Spectrum M2i.60xx User manual

SPECTRUM SYSTEMENTWICKLUNG MICROELECTRONIC GMBH · AHRENSFELDER WEG 13-17 · 22927 GROSSHANSDORF · GERMANY
PHONE: [phone] · FAX: [phone] · E-MAIL: [e-mail] · INTERNET: http://www.spectrum-instrumentation.com
M2i.60xx
M2i.60xx-exp
fast 14 bit arbitrary waveform generator,
D/A converter board
for PCI-X, PCI and PCI Express bus
Hardware Manual
Software Driver Manual
English version June 2, 2015

(c) SPECTRUM SYSTEMENTWICKLUNG MICROELECTRONIC GMBH
AHRENSFELDER WEG 13-17, 22927 GROSSHANSDORF, GERMANY
SBench and digitizerNETBOX are registered trademarks of Spectrum Systementwicklung Microelectronic GmbH.
Microsoft, Visual C++, Visual Basic, Windows, Windows 98, Windows NT, Window 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7,
Windows 8 and Windows 10 are trademarks/registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
LabVIEW, DASYLab, Diadem and LabWindows/CVI are trademarks/registered trademarks of National Instruments Corporation.
MATLAB is a trademark/registered trademark of The Mathworks, Inc.
Keysight VEE, VEE Pro and VEE OneLab are trademarks/registered trademarks of Keysight Technologies, Inc.
FlexPro is a registered trademark of Weisang GmbH & Co. KG.
PCIe, PCI Express and PCI-X are trademarks of PCI-SIG.
LXI is a registered trademark of the LXI Consortium.

3
Introduction....................................................................................................................... 8
Preface ............................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8
General Information ............................................................................................................................................................. 8
Different models of the M2i.60xx series .................................................................................................................................. 9
Additional options.............................................................................................................................................................. 11
Star-Hub...................................................................................................................................................................... 11
System Star-Hub ........................................................................................................................................................... 11
BaseXIO (versatile digital I/O) ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Digital outputs.............................................................................................................................................................. 12
The Spectrum type plate ...................................................................................................................................................... 13
Hardware information......................................................................................................................................................... 14
Block diagram.............................................................................................................................................................. 14
Technical Data ............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Dynamic Parameters ..................................................................................................................................................... 17
Order Information......................................................................................................................................................... 18
Hardware Installation ..................................................................................................... 19
System Requirements .......................................................................................................................................................... 19
Warnings.......................................................................................................................................................................... 19
ESD Precautions ........................................................................................................................................................... 19
Cooling Precautions...................................................................................................................................................... 19
Sources of noise ........................................................................................................................................................... 19
Installing the board in the system.......................................................................................................................................... 20
Installing a single board without any options.................................................................................................................... 20
Installing a board with digital inputs/outputs mounted on an extra bracket .......................................................................... 22
Installing a board with option BaseXIO ........................................................................................................................... 23
Installing multiple boards synchronized by star-hub option ................................................................................................. 24
Software Driver Installation............................................................................................. 25
Interrupt Sharing ................................................................................................................................................................ 25
Important Notes on Driver Versions 2.22 and Control Center 1.41 and newer .......................................................................... 25
Windows 2000 ................................................................................................................................................................. 26
Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 26
Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 27
Windows XP 32/64 Bit ...................................................................................................................................................... 28
Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 28
Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 29
Windows 7, 32/64 Bit....................................................................................................................................................... 30
Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 31
Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 31
Linux................................................................................................................................................................................. 32
Overview .................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Standard Driver Installation............................................................................................................................................ 32
Standard Driver Update ................................................................................................................................................ 33
Compilation of kernel driver sources (option) ................................................................................................................... 33
Update of self compiled kernel driver .............................................................................................................................. 33
Library only ................................................................................................................................................................. 34
Control Center ............................................................................................................................................................. 34

4
Software ......................................................................................................................... 36
Software Overview............................................................................................................................................................. 36
Card Control Center ........................................................................................................................................................... 36
Discovery of Remote Cards and digitizerNETBOXes.......................................................................................................... 37
Hardware information................................................................................................................................................... 38
Firmware information .................................................................................................................................................... 38
Driver information......................................................................................................................................................... 38
Installing and removing Demo cards ............................................................................................................................... 39
Debug logging for support cases .................................................................................................................................... 39
Feature upgrade........................................................................................................................................................... 39
Software License upgrade.............................................................................................................................................. 39
Performing card calibration ........................................................................................................................................... 40
Performing memory test ................................................................................................................................................. 40
Transfer speed test........................................................................................................................................................ 40
Firmware upgrade........................................................................................................................................................ 41
Compatibility Layer (M2i cards only) .................................................................................................................................... 41
Usage modes............................................................................................................................................................... 41
Abilities and Limitations of the compatibility DLL ............................................................................................................... 42
Accessing the cards with SBench 5.x .................................................................................................................................... 42
C/C++ Driver Interface....................................................................................................................................................... 42
Header files ................................................................................................................................................................. 43
General Information on Windows 64 bit drivers............................................................................................................... 43
Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 and 2005 32 Bit ..................................................................................................................... 43
Microsoft Visual C++ 64 Bit........................................................................................................................................... 43
Borland C++ Builder 32 Bit ........................................................................................................................................... 44
Linux Gnu C/C++ 32/64 Bit ......................................................................................................................................... 44
C++ for .NET............................................................................................................................................................... 44
Other Windows C/C++ compilers 32 Bit ........................................................................................................................ 44
Other Windows C/C++ compilers 64 Bit ........................................................................................................................ 44
National Instruments LabWindows/CVI........................................................................................................................... 45
Driver functions .................................................................................................................................................................. 45
Borland Delphi (Pascal) Programming Interface ...................................................................................................................... 50
Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 50
Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 51
Visual Basic Programming Interface and Examples ................................................................................................................. 52
Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 52
Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 53
.NET programming languages ............................................................................................................................................. 54
Library ........................................................................................................................................................................ 54
Declaration.................................................................................................................................................................. 54
Using C#..................................................................................................................................................................... 54
Using Managed C++/CLI.............................................................................................................................................. 55
Using VB.NET .............................................................................................................................................................. 55
Using J# ...................................................................................................................................................................... 55
Python Programming Interface and Examples......................................................................................................................... 56
Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 56
Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 57
Programming the Board .................................................................................................. 58
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Register tables ................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Programming examples....................................................................................................................................................... 58
Initialization....................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Initialization of Remote Products........................................................................................................................................... 59
Error handling.................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Gathering information from the card..................................................................................................................................... 60
Card type.................................................................................................................................................................... 60
Hardware version......................................................................................................................................................... 61
Production date ............................................................................................................................................................ 61
Last calibration date...................................................................................................................................................... 61
Serial number .............................................................................................................................................................. 61
Maximum possible sampling rate ................................................................................................................................... 62
Installed memory .......................................................................................................................................................... 62
Installed features and options ......................................................................................................................................... 62
Miscellaneous Card Information ..................................................................................................................................... 63
Used type of driver ....................................................................................................................................................... 63
Reset................................................................................................................................................................................. 64

