CED Power1401-3 User guide
The CED Power1401-3 Owners Handbook
Copyright Cambridge Electronic Design Limited 2013
Neither the whole nor any part of the information contained in,
or the product described in, this guide may be adapted or
reproduced in any material form except with the prior written
approval of Cambridge Electronic Design Limited.
1st edition (1.1) September 2012
2nd edition (1.2) June 2013
3rd edition (1.3) July 2014
Published by:
Cambridge Electronic Design Limited
Science Park
Milton Road
Cambridge
CB4 0FE
UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1223 420186
USA & Canada Toll Free: 1-800-345-7794
Fax: +44 (0)1223 420488
Web: www.ced.co.uk
Trademarks and Tradenames used in this guide are
acknowledged to be the Trademarks and Tradenames of their
respective Companies and Corporations.
i
Table of contents
Preface Publishing information.................................................................i
Table of contents........................................................................ ii
Typographic conventions...........................................................iv
Use of symbols...........................................................................iv
Potential for Radio/Television interference................................v
Power1401-3 vs Power1401 mk II.............................................vi
Life support ................................................................................vi
Getting started
with the
Power1401-3
Fast installation guide .................................................................1
Introduction.................................................................................2
Confidence check........................................................................3
Installing the Power1401-3 .........................................................4
Storage and operating environment ............................................4
Application software...................................................................5
Installing the
USB interface
Overview.....................................................................................6
Software installation ...................................................................6
Hardware installation ..................................................................6
Test software Installing test & diagnostics........................................................9
Windows diagnostics ................................................................10
Application
software: Spike2
& Signal
Running the Power1401 with Spike2 .......................................12
Running the Power1401 with Signal ........................................13
Inputs and
outputs
General ......................................................................................14
Waveform input ........................................................................15
Waveform output ......................................................................17
The rear-panel analogue connector...........................................18
Clocks........................................................................................19
Event inputs...............................................................................21
Digital input and output ............................................................22
USB port ...................................................................................26
Synchronization port.................................................................26
RS232........................................................................................27
DC power inlet ..........................................................................27
ii
Table of contents
Hardware
expansion
The ADC16 top-box: 16 waveform inputs............................... 28
The PGA16 top-box: 16 programmable-gain ADC inputs ...... 29
The Signal top-box: 4 extra DACs........................................... 30
The Spike2 top-box: digital BNC connections ........................ 31
The PGF8 top box: 8 programmable filter channels................ 32
The battery box......................................................................... 33
Mechanics of the
Power1401-3
Construction ............................................................................. 34
Earthing .................................................................................... 35
Upgrade by users ...................................................................... 35
Maintenance
operations
Introduction .............................................................................. 36
Taking the lid off...................................................................... 36
Switch settings.......................................................................... 36
I/O components ........................................................................ 37
Adjustable components & other features ................................. 38
Memory upgrades..................................................................... 39
Setting the ADC input range .................................................... 40
Flash ROM ............................................................................... 41
Analogue calibration ................................................................ 42
Cleaning the Power1401 .......................................................... 43
Trouble shooting Overview .................................................................................. 44
Stand-alone test ........................................................................ 44
LED diagnostic patterns ........................................................... 45
Calling the CED Help Desk ..................................................... 46
Index ......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Index User notes ................................................................................. 50
Specification Specification ............................................................................. 51
EC declaration of conformity................................................... 52
iii
General information
Typographic
conventions The following conventions apply to the text in this manual:
Ordinary text is in Times New Roman
Titles of chapters, other manuals and other publications,
including CDs, are in Times New Roman italics
Labels and identifiers appearing on the equipment described
in this manual are in Arial
Menu items, buttons, and other contents of computer
displays are in Arial italics
Names of files, drives, paths and directories are in Courier
New
Signal names are in Times New Roman, SMALL CAPS
Use of symbols Where applied, the following symbols have the meanings
below:
This symbol declares that the equipment passes the relevant
clauses of EU directives on safety and EMC emissions; see the
certificate reproduced on page 52
Observe precautions against electrostatic discharge
The CED
Power1401-3 is lead-free and conforms to the EU
RoHS directive
The CED Power1401-3 is subject to the EU WEEE regulations
and may be returned to CED Ltd for recycling
Attention, consult accompanying documents
The DC symbol indicates that the Power1401-3 chassis is
powered from a DC-only supply
The earth symbol indicates a metallic contact at mains earth
potential
iv
General information
The Power1401-3 generates and uses radio frequency energy
and may cause interference to radio and television reception.
