Chapter 1
Introduction
©
National Instruments Corporation
1-5
VXI/VMEpc 600 Series User Manual
♦
VXI users only—The VXI trigger interface on the VXIpc 600 Series
controller is based on the MANTIS custom ASIC. The front panel has two
SMB trigger I/O connectors, which you can use to route any of the TTL
trigger lines between the backplane and external devices. The MANTIS
ASIC on the controller provides the complete VXI interface to the
backplane connector in a single chip. The VXIpc 600 Series can respond
to all VXI-defined protocols on all P2 TTL and ECL trigger lines at the
same time. The MANTIS features an internal cross-matrix switching
system for routing between lines as well as to and from the front panel and
onboard clocks.
Note
The MANTIS ASIC contains the exact functionality of the TIC ASIC, which
appeared on the VXIpc-486 Model 500 Series controllers. Any application that
currently uses any of the TIC functionality, such as the crosspoint switch and
counter/timers, can run on a controller containing the MANTIS ASIC without
modification.
Front Panel Features
The VXI/VMEpc 600 Series has the following front-panel features:
•
Internal 3.5 in. floppy drive
•
System reset push-button
•
Up to 14 front-panel connectors as listed below:
–
Two RS-232 Serial
–
Extended Capabilities Parallel (ECP)
–
Super VGA
–
GPIB (IEEE 488.2)
–
10/100 BaseT Ethernet
–
Ultra Wide SCSI
–
PS/2-Style Keyboard
–
PS/2-Style Mouse
–
Two Universal Serial Bus (USB)
–
External Clock (VXIpc only)
–
Trigger Output (VXIpc only)
–
Trigger Input (VXIpc only)
•
Six front-panel LEDs that show VXI and PC status:
–
SYSF LED indicates that the VXI/VMEbus SYSFAIL line is
asserted.