Bustec ProDAQ 3411 User manual

ProDAQ 3411
24-Ch. Enhanced ADC
Function Card
PUBLICATION NUMBER: 3411-XX-UM-0100
Copyright, © 1998-2009, Bustec Production, Ltd.
Bustec Production, Ltd.
World Aviation Park, Shannon, Co. Clare, Ireland
Tel: [phone], FAX: [phone]
User Manual

PROPRIETARY NOTICE
This document and the technical data herein disclosed, are proprietary to Bustec
Production Ltd., and shall not, without express written permission of Bustec
Production Ltd, be used, in whole or in part to solicit quotations from a competitive
source or used for manufacture by anyone other than Bustec Production Ltd. The
information herein has been developed at private expense, and may only be used for
operation and maintenance reference purposes or for purposes of engineering
evaluation and incorporation into technical specifications and other documents,
which specify procurement of products from Bustec Production Ltd.. This document
is subject to change without further notification. Bustec Production Ltd. Reserve the
right to change both the hardware and software described herein.

ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual 3411-XX-UM
Copyright, 1998-2009 Bustec Production Ltd. Page 3 of 40
Table of Contents
1. Introduction _______________________________________________________7
2. Installation ________________________________________________________9
2.1. Unpacking and Inspection _______________________________________________ 9
2.2. Reshipment Instructions ________________________________________________ 9
2.3. Preparing the ProDAQ Module___________________________________________ 10
2.4. Installing a ProDAQ Function Card _______________________________________ 11
2.5. Removing a ProDAQ Function Card ______________________________________ 13
3. Theory of Operation________________________________________________15
3.1. General Description ___________________________________________________ 15
3.2. Programmed Conversion _______________________________________________ 15
3.3. Multiplexed Conversion ________________________________________________ 16
3.3.1. Channel Mask _____________________________________________________ 16
3.3.2. Scanning _________________________________________________________ 16
3.3.3. Data Conversion____________________________________________________ 16
3.3.4. The on-board FIFO _________________________________________________ 18
3.4. Trigger ______________________________________________________________ 18
4. The VXIplug&play Driver____________________________________________19
4.1. Installation ___________________________________________________________ 19
4.2. The Soft Front Panel ___________________________________________________ 19
4.2.1. Configuration ______________________________________________________ 20
4.2.2. Data Acquisition ____________________________________________________ 21
4.2.3. The Graph Controls _________________________________________________ 22
5. Programming the ProDAQ 3411 ______________________________________23
5.1. Connecting to the Function Card ________________________________________ 23
5.2. Setting Gain and Filter _________________________________________________ 24
5.3. Acquiring single Samples_______________________________________________ 24
5.4. Acquiring a Waveform _________________________________________________ 25
5.5. Asynchronous Acquisition______________________________________________ 26
5.6. Calibration ___________________________________________________________ 27
Appendix A: Front Panel Connector _____________________________________29
Appendix B: Register Description _______________________________________31
A.1 Address Map _________________________________________________________ 31
A.2 Detailed Register Description ___________________________________________ 32
A.1.1 FCID Register _____________________________________________________ 32
A.1.2 GCSR Register ____________________________________________________ 32
A.1.3 FCLEN Register ____________________________________________________ 33
A.1.4 OTRI Register _____________________________________________________ 33
A.1.5 ITRI Register ______________________________________________________ 34
A.1.6 DIVCLK Register ___________________________________________________ 34
A.1.7 MODE Register ____________________________________________________ 35

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A.1.8 REPCOUNT Register________________________________________________ 35
A.1.9 PATA Register _____________________________________________________ 35
A.1.10 PATB Register ___________________________________________________ 36
A.1.11 GAIFIL Register __________________________________________________ 36
Appendix C: Specifications ____________________________________________37

ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual 3411-XX-UM
Copyright, 1998-2009 Bustec Production Ltd. Page 5 of 40
Table of figures
Figure 1 - Removing the ProDAQ Module Cover______________________________________________ 10
Figure 2 - The ProDAQ Module Assembly ___________________________________________________ 12
Figure 3 - ProDAQ 3411 Block Diagram ___________________________________________________ 15
Figure 4 - Scan Timing __________________________________________________________________ 16
Figure 5 - Conversion Timing _____________________________________________________________ 17
Figure 6 - Multiple Channel Timing ________________________________________________________ 17
Figure 7 - Function Card Selection ________________________________________________________ 19
Figure 8 - ProDAQ 3411 Soft Front Panel User Interface_______________________________________ 20
Figure 9 - Front End Configuration Dialog __________________________________________________ 20
Figure 10 - Data Acquisition Configuration Dialog____________________________________________ 21
Figure 11 - Data Display ________________________________________________________________ 21
Figure 12 - Opening a Session ____________________________________________________________ 23
Figure 13 – Acquiring single Samples ______________________________________________________ 24
Figure 14 – Acquiring a Waveform_________________________________________________________ 25
Figure 15 – Starting the Asynchronous Acquisition ____________________________________________ 26

3411-XX-UM ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual
Page 6 of 40 Copyright, 1998-2009 Bustec Production Ltd.
Reference Documents
Title Number
ProDAQ 3120 Hardware Manual 3120-XX-HM
ProDAQ 3150 Hardware Manual 3150-XX-HM
Glossary
ADC Analog-to-Digital Converter
OTD Open Thermocouple Detection
MB Motherboard
FC Function Card

ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual 3411-XX-UM
Copyright, 1998-2009 Bustec Production Ltd. Page 7 of 40
1. Introduction
The ProDAQ 3411 Enhanced ADC function card provides 24 differential inputs with an input range
of up to ±10V. The channels are multiplexed into a gain and filter stage with a software selectable
gain of 1 to 1000 and three different filter settings to choose from. A 16-bit Analog-to-Digital
Converter sampling with 100 kHz converts the signal. The result can be used directly or buffered in
an on-board FIFO for asynchronous operation.
For calibration, the internal ground as well as the voltage reference bus from the ProDAQ
motherboard can be included in the measurement as a 25
th
and 26
th
channel.
The ProDAQ 3411 function card is one of a range of function cards designed to provide full
functionality when installed in one of the range of ProDAQ motherboard modules such as the
ProDAQ 3120.

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ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual 3411-XX-UM
Copyright, 1998-2009 Bustec Production Ltd. Page 9 of 40
2. Installation
2.1. Unpacking and Inspection
The ProDAQ module is shipped in an antistatic package to prevent any damage from electrostatic
discharge (ESD). Proper ESD handling procedures must always be used when packing, unpacking
or installing any ProDAQ module, ProDAQ plug-in module or ProDAQ function card:
•Ground yourself via a grounding strap or similar, e.g. by holding to a grounded object.
•Discharge the package by touching it to a grounded object, e.g. a metal part of your VXIbus
chassis, before removing the module from the package.
•Remove the ProDAQ module from its carton, preserving the factory packaging as much as
possible.
•Inspect the ProDAQ module for any defect or damage. Immediately notify the carrier if any
damage is apparent.
2.2. Reshipment Instructions
Use the original packing material when returning a ProDAQ module to Bustec Production Ltd. or
calibration or servicing. The original shipping carton and the instrument's plastic foam will provide
the necessary support for safe reshipment.
If the original anti-static packing material is unavailable, wrap the ProDAQ module in anti-static
plastic sheeting and use plastic spray foam to surround and protect the instrument. Reship in either
the original or a new shipping carton.

3411-XX-UM ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual
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2.3. Preparing the ProDAQ Module
To install a ProDAQ Function Card into one of the ProDAQ Motherboards, you need to remove the
modules top cover:
1 - Module Cover 2 - Cover Screws 3 - Cover Hooks
Figure 1 - Removing the ProDAQ Module Cover
To remove the top cover, remove the one countersunk screw in the back and the two panhead
screws towards the front panel (), that hold the cover in place. Remove the cover by sliding it out
of its position towards the VXIbus connectors and up. Take special care about the hooks ()
holding it into place. Try not to lift the cover straight up. See Figure 1 for the location of the screws.
To re-install the cover, slide it back into its position by placing the small hooks over their holes and
moving the cover down and forward. Secure the top cover using the two panhead screws and one
countersunk screw ().

ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual 3411-XX-UM
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2.4. Installing a ProDAQ Function Card
The ProDAQ Function Cards are arranged inside the ProDAQ Module in four stacks of two cards
each. The function cards are mounted face down, e.g. the front-panel connectors as well as the
motherboard connectors are underneath the PCB.
To install a ProDAQ Function Card in any of the possible positions, use the following procedure
(See figure 2 for reference):
•Remove the top cover of the module as described earlier in this chapter (Fig. 2, Pos. 1).
•Remove all screws on the front-panel holding installed function cards or double filler
panels in place (Fig. 2, Pos. 2). Screws holding single filler panels don't need to be
removed.
•Remove the two panhead screws that mount the front panel to the modules bottom cover
(Fig. 2, Pos. 6).
•Please take special care of the module handles and the rings (Fig. 2, Pos. 3 and 4), which
are also fixed by those screws. The mounting angle (Fig. 2, Pos. 5) stays fixed to the front
panel.
•Remove the front panel by moving it forward carefully so as to avoid bending the installed
function cards.
•Choose the stack and position (lower or upper) where you want to mount the function
card. If the stack, in which the function card should be installed, is covered by a double
filler panel, you have to remove it before installing the function card.
•Remove the three 2.5mm panhead screws and the crinkle washers from the stack's
standoffs (Fig. 2, Pos. 9 and 10 for example).
•If you want to install a function card in the upper position of a stack without having a
function card in the lower position, you need to mount both spacers (Fig. 3, Pos. 11) on
each standoff. If the stack is already populated with a function card in the lower position,
mount only the bigger spacer (Fig. 2, Pos. 8) onto each standoff.
•Place a bayonet (supplied) on each standoff. Align the function card over these and slide
carefully down. The function card should be held parallel to the modules bottom cover all
the time during its way down.
•Fix the function card by mounting the three 2.5mm panhead screws and the crinkle
washers onto each standoff. If you install a function card in the lower position of a stack,
you need first to mount both spacers (Fig. 2, Pos. 11) onto each standoff.
•Re-mount the modules front-panel. If there is only one function card mounted in a stack,
cover the remaining opening in the front panel by a single filler panel.
•Re-mount the modules top cover.

3411-XX-UM ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual
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2
10
9
8
7
11
1
3
5
6
4
1 - 2.5mm Panhead Screws 2 - 2.5mm Panhead Screws 3 - Module Handle
4 - Ring 5 - Mounting Angle 6 - 2.5mm Panhead Screws
7 - Standoff 8 - Spacer 9 - Crinkle Washer
10 - 2.5mm Panhead Screw 11 - 2mm Spacer
Figure 2 - The ProDAQ Module Assembly

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2.5. Removing a ProDAQ Function Card
Removing a ProDAQ Function Card is exactly the reverse operation then installing it. After
removing the top cover and the front panel as described previously, remove the three roundhead
screws that fix the function card(s) on the standoffs.
Take special care when removing the function card(s) not to bend the motherboard connectors.
After removing the function card(s), install the correct combination of spacers on the standoffs. If a
stack is populated with only one function card, each of the standoffs needs to be mounted with
both spacers to cover the distance between the cards as well as the PCB thickness of the missing
card. If a stack is populated with two function cards, only the bigger spacer must be mounted.
Fix any remaining function card again by mounting the three panhead screws on the standoffs, re-
mount the front panel and the modules cover.

3411-XX-UM ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual
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ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual 3411-XX-UM
Copyright, 1998-2009 Bustec Production Ltd. Page 15 of 40
3. Theory of Operation
3.1. General Description
The ProDAQ 3411 function card houses a 1:26 differential multiplexer, which is used to switch the
signals from the 24 input channels and two internal channels to a gain and filter stage before
converting them with a high-speed 16-bit Analog-to-Digital converter (see Figure 3 - ProDAQ 3411
Block Diagram).
A 16-bit on-board FIFO allows to constantly acquire data and generate asynchronous events to a
controlling program when data is available.
Figure 3 - ProDAQ 3411 Block Diagram
The programmable gain amplifier in the gain stage allows the user to select gains of 1, 10, 100,
and 1000.
The filter stage can be switched to provide filter frequencies of 10Hz, 100Hz and 1000Hz. In
addition, a bypass setting allows to directly feed the signal into the ADC without filtering.
Remark: Even with the filter stage switched to bypass, the multiplexer and gain stage need a
minimum settling time of 51 microseconds to allow the signal at the ADC input to be
stable to within 0.01% accuracy.
3.2. Programmed Conversion
The ProDAQ 3411 allows to separately acquire single samples on one channel at a time. By using
the ADCconv registers, the control logic will automatically switch the multiplexer to the requested
channel and start the ADC conversion. The result can be read through the ADCvalue register.
Ch. 1




