Tektronix Keithley DAS-16 Series User's Manual 62045A User manual

DAS-16 Series

User’s Manual

A GREATER MEASURE OF CONFIDENCE

WARRANTY

Hardware

Keithley Instruments, Inc. warrants that, for a period of one (1) year from the date of shipment (3 years for Models 2000,
2001, 2002, 2010 and 2700), the Keithley Hardware product will be free from defects in materials or workmanship. This
warranty will be honored provided the defect has not been caused by use of the Keithley Hardware not in accordance with
the instructions for the product. This warranty shall be null and void upon: (1) any modification of Keithle y Hardw are that
is made by other than Keithley and not approved in writing by Keithley or (2) operation of the Keithley Hardware outside
of the environmental specifications therefore.

Upon receiving notification of a defect in the Keithley Hardware during the warranty period, Keithley will, at its option,
either repair or replace such Keithley Hardware. During the first ninety days of the warranty period, Keithley will, at its
option, supply the necessary on site labor to return the product to the condition prior to the notification of a defect. Failure
to notify Keithley of a defect during the warranty shall relieve Keithley of its obligations and liabilities under this
warranty.

Other Hardware

The portion of the product that is not manufactured by Keithley (Other Hardware) shall not be covered by this warranty,
and Keithley shall have no duty of obligation to enforce an y manufacturers' warranties on behalf of the customer. On those
other manufacturers’ products that Keithley purchases for resale, Keithley shall have no duty of obligation to enforce any
manufacturers’ warranties on behalf of the customer.

Software

Keithley warrants that for a period of one (1) year from date of shipment, the Keithle y produced portion of the software or
firmware (Keithley Software) will conform in all material respects with the published specifications provided such K eithley
Software is used on the product for which it is intended and otherwise in accordance with the instructions therefore.
Keithley does not warrant that operation of the Keithle y Software will be uninterrupted or error -free and/or that the Keithley
Software will be adequate for the customer's intended application and/or use. This warranty shall be null and void upon any
modification of the Keithley Software that is made by other than Keithle y and not approved in writing by Keithley.

If Keithley receiv es notification of a Keithle y Software nonconformity that is cov ered by this warranty during the warranty
period, Keithley will revie w the conditions described in such notice. Such notice must state the published specification(s)
to which the Keithley Software fails to conform and the manner in which the Keithley Software fails to conform to such
published specification(s) with sufficient specificity to permit Keithley to correct such nonconformity. If Keithley deter­mines that the Keithley Software does not conform with the published specifications, Keithley will, at its option, provide
either the programming services necessary to correct such nonconformity or develop a program change to bypass such
nonconformity in the Keithley Software. Failure to notify Keithley of a nonconformity during the warranty shall relieve
Keithley of its obligations and liabilities under this warranty.

Other Software

OEM software that is not produced by Keithley (Other Software) shall not be covered by this w arranty, and Keithley shall
have no duty or obligation to enforce any OEM's warranties on behalf of the customer.

Other Items

Keithley warrants the following items for 90 days from the date of shipment: probes, cables, rechar geable batteries, diskettes,
and documentation.

Items not Covered under Warranty

This warranty does not apply to fuses, non-rechargeable batteries, damage from battery leakage, or problems arising from
normal wear or failure to follow instructions.

Limitation of Warranty

This warranty does not apply to defects resulting from product modification made by Purchaser without Keithley's express
written consent, or by misuse of any product or part.

Disclaimer of Warranties

EXCEPT FOR THE EXPRESS WARRANTIES ABOVE KEITHLEY DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT­ABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. KEITHLEY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH
RESPECT TO THE OTHER HARDWARE AND OTHER SOFTWARE.

