ATS SDK Guide

User Manual:

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ATS-SDK User Guide
Version 7.2.3
December 20, 2018

CONTENTS

1 License Agreement
1.1 Important . . . . .
1.2 Ownership . . . .
1.3 Rights . . . . . . .
1.4 Limited Warranty

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2 Getting Started
2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . .
2.2 Programming Environments
2.3 Sample code . . . . . . . . .
2.4 Contacting us . . . . . . . . .

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5
. 5
. 7
. 9
. 10

3 Programmer’s Guide
3.1 Addressing a board
3.2 Resetting a board .
3.3 Configuring a board
3.4 Acquiring data . . .
3.5 Processing data . . .

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1
1
1
2
2

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11
11
13
14
29
52

4 AlazarDSP API Documentation
63
4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.2 Detailed Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5 Advanced Topics
67
5.1 External clock issues for OCT applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
5.2 AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
6 API Reference
6.1 AlazarAbortAsyncRead
6.2 AlazarAbortCapture . .
6.3 AlazarAllocBufferU16 .
6.4 AlazarAllocBufferU16Ex
6.5 AlazarAllocBufferU8 . .
6.6 AlazarAllocBufferU8Ex
6.7 AlazarAsyncRead . . . .
6.8 AlazarBeforeAsyncRead

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73
75
76
77
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79
i

6.9
6.10
6.11
6.12
6.13
6.14
6.15
6.16
6.17
6.18
6.19
6.20
6.21
6.22
6.23
6.24
6.25
6.26
6.27
6.28
6.29
6.30
6.31
6.32
6.33
6.34
6.35
6.36
6.37
6.38
6.39
6.40
6.41
6.42
6.43
6.44
6.45
6.46
6.47
6.48
6.49
6.50
6.51
6.52
6.53
6.54
6.55
6.56
ii

AlazarBoardsFound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarBoardsInSystemByHandle . . . . . . . . .
AlazarBoardsInSystemBySystemID . . . . . . . .
AlazarBusy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarConfigureAuxIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarConfigureLSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarConfigureRecordAverage . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarConfigureSampleSkipping . . . . . . . . .
AlazarCoprocessorDownload . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarCoprocessorRegisterRead . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarCoprocessorRegisterWrite . . . . . . . . .
AlazarCreateStreamFile . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPAbortCapture . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPGenerateWindowFunction . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPGetBuffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPGetInfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPGetModules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPGetNextBuffer . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPGetParameterFloat . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPGetParameterS32 . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPGetParameterU32 . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPSetParameterFloat . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPSetParameterS32 . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarDSPSetParameterU32 . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarErrorToText . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarExtractFFTNPTFooters . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarExtractNPTFooters . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarExtractTimeDomainNPTFooters . . . . . .
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionGetRecordS16
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetEnabled . .
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetRecordS16
AlazarFFTGetMaxTriggerRepeatRate . . . . . . .
AlazarFFTSetScalingAndSlicing . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarFFTSetWindowFunction . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarFFTSetup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarForceTrigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarForceTriggerEnable . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarFreeBufferU16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarFreeBufferU16Ex . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarFreeBufferU8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarFreeBufferU8Ex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetBoardBySystemHandle . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetBoardBySystemID . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetBoardKind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetBoardRevision . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetCPLDVersion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetChannelInfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetChannelInfoEx . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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85
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128

6.57
6.58
6.59
6.60
6.61
6.62
6.63
6.64
6.65
6.66
6.67
6.68
6.69
6.70
6.71
6.72
6.73
6.74
6.75
6.76
6.77
6.78
6.79
6.80
6.81
6.82
6.83
6.84
6.85
6.86
6.87
6.88
6.89
6.90
6.91
6.92
6.93
6.94
6.95
6.96
6.97
6.98
6.99

AlazarGetDriverVersion . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetMaxRecordsCapable . . . . . .
AlazarGetParameter . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetParameterLL . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetParameterUL . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetSDKVersion . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetStatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetSystemHandle . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetTriggerAddress . . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetTriggerTimestamp . . . . . . . .
AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemHandle
AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemID . . .
AlazarHyperDisp . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarInputControl . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarInputControlEx . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarNumOfSystems . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarOCTIgnoreBadClock . . . . . . . .
AlazarPostAsyncBuffer . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarQueryCapability . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarQueryCapabilityLL . . . . . . . . .
AlazarRead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarReadEx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarResetTimeStamp . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetADCBackgroundCompensation .
AlazarSetBWLimit . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetCaptureClock . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetExternalClockLevel . . . . . . .
AlazarSetExternalTrigger . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetLED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetParameter . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetParameterLL . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetParameterUL . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetRecordCount . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetRecordSize . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetTriggerDelay . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetTriggerOperation . . . . . . . .
AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning .
AlazarSetTriggerTimeOut . . . . . . . . .
AlazarSleepDevice . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarStartCapture . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarTriggered . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete . . . . .
AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete . .

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128
129
130
132
133
134
135
135
136
137
137
138
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146
146
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149
152
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153
154
154
155
155
159
160
161
161
162
162
163
164
164
165
168
169
170
170
171
171
172

7 Board-Specific Information
175
7.1 Supported impedances and input ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
7.2 Samples per record requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
7.3 Samples per timestamp and trigger delay alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
iii

7.4
7.5
7.6
7.7
7.8
7.9
7.10
7.11
Index

iv

Aux I/O output Synchronization . . . .
Possible input channel configurations .
Supported sample rates . . . . . . . . .
Miscellaneous features support . . . . .
External trigger level support . . . . . .
Supported clock types . . . . . . . . . .
Frequency limits for external clock types
Valid frequencies in PLL mode . . . . .

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177
178
178
179
180
180
181
181
183

CHAPTER

ONE

LICENSE AGREEMENT

1.1 Important
By using this software you accept the following terms of this License Agreement. If you do not
agree with these terms, you should not use the software and promptly return it for a refund.

1.2 Ownership
Alazar Technologies, Inc., retains the ownership of this copy of the enclosed software package. It is
licensed to you for use under the following conditions:

1.2.1 Grant of License
You may only concurrently use the enclosed software on the computers that have an Alazar Technologies, Inc. waveform digitizer card plugged in (for example, if you have purchased one Alazar
Technologies, Inc. card, you have a license for one concurrent usage). If the number of users of
the software exceeds the number of Alazar Technologies, Inc. cards you have purchased, you must
have a reasonable process in place to assure that the number of persons concurrently using the
software does not exceed the number of Alazar Technologies, Inc. cards purchased.
This license is non-transferable.

1.2.2 Restrictions
You may not copy the documentation or software except as described in the installation section
of this manual. You may not distribute, rent, sub-lease or lease the software or documentation,
including translating, decomposing, or disassembling, or creating derivative works. You may not
reverse-engineer any part of this software, or produce any derivative work. You may not make
telecommunication transmittal of this software.

1

ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

1.2.3 Termination
This license and your right to use this software automatically terminates if you fail to comply with
any provision of this license agreement.

1.3 Rights
Alazar Technologies, Inc. retains all rights not expressly granted. Nothing in this agreement constitutes a waiver of Alazar Technologies, Inc.’s rights under the Canadian and U.S. copyright laws or
any other Federal or State law.

1.4 Limited Warranty
If you discover physical defects in the media, Alazar Technologies, Inc. will replace the media or
documentation at no charge to you, provided you return the item to be replaced with proof of
payment to Alazar Technologies, Inc. during the 90-day period after having taken delivery of the
software.
Alazar Technologies, Inc. excludes any and all implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and limits your remedy to return the software and
documentation to Alazar Technologies, Inc. for replacement. Although Alazar Technologies, Inc.
has tested the software and reviewed the documentation, ALAZAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC. MAKES
NO WARRANTY OF REPRESENTATION, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO
THIS SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION, ITS QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. AS A RESULT, THIS SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION
IS LICENSED “as is” AND YOU, THE LICENSEE, ARE ASSUMING THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO ITS
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE. IN NO EVENT WILL ALAZAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC. BE LIABLE
FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT
OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION, even if advised of
the possibility of such damages. In particular, Alazar Technologies, Inc. shall have no liability for
any data acquired, stored or processed with this software, including the costs of recovering such
data.
THE WARRANTY AND REMEDIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL
OTHERS, ORAL OR WRITTEN, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. No Alazar Technologies, Inc. dealer,
agent or employee is authorized to make any modifications or additions to this warranty.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Alazar Technologies, Inc. The software described in this document is furnished
under this license agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the
terms of the agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for
any purpose without the written permission of Alazar Technologies, Inc.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or liability for incidental or
consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty

2

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights, which vary from jurisdiction to
jurisdiction.

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

3

ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

4

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

CHAPTER

TWO

GETTING STARTED

2.1 Introduction
AlazarTech supplies device drivers for Windows and Linux that allow software to configure
AlazarTech digitizers, and transfer sample data from the digitizer to application buffers.
The AlazarTech software developer’s kit (ATS-SDK) includes header and library files required to call
functions exported by these device drivers in user written applications, as well as documentation
and sample code describing how to use these functions.
This document is a part of the ATS-SDK. It describes how to call functions exported by AlazarTech
device drivers to control one or more digitizer boards. It is divided into the following sections:
• A programming guide that describes how to configure, and acquire data from, digitizer
boards.
• A reference guide that describes the functions exported by the device drivers.
To get the most from your AlazarTech digitizer:
• Read the user manual supplied their digitizer board. It provides an overview of the digitizer
hardware, as well as detailed specifications.
• Read the “Programmer’s guide” section of this document. It describes how to program the digitizer hardware to make an acquisition, and to transfer sample data into application buffers.
• Browse the SDK sample programs. They include sample code that demonstrates how to make
many types of acquisitions supported by the digitizer.
Note that this document includes descriptions of board specific features and options that may not
be available on your digitizer board. Please refer your board’s user manual for its specifications.
Document navigation
This manual contains intra-document links. You will need a PDF viewer with “Previous View”
functionality to navigate through the manual with ease.
If you are opening this PDF manual with the built-in Mozilla® Firefox® PDF viewer, you can rightclick anywhere in the PDF window to access page navigation:

5

ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

Otherwise, this PDF manual is best viewed using a PDF viewer with “Previous View” functionality.
If your preferred PDF viewer does not include this functionality, you may wish to use one of the
following1 options:
• Foxit® Reader: https://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf-reader/ (available for Linux and Windows)
• PDF Studio 2018: https://www.qoppa.com/pdfstudioviewer/download/ (available for Linux
and Windows)
• Adobe® Acrobat® Reader DC: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ (available for Windows)
If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader, you will need to enable the Previous View and Next View
Page Navigation tools: Right-click on the top toolbar and go to Show Page Navigation Tools, then
select Previous View. Repeat the process for Next View.

1
This manual includes links to information created and maintained by other private and/or public organizations.
Alazar Technologies Inc. (AlazarTech) provides these links solely for our users’ information and convenience. AlazarTech
does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, or completeness of information contained on a linked website.
Furthermore, AlazarTech does not endorse these organizations or the views they express or the products/services they
offer. AlazarTech is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites, nor is it responsible for or liable
in any way for commercial transactions which users transact with linked websites.

6

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

2.2 Programming Environments
2.2.1 C/C++ Linux
C/C++ developers under Linux should include the following header files in source files that use
functions exported by the ATS-SDK library:
#include "AlazarError.h"
#include "AlazarApi.h"
#include "AlazarCmd.h"

These modules should also link against libATSApi.so.
The development package for Linux defaults to installing the header files in
/usr/local/AlazarTech/include, and the library files in the standard library directory for the
target distribution.

2.2.2 C/C++ Windows
C/C++ developers should include the following header files in source files that use functions exported by the API library:
#include "AlazarError.h"
#include "AlazarApi.h"
#include "AlazarCmd.h"

These applications should also link against the 32- or 64-bit version of ATSApi.lib, as required.
The SDK setup program installs the header files in “Samples_C\Include”, and the library files in
“Samples_C\Library”.

2.2.3 C#
C# developers should either:
• Add the file AlazarApi.cs to their project; or
• Add a reference to AlazarApiNet.dll to their project.
The ATS-SDK includes a wrapper class that declares many of the constants and unmanaged functions exported by AlazarTech device drivers. This class is provided both as a C# source file
(AlazarApi.cs), and as a compiled assembly (AlazarApiNet.dll).
The SDK setup program copies AlazarApi.cs to the “Samples_CSharp\AlazarApiNet\AlazarApiNet”
directory and AlazarApiNet.dll to the “Samples_CSharp” directory.
Note that you can use the solution “Samples_CSharp\AlazarApiNet” to build AlazarApiNet.dll from
AlazarApi.cs.

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

7

ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

2.2.4 LabVIEW
LabVIEW developers can either:
• Use the sub-VIs provided with the ATS-SDK (recommended)
• Call functions from ATSApi.dll directly using the LabVIEW interface for shared libraries.
The ATS-SDK sub-VIs consists of a very thin wrapper on top of the functions exported by the
ATS-SDK. The VIs are named after the functions that they wrap. They are located in “Samples_LabVIEW\Library”, and are used by all the code samples available in “Samples_LabVIEW”.
The only difference between the connector panes of the VIs and the C function signatures is that
an error cluster is propagated through the VIs. If the input error cluster contains an error, the VI
simply returns without doing anything.
The error cluster output depends on the function:
• If the function does not generate errors, the input error cluster is simply propagated to the
output.
• If the function returns an error code, it is converted to a cluster and send to the output
• If the function can return errors using special return values, then these errors are detected by
the VI, an appropriate error code is generated, converted to a cluster and sent to the output

2.2.5 Python
Python developers can use the atsapi.py module provided in the “Samples_Python\Library” directory. It provides a very thin wrapper around the AlazarTech C/C++ API, with only minor differences:
• The ‘Alazar’ prefixes have been removed from the function names, and the first letter is not
capitalized. For example, ‘AlazarAbortAsyncRead’ becomes ‘abortAsyncRead’.
• Board handles have been removed. Instead, a Board class has been added. All the functions
that take a board handle as a parameter are moved to being member functions of the Board
class.
• A DMABuffer convenience class has been added, that takes care of memory allocation of DMA
transfers.
• Some functions of the API use return parameters to give back to the caller primitive types. In
Python, the signature of these functions is changed so that the return parameters are replaced
with return types.

2.2.6 MATLAB
MATLAB developers can:
• Call functions exported by AlazarTech drivers DLL directly from MATLAB scripts and functions
using the MATLAB ‘calllib’ function.

8

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

• Create a MEX-file dynamic link library to configure and acquire data from the digitizer, and
call the mexFunction entry point of the DLL from MATLAB.
ATS-SDK samples demonstrate how to use the MATLAB “calllib” interface. They use prototype files
to load the AlazarTech driver library into memory, and call AlazarDefs.m to define constants used
by the AlazarTech library.
The ATS-SDK setup program installs AlazarDefs.m, alazarLoadLibrary.m, and other helper functions
in the “Samples_MATLAB\Include” folder.

2.2.7 C++/CLI
C++/CLI programmers should include a reference to “Samples_CSharp\AlazarApiNet.dll” in their
solutions. This assembly provides a .NET interface to the functions and constants defined in the
ATS-SDK.
The ATS-SDK does not currently include C++/CLI sample code. See the C# samples for .NET
sample code.

2.3 Sample code
ATS-SDK includes sample programs that demonstrate how to configure and acquire data from
AlazarTech digitizers.
The SDK setup program installs the sample programs to “C:\AlazarTech\ATSSDK\%API_VERSION%” under Microsoft Windows, and “/usr/local/AlazarTech” under Linux. See
the “ReadMe.htm” file in the ATS-SDK base directory for a description of the samples included.
Sample programs are available for the following programming environments in the following subdirectories:
Language
C/C++
C#
MATLAB
LabVIEW
Python

Sub-directory
Samples_C
Samples_CSharp
Samples_MATLAB
Samples_LabVIEW
Samples_Python

Note: Note that the sample programs contain many parameters that should be modified. These
lines of code are preceded by “TODO” comments. Please search for these lines and modify them as
required for your application.

Warning: Many sample programs require a trigger input. These sample programs configure
a board to trigger when a signal connected to its CH A rises through 0V. Before running these

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

9

ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

samples, connect a 1 kHz sine waveform of amplitude about 90% of the board’s input range
from a function generator to the CH A connector, or modify trigger parameters as required. For
example, the ATS9360 has an input range of +/- 400 mV. For this board, a sine wave of 700
mVpp is appropriate. If an appropriate trigger signal is not supplied, these samples will fail with
an acquisition timeout error.

2.4 Contacting us
Contact us if you have any questions or comments about this document, or the sample code.
Web
Email
Phone
Fax
Mail

https://www.alazartech.com/
support@alazartech.com
+1-514-426-4899
+1-514-426-2723
Alazar Technologies Inc.
6600 Trans-Canada Highway, Suite 310
Pointe-Claire, QC
Canada H9R 4S2

Note that you can download the latest drivers and documentation from our web site.
https://www.alazartech.com/Support/Downloads

10

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

CHAPTER

THREE

PROGRAMMER’S GUIDE

3.1 Addressing a board
3.1.1 Getting a board identifier
AlazarTech organizes its digitizer boards into “board systems”. A board system is a group of one or
more digitizer boards that share trigger and clock signals. To create a “board system” comprised of
two or more boards, the boards need to be connected together using an AlazarTech SyncBoard. All
of the channels in a board system trigger and are sampled simultaneuously.
ATS-SDK assigns a “system identifier” number to each board system. The first system detected is
assigned system ID number of 1. In addition a “board identifier” number is assigned to each board
in a board system. This number uniquely identifies a board within its board system.
• If a digitizer board is not connected to any other boards using a SyncBoard, then the SDK
assigns it a board ID of 1.
• If two or more boards are connected together using a SyncBoard, then the SDK assigns each
board an ID number that depends on how the board is connected to the SycnBoard. The board
connected to the “master” slot on the SyncBoard is the master board in the board system, and
is assigned a board ID number of 1.
Call the AlazarNumOfSystems() function to determine the number of board systems detected by the
SDK, and call the AlazarBoardsInSystemBySystemID() function to determine the number of boards
in the board system specified by its system identifier. The following code fragment lists the system
and board identifiers of each board detected by the device drivers:
U32 systemCount = AlazarNumOfSystems();
for (U32 systemId = 1; systemId <= systemCount; systemId++) {
U32 boardCount = AlazarBoardsInSystemBySystemID(systemId);
for (U32 boardId = 1; boardId <= boardCount; boardId++) {
printf("Found SystemID %u Board ID = %u\\n", systemId, boardId);
}
}

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3.1.2 Getting a board handle
ATS-SDK associates a handle with each digitizer board. Most functions require a board handle as a
parameter. For example, the AlazarSetLED() function allows an application to control the LED on
the PCI/PCIe mounting bracket of a board specified by its handle.
Use the AlazarGetBoardBySystemID() API function to get a handle to a board specified by its system
identifier and board identifier numbers.
Single board installations
If only one board is installed in a computer, ATS-SDK assigns it system ID 1 and board ID 1. The
following code fragment gets a handle to such a board, and uses this handle to toggle the LED on
the board’s PCI/PCIe mounting bracket:
// Select a board
U32 systemId = 1;
U32 boardId = 1;
// Get a handle to the board
HANDLE boardHandle = AlazarGetBoardBySystemID(systemId, boardId);
// Toggle the LED on the board’s PCI/PCIe mounting bracket
AlazarSetLED(boardHandle, LED_ON);
Sleep(500);
AlazarSetLED(boardHandle, LED_OFF);

Multiple board installations
If more than one board is installed in a PC, the boards are organized into board systems, and are
assigned system and board identifier numbers. The following code fragment demonstrates how to
obtain a handle to each board in such an installation, and use the handle to toggle the LED on the
board’s PCI/PCIe mounting bracket:
U32 systemCount = AlazarNumOfSystems();
for (U32 systemId = 1; systemId <= systemCount; systemId++) {
U32 boardCount = AlazarBoardsInSystemBySystemID(systemId);
for (U32 boardId = 1; boardId <= boardCount; boardId++) {
printf("SystemID %u Board ID = %u\\n", systemId, boardId);
// Get a handle to the board
HANDLE handle = AlazarGetBoardBySystemID(systemId, boardId);
// Toggle the LED on the board’s PCI/PCIe mounting bracket
AlazarSetLED(handle, LED_ON);
Sleep(500);
AlazarSetLED(handle, LED_OFF);
}
}

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System handles
Several ATS-SDK functions require a “system handle”. A system handle is the handle of the master
board in a board system.
• If a board is not connected to other boards using a SyncBoard, then its board handle is the
system handle.
• If a board is connected to other boards using a SyncBoard, then the board that is connected
to the master connector on the SyncBoard is the master board, and its board handle is the
system handle.

