Impulse 8003 - Manual (Page 8)

© Sealevel Systems, Inc. - 6 - REL-16.PCI User Manual
Programming the REL-16.PCI
Sealevel’s SeaI/O software is provided to assist in the development of reliable
applications for the Sealevel Systems family of digital I/O adapters. Included on the
SeaI/O CD are driver functions for use in accessing the I/O as well as helpful
samples and utilities.
Programming for Windows
The SeaI/O API (Application Programmer Interface) provides a variety of useful
high-level function calls implemented in a Windows dynamic link library (DLL).
The API is defined in the help file (Start/Programs/SeaIO/SeaIO Help) under
“Application Programmers Interface”. This help file also includes detailed
information dealing with installation / removal of the software and information
about latency, logic states, and device configuration.
For C language programmers we recommend using the API to access the REL-
16.PCI. If you are programming in Visual Basic, using the ActiveX control
included with SeaI/O is advised.
Samples and Utilities
A variety of sample programs and utilities (both executable and source code) are
included with SeaI/O. Further documentation on these samples can be found by
selecting “Start/Programs/SeaIO/Sample Application Description”. Information
about where the files are physically stored on your disk is also included in this same
file.
Programming for Linux
SeaI/O for Linux consists of two major parts: a kernel module and a library. The
kernel module is a simple IO pass-through device, allowing the library to handle the
more sophisticated functions provided to SeaI/O users. It is provided in a ‘tarball’
format and can easily be compiled and included in the kernel build.
Digital I/O Interface
The REL-16.PCI provides two parallel reed relay output ports. The ports are
organized as ports A, B, C, and D. In order to maintain compatibility with the
existing ISA interface adapter (Sealevel Item# 3095), ports C and D (Base address+2
and 3) are the reed relay output port addresses.
Output Ports (Reed Relay)
Reed relays provide very high quality, long life, low current (10 Watt maximum),
dry contact switch closures. Reed relays are not suited for high current applications,
and can be destroyed by inductive load switching, where a spark occurs across the
contacts internally. The relays are normally open, and close when energized.