Chapter 2
Functional Overview
©
National Instruments Corporation
2-3
VXI/VMEpc 600 Series User Manual
The VXI/VMEpc 600 Series consists of the following logic blocks:
Video
The video circuitry is a plug-in PCI card that has
a 64-bit data path and 2 MB of EDO DRAM.
IDE
This is dedicated IDE circuitry providing fast
ATA-2 transfers to the internal hard drive.
VXI/VME
This is the PCI-VXI/VMEbus interface
circuitry. The MITE is a National Instruments
ASIC developed to efficiently manage data
transfers between the VXI/VMEbus and the
processor (via the PCI bus). The MANTIS ASIC
(also developed by National Instruments)
performs VXI/VMEbus arbitration and manages
VXIbus interrupts and triggers. Also part of the
VXIbus interface are the SMB connectors,
which you can use to route triggers and the
CLK10 signal to or from the VXIbus.
Ethernet
This is an PCI-based Ethernet circuit. It uses an
RJ-45 connector for access to an external
Ethernet 10/100 Base-T LAN.
GPIB
This is the IEEE 488.2 port. It uses the National
Instruments TNT4882 ASIC for maximum
performance as an ISA-based GPIB controller.
PC Peripherals
These blocks represent the other peripherals
supplied by the VXI/VMEpc 600 Series. The
VXI/VMEpc 600 Series has PS/2 mouse and
keyboard ports, two miniature serial ports, an
ECP/EPP parallel port, reset button, and a
1.44 MB, 3.5 in. floppy drive.
System I/O
This block has the bridge between the PCI bus
and the ISA bus. It also has PCI bus arbitration
logic and integrates PC-specific hardware such
as the DMA and interrupt controllers.
SCSI
The SCSI circuitry uses a PCI-SCSI bridge to
provide a flexible Ultra Wide SCSI connection
on the front panel, usable for such devices as
external hard disks and CD-ROM drives.