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KEITHLEY INSTRUMENTS SHALL IN NO EVENT, REGARDLESS OF CAUSE, ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR
OR BE LIABLE FOR: (1) ECONOMICAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR
EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, WHETHER CLAIMED UNDER CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY,
(2) LOSS OF OR DAMAGE TO THE CUSTOMER'S DATA OR PROGRAMMING, OR (3) PENALTIES OR PENALTY
CLAUSES OF ANY DESCRIPTION OR INDEMNIFICATION OF THE CUSTOMER OR OTHERS FOR COSTS, DAM­AGES, OR EXPENSES RELATED TO THE GOODS OR SERVICES PROVIDED UNDER THIS WARRANTY.

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BELGIUM: Keithley Instruments B.V. Bergensesteenweg 709 • B-1600 Sint-Pieters-Leeuw • 02/363 00 40 • Fax: [phone]
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09/00

DAS-16 Series

User’s Guide

©1999, Keithley Instruments, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.

First Printing, October 2000

Document Number: 62045 Rev. A

New Contact Information

Keithley Instruments, Inc.

28775 Aurora Road

Cleveland, OH 44139

Technical Support: 1-888-KEITHLEY

Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m (EST)

Fax: [phone]

Visit our website at http://www.keithley.com

The information contained in this manual is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, the
manufacturer assumes no responsibility for its use; nor for any infringements of patents or other rights
of third parties that may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any
patent rights of the manufacturer.

THE MANUFACTURER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RELATED TO THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT. THIS PRODUCT IS
NOT DESIGNED WITH COMPONENTS OF A LEVEL OF RELIABILITY THAT IS SUITED FOR
USE IN LIFE SUPPORT OR CRITICAL APPLICATIONS.

All brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Part Number 24840
Revision H, September 1999

©Copyright Keithley Instruments, Inc., 1999, 1997, 1993.

All rights reserved. Reproduction or adaptation of any part of this documentation beyond that permitted
by Section 117 of the 1979 United States Copyright Act without permission of the Copyright owner
is unlawful.

Keithley Instruments, Inc.

28775 Aurora Road, Cleveland, OH 44139

Telephone: [phone] • FAX: [phone]

http://www.keithley.com

Preface

This guide describes how to set up, install, and operate the following
Keithley products:

The DAS-16, and DAS-16F boards, which are referred to collectively

●

as DAS-16/16F Series boards.

●

The DAS-16G1 and DAS-16G2 boards, which are referred to
collectively as DAS-16G1/G2 Series boards.

Unless this manual refers specifically to a particular board, it refers to all
models collectively as the DAS-16 Series boards.

To follow the information and instructions contained in this manual, you
must be familiar with the operation of an IBM
computer in the Windows (95/98, or NT) environment. You must also be
familiar with data acquisition principles and the requirements of your
applications.

PC AT, or equivalent

vii

Manual Organization

The following table lists the topics this guide focuses on and indicates
where you can find information about a topic.

To learn more about See

The capabilities of DAS-16 Series boards
What software is available for the boards Section 1
What accessories are available for the boards Section 1
Functionality of DAS-16 Series boards Section 2
Installing the DAS-16 Series DriverLINX and associated software Section 3
Setting up switch-selectable options Section 3
Installing your boards Section 3
Attaching accessories Section 4
Precautions to observe when connecting signals Section 4
Using the DriverLINX Analog I/O Panel software for test

and data acquisition
Calibrating the board Section 6
Troubleshooting and obtaining technical support Section 7
DAS-16 Series specifications Appendix A
I/O connector pin assignments Appendix B

Section 1

Section 5

The register level I/O map Appendix C
IBM DMA Structure Appendix D

viii

Related Documents

You can find more information on DAS-16 Series software and
accessories in the related documents listed in the following table.

