PCI data aquisition project.

[sztibi82]

I would like to build a PCI data aquisition card, nothing costly, only something simple like
16 bit digital i/o
1 or 2 analog out
1 or 2 analog in

ports

Please write suggestions links etc.

 

[xirix]

Take a PLX chip for interface (~ 10 USD) and a micro for I/O expansion.

 

[sztibi82]

Please can you be more precise with the plx ic.
Ca i use pic16f870 as the micro?

 

[farhada]

May I asked you if you have ever done a high speed board design before?

The risk with PCI is that you may burn your mother board if you make some mistakes during the layout work. Plus you have to write a sofisticated device driver for the unit and it is not a trivial task either (I am a lazy engineer with not much time!).

If you have designed highspeed design before, and are ready to spend a few hundred dollars into making a PCB and can solder components with 0.65 or o.50mm pitch, then you can make this board, but if I was you, I would rather use a USB chip like FTDI and connect it to a microcontroller like your PIC and make my life 100 times easier and save a few hundreds for prototyping costs and the risk or trashing my MB.

Just my 2c.

BR,
/Farhad

 

[xirix]

Choose for example a target PCI interface like PLX9050 - and, if don't need high speed transfer use your PIC for IO. From the complexity point of view, I also recomand to use USB.

 

[Ace-X]

May I asked you if you have ever done a high speed board design before?

The risk with PCI is that you may burn your mother board if you make some mistakes during the layout work. Plus you have to write a sofisticated device driver for the unit and it is not a trivial task either (I am a lazy engineer with not much time!).

Every guru was dummy in past ;-) Actually, it is not so difficult to make PCI board if you use special chip, like the one from PLX mentioned before. Just go through some App Notes, get ideas of schematic from reference design, and pay some attention for component placement. As to driver, the one can use PLX SDK with ready for use drivers and examples. Also, driver SDK from Jungo can help here. It will take some time to make board like this without any experience in PCI, but it is a good way to get valuable experience.

As to microcontroller, I would suggest to use fast 8051-compatible uC from SiLabs (with built-in ADC) or Maxim.

Good luck!

Ace-X.

 

[IanP]

You are right Ace-X.

sztibi82 - go for it, don't be afraid. You will gain expirience which you will never forget and regret! ! !

From me same adices as Ace-X.

 

[sztibi82]

Hi all.
Good replyes.

I found the following link: **broken link removed**

from which a data aquisition can be started. If somebody gets the source code for the EPM7032SLC44-10 pls post it here or make a link to it.

 

[farhada]

Ace-X,
I agree with you that it is a possible job and it can be very valuable to learn how the PCI works and I did not wanted to discourage sztibi82 from doing it. Even though PLX makes the design much simpler, it is really big job for such a small requirment, unless it is for Pure Academic Knowledge.

IMHO that circuit can be done in a few weeks time using USB, but it will take 3-5 times more doing it on PCI, so maybe I said it in a wrong way, but for a hobby project, PCI is way too ambigious but the rewards are much greater than USB for example.

just my 2c,
/Farhad

 

[sztibi82]

Hi all.


It is for pure academic knowledge, i already made a parallel to usb interface using FT chip, but because i am a student i want to learn if possible all methodes to connect something to PC. It does not has to be PCI, but because i already made parallel, serial and usb i think this is the best way to continue, so if you guys have other ideas and already made a project on PCI, i am open for sugestions and help.