Spectrum M3i.4830 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
M3i.48xx
M3i.48xx-exp
high-speed 16 bit transient recorder,
A/D converter board
for PCI-X, PCI and PCI Express bus
Hardware Manual
Software Driver Manual
English version November 21, 2016

(c) SPECTRUM SYSTEMENTWICKLUNG MICROELECTRONIC GMBH
AHRENSFELDER WEG 13-17, 22927 GROSSHANSDORF, GERMANY
SBench, digitizerNETBOX and generatorNETBOX 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, Windows 10 and Windows Server 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, PCI-X and PCI-SIG are trademarks of PCI-SIG.
PICMG and CompactPCI are trademarks of the PCI Industrial Computation Manufacturers Group.
PXI is a trademark of the PXI Systems Alliance.
LXI is a registered trademark of the LXI Consortium.
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Intel and Intel Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
AMD and Opteron are trademarks or registered trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices.

3
Introduction....................................................................................................................... 8
Preface ............................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8
General Information ............................................................................................................................................................. 8
Different models of the M3i.48xx series .................................................................................................................................. 9
Additional options.............................................................................................................................................................. 10
Star-Hub...................................................................................................................................................................... 10
BaseXIO (versatile digital I/O) ....................................................................................................................................... 10
The Spectrum type plate ...................................................................................................................................................... 11
Hardware information......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Block diagram.............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Technical Data ............................................................................................................................................................. 13
Dynamic Parameters .................................................................................................................................................... 15
Order Information......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Hardware Installation ..................................................................................................... 17
System Requirements .......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Warnings.......................................................................................................................................................................... 17
ESD Precautions ........................................................................................................................................................... 17
Cooling Precautions...................................................................................................................................................... 17
Sources of noise ........................................................................................................................................................... 17
Installing the board in the system.......................................................................................................................................... 18
Installing a single board without any options.................................................................................................................... 18
Installing a board with digital inputs/outputs mounted on an extra bracket .......................................................................... 20
Installing a board with option BaseXIO ........................................................................................................................... 21
Installing multiple boards synchronized by star-hub option ................................................................................................. 22
Software Driver Installation............................................................................................. 23
Interrupt Sharing ................................................................................................................................................................ 23
Important Notes on Driver Versions 2.22 and Control Center 1.41 and newer .......................................................................... 23
Windows 2000 ................................................................................................................................................................. 24
Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 24
Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 24
Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 25
Windows XP 32 (64 Bit discontinued)................................................................................................................................... 26
Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 26
Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 27
Windows 7, 32/64 Bit....................................................................................................................................................... 28
Installation ................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Version control ............................................................................................................................................................. 29
Driver - Update............................................................................................................................................................. 29
Linux................................................................................................................................................................................. 30
Overview .................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Standard Driver Installation............................................................................................................................................ 30
Standard Driver Update ................................................................................................................................................ 31
Compilation of kernel driver sources (option) ................................................................................................................... 31
Update of self compiled kernel driver .............................................................................................................................. 31
Library only ................................................................................................................................................................. 31
Control Center ............................................................................................................................................................. 32

4
Software ......................................................................................................................... 33
Software Overview............................................................................................................................................................. 33
Card Control Center ........................................................................................................................................................... 33
Discovery of Remote Cards and digitizerNETBOX/generatorNETBOX products.................................................................... 34
Wake On LAN of digitizerNETBOX/generatorNETBOX .................................................................................................... 34
Netbox Monitor ........................................................................................................................................................... 34
Hardware information................................................................................................................................................... 35
Firmware information .................................................................................................................................................... 35
Driver information......................................................................................................................................................... 36
Installing and removing Demo cards ............................................................................................................................... 36
Feature upgrade........................................................................................................................................................... 36
Software License upgrade.............................................................................................................................................. 36
Performing card calibration ........................................................................................................................................... 37
Performing memory test ................................................................................................................................................. 37
Transfer speed test........................................................................................................................................................ 37
Debug logging for support cases .................................................................................................................................... 38
Device mapping........................................................................................................................................................... 38
Firmware upgrade........................................................................................................................................................ 39
Accessing the hardware with SBench 6................................................................................................................................. 39
C/C++ Driver Interface....................................................................................................................................................... 40
Header files ................................................................................................................................................................. 40
General Information on Windows 64 bit drivers............................................................................................................... 40
Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 and 2005 32 Bit ..................................................................................................................... 40
Microsoft Visual C++ 64 Bit........................................................................................................................................... 41
Borland C++ Builder 32 Bit ........................................................................................................................................... 41
Linux Gnu C/C++ 32/64 Bit ......................................................................................................................................... 41
C++ for .NET............................................................................................................................................................... 41
Other Windows C/C++ compilers 32 Bit ........................................................................................................................ 41
Other Windows C/C++ compilers 64 Bit ........................................................................................................................ 41
National Instruments LabWindows/CVI........................................................................................................................... 42
Driver functions .................................................................................................................................................................. 42
Borland Delphi (Pascal) Programming Interface ...................................................................................................................... 47
Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 47
Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 48
Visual Basic Programming Interface and Examples ................................................................................................................. 49
Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 49
Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 50
.NET programming languages ............................................................................................................................................. 51
Library ........................................................................................................................................................................ 51
Declaration.................................................................................................................................................................. 51
Using C#..................................................................................................................................................................... 51
Using Managed C++/CLI.............................................................................................................................................. 52
Using VB.NET .............................................................................................................................................................. 52
Using J# ...................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Python Programming Interface and Examples......................................................................................................................... 53
Driver interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 53
Examples..................................................................................................................................................................... 54
Programming the Board .................................................................................................. 55
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 55
Register tables ................................................................................................................................................................... 55
Programming examples....................................................................................................................................................... 55
Initialization....................................................................................................................................................................... 56
Initialization of Remote Products........................................................................................................................................... 56
Error handling.................................................................................................................................................................... 56
Gathering information from the card..................................................................................................................................... 57
Card type.................................................................................................................................................................... 57
Hardware version......................................................................................................................................................... 58
Production date ............................................................................................................................................................ 58
Last calibration date (analog cards only) ......................................................................................................................... 58
Serial number .............................................................................................................................................................. 58
Maximum possible sampling rate ................................................................................................................................... 59
Installed memory .......................................................................................................................................................... 59
Installed features and options ......................................................................................................................................... 59
Miscellaneous Card Information ..................................................................................................................................... 60
Function type of the card ............................................................................................................................................... 60
Used type of driver ....................................................................................................................................................... 60
Reset................................................................................................................................................................................. 62