Your Power1401-3 complies with the Specification in Subpart J
of Part 15 of the Federal Communications rules for a Class A
computing device. These specifications provide reasonable
protection against such interference in a residential installation.
However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur
in a particular installation. If the Power1401-3 does cause
interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the Power1401-3 mains supply off and
on, you can try to eliminate the interference problem by doing
one or more of the following:
Potential for
Radio/Television
Interference
(USA only)
Re-orient the receiving antenna
Re-orient the position of the Power1401-3 with respect to the
receiver
Move the Power1401-3 away from the receiver
Plug the Power1401-3 into a different outlet so that the
Power1401-3 and the receiver are on different branch circuits
If necessary, consult CED or an experienced radio/television
technician for additional suggestions. You may find the
booklet, prepared by the Federal Communications Commission,
helpful: How to Identify and Resolve Radio/TV Interference
Problems. The booklet is available from the US Government
Printing Office, Washington DC 20402, Stock no. 004-000-
00345-4.
To comply with FCC rules, Part 15 B Class A Computing
device, use only shielded interface cables.
v
General information
Power1401-3 vs
Power1401 II
The Power1401-3 is the evolutionary successor to the
Power1401 II. Upgrades and enhancements include:
Completely redesigned computational core using the
Marvell 78100 microprocessor
Circuit board designed with provision for dual-core
operation using the Marvell 78200 microprocessor
Processor clock speed increased from 800 MHz to 1 GHz
Maximum internal memory increased from 1 GByte to
2 GByte DDR RAM
DDR RAM clock rate increased from 200 MHz to 400 MHz
FPGA upgraded from XC2S330E (6,912 equivalent logic
cells) to XC6LSX45 (43,661 equivalent logic cells); bus
clock increased from 66 MHz to 200 MHz
Flash memory address space increased from 23 to 24 bits,
allowing future enlargement of flash
USB2 port integral to processor permitting a significantly
faster data transfer rate (from 27 MByte/sec to 47 MByte/sec
to host; from 10 MByte/sec to 45 MByte/sec to 1401)
New de-glitched DAC
DAC offset & gain calibration by software
Life support CED products are not authorized for use as critical
components in life support systems without the
express written approval of the chairman of the board
of directors of CED.
Life support systems in this context are systems which support
or sustain life, and whose failure to perform, when properly
used in accordance with instructions for use provided, can be
reasonably expected to result in a significant injury to the user.
A critical component in this context is any component of a life
support system whose failure to perform can reasonably be
expected to cause the failure of the life support system, or to
affect its safety or effectiveness.
vi
Fast installation guide
Step 1 Install the software first: either your CED application
or the CED 1401 installation CD. CED software currently runs
on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8. If you have
an earlier version of Windows, it will need to be upgraded
Step 2 Set up your hardware:
Power-up the computer and the Power1401
Connect the USB data cable
USB hardware is recognized and correct driver located
automatically. On some versions of Windows, the device
driver has to be approved by the user, which requires various
OK boxes to be clicked
For details, see page 6
Step 3 Check the installation:
Run the TRY1401 utility installed with your CED software.
Click on All On to select all tests, click on Run Once to run
the tests
Running the tests should take only a few seconds and give no
errors
Step 4 Your Power1401 is now ready for use
1
Getting started with the Power1401-3
Introduction This manual will guide you through the initial check and
installation of your Power1401-3 (hereafter referred to as the
Power1401 except where it differs from the previous model). It
introduces you to the external inputs and outputs, and
expansion options. It also describes maintenance and diagnostic
procedures. This manual does not cover 1401 programming or
the use of application programs with the 1401.
Examples of screen dumps and user dialog are taken from
Windows 7 unless mentioned to the contrary. Details will differ
slightly in earlier versions of Windows, but the operations are
all very straightforward and users should not experience any
difficulty.
Windows version
The installation kit for your Power1401 comprises:
Checklist
A Power1401, with optional rack-mount kit
A power brick with attached DC supply cable
A mains cable for the power-brick suitable for your country
A USB data cable
An installation disk
This manual
2
Getting started with the Power1401-3
The power brick will run
with no adjustment on any
mains voltage from 100 V
to 240 V, 47 Hz - 63 Hz,
drawing a maximum of
1·6 A. It has no switch,
being controlled simply by
plugging in and switching
on at the mains socket. A
green LED indicates when
the brick is powered up.
