (PLL)............................................................................................................................. 86

Using plain Quartz1 without PLL ..................................................................................................................................... 87

Using plain Quartz2 without PLL (optional)....................................................................................................................... 87

External reference clock ................................................................................................................................................ 87

External clocking................................................................................................................................................................ 88

Direct external clock ..................................................................................................................................................... 88

External clock with divider ............................................................................................................................................. 89

Trigger modes and appendant registers .......................................................................... 91

General Description............................................................................................................................................................ 91

Trigger Engine Overview..................................................................................................................................................... 91

Trigger masks .................................................................................................................................................................... 91

Trigger OR mask .......................................................................................................................................................... 91

Trigger AND mask........................................................................................................................................................ 93

Software trigger ................................................................................................................................................................. 94

Force- and Enable trigger .................................................................................................................................................... 94

Delay trigger ..................................................................................................................................................................... 95

External TTL trigger ............................................................................................................................................................. 95

Edge and level triggers ................................................................................................................................................. 96

Pulsewidth triggers........................................................................................................................................................ 97

Mode Multiple Replay...................................................................................................... 99

Trigger Modes ................................................................................................................................................................... 99

Programming examples....................................................................................................................................................... 99

Replay modes .................................................................................................................................................................... 99

Standard Mode............................................................................................................................................................ 99

FIFO Mode ................................................................................................................................................................ 100

Limits of segment size, memory size.................................................................................................................................... 100

Programming the behaviour in pauses and after replay ................................................................................................... 101

6

Mode Gated Replay....................................................................................................... 102

Generation Modes ........................................................................................................................................................... 102

Standard Mode.......................................................................................................................................................... 102

Examples of Standard Gated Replay with the use of SPC_LOOPS parameter ..................................................................... 102

FIFO Mode ................................................................................................................................................................ 102

Limits of segment size, memory size.................................................................................................................................... 103

Allowed trigger modes...................................................................................................................................................... 103

Edge and level triggers ............................................................................................................................................... 103

Pulsewidth triggers...................................................................................................................................................... 106

Programming examples............................................................................................................................................... 107

Programming the behaviour in pauses and after replay ................................................................................................... 107

Sequence Replay Mode ................................................................................................. 108

Theory of operation .......................................................................................................................................................... 108

Define segments in data memory .................................................................................................................................. 108

Define steps in sequence memory ................................................................................................................................. 108

Programming................................................................................................................................................................... 109

Gathering information................................................................................................................................................. 109

Setting up the registers ................................................................................................................................................ 109

Changing sequences or step parameters during runtime .................................................................................................. 111

Changing data patterns during runtime ......................................................................................................................... 111

Synchronization ............................................................................................................................................................... 111

Programming example ...................................................................................................................................................... 112

Option BaseXIO............................................................................................................. 113

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 113

Different functions............................................................................................................................................................. 113

Asynchronous Digital I/O............................................................................................................................................ 113

Special Input Functions................................................................................................................................................ 114

Transfer Data ............................................................................................................................................................. 114

Programming Example ................................................................................................................................................ 114

Special Sampling Feature ............................................................................................................................................ 114

Electrical specifications................................................................................................................................................ 114

Option Star-Hub ............................................................................................................ 115

Star-Hub introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 115

Star-Hub trigger engine ............................................................................................................................................... 115

Star-Hub clock engine ................................................................................................................................................. 116

Software Interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 116

Star-Hub Initialization.................................................................................................................................................. 116

Setup of Synchronization and Clock ............................................................................................................................. 118

Setup of Trigger ......................................................................................................................................................... 119

Trigger Delay on synchronized cards ............................................................................................................................ 119

Run the synchronized cards ......................................................................................................................................... 119

Error Handling ........................................................................................................................................................... 120

Excluding cards from trigger synchronization ................................................................................................................. 120

SH-Direct: using the Star-Hub clock directly without synchronization.................................................................................. 120

Option System Star-Hub ................................................................................................ 122

Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................ 122

Cabling the system components ......................................................................................................................................... 122

Setting up the master system ........................................................................................................................................ 122

Setting up slave systems .............................................................................................................................................. 123

Connecting the systems ............................................................................................................................................... 123

Programming................................................................................................................................................................... 124

Necessary setup steps ................................................................................................................................................. 124

Select synchronization mode........................................................................................................................................ 124

Compensate injected trigger delays .............................................................................................................................. 125

Programming example ................................................................................................................................................ 125

Option Digital outputs ................................................................................................... 126

Sample format ................................................................................................................................................................. 126

Hardware data conversion ................................................................................................................................................ 126

Electrical specifications ..................................................................................................................................................... 126

Programming the behavior after output ............................................................................................................................... 126

Option Output Amplifier ................................................................................................ 128

Placement........................................................................................................................................................................ 128

Software parameters......................................................................................................................................................... 128

Installed Feature ......................................................................................................................................................... 128

Amplifier Mode .......................................................................................................................................................... 128

Avoiding ground problems ................................................................................................................................................ 129

7

Appendix ...................................................................................................................... 130

Error Codes..................................................................................................................................................................... 130

Continuous memory for increased data transfer rate ............................................................................................................. 132

Background ............................................................................................................................................................... 132

Setup on Windows systems.......................................................................................................................................... 132

Setup on Linux systems ................................................................................................................................................ 132

Usage of the buffer ..................................................................................................................................................... 133

Pin assignment of the multipin connector ............................................................................................................................. 134

Option “Digital outputs“ .............................................................................................................................................. 134

Pin assignment of the multipin cable ................................................................................................................................... 134

IDC footprints............................................................................................................................................................. 135

Details on M2i cards clock and trigger I/O section .............................................................................................................. 136

8 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Preface Introduction

Introduction

Preface

This manual provides detailed information on the hardware features of your Spectrum instrumentation board. This information includes tech­nical data, specifications, block diagram and a connector description.

In addition, this guide takes you through the process of installing your board and also describes the installation of the delivered driver package
for each operating system.