5
Analog Inputs.................................................................................................................. 63
Channel Selection .............................................................................................................................................................. 63
Important note on channels selection............................................................................................................................... 63
Setting up the inputs ........................................................................................................................................................... 64
Input Path .................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Input ranges................................................................................................................................................................. 64
Read out of input features .............................................................................................................................................. 65
Input termination........................................................................................................................................................... 66
Input coupling .............................................................................................................................................................. 66
AC/DC offset compensation .......................................................................................................................................... 66
Anti aliasing filter (Bandwidth limit)................................................................................................................................. 66
Enhanced Status Register............................................................................................................................................... 67
Automatic on-board calibration of the offset and gain settings............................................................................................ 67
Acquisition modes ........................................................................................................... 68
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 68
Setup of the mode ........................................................................................................................................................ 68
Commands........................................................................................................................................................................ 68
Card Status.................................................................................................................................................................. 69
Acquisition cards status overview ................................................................................................................................... 70
Generation card status overview .................................................................................................................................... 70
Data Transfer ............................................................................................................................................................... 70
Standard Single acquisition mode ........................................................................................................................................ 72
Card mode.................................................................................................................................................................. 73
Memory, Pre- and Posttrigger ......................................................................................................................................... 73
Example ...................................................................................................................................................................... 73
FIFO Single acquisition mode .............................................................................................................................................. 73
Card mode.................................................................................................................................................................. 73
Length and Pretrigger.................................................................................................................................................... 73
Difference to standard single acquisition mode................................................................................................................. 74
Example FIFO acquisition .............................................................................................................................................. 74
Limits of pre trigger, post trigger, memory size ................................................................................................................. 74
Buffer handling .................................................................................................................................................................. 75
Data organisation .............................................................................................................................................................. 79
Sample format ................................................................................................................................................................... 79
Converting ADC samples to voltage values............................................................................................................................ 79
Clock generation ............................................................................................................. 80
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 80
The different clock modes .............................................................................................................................................. 80
Clock Mode Register..................................................................................................................................................... 80
Details on the different clock modes...................................................................................................................................... 81
Standard internal sampling clock (PLL)............................................................................................................................. 81
Using Quartz2 with PLL (optional, M4i cards only)............................................................................................................ 81
External clock (reference clock) ...................................................................................................................................... 82
Trigger modes and appendant registers .......................................................................... 83
General Description............................................................................................................................................................ 83
Trigger Engine Overview..................................................................................................................................................... 83
Multi Purpose I/O Lines....................................................................................................................................................... 84
Programming the behaviour........................................................................................................................................... 84
Using asynchronous I/O ............................................................................................................................................... 84
Special behaviour of trigger output ................................................................................................................................. 85
Special direct trigger output modes................................................................................................................................. 85
Trigger masks .................................................................................................................................................................... 86
Trigger OR mask .......................................................................................................................................................... 86
Trigger AND mask........................................................................................................................................................ 87
Software trigger ................................................................................................................................................................. 88
Force- and Enable trigger .................................................................................................................................................... 88
Trigger delay ..................................................................................................................................................................... 89
External (analog) trigger ..................................................................................................................................................... 90
Trigger Mode............................................................................................................................................................... 90
Trigger Input Coupling .................................................................................................................................................. 91
Trigger level................................................................................................................................................................. 91
Detailed description of the external analog trigger modes ................................................................................................. 91
External (TTL) trigger using multi purpose I/O connectors ........................................................................................................ 96
TTL Trigger Mode ......................................................................................................................................................... 96
Edge and level triggers ................................................................................................................................................. 96
Channel Trigger ................................................................................................................................................................. 98
Overview of the channel trigger registers......................................................................................................................... 98
Channel trigger level..................................................................................................................................................... 99
Detailed description of the channel trigger modes........................................................................................................... 100