EXP-16 & EXP-16/A Expansion Multiplexer/Amplifier System User’s Guide
EXP-GP Signal Conditioning Multiplexer User’s Guide
MB Series User’s Guide
ISO-4 User’s Guide

DriverLINX User’s Guides:

DriverLINX Installation and Configuration Guide

DriverLINX Appendix F: Configuration and Implementation Notes for
Keithley DAS-16/1600
DriverLINX Analog I/O Programming Guide
DriverLINX Digital I/O Programming Guide
DriverLINX Counter/Timer Programming Guide

Document

ix

x

Table of Contents

Manual Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .viii

Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

Overview

1

System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-2

Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-3

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-4

Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-5

2

Functional Description

Analog Input Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4

Differential/Single-Ended Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4

Unipolar/Bipolar Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4

Channel Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5

Channel Selection in Expanded Configurations. . . . . . . . .2-6

Selecting Input Channel Range and Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-7

Clock Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-8

Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-10

Hardware Gates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-12

Data Transfer Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-14

Analog Output Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-15

Used with an AC Reference (Digital Attenuator). . . . . . .2-16

Arbitrary Waveform Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-17

Digital I/O Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-18

Counter/Timer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-19

Using the Timer-Counter Enable with the Counter. . . . . . . .2-27

Generating Square Waves of Programmed Frequency . . . . .2-27

Measuring Frequency and Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-28

Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-29

Triggering the A/D Periodically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-31

Generating Interrupts with the Counter/Timer . . . . . . . . . . .2-32

Wait State Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-33

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-33

xi

3

Setup and Installation

Unwrapping and Inspecting Your Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-1

Standard Software for DAS-16 Series Boards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-2

Installing the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4

Software Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4

DriverLINX driver software for Windows 95/98/NT. . . . .3-4

TestPoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-5

LabVIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-6

Installing DriverLINX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-7

Installing Application Software and Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-7

Installing the TestPoint software and driver. . . . . . . . . . . .3-7

Installing the LabVIEW software and driver. . . . . . . . . . .3-7

Setting Switch-Configurable Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8

Base Address Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-10

Channel (System) Configuration Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-12

DMA Level Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-12

A/D Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-13

GAIN Switch (DAS-16/16F Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-13

Jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-14

The TIMER Jumper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-14

The WAIT STATE Jumper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-14

Main I/O Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-15

Setting up the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-16

Selecting an Expansion Slot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-16

Installing the Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-17

Configuring DriverLINX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-18

xii

Cabling and Wiring

4

Attaching Screw Terminal Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2

Attaching an STC-37. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2

Attaching an STP-37. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4

Attaching an STA-16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5

Attaching Expansion Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-7

Attaching an EXP-16 or EXP-16/A Expansion Accessory. . .4-7

Attaching an EXP-GP Expansion Accessory . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-8

Attaching Multiple Expansion Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-9

Attaching an MB Series Backplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-11

Attaching an MB01/05 Backplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-12

Attaching an MB02 Backplane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-13

Attaching an STA-MB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-15

Connecting Analog Input Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-16

Connecting a Signal to a Single-Ended Analog Input. . . . . .4-16

Connecting a Signal to a Differential Analog Input . . . . . . .4-17

Avoiding a Ground Loop Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-19

Connecting Analog Output Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-21

Measuring Current and 4–20mA Current Loops . . . . . . . . .4-22

The D/A Voltage Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-22

Interface to Transducers, Thermocouples, etc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-23

Precautions for Operating at High Gains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-24

Additional Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-25

DriverLINX Analog I/O Panel

5

Test Panel Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-2

6

Calibration

Equipment Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-1

Potentiometers and Test Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-1

Calibration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-3

Calibrating the A/D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-4

Calibrating the D/As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-5

Programmable Timer and Digital I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-6

Troubleshooting

7

Problem Isolation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-1

Using the DriverLINX Event Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-1

Device Initialization Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-2

Identifying Symptoms and Possible Causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-2

Testing the Board and Host Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-5

Testing the Accessory Slot and I/O Connections . . . . . . . . . .7-6

Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-7

xiii

A

Specifications

DAS-16 Series Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Power Consumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Analog Inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

A/D Specification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Sample Hold Amplifier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Reference Voltage Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

D/A Converters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

Digital I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

Interrupt Inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5

Direct Memory Access Channel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5

Programmable Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6

Power Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6

General Environmental. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6

Connector Pin Assignments

B

Main I/O Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

Register-Level Address Map

C

Register Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

ADC Registers (Base Address +0h and +1h). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-3