Finally this manual provides you with the complete software information of the board and the related driver. The reader of this manual will
be able to integrate the board in any PC system with one of the supported bus and operating systems.

Please note that this manual provides no description for specific driver parts such as those for LabVIEW or MATLAB. These drivers have ded­icated manuals, which are available on CD or on the Spectrum website.

For any new information on the board as well as new available options or memory upgrades please contact our website
http://www.spectrum-instrumentation.com. You will also find the current driver package with the latest bug fixes and new features on our site.

Please read this manual carefully before you install any hardware or software. Spectrum is not responsible
for any hardware failures resulting from incorrect usage.

Overview

The PCI bus was first introduced in 1995. Nowadays it is the most common platform for PC based instrumentation boards. The very
wide range of installations world-wide, especially in the consumer market, makes it a platform of good value. Its successor is the
2004 introduced PCI Express standard. In today’s standard PC there are usually two to three slots of both standards available for

instrumentation boards. Special industrial PCs offer up to a maximum of 20 slots. The common PCI/PCI-X bus with data rates of up
to 133 MHz x 64 bit = 1 GByte/s per bus, is more and more replaced by the PCI Express standard with up to 4 GByte/s data transfer rate
per slot. The Spectrum M2i boards are available in two versions, for PCI/PCI-X as well as for PCI Express. The 100% software compatible
standards allow to combine both standards in one system with the same driver and software commands.

Within this document the name M2i is used as a synonym for both versions, either PCI/PCI-X or PCI Express. Only passages that
differ concerning the bus version of the M2i.xxxx and M2i.xxxx-exp cards are mentioned separately. Also all card drawings will
show the PCI/PCI-X version as example if no differences exist compared to the PCI Express version.

General Information

The M2i.60xx series offer a wide range of fast 14 bit D/A converter boards for PCI-X, PCI and PCI Express (PCIe) bus. Due to the well-planned
design these boards are available in several versions and different speed grades. That makes it possible for the user to find an individual
solution.

These boards offer one to four channels with a maximum sampling rate of 125 MS/s. As an option 2 digital outputs per channel can be
replayed synchronously. The installed memory of up to 2 GSample will be used for fast data replay. It can completely be used by the currently
active channels. If using slower sampling rates the memory is switched to a FIFO buffer and data will be transferred online from the PC memory
or from hard disk.

Several boards of the M2i.xxxx series may be connected together by the internal standard synchronisation bus in combination with one of
the star-hub options to work with the same time base.

Application examples: Laboratory equipment, Radar, Laser, prototype design, production test

Introduction Different models of the M2i.60xx series

(c) Spectrum GmbH 9

Different models of the M2i.60xx series

The following overview shows the different available models of the M2i.60xx series. They differ in the number mounted generation modules
and the number of available channels. You can also see the model dependent allocation of the output connectors.

• M2i.6030

• M2i.6030-exp

• M2i.6011

• M2i.6021

• M2i.6033

• M2i.6011-exp

• M2i.6021-exp

• M2i.6033-exp

• M2i.6031

• M2i.6031-exp

10 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Different models of the M2i.60xx series Introduction

• M2i.6012

• M2i.6022

• M2i.6034

• M2i.6012-exp

• M2i.6022-exp

• M2i.6034-exp

Introduction Additional options

(c) Spectrum GmbH 11

Additional options

Star-Hub

The star hub piggy-back module al­lows the synchronisation of up to 16
M2i cards. It is possible to synchro­nize cards of the same type with
each other as well as different types.

Two different versions of the star-hub
module are available. A minor one
for synchronizing up to five boards
of the M2i series, without the need
for an additional system slot. The
major version (option SH16) allows
the synchronization of up to 16
cards with the need for an addition­al slot.

The module acts as a star hub for
clock and trigger signals. Each
board is connected with a small ca­ble of the same length, even the master board. That minimizes the clock skew between the different cards. The figure shows the piggy-back
module mounted on the base board schematically without any cables to achieve a better visibility. It also shows the locations of the available
connectors for the two different versions of the star-hub option.

Any of the connected cards can be the clock master and the same or any other card can be the trigger master. All trigger modes that are
available on the master card are also available if the synchronization star-hub is used.

The cable connection of the boards is automatically recognized and checked by the driver when initializing the star-hub module. So no care
must be taken on how to cable the cards. The star-hub module itself is handled as an additional device just like any other card and the pro­gramming consists of only a few additional commands.

System Star-Hub

The System Star-Hub (SSH) option al­lows to synchronize clock and trig­ger information between Star-Hubs
located in multiple PC systems.
Therefore one system is set up as the
System-Master, generating the trig­ger and clock signals, which then
are distributed to all System-Slave
systems, and additionally also to the
System-Master itself, to minimize
phase delays.

All connected Star-Hubs therefore
have one additional PCI bracket in­stalled, that allows to feed in clock
and trigger signals coming from the
System-Master distribution card (not
shown in the drawing). This bracket
comes pre-connected with your
M2i.xxxx or M2i-xxxx-exp card.M2i

For the System-Master there is addi­tionally a clock and trigger distribu­tion card included providing MMCX connectors on its bracket, to connect to up to 17 different systems (including the System-Master itself).
The installation and cabling from and to this System-Master distribution card will be shown in the according synchronization chapter later in
this manual.

12 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Additional options Introduction

BaseXIO (versatile digital I/O)

The option BaseXIO is simple-to-use
enhancement to the cards of the M2i
series. It is possible to control a wide
range of external instruments or
other equipment by using the eight
lines as asynchronous digital I/O.
The BaseXIO option is useful if an
external amplifier should be control­led, any kind of signal source must
be programmed, if status informati­on from an external machine has to
be obtained or different test signals
have to be routed to the board.
In addition to the I/O features, these
lines are also for special functions.
Two of the lines can be used as ad­ditional TTL trigger inputs for com­plex gated conditions, one line can
be used as an reference time signal
(RefClock) for the timestamp option.
The BaseXIO MMCX connectors are mounted on-board. To gain easier access, these lines are connected to an extra bracket, that holds eight
SMB male connectors. For special purposes this option can also be ordered without the extra bracket and instead with internal cables.
The shown option is mounted exemplarily on a board with two modules and with the extra bracket. Of course you can also combine this
option as well with a board that is equipped with only one module.