6
Mode Multiple Recording ............................................................................................... 104
Recording modes ............................................................................................................................................................. 104
Standard Mode.......................................................................................................................................................... 104
FIFO Mode ................................................................................................................................................................ 104
Limits of pre trigger, post trigger, memory size ............................................................................................................... 105
Multiple Recording and Timestamps.............................................................................................................................. 105
Trigger Modes ................................................................................................................................................................. 105
Trigger Counter.......................................................................................................................................................... 105
Programming examples..................................................................................................................................................... 106
Timestamps ................................................................................................................... 107
General information ......................................................................................................................................................... 107
Example for setting timestamp mode: ............................................................................................................................ 107
Timestamp modes............................................................................................................................................................. 108
Standard mode .......................................................................................................................................................... 108
StartReset mode.......................................................................................................................................................... 108
Refclock mode............................................................................................................................................................ 109
Reading out the timestamps ............................................................................................................................................... 110
General..................................................................................................................................................................... 110
Data Transfer using DMA ............................................................................................................................................ 110
Data Transfer using Polling .......................................................................................................................................... 112
Comparison of DMA and polling commands.................................................................................................................. 113
Data format ............................................................................................................................................................... 113
Combination of Memory Segmentation Options with Timestamps ........................................................................................... 114
Multiple Recording and Timestamps.............................................................................................................................. 114
Example Multiple Recording and Timestamps................................................................................................................. 115
ABA Mode and Timestamps......................................................................................................................................... 115
ABA mode (dual timebase) ............................................................................................ 116
General information ......................................................................................................................................................... 116
Standard Mode.......................................................................................................................................................... 116
FIFO Mode ................................................................................................................................................................ 117
Limits of pre trigger, post trigger, memory size ............................................................................................................... 117
Example for setting ABA mode: .................................................................................................................................... 118
Reading out ABA data ...................................................................................................................................................... 118
General..................................................................................................................................................................... 118
Data Transfer using DMA ............................................................................................................................................ 119
Data Transfer using Polling .......................................................................................................................................... 120
Comparison of DMA and polling commands.................................................................................................................. 121
ABA Mode and Timestamps......................................................................................................................................... 121
Option BaseXIO............................................................................................................. 123
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 123
Different functions............................................................................................................................................................. 123
Asynchronous Digital I/O............................................................................................................................................ 123
Special Input Functions................................................................................................................................................ 124
Transfer Data ............................................................................................................................................................. 124
Programming Example ................................................................................................................................................ 124
Special Sampling Feature ............................................................................................................................................ 124
Electrical specifications................................................................................................................................................ 125
Option Star-Hub (M3i and M4i only) .............................................................................. 126
Star-Hub introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 126
Star-Hub trigger engine ............................................................................................................................................... 126
Star-Hub clock engine ................................................................................................................................................. 126
Software Interface ............................................................................................................................................................ 126
Star-Hub Initialization.................................................................................................................................................. 126
Setup of Synchronization............................................................................................................................................. 128
Setup of Trigger ......................................................................................................................................................... 128
Run the synchronized cards ......................................................................................................................................... 129
SH-Direct: using the Star-Hub clock directly without synchronization.................................................................................. 130
Error Handling ........................................................................................................................................................... 130
Option Remote Server ................................................................................................... 131
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 131
Installing and starting the Remote Server ............................................................................................................................. 131
Windows .................................................................................................................................................................. 131
Linux......................................................................................................................................................................... 131
Accessing remote cards .................................................................................................................................................... 131

7
Appendix ...................................................................................................................... 132
Error Codes..................................................................................................................................................................... 132
Continuous memory for increased data transfer rate ............................................................................................................. 134
Background ............................................................................................................................................................... 134
Setup on Windows systems.......................................................................................................................................... 134
Setup on Linux systems ................................................................................................................................................ 134
Usage of the buffer ..................................................................................................................................................... 135
Details on M3i cards I/O lines........................................................................................................................................... 136
Multi Purpose I/O Lines............................................................................................................................................... 136
Interfacing with clock input .......................................................................................................................................... 136
Interfacing with clock output......................................................................................................................................... 136