Ch.24
Multiplexer
Gain Filter
ADC
FIFO
Function Card
Register Interface
and Control Logic
Buffer
P
r
o
D
A
Q
B
u
s
Voltage Reference Bus
Front Panel Trigger I/O MB Trigger I/O

3411-XX-UM ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual
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3.3. Multiplexed Conversion
To acquire consecutive samples from multiple input channels, the ProDAQ 3411 features a data
acquisition mode where the control logic automatically switches the input multiplexer between the
enabled channels and moves the converted values of such a scan into the on-board FIFO. The
FIFO logic allows generating asynchronous signals to the application when data is available.
3.3.1. Channel Mask
To specify which channels should take part in a scan a channel mask is used. The channel mask
consists of two 16-bit registers (PATA and PATB), where the single bits represent the 24 input
channels and the two internal channels. The two internal channels are channel 25, which is
internally connected to analog ground and channel 26, which is connected to the voltage reference
bus from the motherboard. Bits 0 to 15 in the PATA register represent channel 1 to 16, while the
lower 10 bits of the PATB register represent channels 17 to 26. Setting a bit to one (“1”) in the
channel mask enables the respective channel; setting a bit to zero (“0”) disables the channel.
3.3.2. Scanning
When the data acquisition is started, the control logic switches the input multiplexer to the first
channel enabled in the channel mask, waits for a specified time to allow the gain and filter stage to
settle to this new signal level and starts the ADC to convert the signal. The resulting data word is
moved into the on-board FIFO. Then the multiplexer is switched to the next enabled channel, the
data is converted and so on (see Figure 4 - Scan Timing).
Figure 4 - Scan Timing
The timing between these scans, the scan rate, can be generated by using the on-board clock, a
trigger signal from the motherboard or the front-panel input or can be generated by a software
command. Each pulse of either one of these sources will start a scan over the enabled channels.
3.3.3. Data Conversion
After the input multiplexer is switched to a channel, the gain and filter stages need enough time to
settle to this new analog voltage level. This time is in minimum 51 µs (filter bypass mode) and
needs to be taken in consideration when setting up the card for data acquisition (see Figure 5 -
Conversion Timing).
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
Ch. 4
Ch. 5



Ch. n
Time









Scan Rate
(or per-channel sample rate)
Remark: A above denotes that the input multiplexer is
switched to the respective channel in that time.

ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual 3411-XX-UM
Copyright, 1998-2009 Bustec Production Ltd. Page 17 of 40
Figure 5 - Conversion Timing
The time available per channel when scanning is t = 1 / (scan rate * n), where the scan rate is the
frequency of the clock signal generating the timing for the start of the scans (in Hz) and n is the
number of enabled channels. Because of the multiplexing this time can be up to 26 times shorter
than the time between two consecutive scans.
Example:
Scan Rate 10 Hz
Number of channels 12
Time per channel 1 / (10 * 12) = 8.333 ms
The settling time of the filter chosen must always be shorter than the time available per channel in
a scan. To allow for maximum accuracy, the delay between the moment the multiplexer is switched
to a channel and the start of the ADC conversion can be adjusted using the DELAY field in the
DIVCLK register.
Figure 6 - Multiple Channel Timing
The internal clock for the scan rate timing is generated using a binary counter running at 312.5 kHz
or 9.765 kHz. This allows the sample rate to be programmed either in multiples of 3.2 µs or 102.4
µs, resulting in frequencies of 10416.667 Hz down to 38.147 Hz.
The scan timing can also be generated using a trigger signal from either the front-panel trigger
input or the function card trigger in from the motherboard. Which source generates the scan timing
is chosen by the settings in the input trigger register (ITRI).
time
1%
0.1%
0.01%
Start command
Mux select
ADC start
input signal
signal at ADC
ADC readout
settling time
delay time
conversion time
ChE 2-Apr-1998
ADC ready
time
Start command
Mux select
ADC start
signal at ADC
ADC readout
t
delay
t
c
ChE 3-Apr-1998
ADC
ready
t
c
t
c
t
delay
t
delay
ADC
ready
ADC
ready
Channel A Channel B Channel C