Digital outputs

This option allows the user to replay
additional digital channels synchro­nous and phase-stable along with
the analog data.

Therefore the analog data is filled
up with the digital bits up to 16 Bit
data width. This leads to a possibili­ty of replaying 4 additional digital
bits per channel with 12 bit resolu­tion boards, and 2 additional digital
bits per channel with 14 bit resolu­tion boards.

The connectors for these digital out­puts are mounted on an additional
bracket. The figures show the option
on boards with either one or two
modules.

Introduction The Spectrum type plate

(c) Spectrum GmbH 13

The Spectrum type plate

The Spectrum type plate, which consists of the following components, can be found on all of our boards. Please check whether the printed
information is the same as the information on your delivery note. All this information can also be read out by software:

The board type, consisting of the two letters describing the bus (in this case M2i for the PCI-X bus) and the model number.

The size of the on-board installed memory in MSample or GSample. In this example there are 1 GS = 1024 MSample (2 GByte =

2048 MByte) installed.

The serial number of your Spectrum board. Every board has a unique serial number.

A list of the installed options. A complete list of all available options is shown in the order information. In this example the options

Multiple recording, Gated Sampling, Timestamp and Star-Hub 5 are installed.

The base card version, consisting of the hardware version (the part before the dot) and the firmware version (the part after the dot).

The version of the analog/digital front-end module. Consisting of the hardware version (the part before the dot) and the firmware

version (the part after the dot)

The date of production, consisting of the calendar week and the year.

The version of the extension module if one is installed. Consisting of the hardware version (the part before the dot) and the firmware

version (the part after the dot). In our example we have the Star-Hub 5 extension module installed. Therefore the version of the ex-

tension module is filled on the type plate. If no extension module is installed this part is left open.

Please always supply us with the above information, especially the serial number in case of support request. That
allows us to answer your questions as soon as possible. Thank you.

14 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Hardware information Introduction

Hardware information

Block diagram

Introduction Hardware information

(c) Spectrum GmbH 15

Technical Data

Analog Outputs

Trigger

Clock

Clock and Filter

Resolution 14 bit
Output amplitude software programmable ±100 mV up to ±3 V in 1 mV steps (Amp option: ±333 mV up to ±10 V in 3 mV steps)
Output offset software programmable ±3 V in 1 mV steps (Amp option: ±10 V in 3 mV steps)
Filters software programmable no filter or one of 3 different filters as defined in technical data section
DAC Differential non linearity (DNL) DAC only ±1.5 LSB typical
DAC Integral non linearity (INL) DAC only ±1.0 LSB typical
Output resistance < 1 Ohm
Minimum output load 35 Ohm (not short circuit protected)
Max output swing in 50 Ohm ± 3 V (offset + amplitude)
Max slew rate (no filter) > 0.9 V/ns
Crosstalk @ 1 MHz signal ±3 V < -80 dB
Output accuracy < 1%

Running mode software programmable Singleshot, FIFO mode (Streaming), Repeated Replay, Single Restart, Sequence Mode
Trigger edge software programmable Rising edge, falling edge or both edges
Trigger pulse width software programmable 0 to [64k - 1] samples in steps of 1 sample
Trigger delay software programmable 0 to [64k - 1] samples in steps of 1 sample
Memory depth software programmable 8 up to [installed memory / number of active channels] samples in steps of 4
Multiple Replay segment size software programmable 8 up to [installed memory / 2 / active channels] samples in steps of 4
Multiple Replay, Gated Replay: re-arming time < 4 samples
Trigger output delay One positive edge after internal trigger event
Internal/External trigger accuracy 1 sample
External trigger type (input and output) 3.3V LVTTL compatible (5V tolerant)
External trigger input Low ≤ 0.8 V, High ≥ 2.0 V, ≥ 8 ns in pulse stretch mode, ≥ 2 clock periods all other modes
External trigger maximum voltage -0.5 V up to +5.7 V (internally clamped to 5.0V, 100 mA max. clamping current)
Trigger impedance software programmable 50 Ohm / high impedance (> 4kOhm)
External trigger output type 3.3 V LVTTL
External trigger output levels Low ≤ 0.4 V, High ≥ 2.4 V, TTL compatible
External trigger output drive strength Capable of driving 50 ohm load, maximum drive strength ±128 mA
Output delay trigger to 1st sample 15/16 clocks (2/1 channel/module)
Gate end to last replayed sample 15/16 clocks (2/1 channel/module)
Gate end alignment 2 samples (1 ch), 1 sample (2 or 4 ch)

Clock Modes software programmable internal PLL, internal quartz, external clock, external divided, external reference clock, sync
Internal clock range (PLL mode) software programmable 1 kS/s to max using internal reference, 50kS/s to max using external reference clock
Internal clock accuracy ≤ 20 ppm
Internal clock setup granularity ≤1% of range (100M, 10M, 1M, 100k,...): Examples: range 1M to 10M: stepsize ≤ 100k
External reference clock range software programmable ≥ 1.0 MHz and ≤ 125.0 MHz
External clock impedance software programmable 50 Ohm / high impedance (> 4kOhm)
External clock range see „Dynamic Parameters“ table below
External clock delay to internal clock 5.4 ns
External clock type/edge 3.3V LVTTL compatible, rising edge used
External clock input Low level ≤ 0.8 V, High level ≥ 2.0 V, duty cycle: 45% - 55%
External clock maximum voltage -0.5 V up to +3.8 V (internally clamped to 3.3V, 100 mA max. clamping current)
External clock output type 3.3 V LVTTL
External clock output levels Low ≤ 0.4 V, High ≥ 2.4 V, TTL compatible
External clock output drive strength Capable of driving 50 ohm load, maximum drive strength ±128 mA
Synchronization clock divider software programmable 2 up to [8k - 2] in steps of 2
ABA mode clock divider for slow clock software programmable 8 up to 524280 in steps of 8