8 M3i.48xx / M3i.48xx-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 manuals
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 M3i 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 M3i 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 M3i.xxxx and M3i.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 M3i.48xx is best suitable for applications that need ultra high sample rates as well as a maximum possible resolution. These boards offer
a resolution 4 times higher than 14 bit boards and even 16 times higher than 12 bit boards.
On the M3i.48xx every channel has its own amplifier and A/D converter. Each input channel can be adapted to a wide variety of signal
sources. This is done by software selecting a matching input path, input range, input impedance, input coupling and anti-aliasing filter. The
user will easily find a matching solution from the six offered models. These versions are working with sample rates of 65 MS/s up to 180 MS/
s and have one or two channels and can also be updated to a multi-channel system using the internal synchronization bus.
Data is written in the internal up to 2 GSample large memory. This memory can also be used as a FIFO buffer. In FIFO mode data will be
transferred online into the PC RAM or to hard disk.
Application examples: Automatic test systems, Supersonics, CCD imaging systems, Vibration analysis, Radar, Sonar.

Introduction Different models of the M3i.48xx series
(c) Spectrum GmbH 9
Different models of the M3i.48xx series
The following overview shows the different available models of the M3i.48xx series. They differ in the number of available channels. You
can also see the model dependent location of the input connectors.
• M3i.4830
• M3i.4840
• M3i.4860
• M3i.4830-exp
• M3i.4840-exp
• M3i.4860-exp
• M3i.4831
• M3i.4841
• M3i.4861
• M3i.4831-exp
• M3i.4841-exp
• M3i.4861-exp

10 M3i.48xx / M3i.48xx-exp Manual
Additional options Introduction
Additional options
Star-Hub
The star hub piggy-back module al-
lows the synchronization of up to 8
M3i 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 four boards of
the M3i series, without the need for
an additional system slot. The major
version (option SH8) allows the syn-
chronization of up to 8 cards with the
need for an additional slot.
The module acts as a star hub for
clock and trigger signals. Each board
is connected with a small cable of the
same length, even the master board.
That minimizes the clock skew be-
tween 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.
The carrier card acts as 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.
BaseXIO (versatile digital I/O)
The option BaseXIO is simple-to-use
enhancement to the cards of the M3i
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.
One line can be used as an refe-
rence 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.

Introduction The Spectrum type plate
(c) Spectrum GmbH 11
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.