3411-XX-UM ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual
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3.3.4. The on-board FIFO
The ProDAQ 3411 features an on-board FIFO to buffer the data generated during data acquisition.
The FIFO control logic is able to generate signals when the amount of data in the FIFO reaches a
certain level. Using the output trigger control register (OTRI), these signals can be routed to the
motherboard, where they can be used to generate an asynchronous event either as VXIbus
interrupt or a VXIbus trigger to inform the application of the data available.
Signal Description
FIFO full The FIFO is filled completely with data words.
FIFO almost full The FIFO is nearly full. More than
(FIFO size –128) words are in the FIFO.
FIFO half full The FIFO is more than half full.
FIFO almost empty The FIFO is nearly empty. Less than 128
words are in the FIFO
FIFO empty The FIFO is completely empty.
Each of these signals can be enabled to generate an asynchronous event. For applications
constantly acquiring data, the usage of either the ‘FIFO half full’ or the ‘FIFO almost full’ flag is
recommended.
During a scan, no data is generated for channels not enabled in the data acquisition. Therefore,
the number of scans fitting into the FIFO before any of the signals is generated depends on the
number of channels enabled.
3.4. Trigger
The ProDAQ 3411 can receive trigger signals via the function card trigger line from the
motherboard or from the front-panel trigger input. The trigger signal can be used either to gate or
clock the data acquisition. If the trigger signal is used to gate the data acquisition, scans are
performed during the time the gate is active. In the clocked mode, either the internal clock source
or an external trigger is used to clock the scans.
Output trigger signals via the motherboard function card trigger out line or the front-panel trigger
output can be generated from internal event such as the FIFO level signals (see 3.3.4) or the scan
clock generated by the internal clock divider. In addition, the front-panel input trigger or the input
trigger from the motherboard can be routed to the trigger output (motherboard or front-panel).

ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC Function Card User Manual 3411-XX-UM
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4. The VXIplug&play Driver
4.1. Installation
The ProDAQ 3411 24-Ch. ADC function card is supplied with a VXIplug&play driver. To install the
driver, run the “Setup.exe” application coming with it and follow the instructions presented. Make
sure that no other ProDAQ software is running when you start the setup.
The installation program will by default perform a complete installation. It will install the driver files
in the directory tree defined by the %VXIPNPPATH% environment variable and shortcuts into the
VXIPNP program group of the start menu. To choose a different path and/or custom installation
options is not recommended and may result in malfunctioning of the soft front panel and any
application trying to use the driver.
4.2. The Soft Front Panel
The purpose of soft front panel application is to demonstrate the instrument’s abilities. After the
start of the soft front panel application, the user will be presented with a dialog box showing all
available ProDAQ 3411 instruments in a system, allowing the selection of one instrument to
connect to (see Figure 7 - Function Card Selection). The soft front panel is not designed to handle
more then one instrument at a time. If there is only one instrument available, the dialog box will not
appear and the soft front panel application will automatically establish the communication to this
instrument.
Figure 7 - Function Card Selection
If no ProDAQ 3411 is available in your system, the soft front panel application can be run in demo
mode, allowing to operate all controls as if connected to a 3411.
After initializing the ProDAQ 3411 function card, during which a splash screen is displayed, the soft
front panel window will appear (see Figure 8 - ProDAQ 3411 Soft Front Panel User Interface).
Using the controls it allows you to configure the card and then acquire and display waveforms.

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Figure 8 - ProDAQ 3411 Soft Front Panel User Interface
4.2.1. Configuration
The “Config” field in the lower left corner of the panel holds two buttons, which allow opening
additional dialogs to configure the function cards front end and the data acquisition parameters.
The controls in the “ProDAQ 3411 Front-End Cfg” dialog are equivalent to the function call
bu3411_setFEconf() as implemented by the driver (see 5.2 - Setting Gain and Filter).
Figure 9 - Front End Configuration Dialog
In addation the button “Calibrate” allows you to start the calibration of the ProDAQ 3411 as
implemented by the driver function bu3411_calibrate().
The button “DAQ...” opens the “ProDAQ 3411 SFP DAQ Configuration” dialog, which allows you to
choose the parameters for the data acquisition as used by the driver functions
bu3411_acquireWaveform() , bu3411_acquireWaveforms() and bu3411_startAcquisition() .