LOR and digital IO cards

[Guest guest]

Dan, I asked earlier if there was a compatibility list for these cards. Your relpy was if it was 8255 compatible, then yes, I was in luck. You also pointed out a program with which to do some testing on the card from Measurement Computing called InstiCal. If this program could talk to the card, I have a chance.

So tonight's project was to address these issues. This is the first time I've experimented with a DIO card but have seen and am familiar with the 8255.

First, although the 82c55 isn't specifically used, I think the Altera programmable emmulator probably is 8255 compatable. It claims 4 ports that can be set as I-O as a port and 2 ports that can be split. This is how 2 8255 chips would work if I remember correctly.

Tonight, I downloaded InstiCal and installed the card at address 320. I was able to run internal tests on ports 1-3, and 5-6 successfully using their CIO-DIO48 as the board to be tested. I think the reason port 4 didn't work is that my DIO board puts port 4 at address 323. Their board and test for some reason skips address 323. I went further and shorted one input from each port to ground and noticed the port would fail on retest. Removing the short passes the test upon retest. By this, I assume InstiCal 'talks' to my board?

I went further and tried the external tests but they didn't work. This is where you tie port 1 bit 0 to port 2 bit 0, ect. Don't know if this has any merit since there really isn't a CIO-DIO48 present for the software to test in this mode.

What is your take on this info? Do I have a chance?

Disclaimer:

I don't plan on using this card in an outside display and the compatability of this card with LOR or LOR II software has no bearing on how many 16 channel controllers I'm buying in April. I have no desire to run 48, (or 40 if port 4 isn't usable), or even 8 extension cords from SSR's in the basement through the header board and out to the front yard. The only purpose this serves is to have the software control various lights already installed around in my library and rec room downstairs for entertaining, even if I'm the only one entertained at that moment:laughing: while the main controllers are stowed away with my Halloween and Christmas stuff.

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Looking at the software demo I see DIO boards are listed as unit #'s starting 0 instead of by address. Does this imply that the software goes out and finds DIO cards since I don't see a way to program it's address into the software? Be interested in reading from anyone who has used DIO cards with LOR software.

Attached is the future home for the controllers running stand-alone. As you can see, I'm ready.



Attached files

[Guest guest]

I think you have a good chance that it will work. Generally if Instacal can talk to it LOR can. When you installed Instacal you also installed a library that Instacal uses to talk to the DIO boards.

LOR uses that same library that you installed with instacal. Actually if instacal is not installed then LOR says that it cannot do DIO cards.

In instacal each board is assigned a number. Board 0, Board 1 ..... You use the same board number for LOR. When you go with PCI cards and USB cards it still works the same way it is just the board number assigned by Instacal and it is transparent if it is ISA, PCI or USB form the perspective of setting up channels in LOR.

Also with the full software you can use the Hardware Utility to test cards. When you click refresh in the DIO section of the hardware utility it will list all the DIO cards and the board number assigned but instacal. You can also test the output circuits with the hardware utility to make sure we are in sync as to what circuit 1, circuit 2.... actually are on the DIO card.

It sounds to me like you are good to go.