12 M3i.48xx / M3i.48xx-exp Manual
Hardware information Introduction
Hardware information
Block diagram

Introduction Hardware information
(c) Spectrum GmbH 13
Technical Data
Analog Inputs
Trigger
Clock
Resolution 16 bit
Input Type Single-ended
Programmable Input Offset not available
ADC Differential non linearity (DNL) ADC only ≤1.0 LSB
ADC Integral non linearity (INL) ADC only ≤4.0 LSB
Channel selection software programmable 1 or 2 channels (maximum is model dependent)
Bandwidth filter 4830, 4831 activate by software 10 MHz bandwidth with 3rd order Butterworth filtering
Bandwidth filter 4840, 4841, 4860, 4861 activate by software 20 MHz bandwidth with 3rd order Butterworth filtering
Input Path Types software programmable 50 Ω(HF) Path Buffered (high impedance) Path
Analog Input impedance software programmable 50 Ω1 MΩ|| 25 pF or 50 Ω
Input Ranges software programmable ±500 mV, ±1 V, ±2.5 V, ±5 V ±200 mV, ±500 mV, ±1 V, ±2 V, ±5 V, ±10 V
Input Coupling software programmable AC/DC AC/DC
Offset error (full speed) after warm-up and calibration ≤ 0.1% ≤ 0.1%
Gain error (full speed) after warm-up and calibration ≤ 1.0% ≤ 0.1%
Over voltage protection range ≤ ±1V 2 Vrms ±5 V (1 MΩ), 5 Vrms (50 Ω)
Over voltage protection range ≥ ±2V 6 Vrms ±30 V (1 MΩ), 5 Vrms (50 Ω)
Max DC voltage if AC coupling active ±30 V ±30 V
Relative input stage delay 0 ns 3.8 ns
Crosstalk 1 MHz sine signal input range ±1 V not available ≤ -100 dB
Crosstalk 20 MHz sine signal input range ±1 V not available ≤-100 dB
Crosstalk 1 MHz sine signal input range ±5 V ≤ -110 dB ≤-92 dB
Crosstalk 20 MHz sine signal input range ±5 V ≤ -102 dB ≤-92 dB
Available trigger modes software programmable Channel Trigger, Ext0 (Analog), Ext1 (TT), Software, Window, Re-Arm, Or/And, Delay
Trigger level resolution software programmable 10 bits
Trigger edge software programmable Rising edge, falling edge or both edges
Trigger delay software programmable 0 to (8GSamples - 8) = 8589934584 Samples in steps of 8 samples
Multi, Gate: re-arming time ≤32 samples (+ programmed pretrigger)
Pretrigger at Multi, ABA, Gate, FIFO software programmable 8 up to [8192 Samples / number of active channels] in steps of 8
Posttrigger software programmable 8 up to 4 GSamples in steps of 8(defining pretrigger in standard scope mode)
Memory depth software programmable 16 up to [installed memory / number of active channels] samples in steps of 8
Multiple Recording/ABA segment size software programmable 16 up to [installed memory / 2 / active channels] samples in steps of 16
Trigger output delay after trigger input 134 sampling clock cycles
Internal/External trigger accuracy 1 sample
External trigger Ext0 (Trg) Ext1 (X0) + Ext2 (X1)
External trigger impedance software programmable 50 Ω/1 MΩ|| 25 pF 10 kΩto 3.3 V
External trigger coupling software programmable AC or DC fixed DC
Minimum trigger pulse width (DC / AC) ≥ 2 samples ≥ 2 samples
External trigger bandwidth DC 50 Ω/1 MΩDC to 200 MHz / 150 MHz DC to 125 MHz
External trigger bandwidth AC 50 Ω20 kHz to 200 MHz n.a.
External trigger type Window comparator, ±5 V TTL level
External trigger level software programmable 2 levels ±5V in steps of 1 mV fixed: Low: ≤0.8 V, High: ≥2.0 V
External trigger maximum voltage 5V rms (50 Ω), ±30V (1 MΩ) -0.3 V to +5.5V
External trigger output impedance input only 50 Ω
External trigger output levels input only Low: ≤0.4 V, High: ≥2.4 V
External trigger output type input only 3.3 V LVTTL.TTL compatible for high impedance
External trigger output drive strength input only Capable of driving 50 Ω loads, ±64 mA output
Clock Modes software programmable internal, external reference clock, sync
Internal clock accuracy ≤ ±32 ppm
Internal clock setup granularity 1 Hz (except the clock setup gaps shwon below)
Clock setup range gaps clock not programmable 70 MHz to 72 MHz, 140 MHz to 144 MHz, 281 MHz to 287 MHz
External reference clock range software programmable ≥10 MHz and ≤1 GHz (fix at runtime)
External reference clock setup granilarity 1 kHz
External clock input impedance software programmable 50 Ωfixed
External clock input coupling AC coupling
External clock input edge Rising edge
External clock input to internal ADC clock delay 3.7 ns (8.2 ns if synchronization is used)
External clock input type Single-ended, sine wave or square wave
External clock input swing 0.3 V peak-peak up to 3.0 V peak-peak
External clock input max DC voltage ±30 V (with max 3.0 V difference between low and high level)
External clock input duty cycke requirement 40% to 60%
External clock output type Single-ended, 3.3V LVPECL
External clock output coupling AC coupling
ABA mode clock divider for slow clock software programmable 8 up to [128k - 8] in steps of 8