M2i.6011
M2i.6012

M2i.6021
M2i.6022

M2i.6030
M2i.6033

M2i.6031

M2i.6034
max internal clock 20 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
max external clock 20 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 125 MS/s 125 MS/s

-3 dB bandwidth no filter > 10 MHz > 30 MHz > 60 MHz > 60 MHz
Filter 3: Characteristics 4th order Butterworth 5th order Butterworth
Filter 3: -3 dB bandwidth 5 MHz (typ. 5.4 MHz) 10 MHz (typ. 11.4 MHz) 25 MHz (typ. 26.5 MHz) 25 MHz (typ. 26.5 MHz)
Filter 2: Characteristics 4th order Butterworth 4th order Butterworth
Filter 2: -3 dB bandwidth 1 MHz (typ. 1.2 MHz) 2 MHz (typ. 2.4 MHz) 5 MHz (typ. 5.8 MHz) 5 MHz (typ. 5.8 MHz)
Filter 1: Characteristics 4th order Butterworth 4th order Butterworth
Filter 1: -3 dB bandwidth 100 kHz (typ. 96 kHz) 200 kHz (typ. 200 kHz) 500 kHz (typ. 495 kHz) 500 kHz (typ. 495 kHz)

16 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Hardware information Introduction

Sequence Replay Mode

Digital Marker Outputs Options

BaseXIO Option

Amplifier Module M2i.xxxx-AmpMod Option (Model M2i.6030 only)

±10 V Amplifier Card Options

Connectors

Number of sequence steps software programmable 1 up to 512 (sequence steps can be overloaded at runtime)
Number of memory segments software programmable 2 up to 256 (segment data can be overloaded at runtime)
Loop Count software programmable 1 to 1M loops
Sequence Step Commands software programmable Loop for #Loops, Next, Loop until Trigger, End Sequence
Special Commands software programmable Data Overload at runtime, sequence steps overload at runtime

Digital data acquisition modes software programmable 2 digital channels per acquired analog channels
Digital outputs delay to analog sample no delay
Output voltage Low ≤ 0.4 V, High > 3.8 V
Output current max. ± 8 mA

BaseXIO modes software programmable Asynch digital I/O, 2 additional trigger, timestamp reference clock, timestamp digital inputs
BaseXIO direction software programmable Each 4 lines can be programmed in direction
BaseXIO input TTL compatible: Low ≤ 0.8 V, High ≥ 2.0 V
BaseXIO input impedance 4.7 kOhm towards 3.3 V
BaseXIO input maximum voltage -0.5 V up to +5.5 V
BaseXIO output type 3.3 V LVTLL
BaseXIO output levels TTL compatible: Low ≤ 0.4 V, High ≥ 2.4 V
BaseXIO output drive strength

32 mA maximum current, no 50 Ω loads

Bandwidth 30 MHz
Output impedance 50 Ohm
Max. Output Voltage (into high impedance load) ±10 V
Max. Output Voltage (into 50 Ohm load) ±5 V
Gain Error < ±1 %
Offset Error < ±50 mV
Short-circuit-proof Yes

Bandwidth 30 MHz
Max. input voltage ±3 V
Output impedance

50 Ω
Fixed Amplification x 3.3
Max. Output Voltage (into high impedance load) ±10 V
Max. Output Voltage (into 50 Ohm load) ±5 V
Analog ground to PC system ground impedance

10 kΩ (with ground jumper unplugged), 0 Ω (when ground jumper is plugged)
Gain Error < ±1 %
Offset Error < ±50 mV

PCIe Version M2i.6-Exp-1Amp/2Amp/4Amp

Interface PCIe x1 (power connection only)
Dimension (PCB without SMB connectors) 147 mm x 106 mm
Power Consumption 3.3 V 0.0 A
Power Consumption 12.0 V -1Amp and -2Amp: 1.1 A, -4Amp: 2.1 A

PCI Version MI.6xxxx-1Amp/2Amp/4Amp

Interface PCI 32 Bit 33 MHz (power connection only)
Dimension (PCB without SMB connectors) 147 mm x 106 mm
Power Consumption 3.3 V 0.0 A
Power Consumption 5.0 V -1Amp and -2Amp: 2.5 A, -4Amp: 5.0 A

Analog Outputs 3 mm SMB male (one for each single-ended input) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Trigger Input/Output programmable direction 3 mm SMB male (one connector) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Clock Input/Output programmable direction 3 mm SMB male (one connector) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Option Digital Marker Outputs 40 pole half pitch (Hirose FX2 series) Cable-Type: Cab-d40-xx-xx
Option Digital Marker Outputs on Bracket 3 mm SMB male (two or four connectors) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Option BaseXIO 8 x 3 mm SMB male on extra bracket, internally 8 x MMCX female

Introduction Hardware information

(c) Spectrum GmbH 17

Environmental and Physical Details

PCI/PCI-X specific details

PCI Express specific details

Certification, Compliance, Warranty

Power Consumption

MTBF

Dynamic Parameters

Dynamic parameters are measured at the given output level and 50 Ohm termination with a high resolution data acquisition card and are calculated from the spectrum. The sample rate
that is selected is the maximum possible one. All available channels are activated for the tests. SNR and SFDR figures may differ depending on the quality of the used PC. SNR = Signal to
Noise Ratio, THD = Total Harmonic Distortion, SFDR = Spurious Free Dynamic Range

