Meilhaus Electronic ME-630 Series User manual

Meilhaus Electronic Manual
ME-630
(PCI, PCI-Express, CompactPCI)
8/16 Relays, 16 TTL I/Os, TTL Inputs and/or
Opto-Isolated Inputs

Imprint
Manual ME-630
Revision 3.0E
Revised: 2019-11-27
Meilhaus Electronic GmbH
Am Sonnenlicht 2
D-82239 Alling bei München
Germany
www.meilhaus.de
© Copyright 2019 Meilhaus Electronic GmbH
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or distributed in any form whether photocopied, printed, put on
microfilm or be stored in any electronic media without the
expressed written consent of Meilhaus Electronic GmbH.
Important note:
The information contained in this manual has been reviewed with
great care and is believed to be complete and accurate. Meilhaus
Electronic assumes no responsibility for its use, any infringements
of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from
use of this manual or the product. Meilhaus Electronic assumes no
responsibility for any problems or damage which may result from
errors or omissions. Specifications and instructions are subject to
change without notice.
Note the Meilhaus Electronic general terms of business:
www.meilhaus.de/en/infos/my-shop/tob/
All trademarks acknowledged. All trademarks are property of their
respective owners.

Content
1Introduction...........................................................5
1.1 Important Notes ............................................................... 5
1.1.1 Use in Accordance with the Requirements ....................... 5
1.1.2 Improper Application ...................................................... 6
1.1.3 Unforseeable Misapplications .......................................... 6
1.2 Package Contents ............................................................. 7
1.3 Features .......................................................................... 7
1.4 System Requirements ....................................................... 8
1.5 Software Support ............................................................. 8
2Starting up............................................................9
2.1 Software Installation ......................................................... 9
2.2 Power Supply for PCI-Express Models.................................. 9
2.3 Test Program.................................................................. 10
3Hardware ............................................................11
3.1 Block Diagrams ............................................................... 11
3.2 General Notes................................................................. 14
3.3 Relays ............................................................................ 15
3.4 Digital-I/O Section ........................................................... 18
3.4.1 TTL Inputs................................................................... 18
3.4.2 Opto-Isolated Inputs .................................................... 19
3.4.3 Bidirectional TTL Ports ................................................. 20
3.5 Interrupt Inputs .............................................................. 21
4Programming .......................................................22
4.1 Relays ............................................................................ 22
4.2 Digital-I/O Section ........................................................... 23
4.3 External Interrupt ........................................................... 24
5Appendix .............................................................25
ASpecification .......................................................................... 25
BPinout ................................................................................... 28
B1 78-pin D-Sub (ST1) –ME-630 “Standard” PCI, cPCI .......... 29

B2 78-pin D-Sub (ST1) –ME-630 “Standard” PCIe .................. 30
B3 78-pin D-Sub (ST1) –ME-630/x-0 ..................................... 31
B4 Auxiliary Connector (ST2) ................................................. 32
CAccessories........................................................................... 33
DTechnical Questions ................................................................ 34
D1 Hotline ........................................................................... 34
EIndex ..................................................................................... 35

1 Introduction
Valued customer,
Thank you for purchasing this device from Meilhaus Electronic. You
have chosen an innovative high-technology product that left our
premises in a fully functional and new condition.
Please take the time to carefully examine the contents of the
package for any loss or damage that may have occurred during
shipping. If there are any items missing or if an item is damaged,
please contact us immediately.
Before installing the board in your computer, we recommend you
read this manual carefully, especially the chapter describing board
installation.
The descriptions in this manual concern PCI-, PCI-Express- and
CompactPCI-versions of the ME-630 series if not otherwise noted.
1.1 Important Notes
1.1.1 Use in Accordance with the Requirements
The PC boards of the ME-series are designed for acquisition and
output of analog and digital signals with a PC. Depending on type
install the models of the ME-series into:
a free PCI slot (PCI versions) or
a free PCI Express slot (PCIe versions) or
a free CompactPCI-slot (3 HE cPCI versions)
For information on how to install a plug-in board please read the
manual of your PC.
Please note the instructions and specifications as presented in
this manual (Appendix A, Specifications):
Please ensure sufficient heat dissipation for the board within
the PC housing.
All unused inputs should be connected to the ground reference
of the appropriate functional section. This avoids cross talk
between the input lines.

The opto-isolated inputs and outputs achieve an electrical
isolation of the application relative to PC ground.
Note that the computer must be powered up prior to
connecting signals by the external wiring of the board.
As a basic principle, all connections to the board should only be
made or removed in a powered-down state of all components.
Ensure that no static discharge occurs while handling the
board or while connecting/disconnecting the external cable.
Ensure that the connection cable is properly connected. It
must be seated firmly on the D-Sub connector and must be
tightened with both screws, otherwise proper operation of the
board cannot be guaranteed.
1.1.2 Improper Application
PC plug-in boards for the PCI-, PCI-Express- or CompactPCI-bus
may not be taken into operation outside of the PC. Never connect
the devices with voltage-carrying parts, especially not with mains
voltage.
Make sure that no contact with voltage-carrying parts can happen
by the external wiring of the device. As a basic principle, all
connections should only be made or removed in a powered-down
state.
1.1.3 Unforeseeable Misapplications
The device is not suitable to be used as a children’s toy, in the
household or under unfavourable environmental conditions (e.g. in
the open). Appropriate precautions to avoid any unforeseeable
misapplication must be taken by the user.

