Tektronix Keithley DTx-EZ Getting Started Manual User manual
DTx-EZ
Getting Started Manual
DTXEZ-903-01 Rev. A / January 2005
www.keithley.com
A GR
EATER MEASURE OF CONFIDENCE
WARRANTY
Keithley Instruments, Inc. warrants this product to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 3 years from
date of shipment.
Keithley Instruments, Inc. warrants the following items for 90 days from the date of shipment: probes, cables, rechargeable batteries,
diskettes, and documentation.
During the warranty period, we will, at our option, either repair or replace any product that proves to be defective.
To exercise this warranty, write or call your local Keithley representative, or contact Keithley headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.
You will be given prompt assistance and return instructions. Send the product, transportation prepaid, to the indicated service facility. Repairs will be made and the product returned, transportation prepaid. Repaired or replaced products are warranted for the balance of the original warranty period, or at least 90 days.
LIMITATION OF WARRANTY
This warranty does not apply to defects resulting from product modification without Keithley’s express written consent, or misuse
of any product or part. This warranty also does not apply to fuses, software, non-rechargeable batteries, damage from battery leakage, or problems arising from normal wear or failure to follow instructions.
THIS WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE. THE REMEDIES PROVIDED HEREIN
ARE BUYER’S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES.
NEITHER KEITHLEY INSTRUMENTS, INC. NOR ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF ITS INSTRUMENTS AND SOFTWARE EVEN IF KEITHLEY INSTRUMENTS, INC., HAS BEEN ADVISED IN ADVANCE OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SUCH EXCLUDED DAMAGES SHALL INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
COSTS OF REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION, LOSSES SUSTAINED AS THE RESULT OF INJURY TO ANY PERSON,
OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
A G R E A T E R M E A S U R E O F C O N F I D E N C E
Keithley Instruments, Inc.
Corporate Headquarters • 28775 Aurora Road • Cleveland, Ohio 44139
440-248-0400 • Fax: 440-248-6168 • 1-888-KEITHLEY (534-8453) • www.keithley.com
12/04
DTx-EZ
Getting Started Manual
©2005, Keithley Instruments, Inc.
All rights reserved.
First Printing, January 2005
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Document Number: DTXEZ-903-01
Rev. A
Manual Print History
The print history shown below lists the printing dates of all Revisions and Addenda created for this manual. The Revision Level letter increases alphabetically as the manual undergoes subsequent updates. Addenda, which are released
between Revisions, contain important change information that the user should incorporate immediately into the manual.
Addenda are numbered sequentially. When a new Revision is created, all Addenda associated with the previous Revision
of the manual are incorporated into the new Revision of the manual. Each new Revision includes a revised copy of this
print history page.
Revision A (Document Number DTXEZ-903-01A) ........................................................................... January 2005
All Keithley product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Keithley Instruments, Inc.
Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Safety Precautions
The following safety precautions should be observed before using
this product and any associated instrumentation. Although some instruments and accessories would normally be used with non-hazardous voltages, there are situations where hazardous conditions
may be present.
This product is intended for use by qualified personnel who recognize shock hazards and are familiar with the safety precautions required to avoid possible injury. Read and follow all installation,
operation, and maintenance information carefully before using the
product. Refer to the manual for complete product specifications.
If the product is used in a manner not specified, the protection provided by the product may be impaired.
The types of product users are:
Responsible body is the individual or group responsible for the use
and maintenance of equipment, for ensuring that the equipment is
operated within its specifications and operating limits, and for ensuring that operators are adequately trained.
Operators use the product for its intended function. They must be
trained in electrical safety procedures and proper use of the instrument. They must be protected from electric shock and contact with
hazardous live circuits.
Maintenance personnel perform routine procedures on the product to keep it operating properly, for example, setting the line voltage or replacing consumable materials. Maintenance procedures
are described in the manual. The procedures explicitly state if the
operator may perform them. Otherwise, they should be performed
only by service personnel.
