Amplicon PCI230 User manual

PCI230/260
PCI230 & PCI260
MULTI-FUNCTION
ANALOG AND DIGITAL
INPUT/OUTPUT
BOARDS
This Instruction Manual is supplied with the PCI230/260 to provide the user with sufficient information to utilise the
purchased product in a proper and efficient manner. The information contained has been reviewed and is believed to be
accurate and reliable, however Amplicon Liveline Limited accepts no responsibility for any problems caused by errors
or omissions. Specifications and instructions are subject to change without notice.
PCI230/260 InstructionManual Part Nº 859 893 84Issue A5
© Amplicon Liveline Limited
Prepared by D.N. Cooper
Approved for issue by A.S. Gorbold, Operations Director

PCI230/260
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
AMPLICON LIVELINE LIMITED
CENTENARY INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
HOLLINGDEAN ROAD
BRIGHTON BN2 4AW UK
We declare that the product(s) described in this Instruction Manual are
manufactured by Amplicon Liveline Limited and perform in conformity
with the following standards or standardisation documents:
Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC):
EMC Directive 89/336/EEC
LVD Directive 73/23/EEC
CE Directive 93/68/EEC
Jim Hicks, I. Eng, MIEIE
Managing Director
Amplicon Liveline Limited

PCI230/260
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................1
1.1 The Amplicon 200 Series...........................................................................................................1
1.2 The Products Described in this Manual .....................................................................................1
1.3 Features of the PCI230/260.......................................................................................................1
1.4 General Description ...................................................................................................................1
1.4.1 Enhanced Features ............................................................................................................2
1.4.2 The Hardware .....................................................................................................................2
1.4.3 The Software.......................................................................................................................3
1.5 What the Package Contains ......................................................................................................4
1.6 The Amplicon Warranty Covering the PCI230/260....................................................................4
1.7 Contacting Amplicon Liveline Limited for Support or Service....................................................5
1.7.1 Technical Support...............................................................................................................5
1.7.2 Repairs................................................................................................................................5
2 GETTING STARTED ........................................................................................................................6
2.1 General Information ...................................................................................................................6
2.2 Host Computer Requirements ...................................................................................................6
2.3 Installing the Board ....................................................................................................................6
2.4 Software Installation...................................................................................................................6
2.4.1 Windows 95/98/Me Installation ...........................................................................................7
2.4.2 Windows NT 4.0 Installation ...............................................................................................7
2.4.3 Windows 2000 Installation ..................................................................................................8
2.5 Card Configuration.....................................................................................................................9
2.5.1 Base Address Selection......................................................................................................9
2.5.2 Interrupt Level Selection (IRQ) ...........................................................................................9
2.6 Application Software ................................................................................................................10
2.7 Installation Testing ...................................................................................................................10
2.7.1 Verifying Installation for Windows 95/98/Me.....................................................................10
2.7.2 Verifying Installation for Windows NT 4.0.........................................................................10
2.7.3 Verifying Installation for Windows 2000............................................................................11
3 MAKING THE CONNECTIONS......................................................................................................13
3.1 PCI230/260 User Interface Connector pin assignments .........................................................13
3.2 Signal Termination Assemblies................................................................................................14
3.2.1 PCI230 Screw Termination Assembly ..............................................................................15
3.2.2 PCI260 Screw Termination Assembly ..............................................................................15
3.3 Analog Inputs ...........................................................................................................................16
3.4 Use Of Shielded Cables...........................................................................................................16
3.5 PCI Bus Back-plane Bus Connections ....................................................................................16
3.6 The Ground Connections.........................................................................................................18
4 USING THE PCI230/260.................................................................................................................22
4.1 Analog Inputs ...........................................................................................................................22
4.2 Analog Input FIFO....................................................................................................................22
4.3 Analog Input Modes .................................................................................................................22
4.3.1 Software Controlled Sampling ..........................................................................................22
4.3.2 Interrupt Controlled Sampling...........................................................................................23
4.3.3 Chanelling.........................................................................................................................23
4.3.4 ADC Transfer Functions ...................................................................................................24
4.4 Analog Outputs (PCI230 Only) ................................................................................................25
4.5 Analog Output Modes (PCI230 Only) ......................................................................................25
4.5.1 Software Controlled D/A Conversion................................................................................25
4.5.2 Interrupt Controlled D/A Conversion.................................................................................25
4.6 PPI Digital Inputs and Outputs (PCI230 Only).........................................................................26
PCI230 & PCI260
MULTI-FUNCTION ANALOG AND DIGITAL INPUT/OUTPUT BOARDS