1.2 Package Contents
We take great care to ensure your delivery is complete.
Nonetheless, please check the list enclosed to verify the contents
of your delivery. You should find included:
Relay board for PCI, PCI-Express or CompactPCI
Manual in PDF format on CD/DVD
Driver software on CD/DV
78-pin D-Sub male connector
Additional mounting bracket (PCI-, PCI-Express- and Compact-
PCI-versions)
25-pin D-Sub male connector
1.3 Features
Model overview:
Model
Relays
Opto-In
TTL-In
TTL-I/Os*
IRQ
ME-630/16
PCI/PCIe/cPCI
16
8
8
16
2 (TTL)
ME-630/8
PCI/PCIe/cPCI
8
8
8
16
2 (TTL)
ME-630/16-O
PCI/PCIe/cPCI
16
16
–
16
2
(isolated)
ME-630/8-O
PCI/PCIe/cPCI
8
16
–
16
2
(isolated)
The ME-630 series are universal relay boards designed for PCI-,
PCI-Express- resp. CompactPCI-bus.
Common features to all models:
8 resp. 16 changeover relays (Form C), switching loads up to
30 V/2 A (DC/AC),
8 opto-isolated inputs working with 24 V input level.
Additionally, the standard models (without „-O“ in the model name)
provide…
8 TTL-inputs and 2 TTL-interrupt-inputs …

instead of the „O“ versions provide:
8 opto-isolated inputs and 2 opto-isolated interrupt inputs
working with 24 V input level.
PCI-Express models as well as PCI and cPCI with hardware revision
3.0 and higher:
16 additional TTL-I/Os. These are organized as 2 bi-directional,
8-bit-wide TTL-ports. Connection is done by the 25-pin D-Sub
connector ST2. Therefore an extra mounting bracket is included
with the package of PCI-, PCIe- and CompactPCI-versions.
1.4 System Requirements
The ME-series may be installed into any PC (Intel® Pentium®
processor) with a free standard PCI-, PCI-Express- resp.
CompactPCI-slot (32 bit, 33 MHz, 5 V). The board is supported by
the Meilhaus Electronic Intelligent Driver System (ME-iDS).
1.5 Software Support
The ME-series is supported by the Meilhaus Electronic Intelligent
Driver System (ME-iDS). The ME-iDS is a unique driver system
covering different devices and operating systems. It supports
Windows 2000/XP/Vista and Windows 7, 8.1, 10 and contains a
universal function library (API) for all common programming
languages.
A detailed description of the functions can be found in the ME-iDS
manual on the CD/DVD enclosed.
Please also note the corresponding README-files.

2 Starting up
Please read your computer’s instruction manual on how to install
new hardware components before installing the board.
2.1 Software Installation
Installation under Windows
The following basic procedure should be used:
If you have received the driver software as an archive file please un-
pack the software before installing the board. First choose a
directory on your computer (e.g. C:\Temp\Meilhaus\ME-iDS).
Use the Meilhaus Electronic Intelligent Driver System (ME-iDS) for
programming your new data acquisition hardware. For installation
and operation of the driver system, please follow the
documentation in electronic form included with the software
package.
2.2 Power Supply for PCI-Express Models
Because of the PCI-Express slot drive’s insufficient current for
operation of the board, an additional supply is required via the PC
power supply. For that purpose connect a free „MOLEX“-connector
of the PC (also as used for power supply of drives) with the
appropriate terminal of the board (see the following diagram).

2.3 Test Program
For simple testing of the board use the corresponding test
program provided with the ME-iDS.

3 Hardware
3.1 Block Diagrams
ME-630/16 PCI/PCIe/cPCI: 16 relays (type C), 2 IRQ-inputs
ME-630/8 PCI/PCIe/cPCI: 8 relays (type C), 2 IRQ-inputs
All boards…provide 8 TTL-inputs, 8 opto-isolated inputs,
16 bidirectional TTL-I/Os*
*TTL-I/OS on all PCI-Express as well as PCI- and cPCI-models with hardware
revision 3.0 and higher.

