Spectrum Instrumentation mixed-mode option for digitisers and AWGs

Spectrum Instrumentation has released an optional module for its latest range of 16-bit digitisers and AWGs that adds 16 synchronous digital lines to the analog data.

The additional digital lines extend the four multipurpose XIO lines that are already standard on these digitiser and AWG cards. This makes in total 20 fully programmable XIO lines that can run as synchronous digital inputs for a digitiser, synchronous digital outputs for an AWG, or asynchronous I/O lines, status lines or even additional trigger inputs.

The digital option is a piggyback module for the PCIe cards that occupies the panel of a second slot. It comes in two different versions, one with SMB connectors and one with an FX2 flat-ribbon connector. The SMB-version (M2p.xxxx-DigSMB) offers 10 connectors on the front panel plus six more that are available internally and can be used for PC-internal cross connection or external connection via an empty slot bracket. The FX2-version (M2p.xxxx-DigFX2) allows parallel connection of all lines with a single connector.

The modules fit on the 16-bit digitisers of the M2p.59xx series, offering 20 different PCIe-cards with one to eight channels and 20 to 125 MS/s. They also fit on the 16-bit AWGs of the M2p.65xx series, consisting of eight PCIe-variants, again with one to eight channels and the choice of 40 or 125 MS/s.

Mounted for example on an M2p.5968-x4 digitiser card, the combination can be operated with eight analog channels in parallel with up to 20 synchronous digital channels (one on the main card being output only). Using the same module on an M2p.6568-x4 AWG-card provides eight analog AWG channels and up to 20 synchronous digital outputs or marker outputs.

Digital data is stored inside the analog samples by reducing the resolution. Software drivers allow customised set-ups that can generate matching mixed-mode solutions. The option is fully supported by the complete software development kit (SDK) that includes programming using C++, C#, VB.NET, Python, JAVA, LabVIEW or MATLAB. Spectrum’s own software, SBench 6, also supports the major part of the option’s functionality.