MUX Scan Register (Base Address +2h). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

Unidirectional Digital I/O Registers

(Base Address +3h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5

DAC Output Registers (Base Address +4h to +7h) . . . . . . . . . . C-6

DAC0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

DAC1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

Status Register (Base Address +8h). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

Control Register (Base Address +9h). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-9

Counter Enable Register (Base Address +Ah). . . . . . . . . . . . . C-11

Programmable Gain (Base Address +Bh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-13

Programmable Interval Counter/Timer

(Base Addresses +Ch, +Dh, +Eh, +Fh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-14

Counter/Timer Control Register (Base Address +Fh). . . . . C-14

Readback Command Byte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-18

Status Byte Format (Returned if STA =0) . . . . . . . . . . . C-19

xiv

The IBM PC DMA Structure

D

Page Register and DMA Controller Functions . . . . . . . . . . . D-3

1

Overview

The Model DAS-16, DAS-16F, and DAS-16G (hereinafter referred to as
DAS-16) are multi-function, high-speed, programmable, A/D (and D/A)
I/O expansion boards for the IBM Personal Computer. They are full
length boards that install internally in an expansion slot of an IBM PC and
compatibles to turn the computer into a fast, high-precision data
acquisition and signal analysis instrument. DAS-16 boards are of
multilayer construction with integral ground plane to minimize noise and
crosstalk at high frequencies. The DAS-16G includes an additional
register at an I/O address location for setting the gain.

Table 1-1. DAS-16 Series Models

Model Description

DAS-16 Includes the DAS-16, a 16-channel, high speed A/D interface

with DMA, (70,000 samples/sec. max.) as well as software and
appropriate documentation.

DAS-16F Includes the DAS-16F, a 16-channel, high speed A/D interface

with DMA, (100,000 samples/sec. max.) as well as software
and appropriate documentation.

DAS-16G1 Includes the DAS-16G1, a 16-channel, high speed A/D

interface with software selectable input gains (1, 10, 100, and

500), software, and appropriate documentation.

DAS-16G2 Includes the DAS-16G2, a 16-channel, high speed A/D

interface with software selectable input gains (1, 2, 4, and 8),
software, and appropriate documentation.

1-1

System requirements

The system capabilities required to run the DAS-16 Series board, and to
use the DriverLINX software supplied with the board, are listed in
Table 1-2.

Table 1-2. System requirements

CPU Type

Operating system

Memory

Hard disk space

Other

Pentium or higher processor on motherboard with
PCI bus version 2.1.

Windows 95 or 98.
Windows NT version 4.0 or higher.
16 MB or greater RAM when running Windows 95

or 98.
32 MB or greater RAM when running Windows NT.
4 MB for minimum installation.
50 MB for maximum installation.
A CD-ROM drive.*
A free PCI-bus expansion slot capable of bus

mastering.
Enough reserve computer power supply capacity to

power the KPCI-3101–4 Series board, which draws

0.9A at 5VDC and 48mA at +12VDC.
A VGA, or compatible, display (640 x 480 or

higher, 256 colors recommended).

*Any CD-ROM drive that came installed with the required computer should be satisfactory.

However, if you have post-installed an older CD-ROM drive or arrived at your present system by
updating the microprocessor or replacing the motherboard, some early CD-ROM drives may not
support the long file names often used in 32 bit Windows files.

1-2 Overview

Software

DriverLINX — the high-performance real-time data-acquisition device
drivers for Windows application development including:

●

DriverLINX API DLLs and drivers supporting the DAS-16 Series
hardware.

Analog I/O Panel — A DriverLINX program that verifies the

●

installation and configuration of DriverLINX to your DAS-16 Series
board and demonstrates several virtual bench-top instruments.

●

Learn DriverLINX — an interactive learning and demonstration
program for DriverLINX that includes a Digital Storage
Oscilloscope.

●

Source Code — for the sample programs.
DriverLINX Application Programming Interface files — for the

●

DAS-16 Series compiler.