5
Analog Outputs ............................................................................................................... 65
Channel Selection .............................................................................................................................................................. 65
Important note on channels selection............................................................................................................................... 66
Setting up the outputs.......................................................................................................................................................... 66
Output Amplifiers ......................................................................................................................................................... 66
Output offset ................................................................................................................................................................ 67
Maximum Output Range................................................................................................................................................ 67
Output Filters ............................................................................................................................................................... 68
Differential Output ........................................................................................................................................................ 68
Double Out Mode ........................................................................................................................................................ 69
Programming the behaviour in pauses and after replay ..................................................................................................... 69
Generation modes........................................................................................................... 70
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 70
Setup of the mode ........................................................................................................................................................ 70
Commands........................................................................................................................................................................ 70
Card Status.................................................................................................................................................................. 71
Acquisition cards status overview ................................................................................................................................... 72
Generation card status overview .................................................................................................................................... 72
Data Transfer ............................................................................................................................................................... 72
Standard Single Replay modes ............................................................................................................................................ 74
Card mode.................................................................................................................................................................. 74
Memory setup .............................................................................................................................................................. 74
Continuous marker output .............................................................................................................................................. 75
Example ...................................................................................................................................................................... 76
FIFO Single replay mode..................................................................................................................................................... 77
Card mode.................................................................................................................................................................. 77
Length of FIFO mode..................................................................................................................................................... 77
Difference to standard single mode................................................................................................................................. 77
Example (FIFO replay)................................................................................................................................................... 78
Limits of segment size, memory size...................................................................................................................................... 79
Buffer handling .................................................................................................................................................................. 79
Output latency ................................................................................................................................................................... 83
Data organisation .............................................................................................................................................................. 84
Sample format ................................................................................................................................................................... 84
Hardware data conversion .................................................................................................................................................. 84
Clock generation ............................................................................................................. 85
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 85
The different clock modes .............................................................................................................................................. 85
Clock Mode Register..................................................................................................................................................... 86
Internally generated sample rate .......................................................................................................................................... 86
Standard internal sampling clock (PLL)............................................................................................................................. 86
Using plain Quartz1 without PLL ..................................................................................................................................... 87
Using plain Quartz2 without PLL (optional)....................................................................................................................... 87
External reference clock ................................................................................................................................................ 87
External clocking................................................................................................................................................................ 88
Direct external clock ..................................................................................................................................................... 88
External clock with divider ............................................................................................................................................. 89
Trigger modes and appendant registers .......................................................................... 91
General Description............................................................................................................................................................ 91
Trigger Engine Overview..................................................................................................................................................... 91
Trigger masks .................................................................................................................................................................... 91
Trigger OR mask .......................................................................................................................................................... 91
Trigger AND mask........................................................................................................................................................ 93
Software trigger ................................................................................................................................................................. 94
Force- and Enable trigger .................................................................................................................................................... 94
Delay trigger ..................................................................................................................................................................... 95
External TTL trigger ............................................................................................................................................................. 95
Edge and level triggers ................................................................................................................................................. 96
Pulsewidth triggers........................................................................................................................................................ 97
Mode Multiple Replay...................................................................................................... 99
Trigger Modes ................................................................................................................................................................... 99
Programming examples....................................................................................................................................................... 99
Replay modes .................................................................................................................................................................... 99
Standard Mode............................................................................................................................................................ 99
FIFO Mode ................................................................................................................................................................ 100
Limits of segment size, memory size.................................................................................................................................... 100
Programming the behaviour in pauses and after replay ................................................................................................... 101