ME-630/16-O PCI/PCIe/cPCI: 16 relays (type C),
2 opto-isolated IRQ-inputs
ME-630/8-O PCI/PCIe/cPCI: 8 relays (type C),
2 opto-isolatedIRQ inputs
All boards… provide 16 opto-isolated inputs and 16 bidirectional
TTL-I/Os

3.2 General Notes
Important Note: The external connections to the board should only
be made or removed in a powered-down state.
Before handling and installing the board and cable, make sure that
you ground yourself. Electrostatic discharge can damage some of
the more sensitive components on the board.
Look for proper connection of the cable. It must join the Sub-D jack
completely and must be fixed with both screws. Otherwise a
proper operation of the board cannot be guaranteed!
All unused input channels should be grounded to avoid crosstalk
between the input lines.
For the pin configuration of the 78-pin female D-Sub see „78-pin D-
Sub (ST1) –ME-630 „Standard“ on page 29).
In the following chapters you find a description for wiring of each
functional group. For details of operation modes and programming,
please read chapter 4 on page 22 and following.

3.3 Relays
The real current carrying rating of the ME-630 depends on several
conditions, which are described in the following.
Important Notes:
Choose sufficient wire gauges for your external wiring (e.g.
0.5 mm2at 2 A). Note the resulting power dissipation and provide
a sufficient ventilation of the housing. We strongly advise you to
stick to the following maximum values for the carrying rating of the
ME-630:
When using the connector cable ME-AK-D78(/1): max. 0.5 A
per relay
When using an external wiring with sufficient dimensioning:
-Permanent load at 25 °C environmental temperature: max.
2°A per relay
-Short-term load: max. 3.5 A of single relays
The total power dissipation PG of all relay channels of the board
must not exceed 12.8 W!
The resistance Rnof the board per channel (connector, track, relay
contact) is typ. 200 mΩ(max. 250 mΩ). Use the following formula
for the power dissipation per channel Pnat In= 2 A (with n =
1…16):
Pn= In2· Rn= 22 A · 0.2 Ω= 0.8 W
i.e. the total power dissipation is:
PG = Pn=1 + … + Pn=16 ≤ 12.8 W

Apart from the permanent load, induced voltages and high
transient currents during switching the relays can occur.
Therefore the use of a protection circuit for the contacts is
urgently needed. To guarantee the efficiency of the protection
circuit the distance should not exceed more than 20 cm from the
contact.
The following diagram shows a typical circuitry that could be used.
The values of the components used depend on the load and the
relay properties. The condensator CNC/NO suppresses the discharge
when contact opens and the resistor RNC/NO limits the current when
switching the next time. The circuitry can be used for DC and AC
operation. The ME-630 offers a normally open contact as well as a
normally closed contact. Therefore the protection circuit must be
provided for every contact switching a considerable load.

As a rule for selection of RNC/NO and CNC/NO use:
RNC/NO: 0.5…1 Ωper 1 V of switching voltage U
CNC/NO: 0.5…1 µF per 1 A of switching current I
Note: If the computer is powered down and after power-up the
common contacts (COM_x) are connected with the normally closed
contacts (NC_x).

3.4 Digital-I/O Section
3.4.1 TTL-Inputs
The standard models of the ME-630 series provide 8 TTL-inputs
(port A). Make sure that the signals are within the TTL-signal-level-
specifications (Low: 0 V…+0,8 V; High: +2,0 V…+5,5 V) and that
a connection to PC ground (Pin 1) exists.

3.4.2 Opto-Isolated Inputs
The standard models of the ME-630 series provide 8 opto-isolated
inputs (port B) and the models with option „-O“ provide 16 opto-
isolated inputs (port A and B). The opto-isolated inputs are
designed for 24 V level, which
is common in industrial environment (Low: 0 V…+12 V; High:
+13 V…+24 V). Make sure that a ground reference to the
external wiring is done by the various GND pins of the D-Sub
connector ST1. On the standard models these are the pins 21 and
40. Note on the models with „-O“ option, that for the higher and
lower significant half-byte separate grounds are used. Depending
on the wiring you must connect the pins 1, 6, 21 and 40
separately (see also table 2 and the pinout on page 19). If the
inputs are open a logical „0“ is returned (see diagram).
Port A
GND-pin
Port B
GND-pin
DI_A0…3
Pin 6 (GND_A0_3)
DI_B0…3
Pin 21 (GND_B0_3)
DI_A4…7
Pin 1 (GND_A4_7)
DI_B4…7
Pin 1 (GND_B4_7)

3.4.3 Bidirectional TTL-Ports
All PCI-Express models as well as PCI and cPCI models with
hardware revision 3.0 and higher provide two TTL-ports with 8 bits
each. Each port can be configured independently as input or
output. After power up, all ports are set to input. For more
information about programming refer to chapter 4.2 "Digital-I/O
Section" on page 23.
Both ports C and D are available by the 25-pin D-sub female
connector ST2. With the PCI-, PCI-Express- and CompactPCI-
models the additional mounting bracket ME-AK-D25F/S is required
(see pinout on page 28).
It is important that the voltage levels of the digital input/output
wiring is within the TTL-level-limits (see specifications on page 25)
and that a reference to PC ground (PC_GND) is made.
The maximum output current is IOut = IOL = IOH = 10 mA.