● DriverLINX On-line Help System — provides immediate help as you

operate DriverLINX.
Supplemental Documentation — on DriverLINX installation and

●

configuration; analog and digital I/O programming; counter/timer
programming; technical reference; and information specific to the
DAS-16 Series hardware.

●

DAS-16 Series utilities — The following DriverLINX utilities are
provided as part of the DAS-16 Series standard software package:

– Calibration Utility
– Test Panel Utility

The user can select a fully integrated data acquisition software package
such as TestPoint or LabVIEW or write a custom program supported by
DriverLINX.

DriverLINX is the basic Application Programming Interface (API) for the
DAS-16 Series boards:

It supports programmers who wish to create custom applications

●

using Visual C/C++, Visual Basic, or Delphi.
It accomplishes foreground and background tasks to perform data

●

acquisition.

Software 1-3

Features

It is the needed interface between TestPoint and LabVIEW and a

●

DAS-16 Series board.

DriverLINX software and user’s documentation on a CD-ROM are
included with your board.

TestPoint is an optional, fully featured, integrated application package
with a graphical drag-and-drop interface which can be used to create data
acquisition applications without programming.

LabVIEW is an optional, fully featured graphical programming language
used to create virtual instrumentation.

Features shared by the DAS-16 Series boards are as follows:

Boards are switch-configurable for 16 single-ended or eight

●

differential analog input channels.
Analog inputs are switch-configurable for either unipolar (0 to

●

10V) or bipolar (±10V) signals.
Analog input gain may be set for the DAS-16/G1 boards to 1, 10, 100,

●

or 500. The DAS-16/G2 boards have gain selection of 1, 2, 4, or 8.

●

Analog input sampling is a maximum of 70ksamples/s for DAS-16
and 100ksamples/s for DAS-16F; with 12-bit resolution.

The base I/O address and Direct Memory Address (DMA) channel

●

are switch-configurable; interrupt levels are software-configurable.
The boards perform 8-bit data transfers on the ISA bus.

●

●

Switch selectable Channel Input Configuration, High Impedance
Ranges, Base I/O Address, and DMA Level.

●

A/D conversions can be triggered by any of the following: software
command, internal programmable-interval timer, or direct external
trigger to the A/D. Once the A/D conversion has been completed, data
transfers are accomplished via program transfer, interrupt, or DMA.

1-4 Overview

A 3-channel programmable interval timer (Intel 8254) provides

●

trigger pulses for the A/D at any rate from 250KHz down to 8
pulses/hr. Two channels are operated in fixed divider configuration
from an internal crystal clock. The third channel is uncommitted and
provides a gated 16-bit binary counter that can be used for event or
pulse counting, delayed triggering, and in conjunction with the other
channels for frequency and period measurement.

●

The boards have four unidirectional digital inputs and four
unidirectional digital outputs.

●

Digital I/O consists of four bits of TTL/DTL-compatible digital
output and four bits of digital input. Apart from being addressed as
individual I/O ports, some of the digital inputs do double duty in
some modes as A/D trigger and counter gate control inputs.

●

One feature of the DAS-16 is the availability of two channels of
multiplying 12-bit D/A output. The DACs may use a fixed -5V
reference available from on-board for a 0 to +5V output range.
Alternatively, an external AC or DC reference may be used to give
different output ranges or programmable attenuator action on an AC
signal. D/A’s are double-buffered to provide instantaneous single-step
updates.

Accessories

●

A -5V (± 0.05V) precision reference voltage output is derived from
the ADC reference. Typical applications are providing a DC reference
input for the DACs and providing offsets and bridge excitation to
user-supplied input circuits.

For more information on these features, refer to the functional description
in Section 2.

The following accessories are available for use with the DAS-16 Series
boards.

●

STA-16 — Screw-terminal adapter accessory that connects to the
main I/O connector of a DAS-160 Series board through a C-1800
cable.

STA-U — Universal screw-terminal accessory that connects to the

●

DAS-16 Series board through a C-1800 cable.