6
Mode Gated Replay....................................................................................................... 102
Generation Modes ........................................................................................................................................................... 102
Standard Mode.......................................................................................................................................................... 102
Examples of Standard Gated Replay with the use of SPC_LOOPS parameter ..................................................................... 102
FIFO Mode ................................................................................................................................................................ 102
Limits of segment size, memory size.................................................................................................................................... 103
Allowed trigger modes...................................................................................................................................................... 103
Edge and level triggers ............................................................................................................................................... 103
Pulsewidth triggers...................................................................................................................................................... 106
Programming examples............................................................................................................................................... 107
Programming the behaviour in pauses and after replay ................................................................................................... 107
Sequence Replay Mode ................................................................................................. 108
Theory of operation .......................................................................................................................................................... 108
Define segments in data memory .................................................................................................................................. 108
Define steps in sequence memory ................................................................................................................................. 108
Programming................................................................................................................................................................... 109
Gathering information................................................................................................................................................. 109
Setting up the registers ................................................................................................................................................ 109
Changing sequences or step parameters during runtime .................................................................................................. 111
Changing data patterns during runtime ......................................................................................................................... 111
Synchronization ............................................................................................................................................................... 111
Programming example ...................................................................................................................................................... 112
Option BaseXIO............................................................................................................. 113
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 113
Different functions............................................................................................................................................................. 113
Asynchronous Digital I/O............................................................................................................................................ 113
Special Input Functions................................................................................................................................................ 114
Transfer Data ............................................................................................................................................................. 114
Programming Example ................................................................................................................................................ 114
Special Sampling Feature ............................................................................................................................................ 114
Electrical specifications................................................................................................................................................ 114
Option Star-Hub ............................................................................................................ 115
Star-Hub introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 115
Star-Hub trigger engine ............................................................................................................................................... 115
Star-Hub clock engine ................................................................................................................................................. 116
Software Interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 116
Star-Hub Initialization.................................................................................................................................................. 116
Setup of Synchronization and Clock ............................................................................................................................. 118
Setup of Trigger ......................................................................................................................................................... 119
Trigger Delay on synchronized cards ............................................................................................................................ 119
Run the synchronized cards ......................................................................................................................................... 119
Error Handling ........................................................................................................................................................... 120
Excluding cards from trigger synchronization ................................................................................................................. 120
SH-Direct: using the Star-Hub clock directly without synchronization.................................................................................. 120
Option System Star-Hub ................................................................................................ 122
Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................ 122
Cabling the system components ......................................................................................................................................... 122
Setting up the master system ........................................................................................................................................ 122
Setting up slave systems .............................................................................................................................................. 123
Connecting the systems ............................................................................................................................................... 123
Programming................................................................................................................................................................... 124
Necessary setup steps ................................................................................................................................................. 124
Select synchronization mode........................................................................................................................................ 124
Compensate injected trigger delays .............................................................................................................................. 125
Programming example ................................................................................................................................................ 125
Option Digital outputs ................................................................................................... 126
Sample format ................................................................................................................................................................. 126
Hardware data conversion ................................................................................................................................................ 126
Electrical specifications ..................................................................................................................................................... 126
Programming the behavior after output ............................................................................................................................... 126
Option Output Amplifier ................................................................................................ 128
Placement........................................................................................................................................................................ 128
Software parameters......................................................................................................................................................... 128
Installed Feature ......................................................................................................................................................... 128
Amplifier Mode .......................................................................................................................................................... 128
Avoiding ground problems ................................................................................................................................................ 129

7
Appendix ...................................................................................................................... 130
Error Codes..................................................................................................................................................................... 130
Continuous memory for increased data transfer rate ............................................................................................................. 132
Background ............................................................................................................................................................... 132
Setup on Windows systems.......................................................................................................................................... 132
Setup on Linux systems ................................................................................................................................................ 132
Usage of the buffer ..................................................................................................................................................... 133
Pin assignment of the multipin connector ............................................................................................................................. 134
Option “Digital outputs“ .............................................................................................................................................. 134
Pin assignment of the multipin cable ................................................................................................................................... 134
IDC footprints............................................................................................................................................................. 135
Details on M2i cards clock and trigger I/O section .............................................................................................................. 136

8 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual
Preface Introduction
Introduction
Preface
This manual provides detailed information on the hardware features of your Spectrum instrumentation board. This information includes tech-
nical data, specifications, block diagram and a connector description.
In addition, this guide takes you through the process of installing your board and also describes the installation of the delivered driver package
for each operating system.
Finally this manual provides you with the complete software information of the board and the related driver. The reader of this manual will
be able to integrate the board in any PC system with one of the supported bus and operating systems.
Please note that this manual provides no description for specific driver parts such as those for LabVIEW or MATLAB. These drivers have ded-
icated manuals, which are available on CD or on the Spectrum website.
For any new information on the board as well as new available options or memory upgrades please contact our website
http://www.spectrum-instrumentation.com. You will also find the current driver package with the latest bug fixes and new features on our site.
Please read this manual carefully before you install any hardware or software. Spectrum is not responsible
for any hardware failures resulting from incorrect usage.
Overview
The PCI bus was first introduced in 1995. Nowadays it is the most common platform for PC based instrumentation boards. The very
wide range of installations world-wide, especially in the consumer market, makes it a platform of good value. Its successor is the
2004 introduced PCI Express standard. In today’s standard PC there are usually two to three slots of both standards available for
instrumentation boards. Special industrial PCs offer up to a maximum of 20 slots. The common PCI/PCI-X bus with data rates of up
to 133 MHz x 64 bit = 1 GByte/s per bus, is more and more replaced by the PCI Express standard with up to 4 GByte/s data transfer rate
per slot. The Spectrum M2i boards are available in two versions, for PCI/PCI-X as well as for PCI Express. The 100% software compatible
standards allow to combine both standards in one system with the same driver and software commands.
Within this document the name M2i is used as a synonym for both versions, either PCI/PCI-X or PCI Express. Only passages that
differ concerning the bus version of the M2i.xxxx and M2i.xxxx-exp cards are mentioned separately. Also all card drawings will
show the PCI/PCI-X version as example if no differences exist compared to the PCI Express version.
General Information
The M2i.60xx series offer a wide range of fast 14 bit D/A converter boards for PCI-X, PCI and PCI Express (PCIe) bus. Due to the well-planned
design these boards are available in several versions and different speed grades. That makes it possible for the user to find an individual
solution.
These boards offer one to four channels with a maximum sampling rate of 125 MS/s. As an option 2 digital outputs per channel can be
replayed synchronously. The installed memory of up to 2 GSample will be used for fast data replay. It can completely be used by the currently
active channels. If using slower sampling rates the memory is switched to a FIFO buffer and data will be transferred online from the PC memory
or from hard disk.
Several boards of the M2i.xxxx series may be connected together by the internal standard synchronisation bus in combination with one of
the star-hub options to work with the same time base.
Application examples: Laboratory equipment, Radar, Laser, prototype design, production test