PCI230/260
4.6.1 PCI230 Shared I/O Connections ......................................................................................26
4.7 Multiple PCI230/260 Boards in a Single Application................................................................27
4.8 Testing and Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................27
5 STRUCTURE AND ASSIGNMENTS OF THE REGISTERS..........................................................28
5.1 Register Assignments ..............................................................................................................28
5.2 Register Groups .......................................................................................................................28
5.3 Register Assignment Summary ...............................................................................................29
5.3.1 PCI230 I/O Registers........................................................................................................29
5.3.2 PCI260 I/O Registers........................................................................................................30
5.4 The Register Details ................................................................................................................31
5.4.1 DACCON DAC Control Register ( PCI230 Only ).............................................................31
5.4.2 DACOUT1 Output data to DAC1 ( PCI230 Only ) ...........................................................31
5.4.3 DACOUT2 Output data to DAC2 ( PCI230 Only ) ...........................................................31
5.4.4 ADCDATA Input data from FIFO or direct from ADC, or initiate ADC conversion from
software 31
5.4.5 ADCCON Control register for ADC and FIFO ..................................................................32
5.4.6 ADCEN channel enables ..................................................................................................33
5.4.7 ADCG0 channel gain settings 0-7 ....................................................................................33
5.4.8 Timing and Control ...........................................................................................................33
5.4.9 Group X CLOCK Configuration Register ..........................................................................34
5.4.10 Group X GATE Configuration Register.............................................................................34
5.4.11 IER Interrupt Enables / Status Register............................................................................34
6 PROGRAMMING THE PCI230/260................................................................................................35
6.1 Copyright..................................................................................................................................35
6.2 Guide to User Programming ....................................................................................................35
6.3 Interfacing with Commercial Software Packages ....................................................................35
APPENDIX A PCI230/260 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS.......................................................... 1.36
A.1 HARDWARE SPECIFICATION ........................................................................................... 1.36
A.1.1 ANALOG INPUT ........................................................................................................... 1.36
A.1.2 ANALOG OUTPUT (PCI230 Only) ............................................................................... 1.37
A.1.3 COUNTER / TIMER...................................................................................................... 1.38
A.1.4 DIGITAL INPUT/OUTPUT (PCI230 Only) .................................................................... 1.39
A.1.5 PC INTERFACE ........................................................................................................... 1.39
A.2 SOFTWARE SPECIFICATION ............................................................................................ 1.40
A.3 Environmental Conditions .................................................................................................... 1.40
A.3.1 Environment.................................................................................................................. 1.40
A.4 Order Codes......................................................................................................................... 1.41
A.5 Optional Accessories ........................................................................................................... 1.41
A.5.1 Hardware Options......................................................................................................... 1.41
APPENDIX B CIRCUIT LAYOUT AND SCHEMATIC DRAWINGS ...................................................42
B.1 Assembly Detail .......................................................................................................................42

PCI230/260
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE TITLE PAGE
FIGURE 1.1 PCI230 BLOCK SCHEMATIC ............................................................................................2
FIGURE 1.2 PCI260 BLOCK SCHEMATIC ............................................................................................3
FIGURE 3.1 PCI230 SK1 50 WAY USER INTERFACE PIN DESIGNATIONS....................................13
FIGURE 3.2 PCI260 PL1 25 WAY USER INTERFACE PIN DESIGNATIONS ....................................14
FIGURE 3.3 50-WAY SCREW TERMINAL ASSEMBLY PIN DESIGNATIONS...................................15
FIGURE 3.4 25-WAY SCREW TERMINAL ASSEMBLY PIN DESIGNATIONS...................................15
FIGURE 3.5 PC BACK-PLANE PCI BUS CONNECTIONS..................................................................17
FIGURE 3.6 ANALOG INPUT/OUTPUT WIRING.................................................................................18
FIGURE 3.7 INPUT VOLTAGE RANGES.............................................................................................19
FIGURE 3.8 INPUT ATTENUATORS ...................................................................................................20
FIGURE 4.1 ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERTER OUTPUT CODES ................................................24
FIGURE 4.2 PCI230 SHARED I/O CONNECTIONS ............................................................................26
FIGURE 5.1 PCI230 REGISTER ASSIGNMENTS ...............................................................................29
FIGURE 5.2 PCI260 REGISTER ASSIGNMENTS ...............................................................................30
FIGURE B.1 PCI260 LAYOUT ...........................................................................................................42
FIGURE B.2 PCI230 LAYOUT ............................................................................................................42
FIGURE B.3 PCI230 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM (1) ....................................................................................43
FIGURE B.4 PCI230 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM (2).....................................................................................45
FIGURE B.5 PCI260 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM (1) ...................................................................................46
FIGURE B.6 PCI260 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM (2) ...................................................................................47

