Chapter 3: Software
The AIM-16 does not have software included with it, as software for a system is largely dependent upon the A/D card used. The AD12-8 A/D card has a full range of software included with it that includes support for the AIM-16 as follows. See "Directories Created on the Hard Disk" in the Installation section for a complete software description.
Drivers
Hardware drivers included with the AD12-8 are designed to use the advanced features of the AIM-16 such as programmable gains and on-board reference-junction compensation. The drivers support "C", Pascal, QuickBASIC and interpreted BASIC. In addition, a driver is provided in DLL form for Windows applications
The driver also supports a point list, which allows assignment of point addresses with gain, in any order desired. This allows A/D points in the system to be scanned in any order.
Sample Programs
Two sample programs directly use the AIM-16. SAMPLE2 performs timer-driven interrupts using all channels of a single AIM-16. This program can be easily modified to support the maximum number of eight AIM-16s.
SAMPLE3 performs similar functions to SAMPLE2 but uses the SETUP.CFG configuration file to setup the driver. If you compare the two samples, you will see the substantial decrease in program code required when using this auto configuration.
SETMUX
The SETMUX setup utility program provides a graphical reference to assist you in configuring your AIM-16 for the various features provided by this card. The setup program allows you to assign AIM-16s or reference junctions to any of the eight A/D channels.
After you assign your AIM-16s to their respective A/D channels, you may make individual channel assignments for the various types of inputs supported, such as thermocouples or voltage inputs using any of the programmable gains supported.
Upon exiting the SETMUX program, the setup and configuration information is stored in a file called SETUP.CFG. The drivers or your own application program can then use this file to determine the configuration of your system.
SETMUX also provides for calibration of your AIM-16. See the Calibration and Test section of Installation for instructions on using this feature.