3.1.3 Closing a board handle
ATS-SDK maintains a list of board handles in order to support master-slave board systems. The
SDK creates board handles when it is loaded into memory, and destroys these handles when it is
unloaded from memory. An application should not need to close a board handle.

3.1.4 Using a board handle
ATS-SDK includes a number of functions that return information about a board specified by its
handle. These functions include:
AlazarGetBoardKind() Get a board’s model from its handle.
AlazarGetChannelInfo() Get the number of bits per sample, and on-board memory size in samples
per channel.
AlazarGetCPLDVersion() Get the CPLD version of a board.
AlazarGetDriverVersion() Get the driver version of a board.
AlazarGetParameter() Get a board parameter as a signed 32-bit value.
AlazarGetParameterUL() Get a board parameter as an unsigned 32-bit value.
AlazarQueryCapability() Get a board capability as an unsigned 32-bit value.
The sample program “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\AlazarSysInfo” demonstrates how get a board
handle, and use it to obtain board properties. The API also exports functions that use a board
handle to configure a board, arm it to make an acquisition, and transfer sample data from the
board to application buffers. These topics are discussed in the following sections.

3.2 Resetting a board
The ATS-SDK resets all digitizer boards during its initialization procedure. This initialization procedure automatically runs when the API library is loaded into memory.
• If an application statically links against the API library, the API resets all boards when the
application is launched.

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• If an application dynamically loads the API library, the API resets all boards when the application loads the API into memory.
Warning: Note that when an application using the API is launched, all digitizer boards are
reset. If one application using the API is running when a second application using the API is
launched, configuration settings written by the first application to a board may be lost. If a data
transfer between the first application and a board was in progress, data corruption may occur.

3.3 Configuring a board
Before acquiring data from a board system, an application must configure the timebase, analog
inputs, and trigger system settings of each board in the board system.

3.3.1 Timebase
The timebase of the ADC converters on AlazarTech digitizer boards may be supplied by:
• Its on-board oscillators.
• A user supplied external clock signal.
• An on-board PLL clocked by a user supplied 10 MHz reference signal.
Internal clock
To use on-board oscillators as a timebase, call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying
INTERNAL_CLOCK as the clock source identifier, and select the desired sample rate with a sample
rate identifier appropriate for the board. The following code fragment shows how to select a 10
MS/s internal sample rate:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
INTERNAL_CLOCK, // U32 -- clock source Id
SAMPLE_RATE_10MSPS, // U32 -- sample rate Id or value
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 -- clock edge Id
0 // U32 -- decimation
);

See AlazarSetCaptureClock() or the board reference manual for a list of sample rate identifiers
appropriate for a board.
External clock
AlazarTech boards optionally support using a user-supplied external clock signal input to the ECLK
connector on its PCI/PCIe mounting bracket to clock its ADC converters.

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To use an external clock signal as a timebase, call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying
SAMPLE_RATE_USER_DEF as the sample rate identifier, and select a clock source identifier appropriate for the board model and the external clock properties. The following code fragment shows
how to configure an ATS460 to acquire at 100 MS/s with a 100 MHz external clock:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
FAST_EXTERNAL_CLOCK, // U32 -- clock source Id
SAMPLE_RATE_USER_DEF, // U32 -- sample rate Id or value
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 -- clock edge Id
0 // U32 -- decimation
);

See the board reference manual for the properties of an external clock signal that are appropriate
for a board, and AlazarSetCaptureClock() for a list of external clock source identifiers.
External clock level
Some boards allow adjusting the comparator level of the external clock input receiver to
match the receiver to the clock signal supplied to the ECLK connector. If necessary, call
AlazarSetExternalClockLevel() to set the relative external clock input receiver comparator level,
in percent.
AlazarSetExternalClockLevel( handle, // HANDLE –- board handle level_pecent, //
float –- exernal clock level in percent );
10 MHz PLL
Some boards can generate a timebase from an on-board PLL clocked by user supplied external 10
MHz reference signal input to its ECLK connector.
ATS660
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS660 can generate a sample clock between 110 and 130
MHz, in 1 MHz, steps from an external 10 MHz reference input. Call AlazarSetCaptureClock()
specifying EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source identifier, the desired sample rate between 110 and 130 MHz in 1 MHz steps, and a decimation factor of 1 to 100000. Note that the
decimation value should be one less than the desired decimation factor. The following code fragment shows how to generate a 32.5 MS/s sample rate (130 MHz / 3) from a 10 MHz PLL external
clock input:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
130000000, // U32 - sample rate Id or value
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
2 // U32 - decimation value
);

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ATS9325
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9325 generates a 500 MHz sample clock from an
external 10 MHz reference input. The 500 MS/s sample data can be decimated by a factor of 2, 4,
or any multiple of 5.
Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source and 500
MHz as the sample rate, and select a decimation factor of 2, 4, or any multiple of 5 up to 100000.
For example, the following code fragment shows how to generate a 100 MS/s sample rate (500
MHz / 5) from a 10 MHz external clock input:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 -- clock source Id
500000000, // U32 -- sample rate Id
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 -- clock edge Id
5 // U32 -- decimation
);

ATS9350/ATS9351
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9350 and ATS9351 generate a 500 MHz sample clock from an external 10 MHz reference input. The 500 MS/s sample data can be decimated by a factor of 1, 2, 4, or any multiple of 5. Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source and 500 MHz as the sample rate, and select a decimation factor of 1, 2, 4, or any multiple of 5 up to 100000. For example, the following code
fragment shows how to generate a 100 MS/s sample rate (500 MHz / 5) from a 10 MHz external
clock input:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
500000000, // U32 - sample rate Id
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
5 // U32 - decimation
);

ATS9360
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9360 can generate any sample clock frequency between
300 MHz and 1800 MHz that is a multiple of 1 MHz. Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source identifier, the desired sample rate between 300
MS/s and 1800 MS/s, and 1 as the decimation ratio. The sample rate must be a multiple of 1 MHz.
For example, the following code fragment shows how to generate a 1.382 GS/s sample clock from
a 10 MHz reference:

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AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
1382000000, // U32 - sample rate
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
1 // U32 - decimation
);

ATS9371
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9371 can generate any sample clock frequency between
300 MHz and 1000 MHz that is a multiple of 1 MHz. Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source identifier, the desired sample rate between 300
MS/s and 1000 MS/s, and 1 as the decimation ratio. The sample rate must be a multiple of 1 MHz.
For example, the following code fragment shows how to generate a 882 MS/s sample clock from a
10 MHz reference:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
882000000, // U32 - sample rate
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
1 // U32 - decimation
);

ATS9373
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9373 can generate any sample clock frequency between
500 MHz and 2000 MHz that is a multiple of 1 MHz in either single or dual channel mode. In
addition, it can generate any sample clock frequency between 2000 MHz and 4000 MHz that is a
multiple of 2 MHz in single channel mode.
Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source identifier,
the desired sample rate between 300 MS/s and 4000 MS/s, and 1 as the decimation ratio. The
sample rate must be a multiple of 1 MHz in dual channel if the frequency is less than or equal to
2000 MHz, and a multiple of 2 MHz if the frequency is above 2000 MHz. For example, the following
code fragment shows how to generate a 1.382 GS/s sample clock from a 10 MHz reference:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
1382000000, // U32 - sample rate
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
1 // U32 - decimation
);

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ATS9440
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9440 can generate either a 125 MHz or 100 MHz
sample clock from an external 10 MHz reference input. The 125 MS/s or 100 MS/s sample data
can be decimated by a factor of 2, 4, or any multiple of 5.
Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source either
125 MHz or 100 MHz as the sample rate, and select a decimation radio between 1 and 100000. For
example, the following code fragment shows how to generate a 25 MS/s sample rate (125 MHz /
5) from a 10 MHz external clock input:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
125000000, // U32 - sample rate Id
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
5 // U32 - decimation
);

ATS9462
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9462 can generate a sample clock between 150 and
180 MHz in 1 MHz steps from an external 10 MHz reference input. Sample data can be decimated
by a factor of 1 to 100000.
Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source, the desired sample rate between 150 and 180 MHz in 1 MHz steps, and the decimation factor of 1 to
100000. Note that the decimation value should be one less than the desired decimation factor. For
example, the following code fragment shows how to generate a 15 MS/s sample rate (150 MHz /
10) from a 10 MHz external clock input:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
150000000, // U32 - sample rate Id or value
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
9 // U32 - decimation value
);

ATS9625/ATS9626
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9625/ATS9626 can generate a 250 MHz sample clock
from an external 10 MHz reference input. Sample data can be decimated by a factor of 1 to 100000.
Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source, 250 MHz
has the sample rate value, and a decimation ratio of 1 to 100000. For example, the following code
fragment shows how to generate a 25 MS/s sample rate (250 MHz / 10) from a 10 MHz external
clock input:

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AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
250000000, // U32 - sample rate Id or value
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
10 // U32 - decimation value
);

ATS9850
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9850 generates a 500 MHz sample clock from an
external 10 MHz reference input. The 500 MS/s sample data can be decimated by a factor of 1, 2,
4, or any multiple of 10.
Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source and 500
MHz as the sample rate value, and a decimation of 1, 2, 4, or any multiple of 10 up to 100000. For
example, the following code fragment shows how to generate a 125 MS/s sample rate (500 MHz /
4) from a 10 MHz external clock input:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
500000000, // U32 - sample rate Id or value
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
4 // U32 - decimation value
);

ATS9870
In 10 MHz PLL external clock mode, the ATS9870 generates a 1 GHz sample clock from an external
10 MHz reference input. The 1 GS/s sample data can be decimated by a factor of 1, 2, 4, or any
multiple of 10.
Call AlazarSetCaptureClock() specifying EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF as the clock source and 1
GHz as the sample rate value, and a decimation of 1, 2, 4, or any multiple of 10 up to 100000. For
example, the following code fragment shows how to generate a 250 MS/s sample rate (1 GHz / 4)
from a 10 MHz external clock input:
AlazarSetCaptureClock(
handle, // HANDLE - board handle
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, // U32 - clock source Id
1000000000, // U32 - sample rate Id or value
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING, // U32 - clock edge Id
4 // U32 - decimation value
);

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3.3.2 Input control
AlazarTech digitizers have analog amplifier sections that process the signals input to its analog input
connectors before they are sampled by its ADC converters. The gain, coupling, and termination of
the amplifier sections should be configured to match the properties of the input signals.
Input range, coupling, and impedance
Call AlazarInputControl() to specify the desired input range, termination, and coupling of an
input channel. The following code fragment configures input CH A for a range of ±800 mV, DC
coupling, and 50Ω termination:
AlazarInputControl(
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
CHANNEL_A, // U8 -- input channel
DC_COUPLING, // U32 -- input coupling id
INPUT_RANGE_PM_800_MV, // U32 -- input range id
IMPEDANCE_50_OHM // U32 -- input impedance id
);

See AlazarInputControl() and the board reference manual for a list of input range, coupling, and
impedance identifiers appropriate for the board.
Bandwidth filter
Some digitizers have a low pass filters that attenuate signals above about 20 MHz. By default, these
filters are disabled. Call AlazarSetBWLimit() to enable or disable the bandwidth limit filter. The
following code fragment enables the CH A bandwidth limit filter:
AlazarSetBWLimit (
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
CHANNEL_A, // U32 -- channel identifier
1 // U32 -- 0 = disable, 1 = enable
);

Amplifier bypass
Some digitizer models support “amplifier bypass” mode. In this mode, the analog signal supplied
to an input connector is connected directly the ADC driver of that channel, bypassing its amplifier
section. Amplifier bypass mode must be enabled in hardware either through DIP switches on the
board, or as a factory option. Once enabled in hardware, the following code fragment shows how
to configure this option in software:
AlazarInputControl(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
CHANNEL_A, // U8 -- input channel
DC_COUPLING, // U32 - not used
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(continued from previous page)

INPUT_RANGE_HI_FI, // U32 -- input range id
IMPEDANCE_50_OHM // U32 - not used
);

Note that when amplifier bypass mode option is enabled for an input channel, the channel’s fullscale input range is fixed. The following table lists the nominal full-scale input range values that
may be used to convert sample code values to volts.
Model
ATS460
ATS660
ATS9325/ATS9350
ATS9351
ATS9462
ATS9850/ATS9870

Full scale input range
± 525 mV
± 550 mV
± 200 mV
± 400 mV
± 550 mV
± 256 mV

See your board’s hardware reference manual for more information about using amplifier bypass.

3.3.3 Trigger control
AlazarTech digitizer boards have a flexible triggering system with two separate trigger engines that
can be used independently, or combined together to generate trigger events.
Warning: As opposed to what earlier documentation mentionned, the only way to combine
trigger events is with the OR operator.

AlazarSetTriggerOperation
Use the AlazarSetTriggerOperation() API function to configure each of the two trigger engines,
and to specify how they should be used to make the board trigger:
RETURN_CODE
AlazarSetTriggerOperation (
HANDLE handle,
U32 TriggerOperation,
U32 TriggerEngineId1,
U32 SourceId1,
U32 SlopeId1,
U32 Level1,
U32 TriggerEngineId2,
U32 SourceId2,
U32 SlopeId2,
U32 Level2
);

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The following paragraphs describe each of the function’s parameters, and provide examples showing how to use the function.
Trigger engine
The trigger engine identifier parameter specifies which of the two trigger engines you wish to
configure. The parameter may have one of the following values:
TRIG_ENGINE_J Configure trigger engine J
TRIG_ENGINE_K Configure trigger engine K
Data source
The data source identifier parameter selects the where the specified trigger engine should get its
data. Refer to the documentation of the AlazarSetTriggerOperation() function for a list of all
possible values.
Trigger slope
The trigger slope identifier parameter selects whether rising or falling edges of the trigger source
are detected as trigger events.
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE The trigger engine detects a trigger event when sample values from the
trigger source rise above a specified level.
TRIGGER_SLOPE_NEGATIVE The trigger engine detects a trigger event when sample values from the
trigger source fall below a specified level.
Trigger level
The trigger level parameter sets the level that the trigger source must rise above, or fall below, for
the selected trigger engine to become active. The trigger level is specified as an unsigned 8-bit
code that represents a fraction of the full scale input range of the trigger source; 0 represents the
negative full-scale input, 128 represents a 0 volt input, and 255 represents the positive full-scale
input. For example, if the trigger source is CH A, and the CH A input range is ± 800 mV, then 0
represents a –800 mV trigger level, 128 represents a 0 V trigger level, and 255 represents +800
mV trigger level.
In general, the trigger level value is given by:
TriggerLevelCode = 128 + 127 * TriggerLevelVolts / InputRangeVolts.

The following table gives examples of how trigger level codes map to trigger levels in volts according to the full-scale input range of the trigger source.

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Code
0
64
96
128
160
192
255

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
-25%
0%
+25 %
+50%
+100%

Level with ±1 V range
-1V
-500 mV
-250 mV
0V
250 mV
+500 mV
+1V

Level with ±5 V range
-5V
-2.5 V
-1.25 V
0V
1.25 V
+2.5 V
+5V

Trigger operation
Finally, the trigger operation identifier specifies how the trigger events detected by the trigger
engines are combined to make the board trigger. Possible values are:
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J The board triggers when trigger engine J detects a trigger event. Events detected by engine K are ignored.
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_K The board triggers when trigger engine K detects a trigger event. Events detected by engine J are ignored.
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J_OR_K The board triggers when a trigger event is detected by any of trigger engines J and K.
AlazarSetTriggerOperation examples
The following code fragment configures a board to trigger when the signal connected to CH A rises
above 0V. This example only uses trigger engine J:
AlazarSetTriggerOperation(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J, // U32 -- trigger operation
TRIG_ENGINE_J, // U32 -- trigger engine id
TRIG_CHAN_A, // U32 -- trigger source id
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE, // U32 -- trigger slope id
128, // U32 -- trigger level (128 = 0V)
TRIG_ENGINE_K, // U32 -- trigger engine id
TRIG_DISABLE, // U32 -- trigger source id for engine K
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE, // U32 -- trigger slope id
128 // U32 -- trigger level (0 255)
);

The following code fragment configures a board to trigger when the signal connected to CH B rises
above 500 mV, or falls below -200 mV, if CH B’s input range is ±1V. This example uses both trigger
engine J and K:
double inputRange_volts = 1.; // ±1V range
double TriggerLevelJ_volts = .5; // +500 mV trigger level
U32 triggerLevelJ = (U32)(128 + 127 * triggerLevelJ_volts / inputRange_volts);
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double triggerLevelK_volts = -.2; // -200 mV trigger level
U32 triggerLevelK = (U32)(128 + 127 * triggerLevelK_volts / inputRange_volts);
AlazarSetTriggerOperation(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J_OR_K, // U32 -- trigger operation
TRIG_ENGINE_J, // U32 -- trigger engine id
TRIG_CHAN_B, // U32 -- trigger source id
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE, // U32 -- trigger slope id
triggerLevelJ, // U32 -- trigger level from 0 to 255
TRIG_ENGINE_K, // U32 -- trigger engine id
TRIG_DISABLE, // U32 -- trigger source id for engine K
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE, // U32 -- trigger slope id
triggerLevelK, // U32 -- trigger level from 0 to 255
);

External trigger
AlazarTech digitizer boards can trigger on a signal connected to its TRIG IN connector. To use an
external trigger input:
• Call AlazarSetTriggerOperation() with TRIG_EXTERNAL as the trigger source identifier of at
least one of the trigger engines; and
• Call AlazarSetExternalTrigger() to select the range and coupling of the external trigger
input.
The following code fragment configures a board to trigger when the signal connected to the TRIG
IN falls below +2 V, assuming the signal’s range is less than ± 5V with DC coupling:
// Calculate the trigger level code from the level and range
double triggerLevel_volts = 2.; // trigger level
double triggerRange_volts = 5.; // input range
U32 triggerLevel_code =
(U32)(128 + 127 * triggerLevel_volts / triggerRange_volts);
// Configure trigger engine J to generate a trigger event
// on the falling edge of an external trigger signal.
AlazarSetTriggerOperation(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J, // U32 -- trigger operation
TRIG_ENGINE_J, // U32 -- trigger engine id
TRIG_EXTERNAL, // U32 -- trigger source id
TRIGGER_SLOPE_NEGATIVE, // U32 -- trigger slope id
triggerLevel, // U32 -- trigger level (0 255)
TRIG_ENGINE_K, // U32 -- trigger engine id
TRIG_DISABLE, // U32 -- trigger source id for engine K
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE, // U32 -- trigger slope id
128 // U32 -- trigger level (0 255)
);
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// Configure the external trigger input to +/-5V range,
// with DC coupling
AlazarSetExternalTrigger(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
DC_COUPLING, // U32 -- coupling id
ETR_5V // U32 -- external range id
);

Trigger timeout
AlazarTech digitizer boards can be configured to automatically trigger when the board is waiting for
a trigger event, but no trigger events arrive after a specified time interval. This behavior is similar
to the “automatic” trigger mode of oscilloscopes, and may be useful to capture waveforms when
trigger conditions are unknown. Call AlazarSetTriggerTimeOut() to specify the amount of time
that a board should wait for a hardware trigger event before automatically generating a software
trigger event and, as a result, acquiring one record. The timeout value is expressed in 10 𝜇s units,
where 0 means disable the timeout counter and wait forever for a trigger event.
Note: The trigger timeout value should be set to zero once stable trigger parameters have been
found. Otherwise, a board may generate unexpected trigger events if the trigger timeout interval
expires before a hardware trigger event occurs.
The following code fragment configures a board to automatically trigger and acquire one record if
it does not receive a trigger event after 1 ms:
double timeout_sec = 1.e-3; // 1 ms
U32 timeout_ticks = (U32)(timeout_sec / 10.e-6 + 0.5);
AlazarSetTriggerTimeOut(
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
timeout_ticks // U32 timeout_sec / 10.e-6 (0 = infinite)
);

The following code fragment configures a board to wait forever for trigger events:
AlazarSetTriggerTimeOut(
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
0 // U32 -- timeout\_sec / 10.e-6 (0 = infinite)
);