Accessories 1-5

STC-37 — Direct DAS-16 Series board to screw terminal interface.

●

●

STP-37 — Screw-terminal panel that connects to the main I/O
connector of a DAS-16 Series board through a C-1800 cable.

●

MB Series modules and backplanes — Plug-in, isolated,
signal-conditioning modules and the backplanes that hold them.
Supported backplanes include the MB01, MB02, and MB05.

●

STA-MB — Screw terminal accessory for MB Series modules. The
STA-MB connects to a DAS-16 Series board through a C-1800 cable
and contains mounting holes for up to four MB Series modules. The
STA-MB brings all signal lines from the DAS-16 Series board and all
inputs and outputs from the MB Series modules out to external screw
terminals.

STA-SCM16 — Screw terminal accessory that attaches to the main

●

I/O of a DAS-16 Series board through a C-1800 cable and attaches up
to four MB02 backplanes through C-2600 cables.

EXP-16 and EXP-16/A — 16-channel expansion multiplexer and

●

signal conditioning boards; requires the S-1600 cable and the
PG-408A option.

●

C-1800 — Cable for attaching the main I/O connector of a DAS-16
Series board to an STA-16, STA-MB, STA-SCM-16, or STP-37
accessory. This cable can also be used to connect a DAS-16 Series
board to an STA-U accessory; or to cascade additional EXP-GP or
EXP-16 accessories.

S-1800 — Shielded version of the C-1800 cable.

●

●

S-1600 — Cable for attaching an STA-16 or STA-MB to an EXP-16,
EXP-GP, or ISO-4 accessory.

●

C-16MB1 — Cable for attaching the main I/O connector of a
DAS-16 Series board to an MB01/05 backplane.

●

C-2600 — Cable for attaching an STA-SCM16 to an MB02
backplane.

1-6 Overview

2

Functional Description

This section describes the following features of DAS-16 Series boards:

● Analog input

●

Analog output
Digital I/O

●

● 82C54 counter/timer

● Wait state selection

●

Power

These descriptions are offered to familiarize you with the operating
options and to enable you to make the best use of your board. The block
diagrams in Figure 2-1 and Figure 2-2 represent the DAS-16 Series
boards.

2-1

Figure 2-1. DAS-16/16F Functional Block Diagram

2-2 Functional Description

Figure 2-2. DAS-16G1/G2 Functional Block Diagram

2-3

Analog Input Features

The analog input section of a DAS-16 Series board multiplexes all the
active input channels (up to 16 single-ended or eight differential) into a
single, 12-bit, sampling, analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

Other features of this section include input configurations, gain selection,
conversion modes, triggers, clock sources, and data transfer modes. These
features are described in the following subsections.

Differential/Single-Ended Selection

Using configuration switches, you can select either eight differential or 16
single-ended inputs. Differential inputs measure the difference between
two signals. Single-ended inputs are referred to a common ground.

Generally, you want to use differential inputs for low-level signals whose
noise component is a significant part of the signal or for signals that have
nonground common mode. You want to use single-ended inputs for high­level signals whose noise component is not significant.

The specific level at which input configurations work best depends on the
application. However, you generally use differential inputs for voltage
ranges of 100mV and less.

Unipolar/Bipolar Selection

Using configuration switches, you can set the DAS-16 Series boards to
operate in either unipolar or bipolar input mode. A unipolar signal is
always positive (0 to 10V, for example), while a bipolar signal can swing
up and down between negative and positive peak values (
for example).

The DAS-16 Series boards use left-justified, offset binary to represent
signals. In a given input range with the same peak-voltage capacity for
both modes, unipolar mode doubles the converter’s resolution.

10V to +10V,

−

2-4 Functional Description

Channel Selection

You can use DAS-16 Series boards to acquire data from a single analog
input channel or from a range of contiguous, on-board analog input
channels using automatic channel scanning. These two methods of
channel selection are described as follows:

●

Single channel — You use software to specify a single channel and
initiate a conversion.