Introduction Different models of the M2i.60xx series
(c) Spectrum GmbH 9
Different models of the M2i.60xx series
The following overview shows the different available models of the M2i.60xx series. They differ in the number mounted generation modules
and the number of available channels. You can also see the model dependent allocation of the output connectors.
• M2i.6030
• M2i.6030-exp
• M2i.6011
• M2i.6021
• M2i.6033
• M2i.6011-exp
• M2i.6021-exp
• M2i.6033-exp
• M2i.6031
• M2i.6031-exp

10 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual
Different models of the M2i.60xx series Introduction
• M2i.6012
• M2i.6022
• M2i.6034
• M2i.6012-exp
• M2i.6022-exp
• M2i.6034-exp

Introduction Additional options
(c) Spectrum GmbH 11
Additional options
Star-Hub
The star hub piggy-back module al-
lows the synchronisation of up to 16
M2i cards. It is possible to synchro-
nize cards of the same type with
each other as well as different types.
Two different versions of the star-hub
module are available. A minor one
for synchronizing up to five boards
of the M2i series, without the need
for an additional system slot. The
major version (option SH16) allows
the synchronization of up to 16
cards with the need for an addition-
al slot.
The module acts as a star hub for
clock and trigger signals. Each
board is connected with a small ca-
ble of the same length, even the master board. That minimizes the clock skew between the different cards. The figure shows the piggy-back
module mounted on the base board schematically without any cables to achieve a better visibility. It also shows the locations of the available
connectors for the two different versions of the star-hub option.
Any of the connected cards can be the clock master and the same or any other card can be the trigger master. All trigger modes that are
available on the master card are also available if the synchronization star-hub is used.
The cable connection of the boards is automatically recognized and checked by the driver when initializing the star-hub module. So no care
must be taken on how to cable the cards. The star-hub module itself is handled as an additional device just like any other card and the pro-
gramming consists of only a few additional commands.
System Star-Hub
The System Star-Hub (SSH) option al-
lows to synchronize clock and trig-
ger information between Star-Hubs
located in multiple PC systems.
Therefore one system is set up as the
System-Master, generating the trig-
ger and clock signals, which then
are distributed to all System-Slave
systems, and additionally also to the
System-Master itself, to minimize
phase delays.
All connected Star-Hubs therefore
have one additional PCI bracket in-
stalled, that allows to feed in clock
and trigger signals coming from the
System-Master distribution card (not
shown in the drawing). This bracket
comes pre-connected with your
M2i.xxxx or M2i-xxxx-exp card.M2i
For the System-Master there is addi-
tionally a clock and trigger distribu-
tion card included providing MMCX connectors on its bracket, to connect to up to 17 different systems (including the System-Master itself).
The installation and cabling from and to this System-Master distribution card will be shown in the according synchronization chapter later in
this manual.

12 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual
Additional options Introduction
BaseXIO (versatile digital I/O)
The option BaseXIO is simple-to-use
enhancement to the cards of the M2i
series. It is possible to control a wide
range of external instruments or
other equipment by using the eight
lines as asynchronous digital I/O.
The BaseXIO option is useful if an
external amplifier should be control-
led, any kind of signal source must
be programmed, if status informati-
on from an external machine has to
be obtained or different test signals
have to be routed to the board.
In addition to the I/O features, these
lines are also for special functions.
Two of the lines can be used as ad-
ditional TTL trigger inputs for com-
plex gated conditions, one line can
be used as an reference time signal
(RefClock) for the timestamp option.
The BaseXIO MMCX connectors are mounted on-board. To gain easier access, these lines are connected to an extra bracket, that holds eight
SMB male connectors. For special purposes this option can also be ordered without the extra bracket and instead with internal cables.
The shown option is mounted exemplarily on a board with two modules and with the extra bracket. Of course you can also combine this
option as well with a board that is equipped with only one module.
Digital outputs
This option allows the user to replay
additional digital channels synchro-
nous and phase-stable along with
the analog data.
Therefore the analog data is filled
up with the digital bits up to 16 Bit
data width. This leads to a possibili-
ty of replaying 4 additional digital
bits per channel with 12 bit resolu-
tion boards, and 2 additional digital
bits per channel with 14 bit resolu-
tion boards.
The connectors for these digital out-
puts are mounted on an additional
bracket. The figures show the option
on boards with either one or two
modules.