Trigger delay
An AlazarTech digitizer board can be configured to wait for a specified amount of time after it
receives a trigger event before capturing a record for the trigger. Call AlazarSetTriggerDelay() to
specify a time, in sample clock periods, to wait after receiving a trigger event for a record before
capturing samples for that record. The following code fragment shows how to set a trigger delay
of 1 ms, given a sample rate of 100 MS/s:
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double triggerDelay_sec = 1.e-3; // 1 ms
double samplesPerSec = 100.e6; // 100 MS/s
U32 triggerDelay_samples =
(U32)(triggerDelay_sec * samplesPerSec + 0.5);
AlazarSetTriggerDelay(
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
triggerDelay_samples // U32 -- trigger delay in samples
);

3.3.4 AUX I/O
AlazarTech digitizer boards with an AUX I/O connector can be configured to supply a 5V TTL-level
output signal, or to receive a TTL-level input signal on this connector. Use AlazarConfigureAuxIO()
to configure the function of the AUX I/O connector.
The ATS9440 has two AUX I/O connectors: AUX I/O 1 and AUX I/O 2. AUX I/O 1 is configured by firmware as a trigger output signal, while AUX I/O 2 is configured by software using
AlazarConfigureAuxIO(). A custom FPGA is required to change the operation of AUX I/O 1.
The ATS9625 and ATS9626 have two AUX I/O connectors: AUX1 and AUX2. AUX1 is configured
by by software using AlazarConfigureAuxIO(), while AUX2 is configured by the main FPGA as a
trigger output signal by default. AUX2 can be controlled by its user-programmable FPGA as desired
by the FPGA designer.
Trigger output
The AUX I/O connector can be configured to supply a trigger output signal, where the edge of the
trigger output signal is synchronized with the edge of the sample clock. Note that this is the default
power-on mode for the AUX I/O connector. The following code fragment configures the AUX I/O
connector as a trigger output signal:
AlazarConfigureAuxIO(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
AUX_OUT_TRIGGER, // U32 -- mode
0 // U32 -- parameter
);

Pacer output
The AUX I/O connector can be configured to output the sample clock divided by a programmable
value. This option may be used to generate a clock signal synchronized with the sample clock of the
digitizer board. The following code fragment generates a 10 MHz signal on an AUX I/O connector,
given a sample rate of 180 MS/s:
AlazarConfigureAuxIO(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
AUX_OUT_PACER, // U32 -- mode
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(continued from previous page)

18 // U32 - sample clock divider
);

Note that the sample rate divider value must be greater than 2, and that the signal output may be
limited by the bandwidth of the output’s TTL drivers.
Digital output
The AUX I/O connector can be configured to output a TTL high or low signal. This mode allows a
programmer to use the AUX I/O connector as a general purpose digital output. The following code
fragment configures the AUX I/O connector as a digital output:
AlazarConfigureAuxIO(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
AUX_OUT_SERIAL_DATA, // U32 -- mode
0 // U32 - 0 = low, 1 = high
);

Trigger enable input
The AUX I/O connector can be configured as an AutoDMA trigger enable input signal. When
enabled, a board will:
• Wait for a rising or falling edge on the AUX I/O.
• Wait for the number of trigger events necessary to capture the number of “records per buffer”
in one AutoDMA segment specified at the start of the acquisition.
• Repeat.
The following code fragment configures the AUX I/O connector to acquire “records per buffer”
records after it receives the rising edge of a TTL pulse connected on the AUX I/O connector:
AlazarConfigureAuxIO(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
AUX_IN_TRIGGER_ENABLE, // U32 -- mode
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE // U32 -- parameter
);

See Scanning Applications for more information.
Digital input
The AUX I/O connector can be configured to read the TTL level of a signal input to the AUX
connector. This mode allows a programmer to use the AUX I/O connector as a general purpose
digital input. The following code fragment configures the AUX I/O connector as a digital input:

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AlazarConfigureAuxIO(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
AUX_IN_AUXILIARY, // U32 -- mode
0 // U32 - not used
);

Once configured as a serial input, the following code fragment reads the AUX input level:
long level;
AlazarGetParameter(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
0, // U8 -- channel
GET_AUX_INPUT_LEVEL, // U32 -- parameter
&level // long* - 0 = low, 1 = high
);

3.3.5 Data packing
By default, all the boards that have more than 8-bit per sample sampling transfer data to the
host computer with 2 bytes (16 bit) per sample. This behavior can be changed on some boards
by packing the data, either to 8- or 12-bits per sample. This is done by calling the AlazarSetParameter function with the PACK_MODE parameter and a packing option (either PACK_DEFAULT,
PACK_8_BITS_PER_SAMPLE or PACK_12_BITS_PER_SAMPLE). The parameter must be set before calling
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead.
For a list of boards that implement 8-bit packing, 12-bit packing and both; please refer to Table 9 –
Miscellaneous Features Support.

3.3.6 Dual edge sampling
Some AlazarTech digitizers are capable of dual edge sampling (DES), meaning that sample data is
acquired both at the rising and falling edge of the clock signal. This mode can apply both to internal
and external clocks. For example, ATS9373 is capable of 2 GS/s sampling in non-DES mode, and 4
GS/s in DES mode. When using the internal clock, DES sampling is activated automatically. Data
must be acquired from channel A only. To use DES sampling in external clock mode, one must call
AlazarSetParameter as follows before configuring the board:
AlazarSetParameterUL(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
channelMask, // U8 -- channel to acquire
SET_ADC_MODE,
ADC_MODE_DES
);

Programs that wish to use DES-capable digitizers in non-DES mode (i.e. ATS9373 at sampling
frequencies at or below 2GS/s) do not need to be modified.

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3.3.7 NPT footers
Footers can be included to the data and contain additional information about the acquisition of
each record. The footers include a timestamp, the record number in the current acquisition, a
frame count and the state of the AUX I/O signal at the time of the acquisition. As the name implies,
this option is only available in NPT acquisition mode.
Depending if on-FPGA FFT is used or not, the function to retrive the NPT footers and their position
in memory is different. If FFT is not enabled, NPT footers will replace the last 16 bytes of a record,
leading to a loss of a few data points. These NPT footers are labeled Time-Domain to highlighting
the fact that FFT is not used. When one channel is enabled, the last 8 samples of the data will be
removed. When two channels are enabled, only one footer will be appended per record and will
take the place of the last 4 samples from each channel.
When using on-FPGA FFT, a 128-byte word will be appended to each record. The last 16 bytes of
this 128-byte word contain the footer.
For convenience, a structure named NPTFooter should be used. Here is how to enable and obtain
the NPT footers:
• Connect the start of frame signal to the AUX I/O connector.
• Append the flag ADMA_ENABLE_RECORD_FOOTERS to the options passed to
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() by using a binary OR (|). Make sure the acquisition mode
is set to ADMA_NPT and FFT processing is enabled if applicable.
• Call AlazarConfigureAuxIO() specifying AUX_IN_AUXILIARY as the mode with 0 as parameter.
• Create an array that will contain the NPT footers. This array needs to be contiguous in
memory and can thus be a standard C array or a std::vector with preallocated size.
• Call AlazarExtractTimeDomainNPTFooters() or AlazarExtractFFTNPTFooters() to retrieve
the NPT footers for each buffer and store them in the array. The recordSize_bytes parameter
needs to take into account the number of active channels.
• Browse the array to see the frame associated with each record and count the number of
records in each frame if needed.
See the API reference documentation for details about the specific parameters to use with each
function.

3.4 Acquiring data
AlazarTech digitizers may be configured to acquire in one of the following modes:
• Single port acquisition mode acquires data to on-board memory and then, after the acquisition
is complete, transfers data from on-board memory to application buffers.
• Dual port AutoDMA acquisition mode acquires to on-board memory while, at the same time,
transferring data from on-board memory to application buffers.

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3.4.1 Single port acquisition
The single-port acquisition API allows an application to capture records to on-board memory – one
per trigger event – and transfer records from on-board to host memory. Data acquisition and data
transfer are made serially, so trigger events may be missed if they occur during data transfers. The
single port acquisition API may be used if:
• A board has single-port or dual-port on-board memory.
• An application can miss trigger events that occur while it is transferring data from on-board
to host memory.
The singe port acquisition API must be used if:
• A board does not have dual-port or FIFO on-board memory.
• An application acquires data at an average rate that is greater than maximum transfer rate of
the board’s PCI or PCIe host bus interface.
Ultrasonic testing, OCT, radar, imaging and similar applications should not use the single-port
acquisition API; rather, they should use the dual-port acquisition API described in section 2.4.2
below.
Acquiring to on-board memory
All channels mode
By default, AlazarTech digitizer boards share on-board memory equally between both of a board’s
input channels. A single-port acquisition in dual-channel mode captures samples from both input
channels simultaneously to on-board memory and, after the acquisition is complete, allows samples
from either input channel to be transferred from on-board memory to an application buffer. To
program a board acquire to on-board memory in dual-channel mode:
1. Call AlazarSetRecordSize() to set the number of samples per record, where a record may
contain samples before and after its trigger event.
2. Call AlazarSetRecordCount() to set the number records per acquisition – the board captures
one record per trigger event.
3. Call AlazarStartCapture() to arm the board to wait for trigger events.
4. Call AlazarBusy() in a loop to poll until the board has received all trigger events in the
acquisition, and has captured all records to on-board memory.
5. Call AlazarRead(), AlazarReadEx(), or AlazarHyperDisp() to transfer records from on-board
memory to host memory.
6. Repeat from step 3, if necessary.
The following code fragment acquires to on board memory with on-board memory shared between
both input channels:

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// 1. Set record size
AlazarSetRecordSize (
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
preTriggerSamples, // U32 -- pre-trigger samples
postTriggerSamples // U32 -- post-trigger samples
);
// 2. Set record count
AlazarSetRecordCount(
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
recordsPerCapture // U32 -- records per acquisition
);
// 3. Arm the board to wait for trigger events
AlazarStartCapture(boardHandle);
// 4. Wait for the board to receive all trigger events and capture all
//
records to on-board memory
while (AlazarBusy (boardHandle))
{
// The acquisition is in progress
}
// 5. The acquisition is complete. Call AlazarRead or AlazarHyperDisp to
//
transfer records from on-board memory to your buffer.

Single channel mode
ATS9325, ATS9350, ATS9351, ATS9440, ATS9625, ATS9626, ATS9850, and ATS9870 and digitizer
boards can be configured to dedicate all on-board memory to one of a board’s input channels. A
single-port acquisition in single-channel mode only captures samples from the specified channel to
on-board memory and, after the acquisition is complete, only allows samples from the specified
channel to be transferred from on-board memory to an application buffer.
To program a board acquire to on-board memory in single-channel mode:
1. Call AlazarSetRecordSize() to set the number of samples per record, where a record may
contain samples before and after its trigger event.
2. Call AlazarSetRecordCount() to set the number records per acquisition – the board captures
one record per trigger event.
3. Call AlazarSetParameter() with the parameter SET_SINGLE_CHANNEL_MODE, and specify the
channel to use all memory.
4. Call AlazarStartCapture() to arm the board to wait for trigger events.
5. Call AlazarBusy() in a loop to poll until the board has received all trigger events in the
acquisition, and has captured all records to on-board memory.

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6. Call AlazarRead(), AlazarReadEx(), or AlazarHyperDisp() to transfer records from on-board
memory to host memory.
7. Repeat from step 3, if necessary.
The following code fragment acquires to on-board memory from CH A in single channel mode:
// 1. Set record size
AlazarSetRecordSize (
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
preTriggerSamples, // U32 -- pre-trigger samples
postTriggerSamples // U32 -- post-trigger samples
);
// 2. Set record count
AlazarSetRecordCount(
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
recordsPerCapture // U32 -- records per acquisition
);
// 3. Enable single channel mode
AlazarSetParameter(
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
0, // U8 -- channel Id (not used)
SET_SINGLE_CHANNEL_MODE, // U32 -- parameter
CHANNEL_A // long CHANNEL_A or CHANNEL_B
);
// 4. Arm the board to wait for trigger events
AlazarStartCapture(boardHandle);
// 5. Wait for the board to receive all trigger events
//
and capture all records to on-board memory
while (AlazarBusy (boardHandle))
{
// The acquisition is in progress
}
// 6. The acquisition is complete. Call AlazarRead or
//
AlazarHyperDisp to transfer records from on-board memory
//
to your buffer.

Note: A call to AlazarSetParameter() must be made before each call to AlazarStartCapture().
If the of number of samples per record specified in AlazarSetRecordSize() is greater than the
maximum number of samples per channel in dual-channel mode, but is less than the maximum number of samples per record in single-channel mode, and AlazarSetParameter() is
not called before calling AlazarStartCapture(), then AlazarStartCapture() will fail with error
ApiNotSupportedInDualChannelMode.

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Using AlazarRead
Use AlazarRead() to transfer samples from records acquired to on-board memory to a buffer in
host memory.
Transferring full records
The following code fragment transfers a full CH A record from on-board memory to a buffer in host
memory:
// Allocate a buffer to hold one record.
// Note that the buffer must be at least 16 samples
// larger than the number of samples per record.
U32 allocBytes = bytesPerSample * (samplesPerRecord + 16);
void* buffer = malloc(allocBytes);
// Transfer a CHA record into our buffer
AlazarRead (
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
CHANNEL_A, // U32 -- channel Id
buffer, // void* -- buffer
bytesPerSample, // int -- bytes per sample
(long) record, // long -- record (1 indexed)
-((long)preTriggerSamples), // long -- trigger offset
samplesPerRecord // U32 -- samples to transfer
);

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\SinglePort\AR” for a complete sample program that demonstrates
how to use AlazarRead() to read full records.
Transferring partial records
AlazarRead() can transfer a segment of a record from on-board memory to a buffer in host memory.
This may be useful if:
• The number of bytes in a full record in on-board memory exceeds the buffer size in bytes that
an application can allocate in host memory.
• An application wishes to reduce the time required for data transfer when it acquires relatively
long records to on-board memory, but is only interested in a relatively small part of the record.
Use the transferOffset parameter in the call to AlazarRead() to specify the offset, in samples
from the trigger position in the record, of the first sample to transfer from on-board memory to
the application buffer. And use the transferLength parameter to specify the number of samples
to transfer from on-board memory to the application buffer, where this number of samples may be
less than the number of samples per record. The following code fragment divides a record into
segments, and transfers the segments from on-board to host memory:

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// Allocate a buffer to hold one record segment.
// Note that the buffer must be at least 16 samples
// larger than the number of samples per buffer.
U32 allocBytes = bytesPerSample * (samplesPerBuffer + 16);
void* buffer = malloc(allocBytes);
// Transfer a record in segments from on-board memory
U32 samplesToRead = samplesPerRecord;
long triggerOffset_samples = -(long)preTriggerSamples;
while (samplesToRead > 0) {
// Transfer a record segment from on-board memory
U32 samplesThisRead;
if (samplesToRead > samplesPerBuffer)
samplesThisRead = samplesPerBuffer;
else
samplesThisRead = samplesToRead;
AlazarRead (
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
CHANNEL_A, // U32 -- channel Id
buffer, // void* -- buffer
bytesPerSample, // int -- bytes per sample
(long) record, // long -- record (1 indexed)
triggerOffset_samples, // long -- trigger offset
samplesThisRead // U32 -- samples to transfer
);
// Process the record segment here
WriteSamplesToFile(buffer, samplesThisRead);
// Point to next record segment in on-board memory
triggerOffset_samples += samplesThisRead;
// Decrement number of samples left to read
samplesToRead -= samplesThisRead;
}

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\SinglePort\AR_Segments” for a complete sample program that
demonstrates how to read records in segments.
Using AlazarReadEx
AlazarRead() can transfer samples from records acquired to on-board memory that contain up to
2,147,483,647 samples. If a record contains 2,147,483,648 or more samples, use AlazarReadEx()
rather than AlazarRead(). AlazarReadEx() uses signed 64-bit transfer offsets, while AlazarRead()
uses signed 32-bit transfer offsets. Otherwise, AlazarReadEx() and AlazarRead() are identical.
Using AlazarHyperDisp
HyperDisp technology enables the FPGA on an AlazarTech digitizer board to process sample data.
The FPGA divides a record in on-board memory into intervals, finds the minimum and maximum

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sample values during each interval, and transfers an array of minimum and maximum value pairs
to host memory. This allows the acquisition of relatively long records to on-board memory, but the
transfer of relatively short processed records across the PCI/PCIe bus to host memory.
For example, an ATS860-256M would require over 2 seconds per channel to transfer 256,000,000
samples across the PCI bus. However, with HyperDisp enabled the ATS860 would require a fraction
of a second to calculate HyperDisp data, and transfer a few kilobytes of processed data across the
PCI bus. If an application was searching these records for glitches, it may save a considerable
amount of time by searching HyperDisp data for the glitches and, if a glitch were found, transfer
the raw sample data from the interval from on-board memory to host memory.
Use AlazarHyperDisp() to enable a board to process records in on-board memory, and transfer
processed records to host memory. The following code fragment enables an ATS860-256M to process a record in on-board memory containing 250,000,000 samples into an array of 100 HyperDisp
points, where each point contains the minimum and maximum sample values over an interval of
2,500,000 samples in the record:
// Specify number of samples per record
U32 preTriggerSamples = 125000000;
U32 postTriggerSamples = 125000000;
U32 samplesPerRecord = preTriggerSamples + postTriggerSamples;
U32 recordsPerCapture = 1;
// Acquire to on-board memory (omitted)
// Specify the number of HyperDisp points
U32 pointsPerRecord = 100;
// Allocate a buffer to store the HyperDisp data
U32 bytesPerSample = 1; // ATS860 constant
U32 samplesPerPoint = 2; // HyperDisp constant
U32 bytesPerBuffer = bytesPerSample * samplesPerPoint * pointsPerRecord;
U8 *buffer = (U8*) malloc(bytesPerBuffer);
// Enable ATS860 FPGA to process the 250M sample record
// in on-board memory into an array of 100 HyperDisp points,
// and transfer the HyperDisp points into our buffer
U32 error;
AlazarHyperDisp (
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
NULL, // void* -- reserved
samplesPerRecord, // U32 -- BufferSize
(U8*) buffer, // U8* -- ViewBuffer
bytesPerBuffer, // U32 -- ViewBufferSize
pointsPerRecord, // U32 -- NumOfPixels
1, // U32 -- Option (1 = HyperDisp)
CHANNEL_A, // U32 -- ChannelSelect
1, // U32 -- record (1 indexed)
-(long)preTriggerSamples, // long -- TransferOffset
&error // U32* -- error
);

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\SinglePort\HD” for a complete sample program that demon-

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strates how to use AlazarHyperDisp().
Record timestamps
AlazarTech digitizer boards include a 40-bit counter clocked by the sample clock source scaled by
a board specific divider. When a board receives a trigger event to capture a record to on-board
memory, it latches and saves the value of this counter. The counter value gives the time, relative to
when the counter was reset, when the trigger event for the record occurred.
By default, this counter is reset to zero at the start of each acquisition. Use AlazarResetTimeStamp()
to control when the record timestamp counter is reset.
Use AlazarGetTriggerAddress() to retrieve the timestamp, in timestamp clock ticks, of a record
acquired to on-board memory. This function does not convert the timestamp value to seconds. The
following code fragment gets the record timestamp of a record acquired to on-board memory, and
converts the timestamp value from clocks ticks to seconds:
// Read the record timestamp
U32 triggerAddress;
U32 timestampHigh;
U32 timestampLow;
AlazarGetTriggerAddress (
boardHandle, // HANDLE -- board handle
record, // U32 -- record number (1-indexed)
&triggerAddress, // U32* -- trigger address
×tampHigh, // U32* -- timestamp high part
×tampLow // U32* -- timestamp low part
);
// Convert the record timestamp from counts to seconds
__int64 timeStamp_cnt;
timeStamp_cnt = ((__int64) timestampHigh) << 8;
timeStamp_cnt |= timestampLow & 0x0ff;
double samplesPerTimestampCount = 2; // board specific constant
double samplesPerSec = 50.e6; // sample rate
double timeStamp_sec = (double) samplesPerTimestampCount *
timeStamp_cnt / samplesPerSec;

Call AlazarGetParameter() with the GET_SAMPLES_PER_TIMESTAMP_CLOCK parameter to obtain the
board specific “samples per timestamp count” value. See Samples per record requirements for a list of
these values. See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\SinglePort\AR_Timestamps” for a complete sample
program that demonstrates how to retrieve record timestamps and convert them to seconds.
Master-slave applications
If the single-port API is used to acquire from master-slave board system, only the master board
in the board system should receive calls to the following API functions: AlazarStartCapture(),
AlazarAbortCapture(), AlazarBusy(), AlazarTriggered() and AlazarForceTrigger().
See

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“%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\SinglePort\AR_MasterSlave” for a sample program that demonstrates
how to acquire from a master-slave system.