Dimension (PCB only) 312 mm x 107 mm (full PCI length)
Width (Standard or with option star-hub 5) 1 full size slot
Width (star-hub 16) additionally back of adjacent neighbour slots
Width (with option BaseXIO) additionally extra bracket on neighbour slot
Width (with option -digin, -digout or -60xx-AmpMod) additionally half length of adjacent neighbour slot
Weight (depending on version) 290g (smallest version) up to 460g (biggest version with all options, including star-hub)
Warm up time 10 minutes
Operating temperature 0°C to 50°C
Storage temperature -10°C to 70°C
Humidity 10% to 90%

PCI / PCI-X bus slot type 32 bit 33 MHz or 32 bit 66 MHz
PCI / PCI-X bus slot compatibility 32/64 bit, 33-133 MHz, 3,3 V and 5 V I/O

PCIe slot type x1 Generation 1
PCIe slot compatibility x1/x4/x8/x16 (Some x16 PCIe slots are for graphic cards only and can not be used)

EMC Immunity Compliant with CE Mark
EMC Emission Compliant with CE Mark
Product warranty 2 years starting with the day of delivery
Software and firmware updates Life-time, free of charge

PCI / PCI-X PCI EXPRESS

3.3 V 5 V Total 3.3V 12V Total

M2i.6030 (256 MS memory) 2.6 A 0.4 A 11.6 W 0.4 A 0.9 A 12.1 W
M2i.60x1/M2i.60x3 (256 MS mem.) 2.8 A 0.7 A 12.8 W 0.4 A 1.1 A 14.5 W
M2i.60x2/M2i.60x4 (256 MS mem.) 3.2 A 1.1 A 16.1 W 0.4 A 1.2 A 15.7 W
M2i.6034 (2 GS memory), max. power 4.9 A 1.1 A 21.7 W 0.4 A 1.7 A 21.7 W
M2i.6030 + Amplifier Module 2.6 A 2.9 A 23.1 W TBD TBD TBD

MTBF 200000 hours

M2i.6011
M2i.6012

M2i.6011
M2i.6012

M2i.6011
M2i.6012

M2i.6021
M2i.6022

M2i.6021
M2i.6022

M2i.6030
M2i.6031
M2i.6033
M2i.6034

M2i.6030
M2i.6031
M2i.6033
M2i.6034

M2i.6030
M2i.6031
M2i.6033
M2i.6034

M2i.6030
M2i.6031
M2i.6033

M2i.6034
max internal / external clock 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 60 MS/s 60 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
min internal clock 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s
min external clock DCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDC
Test - Samplerate 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 60 MS/s 60 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
Output Frequency 80 kHz 800 kHz 4 MHz 170 kHz 1.7 MHz 400 kHz 4 MHz 400 kHz 4 MHz
Output Level ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V
Used Filter 100 kHz 1 MHz 5 MHz 200 kHz 2 MHz 500 kHz 5 MHz 500 kHz 5 MHz
SNR (typ) > 61.5 dB > 60.2 dB > 54.5 dB > 61.5 dB > 59.5 dB > 61.5 dB > 55.0 dB > 61.0 dB > 56.0 dB
THD (typ) < -70.4 dB < -67.5 dB < -45.0 dB < -72.7 dB < -62.5 dB < -71.5 dB < -55.6 dB < -71.5 dB < -56.0 dB
SFDR (typ), excl harm. > 85.5 dB > 72.0 dB > 60.0 dB > 81.5 dB > 68.5 dB > 82.8 dB > 66.5 dB > 72.0 dB > 67.0 dB

18 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Hardware information Introduction

Order Information

The card is delivered with 256 MSample on-board memory and supports standard replay (single-shot, loop, single restart), FIFO replay
(streaming), Multiple Replay, Gated Replay and Sequence Mode. Operating system drivers for Windows/Linux 32 bit and 64 bit, examples
for C/C++, LabVIEW (Windows), MATLAB (Windows and Linux), LabWindows/CVI, .NET, Delphi, Visual Basic, Python and a Base license
of the oscilloscope software SBench 6 are included. Drivers for other 3rd party products like VEE or DASYLab may be available on request.

Adapter cables are not included. Please order separately!

.

(1) : Just one of the options can be installed on a card at a time.
(2) : Third party product with warranty differing from our export conditions. No volume rebate possible.

PCI Express (PCIe)

PCI Express PCI/PCI-X Standard mem 1 channel 2 channels 4 channels

PCI/PCI-X

M2i.6011-exp M2i.6011 256 MSample 20 MS/s 20 MS/s

M2i.6012-exp M2i.6012 256 MSample 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 20 MS/s
M2i.6021-exp M2i.6021 256 MSample 60 MS/s 60 MS/s
M2i.6022-exp M2i.6022 256 MSample 60 MS/s 60 MS/s 60 MS/s
M2i.6030-exp M2i.6030 256 MSample 125 MS/s
M2i.6031-exp M2i.6031 256 MSample 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
M2i.6033-exp M2i.6033 256 MSample 125 MS/s 60 MS/s
M2i.6034-exp M2i.6034 256 MSample 125 MS/s 125 MS/s 60 MS/s

Memory

Order no. Option

M2i.xxxx-512MS Memory upgrade to 512 MSample (1 GB) total memory
M2i.xxxx-1GS Memory upgrade to 1 GSample (2 GB) total memory

Options

Order no. Option

M2i.60xx-dig Additional synchronous digital outputs (2 per analog channel) on extra bracket including flat ribbon

cable 1m to IDC connector: Cab-d40-idc-100

M2i.60xx-2DigM 2 additional synchronous digital outputs on SMB connectors on card’s bracket. Suitable for cards with

1 analog module only (M2i.6011, M2i.6021, M2i.6030, M2i.6033)

M2i.60xx-4DigM 4 additional synchronous digital outputs on SMB connectors on card’s bracket. Suitable for cards with