Introduction The Spectrum type plate
(c) Spectrum GmbH 13
The Spectrum type plate
The Spectrum type plate, which consists of the following components, can be found on all of our boards. Please check whether the printed
information is the same as the information on your delivery note. All this information can also be read out by software:
The board type, consisting of the two letters describing the bus (in this case M2i for the PCI-X bus) and the model number.
The size of the on-board installed memory in MSample or GSample. In this example there are 1 GS = 1024 MSample (2 GByte =
2048 MByte) installed.
The serial number of your Spectrum board. Every board has a unique serial number.
A list of the installed options. A complete list of all available options is shown in the order information. In this example the options
Multiple recording, Gated Sampling, Timestamp and Star-Hub 5 are installed.
The base card version, consisting of the hardware version (the part before the dot) and the firmware version (the part after the dot).
The version of the analog/digital front-end module. Consisting of the hardware version (the part before the dot) and the firmware
version (the part after the dot)
The date of production, consisting of the calendar week and the year.
The version of the extension module if one is installed. Consisting of the hardware version (the part before the dot) and the firmware
version (the part after the dot). In our example we have the Star-Hub 5 extension module installed. Therefore the version of the ex-
tension module is filled on the type plate. If no extension module is installed this part is left open.
Please always supply us with the above information, especially the serial number in case of support request. That
allows us to answer your questions as soon as possible. Thank you.

14 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual
Hardware information Introduction
Hardware information
Block diagram

Introduction Hardware information
(c) Spectrum GmbH 15
Technical Data
Analog Outputs
Trigger
Clock
Clock and Filter
Resolution 14 bit
Output amplitude software programmable ±100 mV up to ±3 V in 1 mV steps (Amp option: ±333 mV up to ±10 V in 3 mV steps)
Output offset software programmable ±3 V in 1 mV steps (Amp option: ±10 V in 3 mV steps)
Filters software programmable no filter or one of 3 different filters as defined in technical data section
DAC Differential non linearity (DNL) DAC only ±1.5 LSB typical
DAC Integral non linearity (INL) DAC only ±1.0 LSB typical
Output resistance < 1 Ohm
Minimum output load 35 Ohm (not short circuit protected)
Max output swing in 50 Ohm ± 3 V (offset + amplitude)
Max slew rate (no filter) > 0.9 V/ns
Crosstalk @ 1 MHz signal ±3 V < -80 dB
Output accuracy < 1%
Running mode software programmable Singleshot, FIFO mode (Streaming), Repeated Replay, Single Restart, Sequence Mode
Trigger edge software programmable Rising edge, falling edge or both edges
Trigger pulse width software programmable 0 to [64k - 1] samples in steps of 1 sample
Trigger delay software programmable 0 to [64k - 1] samples in steps of 1 sample
Memory depth software programmable 8 up to [installed memory / number of active channels] samples in steps of 4
Multiple Replay segment size software programmable 8 up to [installed memory / 2 / active channels] samples in steps of 4
Multiple Replay, Gated Replay: re-arming time <4 samples
Trigger output delay One positive edge after internal trigger event
Internal/External trigger accuracy 1 sample
External trigger type (input and output) 3.3V LVTTL compatible (5V tolerant)
External trigger input Low ≤ 0.8 V, High ≥ 2.0 V, ≥ 8 ns in pulse stretch mode, ≥ 2 clock periods all other modes
External trigger maximum voltage -0.5 V up to +5.7 V (internally clamped to 5.0V, 100 mA max. clamping current)
Trigger impedance software programmable 50 Ohm / high impedance (> 4kOhm)
External trigger output type 3.3 V LVTTL
External trigger output levels Low ≤ 0.4 V, High ≥ 2.4 V, TTL compatible
External trigger output drive strength Capable of driving 50 ohm load, maximum drive strength ±128 mA
Output delay trigger to 1st sample 15/16 clocks (2/1 channel/module)
Gate end to last replayed sample 15/16 clocks (2/1 channel/module)
Gate end alignment 2 samples (1 ch), 1 sample (2 or 4 ch)
Clock Modes software programmable internal PLL, internal quartz, external clock, external divided, external reference clock, sync
Internal clock range (PLL mode) software programmable 1 kS/s to max using internal reference, 50kS/s to max using external reference clock
Internal clock accuracy ≤ 20 ppm
Internal clock setup granularity ≤1% of range (100M, 10M, 1M, 100k,...): Examples: range 1M to 10M: stepsize ≤100k
External reference clock range software programmable ≥1.0 MHz and ≤125.0 MHz
External clock impedance software programmable 50 Ohm / high impedance (> 4kOhm)
External clock range see „Dynamic Parameters“ table below
External clock delay to internal clock 5.4 ns
External clock type/edge 3.3V LVTTL compatible, rising edge used
External clock input Low level ≤ 0.8 V, High level ≥ 2.0 V, duty cycle: 45% - 55%
External clock maximum voltage -0.5 V up to +3.8 V (internally clamped to 3.3V, 100 mA max. clamping current)
External clock output type 3.3 V LVTTL
External clock output levels Low ≤ 0.4 V, High ≥ 2.4 V, TTL compatible
External clock output drive strength Capable of driving 50 ohm load, maximum drive strength ±128 mA
Synchronization clock divider software programmable 2 up to [8k - 2] in steps of 2
ABA mode clock divider for slow clock software programmable 8 up to 524280 in steps of 8
M2i.6011
M2i.6012
M2i.6021
M2i.6022
M2i.6030
M2i.6033
M2i.6031
M2i.6034
max internal clock 20 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
max external clock 20 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
-3 dB bandwidth no filter > 10 MHz > 30 MHz > 60 MHz > 60 MHz
Filter 3: Characteristics 4th order Butterworth 5th order Butterworth
Filter 3: -3 dB bandwidth 5 MHz (typ. 5.4 MHz) 10 MHz (typ. 11.4 MHz) 25 MHz (typ. 26.5 MHz) 25 MHz (typ. 26.5 MHz)
Filter 2: Characteristics 4th order Butterworth 4th order Butterworth
Filter 2: -3 dB bandwidth 1 MHz (typ. 1.2 MHz) 2 MHz (typ. 2.4 MHz) 5 MHz (typ. 5.8 MHz) 5 MHz (typ. 5.8 MHz)
Filter 1: Characteristics 4th order Butterworth 4th order Butterworth
Filter 1: -3 dB bandwidth 100 kHz (typ. 96 kHz) 200 kHz (typ. 200 kHz) 500 kHz (typ. 495 kHz) 500 kHz (typ. 495 kHz)