3.4.2 Dual port AutoDMA acquisition
AutoDMA allows a board to capture sample data to on-board dual-port memory while – at the same
time – transferring sample data from on-board dual-port memory to a buffer in host memory. Data
acquisition and data transfer are done in parallel, so any trigger events that occur while the board
is transferring data will not be missed.
AutoDMA may be used if:
• A board has dual-port or FIFO on-board memory.
• An application acquires at an average rate, in MB/s, that is less than maximum transfer rate
of your board’s PCI or PCIe host bus interface.
AutoDMA must be used if:
• A board has FIFO on-board memory.
• An application cannot miss trigger events that occur while it transfers data to host memory,
or re-arms for another acquisition.
• An application acquires more sample points or records than can be stored in on-board memory.
Applications such as ultrasonic testing, OCT, radar, and imaging should use AutoDMA. An AutoDMA
acquisition is divided into segments. AutoDMA hardware on a board transfers sample data, one
segment at a time, from on-board memory to a buffer in host memory. There may be an unlimited
number of segments in an AutoDMA acquisition, so a board can be armed to make an acquisition
of infinite duration. There are four AutoDMA operating modes:
Traditional AutoDMA This mode acquires multiple records, one per trigger event. Each record
may contain samples before and after its trigger event. Each buffer contains one or more
records. A record header may optionally precede each record. Supports low trigger repeat
rates.
NPT AutoDMA Acquires multiple records, one per trigger event. Some boards support a very limited number of pre-trigger samples. Otherwise, only post-trigger samples are possible. Each
buffer contains one or more record. Supports high trigger repetition rates.
Triggered streaming AutoDMA Acquires a single, gapless record spanning one or more DMA
buffers. Each DMA buffer then contains only a segment of the record. This mode waits
for a trigger event before acquiring the record.
Continuous streaming AutoDMA Acquires a single, gapless record spanning one or more DMA
buffers. Each DMA buffer then contains only a segment of the record. This mode does not
wait for a trigger event before acquiring the record.
To make an AutoDMA acquisition, an application must:
• Specify the AutoDMA mode, samples per record, records per buffer, and records per acquisition.

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• Arm the board to start the acquisition.
• Wait for an AutoDMA buffer to be filled, process the buffer, and repeat until the acquisition is
complete.
Note: An additional acquisition mode called Synchronous AutoDMA was available in addition to
the modes presented here in former versions of the SDK. Support for this API was removed with
ATSApi version 6.0.0. Refer to Annex 1 for more information.

Traditional AutoDMA
Use traditional mode to acquire multiple records – one per trigger event – with sample points
after, and optionally before, the trigger event in each record. A record header may optionally
precede each record in the AutoDMA buffer. The programmer specifies the number of samples per
record, records per buffer, and buffers in the acquisition. Traditional AutoDMA supports low trigger
repeat rates. For high trigger repeat rates, use NPT AutoDMA mode. Digitizers with four analog
input channels do not support 3-channel operation, and require sample interleave to allow for high
transfer rates from on-board memory.
Each buffer is organized in memory as follows if a board has on-board memory. Rxy represents a
contiguous array of samples from record x of channel y.
Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH C
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH C and
CH D

Buffer organization
R1A, R2A, R3A, . . . RnA
R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB
R1A, R1B, R2A, R2B, R3A, R3B . . . RnA, RnB
R1C, R2C, R3C . . . RnC
R1A, R1C, R2A, R2C, R3A, R3C . . . RnA, RnC
R1B, R1C, R2B, R2C, R3B, R3C . . . RnB, RnC
R1D, R2D, R3D . . . RnD
R1A, R1D, R2A, R2D, R3A, R3D . . . RnA, RnD
R1B, R1D, R2B, R2D, R3B, R3D . . . RnB, RnD
R1C, R1D, R2C, R2D, R3C, R3D . . . RnC, RnD
R1A, R1B, R1C, R1D, R2A, R2B, R2C, R2D, R3A, R3B, R3C, R3D . . .
RnA, RnB, RnC, RnD

Each buffer is organized in memory as follows if a board does not have on-board memory, or
if sample interleave is enabled. Rxy represents a contiguous array of samples from record x of
channel y, Rx[uv] represents interleaved samples from record x of channels u and v, and Rx[uvyz]
represents interleaved samples from channels u, v, y, and z.

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Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH C
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH C and CH C

Buffer organization
R1A, R2A, R3A, . . . RnA
R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB
R1[ABAB. . . ], R2[ABAB. . . ], . . . Rn[ABAB. . . ]
R1C, R2C, R3C . . . RnC
R1[ACAC. . . ], R2[ACAC. . . ], . . . Rn[ACAC. . . ]
R1[BCBC. . . ], R2[BCBC. . . ], . . . Rn[BCBC. . . ]
R1D R2D, R3D . . . RnD
R1[ADAD. . . ], R2[ADAD. . . ], . . . Rn[ADAD. . . ]
R1[BDBD. . . ], R2[BDBD. . . ], . . . Rn[BDBD. . . ]
R1[CDCD. . . ], R2[CDCD. . . ], . . . Rn[CDCD. . . ]
R1[ABCDABDC
. . . ],
R2[ABDCABDC
Rn[ABDCABDC. . . ]

. . . ],

...

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\TR” for a sample program that demonstrates how to
make an AutoDMA acquisition in Traditional mode.
If record headers are enabled, then a 16-byte record header will precede each record in an AutoDMA buffer. The record header contains a record timestamp, as well as acquisition metadata.
See Record headers and timestamps below for a discussion of AutoDMA record headers.
NPT AutoDMA
Use NPT mode to acquire multiple records – one per trigger event – with no sample points before the
trigger event in each record, and with no record headers. The programmer specifies the number of
samples per record, records per buffer, and buffers in the acquisition. Note that NPT mode is highly
optimized, and supports higher trigger repeats rate than possible in Traditional mode. Digitizers
with four analog input channels do not support 3-channel operation, and require sample interleave
to allow for high transfer rates from on-board memory.
Each buffer is organized in memory as follows if a board has on-board memory. Rxy represents a
contiguous array of samples from record x of channel y.
Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH B
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH C,
and CH D

Buffer organization
R1A, R2A, R3A, . . . RnA
R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB
R1A, R2A, R3A . . . RnA, R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB
R1C, R2C, R3C, . . . RnC
R1A, R2A, R3A . . . RnA, R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB
R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB, R1C, R2C, R3C . . . RnC
R1D, R2D, R3D, . . . RnD
R1A, R2A, R3A . . . RnA, R1D, R2D, R3D . . . RnD
R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB, R1D, R2D, R3D . . . RnD
R1C, R2C, R3C . . . RnC, R1D, R2D, R3D . . . RnD
R1A, R2A, R3A . . . RnA, R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB, R1C, R2C, R3C . . .
RnC, R1D, R2D, R3D . . . RnD

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Each buffer is organized in memory as follows if a board does not have on-board memory, or
if sample interleave is enabled. Rxy represents a contiguous array of samples from record x of
channel y, Rx[uv] represents interleaved samples from record x of channels u and v, and Rx[uvyz]
represents interleaved samples from record x of channels u, v, y, and z.
Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH C
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH C and CH D

Buffer organization
R1A, R2A, R3A, . . . RnA
R1B, R2B, R3B . . . RnB
R1[ABAB. . . ], R2[ABAB. . . ], . . . Rn[ABAB. . . ]
R1C, R2C, R3C . . . RnC
R1[ACAC. . . ], R2[ACAC. . . ], . . . Rn[ACAC. . . ]
R1[BCBC. . . ], R2[BCBC. . . ], . . . Rn[BCBC. . . ]
R1D R2D, R3D . . . RnD
R1[ADAD. . . ], R2[ADAD. . . ], . . . Rn[ADAD. . . ]
R1[BDBD. . . ], R2[BDBD. . . ], . . . Rn[BDBD. . . ]
R1[CDCD. . . ], R2[CDCD. . . ], . . . Rn[CDCD. . . ]
R1[ABCDABCD
. . . ],
R2[ABCDABCD
Rn[ABCDABCD. . . ]

. . . ],

...

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\NPT” for a sample program that demonstrates how to
make an AutoDMA acquisition in NPT mode.
Continuous streaming AutoDMA
Use continuous streaming mode to acquire a single, gapless record that spans multiple buffers
without waiting for a trigger event to start the acquisition. The programmer specifies the number
of samples per buffer, and buffers per acquisition. Each buffer is organized as follows if a board has
on-board memory. R1x represents a contiguous array of samples from channel x.
Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH C
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH C and CH D

Buffer organization
R1A
R1B
R1A, R1B
R1C
R1A, R1C
R1B, R1C
R1D
R1A, R1D
R1B, R1D
R1C, R1D
R1A, R1B, R1C, R1D

Each buffer is organized as follows if a board does not have on-board memory, or if sample interleave is enabled. R1x represents a contiguous array of samples from channel x, R1[uv] represents
samples interleaved from channels u and v, and R1[uvyz] represents samples interleaved from
channels u, v, y, and z.
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Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
Both CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH C
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH C and CH D

Buffer organization
R1A
R1B
R1[ABAB. . . ]
R1C
R1[ACAC. . . ]
R1[BCBC. . . ]
R1D
R1[ADAD. . . ]
R1[BDBD. . . ]
R1[CDCD. . . ]
R1[ABCDABCD . . . ]

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\CS” for a sample program that demonstrates how to
make an AutoDMA acquisition in continuous streaming mode.
Triggered streaming AutoDMA
Use triggered streaming mode to acquire a single, gapless record that spans two or more buffers
after waiting for a trigger event to start the acquisition. The programmer specifies the number of
samples in each buffer, and buffers in the acquisition. Each buffer is organized as follows if a board
has on-board memory. R1x represents a contiguous array of samples from channel x.
Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH C
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH C and CH D

Buffer organization
R1A
R1B
R1A, R1B
R1C
R1A, R1C
R1B, R1C
R1D
R1A, R1D
R1B, R1D
R1C, R1D
R1A, R2B, R1C, R1D

Each buffer is organized as follows if a board does not have on-board memory, or if sample interleave is enabled. R1x represents a contiguous array of samples from channel x, R1[uv] represents
samples interleaved from channels u and v, and R1[uvyz] represents samples interleaved from
channels u, v, y, and z.

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Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
Both CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH C
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH C and CH D

Buffer organization
R1A
R1B
R1[ABAB. . . ]
R1C
R1[ACAC. . . ]
R1[BCBC. . . ]
R1D
R1[ADAD. . . ]
R1[BDBD. . . ]
R1[CDCD. . . ]
R1[ABCDABCD . . . ]

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\TS” for a sample program that demonstrates how to
make a triggered streaming AutoDMA acquisition.
Record headers and timestamps
In traditional AutoDMA mode, a 16-byte record header may optionally precede each record in a
buffer. When record headers are enabled, the following table shows the buffer layout if a board has
on-board memory. Record headers are not supported if a board does not have on-board memory.
Rxy represents a contiguous array of samples from record x of channel y, and Hxy is a 16-byte
record header from record x of channel y.
Enabled channels
CH A
CH B
CH A and CH B
CH C
CH A and CH C
CH B and CH C
CH D
CH A and CH D
CH B and CH D
CH C and CH D
CH A, CH B, CH
C and CH D

Buffer organization
H1A, R1A, H2A, R2A . . . HnA, RnA
H1B, R1B, H2B, R2B . . . HnB, RnB
H1A, R1A, H1B, R1B, H2A, R2A, H2B, R2B. . . HnA, RnA, HnB, RnB
H1C, R1C, H2C, R2C . . . HnC, RnC
H1A, R1A, H1C, R1C, H2A, R2A, H2C, R2C. . . HnA, RnA, HnC, RnC
H1B, R1B, H1C, R1C, H2B, R2B, H2C, R2C. . . HnB, RnB, HnC, RnC
H1D, R1D, H2D, R2D . . . HnD, RnD
H1A, R1A, H1D, R1D, H2A, R2A, H2D, R2D. . . HnA, RnA, HnD, RnD
H1B, R1B, H1D, R1D, H2B, R2B, H2D, R2D. . . HnB, RnB, HnD, RnD
H1C, R1C, H1D, R1D, H2C, R2C, H2D, R2D. . . HnC, RnC, HnD, RnD
H1A, R1A, H1B, R1B, H1C, R1C, H1D, R1D, H2A, R2A, H2B, R2B H2C, R2C,
H2D, R2D. . . HnA, RnA, HnB, RnB, HnC, RnC, HnD, RnD

Record headers
A record header is a 16-byte structure defined in AlazarApi.h as follows:

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struct _HEADER0 {
unsigned int SerialNumber:18; // bits 17..0
unsigned int SystemNumber:4; // bits 21..18
unsigned int WhichChannel:1; // bit 22
unsigned int BoardNumber:4; // bits 26..23
unsigned int SampleResolution:3; // bits 29..27
unsigned int DataFormat:2; // bits 31..30
};
struct _HEADER1 {
unsigned int RecordNumber:24; // bits 23..0
unsigned int BoardType:8; // bits 31..24
};
struct _HEADER2 {
U32 TimeStampLowPart; //bits 31..0
};
struct _HEADER3 {
unsigned int TimeStampHighPart:8; // bits 7..0
unsigned int ClockSource:2; // bits 9..8
unsigned int ClockEdge:1; // bit 10
unsigned int SampleRate:7; // bits 17..11
unsigned int InputRange:5; // bits 22..18
unsigned int InputCoupling:2; // bits 24..23
unsigned int InputImpedence:2; // bits 26..25
unsigned int ExternalTriggered:1; // bit 27
unsigned int ChannelBTriggered:1; // bit 28
unsigned int ChannelATriggered:1; // bit 29
unsigned int TimeOutOccurred:1; // bit 30
unsigned int ThisChannelTriggered:1; // bit 31
};
typedef struct _ALAZAR_HEADER {
struct _HEADER0 hdr0;
struct _HEADER1 hdr1;
struct _HEADER2 hdr2;
struct _HEADER3 hdr3;
} *PALAZAR_HEADER;
typedef struct _ALAZAR_HEADER ALZAR_HEADER;

See ALAZAR_HEADER for more information about each of the fields of this structure. See
“%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\TR_Header” for a full sample program that demonstrates
how to make an AutoDMA acquisition in Traditional mode with record headers.
Record timestamps
AlazarTech digitizer boards include a high-speed 40-bit counter that is clocked by the sample clock
source scaled by a board specific divider. When a board receives a trigger event to capture a record
to on-board memory, it latches the value of this counter. This timestamp value gives the time,

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relative to when the counter was reset, when the trigger event for this record occurred. By default,
this counter is reset to zero at the start of each acquisition. Use AlazarResetTimeStamp() to control
when the record timestamp counter is reset. The following code fragment demonstrates how to
extract the timestamp from a record header, and covert the value from counts to seconds:
double samplesPerTimestampCount = 2; // board specific constant
double samplesPerSec = 100.e6; // sample rate
void* pRecord; // points to record header in buffer
ALAZAR_HEADER *pHeader = (ALAZAR_HEADER*) pRecord;
__int64 timestamp_counts;
timestamp_counts = (INT64) pHeader->hdr2.TimeStampLowPart;
timestamp_counts = timestamp_counts |
(((__int64) (pHeader->hdr3.TimeStampHighPart & 0x0ff)) << 32);
double timestamp_sec = samplesPerTimestampCount *
timestamp_counts / samplesPerSec;

Call AlazarGetParameter() with the GET_SAMPLES_PER_TIMESTAMP_CLOCK parameter to determine the board specific “samples per timestamp count” value. Samples per record requirements
lists these values. See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\TR_Header” for a full sample program that demonstrates how to make an AutoDMA acquisition in Traditional mode with record
headers, and convert the timestamp to seconds.
AutoDMA acquisition flow
The AutoDMA functions allow an application to add user-defined number of buffers to a list of
buffers available to be filled by a board, and to wait for the board to receive sufficient trigger
events to fill the buffers with sample data. The board uses AutoDMA to transfer data directly into
a buffer without making any intermediate copies in memory. As soon as one buffer is filled, the
driver automatically starts an AutoDMA transfer into the next available buffer.
AlazarPostBuffer
C/C++ applications should call AlazarPostAsyncBuffer() to make buffers available to be filled
by the board, and AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete() to wait for the board to receive sufficient
trigger events to fill the buffers. The following code fragment outlines the steps required to make
an AutoDMA acquisition using AlazarPostAsyncBuffer() and AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete():
// Configure the board to make an AutoDMA acquisition
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
channelMask, // U32 -- enabled channel mask
-(long)preTriggerSamples, // long -- trigger offset
samplesPerRecord, // U32 -- samples per record
recordsPerBuffer, // U32 -- records per buffer
recordsPerAcquisition, // U32 -- records per acquisition
flags // U32 -- AutoDMA mode and options
);
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// Add two or more buffers to a list of buffers
// available to be filled by the board
for (i = 0; i < BUFFER_COUNT; i++) {
AlazarPostAsyncBuffer(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
BufferArray[i], // void* -- buffer pointer
BytesPerBuffer // U32 -- buffer length in bytes
);
}
// Arm the board to begin the acquisition
AlazarStartCapture(handle);
// Wait for each buffer in the acquisition to be filled
U32 buffersCompleted = 0;
while (buffersCompleted < buffersPerAcquisition) {
// Wait for the board to receives sufficient trigger events
// to fill the buffer at the head of its list of
// available buffers.
U32 bufferIndex = buffersCompleted % BUFFER_COUNT;
U16* pBuffer = BufferArray[bufferIndex];
AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete(handle, pBuffer, timeout_ms);
buffersCompleted++;
// The buffer is full, process it.
// Note that while the application processes this buffer,
// the board is filling the next available buffer
// as trigger events arrive.
ProcessBuffer(pBuffer, bytesPerBuffer);
// Add the buffer to the end of the list of buffers
// available to be filled by this board. The board will
// fill it with another segment of the acquisition after
// all of the buffers preceding it have been filled.
AlazarPostAsyncBuffer(handle, pBuffer, bytesPerBuffer);
}
// Abort the acquisition and release resources.
// This function must be called after an acquisition.
AlazarAbortAsyncRead(boardHandle);

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\NPT” for a full sample program that demonstrates make
an AutoDMA acquisition using AlazarPostAsyncBuffer.
ADMA_ALLOC_BUFERS
C#, and LabVIEW applications may find it more convenient to allow the API to allocate and
manage a list of buffers available to be filled by the board. These applications should call
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() with the AMDA_ALLOC_BUFFERS option selected in the “Flags” parameter. This option will cause the API to allocate and manage a list of buffers available to be

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filled by the board. The application must call AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete() to wait
for a buffer to be filled. When the board receives sufficient trigger events to fill a buffer, the
API will copy the data from the internal buffer to the user-supplied buffer. The following code
fragment outlines how make an AutoDMA acquisition using the ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS flag and
AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete():
// Allow the API to allocate and manage AutoDMA buffers
flags |= ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS;
// Configure a board to make an AutoDMA acquisition
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
channelMask, // U32 -- enabled channel mask
-(long)preTriggerSamples, // long -- trigger offset
samplesPerRecord, // U32 -- samples per record
recordsPerBuffer, // U32 -- records per buffer
recordsPerAcquisition, // U32 -- records per acquisition
flags // U32 -- AutoDMA mode and options
);
// Arm the board to begin the acquisition
AlazarStartCapture(handle);
// Wait for each buffer in the acquisition to be filled
RETURN_CODE retCode = ApiSuccess;
while (retCode == ApiSuccess) {
// Wait for the board to receive sufficient
// trigger events to fill an internal AutoDMA buffer.
// The API will copy data from the internal buffer
// to the user-supplied buffer.
retCode =
AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
pBuffer, // void* -- buffer to receive data
bytesToCopy, // U32 -- bytes to copy into buffer
timeout_ms // U32 -- time to wait for buffer
);
// The buffer is full, process it
// Note that while the application processes this buffer,
// the board is filling the next available internal buffer
// as trigger events arrive.
ProcessBuffer(pBuffer, bytesPerBuffer);
}
// Abort the acquisition and release resources.
// This function must be called after an acquisition.
AlazarAbortAsyncRead(boardHandle);

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\CS_WaitNextBuffer” for a full sample program that
demonstrates make an AutoDMA acquisition using ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS. An application can get
or set the number of DMA buffers allocated by the API by calling AlazarGetParameter() or
AlazarSetParameter() with the parameter SETGET_ASYNC_BUFFCOUNT.