Page 1 PCI230/260
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Amplicon 200 Series
The Amplicon 200 Series of Personal Computer based data acquisition products provides very
high performance, affordable hardware with user sympathetic software. The 200 Series is
designed for users requiring fast or complex data input/output to the host PC and comprises a
range of boards and software to handle most analog and digital signal types.
When a large scale system is required, multiple boards can be added from the 200 Series
without conflict. For analog input systems, the capacity of the PC mounted hardware can be
extended by external expansion panels to provide a convenient to use system with low cost per
channel and maintained high performance.
1.2 The Products Described in this Manual
The PCI230/260 range of boards share some common circuitry and features and are referred to
in this manual either generically or individually:
PCI230/260 Refers to both boards
PCI230 Refers to the PCI230 only
PCI260 Refers to the PCI260 only
1.3 Features of the PCI230/260
The PCI230/260 range of boards are designed to meet stringent performance requirements and
ease of use.
•PCI Bus version 2.1 plug and play interface.
•Device driver software compatible with Windows NT, 95, 98, Me & 2000.
•Flexible, independent addressing
•Low power consumption
•16-channel multiplexed analog to digital conversion
•ADC conversion rates up to 312 ksps.
•4096-sample FIFO memory for analog to digital converter allowing upto 4096 samples for
one channel or 256 samples for sixteen channels to be stored on the card.
•Selectable input voltage ranges
•PCI230 only, 2-channel, 12-bit digital to analog conversion with output voltage ranges of
±10 V bipolar or 0 to +10 V unipolar.
•Three 16-bit counter/timers with on board 10 MHz crystal oscillator timing source.
•A frequency counter facility for measuring external frequencies.
•PCI230 only, 24 bit flexible, programmable digital input/output.
•Interrupt controlled operations, with the facility for interrupts to be generated by the end of a
conversion, by the FIFO, by a regular timer/counter output or by an external signal.
•An on board DC to DC converter which provides power to the analog circuits, thus reducing
the effects of PC induced noise.
•Free demonstration software and the provision of library routines as a DLL for easy user
programming (includes interface files for C and example software written in Delphi 3.0,
Visual Basic 5.0 and HP Vee 5.0).
1.4 General Description
The PCI230/260 range of boards provide multi-channel data acquisition functions for any IBM
PC or compatible computer that supports PCI bus version 2.1

PCI230/260 Page 2
All models are supported by Windows 95, NT and 2000 drivers. These drivers allow the
advanced features of the cards to be fully utilised by the application software. The Windows 95
driver is also compatible with Windows 98 and Windows Me.
PCI230 Provides 16-channel, FIFO buffered, 12-bit analog-to-digital input facilities and 2-
channel, 12-bit digital-to-analog output with interrupt control. It also provides 24 bits
of parallel digital input/output and three 16-bit counter/timers.
PCI260 Provides 16-channel, FIFO buffered, 12-bit analog to digital input facilities and
three 16-bit counter/timers only.
1.4.1 Enhanced Features
The PCI230/260 support all relevant features of the earlier ISA bus products, i.e. the PC30AT
and the PC26AT. In addition the PCI230/260 have many advanced features. The PCI230 &
PCI260 both have a 4096-sample FIFO for buffering input samples from the ADC. The cards
can be set up to store samples in the FIFO autonomously until the FIFO is full at which time the
card will issue an interrupt to the PC. In many cases this will give vast performance advantages
allowing the processor much more time between requests to service the card.
1.4.2 The Hardware
PCI BUS
INTERFACE
16
CHANNEL
MUX
FIFO
4096
SAMPLE
DAC
1&2
TIMER
1 TO 3
USER
PPI
LCA
DATA
ACQUISITION
LOGIC
USER
INTERFACE
CONNECTOR
DATA
CONTROL
ADDRESS
ANALOG
ADC INPUT
BUFFER
&
GAIN
CONTROL
FIGURE 1.1 PCI230 BLOCK SCHEMATIC

Page 3 PCI230/260
PCI BUS
INTERFACE
16
CHANNEL
MUX
FIFO
4096
SAMPLE
TIMER
1 TO 3
LCA
DATA
ACQUISITION
LOGIC
USER
INTERFACE
CONNECTOR
DATA
CONTROL
ADDRESS
ANALOG
ADC INPUT
BUFFER
&
GAIN
CONTROL
FIGURE 1.2 PCI260 BLOCK SCHEMATIC
1.4.3 The Software
The PCI230/260 is supplied with the SOFTMAN CD-ROM Part No 869 865 59, this contains all
the software for the card, and is documented in the Amplicon ADIO manual elsewhere on the
CD ROM.