Service personnel are trained to work on live circuits, and perform
safe installations and repairs of products. Only properly trained service personnel may perform installation and service procedures.
Keithley products are designed for use with electrical signals that
are rated Measurement Category I and Measurement Category II, as
described in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
Standard IEC 60664. Most measurement, control, and data I/O signals are Measurement Category I and must not be directly connected to mains voltage or to voltage sources with high transient overvoltages. Measurement Category II connections require protection
for high transient over-voltages often associated with local AC
mains connections. Assume all measurement, control, and data I/O
connections are for connection to Category I sources unless otherwise marked or described in the Manual.
Exercise extreme caution when a shock hazard is present. Lethal
voltage may be present on cable connector jacks or test fixtures.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) states that a
shock hazard exists when voltage levels greater than 30V RMS,
42.4V peak, or 60VDC are present. A good safety practice is to ex-
pect that hazardous voltage is present in any unknown circuit
before measuring.
Operators of this product must be protected from electric shock at
all times. The responsible body must ensure that operators are prevented access and/or insulated from every connection point. In
some cases, connections must be exposed to potential human contact. Product operators in these circumstances must be trained to
protect themselves from the risk of electric shock. If the circuit is
capable of operating at or above 1000 volts, no conductive part of
the circuit may be exposed.
Do not connect switching cards directly to unlimited power circuits.
They are intended to be used with impedance limited sources.
NEVER connect switching cards directly to AC mains. When connecting sources to switching cards, install protective devices to limit
fault current and voltage to the card.
Before operating an instrument, make sure the line cord is connected to a properly grounded power receptacle. Inspect the connecting
cables, test leads, and jumpers for possible wear, cracks, or breaks
before each use.
When installing equipment where access to the main power cord is
restricted, such as rack mounting, a separate main input power disconnect device must be provided, in close proximity to the equipment and within easy reach of the operator.
For maximum safety, do not touch the product, test cables, or any
other instruments while power is applied to the circuit under test.
ALWAYS remove power from the entire test system and discharge
any capacitors before: connecting or disconnecting cables or jumpers, installing or removing switching cards, or making internal
changes, such as installing or removing jumpers.
Do not touch any object that could provide a current path to the common side of the circuit under test or power line (earth) ground. Always
make measurements with dry hands while standing on a dry, insulated
surface capable of withstanding the voltage being measured.
The instrument and accessories must be used in accordance with its
specifications and operating instructions or the safety of the equipment may be impaired.
Do not exceed the maximum signal levels of the instruments and accessories, as defined in the specifications and operating information, and as shown on the instrument or test fixture panels, or
switching card.
When fuses are used in a product, replace with same type and rating
for continued protection against fire hazard.
Chassis connections must only be used as shield connections for
measuring circuits, NOT as safety earth ground connections.
If you are using a test fixture, keep the lid closed while power is applied to the device under test. Safe operation requires the use of a
lid interlock.
5/03
If a screw is present, connect it to safety earth ground using the
wire recommended in the user documentation.
!
The symbol on an instrument indicates that the user should refer to the operating instructions located in the manual.
The symbol on an instrument shows that it can source or measure 1000 volts or more, including the combined effect of normal
and common mode voltages. Use standard safety precautions to
avoid personal contact with these voltages.
The symbol indicates a connection terminal to the equipment
frame.
The WARNING heading in a manual explains dangers that might
result in personal injury or death. Always read the associated information very carefully before performing the indicated procedure.
The CAUTION heading in a manual explains hazards that could
damage the instrument. Such damage may invalidate the warranty.
Instrumentation and accessories shall not be connected to humans.
Before performing any maintenance, disconnect the line cord and
all test cables.