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Note that applications may combine ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS with options to perform operations that
would be difficult in high-level programming languages like LabVIEW. They include:
• Data normalization – This option enables the API to process sample data so that the data
always has the same arrangement in the application buffer, independent of AutoDMA mode.
See ADMA_GET_PROCESSED_DATA for more information.
• Disk streaming – This option allows the API to use high-performance disk I/O functions to
stream buffer data to files. See AlazarCreateStreamFile() below for more information.
AlazarAsyncRead
Some C/C++ applications under Windows may require waiting for an event to be set to the
signaled state to indicate when an AutoDMA buffer is full. These applications should use the
AlazarAsyncRead() API. The following code fragment outlines how use AlazarAsyncRead() to
make an asynchronous AutoDMA acquisition:
// Configure the board to make an AutoDMA acquisition
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
channelMask, // U32 -- enabled channel mask
-(long)preTriggerSamples, // long -- trigger ofset
samplesPerBuffer, // U32 -- samples per buffer
recordsPerBuffer, // U32 -- records per buffer
recordsPerAcquisition, // U32 -- records per acquisition
admaFlags // U32 -- AutoDMA flags
);
// Add two or more buffers to a list of buffers
// available to be filled by the board
for (i = 0; i < BUFFER_COUNT; i++) {
AlazarAsyncRead (
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
IoBufferArray[i].buffer, // void* -- buffer
IoBufferArray[i].bytesPerBuffer, // U32 -- buffer length
&IoBufferArray[i].overlapped // OVERLAPPED*
);
}
// Arm the board to begin the acquisition
AlazarStartCapture(handle);
// Wait for each buffer in the acquisition to be filled.
U32 buffersCompleted = 0;
while (buffersCompleted < buffersPerAcquisition)
{
// Wait for the board to receives sufficient
// trigger events to fill the buffer at the head of its
// list of available buffers.
// The event handle will be set to the signaled state when
// the buffer is full.
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U32 bufferIndex = buffersCompleted % BUFFER_COUNT;
IO_BUFFER *pIoBuffer = IoBufferArray[bufferIndex];
WaitForSingleObject(pIoBuffer->hEvent, INFINTE);
buffersCompleted++;
// The buffer is full, process it
// Note that while the application processes this buffer,
// the board is filling the next available buffer
// as trigger events arrive.
ProcessBuffer(pIoBuffer->buffer, pIoBuffer->bytesPerBuffer);
// Add the buffer to the end of the list of buffers.
// The board will fill it with another segment from the
// acquisition after the buffers preceding it have been filled.
AlazarAsyncRead (
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
pIoBuffer->buffer, // void* -- buffer
pIoBuffer->bytesPerBuffer, // U32 -- buffer length
&pIoBuffer->overlapped // OVERLAPPED*
);
}
// Stop the acquisition. This function must be called if unfilled buffers are
// pending.
AlazarAbortAsyncRead(handle);

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\CS_AsyncRead” for a full sample program that demonstrates make an AutoDMA acquisition using AlazarAsyncRead().
AlazarAbortAsyncRead
The asynchronous API driver locks application buffers into memory so that boards may DMA directly into them. When a buffer is completed, the driver unlocks it from memory. An application
must call AlazarAbortAsyncRead() if, at the end of an acquisition, any of the buffers that it supplies
to a board have not been completed. AlazarAbortAsyncRead() completes any pending buffers, and
unlocks them from memory.
Warning: If an application exits without calling AlazarAbortAsyncRead(), the API driver may
generate a DRIVER_LEFT_LOCKED_PAGES_IN_PROCESS (0x000000CB) bug check error under Windows, or leak the locked memory under Linux. This may happen, for example, if a programmer
runs an application that uses the API under a debugger, stops at a breakpoint, and then stops
the debugging session without letting the application or API exit normally.

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Buffer count
An application should supply at least two buffers to a board. This allows the board to fill one buffer
while the application consumes the other. As long as the application can consume buffers faster
than the board can fill them, the acquisition can continue indefinitely. However, Microsoft Windows
and general-purpose Linux distributions are not real time operating systems. An application thread
may be suspended for an indeterminate amount of time to allow other threads with higher priority
to run. As a result, buffer processing may take longer than expected. The board is filling AutoDMA
buffers with sample data in real time. If an application is unable to supply buffers as fast a board
fills them, the board will run out of buffers into which it can transfer sample data. The board can
continue to acquire data until it fills is on-board memory, but then it will abort the acquisition and
report a buffer overflow error.
It is recommended that an application supply three or more buffers to a board. This allows some
tolerance for operating system latencies. The programmer may need to increase the number of
buffers according to the application.
Note: The number of buffers required by a board is not the same as the number of buffers
required by an application. There may be little benefit in supplying a board with more than a few
tens of buffers, each of a few million samples. If an application requires much more sample data
for data analysis or other purposes, the programmer should consider managing application buffers
separately from AutoDMA buffers.

Scanning applications
Scanning applications divide an acquisition into frames, where each frame is composed of a number
of scan lines, and each scan line is composed of a number of sample points. These applications
typically:
• Wait for a “start of frame” event.
• Wait for a number of “start of line” events, capturing a specified number of sample points
after each “start of line” event.
• Wait for the next “start of frame” event and repeat.
To implement a scanning application using a hardware “start of frame” signal:
• Connect a TTL signal that will serve as the “start of frame” event to the AUX I/O connector.
• Call AlazarConfigureAuxIO() specifying AUX_IN_TRIGGER_ENABLE as the mode, and the
active edge of the trigger enable signal as the parameter.
• Configure the board to make an NPT() or Traditional() mode AutoDMA acquisition where
the number of “records per buffer” is equal to the number of scan lines per frame.
• Call AlazarStartCapture() to being the acquisition.
• Supply a TTL pulse to the AUX I/O connector (or call AlazarForceTriggerEnable()) to arm
the board to capture one frame. The board will wait for sufficient trigger events to capture

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the number of records in an AutoDMA buffer, and then wait for the next trigger enable event.
To implement a scanning application using a software “start of frame” command:
• Call AlazarConfigureAuxIO() specifying AUX_OUT_TRIGGER_ENABLE as the mode, along
with the signal to output on the AUX I/O connector.
• Configure the board to make an NPT() or Traditional() mode AutoDMA acquisition where
the number of “records per buffer” is equal to the number of scan lines per frame.
• Call AlazarStartCapture() to being the acquisition.
• Call AlazarForceTriggerEnable() to arm the board to capture one frame. The board will
wait for sufficient trigger events to capture the number of records in an AutoDMA buffer, and
then wait for the next trigger enable event.
Note that if the number of records per acquisition is set to infinite, software arms
the digitizer once to make an AutoDMA acquisition with an infinite number of frames.
The hardware will continue acquiring frame data until the acquisition is aborted.
See
“%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\NPT_Scan” for sample programs that demonstrate how to
make a scanning application using hardware trigger enable signals.
Other scanning applications (NPT Footers)
In some other applications, an acquisition is divided several frames, but the number of records
per frame is not constant. This happens in imaging applications such as intravascular OCT. The
rotation speed of the imaging probe is not constant and the number of records (A-lines) may vary
from one frame to the other.
For this situation, the AUX I/O connector should not be used as a trigger enable input as in conventional scanning application. Instead, it can be used a frame counter. The frame number can be
appended to each data record so the used can recover the frame number for each record and then
reconstruct each frame correctly. These are called footers and can only be used in NPT acquisition
mode. See the NPT footers section for more details about using NPT footers.
Master-slave applications
If a dual-port acquisition API is used to acquire from master-slave board system:
• Call AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() on all slave boards before the master board.
• Call AlazarStartCapture() only on the master board.
• Call AlazarAbortAsyncRead() on the master board before the slave boards.
• The board system acquires the boards in the board system in parallel. As a result, an application must consume a buffer from each board in the board system during each cycle of the
acquisition loop.
• Do not use synchronous API functions with master-slave systems – use the asynchronous API
functions instead.

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The
following
sample
programs
demonstrate
how
to
acquire
from
a
master-slave
system:
“%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\TR_MS”,
“%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\NPT_MS”, “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\CS_MS”,
and “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\TS_MS”.

3.4.3 Buffer size and alignment
AlazarTech digitizer boards must be configured to acquire a minimum number of samples per
record, and each record must be a multiple of a specified number of samples. Records may shift
within a buffer if aligment requirements are not met. Please refer to Samples per record requirements
for a list of requirements.
The number of pre-trigger samples in single-port and dual-port “traditional” AutoDMA mode
must be a multiple of the pre-trigger aligment value above. See AlazarSetRecordCount() and
AlazarSetRecordSize() for more information.
The address of application buffers passed to the following data transfer functions must meet the
buffer aligment requirement in Samples per record requirements: AlazarRead(), AlazarReadEx(),
AlazarAsyncRead(), AlazarPostAsyncBuffer(), and AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete(). For example, the address of a buffer passed to AlazarPostAsyncBuffer to receive data from an ATS9350
must be aligned to a 32-sample, or 64-byte, address.
Note that AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete() has no aligment requirements. As a result, an
application can use this function to transfer data if it is impossible to allocate correctly aligned
buffers.

3.4.4 Data format
By default, AlazarTech digitizers generate unsigned sample data. For example, 8-bit digitizers such
as the ATS9870 generate sample codes between 0 and 255 (0xFF) where: 0 represents a negative
full-scale input voltage, 128 (0x80) represents ~0V input voltage, 255 (0xFF) represents a positive
full-scale input voltage. Some AlazarTech digitizer can be configured to generate signed sample
data in two’s complement format. For example, the ATS9870 can be configured to generate sample
codes where: 0 represents ~0V input voltage, 127 (0x7F) represents a positive full-scale input
voltage, and –128 (0x80) represents a negative full-scale input voltage.
Call AlazarSetParameter() with parameter SET_DATA_FORMAT before the start of an acquisition
to set the sample data format, and call AlazarGetParameter() with GET_DATA_FORMAT to get the
current data format. The following code fragment demonstrates how to select signed sample data
output:
AlazarSetParameter(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
0, // U8 -- channel Id (not used)
SET_DATA_FORMAT, // U32 -- parameter to set
DATA_FORMAT_SIGNED // long -- value (0 = unsigned, 1 = signed)
);

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3.5 Processing data
3.5.1 Converting sample values to volts
The data acquisition API’s transfer an array of sample values into an application buffer. Each sample
value occupies 1 or 2 bytes in the buffer, where a sample code is stored in the most significant bits
of the sample values. Sample values that occupy two bytes are stored with their least significant
bytes at the lower byte addresses (little-endian byte order) in the buffer. To convert sample values
in the buffer to volts:
• Get a sample value from the buffer.
• Get the sample code from the most-significant bits of the sample value.
• Convert the sample code to volts.
Note that the arrangement of samples values in the buffer into records and channels depends on
the API used to acquire the data.
• Single-port acquisitions return a contiguous array of samples for a specified channel. (See
Single Port Acquisition above.)
• Dual-port AutoDMA acquisitions return sample data whose arrangement depends on the AutoDMA mode and options chosen. (See section Dual port AutoDMA Acquisition above.)
Also note that AlazarTech digitizer boards generate unsigned sample codes by default. (See Data
format above.)
8-bits per sample
Getting 1-byte sample values from the buffer
The hexadecimal editor view below shows the first 128-bytes of data in a buffer from an 8-bit
digitizer such as the ATS850, ATS860, ATS9850, and ATS9870.
00000
00010
00020
00030
00040
00050
00060
00070

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

Each 8-bit sample occupies 1-byte in the buffer, so the block above displays 128 samples (128 bytes
/ 1 byte per sample). The following code fragment demonstrates how to access each 8-bit sample
value in a buffer:
U8 *pSamples = (U8*) buffer;
for (U32 sample = 0; sample < samplesPerBuffer; sample++) {
(continues on next page)

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U8 sampleValue = *pSamples++;
printf("sample value = %02Xn", sampleValue);
}

Getting 8-bit sample codes from 1-byte sample values
Each 8-bit sample value stores an 8-bit sample code. For example, the first byte in buffer above
stores the sample code 0x7F, or 127 decimal.
Converting unsigned 8-bit sample codes to volts
A sample code of 128 (0x80) represents ~0V input voltage, 255 (0xFF) represents a positive fullscale input voltage, and 0 represents a negative full-scale input voltage. The following table illustrates how unsigned 8-bit sample codes map to values in volts according to the full-scale input
range of the input channel.
Hex value
0x00
0x40
0x80
0xC0
0xFF

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
0%
+50%
+100%

Volts for ±100 mV range
-100 mV
-50 mV
0V
50 mV
+100 mV

Volts for ±1 V range
-1 V
-.5 V
0V
+.5 V
+1 V

The following code fragment shows how to convert a 1-byte sample value containing an unsigned
8-bit code to in volts:
double SampleToVoltsU8(U8 sampleValue, double inputRange_volts)
{
// AlazarTech digitizers are calibrated as follows
int bitsPerSample = 8;
double codeZero = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
double codeRange = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
// Convert sample code to volts
double sampleVolts = inputRange_volts *
((double) (sampleValue - codeZero) / codeRange);
return sampleVolts;
}

Converting signed 8-bit sample codes to volts
A signed code of 0 represents ~0V input voltage, 127 (0x7F) represents a positive full-scale input
voltage, and –128 (0x80) represents a negative full-scale input voltage. The following table illustrates how signed 8-bit sample codes map to values in volts according to the full-scale input range
of the input channel.

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Hex value
0x81
0xC0
0x00
0x40
0x7F

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
0%
+50%
+100%

Volts for ±100 mV range
-100 mV
-50 mV
0V
50 mV
+100 mV

Volts for ±1 V range
-1 V
-.5 V
0V
+.5 V
+1 V

The following code fragment shows how to convert a 1-byte sample value containing a signed 8-bit
sample code to in volts:
double SampleToVoltsS8(U8 sampleValue, double inputRange_volts)
{
// AlazarTech digitizers are calibrated as follows
int bitsPerSample = 8;
double codeZero = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
double codeRange = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
// Convert signed code to unsigned
U8 sampleCode = sampleValue + 0x80;
// Convert sample code to volts
double sampleVolts = inputRange_volts *
((double) (sampleCode - codeZero) / codeRange);
return sampleVolts;
}

12-bits per sample
Getting 2-byte sample values from the buffer
The hexadecimal editor view below displays the first 128-bytes of data in a buffer from a 12bit digitizer such as the ATS310, ATS330, ATS9325, ATS9350, ATS9351, ATS9360, ATS9371, and
ATS9373.
00000
00010
00020
00030
00040
00050
00060
00070

E0
F0
E0
F0
E0
F0
E0
F0

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

F0
00
F0
00
F0
00
F0
00

7F
80
7F
80
7F
80
7F
80

00
E0
00
E0
00
E0
00
E0

80
7F
80
7F
80
7F
80
7F

F0
E0
F0
E0
F0
E0
F0
E0

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

F0
00
F0
00
F0
00
F0
00

7F
80
7F
80
7F
80
7F
80

10
E0
10
E0
10
E0
10
E0

80
7F
80
7F
80
7F
80
7F

E0
F0
E0
F0
E0
F0
E0
F0

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

00
F0
00
F0
00
F0
00
F0

80
7F
80
7F
80
7F
80
7F

Each 12-bit sample value occupies a 2-bytes in the buffer, so the view above displays 64 sample
values (128 bytes / 2 bytes per sample). The first 2 bytes in the buffer are 0xE0 and 0x7F. Twobyte sample values are stored in little-endian byte order in the buffer, so the first sample value in
the buffer is 0x7FE0. The following code fragment demonstrates how to access each 16-bit sample
value in a buffer:

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U16 *pSamples = (U16*)buffer;
for (U32 sample = 0; sample < samplesPerBuffer; sample++) {
U16 sampleValue = *pSamples++;
printf("sample value = %04X\n", sampleValue);
}

Getting 12-bit sample codes from 16-bit sample values
A 12-bit sample code is stored in the most significant bits (MSB) of each 16-bit sample value, so
right-shift each 16-bit value by 4 (or divide by 16) to obtain the 12-bit sample code. In the example
above, the 16-bit sample value 0x7FE0 right-shifted by four results in the 12-bit sample code 0x7FE,
or 2046 decimal.
16-bit sample value in decimal
16-bit sample value in hex
16-bit sample value in binary
12-bit sample code from MSBs of 16-bit value
12-bit sample code in hex
12-bit sample code in decimal

32736
7FE0
0111 1111 1110 0000
0111 1101 1110
7FE
2046

Converting unsigned 12-bit sample codes to volts
An unsigned code of 2048 (0x800) represents ~0V input voltage, 4095 (0xFFF) represents a positive full-scale input voltage, and 0 represents a negative full-scale input voltage. The following
table illustrates how unsigned 12-bit sample codes map to values in volts according to the full-scale
input range of the input channel.
Hex value
0x000
0x400
0x800
0xC00
0xFFF

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
0%
+50%
+100%

Volts for ±100 mV range
-100 mV
-50 mV
0V
50 mV
+100 mV

Volts for ±1 V range
-1 V
-.5 V
0V
+.5 V
+1 V

The following code fragment demonstrates how to convert a 2-byte word containing an unsigned
12-bit sample code to in volts:
double SampleToVoltsU12(U16 sampleValue, double inputRange_volts)
{
// Right-shift 16-bit sample word by 4 to get 12-bit sample code
int bitShift = 4;
U16 sampleCode = sampeValue >> bitShift;
// AlazarTech digitizers are calibrated as follows
int bitsPerSample = 12;
(continues on next page)

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(continued from previous page)

double codeZero = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
double codeRange = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
// Convert sample code to volts
double sampleVolts = inputRange_volts *
((double) (sampleCode - codeZero) / codeRange);
return sampleVolts;
}

Converting signed 12-bit sample codes to volts
A signed code of 0 represents ~0V input voltage, 2047 (0x7FF) represents a positive full-scale
input voltage, and -2048 (0x800) represents a negative full-scale input voltage. The following
table illustrates how signed 12-bit sample codes map to values in volts according to the full-scale
input range of the input channel.
Hex value
0x801
0xC00
0x000
0x400
0x7FF

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
0%
+50%
+100%

Volts for ±100 mV range
-100 mV
-50 mV
0V
50 mV
+100 mV

Volts for ±1 V range
-1 V
-.5 V
0V
+.5 V
+1 V

The following code fragment shows how to convert a 2-byte sample word containing a signed 12-bit
sample code to in volts:
double SampleToVoltsS12(U16 sampleValue, double inputRange_volts)
{
// Right-shift 16-bit sample value by 4 to get 12-bit sample code
int bitShift = 4;
U16 sampleCode = sampleValue >> bitShift;
// Convert signed code to unsigned
sampleCode = (sampleCode + 0x800) & 0x7FF;
// AlazarTech digitizers are calibrated as follows
int bitsPerSample = 12;
double codeZero = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
double codeRange = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
// Convert sample code to volts
double sampleVolts = inputRange_volts *
((double) (sampleCode - codeZero) / codeRange);
return sampleVolts;
}

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14-bits per sample
Getting 2-byte sample values from the buffer
The hexadecimal editor view below displays the first 128-bytes of data in a buffer from a 14-bit
digitizer such as the ATS460 and ATS9440.
00000
00010
00020
00030
00040
00050
00060
00070

4C
3C
E0
4C
3C
E0
4C
E0

7F
82
84
7F
82
84
7F
84

EC
B4
50
EC
B4
50
EC
50

7f
82
85
7f
82
85
7f
85

3c
A8
D0
3c
A8
D0
3c
D0

80
82
85
80
82
85
80
85

98
60
FC
98
60
FC
98
FC

80
83
85
80
83
85
80
85

D0
9C
2C
D0
9C
2C
D0
2C

80
83
86
80
83
86
80
86

24
14
B0
24
14
B0
24
B0

81
84
86
81
84
86
81
86

7C
40
10
7C
40
10
7C
10

81
84
87
81
84
87
81
87

B4
88
56
B4
88
56
B4
56

81
84
87
81
84
87
81
87

Each sample value occupies a 2-bytes in the buffer, so the figure displays 64 sample values (128
bytes / 2 bytes per sample). The first 2 bytes in the buffer, shown highlighted, are 0x4C and
0x7F. Two-byte sample values are stored in little-endian byte order in the buffer, so the first sample
value in the buffer is 0x7F4C. The following code fragment demonstrates how to access each 16-bit
sample value in a buffer:
U16 *pSamples = (U16*) buffer;
for (U32 sample = 0; sample < samplesPerBuffer; sample++) {
U16 sampleValue = *pSamples++;
printf("sample value = %04X\n", sampleValue);
}