14 M3i.48xx / M3i.48xx-exp Manual
Hardware information Introduction
Multi Purpose I/O lines (front-plate)
BaseXIO Option
Connectors (Standard Card)
Connectors (Option M3i.xxxx-SMA)
Connectors (Option M3i.xxxx-SMAM)
Environmental and Physical Details
M3i.4830 M3i.4831 M3i.4840 M3i.4841 M3i.4860 M3i.4861
min sampling clock 9 MS/s 9 MS/s 9 MS/s 9 MS/s 9 MS/s 9 MS/s
max internal clock (1 channel active) 65 MS/s 65 MS/s 105 MS/s 105 MS/s 180 MS/s 180 MS/s
max internal clock (2 channels active) n.a. 65 MS/s n.a. 105 MS/s n.a. 180 MS/s
lower bandwidth limit (DC coupling) 0 Hz 0 Hz 0 Hz 0 Hz 0 Hz 0 Hz
lower bandwidth limit (AC coupled, 50 Ohm) <30 kHz <30 kHz <30 kHz <30 kHz <30 kHz <30 kHz
lower bandwidth limit (AC coupled, 1 MOhm) <2 Hz <2 Hz <2 Hz <2 Hz <2 Hz <2 Hz
-3 dB bandwidth (buffered path) 30 MHz 30 MHz 45 MHz 45 MHz 70 MHz 70 MHz
-3 dB bandwidth (50 ohm path) 35 MHz 35 MHz 50 MHz 50 MHz 90 MHz 90 MHz
-3 dB bandwidth (BW limit enabled) 10 MHz 10 MHz 20 MHz 20 MHz 20 MHz 20 MHz
Number of multi purpose lines two, named X0, X1
Input: available signal types software programmable Trigger-In, Asynchronous Digital-In, Synchrounous Digital-In, Timestamp Reference Clock
Input: impedance 10 kΩto 3.3 V
Input: maximum voltage level -0.3 V to +5-5V
Input: signal levels Low: ≤0.8 V, High: ≥2.0 V
Output: available signal types software programmable Asynchronous Digital-Out, Trigger Output, Run, Arm
Output: impedance 50 Ω
Output: signal levels Low: ≤0.4 V, High: ≥2.4 V
Output: type 3.3 V LVTTL, TTL compatible for high impedance loads
Output: drive strength Capable of driving 50 Ω loads, maximum strength ±64 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
Analog Inputs 3 mm SMB male (one for each single-ended input) Cable-Type: Cab-3f-xx-xx
Trigger Ext0 Input 1 x MMCX female (one connector) Cable-Type: Cab-1m-xx-xx
Clock Input/Output 2 x MMCX female (two connectors) Cable-Type: Cab-1m-xx-xx
Multi Purpose X0 and X1 2 x MMCX female (two connectors) Cable-Type: Cab-1m-xx-xx
Option BaseXIO 8 x 3 mm SMB male on extra bracket, internally 8 x MMCX female
Analog Inputs SMA female (one for each single-ended input) Cable-Type: Cab-3mA-xx-xx
Trigger, Clock I/O, Multi Purpose X0 signals specified at order time 2 x SMA female (two connectors) Cable-Type: Cab-3mA-xx-xx
Option BaseXIO 8 x 3 mm SMB male on extra bracket, internally 8 x MMCX female
Analog Inputs SMA female (one for each single-ended input) Cable-Type: Cab-3mA-xx-xx
Trigger Ext0 Input 1 x MMCX female (one connector) Cable-Type: Cab-1m-xx-xx
Clock Input/Output 2 x MMCX female (two connectors) Cable-Type: Cab-1m-xx-xx
Multi Purpose X0 and X1 2 x MMCX female (two connectors) Cable-Type: Cab-1m-xx-xx
Option BaseXIO 8 x 3 mm SMB male on extra bracket, internally 8 x MMCX female
Dimension (PCB only) 312 mm x 107 mm (full PCI length)
Width (Standard or star-hub 4) 1 full size slot
Width (star-hub 8) additionally back of adjacent neighbour slots
Width (with option BaseXIO) additionally extra bracket on neighbour slot
Weight plain card 320 g
Weight plain card + option SH4 380g
Weight plain card + option SH8 400g
Warm up time 10 minutes
Operating temperature 0°C to 50°C
Storage temperature -10°C to 70°C
Humidity 10% to 90%