16 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual
Hardware information Introduction
Sequence Replay Mode
Digital Marker Outputs Options
BaseXIO Option
Amplifier Module M2i.xxxx-AmpMod Option (Model M2i.6030 only)
±10 V Amplifier Card Options
Connectors
Number of sequence steps software programmable 1 up to 512 (sequence steps can be overloaded at runtime)
Number of memory segments software programmable 2 up to 256 (segment data can be overloaded at runtime)
Loop Count software programmable 1 to 1M loops
Sequence Step Commands software programmable Loop for #Loops, Next, Loop until Trigger, End Sequence
Special Commands software programmable Data Overload at runtime, sequence steps overload at runtime
Digital data acquisition modes software programmable 2 digital channels per acquired analog channels
Digital outputs delay to analog sample no delay
Output voltage Low ≤0.4 V, High > 3.8 V
Output current max. ± 8 mA
BaseXIO modes software programmable Asynch digital I/O, 2 additional trigger, timestamp reference clock, timestamp digital inputs
BaseXIO direction software programmable Each 4 lines can be programmed in direction
BaseXIO input TTL compatible: Low ≤ 0.8 V, High ≥ 2.0 V
BaseXIO input impedance 4.7 kOhm towards 3.3 V
BaseXIO input maximum voltage -0.5 V up to +5.5 V
BaseXIO output type 3.3 V LVTLL
BaseXIO output levels TTL compatible: Low ≤ 0.4 V, High ≥ 2.4 V
BaseXIO output drive strength 32 mA maximum current, no 50 Ω loads
Bandwidth 30 MHz
Output impedance 50 Ohm
Max. Output Voltage (into high impedance load) ±10 V
Max. Output Voltage (into 50 Ohm load) ±5 V
Gain Error <±1 %
Offset Error <±50 mV
Short-circuit-proof Yes
Bandwidth 30 MHz
Max. input voltage ±3 V
Output impedance 50 Ω
Fixed Amplification x 3.3
Max. Output Voltage (into high impedance load) ±10 V
Max. Output Voltage (into 50 Ohm load) ±5 V
Analog ground to PC system ground impedance 10 kΩ(with ground jumper unplugged), 0 Ω(when ground jumper is plugged)
Gain Error <±1 %
Offset Error <±50 mV
PCIe Version M2i.6-Exp-1Amp/2Amp/4Amp
Interface PCIe x1 (power connection only)
Dimension (PCB without SMB connectors) 147 mm x 106 mm
Power Consumption 3.3 V 0.0 A
Power Consumption 12.0 V -1Amp and -2Amp: 1.1 A, -4Amp: 2.1 A
PCI Version MI.6xxxx-1Amp/2Amp/4Amp
Interface PCI 32 Bit 33 MHz (power connection only)
Dimension (PCB without SMB connectors) 147 mm x 106 mm
Power Consumption 3.3 V 0.0 A
Power Consumption 5.0 V -1Amp and -2Amp: 2.5 A, -4Amp: 5.0 A
Analog Outputs 3 mm SMB male (one for each single-ended input) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Trigger Input/Output programmable direction 3 mm SMB male (one connector) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Clock Input/Output programmable direction 3 mm SMB male (one connector) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Option Digital Marker Outputs 40 pole half pitch (Hirose FX2 series) Cable-Type: Cab-d40-xx-xx
Option Digital Marker Outputs on Bracket 3 mm SMB male (two or four connectors) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Option BaseXIO 8 x 3 mm SMB male on extra bracket, internally 8 x MMCX female