Getting 14-bit sample codes from 16-bit sample values
A 14-bit sample code is stored in the most significant bits of each 16-bit sample value in the buffer,
so right-shift each 16-bit value by 2 (or divide by 4) to obtain the 14-bit sample code. In the
example above, the 16-bit value 0x7F4C right-shifted by two results in the 14-bit sample code
0x1FD3, or 8147 decimal.
16-bit sample value in decimal
16-bit sample value in hex
16-bit sample value in binary
14-bit sample code from MSBs of 16-bit sample value
14-bit sample code in hex
14-bit sample code in decimal

32588
7F4C
0111 1111 0100 1100
01 1111 1101 0011
1FD3
8147

Converting unsigned 14-bit sample codes to volts
An unsigned code of 8192 (0x2000) represents ~0V input voltage, 16383 (0x3FFF) represents a
positive full-scale input voltage, and 0 represents a negative full-scale input voltage. The following

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table illustrates how unsigned 14-bit sample codes map to values in volts according to the full-scale
input range of an input channel.
Hex value
0x0000
0x1000
0x2000
0x3000
0x3FFF

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
0%
+50%
+100%

Volts for ±100 mV range
-100 mV
-50 mV
0V
50 mV
+100 mV

Volts for ±1 V range
-1 V
-.5 V
0V
+.5 V
+1 V

The following code fragment demonstrates how to convert a 2-byte sample value containing an
unsigned 14-bit sample code to in volts:
double SampleToVoltsU14(U16 sampleValue, double inputRange_volts)
{
// Right-shift 16-bit sample word by 2 to get 14-bit sample code
int bitShift = 2;
U16 sampleCode = sampleValue >> bitShift;
// AlazarTech digitizers are calibrated as follows
int bitsPerSample = 14;
double codeZero = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
double codeRange = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
// Convert sample code to volts
double sampleVolts = inputRange_volts *
((double) (sampleCode - codeZero) / codeRange);
return sampleVolts;
}

Converting signed 14-bit sample codes to volts
A signed code of 0 represents ~0V input voltage, 8191 (0x1FFF) represents a positive full-scale
input voltage, and –8192 (0x2000) represents a negative full-scale input voltage. The following
table illustrates how signed 14-bit sample codes map to values in volts depending on the full-scale
input range of the input channel.
Hex value
0x2001
0x3000
0x0000
0x1000
0x1FFF

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
0%
+50%
+100%

Volts for ±100 mV range
-100 mV
-50 mV
0V
50 mV
+100 mV

Volts for ±1 V range
-1 V
-.5 V
0V
+.5 V
+1 V

The following code fragment demonstrates how to convert a 2-byte sample value containing a
signed 14-bit sample code to in volts:
double SampleToVoltsU14(U16 sampleValue, double inputRange_volts)
{
(continues on next page)

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(continued from previous page)

// Right-shift 16-bit sample word by 2 to get 14-bit sample code
int bitShift = 2;
U16 sampleCode = sampeWord >> bitShift;
// AlazarTech digitizers are calibrated as follows
int bitsPerSample = 14;
double codeZero = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
double codeRange = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
// Convert the signed code to unsigned
sampleCode = (sampleCode + 0x2000) & 0x1FFF;
// Convert sample code to volts
double sampleVolts = inputRange_volts *
((double) (sampleCode - codeZero) / codeRange);
return sampleVolts;
}

16-bit per sample
Getting 2-byte sample values from the buffer
The hexadecimal editor view below displays the first 128-bytes of data in a buffer from a 16-bit
digitizer such as the ATS660, ATS9462, ATS9625, or ATS9626.
00000
00010
00020
00030
00040
00050
00060
00070

14
0B
14
0B
14
0B
14
14

80
80
80
80
80
80
80
80

FB
FF
FB
FF
FB
FF
FB
FB

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

FB
F8
FB
F8
FB
F8
FB
FB

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

08
0B
08
0B
08
0B
08
08

80
80
80
80
80
80
80
80

FB
09
FB
09
FB
09
FB
FB

7F
80
7F
80
7F
80
7F
7F

00
0E
00
0E
00
0E
00
00

80
80
80
80
80
80
80
80

02
F3
02
F3
02
F3
02
02

80
7F
80
7F
80
7F
80
80

ED
FE
ED
FE
ED
FE
ED
ED

7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F
7F

Each 16-bit sample value occupies 2 bytes in the buffer, so the figure displays 64 sample values (128
bytes / 2 bytes per sample). The first 2 bytes in the buffer are 0x14 and 0x80. Two-byte samples
values are stored in little-endian byte order in the buffer, so the first sample value is 0x8014. The
following code fragment demonstrates how to access each 16-bit sample value in a buffer:
U16 *pSamples = (U16*)buffer;
for (U32 sample = 0; sample < samplesPerBuffer; sample++)
{
U16 sampleValue = * pSamples++;
printf("sample value = %04X\n", sampleValue);
}

Getting 16-bit sample codes from 16-bit sample values
A 16-bit sample code is stored in each 16-bit sample value in the buffer. In the example above, the
first sample code is 0x8014, or 32788 decimal.

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Converting unsigned 16-bit sample codes to volts
An unsigned code of 32768 (0x8000) represents ~0V input voltage, 65535 (0xFFFF) represents a
positive full-scale input voltage, and 0 represents a negative full-scale input voltage. The following
table illustrates how unsigned 16-bit sample codes map to values in volts according to the full-scale
input range of an input channel.
Hex value
0x0000
0x4000
0x8000
0xC000
0xFFFF

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
0%
+50%
+100%

Volts for ±100 mV range
-100 mV
-50 mV
0V
50 mV
+100 mV

Volts for ±1 V range
-1 V
-.5 V
0V
+.5 V
+1 V

The following code fragment demonstrates how to convert a 2-byte sample value containing an
unsigned 16-bit sample code to in volts:
double SampleToVoltsU16(U16 sampleValue, double inputRange_volts)
{
// AlazarTech digitizers are calibrated as follows
int bitsPerSample = 16;
double codeZero = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
double codeRange = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
// Convert sample code to volts
double sampleVolts = inputRange_volts *
((double) (sampleValue - codeZero) / codeRange);
return sampleVolts;
}

Converting signed 16-bit sample codes to volts
A signed code of 32767 (0x7FFF) represents a positive full-scale input voltage, 0 represents ~0V
input voltage, and –32768 (0x8000) represents a negative full-scale input voltage. The following
table illustrates how signed 16-bit sample codes map to values in volts according to the full-scale
input range of the input channel:
Hex value
0x8001
0xC000
0x0000
0x4000
0x7FFF

Fraction of input range
-100%
-50%
0%
+50%
+100%

Volts for ±100 mV range
-100 mV
-50 mV
0V
50 mV
+100 mV

Volts for ±1 V range
-1 V
-.5 V
0V
+.5 V
+1 V

The following code fragment demonstrates how to convert a 2-byte sample word containing a
signed 16-bit sample code to in volts:

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double SampleToVoltsS16(U16 sampleValue, double inputRange_volts)
{
// AlazarTech digitizers are calibrated as follows
int bitsPerSample = 16;
double codeZero = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
double codeRange = (1 << (bitsPerSample - 1)) - 0.5;
// Convert signed sample value to unsigned code
U16 sampleCode = (sampleValue + 0x8000);
// Convert sample code to volts
double sampleVolts = inputRange_volts *
((double) (sampleCode - codeZero) / codeRange);
return sampleVolts;
}

3.5.2 Saving binary files
If an application saves sample data to a binary data file for later processing, it may be possible to
improve disk write speeds by considering the following recommendations.
C/C++ applications
If the application is written in C/C++ and is running under Windows, use the Windows CreateFile API with the FILE_FLAG_NO_BUFFERING flag for file I/O, if possible. Sequential disk write speeds are often substantially higher when this option is selected. See
“%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\TS_DisableFileCache” for a sample program that demonstrates how to use this API to stream data to disk.
LabVIEW applications
If the application is written in LabVIEW, or another high-level programming environment, then
consider using the AlazarCreateStreamFile() API function. This function creates a binary data
file, and enables the API to save each buffer received during an AutoDMA acquisition to this file.
The API uses high-performance disk I/O functions that would be difficult to implement in highlevel environments like LabVIEW. As a result, it allows an application in such an environment to
perform high-performance disk streaming with a single additional function call. The following code
fragment outlines how to write a disk streaming application using AlazarCreateStreamFile():
// Allow the API to allocate and manage AutoDMA buffers
flags |= ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS;
// Configure the board to make an AutoDMA acquisition
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
channelMask, // U32 -- enabled channel mask
-(long)preTriggerSamples, // long -- trigger offset
samplesPerRecord, // U32 -- samples per record
recordsPerBuffer, // U32 -- records per buffer
(continues on next page)

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(continued from previous page)

recordsPerAcquisition, // U32 -- records per acquisition
flags // U32 -- AutoDMA mode and options
);
// Create a binary data file, and enable the API save each
// AutoDMA buffer to this file.
AlazarCreateStreamFile(handle, "data.bin");
// Arm the board to begin the acquisition
AlazarStartCapture(handle);
// Wait for each buffer in the acquisition to be filled
RETURN_CODE retCode = ApiSuccess;
while (retCode == ApiSuccess) {
// Wait for the board to receive sufficient trigger
// events to fill an internal buffer.
// The API will save the buffer to a binary data file,
// but will not copy any data into our buffer.
retCode =
AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete(
handle, // HANDLE -- board handle
NULL, // void* -- buffer to receive data
0, // U32 -- bytes to copy into buffer
timeout_ms // U32 -- time to wait for buffer
);
}
// Abort the acquisition and release resources.
// This function must be called after an acquisition.
AlazarAbortAsyncRead(boardHandle);

See “%ATS_SDK_DIR%\Samples\DualPort\CS_CreateStreamFile” for a full sample program that
demonstrates how to stream sample data to disk using AlazarCreateStreamFile().

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CHAPTER

FOUR

ALAZARDSP API DOCUMENTATION

This document presents the AlazarDSP API that allows accessing the on-board digital signal processing (DSP) features provided with some AlazarTech digitizers. Knowledge of the ATS-SDK API
is required to take full advantage of the information presented here.

4.1 Introduction
4.1.1 On-FPGA FFT Overview
The first DSP module to make it into AlazarDSP is a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) block implemented in ATS9350, ATS9351, ATS9360, ATS9370, ATS9371 and ATS9373. This is a very versatile
module that allows its users to compute the Fourier Transform of the input signal acquired on
channel A, and to retrieve the processed data in a variety of output formats. The acquired records
can be padded then mutiplied with a complex window function before going in the FFT processing
block. The resulting data can optionaly be scaled to get its logarithm. The nature of the output
data can be chosen (amplitude, real, imaginary), and it is then possible to set the output format
from a variety of combinations (floating point, 32-bit unsigned integer, etc.). Lastly, it is possible
to get at the output either FFT data, raw (time domain) data or both. The following diagram is a
high-level overview of the FFT processing module.

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4.1.2 General Programming Concepts
All the functions from the AlazarDSP module are defined in AlazarDSP.h, and are implemented in
the usual ATSApi library (ATSApi.dll under Windows, and libATSApi.so under Linux).
Function are prefixed either with AlazarDSP if they apply to any DSP block, or by AlazarFFT if they
are specific to fast Fourier transform modules.
The AlazarDSP API introduces a new type called dsp_module_handle, which represents a DSP module within a digitizer. Depending on their scope, function calls either require a board or a DSP
module handle to be passed.
Note: The AlazarDSP functions must be used in the context of AutoDMA NPT applications.

4.1.3 Transition From Time-Domain Acquisitions
This section details all the steps that are required to take a working AutoDMA NPT program and
turn it into a FFT program. These code samples can be found in AlazarTech’s ATS-SDK
Function calls to the AlazarTech API are usually split into two categories: board configuration
and data acquisition. This is best seen in the code samples provided with the ATS-SDK, where
this separation is shown by sub-routines. Most of the AlazarDSP function calls fall into the second
category. This means that the board configuration routine of the existing code samples is left mostly
untouched.

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Programs that use the AlazarDSP API need to get the handle of the DSP module they want to
use. This is done by calling AlazarDSPGetModules(). Information about the DSP module can be
retrieved at any time using AlazarDSPGetInfo().
The board configuration section is left untouched when compared to a standard AutoDMA NPT
acquisition.
In the data acquisition section, the following changes must be made:
1. AlazarSetRecordSize() is not called. This function is called internally by AlazarFFTSetup().
2. AlazarFFTSetup() is called before AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() and before allocating the DMA
buffers. This is due to the fact that the number of bytes of data returned by the FFT engine
may vary from one mode to the next, e.g. U16 log of amplitude output, U32 real part, etc.
AlazarFFTSetup() returns the effective number of bytes per record that need to be allocated
and passed to AlazarBeforeAsyncRead()
3. AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() is called by passing:
a. The number of bytes per record to the fourth parameter (SamplesPerRecord)
b. 0x7FFFFFFF to RecordsPerAcquisition
4. AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete() is replaced with AlazarDSPGetBuffer().
5. AlazarAbortAsyncRead() is replaced with AlazarDSPAbortCapture().

4.2 Detailed Description
4.2.1 DSP Module Variations
Features offered by DSP processing modules can vary from one board to another. An example of such variation is the maximum record size, which is generally lower on ATS9350 than
on other board models. In order to query these information at runtime, AlazarDSP offers the
AlazarDSPGetInfo() function. A generic interface to retrieve parameters has also been added with
AlazarDSPGetParameterU32(). Each call to this function allows to retrieve one attribute of a DSP
module. Available attributes to query are listed in DSP_PARAMETERS.
In addition, FFT module have specific parameters that are not indicated by AlazarDSPGetInfo().
For these modules, another introspection method is AlazarFFTGetMaxTriggerRepeatRate().
The maximum FFT input length can be read from the maxLength output parameter of
AlazarDSPGetInfo().

4.2.2 FFT Module Output Data
The output data format of the FFT module is determined by the outputFormat parameter to
AlazarFFTSetup(). This parameter can be any element of the FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT enumeration except FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_PLUS_FFT, optionnaly OR’ed with FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_PLUS_FFT.
The meaning of each element is described in FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT.

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If the RAW + FFT mode is selected, a number of samples that correspond to the FFT length is
prepended to each record during the output. These samples contain the acquired time-domain
data in U16 format, followed with padding to bring the number of samples to the FFT input length.
On the board, the Fourier Transform output is a 53-bit unsigned integer that gets converted in
various blocks to match the requested output format. Along the conversion, it is possible to set a
scaling a slicing parameter. These values are set to sane default in AlazarFFTSetup(). It is possible
however for users to change these values manually, using the AlazarFFTSetScalingAndSlicing()
function. The block diagram below shows where the conversions happen.

4.2.3 Background Subtraction
Starting with version 4.6, the on-FPGA FFT module offers a background subtraction feature.
A record to subtract is downloaded on the board with
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetRecordS16(),
and the feature is activated by
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetEnabled().
Once background subtraction is enabled, the background is subtracted to all acquired time-domain
records before they are sent in the FFT processing module.
It is not necessary to re-download the background record in between multiple acquisitions in the
same program. The dowloaded record remains on the board. On the other hand, the default
background record should not be assumed to be made of zeros. As the values can remain in the
board, even after a reboot of the computer.
For 12-bit digitizers, the record is downloaded at 16 bits per sample, but only the 12 most significant
bits are actually used. The 4 least significant bits are discarded. This behaviour is consistent with
the way the boards acquire and send data back to user applications.

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CHAPTER

FIVE

ADVANCED TOPICS

5.1 External clock issues for OCT applications
The external clocking feature of AlazarTech boards is commonly used in OCT applications, where
swept laser sources generate a signal to be used for clocking the acquisition. However, in some
cases the external clock signal does not meet the requirements of the digitizers, which can lead to
various issues. This section discusses the steps that need to be taken to diagnose and troubleshoot
external clock problems.

5.1.1 Diagnose external clock issues
External clock issues can be of two natures; trigger jumps, or unexpected (glitchy) acquired data.
These issues can also arise as the result of a board misconfiguration (bad record length, bad trigger
configuration. . . ). Before proceeding with the external clock troubleshooting, you must ensure
that the external clock is indeed the cause of your problems. One way to do that is to make sure
that your acquisition works fine when using the internal clock. Another way is to reproduce your
acquisition configuration in AlazarDSO, and make sure that the problem also shows up there. Once
having made sure that the external clock is the issue, the next step is to identify the problematic
regions of the signal. To do this, please acquire a few record acquisition cycles (laser sweeps) with
a high speed oscilloscope (ideally 20GS/s, 4GHz), and to send the results to us.

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Fig. 1: External Clock Measurement
Here is an example of an external clock analysis plot, annotated to show the problem:

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Fig. 2: Example of external clock analysis

5.1.2 K-clock deglitching firmware
The k-clock deglitching firmware available for ATS9350 and ATS9351 is specifically designed to
overcome k-clock related issues. If you are using one of these boards, trying this firmware is the
next logical step. In our experience, it solves all k-clock related issues. ATS9360, ATS9370, ATS9371
and ATS9373’s firmwares include the deglitching feature by default.

5.2 AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning
AlazarTech digitizers require that the ADC clock be valid when an application calls
AlazarStartCapture() to arm a board to begin an acquisition. The digitizer may not be able

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to start an acquisition if the the application calls AlazarStartCapture() while the ADC clock is invalid. If an application uses both external clock and external trigger signals, and the external clock
is not suitable to drive the ADC’s during part of the interval between trigger events, the application
can call AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning() (rather than AlazarSetTriggerOperation())
to configure the trigger engines. This function configures the trigger engines to use an external
trigger source connected to the TRIG IN connector, and also allows the board to begin an acquisition on the next external trigger event after the call to AlazarStartCapture(), when the external
clock signal is valid.
For example, some OCT applications use a laser source that supplies an external clock signal that is valid on the rising edge of the trigger pulse, but falls to 0 Hz on the falling
edge of the trigger pulse. The digitizer may not work correctly if the application calls
AlazarStartCapture() to arm the board while the clock output is at 0 Hz. These applications
can call AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning() to configure the trigger engines to use an external trigger input, and to wait until the first rising edge of the external trigger pulse arrives after
the call the AlazarStartCapture() to start the acquisition, when the external clock is valid:
RETURN_CODE
AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning (
HANDLE handle,
U32 SlopeId, // trigger slope identifier
U32 Level, // trigger level code
U32 Options // scanning options
);

AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning() configures a board to use trigger operation
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J, and configures the source of TRIG_ENGINE_J to be TRIG_EXTERNAL. The application must call AlazarSetExternalTrigger() to set the full-scale external input range and coupling
of the external trigger signal connected to the TRIG IN connector. The slope identifier parameter
selects if a trigger event should be generated when the external trigger level rise above, or falls
below, a specified level. The parameter may have one of the following values.
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE The external trigger level rises above a specified level.
TRIGGER_SLOPE_NEGATIVE The external trigger level falls below a specified level.
The trigger level parameter sets the external trigger level as an unsigned 8-bit code that represents
a fraction of the external trigger full scale input range: 0 represents the negative full-scale input,
128 represents a 0 volt input, and 255 represents the positive full-scale input. In general, the
trigger level value is given by:
TriggerLevelCode = 128 + 127 * TriggerLevelVolts / InputRangeVolts

The following table gives examples of how trigger level codes map to trigger levels in volts according to the external trigger full-scale input range.

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Trigger level code
0
64
96
128
160
192
255

Input
fraction
-100%
-50%
-25%
0%
+25 %
+50%
+100%

Level with ±1V trigger range

Level with ±5V trigger range

-1V
-500 mV
-250 mV
0V
250 mV
+500 mV
+1V

-5V
-2.5 V
-1.25 V
0V
1.25 V
+2.5 V
+5V

The options parameter may be one of the following flags:
STOS_OPTION_DEFER_START_CAPTURE Wait until the next external trigger event after the application
calls AlazarStartCapture() before arming the board to start the acquisition. The external
clock input should be valid when the trigger event arrives.