PCI230/260 Page 4
1.5 What the Package Contains
!CAUTION
Some of the components on the board are susceptible to electrostatic discharge, and
proper handling precautions should be observed. As a minimum, an earthed wrist strap
must be worn when handling the PCI230/260 board outside its protective bag.
Full static handling procedures are defined in British Standards Publication
BSEN100015/BSEN10015-1:1992
When removed from the bag, inspect the board for any obvious signs of damage and
notify Amplicon if such damage is apparent. Do not plug a damaged board into the host
computer. Keep the protective bag for possible future use in transporting the board.
The package as delivered from Amplicon Liveline Ltd. contains:-
1. The plug-in card as ordered, in a protective bag. The model will be one of the following, and
is identified by the type number printed on the board.
PCI230 PCI Bus Analog input/output card Part Nº 909 893 83
PCI260 PCI Bus Analog input card Part Nº 909 893 73
2. The included distribution software and manual on CD Part Nº 869 865 59
3. Any additional accessories (mating connectors, software etc.) may be packed separately.
1.6 The Amplicon Warranty Covering the PCI230/260
This product is covered by the warranty as detailed in the Terms and Conditions stated in the
current domestic or international Amplicon Liveline catalogue.

Page 5 PCI230/260
1.7 Contacting Amplicon Liveline Limited for Support or Service
The PCI230/260 boards are designed and manufactured by Amplicon Liveline Ltd and
maintenance is available throughout the supported life of the product.
1.7.1 Technical Support
Should this product appear defective, please check the information in this manual and any 'Help'
or 'READ.ME' files appropriate to the program in use to ensure that the product is being
correctly applied.
If a problem persists, please request Technical Support in one of the following ways:
Telephone: UK 01273 608 331
International [phone]
Fax: UK 01273 570 215
International [phone]
Email [email protected]
Web: www.amplicon.co.uk
www.amplicononline.com
It will assist the support engineer if you have the following information available when you call:
Date of purchase
Your postcode or your account number
The Operating System you are running under
The specification of your computer
The nature of your problem and the results of any tests you have conducted.
1.7.2 Repairs
If the PCI230/260 requires repair then please return the goods enclosing a repair order detailing
the nature of the fault. If the PCI230/260 is still under warranty, there will be no repair charge
unless any damage is a consequence of improper use.
For traceability when processing returned goods, a Returned Materials Authorisation (RMA
procedure is in operation. Before returning the goods, please request an individual RMA number
by contacting Amplicon Customer Services by telephone or fax on the above numbers. Give the
reason for the return and, if the goods are still under warranty, the original invoice number and
date. Repair turnaround time is normally five working days but the Service Engineers will always
try to co-operate if there is a particular problem of time pressure.
Please mark the RMA number on the outside of the packaging to ensure that the package is
accepted by the Goods Inwards Department.
Address repairs to: Customer Services Department
AMPLICON LIVELINE LIMITED
Centenary Industrial Estate
Brighton, East Sussex
BN2 4AW
England

PCI230/260 Page 6
2 GETTING STARTED
2.1 General Information
The PCI230/260 cards are Plug and Play compatible and come complete with all the software
required to install and operate the card in any PCI version 2.1 compliant host PC running under
Windows 95, 98, Me, NT 4.0 or 2000 and allow full card functionality.
2.2 Host Computer Requirements
When installing one or more PCI230/260 series boards, ensure that the host computer has
sufficient capacity. Take into account other boards or adapters that may be installed in the
computer when assessing physical space, address space in the I/O map, interrupt levels and
the power requirements.
This analog interface board is suitable for use in any PC compatible computer that can provide a
single PCI Bus version 2.1 slot, with sufficient space for a half-length card.
The computer must run under one of the following operating systems. Windows 95, Windows
98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000.
2.3 Installing the Board
ENSURE THAT THE POWER TO THE COMPUTER IS SWITCHED OFF
BEFORE INSTALLING OR REMOVING ANY EXPANSION BOARD. OBSERVE
HANDLING PRECAUTIONS NOTED IN SECTION 1.4.
REPAIR OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY MIS-HANDLING IS NOT COVERED UNDER
THE AMPLICON WARRANTY.
DO NOT MAKE ANY MODIFICATIONS OTHER THAN SWITCH CHANGES TO A
BOARD THAT IS ON EVALUATION
Please refer to the manufacturer's hardware manual supplied with the PC for instructions on
how to remove the cover and install devices into an input/output slot. The PCI230/260 may be
installed in any available position in the machine provided that there is no restriction specified
for that location by the computer manufacturer.
The PCI230/260 board is a Plug and Play device. The installation software supplied will handle
the configuration of the card.
When the board is physically installed in the PC, and the PC is rebooted, The Windows 95,
Windows 98, Windows Me or Windows 2000 operating system will detect new hardware and
prompt for installation of the device drivers. Windows NT 4.0 will not be aware of the board until
the drivers have been installed.
2.4 Software Installation
Please refer to the ADIO software manual, ampdio32manual.pdf, for the latest Windows 32-bit
driver installation information.