●

Automatic channel scanning — You use software to specify the first
and last channels in a range of contiguous, on-board channels (0 to 7).
The channels are sampled in order from first to last; the hardware
automatically increments the analog input multiplexer address shortly
after the start of each conversion. When the last address is reached,
the multiplexer returns to the start address and the channels are
sampled again. For example, assume that the start channel is 4, the
stop channel is 7, and you want to acquire five samples. Your program
reads data first from channel 4, then from channels 5, 6, and 7, and
finally from channel 4 again.

Note:

An error results if the start channel number is higher than the stop

channel number.

When using automatic channel scanning, all contiguous, on-board
channels must have the same gain (analog input range).

DriverLINX allows you to acquire data from a range of multiple channels
that includes channels on expansion boards or MB Series backplanes.
DriverLINX provides for expansion board configuration in its Special
selection of the Device Subsystem page, which allows you to record the
settings of your analog input multiplexers and enable the expansion
channels. Refer to Appendix F: Configuration and Implementation Notes,
Keithley DAS-16/1600 Series manual that accompanies DriverLINX.

Analog Input Features 2-5

Channel Selection in Expanded Configurations

The DAS-16 Series supports 16 single-ended or eight differential analog
input channels. If you require additional analog input channels or signal
conditioning for transducer inputs, you can attach EXP-16, EXP-16/A, or
EXP-GP expansion accessories. Attaching any combination of up to eight
16-channel EXP-16 or EXP-16/A accessories, and/or eight 8-channel
EXP-GP accessories can increase the number of available channels to

128. Attaching up to sixteen 16-channel EXP-16 accessories can increase
the number of available channels to 256.

When you daisy-chain expansion boards from the analog inputs, you are
advised to make the first expansion board multiplex onboard channel 0,
the next expansion board multiplex channel 1, and so on. You select an
onboard channel using jumper settings on the expansion board.

You can access any unused onboard channels by placing an STA-16 screw
terminal accessory first in the daisy-chain configuration. Figure 2-3
illustrates how expansion boards and accessories interface with the analog
channels of DAS-16 Series boards.

DAS-16 Series
Boards

ch 0
ch 1

ch 2

Transducer

16 multiplexed input

channels

8 multiplexed input

channels

.

.

ch 7

digital output

port

Expansion Channel
Select Lines (OP0 to 3)

Figure 2-3. Expanding the Analog Inputs of DAS-16 Series Boards

EXP-16,
EXP-16/A

You can also use up to four MB02 backplanes to increase the number of
available channels to 64 isolated or 12 nonisolated. For more information
about connecting channel expansion boards, refer to Section 4.

EXP-GPSTA-16

2-6 Functional Description

Notes: You must specify a single-ended input configuration for all

onboard channels associated with channels on MB02 backplanes.

If you are using EXP-16, EXP-16/A, or EXP-GP expansion accessories
or MB Series backplanes, the digital output lines of the DAS-16 Series
board select a particular channel on the expansion board or backplane to
read.

Selecting Input Channel Range and Gain

The DIP switch labeled GAIN controls the full-scale range common to all
the channels. The slide switch marked A/D has two positions: UNI
(Unipolar) and BIP (Bipolar). These two switches determine the input
scaling and whether the range is unipolar (zero to some positive full
scale) or bipolar (from a negative to a positive full scale).

DriverLINX detects the position of the UNI/BIP switch through the DAS­16 status register, and it adjusts the data for unipolar and bipolar ranges
accordingly. Unipolar scalings correspond to 0 to 4095 bits of output
from the A/D, whereas bipolar scalings correspond to -2048 to +2047
bits. In this way 0 bits always corresponds to 0 volts, so the only
operation usually required is a simple multiplication to scale the reading
to real units; for example, on the ±5V or 0–10V range, multiply the
integer data returned by DriverLINX by the actual bit weight (2.44
millivolts/bit) to obtain volts. Refer to Appendix F: Configuration and
Implementation Notes, Keithley DAS-16/1600 Series manual that
accompanies DriverLINX.