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CHAPTER

SIX

API REFERENCE

Board configuration functions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AlazarConfigureAuxIO()
AlazarConfigureLSB()
AlazarConfigureSampleSkipping()
AlazarInputControl()
AlazarInputControlEx()
AlazarOCTIgnoreBadClock()
AlazarSetADCBackgroundCompensation()
AlazarSetBWLimit()
AlazarSetCaptureClock()
AlazarSetExternalClockLevel()
AlazarSetExternalTrigger()
AlazarSetParameter()
AlazarSetParameterLL()
AlazarSetParameterUL()
AlazarSetTriggerDelay()
AlazarSetTriggerOperation()
AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning()
AlazarSetTriggerTimeOut()
AlazarSleepDevice()

Generic acquisition functions:
• AlazarResetTimeStamp()
• AlazarSetRecordSize()
• AlazarStartCapture()
Dual-port acquisition functions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AlazarAbortAsyncRead()
AlazarAllocBufferU16()
AlazarAllocBufferU16Ex()
AlazarAllocBufferU8()
AlazarAllocBufferU8Ex()
AlazarAsyncRead()
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead()
AlazarCreateStreamFileA()
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AlazarCreateStreamFileW()
AlazarFreeBufferU16()
AlazarFreeBufferU16Ex()
AlazarFreeBufferU8()
AlazarFreeBufferU8Ex()
AlazarPostAsyncBuffer()
AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete()
AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete()

Single-port acquisition functions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AlazarAbortCapture()
AlazarBusy()
AlazarConfigureRecordAverage()
AlazarGetStatus()
AlazarGetTriggerAddress()
AlazarGetTriggerTimestamp()
AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemHandle()
AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemID()
AlazarHyperDisp()
AlazarRead()
AlazarReadEx()
AlazarSetRecordCount()
AlazarTriggered()

DSP functions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AlazarDSPAbortCapture()
AlazarDSPGenerateWindowFunction()
AlazarDSPGetBuffer()
AlazarDSPGetInfo()
AlazarDSPGetModules()
AlazarDSPGetNextBuffer()
AlazarDSPGetParameterFloat()
AlazarDSPGetParameterS32()
AlazarDSPGetParameterU32()
AlazarDSPSetParameterFloat()
AlazarDSPSetParameterS32()
AlazarDSPSetParameterU32()

on-FPGA FFT functions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionGetRecordS16()
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetEnabled()
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetRecordS16()
AlazarFFTGetMaxTriggerRepeatRate()
AlazarFFTSetScalingAndSlicing()
AlazarFFTSetup()
AlazarFFTSetWindowFunction()

Miscellaneous functions:

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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AlazarBoardsFound()
AlazarBoardsInSystemByHandle()
AlazarBoardsInSystemBySystemID()
AlazarCoprocessorDownloadA()
AlazarCoprocessorDownloadW()
AlazarCoprocessorRegisterRead()
AlazarCoprocessorRegisterWrite()
AlazarErrorToText()
AlazarExtractFFTNPTFooters()
AlazarExtractTimeDomainNPTFooters()
AlazarForceTrigger()
AlazarForceTriggerEnable()
AlazarGetBoardBySystemHandle()
AlazarGetBoardBySystemID()
AlazarGetBoardKind()
AlazarGetBoardRevision()
AlazarGetCPLDVersion()
AlazarGetChannelInfo()
AlazarGetChannelInfoEx()
AlazarGetDriverVersion()
AlazarGetMaxRecordsCapable()
AlazarGetParameter()
AlazarGetParameterLL()
AlazarGetParameterUL()
AlazarGetSDKVersion()
AlazarGetSystemHandle()
AlazarNumOfSystems()
AlazarQueryCapability()
AlazarQueryCapabilityLL()
AlazarSetLED()

Deprecated functions:
• AlazarOpen
• AlazarClose
• AlazarExtractNPTFooters

6.1 AlazarAbortAsyncRead
6.1.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarAbortAsyncRead(HANDLE handle)
Aborts a dual-port acquisition, and any in-process DMA transfers.
Remark If you have started an acquisition and/or posted DMA buffers to a board, you must
call AlazarAbortAsyncRead() before your application exits. If you do not, when your program exists, Microsoft Windows may stop with a blue screen error number 0x000000CB

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(DRIVER_LEFT_LOCKED_PAGES_IN_PROCESS). Linux may leak the memory used by the
DMA buffers.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Note This function is part of the dual-port API. It should be used only in this context. To
abort single-port acquisitions using, see AlazarAbortCapture().
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board

6.1.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.2 AlazarAbortCapture
6.2.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarAbortCapture(HANDLE handle)
Abort an acquisition to on-board memory.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Note This function is part of the single-port API. It should be used only in this context. To
abort dual-port acquisitions, see AlazarAbortAsyncRead().
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

6.2.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.3 AlazarAllocBufferU16
6.3.1 Function Syntax
U16* AlazarAllocBufferU16(HANDLE handle, U32 sampleCount)
Allocates a buffer for DMA transfer for an 16-bit digitizer.
Return If the function is successful, it returns the base address of a page-aligned buffer in
the virtual address space of the calling process. If it fails, it returns NULL.
Remark The buffer must be freed using AlazarFreeBufferU16()
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• sampleCount: Buffer size in samples

6.4 AlazarAllocBufferU16Ex
6.4.1 Function Syntax
U16* AlazarAllocBufferU16Ex(HANDLE handle, U64 sampleCount)
This function acts like AlazarAllocBufferU16() and additionally allows allocation of a buffer
over 4GS for DMA transfer for an 16-bit digitizer.
Return If the function is successful, it returns the base address of a page-aligned buffer in
the virtual address space of the calling process. If it fails, it returns NULL.
Remark The buffer must be freed using AlazarFreeBufferU16Ex()
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• sampleCount: Buffer size in samples

6.5 AlazarAllocBufferU8
6.5.1 Function Syntax
U8* AlazarAllocBufferU8(HANDLE handle, U32 sampleCount)
Allocates a buffer for DMA transfer for an 8-bit digitizer.
Return If the function is successful, it returns the base address of a page-aligned buffer in
the virtual address space of the calling process. If it fails, it returns NULL.
Remark The buffer must be freed using AlazarFreeBufferU8()

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Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• sampleCount: Buffer size in samples

6.6 AlazarAllocBufferU8Ex
6.6.1 Function Syntax
U8* AlazarAllocBufferU8Ex(HANDLE handle, U64 sampleCount)
This function acts like AlazarAllocBufferU8() and additionally allows allocation of a buffer
over 4GS for DMA transfer for an 8-bit digitizer.
Return If the function is successful, it returns the base address of a page-aligned buffer in
the virtual address space of the calling process. If it fails, it returns NULL.
Remark The buffer must be freed using AlazarFreeBufferU8Ex()
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• sampleCount: Buffer size in samples

6.7 AlazarAsyncRead
6.7.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarAsyncRead(HANDLE handle, void * buffer, U32 bytesToRead, OVERLAPPED * overlapped)
Adds a buffer to the end of a list of available buffers to be filled by the board. When the board
receives sufficient trigger events to fill the buffer, the event in the OVERLAPPED will be set to
the signaled state.
You must call AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() before calling AlazarAsyncRead().
The bytesToRead parameter must be equal to the product of the number of bytes per record,
the number of recods per buffer and the number of enabled channels. If record headers are
enabled, the number of bytes per record must include the size of the record header (16 bytes).
Return If the function succeeds in adding the buffer to end of the list of buffers available to
be filled by the board, it returns ApiDmaPending. When the board fills the buffer, the
event in the OVERLAPPED structure is set to the signaled state.
Return If the function fails because the board overflowed its on board memory, it returns
ApiBufferOverflow. The board may overflow its on board memory because the rate at

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which it is acquiring data is faster than the rate at which it is transferring data from onboard memory to host memory. If this is the case, try reducing the sample rate, number
of enabled channels, or amount of time spent processing each buffer.
Return If the function fails because the buffer is too large for the driver or operating system to prepare for scatter-gather DMA transfer, it returns ApiLockAndProbePagesFailed.
Try reducing the size of each buffer, or reducing the number of buffers queued by the
application.
Return If the function fails for some other reason, it returns an error code that indicates the
reason that it failed. See RETURN_CODE for more information.
Remark AlazarAsyncRead() is only available under Windows
Warning You must call AlazarAbortAsyncRead() before your application exits if you have
called AlazarAsyncRead() and buffers are pending.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• buffer: Pointer to a buffer to receive sample data from the digitizer board
• bytesToRead: Number of bytes to read from the board
• overlapped: Pointer to an OVERLAPPED structure. The event in thestructure is set to
the signaled state when the read operation completes.

6.8 AlazarBeforeAsyncRead
6.8.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarBeforeAsyncRead(HANDLE handle, U32 channelSelect, long transferOffset, U32 transferLength, U32 recordsPerBuffer,
U32 recordsPerAcquisition, U32 flags)
Configure a board to make an asynchronous AutoDMA acquisition.
In non-DSP mode, when record headers are not enabled, the total number of bytes per AutoDMA buffer is given by
bytesPerBuffer = bytesPerSample * samplesPerRecord * recordsPerBuffer;

When record headers are enabled, the formula changes to:
bytesPerBuffer = (16 + bytesPerSample * samplesPerRecord) *
recordsPerBuffer;

For best performance, AutoDMA parameters should be selected so that the total number of
bytes per buffer is greater than about 1 MB. This allows for relatively long DMA transfer
times compared to the time required to prepare a buffer for DMA transfer and re-arm the
DMA engines.

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ATS460, ATS660 and ATS860 digitizer boards require that AutoDMA parameters be selected
so that the total number of bytes per buffer is less than 4 MB. Other boards require that the
total number of bytes per buffer be less than 64 MB. It is however recommended to keep the
DMA buffer size below 16 MB for all boards.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark transferLength must meet certain alignment criteria which depend on the board
model and the acquisition type. Please refer to board-specific documentation for more
information.
Remark recordsPerBuffer must be set to 1 in continuous streaming and triggered streaming
AutoDMA modes.
Remark recordsPerAcquisition must be 0x7FFFFFFF in Continuous Streaming and Triggered Streaming modes. The acquisition runs continuously until AlazarAbortAsyncRead()
is called. In other modes, it must be either:
• A multiple of recordsPerBuffer
• 0x7FFFFFFF to indicate that the acquisition should continue indefinitely.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• channelSelect: Select the channel(s) to control. This can be one or more of the
channels of ALAZAR_CHANNELS, assembled with the OR bitwise operator.
• transferOffset: Specify the first sample from each on-board record to transfer from
on-board to host memory. This value is a sample relative to the trigger position in
an on-board record.
• transferLength: Specify the number of samples from each record to transfer from
on-board to host memory. In DSP-mode, it takes the number of bytes instead of
samples. See remarks.
• recordsPerBuffer: The number of records in each buffer. See remarks.
• recordsPerAcquisition: The number of records to acquire during one acquisition.
Set this value to 0x7FFFFFFF to acquire indefinitely until the acquisition is aborted.
This parameter is ignored in Triggered Streaming and Continuous Streaming modes.
See remarks.
• flags:
Specifies AutoDMA mode and option.
Must be one element
of ALAZAR_ADMA_MODES combined with zero or more element(s) of
ALAZAR_ADMA_FLAGS using the bitwise OR operator.

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6.8.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.8.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_ADMA_MODES
AutoDMA acquisition modes. See AlazarBeforeAsyncRead().
Values:
ADMA_TRADITIONAL_MODE = 0x00000000
Acquire multiple records: one per trigger event. Each record may include pre-and posttrigger samples, and a record header that includes its trigger timestamp. If a board has
on-board memory and sample interleave is not enabled, each buffer will contain samples
organized as follows: R1A, R1B, R2A, R2B ...
If a board does not have on-board memory, or sample interleave is enabled, the buffer
will contain samples organized as follows: R1[AB...], R2[AB...] ...
ADMA_CONTINUOUS_MODE = 0x00000100
Acquire a single, gapless record spanning multiple buffers. Do not wait for trigger event
before starting the acquisition.
If a board has on-board memory and sample interleave is not enabled, each buffer will
contain samples organized as follows: R1A, R1B.
If a board does not have on-board memory, or sample interleave is enabled, the buffer
will contain samples organized as follows: R1[AB...]
ADMA_NPT = 0x00000200
Acquire multiple records: one per trigger event. Each record contains only post- trigger
samples.
If a board has on-board memory and sample interleave is not enabled, each buffer will
contain samples organized as follows: R1A, R2A, ... R1B, R2B ...
If a board does not have on-board memory, or sample interleave is enabled, the buffer
will contain samples organized as follows: R1[AB...], R2[AB...] ...
ADMA_TRIGGERED_STREAMING = 0x00000400
Acquire a single, gapless record spanning multiple buffers. Wait for a trigger event
before starting the acquisition.
If a board has on-board memory and sample interleave is not enabled, each buffer will
contain samples organized as follows: R1A, R1B.

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If a board does not have on-board memory, or sample interleave is enabled, the buffer
will contain samples organized as follows: R1[AB...]
enum ALAZAR_ADMA_FLAGS
AutoDMA acquisition options. See AlazarBeforeAsyncRead().
Values:
ADMA_EXTERNAL_STARTCAPTURE = 0x00000001
The acquisition only starts when AlazarStartCapture() is called if this flag is set. Otherwise, it starts before the current function returns.
ADMA_ENABLE_RECORD_HEADERS = 0x00000008
If this flag is set, precede each record in each buffer with a 16-byte header that includes
the record’s trigger timestamp.
Note that this flag can only be used in “traditional” AutoDMA mode. Record headers are
not available in NPT, streaming, or triggered streaming modes.
ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS = 0x00000020
If this flag is set, the API will allocate and manage a list of DMA buffers. This flag may be
used by LabVIEW, and in other high-level development environments, where it may be
more convenient for the application to let the API manage a list of DMA buffers, and to
receive a copy of data in an application buffer. When this flag is set, the application must
call AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete() to wait for a buffer to complete and receive a
copy of the data. The application can specify the number of DMA buffers for the API to
allocate by calling AlazarSetParameter with the parameter SETGET_ASYNC_BUFFCOUNT
before calling AlazarBeforeAsyncRead.
ADMA_FIFO_ONLY_STREAMING = 0x00000800
Enable the board to data from its on-FPGA FIFO rather than from on-board memory.
When the flag is set, each buffer contains data organized as follows: R0[ABAB...],
R1[ABAB...], R2[ABAB] .... That is, each sample from CH A is followed by a sample
from CH B.
When this flag is not set, each record in a buffer contains a contiguous array of samples
for CH A followed by a contiguous array of samples for CH B, where the record arrangement depends on the acquisition mode. Note that this flag must be set if your board
does not have on-board memory. For example, an ATS9462- FIFO requires this flag. Also
note that this flag must not be set if your board has on-board memory.
ADMA_INTERLEAVE_SAMPLES = 0x00001000
Enable a board to interleave samples from both digitizer channels in dual-channel acquisition mode. This results in higher data transfer rates on boards that support this
option.
Note that this flag has no effect in single channel mode, and is supported by only PCIe
digitizers (except the ATS9462).
When the flag is set, each buffer contains data organized as follows: R0[ABAB...],
R1[ABAB...], R2[ABAB] .... That is, each sample from CH A is followed by a sample
from CH B.

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When this flag is not set, each record in a buffer contains a contiguous array of samples for CH A followed by a contiguous array of samples for CH B, where the record
arrangement depends on the acquisition mode.
ADMA_GET_PROCESSED_DATA = 0x00002000
Enable the API to process each buffer So that the sample data in a buffer is Always
arranged as in NPT mode: R0A, R1A, R2A, ... RB0, R1B, R2B.
If this flag is not set, the data Arrangement in a buffer depends on The acquisition mode.
LabVIEW and other higher-level Applications may use this flag to Simplify data processing since all data Buffers will have the same Arrangement independent of the Acquisition
mode.
Note that the ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS flag Must also be set to use this option.
ADMA_DSP = 0x00004000
Activates the DSP mode that must be used for using the on-FPGA DSP modules such as
the on-FPGA FFT.
ADMA_ENABLE_RECORD_FOOTERS = 0x00010000
Activate record footers, that are appended to each acquired record. Please note that this
feature is not available on all boards, and can only be activated in NPT mode.
struct _ALAZAR_HEADER
Traditional Record Header.
Public Members
struct _HEADER0 hdr0
Substructure 0.
struct _HEADER1 hdr1
Substructure 1.
struct _HEADER2 hdr2
Substructure 2.
struct _HEADER3 hdr3
Substructure 3.
struct _HEADER0
Traditional Record Header Substructure 1.
Public Members
unsigned int SerialNumber
18-bit serial number of this board as a signed integer
unsigned int SystemNumber
4-bit system identifier number for this board

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unsigned int WhichChannel
1-bit input channel of this header. 0 is channel A, 1 is channel B
unsigned int BoardNumber
4-bit board identifier number of this board
unsigned int SampleResolution
3-bit reserved field
unsigned int DataFormat
2-bit reserved field
struct _HEADER1
Traditional Record Header Substructure 1.
Public Members
unsigned int RecordNumber
24-bit index of record in the acquisition
unsigned int BoardType
8-bit board type identifier. See BoardTypes for a list of existing board
struct _HEADER2
Traditional Record Header Substructure 2.
Public Members
unsigned int TimeStampLowPart
Lower 32 bits of 40-bit record timestamp.
struct _HEADER3
Traditional Record Header Substructure 3.
Public Members
unsigned int TimeStampHighPart
8-bit field containing the upper part of the 40-bit record timestamp
unsigned int ClockSource
2-bit clock source identifier. See ALAZAR_CLOCK_SOURCES
unsigned int ClockEdge
1-bit clock edge identifier. See ALAZAR_CLOCK_EDGES
unsigned int SampleRate
7-bit sample rate identifier. See ALAZAR_SAMPLE_RATES
unsigned int InputRange
5-bit input range identifier. See ALAZAR_INPUT_RANGES

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unsigned int InputCoupling
2-bit input coupling identifier. See ALAZAR_COUPLINGS
unsigned int InputImpedence
2-bit input impedance identifier. See ALAZAR_IMPEDANCES
unsigned int ExternalTriggered
1-bit field set if and only if TRIG IN on this board caused the board to
unsigned int ChannelBTriggered
capture this record.
1-bit field set if and only if CH B on this board caused the board to
unsigned int ChannelATriggered
capture this record.
1-bit field set if and only if CH A on this board caused the board to
unsigned int TimeOutOccurred
capture this record.
1-bit field set if and only if a timeout on a trigger engine on this
unsigned int ThisChannelTriggered
board caused it to capture this record.
1-bit field set if and only if the channel specified by _HEADER0::WhichChannel caused
the

6.9 AlazarBoardsFound
6.9.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarBoardsFound(void)
Determine the number of digitizer boards that were detected in all board systems.
Return The total number of digitizer boards detected.
See AlazarNumOfSystems()

6.9.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.10 AlazarBoardsInSystemByHandle
6.10.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarBoardsInSystemByHandle(HANDLE systemHandle)
Return the number of digitizer boards in a board system specified by the handle of its master
board.
If this function is called with the handle of to the master board in a master-slave system, it
returns the total number of boards in the system.
If this function is called with the handle of an independent board, it returns 1.
If it is called with the handle to a slave in a master-slave system or with an invalid handle, it
returns 0.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.