To maintain protection from electric shock and fire, replacement
components in mains circuits, including the power transformer, test
leads, and input jacks, must be purchased from Keithley Instruments. Standard fuses, with applicable national safety approvals,
may be used if the rating and type are the same. Other components
that are not safety related may be purchased from other suppliers as
long as they are equivalent to the original component. (Note that selected parts should be purchased only through Keithley Instruments
to maintain accuracy and functionality of the product.) If you are
unsure about the applicability of a replacement component, call a
Keithley Instruments office for information.
To clean an instrument, use a damp cloth or mild, water based
cleaner. Clean the exterior of the instrument only. Do not apply
cleaner directly to the instrument or allow liquids to enter or spill on
the instrument. Products that consist of a circuit board with no case
or chassis (e.g., data acquisition board for installation into a computer) should never require cleaning if handled according to instructions. If the board becomes contaminated and operation is affected,
the board should be returned to the factory for proper cleaning/servicing.
Table of Contents
About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Intended Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
What You Should Learn from this Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Organization of this Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Conventions Used in this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Where to Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Chapter 1: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What is DTx-EZ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Conforms to the DT-Open Layers Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Provides Custom Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Data Acquisition Custom Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The DT Plot Custom Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Provides Properties, Methods, and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Provides Function and Subroutine Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Follows Object-Oriented Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Provides Extensive Example Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Provides Multiple Board Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Provides High Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
What You Need. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Adding DTx-EZ Custom Controls to Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Adding to a Visual Basic 6.0 Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Adding to a Visual C++ 6.0 Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Creating an Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using the DTx-EZ Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
vii
Contents
Chapter 2: Using the DTx-EZ Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
About the Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Running the Examples as Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Opening the Examples from within Visual Basic. . . . . . . . . 18
Opening the Examples from within Visual C++ . . . . . . . . . 19
A/D Burst Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
DAC Waveform Generator Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Continuous A/D Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Single-Value Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
About-Trigger Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Digital I/O Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
DDE Server and Client Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Waveform Generator Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Continuous FFT Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
ChartIt Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Scope Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
viii
Chapter 3: Property, Method, Function, and Subroutine
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Data Acquisition Custom Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Information Properties and Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Initialization Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Configuration Properties and Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Operation Properties, Methods, Functions, and
Subroutines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Data Management DLLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Buffer Management Functions and Subroutines . . . . . . . . . 64
Conversion Functions and Subroutines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
DT Plot Custom Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Plot Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Plot Pre-Display Operational Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Markers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
x-Axis Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
y-Axis Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Plotting Operation Control Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Chapter 4: Programming Flowcharts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Single-Value Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Continuous Buffered Input Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Continuous Buffered Output Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Event Counting Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Frequency Measurement Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Pulse Output Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Plotting Control Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Chapter 5: Software Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
System Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Initializing and Specifying a Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Specifying a Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Configuring a Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Handling Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Handling Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Halting the Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Analog and Digital I/O Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Data Encoding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Specifying the Channel Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Contents
ix
Contents
Specifying a Single Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Specifying One or More Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Specifying the Channel List Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Specifying the Channels in the Channel List . . . . 104
Inhibiting Channels in the Channel List . . . . . . . . 105
Specifying Synchronous Digital I/O Values
in the Channel List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Ranges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Specifying the Gain for a Single Channel . . . . . . . . . . 109
Specifying the Gain for One or More Channels . . . . . 109
Filters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Data Flow Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Single-Value Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Continuous Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Continuous (Post-Trigger) Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Continuous Pre-Trigger Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Continuous About-Trigger Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Triggered Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Scan-Per-Trigger Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Internal Retrigger Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Retrigger Extra Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Clock Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Internal Clock Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
External Clock Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Extra Clock Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Trigger Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Software (Internal) Trigger Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
External Digital (TTL) Trigger Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
External Analog Threshold (Positive) Trigger Source 126
x
External Analog Threshold (Negative) Trigger
Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Analog Event Trigger Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Digital Event Trigger Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Timer Event Trigger Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Extra Trigger Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Buffers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Ready Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Done Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Buffer and Queue Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Buffer Wrap Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
DMA Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Counter/Timer Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Counter/Timer Operation Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Event Counting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Using the Windows Timer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Using a Pulse of a Known Duration . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Rate Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
One-Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Repetitive One-Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
C/T Clock Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Internal C/T Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
External C/T Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Internally Cascaded Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Extra C/T Clock Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Gate Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Software Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
High-Level Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Low-Level Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Contents
xi
Contents
Low-Edge Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
High-Edge Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Any Level Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
High-Level, Debounced Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Low-Level, Debounced Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
High-Edge, Debounced Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Low-Edge, Debounced Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Level, Debounced Gate Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Pulse Output Types and Duty Cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Simultaneous Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Plot Control Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Plotting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Data Identification Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Plotting Mechanics Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Stripchart Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Specifying a Grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Specifying Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
xii
Appendix A: Flowcharts for Substeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Chapter 6: Product Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
General Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Service and Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
This manual describes how to get started using DTx-EZ™ to develop
application programs for data acquisition boards that conform to the
DT-Open Layers
TM
Intended Audience
This document is intended for engineers, scientists, technicians, or
others responsible for developing application programs using the
Microsoft Visual Basic™ or Visual C++™ compiler to perform data
acquisition operations.