Introduction Hardware information
(c) Spectrum GmbH 15
PCI/PCI-X specific details
PCI Express specific details
Certification, Compliance, Warranty
Power Consumption
MTBF
Dynamic Parameters
A pure sine wave with > 99% amplitude of input range is measured with 50 ohms termination. SNR and RMS noise parameters may differ depending on the quality of the used PC. SNR
= Signal to Noise Ratio, THD = Total Harmonic Distortion, SFDR = Spurious Free Dynamic Range, SINAD = Signal Noise and Distortion, ENOB = Effective Number of Bits. Depending on
the test signal frequency different filter types are used: 1 MHz signal = 7th order low pass, 10 MHz signal = 6th order band pass, 40 MHz signal = 6th order bandpass.
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
M3i.48x1 (256 MS memory) 1.9 A 2.6 A 19.3 W 0.4 A 1.9 A 24.1 W
M3i.48x1 (2 GSamples memory), max power 3.0 A 2.6 A 22.9 W 0.4 A 2.5 A 31.3 W
MTBF 200000 hours
M3i.4861 and M3i.4860, 1 or 2 channels 180 MS/s
Input Path HF path, AC coupled, fixed 50 Ohm Buffered path, BW limit Buffered path, full BW
Test signal frequency 1 MHz 10 MHz 40 MHz 10 MHz 1 MHz 10 MHz 40 MHz
Input Range ±1V ±500mV ±1V ±1V ±200mV ±500mV ±1V ±500mV ±500mV ±500mV
RMS Noise (zero level) ≤8.0 LSB ≤10.0 LSB ≤10.0 LSB
THD (typ) (dB) -80.6 -79.2 -79.3 -77.8 -77.4 -77.7 -75.3 -83.4 -77.7 -47.8
SNR(typ)(dB) 73.173.373.471.971.472.873.171.172.868.6
SFDR (typ), excl. harm. (dB) 92.4 96.0 96.8 87.8 95.8 96.8 96.7 87.6 96.4 88.2
SFDR (typ), incl. harm. (dB) 81.1 80.5 80.5 78.8 79.0 78.7 76.2 85.2 79.0 48.0
SINAD/THD+N (typ) (dB) 72.4 72.3 72.3 70.9 70.4 71.6 73.1 70.9 71.6 47.8
ENOBbasedonSINAD(bit)11.711.711.711.511.411.611.511.511.6 7.6
ENOBbasedonSNR(bit) 11.911.911.911.711.611.811.811.511.811.1
M3i.4841 and M3i.4840, 1 or 2 channels 105 MS/s
Input Path HF path, AC coupled, fixed 50 Ohm Buffered path, BW limit Buffered path, full BW
Test signal frequency 1 MHz 10 MHz 10 MHz 1 MHz 10 MHz
Input Range ±1V ±500mV ±1V ±200mV ±500mV ±1V ±500mV ±500mV
RMS Noise (zero level) ≤7.0 LSB ≤10.0 LSB ≤10.0 LSB
THD (typ) (dB) -86.0 -87.3 -88.0 -83.0 -82.1 -76.2 -85.0 -79.8
SNR (typ) (dB) 74.5 74.7 74.7 71.7 73.9 74.2 73.1 73.0
SFDR (typ), excl. harm. (dB) 93.0 97.0 97.1 92.8 93.5 93.1 92.5 96.3
SFDR (typ), incl. harm. (dB) 86.5 91.5 91.7 85.3 85.1 79.0 87.5 81.5
SINAD/THD+N (typ) (dB) 74.2 74.5 74.5 71.4 73.3 72.1 72.8 72.2
ENOB based on SINAD (bit) 12.0 12.1 12.1 11.6 11.9 11.7 11.8 11.7
ENOB based on SNR (bit) 12.1 12.1 12.1 11.6 12.0 12.0 11.9 11.8
M3i.4831 and M3i.4830, 1 or 2 channels 65 MS/s
Input Path HF path, AC coupled, fixed 50 Ohm Buffered path, BW limit Buffered path, full BW
Test signal frequency 1 MHz 10 MHz 10 MHz 1 MHz 10 MHz
Input Range ±1V ±500mV ±1V ±200mV ±500mV ±1V ±500mV ±500mV
RMS Noise (zero level) ≤5.0 LSB ≤9.0 LSB ≤9.0 LSB
THD (typ) (dB) -85.0 -86.2 -86.2 -83.5 -80.8 -76.5 -84.1 -80.4
SNR (typ) (dB) 75.0 75.4 75.2 72.3 74.6 74.8 73.8 74.2
SFDR (typ), excl. harm. (dB) 94.5 92.0 90.8 88.5 91.4 90.7 88.3 91.0
SFDR (typ), incl. harm. (dB) 81.5 87.7 87.5 84.7 83.3 78.8 85.2 81.5
SINAD/THD+N (typ) (dB) 74.6 75.1 74.9 72.0 73.7 72.6 73.4 73.4
ENOB based on SINAD (bit) 12.0 12.2 12.2 11.7 11.9 11.8 11.9 11.9
ENOB based on SNR (bit) 12.2 12.2 12.2 11.7 12.1 12.1 12.0 12.0