2 analog modules only. (M2i.6012, M2i.6022, M2i.6031, M2i.6034)
M2i.xxxx-SH5 (1) Synchronization Star-Hub for up to 5 cards, only 1 slot width
M2i.xxxx-SH16 (1) Synchronization Star-Hub for up to 16 cards
M2i.xxxx-SSHM (1) System-Star-Hub Master for up to 15 cards in the system and up to 17 systems, PCI 32 Bit card,

sync cables and extra bracket for clock and trigger distribution included
M2i.xxxx-SSHMe (1) System-Star-Hub Master for up to 15 cards in the system and up to 17 systems, PCI Express card,

sync cables and extra bracket for clock and trigger distribution included
M2i.xxxx-SSHS5 (1) System-Star-Hub Slave for 5 cards in one system, one slot width all sync cables + bracket included
M2i.xxxx-SSHS16 (1) System-Star-Hub Slave for 16 cards in system, two slots width, all sync cables + bracket included
M2i.60xx-AmpMod M2i.6030 and M2i.6030-exp only: ±10 V output amplifier module mounted on card
MI.6xxx-1Amp 1 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCI 32 bit card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cable
MI.6xxx-2Amp 2 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCI 32 bit card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cables
MI.6xxx-4Amp 4 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCI 32 bit card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cables
M2i.6-exp-1Amp 1 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCIe x1 card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cable
M2i.6-exp-2Amp 2 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCIe x1 card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cables
M2i.6-exp-4Amp 4 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCIe x1 card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cables
M2i.xxxx-bxio Option BaseXIO: 8 digital I/O lines usable as asynchronous I/O and additional external trigger lines,

additional bracket with 8 SMB connectors
M2i-upgrade Upgrade for M2i.xxxx: later installation of option -dig, -2DigM, -4DigM, -SH5, -SH16 or -bxio

Cables

Order no.

for Connections Length to BNC male to BNC female to SMA male to SMA female to SMB female
Analog/Clock/Trigger 80 cm Cab-3f-9m-80 Cab-3f-9f-80 Cab-3f-3mA-80 Cab-3f-3fA-80 Cab-3f-3f-80
Analog/Clock/Trigger 200 cm Cab-3f-9m-200 Cab-3f-9f-200 Cab-3f-3mA-200 Cab-3f-3fA-200 Cab-3f-3f-200
Probes (short) 5 cm Cab-3f-9f-5

to 2x20 pole IDC to 40 pole FX2

Digital signals (option) 100 cm Cab-d40-idc-100 Cab-d40-d40-100

Software SBench6

Order no.

SBench6 Base version included in delivery. Supports standard mode for one card.
SBench6-Pro Professional version for one card: FIFO mode, export/import, calculation functions
SBench6-Multi Option multiple cards: Needs SBench6-Pro. Handles multiple synchronized cards in one system.
Volume Licenses Please ask Spectrum for details.

Hardware Installation System Requirements

(c) Spectrum GmbH 19

Hardware Installation

System Requirements

All Spectrum M2i/M3i.xxxx instrumentation cards are compliant to the PCI standard and require in general one free full length slot. This can
either be a standard 32 bit PCI legacy slot, a 32 bit or a 64 bit PCI-X slot. Depending on the installed options additional free slots can be
necessary.

All Spectrum M2i/M3i.xxxx-exp instrumentation cards are compliant to the PCI Express 1.0 standard and require in general one free full
length PCI Express slot. This can either be a x1, x4, x8 or x16 slot. Some x16 PCIe slots are for the use of graphic cards only and can not
be used for other cards. Depending on the installed options additional free slots can be necessary.

Warnings

ESD Precautions

The boards of the M2i/M3i.xxxx series contain electronic components that can be damaged by electrostatic discharge (ESD).

Before installing the board in your system or even before touching it, it is absolutely necessary to bleed off
any electrostatic electricity.

Cooling Precautions

The boards of the M2i/M3i.xxxx series operate with components having very high power consumption at high speeds. For this reason it is
absolutely required to cool this board sufficiently.

For all M2i/M3i cards it is strongly recommended to install an additional cooling fan producing a stream of air across the boards
surface. In most cases professional PC-systems are already equipped with sufficient cooling power. In that case please make sure
that the air stream is not blocked.

Sources of noise

The analog acquisition and generator boards of the M2i/M3i.xxxx series should be placed far away from any noise producing source (like
e.g. the power supply). It should especially be avoided to place the board in the slot directly adjacent to another fast board (like the graphics
controller).

20 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Installing the board in the system Hardware Installation

Installing the board in the system

Installing a single board without any options

Before installing the board you first need to unscrew and remove the dedicated blind-bracket usually mounted to cover unused slots of your
PC. Please keep the screw in reach to fasten your Spectrum card afterwards. All Spectrum cards require a full length PCI, PCI-X slot (either
32Bit or 64Bit) or PCI Express slot (either x1, x4, x8 or x16) with a track at the backside to guide the board by its retainer. Now insert the
board slowly into your computer. This is done best with one hand each at both fronts of the board.

While inserting the board take care not to tilt the retainer in the track. Please take especial care to not bend
the card in any direction while inserting it in the system. A bending of the card may damage the PCB totally
and is not covered by the standard warranty.

Please be very carefully when inserting the board in the slot, as most of the mainboards are mounted with
spacers and therefore might be damaged if they are exposed to high pressure.

After the board’s insertion fasten the screw of the bracket carefully, without overdoing.

Installing the M2i/M3i.xxxx PCI/PCI-X card in a 32 bit PCI/PCI-X slot

Installing the M2i/M3i.xxxx PCI/PCI-X card in a 64 bit PCI/PCI-X slot

Hardware Installation Installing the board in the system

(c) Spectrum GmbH 21

Installing the M2i/M3i.xxxx-exp PCI Express card in a PCIe x1 slot

Installing the M2i/M3i.xxxx-exp PCI Express card in a PCIe x4, x8 or x16 slot

22 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Installing the board in the system Hardware Installation

Installing a board with digital inputs/outputs mounted on an extra bracket

Before installing the board you first need to unscrew and remove the dedicated blind-brackets usually mounted to cover unused slots of your
PC. Please keep the screws in reach to fasten your Spectrum board and the extra bracket afterwards. All Spectrum boards require a full length
PCI slot with a track at the backside to guide the board by its retainer. Now insert the board and the extra bracket slowly into your computer.
This is done best with one hand each at both fronts of the board.