It is assumed that you are a proficient programmer, that you are
experienced programming in the Windows® 98, Windows NT,
Windows Me (Millennium Edition), or Windows 2000 operating
environment on the IBM PC or compatible computer platform, that
you have familiarity with data acquisition principles, and that you
have clearly defined your requirements.
About this Manual
standard.
What You Should Learn from this Manual
This manual provides installation instructions, summarizes the
functions provided by the DTx-EZ, and describes how to use the
properties, methods, functions, and subroutines to develop a data
acquisition program. Using this manual, you should be able to
successfully install the DTx-EZ software and get started writing an
application program for data acquisition.
This manual is intended to be used with the online help for the
DTx-EZ, which you can find in the same program group as the
DTx-EZ software. The online help for the DTx-EZ contains all of the
specific reference information for each of the properties, methods,
functions, subroutines, error codes, and Windows messages (events).
xiii
About this Manual
Organization of this Manual
This manual is organized as follows:
• Chapter 1, “Overview,” provides an overview of DTx-EZ.
• Chapter 2, “Using the DTx-EZ Examples,” describes how to use
the example programs provided with DTx-EZ.
• Chapter 3, “Property, Method, Function, and Subroutine
Summary,” summarizes the properties, methods, functions, and
subroutines provided with DTx-EZ.
• Chapter 4, “Programming Flowcharts,” provides programming
flowcharts for using the properties, methods, functions, and
subroutines provided with DTx-EZ.
• Chapter 5, “Software Architecture,” describes the architecture
and concepts of DTx-EZ software.
• Chapter 6, “Product Support,” describes how to get help if you
have trouble using DTx-EZ.
• Appendix A, “Flowcharts for Substeps,” provides additional
flowcharts for performing substeps required for an operation.
xiv
• An index completes this document.
Conventions Used in this Manual
The following conventions are used in this manual:
• Notes provide useful information that requires special emphasis,
cautions provide information to help you avoid losing data or
damaging your equipment, and warnings provide information to
help you avoid catastrophic damage to yourself or your
equipment.
• Items that you select or type are shown in bold. Property,
method, function, and subroutine names also appear in bold.
• Code fragments appear in courier font.
• In syntax, items inside square brackets are optional.
• In syntax, a vertical bar between braces indicates that you must
choose between two or more items. You must choose an item
unless all of the items are also enclosed in curly brackets. For
example, { True | False } indicates that you must select one of
these choices.
• When navigating the screens, an instruction such as Configure >
Board means to select “Board” from the drop-down menu under
“Configure.”
Related Information
Refer to the following documentation for more information on using
DTx-EZ:
• DTx-EZ Online Help. This Windows help file is located in the
same program group as the DTx-EZ software and contains all of
the specific reference information for each of the properties,
methods, subroutines, functions, error codes, and Windows
messages (events) provided by DTx-EZ. Refer to page 13 for
information on how to launch this help file.