16 M3i.48xx / M3i.48xx-exp Manual
Hardware information Introduction
Order Information
The card is delivered with 256 MSample on-board memory and supports standard acquisition (Scope), FIFO acquisition (streaming), Multiple
Recording, ABA mode and Timestamps. Operating system drivers for Windows/Linux 32 bit and 64 bit, examples for C/C++, LabVIEW
(Windows), MATLAB (Windows and Linux), LabWindows/CVI, IVI, .NET, Delphi, Visual Basic, Java, Python and a Base license of the oscil-
loscope 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/PCI-X PCI Express PCI/PCI-X Standard mem 1 channel 2 channels
PCI Express M3i.4830-exp M3i.4830 256 MSample 65 MS/s
M3i.4831-exp M3i.4831 256 MSample 65 MS/s 65 MS/s
M3i.4840-exp M3i.4840 256 MSample 105 MS/s
M3i.4841-exp M3i.4841 256 MSample 105 MS/s 105 MS/s
M3i.4860-exp M3i.4860 256 MSample 180 MS/s
M3i.4861-exp M3i.4861 256 MSample 180 MS/s 180 MS/s
Memory Order no. Option
M3i.xxxx-512MS Memory upgrade to 512 MSample (1 GB) total memory
M3i.xxxx-1GS Memory upgrade to 1 GSample (2 GB) total memory
Options Order no. Option
M3i.xxxx-SH4 Synchronization Star-Hub for up to 4 cards, only 1 slot width
M3i.xxxx-SH8 Synchronization Star-Hub for up to 8 cards, 2 slots width
M3i.xxxx-bxio Option BaseXIO: 8 digital I/O lines usable as asynchronous I/O and timestamp ref-clock, additional
bracket with 8 SMB connectors
M3i.xxxx-SMA Option SMA connections for all analog inputs + two control signals (fixed at order time):
- SMA connection XA: Trigger-In or Trigger-Out/Multi Purpose X0
- SMA connection XB: Trigger-In or Clock In or Clock-Out
M3i.xxxx-SMAM Option SMA connections for all analog inputs + MMCX connections for all control signals (clock I/O,
trigger I/O, multipurpose X0, X1)
M3i-upgrade Upgrade for M3i.xxxx: later installation of option -bxio, -SH4, SH8 or SMA connectors
Services Order no.
WarrExt5 Warranty extension from 2 years standard warranty to 5 years
Recal Recalibration at Spectrum incl. calibration protocol
Standard Cables Order no.
for Connections Length to BNC male to BNC female to SMA male to SMA female to SMB female
Standard inputs 80 cm Cab-3f-9m-80 Cab-3f-9f-80 Cab-3f-3mA-80 Cab-3f-3fA-80
Standard inputs 200 cm Cab-3f-9m-200 Cab-3f-9f-200 Cab-3f-3mA-200 Cab-3f-3fA-200
Probes (short) 5 cm Cab-3f-9f-5
Trigger/Clock/Extra 80 cm Cab-1m-9m-80 Cab-1m-9f-80 Cab-1m-3mA-80 Cab-1m-3fA-80 Cab-1m-3f-80
Trigger/Clock/Extra 200 cm Cab-1m-9m-200 Cab-1m-9f200 Cab-1m-3mA-200 Cab-1m-3fA-200 Cab-1m-3f-200
SMA Option 80 cm Cab-3mA-9m-80 Cab-3mA-9f-80
SMA Option 200 cm Cab-3mA-9m-200 Cab-3mA-9f-200
Information The standard adapter cables are based on RG174 cables and have a nominal attenuation of 0.3 dB/m at 100 MHz and
0.5 dB/m at 250 MHz. For high speed signals we recommend the low loss cables series CHF together with the SMA con-
nector option M3i.xxxx-SMA oder M3i.xxxx-SMAM.
Low Loss Cables Order no.s Option
CHF-3mA-3mA-200 Low loss cables SMA male to SMA male 200 cm
CHF-3mA-9m-200 Low loss cables SMA male to BNC male 200 cm
Information The low loss adapter cables are based on MF141 cables and have an attenuation of 0.3 dB/m at 500 MHz and
0.5 dB/m at 1.5 GHz. They are recommended for signal frequencies of 200 MHz and above. Card SMA connectors are
needed. Make sure to order one of the options M3i.xxxx-SMA or M3i.xxxx-SMAM together with the card.
Amplifiers Order no. Bandwidth Connection Input Impedance Coupling Amplification
SPA.1841 (2) 2 GHz SMA 50 Ohm AC x100 (40 dB)
SPA.1801 (2) 2 GHz SMA 50 Ohm AC x10 (20 dB)
SPA.1601 (2) 500 MHz BNC 50 Ohm DC x10 (20 dB)
SPA.1412 (2) 200 MHz BNC 1 MOhm AC/DC x10/x100 (20/40 dB)
SPA.1411 (2) 200 MHz BNC 50 Ohm AC/DC x10/x100 (20/40 dB)
SPA.1232 (2) 10 MHz BNC 1 MOhm AC/DC x100/x1000 (40/60 dB)
SPA.1231 (2) 10 MHz BNC 50 Ohm AC/DC x100/x1000 (40/60 dB)
Information External Amplifiers with one channel, BNC/SMA female connections on input and output, manually adjustable offset, man-
ually switchable settings. An external power supply for 100 to 240 VAC is included. Please be sure to order an adapter
cable matching the amplifier connector type and matching the connector type for your A/D card input.
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.
Software Options Order no.
Spc-RServer Remote Server Software Package - LAN remote access for M2i/M3i/M4i/M4x cards

Hardware Installation System Requirements
(c) Spectrum GmbH 17
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).

18 M3i.48xx / M3i.48xx-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

Hardware Installation Installing the board in the system
(c) Spectrum GmbH 19
Installing the M2i/M3i.xxxx-exp PCI Express card in a PCIe x1 slot
Installing the M2i/M3i.xxxx-exp PCI Express card in a PCIe x4, x8 or x16 slot

20 M3i.48xx / M3i.48xx-exp Manual
Installing the board in the system Hardware Installation
Installing a board with digital inputs/outputs mounted on an extra bracket
Before installing the board you first need to unscrew and remove the dedicated blind-brackets usually mounted to cover unused slots of your
PC. Please keep the screws in reach to fasten your Spectrum board and the extra bracket afterwards. All Spectrum boards require a full length
PCI slot with a track at the backside to guide the board by its retainer. Now insert the board and the extra bracket 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 PCI slot, as most of the mainboards are mounted
with spacers and therefore might be damaged they are exposed to high pressure.
After the board’s insertion fasten the screws of both brackets carefully, without overdoing. The figure shows an ex-
ample of a board with two installed modules.