Page 7 PCI230/260
2.4.1 Windows 95/98/Me Installation
The Windows 95 drivers supplied with this card are compatible with installation and operation
under Windows 98 and Windows Me.
To install the drivers under Windows 95:
1. Turn on the PC and allow the operating system to discover new hardware. Insert the
SOFTMAN CD into the CD-ROM drive and click the ‘Next’ button on the first ‘Update Device
Driver Wizard’ dialog.
2. If Windows fails to find the correct INF file automatically, click on the ‘Other Locations’
button, browse to the top-level directory of the SOFTMAN CD and click ‘OK’.
3. Windows should correctly identify the board as a PCI230 or PCI260. Click the ‘Finish’
button.
4. Windows will now proceed to copy the driver software from the CD. If Windows asks for the
‘Amplicon DIO Drivers Disk’ to be inserted, ensure the SOFTMAN CD is in the drive, click
‘OK’, click ‘Browse’, browse to the top-level directory of the SOFTMAN CD (which contains
the file Windows is trying to find) and click ‘OK’.
5. When Windows has finished installing the driver software, click ‘Yes’ to restart the
computer.
To install the example software, rerun Amplicon Softman CD and select the 'Access your
manual and software' button, and then double click on the '32 bit'' software button for the
PCI230/260. This will extract and run file AMPDIO.EXE on the SOFTMAN CD. Follow the
instructions to install the samples onto your PC.
To install the drivers under Windows 98 or Windows Me:
1. Turn on the PC and allow the operating system to discover new hardware. Insert the
SOFTMAN CD into the CD-ROM drive. On the ‘Add New Hardware Wizard’ dialog, select
the ‘Search for the best driver for your device’ option and click ‘Next’.
2. Make sure the ‘CD-ROM drive’ option is checked and click ‘Next’. If Windows fails to find the
correct INF file, click ‘Back’, select the ‘Specify a location’ option, click the ‘Browse’ button,
browse to the top-level directory of the SOFTMAN CD and click ‘OK’.
3. Windows should correctly identify the board as a PCI230 or PCI260. Click ‘Next’.
4. Windows will process to copy the driver software from the CD. When it has finished, click
the ‘Finish’ button.
To install the example software, rerun Amplicon Softman CD and select the 'Access your
manual and software' button, and then double click on the '32 bit'' software button for the
PCI230/260. This will extract and run file AMPDIO.EXE on the SOFTMAN CD. Follow the
instructions to install the samples onto your PC.
2.4.2 Windows NT 4.0 Installation
Please ensure that PLUG n PLAY OS (or equivalent) option on the BIOS settings screen is set
to NO or OFF.

PCI230/260 Page 8
The driver is installed as part of the set-up process for the remaining software.
1. To install the example software, rerun Amplicon Softman CD and select the 'Access your
manual and software' button, and then double click on the '32 bit'' software button for the
PCI230/260. This will extract and run file ADIO32.EXE on the SOFTMAN CD. Follow the
instructions to install the samples onto your PC.
2. After rebooting the PC, the PCI230 or PCI260 will be detected by the installed driver and
configured automatically.
3. The Amplicon DIO control panel applet can be used to verify that the board has been
detected. This will also show the base address and IRQ settings for the board.
2.4.3 Windows 2000 Installation
For versions of the AMPDIO software prior to 4.32, please follow the instructions for installing a
card in Windows NT 4.0 (see section Error! Reference source not found.). For versions 4.30
and 4.31, the supplied AMPDIOV4.INF file will allow the supported PCI cards to appear under
Device Manager, but these are just dummy entries. For versions prior to 4.30 the supported PCI
cards will appear as unknown devices under Device Manager.
For AMPDIO software versions 4.32 and later, a ‘Plug and Play’ Windows 2000 driver is used.
This section describes how to install a PCI card to use this Plug and Play driver under Windows
2000.
To install the drivers under Windows 2000:
1. Turn on the PC and allow the operating system to discover new hardware. Insert the
SOFTMAN CD into the CD-ROM drive. If Windows opens the ‘Welcome to the Found New
Hardware Wizard’ page, press ‘Next’ and go to step 2. If Windows just asks for a disk
labelled ‘Amplicon DIO Drivers Disk’ go to step 5.
2. Select the ‘Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended)’ option and press
‘Next.
3. Check the ‘CD-ROM drives’ option. Press ‘Next’.
4. On the ‘Driver Files Search Results’ page, Windows should say ‘Windows found a driver for
this device’. Press ‘Next’.
5. If Windows asks for a disk labelled ‘Amplicon DIO Drivers Disk’ when trying to copy files,
click ‘OK’ to cancel the alert box, then browse to the root directory on the CD-ROM and
press ‘Open’, then ‘OK’. Windows will copy the files and install the driver.
6. On the ‘Completing the Found New Hardware’ screen, Windows should correctly identify the
device as a PCI230 or PCI260. Press ‘Finish’
To install the example software, rerun Amplicon Softman CD and select the 'Access your
manual and software' button, and then double click on the '32 bit' software button for the
PCI230/260. This will extract and run file AMPDIO.EXE on the SOFTMAN CD. Follow the
instructions to install the samples onto your PC.