While inserting the board take care not to tilt the retainer in the track. Please take especial care to not bend
the card in any direction while inserting it in the system. A bending of the card may damage the PCB totally
and is not covered by the standard warranty.

Please be very carefully when inserting the board in the PCI slot, as most of the mainboards are mounted
with spacers and therefore might be damaged they are exposed to high pressure.

After the board’s insertion fasten the screws of both brackets carefully, without overdoing. The figure shows an ex­ample of a board with two installed modules.

Hardware Installation Installing the board in the system

(c) Spectrum GmbH 23

Installing a board with option BaseXIO

Before installing the board you first need to unscrew and remove the dedicated blind-brackets usually mounted to cover unused slots of your
PC. Please keep the screws in reach to fasten your Spectrum board and the extra bracket afterwards. All Spectrum boards require a full length
PCI slot with a track at the backside to guide the board by it’s retainer. Now insert the board and the extra bracket slowly into your computer.
This is done best with one hand each at both fronts of the board.

While inserting the board take care not to tilt the retainer in the track. Please take especial care to not bend
the card in any direction while inserting it in the system. A bending of the card may damage the PCB totally
and is not covered by the standard warranty.

Please be very carefully when inserting the board in the PCI slot, as most of the mainboards are mounted
with spacers and therefore might be damaged they are exposed to high pressure.

After the board’s insertion fasten the screws of both brackets carefully, without overdoing. The figure shows an ex­ample of a board with two installed modules.

24 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Installing the board in the system Hardware Installation

Installing multiple boards synchronized by star-hub option

Hooking up the boards

Before mounting several synchronized boards for a multi channel system into the PC you can hook up the cards with their synchronization
cables first. If there is enough space in your computer’s case (e.g. a big tower case) you can also mount the boards first and hook them up
afterwards. Spectrum ships the card carrying the star-hub option together with the needed amount of synchronization cables. All of them are
matched to the same length, to achieve a zero clock delay between the cards.

Only use the included flat ribbon cables.

All of the cards, including the one that carries the star-hub piggy-back module, must be wired to the star-hub as the figure is showing as an
example for three synchronized boards.

It does not matter which of the available connectors on the star-hub module you use for which board. The software driver will detect the types
and order of the synchronized boards automatically. The figure shows the three cables mounted on the option M2i.xxxx-SH16 star-hub to
achieve a better visibility. The option M3i.xxxx-SH8 is handled similar to this picture. When using the M3i.xxxx-SH4 or M2i.xxxx-SH5 version,
only the connectors on the upper side of the star-hub piggy-back module are available (see figure for details on the star-hub connector loca­tions).

As some of the synchronization cables are not secured against wrong plugging you should take
care to have the pin 1 markers on the multiple connectors and the cable on the same side, as the
figure on the right is showing.

Mounting the wired boards

Before installing the cards you first need to unscrew and remove the dedicated blind-brackets usually mounted to cover unused slots of your
PC. Please keep the screws in reach to fasten your Spectrum cards afterwards. All Spectrum boards require a full length PCI slot with a track
at the backside to guide the card by its retainer. Now insert the cards slowly into your computer. This is done best with one hand each at
both fronts of the board. Please keep in mind that the board carrying the star-hub piggy-back module requires the width of two slots, when
the option M3i.xxxx-SH8 or M2i.xxxx-SH16 version is used.

While inserting the board take care not to tilt the retainer in the track. Please take especial care to not bend
the card in any direction while inserting it in the system. A bending of the card may damage the PCB totally
and is not covered by the standard warranty.

Please be very careful when inserting the cards in the slots, as most of the mainboards are mounted with
spacers and therefore might be damaged if they are exposed to high pressure.

After inserting all cards fasten the screws of all brackets carefully, without overdoing. The figure shows an example of three cards with two
installed modules each.

Software Driver Installation Interrupt Sharing

(c) Spectrum GmbH 25

Software Driver Installation

Before using the board a driver must be installed that matches the operating system. The installation is done in different ways depending on
the used operating system. The driver that is on CD supports all cards of the M2i/M3i series. That means that you can use the same driver
for all cards of these families.

With the CD revision 3.00 (June 2010) the CD structure was revised and the root folder of the Windows driv­ers was changed from „spcm_driver“ to „Driver“. The screen shots shown in the installation chapters might
still show the former version.

Interrupt Sharing

This board uses a PCI interrupt for DMA data transfer and for controlling the FIFO mode. The used interrupt line is allocated by the PC BIOS
at system start and is normally depending on the selected slot. Because there is only a limited number of interrupt lines available on the PCI
bus it can happen that two or more boards must use the same interrupt line. This so called interrupt sharing must be supported by all drivers
of the participating equipment.

Most available drivers and also the Spectrum driver for your board can manage interrupt sharing. But there are also some drivers on the
market that can only use one interrupt exclusively. If this equipment shares an interrupt with the Spectrum board, the system will hang up if
the second driver is loaded (the time is depending on the operating system).

If this happens it is necessary to reconfigure the system in that way that the critical equipment has an exclusive access to an interrupt.

On most systems the BIOS shows a list of all installed PCI boards with their allocated interrupt lines directly after system start. You have to
check whether an interrupt line is shared between two boards. Some BIOS allow the manual allocation of interrupt lines. Have a look in your
mainboard manual for further information on this topic.

Because normally the interrupt line is fixed for one PCI slot it is simply necessary to use another slot for the critical board to force a new
interrupt allocation. You have to search a configuration where all critical boards have only exclusive access to one interrupt.

Depending on the system, using the Spectrum board with a shared interrupt may degrade performance a little. Each interrupt needs to be
checked by two drivers. For this reason when using time critical FIFO mode even the Spectrum board should have an exclusively access to
one interrupt line.