About this Manual
• Device Driver documentation for your board. This
documentation describes the capabilities supported by the device
driver for your board. Refer to this documentation as you
develop application programs using DTx-EZ.
• User manual for your data acquisition board. This manual
describes the capabilities of the hardware as well as how to set up
and install your board.
• For Visual Basic and Visual C++ programmers, see the online
help in your programming environment.
• Windows programming documentation.
xv
About this Manual
Where to Get Help
Should you run into problems installing or using DTx-EZ, the
Keithley Technical Support Department is available to provide
technical assistance.
xvi
1
Overview
What is DTx-EZ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
What You Need. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Adding DTx-EZ Custom Controls to Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Creating an Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using the DTx-EZ Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1
Chapter 1
What is DTx-EZ?
DTx-EZ is a set of Object-Linking and Embedding (OLE) controls that
facilitate rapid data acquisition application development in Visual
Basic and Visual C++ environments.
DTx-EZ supplies the programming tools to transform Visual Basic
and Visual C++ into a powerful data acquisition application
development environment. With DTx-EZ, you can quickly develop
applications with analog and digital I/O, real-time data display, and
a graphical user interface (GUI), while operating in a true Windows
environment.
Conforms to the DT-Open Layers Standard
DTx-EZ is fully compatible with DT-Open Layers.
DT-Open Layers is a set of open standards for developing integrated,
modular software under Microsoft Windows. Because it is modular
and uses Windows DLLs, DT-Open Layers is easily expanded to
support new, more powerful hardware devices without re-linking or
rebuilding applications. Therefore, you do not need to rewrite your
code when adding new data acquisition boards that have DT-Open
Layers-compliant device drivers. DT-Open Layers protects your
software investment now and in the future.
Provides Custom Controls
The DTx-EZ provides two custom controls:
• Data Acquisition Custom Control, and
• Plotting Custom Control.
The following subsections describe these controls.
2
The Data Acquisition Custom Control
Overview
The Data Acquisition Custom Control facilitates performing data
acquisition functions. Each copy of the Data Acquisition Custom
Control operates on a single subsystem of the supported board at a
time. However, Visual Basic and Visual C++ lets you use multiple
copies of this control operating simultaneously, controlling different
subsystems on the same board or even on different boards.
DTx-EZ determines the capabilities of each subsystem for your data
acquisition board. The board’s supported capabilities are listed in the
custom control’s Properties window. You can control the subsystem's
operation by manipulating the subsystem's properties. You can
change the properties at design time in the Properties window or at
run time using simple Visual Basic or Visual C++ code.
Each subsystem may have multiple channels. For example, the A/D
subsystem on the DataAcq-EZ boards has 16 available channels. To
access multiple channels, you must set up a list of channels you want
to sample. The DataAcq-EZ boards also provide programmable
gains. To program the gains on the channels, you need to set up a
gain list to accompany the channel list.
The DT Plot Custom Control
1
1
1
1
1
1
The DT Plot Custom Control is a high-speed plotting control, useful
for plotting fixed- or floating-point data in your Visual Basic or Visual
C++ application. Since the DT Plot Custom Control works directly
with DT-Open Layers hBuf data, the need to copy the buffer to an
array is eliminated.
1
1
1
3
Chapter 1
You fill a buffer with data you want to plot and assign it to the plot’s
Buffer property. You can plot from 1 to 16 channels of data at a time,
all with different colors. You may also choose from a variety of line
styles and the following features:
• x and y grid lines that you can set to automatically scale to your
data or to remain at fixed spacing intervals.
• x and y markers that can be used to indicate a zoom-in section of
the data or to determine the data value at that position.
• A stripchart mode so you can plot many buffers of
rapidly-changing, continuous data and see all of them on the
plot’s display.
• A single-point feature when in strip charting mode that allows
you to add one point of data at a time to the display.