The power brick
The front-panel push-
switch actuates a relay
inside the Power1401 that
switches DC power to the
rest of the circuitry. For
complete electrical iso-
lation, mains power must
be disconnected from the
power brick.
The power brick:
PowerSolve PSE60-312 shown
Confidence
check Your Power1401 was soak-tested at CED before shipping. To
pass the test, a Power1401 must not generate a single error in at
least 96 hours of testing. The next procedure checks that the
1401 hardware is in the same state as it left the factory.
Ensure that the front-panel DC switch, marked , is off, with
the button protruding from the panel. Insert the power-brick
output plug into the DC Power In socket. Check that the Mode
selector is in position 1. Do not connect the data cable. Switch
the Power1401 on. The switch button should light red, while
yellow LEDs flicker. The button should then turn green, while
the yellow LEDs continue to flicker. You can now connect the
data cable. If the button flashes red and green, turn to Trouble
shooting on page 44.
3
Getting started with the Power1401-3
Installing the
Power1401 Once the Power1401 has passed the confidence check, you
should turn to the section which deals with installation for your
computer, starting on page 6. The remainder of this section
deals with general topics. he section starting on page 14
describes the signal inputs and outputs. Following sections deal
with expansion options, maintenance and troubleshooting.
Storage and
operating
environment
The Power1401-3 must be kept in the temperature range of 5°
to +50°Celsius, at a humidity of less than 95% saturation, non-
condensing. The Power1401 is suitable for continuous
operation. The Power1401 is not protected against ingress of
water or dust. There are no hazardous voltages inside the
Power1401. The Power1401 complies with relevant EU and
USA requirements for electromagnetic interference. The
Power1401 can be recycled: please contact CED for further
details.
When choosing a permanent position for your Power1401, note
that it prefers the same sort of environment as suits the host
computer. The Power1401 normally stands on its base, but it
will work on its side or upside down, if required.
Position
To deal with the heat generated by the microprocessor, the
Power1401-3 is equipped with a small fan. This runs
continuously, venting to the rear. Be careful not to obstruct it.
There should be a clear space at least 150 mm behind the case.
The fan
If the fan should fail or be obstructed, a temperature sensor
inside the Power1401 will shut off power to the
microprocessor. The over-temperature condition is indicated by
the LED in the power switch turning off, and the eight ADC
LEDs and two DAC LEDs all turning on. If caused by an
obstruction, removing it and switching the Power1401 off and
on again should restore normal operation.
Over-temperature
state
Over-temperature display: note power LED is off
4
Getting started with the Power1401-3
Application
software The Power1401 requires application software to run it. Most
customers will run CED application programs for the
Power1401, such as Signal or Spike2 (see pages 12 and 13), or
products supplied by third parties. Alternatively, you may wish
to write your own programs, with the help of the 1401
Language support library (downloadable from the CED Web
site: www.ced.co.uk, free of charge) and your own computer
programming manuals.
We support the 1401 family (including the Power1401-3) under
Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.
Operating platforms
CED application software such as Spike2 or Signal is installed
from a CD. The installation program loads the 1401 drivers at
the same time. The installation guide with the software will
give more detailed instructions.
Installing CED
application software
Technical information required to use CED application
programs is contained in the software manuals. Technical
histories of some of our programs, upgrade information, and in
many cases downloadable files, may be found on
www.ced.co.uk.
Information on
application
programs
The 1401 language support kit, for users who wish to program
their Power1401 from their host computer, includes the 1401
family programming manual for detailed descriptions of the
1401 standard command library. The Power1401 command
development kit includes the Power1401 technical manual,
which documents the internal structure of the Power1401, and
Writing commands for the Power1401 which deals with writing
commands in C to run on the Power1401’s processor. Use of
this kit is only recommended for program developers that are
very experienced in writing embedded software.
Information for
programmers
Circuit diagrams for the Power1401-3 can be made available
for a fee. Purchasers must sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Note that the contents of programmable components (e.g. the
CPLD and the FPGA) are not available.
Circuit diagrams
5
Installing the USB interface
Overview This section describes how to install a Power1401-3 on a
Windows PC, communicating via a USB port.