Introduction Hardware information
(c) Spectrum GmbH 17
Environmental and Physical Details
PCI/PCI-X specific details
PCI Express specific details
Certification, Compliance, Warranty
Power Consumption
MTBF
Dynamic Parameters
Dynamic parameters are measured at the given output level and 50 Ohm termination with a high resolution data acquisition card and are calculated from the spectrum. The sample rate
that is selected is the maximum possible one. All available channels are activated for the tests. SNR and SFDR figures may differ depending on the quality of the used PC. SNR = Signal to
Noise Ratio, THD = Total Harmonic Distortion, SFDR = Spurious Free Dynamic Range
Dimension (PCB only) 312 mm x 107 mm (full PCI length)
Width (Standard or with option star-hub 5) 1 full size slot
Width (star-hub 16) additionally back of adjacent neighbour slots
Width (with option BaseXIO) additionally extra bracket on neighbour slot
Width (with option -digin, -digout or -60xx-AmpMod) additionally half length of adjacent neighbour slot
Weight (depending on version) 290g (smallest version) up to 460g (biggest version with all options, including star-hub)
Warm up time 10 minutes
Operating temperature 0°C to 50°C
Storage temperature -10°C to 70°C
Humidity 10% to 90%
PCI / PCI-X bus slot type 32 bit 33 MHz or 32 bit 66 MHz
PCI / PCI-X bus slot compatibility 32/64 bit, 33-133 MHz, 3,3 V and 5 V I/O
PCIe slot type x1 Generation 1
PCIe slot compatibility x1/x4/x8/x16 (Some x16 PCIe slots are for graphic cards only and can not be used)
EMC Immunity Compliant with CE Mark
EMC Emission Compliant with CE Mark
Product warranty 2 years starting with the day of delivery
Software and firmware updates Life-time, free of charge
PCI / PCI-X PCI EXPRESS
3.3 V 5 V Total 3.3V 12V Total
M2i.6030 (256 MS memory) 2.6 A 0.4 A 11.6 W 0.4 A 0.9 A 12.1 W
M2i.60x1/M2i.60x3 (256 MS mem.) 2.8 A 0.7 A 12.8 W 0.4 A 1.1 A 14.5 W
M2i.60x2/M2i.60x4 (256 MS mem.) 3.2 A 1.1 A 16.1 W 0.4 A 1.2 A 15.7 W
M2i.6034 (2 GS memory), max. power 4.9 A 1.1 A 21.7 W 0.4 A 1.7 A 21.7 W
M2i.6030 + Amplifier Module 2.6 A 2.9 A 23.1 W TBD TBD TBD
MTBF 200000 hours
M2i.6011
M2i.6012
M2i.6011
M2i.6012
M2i.6011
M2i.6012
M2i.6021
M2i.6022
M2i.6021
M2i.6022
M2i.6030
M2i.6031
M2i.6033
M2i.6034
M2i.6030
M2i.6031
M2i.6033
M2i.6034
M2i.6030
M2i.6031
M2i.6033
M2i.6034
M2i.6030
M2i.6031
M2i.6033
M2i.6034
max internal / external clock 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 60 MS/s 60 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
min internal clock 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s 1 kS/s
minexternalclock DCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDC
Test - Samplerate 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 60 MS/s 60 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 62.5 MS/s 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
Output Frequency 80 kHz 800 kHz 4 MHz 170 kHz 1.7 MHz 400 kHz 4 MHz 400 kHz 4 MHz
Output Level ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V ±2 V
Used Filter 100 kHz 1 MHz 5 MHz 200 kHz 2 MHz 500 kHz 5 MHz 500 kHz 5 MHz
SNR (typ) > 61.5 dB > 60.2 dB > 54.5 dB > 61.5 dB > 59.5 dB > 61.5 dB > 55.0 dB > 61.0 dB > 56.0 dB
THD (typ) < -70.4 dB < -67.5 dB < -45.0 dB < -72.7 dB < -62.5 dB < -71.5 dB < -55.6 dB < -71.5 dB < -56.0 dB
SFDR (typ), excl harm. > 85.5 dB > 72.0 dB > 60.0 dB > 81.5 dB > 68.5 dB > 82.8 dB > 66.5 dB > 72.0 dB > 67.0 dB