The DAS-16/16F has a 5-position DIP switch (marked A, B, C, D, USER)
which is set according to the instructions given in Section 3. You can have
a non-standard input scale by soldering a precision resistor into the USER
location and selecting the USER position on the GAIN switch. Scale span
(the difference between full-scale limits) is related to resistor value as
follows:

Span (in volts) = 10 / (1 + 20,000/Ruser).
For example, Ruser = 1053 ohms gives 0.5V span.

Signals below 0.5 volt are subject to system noise and should therefore be
pre-amplified using an EXP-16 (or equivalent) before applying them to
DAS-16 inputs).

Analog Input Features 2-7

The available gains, their corresponding input ranges, and throughput
rates are listed in Table 2-1 for the DAS-16G1 and Table 2-2 for the DAS­16G2.

Table 2-1. DAS-16G1 Gains, Ranges, and Throughput Rates for

Unipolar and Bipolar Selections

Maximum

Gain Unipolar Range Bipolar Range

1 0.0 to +10.0V −10.0 to +10.0V 70ksamples/s

010 0.0 to +1.0V −1.0 to +1.0V 60ksamples/s

100 0.0 to +100mV −100 to +100mV 50ksamples/s
500 0.0 to +20mV −20 to +20mV 30ksamples/s

Table 2-2. DAS-16G2 Gains, Ranges, and Throughput Rates for

Unipolar and Bipolar Selections

Gain Unipolar Range Bipolar Range

1 0.0 to +10.0V −10 to +10V 70ksamples/s

Throughput Rate

Maximum

Throughput Rate

Clock Sources

2 0.0 to +5.0V −5.0 to +5.0V 60ksamples/s
4 0.0 to 2.5V −2.5 to + 2.5V 60ksamples/s
8 0.0 to 1.25V −1.25 to +1.25V 60ksamples/s

DAS-16 Series boards support the paced conversion mode. Paced mode is
best-suited for continuous scanning of multiple channels at a constant
rate. In paced mode, the conversion rate equals the pacer clock rate. The
sample rate, which is the rate at which a single channel is sampled, is the
pacer clock rate divided by the number of channels sampled.

The following clock sources are available for conversions on DAS-16
Series boards:

● Software — DAS-16 Series boards allow you to acquire single or

multiple samples under program control.

● Hardware (internal clock source) — The internal pacer clock is

derived from the onboard 82C54 counter/timer and a switch­configurable, crystal-controlled 1MHz or 10MHz timebase. The

2-8 Functional Description

pacer clock uses two cascaded counters of the 82C54. The maximum
allowable rate is 100ksamples/s, and the minimum conversions per
hour is determined as follows:

10MHz

------------------ 2.328 103–× 8.38==

32

2

1MHz

--------------- 2.328 104–× 0.838==

32

2

When not used to pace the analog input, the internal clock source can
pace other events, such as digital I/O and analog outputs (on the
DAS-16 Series boards), through the use of interrupts.

● Hardware (external clock source) — The external pacer clock

source must be an externally applied, TTL-compatible, rising-edge
signal attached to the IP0/TRIG 0 pin (25) of the main I/O connector.

An external clock source is useful if you want to pace at rates not
available with the 82C54 counter/timer, if you want to pace at uneven
intervals, or if you want to pace on the basis of an external event. An
external clock also allows you to synchronize multiple boards with a
common timing source.

Figure 2-4 illustrates how conversions are initiated when using an internal
and an external clock source. (Note that Figure 2-4 assumes that you are
not using a hardware trigger; refer to Figure 2-5 for an illustration of
conversions when using a hardware trigger.)

Operation is started

External Clock
Source

Internal Clock
Source

Conversions begin
when using an
internal clock source

(idle state)

count

count

Conversions begin
when using an
external clock source

count

count

Figure 2-4. Initiating Conversions

Analog Input Features 2-9