To install the Power1401 you will need:
A Power1401
A power brick and mains cable
A USB data cable
The CED software application disk
When installing the PC USB interface, the software is installed
first, after which the hardware connection is made between the
Power1401 and the computer. Installation follows the same
procedure for all Windows operating systems.
Software
installation The minimum software needed to control a Power1401 is the
standard 1401 command library and the USB device drivers.
These are supplied on the CED 1401 installation software disk,
together with test and diagnostic utilities. To install the
software, simply insert the CD. Typically it will autorun. If it
does not, run setup.exe.
If you are installing Spike2 or Signal, the drivers, command
library and test utilities are loaded at the same time as the
application.
Installations with
application software
Hardware
installation A Power1401 using the USB interface requires a computer with
a USB2 port and connector. All you have to do is connect the
USB data cable between the computer and the Power1401.
USB hardware is designed for ‘hot plugging’. With the
software installed, and both computer and Power1401 switched
on, insert the USB cable. This causes the computer’s USB
hardware to recognize the appearance of a new USB device. A
message window will briefly announce that Windows has
detected a new USB device and is looking for its driver. Since
this has already been installed, it will report that it has found the
CED 1401 USB software, and disappear.
Hot plugging
6
Installing the USB interface
Device Manager,
view devices by type
(Windows 7)
With the driver installed, the Power1401 becomes a recognized
USB device, and the CED 1401 icon will appear in the Device
Manager whenever the 1401 is plugged in and powered up. You
can view the 1401 USB settings by selecting
USB interface
settings in Vista,
Windows 7
& Windows 8
Start, Control Panel, System
Open System by double-clicking, and select Device Manager.
This reveals the hardware devices tree. The ‘1401 interface’
icon will be on a node with an arrow , indicating that a device
is present. Click on this to display the ‘CED 1401 USB
interface’ icon. Among the tabs revealed when this is opened,
the General tab provides overall device status, and allows for
enabling/disabling the device. The Settings tab allows you to
set the 1401 device number if you have a multi-1401
installation.
7
Installing the USB interface
Device Manager,
view devices by type
(Windows XP)
With the driver installed, the Power1401 becomes a recognized
USB device, and the CED 1401 icon will appear in the Device
Manager whenever the 1401 is plugged in and powered up. You
can view the 1401 USB settings by selecting
USB interface
settings in
Windows XP
Start, Control Panel, System
Open System by double-clicking, select the Hardware tab and
press the Device Manager button. This reveals the hardware
devices tree. The ‘1401 interface’ icon will be on a node with a
boxed , indicating that a device is present. Click on this to
display the ‘CED 1401 USB interface’ icon. Among the tabs
revealed when this is opened, the General tab provides overall
device status, and allows for enabling/disabling the device. The
Settings tab allows you to set the 1401 device number if you
have a multi-1401 installation.
8
Installing test & diagnostics
Installing test
& diagnostics The Power1401-3 installation CD-ROM includes utilities that
verify correct installation of your Power1401, assist in re-
calibrating the analogue system, and diagnose hardware
problems. This software is installed automatically at the same
time as the driver, when setup.exe is run.
CED provides you with 1401 support for Windows in a CD. It
can also be downloaded from our website, www.ced.co.uk.
To install from CD under any supported operating system:
Insert the CD
The installation program should run automatically
If it does not, select Start,Run, Browse… , open the CD and
choose the file setup.exe
Click on OK and follow the screen instructions
If the 1401 drivers on the CED 1401 installation disk are newer
than those on your system, setup.exe will update them.
Location of software You can choose where setup.exe copies the 1401 files. The
default destination is c:\1401. In this case, 1401 utilities are
copied into the \1401\utils subdirectory. This manual
assumes you have accepted that default. \1401 itself is the
directory where 1401 commands are installed.
9
Installing test & diagnostics
Windows
diagnostics The Windows installation includes the utility TRY1401, that
verifies that your Power1401 has been installed correctly, and
runs diagnostic procedures.
TRY1401 is the principal test program for users. It is also
installed as a utility in the program folders of CED applications
such as Spike2 and Signal. It simulates a typical 1401
application program and exercises the host computer and
Power1401 in the same way.