Page 9 PCI230/260
2.5 Card Configuration
2.5.1 Base Address Selection
The plug and play BIOS and/or operating system automatically sets the board’s base address
when the system is booted.
2.5.2 Interrupt Level Selection (IRQ)
Careful checking of interrupt assignment in your system is recommended prior to card
installation using the plug and play software. The operating system will inform of any contention
when selecting an IRQ level during installation. The normal allocation of hardware interrupt
levels is tabled below.
The interrupt signal from each channel can be assigned to any appropriate IRQ available in the
PC. The plus and play BIOS and/or operating system automatically sets the board’s IRQ level
when the system is booted.
The interrupt operations comply with the requirements laid down in the PCI Bus version 2.1
specification, allowing full IRQ sharing
The interrupt request line, IRQ 3-5, IRQ7, IRQ10-12 or IRQ15, signals the host PC (Permanent
Master) that the PCI230/260 adaptor requires service. The host PC acknowledges the interrupt
and performs the required action using the appropriate interrupt service routine.
The PCI bus assigns PCI interrupts to PC IRQ levels and allows multiple PCI interrupts to share
the same IRQ. The same IRQ level can be shared with other PCI boards in the PC.
Careful checking of interrupt assignment in your system is recommended prior to card
installation using the plug and play software. The operating system will inform of any contention
when selecting an IRQ level during installation. The normal allocation of hardware interrupt
levels is tabled below.
PCI230/260
Selected
IRQ Level
Host PC
IRQ
Name
Host PC
Interrupt
Number (hex)
Host PC
Description of
Usage
—IRQ 0 8Timer
—IRQ 1 9Keyboard
—IRQ 2 AInterrupt 8 - 15
3IRQ 3 BCOM or SDLC
4IRQ 4 CCOM or SDLC
5IRQ 5 DLPT2
—IRQ 6 EFloppy Disk
7IRQ 7 FLPT1
—IRQ 8 70 Real Time Clock
—IRQ 9 71 Re-directed to IRQ2
10 IRQ10 72 Unassigned
11 IRQ11 73 Unassigned
12 IRQ12 74 Unassigned (or PS2-mouse)
—IRQ13 75 Co-processor
—IRQ14 76 IDE channel 1
15 IRQ15 77 IDE channel 2

PCI230/260 Page 10
2.6 Application Software
Example application software, including source code for the applications and the DLL are
supplied in the self-extracting archive AMPDIO.EXE along with the SETUP program. When the
self-extracting archive is run and software is extracted to a suitable directory (e.g.
C:\AMPLICON\AMPDIO), the examples and DLL source code can be found in subdirectories off
this directory. The software supplied with this card supports operation with Windows 95, 98, Me,
2000 & NT 4.0 only. Refer to the AMPDIO W32 DRIVERS document (ampdio32manual.pdf)
for details.
2.7 Installation Testing
Ensure the PC and BIOS are PCI 2.1 compliant
2.7.1 Verifying Installation for Windows 95/98/Me
To verify the correct driver has been installed:
(a) Use Windows Explorer to browse to the <WINDOWS>\system directory.
(b) Click on the AMPDIO.VXD file and select ‘Properties’ from the explorer ‘File’ menu.
(c) Click on the ‘Version’ tab on the properties dialog box.
(d) Verify that the file version is at least 4.11.
To verify the card has been detected:
(a) Open the Control Panel, e.g. via ‘Start’ -> ‘Settings’ -> ‘Control Panel’.
(b) Double click the ‘System’ icon (or open it from the Control Panel’s File menu).
(c) On the System Properties dialog box, click the ‘Device Manager’ tab.
(d) Click the ‘View devices by type’ radio button if this is not already selected.
(e) Look for and select the PCI card under the branch labelled ‘Amplicon Analogue/Digital IO
Counter Timer Cards’.
(f) Check the device status message box to make sure the device appears to be working
correctly.
(g) Click the ‘Properties’ button.
(h) On the properies dialog box, check there are no resource conflicts and that the PCI card
has been assigned an IRQ.
2.7.2 Verifying Installation for Windows NT 4.0
Please verify that the Windows NT build is at least 1381 (Service Pack 3). Ensure that the card
has been correctly inserted into a slot on the PC’s PCI bus and the PC has been rebooted.
To verify the correct driver has been installed:
(a) Use Windows NT Explorer to browse to the <WINDOWS>\system32\drivers directory.
(b) Click on the AMPDIO.SYS file and select to ‘Properties’ from the Explorer ‘File’ menu.
(c) Click on the ‘Version’ tab on the properties dialog box.
(d) Verify that the File version is at least 4.11.
To verify the correct control panel extension has been installed:
(a) Use Windows NT Explorer to browse to the Windows\system32 directory.
(b) Click on the AMPDIO.CPL file and select ‘Properties’ from the Explorer ‘File’ menu.
(c) Click on the ‘Version’ tab on the properties dialog box.
(d) Verify that the file version is at least 2.0.0.0.