At design time, the DT Plot Custom Control displays a
randomly-generated data plot that shows you what your plots will
look like. Whenever you change a property, the plot immediately
displays the effects of your changes. For some properties, you can
enter new data for the plot at either design time or run time.
Provides Properties, Methods, and Events
The Data Acquisition and DT Plot Custom Controls have unique
properties, methods, and events, described as follows:
• Properties represent the variables that allow you to configure the
data acquisition or plotting operation. Many read/write
properties are accessible in the Properties window at design time
or at runtime. Some read/write properties are lists that may be
accessed through the control’s custom property pages. Other
properties are read-only; you can access them only at runtime.
These read-only properties represent variables that you can use
to determine data acquisition or plotting capabilities.
4
Overview
Note: Each Data Acquisition Custom Control can be associated
with a single subsystem at a time. This means that you must first
select the board and subsystem you want to use before you can configure
the subsystem's properties. When a custom control is created, its
properties are set to the default settings. You must modify the
properties if you want to change their values from the default
settings.
• Methods are tools that are used in the Visual Basic or Visual C++
code to provide runtime control of data acquisition operations;
no methods are associated with the DT Plot Custom Control.
• Events have procedures that execute code when the specified
data acquisition event occurs during runtime in the case of the
Data Acquisition Custom Control or when the specified mouse or
keyboard event occurs during runtime in the case of the DT Plot
Custom Control. Most OLE custom control events are based on
user interactions.
Note, however, that the Data Acquisition Custom Control events
are based on specific data acquisition events that could occur
within your application. Most of the Data Acquisition Custom
Control events are used for either continuous acquisition
operation or for error tracking.
1
1
1
1
1
1
All of the DT Plot Custom Control events are standard Microsoft
events. Refer to your Visual Basic or Visual C++ online help for
more information about them.
Provides Function and Subroutine Libraries
In addition to custom controls, DTx-EZ provides a library of
DT-Open Layers functions and subroutines for Visual Basic and for
Visual C++. These libraries add facilities for managing buffers,
simultaneously starting multiple subsystems, and performing FFT
analysis.
1
1
1
5
Chapter 1
Follows Object-Oriented Design
For easy programming, DTx-EZ’s Application Programming
Interface (API) emphasizes polymorphism — it uses nearly identical
interface functions to communicate with each type of data acquisition
subsystem: analog input (A/D), analog output (D/A), digital input
(DIN), digital output (DOUT), and counter/timer (C/T).
The features provided by each supported data acquisition board
vary; for a complete list of capabilities supported by your board, refer
to board's driver documentation.
The API provides a full set of functions to query and set all possible
device capabilities. The library hides device details and presents a
consistent interface to each subsystem.
Provides Extensive Example Programs
To get your application up and running quickly, a comprehensive set
of Visual Basic and Visual C++ example programs is provided. You
can use these examples as tutorials to learn how DTx-EZ operates, or
you can modify one or more examples to form the basis of your own
custom data acquisition application. Source code is included, so you
can customize the examples to complete your Visual Basic or Visual
C++ application.
Provides Multiple Board Support
The DTx-EZ is hardware-independent. You can add support for new
boards without altering or recompiling code at the application level
simply by adding a new DT-Open Layers device driver. You install
the device driver separately (in the Windows environment); refer to
your board and/or device driver documentation for more
information on installing device drivers.
The library functions are designed to fully support all board features.
6
Provides High Performance
Overview
DTx-EZ was designed with an intimate knowledge of the Windows
operating environment and the IBM PC computer system. As a result,
it takes unique advantage of the Windows architecture to achieve
maximum performance. By using sophisticated software buffering
(part of the DT-Open Layers standard), and the PCI bus, USB bus, or
DMA capabilities of the hardware, the software can achieve
continuous throughput to or from memory at greater than 1 MHz.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
7
Chapter 1
What You Need
To use DTx-EZ, you need the following:
• Pentium or higher-based PC with a CD-ROM drive and a
minimum of 32 Mbytes of RAM;
• One or more supported data acquisition boards;
• Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP.
• Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 or Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0.
8
Installation
DTx-EZ is installed automatically when you install the device driver
for the module. Refer to the getting started manual for your module
for more information.
Overview
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
9
Chapter 1
Adding DTx-EZ Custom Controls to Your Project
The following subsections describe how to add DTx-EZ Custom
Controls to:
• A Visual Basic 6.0 project (this page),
• A Visual C++ 6.0 project (page 11).
Adding to a Visual Basic 6.0 Project
Before you begin using the DT-EZ, add the DTx-EZ Data Acquisition
and DT Plotting Custom Controls and definition files. Add the files
DTACQ32.OCX, DTPLOT32.OCX, OLMEMDEFS.BAS,
OLDADEFS.BAS and OLDSPDEFS.BAS to your project file as follows
from Visual Basic 6.0:
1. Select Project > Components.
The Components dialog box appears.
2. Click the Controls tab.
10
3. Click DTAcq32 OLE Custom Control module and/or DTPlot32
OLE Custom Control module, then click OK.
4. Choose Project > Add Module.
The Add Module dialog box appears.
5. Select the Existing tab.
6. Select OLMEMDEFS.BAS, OLDEFS.BAS, and/or
OLDSPDEFS.BAS from the \DTx-EZ\INCLUDE directory, and
click Open.
When the DTx-EZ custom controls are loaded, the DTACQ32 and
DTPLOT32 icons appear in the Toolbox as follows:
Adding to a Visual C++ 6.0 Project
Overview
1
1
Before you begin using the DT-EZ, add the DTx-EZ Data Acquisition
and DT Plotting Custom Controls.
1. Start Windows 95 and launch Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0.
2. Create a new MFC project using the application wizard.
Ensure you add support for ActiveX controls in Step 2.
3. Select Project > Add to Project > Components and Controls.
The “Component and Controls Gallery” appears.
4. Double-click the Registered ActiveX Controls folder.
5. Select the DTPlot32 Control and click Insert.
The program prompts you to insert the component and to confirm the
creation of a wrapper class for accessing the control through Visual
C++.
6. Repeat step 5 for the DTAcq32 Control.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11
Chapter 1
Creating an Application
You can use the Data Acquisition Custom Control and DT Plot
Custom Control just like other ActiveX or OLE custom controls to
integrate data acquisition into your Windows application. Create
your application as follows:
1. Add the Data Acquisition or DT Plot Custom Control to your
form by selecting it from the toolbox and placing it on your form.
For information on adding a DTx-EZ Custom Control to a project, see
page 10. Once added to your project, you can select the DTx-EZ
Custom Control from the toolbox.
2. Configure your control object for the desired function by setting
values in the Properties window.
Refer to Chapter 5, “Software Architecture,” for more information.
Context-sensitive online help is available for the DTx-EZ Custom
Controls as well. To access online help, simply press F1, and
information related to the current operation appears on the screen.
3. Add code, as needed, using the Code window to
− Respond to user actions,
12
− Change the properties at run time, or
− Control data acquisition operations.
Refer to Chapter 2, “Using the DTx-EZ Examples,” for more
information.
4. When you are ready to run your application outside your
development environment, create an executable file (.EXE) by
choosing Make EXE file from the File menu.
Note: When you create and distribute applications that use the
Data Acquisition Custom Control and DT Plot Custom Control,
review the licensing material included in the DTx-EZ online help.
Using the DTx-EZ Online Help
This manual is intended to be used with the online help for DTx-EZ.
The online help contains all of the specific reference information for
each of the functions, error codes, and Windows messages not
included in this manual.
To launch this online help, double-click the DTx-EZ help icon in the
KUSB Series program group or folder.
Overview
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
13
Chapter 1
14
Loading...