Important Notes on Driver Versions 2.22 and Control Center 1.41 and newer

With Windows driver version V2.22 and later required internal driver changes were needed, such that Windows 2000 is no longer com­patible with the WDM driver version.

Windows 2000 users should use the driver version 2.11 (available as separate dwonload from the Spectrum
homepage), because with driver version V2.22 on, this operating system is no longer supported.

Windows 2000 users should also use the Control Center version 1.41 (available as separate dwonload from
the Spectrum homepage), because with driver version V1.42 on, this operating system is no longer support­ed.

26 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Windows 2000 Software Driver Installation

Windows 2000

Installation

When installing the board in
a Windows 2000 system the
Spectrum board will be rec­ognized automatically on the
next start-up.

The system offers the direct in­stallation of a driver for the
board.

Let Windows search automat­ically for the best driver for
your system.

Select the CD that was deliv­ered with the board as instal­lation source. The driver files
are located on CD in the di­rectory
\Driver\win32.

The hardware assistant
shows you the exact board
type that has been found like
the M2i.2021 in the exam­ple.

The drivers can be used di­rectly after installation. It is
not necessary to restart the
system. The installed drivers
are linked in the device man­ager.

Below you’ll see how to ex­amine the driver version and
how to update the driver with
a newer version.

Version control

If you want to check which driver version
is installed in the system this can be eas­ily done in the device manager. There­fore please start the device manager
from the control panel and show the
properties of the installed driver.
On the property page Windows 2000
shows the date and the version of the in­stalled driver.
After clicking the driver details button the
detailed version information of the driver
is shown. This information is also avail­able through the control center.

Software Driver Installation Windows 2000

(c) Spectrum GmbH 27

Driver - Update

If a new driver version should be installed no Spectrum board is allowed to be in use by any software. So please stop and exit all software
that could access the boards.

A new driver version is direct­ly installed from the device
manager. Therefore please
open the properties page of
the driver as shown in the sec­tion before. As next step click
on the update driver button
and follow the steps of the
driver installation in a similar
way to the previous board
and driver installation.

Please select the path where
the new driver version was
unzipped to. If you’ve got the
new driver version on CD
please select the
\Driver\win32 path on the
CD containing the new driver
version.

The new driver version can
be used directly after installa­tion without restarting the sys­tem. Please keep in mind to
update the driver of all in­stalled Spectrum boards.

Important Notes on Driver Versions 2.22 and Control Center 1.41 and newer

With Windows driver version V2.22 and later required internal driver changes were needed, such that Windows 2000 is no longer com­patible with the WDM driver version.

Windows 2000 users should use the driver version 2.11 (available as separate dwonload from the Spectrum
homepage), because with driver version V2.22 on, this operating system is no longer supported.

Windows 2000 users should also use the Control Center version 1.41 (available as separate dwonload from
the Spectrum homepage), because with driver version V1.42 on, this operating system is no longer support­ed.

28 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Windows XP 32/64 Bit Software Driver Installation

Windows XP 32/64 Bit

Installation

When installing the board in a Windows XP system the Spectrum board will be rec­ognized automatically on the next start-up.

The system offers the direct installation of a driver for the board.

Do not let Windows automatically search for the best driver, be­cause sometimes the driver will not be found on the CD. Please take
the option of choosing a manual installation path instead.

Allow Windows XP to search for the most suitable driver in a specific directory. Se­lect the CD that was delivered with the board as installation source. The driver files
are located on CD in the directory \Driver\win32 for Windows XP 32 Bit or
\Driver\win64 for Windows XP 64 Bit.

The hardware assistant shows you the exact board type that has been found like
the M2i.2021 in the example.

The drivers can be used directly after installation. It is not necessary to restart the
system. The installed drivers are linked in the device manager.

Below you’ll see how to examine the driver version and how to update the driver
with a newer version.

Version control

If you want to check which driver version is installed in the system this
can be easily done in the device manager. Therefore please start the
device manager from the control panel and show the properties of
the installed driver.

Software Driver Installation Windows XP 32/64 Bit

(c) Spectrum GmbH 29

On the property page Windows XP shows the date and the version of the installed driver.

After clicking the driver details button the detailed version information of the driver is shown.
This information is also available through the Spectrum Control Center.

Driver - Update

If a new driver version should be installed no Spectrum board is allowed to be in
use by any software. So please stop and exit all software that could access the
boards.

A new driver version is directly installed from the device manager. Therefore please
open the properties page of the driver as shown in the section before. As next step
click on the update driver button and follow the steps of the driver installation in a
similar way to the previous board and driver installation.

Please select the path where the new driver version was unzipped to. If you’ve got
the new driver version on CD please select either the \Driver\win32 or
\Driver\win64 path on the CD containing the new driver version.

The new driver version can be used directly after installation without restarting the
system. Please keep in mind to update the driver of all installed Spectrum boards.

30 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual

Windows 7, 32/64 Bit Software Driver Installation

Windows 7, 32/64 Bit

Installation

When installing the card in a Windows 7 system, it will be recognized auto­matically on the next start-up. The system tries at first to automatically search
and install the drivers from the Microsoft homepage.

This mechanism will fail at first for the „DPIO Module“ device, as shown on the
right, because the Spectrum drivers are not available via Microsoft, so simply
close the dialog.

Afterwards open the device manager from the Win­dows control panel, as shown on the right.

Find the above mentioned „DPIO Module“, right­click and select „Update Driver Software...“

Do not let Windows 7 automatically search the for the best driver, be­cause it will search the internet and not find a proper driver. Please
take the option of browsing the computer manually for the driver soft­ware instead. Allow Windows 7 to search for the most suitable driver
in a specific directory.

Now simply select the root folder of the CD that was delivered with
the board as installation source and enable the „Include subfolders“
option.

Alternatively you can browse to the installations folders. The driver
files are located on CD in the directory
\Driver\win32 for Windows 7 32 Bit
or
\Driver\win64 for Windows 7 64 Bit.