18 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual
Hardware information Introduction
Order Information
The card is delivered with 256 MSample on-board memory and supports standard replay (single-shot, loop, single restart), FIFO replay
(streaming), Multiple Replay, Gated Replay and Sequence Mode. Operating system drivers for Windows/Linux 32 bit and 64 bit, examples
for C/C++, LabVIEW (Windows), MATLAB (Windows and Linux), LabWindows/CVI, .NET, Delphi, Visual Basic, Python and a Base license
of the oscilloscope software SBench 6 are included. Drivers for other 3rd party products like VEE or DASYLab may be available on request.
Adapter cables are not included. Please order separately!
.
(1) : Just one of the options can be installed on a card at a time.
(2) : Third party product with warranty differing from our export conditions. No volume rebate possible.
PCI Express (PCIe) PCI Express PCI/PCI-X Standard mem 1 channel 2 channels 4 channels
PCI/PCI-X M2i.6011-exp M2i.6011 256 MSample 20 MS/s 20 MS/s
M2i.6012-exp M2i.6012 256 MSample 20 MS/s 20 MS/s 20 MS/s
M2i.6021-exp M2i.6021 256 MSample 60 MS/s 60 MS/s
M2i.6022-exp M2i.6022 256 MSample 60 MS/s 60 MS/s 60 MS/s
M2i.6030-exp M2i.6030 256 MSample 125 MS/s
M2i.6031-exp M2i.6031 256 MSample 125 MS/s 125 MS/s
M2i.6033-exp M2i.6033 256 MSample 125 MS/s 60 MS/s
M2i.6034-exp M2i.6034 256 MSample 125 MS/s 125 MS/s 60 MS/s
Memory Order no. Option
M2i.xxxx-512MS Memory upgrade to 512 MSample (1 GB) total memory
M2i.xxxx-1GS Memory upgrade to 1 GSample (2 GB) total memory
Options Order no. Option
M2i.60xx-dig Additional synchronous digital outputs (2 per analog channel) on extra bracket including flat ribbon
cable 1m to IDC connector: Cab-d40-idc-100
M2i.60xx-2DigM 2 additional synchronous digital outputs on SMB connectors on card’s bracket. Suitable for cards with
1 analog module only (M2i.6011, M2i.6021, M2i.6030, M2i.6033)
M2i.60xx-4DigM 4 additional synchronous digital outputs on SMB connectors on card’s bracket. Suitable for cards with
2 analog modules only. (M2i.6012, M2i.6022, M2i.6031, M2i.6034)
M2i.xxxx-SH5 (1) Synchronization Star-Hub for up to 5 cards, only 1 slot width
M2i.xxxx-SH16 (1) Synchronization Star-Hub for up to 16 cards
M2i.xxxx-SSHM (1) System-Star-Hub Master for up to 15 cards in the system and up to 17 systems, PCI 32 Bit card,
sync cables and extra bracket for clock and trigger distribution included
M2i.xxxx-SSHMe (1) System-Star-Hub Master for up to 15 cards in the system and up to 17 systems, PCI Express card,
sync cables and extra bracket for clock and trigger distribution included
M2i.xxxx-SSHS5 (1) System-Star-Hub Slave for 5 cards in one system, one slot width all sync cables + bracket included
M2i.xxxx-SSHS16 (1) System-Star-Hub Slave for 16 cards in system, two slots width, all sync cables + bracket included
M2i.60xx-AmpMod M2i.6030 and M2i.6030-exp only: ±10 V output amplifier module mounted on card
MI.6xxx-1Amp 1 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCI 32 bit card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cable
MI.6xxx-2Amp 2 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCI 32 bit card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cables
MI.6xxx-4Amp 4 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCI 32 bit card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cables
M2i.6-exp-1Amp 1 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCIe x1 card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cable
M2i.6-exp-2Amp 2 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCIe x1 card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cables
M2i.6-exp-4Amp 4 channel ±10 V output amplifier PCIe x1 card including 15 cm SMB to SMB connection cables
M2i.xxxx-bxio Option BaseXIO: 8 digital I/O lines usable as asynchronous I/O and additional external trigger lines,
additional bracket with 8 SMB connectors
M2i-upgrade Upgrade for M2i.xxxx: later installation of option -dig, -2DigM, -4DigM, -SH5, -SH16 or -bxio
Cables Order no.
for Connections Length to BNC male to BNC female to SMA male to SMA female to SMB female
Analog/Clock/Trigger 80 cm Cab-3f-9m-80 Cab-3f-9f-80 Cab-3f-3mA-80 Cab-3f-3fA-80 Cab-3f-3f-80
Analog/Clock/Trigger 200 cm Cab-3f-9m-200 Cab-3f-9f-200 Cab-3f-3mA-200 Cab-3f-3fA-200 Cab-3f-3f-200
Probes (short) 5 cm Cab-3f-9f-5
to 2x20 pole IDC to 40 pole FX2
Digital signals (option) 100 cm Cab-d40-idc-100 Cab-d40-d40-100
Software SBench6 Order no.
SBench6 Base version included in delivery. Supports standard mode for one card.
SBench6-Pro Professional version for one card: FIFO mode, export/import, calculation functions
SBench6-Multi Option multiple cards: Needs SBench6-Pro. Handles multiple synchronized cards in one system.
Volume Licenses Please ask Spectrum for details.

Hardware Installation System Requirements
(c) Spectrum GmbH 19
Hardware Installation
System Requirements
All Spectrum M2i/M3i.xxxx instrumentation cards are compliant to the PCI standard and require in general one free full length slot. This can
either be a standard 32 bit PCI legacy slot, a 32 bit or a 64 bit PCI-X slot. Depending on the installed options additional free slots can be
necessary.
All Spectrum M2i/M3i.xxxx-exp instrumentation cards are compliant to the PCI Express 1.0 standard and require in general one free full
length PCI Express slot. This can either be a x1, x4, x8 or x16 slot. Some x16 PCIe slots are for the use of graphic cards only and can not
be used for other cards. Depending on the installed options additional free slots can be necessary.
Warnings
ESD Precautions
The boards of the M2i/M3i.xxxx series contain electronic components that can be damaged by electrostatic discharge (ESD).
Before installing the board in your system or even before touching it, it is absolutely necessary to bleed off
any electrostatic electricity.
Cooling Precautions
The boards of the M2i/M3i.xxxx series operate with components having very high power consumption at high speeds. For this reason it is
absolutely required to cool this board sufficiently.
For all M2i/M3i cards it is strongly recommended to install an additional cooling fan producing a stream of air across the boards
surface. In most cases professional PC-systems are already equipped with sufficient cooling power. In that case please make sure
that the air stream is not blocked.
Sources of noise
The analog acquisition and generator boards of the M2i/M3i.xxxx series should be placed far away from any noise producing source (like
e.g. the power supply). It should especially be avoided to place the board in the slot directly adjacent to another fast board (like the graphics
controller).

20 M2i.60xx / M2i.60xx-exp Manual
Installing the board in the system Hardware Installation
Installing the board in the system
Installing a single board without any options
Before installing the board you first need to unscrew and remove the dedicated blind-bracket usually mounted to cover unused slots of your
PC. Please keep the screw in reach to fasten your Spectrum card afterwards. All Spectrum cards require a full length PCI, PCI-X slot (either
32Bit or 64Bit) or PCI Express slot (either x1, x4, x8 or x16) with a track at the backside to guide the board by its retainer. Now insert the
board slowly into your computer. This is done best with one hand each at both fronts of the board.
While inserting the board take care not to tilt the retainer in the track. Please take especial care to not bend
the card in any direction while inserting it in the system. A bending of the card may damage the PCB totally
and is not covered by the standard warranty.
Please be very carefully when inserting the board in the slot, as most of the mainboards are mounted with
spacers and therefore might be damaged if they are exposed to high pressure.
After the board’s insertion fasten the screw of the bracket carefully, without overdoing.
Installing the M2i/M3i.xxxx PCI/PCI-X card in a 32 bit PCI/PCI-X slot
Installing the M2i/M3i.xxxx PCI/PCI-X card in a 64 bit PCI/PCI-X slot