Page 11 PCI230/260
To verify that the driver is running:
(a) Open the Control Panel, e.g. via ‘Start’ -> ‘Settings’ -> ‘Control Panel’.
(b) Double click the ‘Devices’ icon (or open it from the Control Panel’s File menu).
(c) Look down the list for the device called ‘AmpDIO’ and verify that its status is ‘Started’.
To verify that the driver has recognised the card:
(a) Open the Control Panel, e.g. via ‘Start’ -> ‘Settings’ -> ‘Control Panel’.
(b) Double click the ‘Amplicon DIO’ icon (or open it from the Control Panel’s File menu).
(c) Select each of the ‘DIOn’ entries from the list in turn. For each selected entry, click the
‘Settings’ button.
(d) For one of the listed DIOnentries, the dialog box which pops up should list the PCI card
type, its location on the PCI bus (e.g. 0/20) and a status in square brackets. If the status
says ‘[OK]’, then a card of the indicated type has been detected at the indicated location on
the PCI bus.
N.B.:
(a) If any of the DIOnentries correspond to ISA cards, a different dialog box will be shown
when ‘Settings’ is clicked for that entry.
(b) If there are 8 DIOnentries DIO1 through DIO7 and the new card does not appear to be
amongst them or appears to be marked ‘[BAD]’. The new card may have been detected but
not used by the driver. Try deleting one of the DIOnentries. If the ‘Add PCI’ button becomes
active, click it and see if the new card appears in the drop-down list of cards.
(c) PCI cards will also be marked ‘[BAD]’ if the driver has not been started since the system
was last rebooted (e.g. if has been set to start manually).
2.7.3 Verifying Installation for Windows 2000
To verify the correct driver has been installed:
(a) Use Windows 2000 Explorer to browse to the <WINDOWS>\system32\drivers directory.
(b) Click on the AMPDIO2K.SYS file and select ‘Properties’ from the explorer ‘File’ menu.
(c) Click on the ‘Version’ tab on the properties dialog box.
(d) Verify that the file version is at least 4.32.
(e) Use Windows 2000 Explorer to browse to the <WINDOWS>\system32 directory.
(f) Click on the AMPDIOCO.DLL file and select ‘Properties’ from the explorer ‘File’ menu.
(g) Click on the ‘Version’ tab on the properties dialog box.
(h) Verify that the file version is at least 4.32.
To verify the card has been detected:
(a) Open the Control Panel, e.g. via ‘Start’ -> ‘Settings’ -> ‘Control Panel’.
(b) Double click the ‘System’ icon (or open it from the Control Panel’s File menu).
(c) On the System Properties dialog box, click the ‘Hardware’ tab and press the ‘Device
Manager’ button.
(d) On the Device Manager dialog box, ensure the ‘Devices by type’ option is selected on the
‘View’ menu.
(e) Look for and select the PCI card under the branch labeled ‘Amplicon Analogue/Digital IO
Counter Timer Cards’.
(f) Double click on the selected card (or select ‘Properties’ on the File menu).
(g) Check the device status message box to make sure the device appears to be working
correctly.
(h) Click the ‘Settings’ tab and check that the card has been assigned a DIO port number in the
range DIO0 to DIO7.

PCI230/260 Page 12
(i) Click the ‘Resources’ tab, check there are no resource conflicts and that the PCI card has
been assigned an IRQ.