TRY1401
TRY1401 program
screen, displaying
1401 Info…
The TRY1401 utility is currently installed as the application
TRY1432.exe. To run TRY1401, select
Start,All Programs,1401 support,TRY1401
Running TRY1401 is self-explanatory. The check boxes allow
different aspects of 1401 function to be tested separately. Self
test causes the internal self-test hardware to run. Check this if
the LED starts to flash red and green after the Power1401
has been switched on. By clicking Run cont, the selected tests
are run continuously, which can be useful for detecting
intermittent faults.
10
Installing test & diagnostics
To access the summary of hardware and firmware information
shown on the TRY1401 screen on the previous page, select
1401 Info…
File, 1401 Info…
from inside TRY1401.
If you wish to test or re-calibrate the analogue hardware, or test
the functions of the Clocks and Events, select
ADC & DAC Test
Event & Clock Test
Tests, ADC & DAC Test or Tests, Event & Clock Test
from inside TRY1401. These are tests that the machine cannot
do by itself since they require cables to be routed between
various connectors, voltages set, &c. The tests are interactive.
At each step the user is instructed what equipment is needed,
what to do, and what results to expect. Some tests can be
carried out solely by connecting cables and digital voltmeters to
the Power1401; others require the box to be opened in order to
adjust potentiometers. See page 36 for how to take the lid off,
and page 38 for the location of adjustable components.
Analogue calibration is discussed more fully on page 42.
ADC & DAC Test,
Ramp DAC test
Event & Clock Test,
Events test
11
Application software: Spike2 & Signal
Running the
Power1401 with
Spike2
Spike2 is optimized for the analysis and recording of
continuous data, possibly on many channels. Analysis of EEGs
during sleep, or recording of cardiac output, blood pressure and
respiration would be typical tasks. This application example,
and the Signal application example below, make use of the
CED 1902 isolated pre-amplifier.
Spike2 sampling ECG, with 1902 control panel
12
Application software: Spike2 & Signal
Running the
Power1401 with
Signal
Signal is optimized for the analysis of sweep based information,
where a sequence of data is recorded repetitively, often
synchronized to a repeated stimulus. The classic example of
this is evoked-response recording; here segments of brain
activity are correlated with recurrent stimuli, in order to extract
responses buried in the noise.
Signal controlling 1902s for multi-channel data acquisition
13
Input and outputs
General The following points deal with physical and electrical aspects
of Power1401 connectors, rather than their electronic function.
The outer sleeves of the front-panel BNCs, and the metal shells
of the various rear-panel connectors, are robustly connected to
the metalwork of the case and, via the earth pin of the DC inlet
and the earth leads of the power brick, to mains earth. All signal
returns are tied to mains earth on the printed circuit board.
Items of equipment connected to the Power1401 must not be
treated as isolated from mains earth, nor from each other.
Mains earth
All front-panel BNCs have adjacent yellow LEDs. These flash
or blink to show appropriate activity, e.g. an ADC input LED
lights when its channel is active; a DAC output LED flashes
when its channel is updated; digital output LEDs will light
when their bit is set. LEDs may light to prompt users to make
connections. LEDs flash in a distinctive manner on self test. If
all ADC and DAC LEDs turn on at once, and the pushbutton
LED turns off, the 1401 is overheating. The pushbutton lights
red to indicate self-test, and flashes red and green if a hardware
error has been detected. Normally it glows green, indicating
that none of the internal voltage rails has drifted outside limits.
See also LED diagnostic patterns, page 45.
Front-panel LEDs
Chips connected directly to the outside world are susceptible to
damage from electrostatic discharge or signal overload, though
in practice this seems to happen only rarely. In the case of the
ADC inputs and DAC outputs the chips are in sockets, to allow
their replacement without unsoldering. All such chips are
readily-available types; if ordering, specify the exact part-code
as on page 37 to ensure insertion-mount, lead-free parts. See
page 36 for opening the Power1401 and page 37 for the
location and identification of socketed chips.
Socketed chips
Digital and event input signals pass through low-voltage chips
that are only available in surface-mount style and so cannot be
socketed. These chips are protected by MOSFET devices and
are safe against moderate overvoltages of either polarity.
MOSFET protection
On the following pages, all rear-panel connectors are drawn as
the user sees them, i.e. viewed from the outside. This is also the
view of their mating connectors as seen while wiring them up!
Connector diagrams
14
Table of contents