Page 13 PCI230/260
3 MAKING THE CONNECTIONS
This chapter describes the signal and control connections that the user must make between the
PCI230/260 and any external devices. These input/output connections are made through the D-
type connector protruding from the PC adaptor slot corresponding to the chosen board position.
The metal shell connected to the local PC chassis ground. All signals are referred to the
relevant signal ground.
3.1 PCI230/260 User Interface Connector pin assignments
Pin assignments for the PCI230 50 way connector SK1 are as shown in Figure 3.1. The pin
assignments for the PCI260 25 way plug PL1 are shown in Figure 3.2.
1
2
3
4
5
18
19
20
21
6
7
8
9
10
23
24
25
26
22
11
12
27
28
13
14
15
16
17
30
31
32
33
29
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
DAC1 Output
+12 Volts Out
-12 Volts Out
Channel 8
Channel 7
Channel 5
Channel 3
Channel 1
Port B7
Port B5
Port B4
Port A6
Port A4
Port A2
Port A0
Port C6
+5 Volts Out
DAC2 Output
DIG.GND
EXTCLK input
Channel 9
Channel 10
Channel 0
Channel 11
Timer 2 Output
Channel 12
Channel 6
Channel 13
Channel 4
Channel 14
Channel 2
Channel 15
External Trig
ANALOG GROUND
Port B6
Port B0
Port B3
Port B1
Port A7
Port B2
Port A5
Port C3
Port A3
Port C2
Port A1
Port C1
Port C7
Port C0
Port C5
Port C4
V
iew from Rear
(Sockets)
'Channel' refers to the
Analog Input Channel
'Port' refers to theDigital
Input/Output Ports of QA17
FIGURE 3.1 PCI230 SK1 50 WAY USER INTERFACE PIN DESIGNATIONS

PCI230/260 Page 14
FIGURE 3.2 PCI260 PL1 25 WAY USER INTERFACE PIN DESIGNATIONS
3.2 Signal Termination Assemblies
Connections to the PCI230/260 I/O lines are made via D-Type connectors on the rear panel.
The on-board connectors are 50 way female for the PCI230 SK1 and 25 way male for the
PCI260 PL1. The mating connectors are available as accessories. Provision is made for
securing by screw jacks. The following cables and connection assemblies are available from
Amplicon:
Amplicon Device
Part Number
708 703 95 50 way D type mating connector (male) for PCI230
909 651 32 50 way screw termination assembly (female) for PCI230
909 663 59 50 way 1 metre connecting cable (male to male) for PCI230
708 703 90 25 way D type mating connector (female) for PCI260
909 919 52 25 way screw termination assembly (female) for PCI260
909 561 79 25 way 1 metre connecting cable (male to female) for PCI230
13
12
11
10
9
25
24
23
22
8
7
6
5
4
20
19
18
17
21
3
2
16
15
1
14
Channel 10
Channel 11
Channel 12
Channel 13
Channel 14
Channel 15
Channel 9
Channel 8
Channel 0
Digital GND
-5 Volts Out
+5 Volts Out
Analog GND
Channel 6
Channel 5
Channel 4
Channel 3
Channel 7
Channel 2
Channel 1
Timer 2 ouput
External Trig
EXTCLK input
-12 Volts Out
+12 Volts Out
V
iew from Rear
(Pins)
'Channel' refers to the
Analog Input Channel

Page 15 PCI230/260
3.2.1 PCI230 Screw Termination Assembly
User connections for the PCI230 can be made by wiring directly to a 50 way D type mating
connector (male).
Alternatively for much easier connection to plant or experimental signal wiring, a screw terminal
assembly and interconnecting cable of 1 metre length can be supplied as optional accessories.
See above paragraph for product codes and descriptions.
The screw terminal assembly is installed outside of the PC, within the reach of the
interconnecting cable, and can be mounted on a DIN rail if desired. The terminal numbers
correspond to the 50 way connector pin-out.
Terminal M connected to the shell of the D type connector. Terminal C, not connected.
FIGURE 3.3 50-WAY SCREW TERMINAL ASSEMBLY PIN DESIGNATIONS
3.2.2 PCI260 Screw Termination Assembly
User connections for the PCI260 can be made by wiring directly to a 25 way D type mating
connector (female).
Alternatively for much easier connection to plant or experimental signal wiring, a screw terminal
assembly and interconnecting cable of 1 metre length can be supplied as optional accessories.
See above for product codes and descriptions.
The screw terminal assembly is installed outside of the PC, within the reach of the
interconnecting cable, and can be mounted on a DIN rail if desired. The terminal numbers
correspond to the 25 way connector pin-out.
Terminal M connected to the shell of the D type connector.
FIGURE 3.4 25-WAY SCREW TERMINAL ASSEMBLY PIN DESIGNATIONS