6.10.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.11 AlazarBoardsInSystemBySystemID
6.11.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarBoardsInSystemBySystemID(U32 systemId)
Returns the number of digitizer boards in a board system specified by its system identifier.
If this function is called with the identifier of a master-slave system, it returns the total number
of boards in the system, including the master.
If this function is called with the identifier of an independent board system, it returns one.
If this fucntion is called with the identifier of an invalid board system, it returns zero.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• systemId: The system identification number

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6.11.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.12 AlazarBusy
6.12.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarBusy(HANDLE handle)
Determines if an acquisition is in progress.
Return If the board is busy acquiring data to on-board memory, this function returns 1.
Otherwise, it returns 0.
Note This function is part of the single-port data acquisition API. It cannot be used with the
dual-port AutoDMA APIs.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

6.12.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.13 AlazarConfigureAuxIO
6.13.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarConfigureAuxIO(HANDLE handle, U32 mode, U32 parameter)
Configures the AUX I/O connector as an input or output signal.
The AUX I/O connector generates TTL level signals when configured as an output, and expects
TLL level signals when configured as an input.
AUX I/O output signals may be limited by the bandwidth of the AUX output drivers.
Remark The ATS9440 has two AUX I/O connectors: AUX 1 and AUX 2. AUX 1 is configured
by firmware as a trigger output signal, while AUX 2 is configured by software using
AlazarConfigureAuxIO(). A firmware update is required to change the operation of AUX
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Remark ATS9625 and ATS9626 have two AUX I/O connectors; AUX 1 and AUX 2. AUX 1
is configured by software using AlazarConfigureAuxIO(), while AUX 2 is configured by
default as a trigger output signal. A custom user-programmable FGPA can control the
operation of AUX 2 as required by the FPGA designer.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• mode: The AUX I/O mode. Can be selected from ALAZAR_AUX_IO_MODES.
If an output mode is selected, the parameter may be OR’ed with
AUX_OUT_TRIGGER_ENABLE to enable the board to use software trigger enable.
When this flag is set, the board will wait for software to call AlazarForceTriggerEnable() to generate a trigger enable event; then wait for sufficient trigger events to
capture the records in an AutoDMA buffer; then wait for the next trigger enable
event and repeat.
• parameter: The meaning of this value varies depending on mode.
ALAZAR_AUX_IO_MODES for more details.

See

6.13.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.13.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_AUX_IO_MODES
Alazar AUX I/O identifiers.
Values:
AUX_OUT_TRIGGER = 0U
Outputs a signal that is high whenever data is being acquired to on-board memory, and
low otherwise. The parameter argument of AlazarConfigureAuxIO() is ignored in this
mode.
AUX_IN_TRIGGER_ENABLE = 1U
Uses the edge of a pulse to the AUX I/O connector as an AutoDMA trigger enable
signal. Please note that this is different from a standard trigger signal. In this
mode, the parameter argument of AlazarConfigureAuxIO() can takes an element of
ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SLOPES, which defines on which edge of the input signal a trigger
enable event is generated.

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AUX_OUT_PACER = 2U
Output the sample clock divided by the value passed to the parameter argument of
AlazarConfigureAuxIO(). Please note that the divided must be greater than 2.
AUX_OUT_SERIAL_DATA = 14U
Use the AUX I/O connector as a general purpose digital output. The paramter argument of AlazarConfigureAuxIO() specifies the TTL output level. 0 means TTL low level,
whereas 1 means TTL high level.
AUX_IN_AUXILIARY = 13U
Configure the AUX connector as a digital input. Call AlazarGetParameter() with
GET_AUX_INPUT_LEVEL to read the digital input level.

6.14 AlazarConfigureLSB
6.14.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarConfigureLSB(HANDLE handle, U32 valueLsb0, U32 valueLsb1)
Repurposes unused least significant bits in 12- and 14-bit boards.
12- and 14-bit digitizers return 16-bit sample values per sample by default, with the actual
sample codes stored in the most significant bits. By default, the least significant bits of each
sample value are zero-filled. Use this option to use these otherwise unused bits as digital
outputs.
This feature is not available on all boards. See board-specific documentation for more information.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• valueLsb0: Specifies the signal to output to the least significant bit of each sample
value. Must be one of ALAZAR_LSB.
• valueLsb1: Specifies the signal to output to the least significant bit of each sample
value. Must be one of ALAZAR_LSB.

6.14.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.14.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_LSB
Least significant bit identifiers.
Values:
LSB_DEFAULT = 0
Default LSB setting.
LSB_EXT_TRIG = 1
Use external trigger state as LSB.
LSB_AUX_IN_1 = 3
Use AUX I/O 1 state as LSB.
LSB_AUX_IN_2 = 2
Use AUX I/O 2 state as LSB.

6.15 AlazarConfigureRecordAverage
6.15.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarConfigureRecordAverage(HANDLE handle, U32 mode, U32 samplesPerRecord, U32 recordsPerAverage, U32 options)
Configures a digitizer to co-add ADC samples from a specified number of records in an accumulator record, and transfer accumulator records rather than the ADC sample values.
When FPGA record averaging is enabled, the digitizer transfers one accumulator record to
host memory after recordsPerAverage trigger events have been captured.
Each accumulator record has interleaved samples from CH A and CH B. FPGA accumulators
are 32-bit wide, so each accumulator value occupies 4 bytes in a buffer. The digitizer transfers
multi-byte values in little-endian byte order.
CH A and CH B accumulator records are always transferred to host memory. As a result, the
number of bytes per accumulator record is given by:
samplesPerRecord * 2 (channels) * 4 (bytes per accumulator sample)

The maximum value of recordsPerAverage for 8-bit digitizers is 16777215
Note that recordsPerAverage does not have to be equal to the number of records per buffer
in AutoDMA mode.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark FPGA record averaging is currently supported on the following digitizers:
• ATS9870 with FPGA version 180.0 and above, and driver version 5.9.8 and above

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• AXI9870 with FPGA version 180.0 and above, and driver version 5.9.23 and above
Note This function is part of the dual-port API. It should be used only in this context. To
abort single-port acquisitions using, see AlazarAbortCapture().
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• mode: Averaging mode. Should be one element of ALAZAR_CRA_MODES.
• samplesPerRecord: The number of ADC samples per accumulator record.
• recordsPerAverage: The number of records to accumulate per average.
• options: The averaging options. Can be one of ALAZAR_CRA_OPTIONS.

6.15.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.15.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_CRA_MODES
AlazarConfigureRecordAverage() modes.
Values:
CRA_MODE_DISABLE = 0
Disables record average.
CRA_MODE_ENABLE_FPGA_AVE = 1
Enables record average.
enum ALAZAR_CRA_OPTIONS
AlazarConfigureRecordAverage() options.
Values:
CRA_OPTION_UNSIGNED = (0U << 1)
Unsigned data.
CRA_OPTION_SIGNED = (1U << 1)
Signed data.

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6.16 AlazarConfigureSampleSkipping
6.16.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarConfigureSampleSkipping(HANDLE handle, U32 mode, U32 sampleClocksPerRecord, U16 * sampleSkipBitmap)
Makes the digitizer sub-sample post trigger data in arbitrary, non-uniform intervals.
The application specifies which sample clock edges after a trigger event the digitizer should
use to generate sample points, and which sample clock edges the digitizer should ignore.
To enable data skipping, first create a bitmap in memory that specifies which sample clock
edges should generate a sample point, and which sample clock edges should be ignored.
• 1’s in the bitmap specify the clock edges that should generate a sample point. The total
number of 1’s in the bitmap must be equal to the number of post-trigger samples per
record specified in the call to AlazarSetRecordSize().
• 0’s in the bitmap specify the clock edges that should not be used to generate a sample
point.
• The total total number of bits in the bitmap is equal to the number of sample clocks in
one record.
For example, to receive 16 samples from 32 sample clocks where every other sample clock is
ignored, create a bitmap of 32 bits with values { 1 0 1 0 1 0 ... 1 0 }, or { 0x5555,
0x5555 }. Note that 16 of the 32 bits are 1’s.
And to receive 24 samples from 96 sample clocks where data from every 3 of 4 samples clocks
is ignored, create a bitmap of 96 bits with values { 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 ... 1 0 0 0
}, or in { 0x1111, 0x1111, 0x1111, 0x1111, 0x1111, 0x1111 }. Note that 24 of the 96 bits
are 1’s.
After creating a bitmap, call AlazarConfigureSampleSkipping() with:
• Mode equal to SSM_ENABLE
• SampleClocksPerRecord equal to the total number of sample clocks per record.
• pSampleSkipBitmap with the address of the U16 array.
To disable data skipping, call AlazarConfigureSampleSkipping with Mode equal to
SSM_DISABLE. The SampleClocksPerRecord and pSampleSkipBitmap parameters are ignored.
Note that data skipping currently is supported by the ATS9371, ATS9373, ATS9360, ATS9350,
ATS9351, ATS9352 and ATS9440. For ATS9440, data skipping only works with post-trigger
data acquired at 125 MSPS or 100 MSPS.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters

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• handle: Handle to board
• mode: The data skipping mode. 0 means disable sample skipping and 1 means enable
sample skipping.
• sampleClocksPerRecord: The number of sample clocks per record. This value cannot exceed 65536.
• sampleSkipBitmap: An array of bits that specify which sample clock edges should be
used to capture a sample point (value = 1) and which should be ignored (value =
0).

6.16.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.16.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_SAMPLE_SKIPPING_MODES
Data skipping modes. See AlazarConfigureSampleSkipping()
Values:
SSM_DISABLE = 0
Disable sample skipping.
SSM_ENABLE = 1
Enable sample skipping.

6.17 AlazarCoprocessorDownload
AlazarCoprocessorDownload() is a define that points to AlazarCoprocessorDownloadA() on
Linux and on Windows if UNICODE is not defined.
If UNICODE is defined on Windows,
AlazarCoprocessorDownload() points to AlazarCoprocessorDownloadW(). The two functions only
vary by the fact that they use narrow or wide string types.

6.17.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarCoprocessorDownloadA(HANDLE handle, char * fileName, U32 options)
Downloads a FPGA image in RBF (raw binary file) format to the coprocessor FPGA.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.

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Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• fileName: Path to RBF file
• options: Download options chosen from ALAZAR_COPROCESSOR_DOWNLOAD_OPTIONS
RETURN_CODE AlazarCoprocessorDownloadW(HANDLE handle, wchar_t * fileName, U32 options)
Downloads a FPGA image in RBF (raw binary file) format to the coprocessor FPGA.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• fileName: Path to RBF file
• options: Download options chosen from ALAZAR_COPROCESSOR_DOWNLOAD_OPTIONS

6.17.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.17.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_COPROCESSOR_DOWNLOAD_OPTIONS
Coprocessor download options.
Values:
CPF_OPTION_DMA_DOWNLOAD = 1

6.18 AlazarCoprocessorRegisterRead
6.18.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarCoprocessorRegisterRead(HANDLE handle, U32 offset, U32 * value)
Reads the content of a user-programmable FPGA register.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters

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• handle: Handle to board
• offset: Register offset
• value: Address of a variable to receive the register’s value

6.18.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.19 AlazarCoprocessorRegisterWrite
6.19.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarCoprocessorRegisterWrite(HANDLE handle, U32 offset, U32 value)
Writes a value to a user-programmable coprocessor FPGA register.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• offset: Register offset
• value: Value to write

6.19.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.20 AlazarCreateStreamFile
AlazarCreateStreamFile() is a define that points to AlazarCreateStreamFileA() on Linux and on
Windows if UNICODE is not defined. If UNICODE is defined on Windows, AlazarCreateStreamFile()
points to AlazarCreateStreamFileW(). The two functions only vary by the fact that they use narrow
or wide string types.

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6.20.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarCreateStreamFileA(HANDLE handle, const char * filePath)
Creates a binary data file for this board, and enables saving AutoDMA data from thie board
to disk.
If possible, select AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() parameters that result in DMA buffers whose
length in bytes is evenly divisible into sectors of the volume selected by filePath. If the DMA
buffer length is evenly divisible into records, AlazarCreateStreamFile() disables file caching
to obtain the highest possible sequential write performance.
An AutoDMA buffer is saved to disk when an application calls AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete(). For best performance, set the bytesToCopy parameter in AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete() to zero so that data is written to disk without copying it to the user-supplied
buffer.
This function must be called after AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() and before AlazarStartCapture().
File streaming is only active for the acquisition that is about to start when this function is
called. You should call this function again for each acquisition with which you want file
streaming.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• filePath: Pointer to a NULL-terminated string that specifies the name of the file.
RETURN_CODE AlazarCreateStreamFileW(HANDLE handle, const wchar_t * filePath)
Creates a binary data file for this board, and enables saving AutoDMA data from thie board
to disk.
If possible, select AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() parameters that result in DMA buffers whose
length in bytes is evenly divisible into sectors of the volume selected by filePath. If the DMA
buffer length is evenly divisible into records, AlazarCreateStreamFile() disables file caching
to obtain the highest possible sequential write performance.
An AutoDMA buffer is saved to disk when an application calls AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete(). For best performance, set the bytesToCopy parameter in AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete() to zero so that data is written to disk without copying it to the user-supplied
buffer.
This function must be called after AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() and before AlazarStartCapture().
File streaming is only active for the acquisition that is about to start when this function is
called. You should call this function again for each acquisition with which you want file
streaming.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.

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Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• filePath: Pointer to a NULL-terminated string that specifies the name of the file.

6.20.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.21 AlazarDSPAbortCapture
6.21.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPAbortCapture(HANDLE boardHandle)
Aborts any in-progress DMA transfer, cancels any pending transfers and does DSP-related
cleanup.
This function should be called instead of AlazarAbortAsyncRead() in a standard acquisition
configuration. In addition to handling pending and in-flight DMA transfers, it takes care of
some cleanup related to the DSP post-processing.
Warning Whereas it is not necessary to call AlazarAbortAsyncRead() to clean after a standard
acquisition, calling AlazarDSPAbortCapture() is strictly required.
Parameters
• boardHandle: The board to stop the acquisition for.

6.21.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.22 AlazarDSPGenerateWindowFunction
6.22.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPGenerateWindowFunction(U32 windowType,
float * window,
U32
windowLength_samples,
U32 paddingLength_samples)
Fills an array with a generated window function and pads it with zeros.

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Please note that the windows length can take any integer value. It does not need to meet the
alignment requirements that apply to the record length, nor the power-of-two requirement of
the FFT length. This can allow users a very high level of control over the effective acquired
record length.
For example, if a laser source guarantees 1396 good data points at a particular frequency, the
number of samples per record on ATS9360 should be set to 1408 (the next multiple of 128)
and the FFT length should be 2048 points. The window function will be generated with a
windowLength_samples of 1396, and a paddingLength_samples of 652 (2048 - 1396).
Remark Using Python, the window array is not allocated first then passed as an output parameter. Instead, it is directly returned from the function as a newly allocated NumPy
array.
Return ApiSuccess upon sucess.
Parameters
• windowType: Type of window to generate. Pass an item from DSP_WINDOW_ITEMS
enum.
• window: Array to be filled with the window function.
windowLength_samples + paddingLength_samples long.

It must be at least

• windowLength_samples: The size of the window to generate.
• paddingLength_samples: The number of samples after the window function to pad
with zeros.

6.22.2 Related Enumerations
enum DSP_WINDOW_ITEMS
Various types of window functions.
Used by AlazarDSPGenerateWindowFunction().
Values:
DSP_WINDOW_NONE = 0
DSP_WINDOW_HANNING

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DSP_WINDOW_HAMMING
DSP_WINDOW_BLACKMAN
DSP_WINDOW_BLACKMAN_HARRIS
DSP_WINDOW_BARTLETT
NUM_DSP_WINDOW_ITEMS

6.23 AlazarDSPGetBuffer
6.23.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPGetBuffer(HANDLE boardHandle, void * buffer, U32 timeout_ms)
Waits until a buffer becomes available or an error occurs.
This function should be called instead of AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete() in a standard acquisition configuration.
Parameters
• boardHandle: Board that filled the buffer we want to retrieve
• buffer: Pointer to the DMA buffer we want to retrieve. This must correspond to the
first DMA buffer posted to the board that has not yet been retrieved.
• timeout_ms: Time to wait for the buffer to be ready before returning with an ApiWaitTimeout error.

6.23.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.24 AlazarDSPGetInfo
6.24.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPGetInfo(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U32 * dspModuleId, U16
* versionMajor, U16 * versionMinor, U32 * maxLength,
U32 * reserved0, U32 * reserved1)
Get information about a specific On-FPGA DSP implementation.

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Use this function to query the type of a DSP module, as well as other information.
Return ApiSuccess upon success.
Parameters
• dspHandle: The handle to the DSP module to query.
• dspModuleId: The identifier of the DSP module. This describes what the type of this
module is, and can be compared against the DSP_MODULE_TYPE enum.
• versionMajor: The major version number of the DSP implementation.
• versionMinor: The minor version number of the DSP implementation.
• maxLength: The maximum length of the records that can be processed.
• reserved0: Reserved parameter. Ignored
• reserved1: Reserved parameter. Ignored

6.24.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.24.3 Related Enumerations
enum DSP_MODULE_TYPE
DSP module type.
Used by AlazarDSPGetInfo().
Values:
DSP_MODULE_NONE = 0xFFFF
DSP_MODULE_FFT
DSP_MODULE_PCD
DSP_MODULE_SSK
DSP_MODULE_DIS

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6.25 AlazarDSPGetModules
6.25.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPGetModules(HANDLE
boardHandle,
U32
numEntries,
dsp_module_handle * modules, U32 * numModules)
Queries the list of DSP modules in a given board.
This function allows to query the list of DSP modules for a digitizer board. modules is a
pointer to an array of DSP modules to be filled by this function. The numEntries parameter
specifies how many modules can be added by the function to the modules array. Lastly, the
numModules array specifies how many modules are avaiable on the specified board.
modules can be NULL. In this case, the only interest of this function is to return the number of
modules available. Please note that numEntries must be zero if modules is NULL.
numModules can be NULL. In this case, it is ignored.
This function is typically called twice. First without a modules array to query the number of
available modules, and a second time after allocating an appropriate array.
U32 numModules;
U32 retCode = AlazarDSPGetModules(handle, 0, NULL, &numModules);
// Error handling
dsp_module_handle modules[numModules];
retCode = AlazarDSPGetModules(handle, numModules, modules, NULL);
// Error handling

Return ApiSuccess upon success.
Parameters
• boardHandle: The handle of the board to query DSP modules for.
• numEntries: The maximum number of entries that the function can fill in the
modules array. Must be zero if modules is NULL.
• modules: The array where this function fills the dsp_module_handle elements. Can
be NULL.
• numModules: Returns the number of DSP modules available on this board. Ignored
if NULL.

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6.25.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.26 AlazarDSPGetNextBuffer
6.26.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPGetNextBuffer(HANDLE boardHandle, void * buffer, U32 bytesToCopy, U32 timeout_ms)
Equivalent of AlazarDSPGetBuffer() to call with ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS.
This function should be called instead of AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete() in a standard
acquisition configuration. See the documentation of this function for more information.
Parameters
• boardHandle: Board that filled the buffer we want to retrieve
• buffer: Pointer to a buffer to receive sample data from the digitizer board.
• bytesToCopy: The number of bytes to copy into the buffer.
• timeout_ms: Time to wait for the buffer to be ready before returning with an ApiWaitTimeout error.

6.26.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.27 AlazarDSPGetParameterFloat
6.27.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPGetParameterFloat(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U32 parameter, float * result)
Generic interface to retrieve Float-typed parameters.

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This function is called with an element of DSP_PARAMETERS_FLOAT as parameter. Depending on which value is selected, the function will query a different parameter internally and
pass the return value to result.
This function returns ApiSuccess upon success, and standard errors otherwise.

6.27.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.27.3 Related Enumerations
enum DSP_PARAMETERS_FLOAT
Parameters that can be queried with AlazarDSPGetParameter*() or set with AlazarDSPSetParameter*()
See AlazarDSPGetParameterFloat() and AlazarDSPGetParameterFloat() for information about
the way to use these parameters.
Values:
DSP_FFT_POSTPROC_REAL_B = 0
IEEE754 single precision value of “b” for real FFT output value calculation “(Re + a) *
b + c”. To set this parameter in your program, it is necessary to set it after AlazarFFTSetup() call, because this is where its default value is set.
DSP_FFT_POSTPROC_REAL_C
IEEE754 single precision value of “c” for real FFT output value calculation “(Re + a) *
b + c”. To set this parameter in your program, it is necessary to set it after AlazarFFTSetup() call, because this is where its default value is set.
DSP_FFT_POSTPROC_IMAG_B
IEEE754 single precision value of “b” for imaginary FFT output value calculation “(Im
+ a) * b + c”. To set this parameter in your program, it is necessary to set it after
AlazarFFTSetup() call, because this is where its default value is set.
DSP_FFT_POSTPROC_IMAG_C
IEEE754 single precision value of “c” for imaginary FFT output value calculation “(Im
+ a) * b + c”. To set this parameter in your program, it is necessary to set it after
AlazarFFTSetup() call, because this is where its default value is set.
DSP_FFT_POSTPROC_SCALE_OUT_MAIN
IEEE754 single precision value of the scaler multiplier for the main output. To set this
parameter in your program, it is necessary to set it after AlazarFFTSetup() call, because
this is where its default value is set.

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DSP_FFT_POSTPROC_SCALE_OUT_SEC
IEEE754 single precision value of the scaler multiplier for the secondary output. To
set this parameter in your program, it is necessary to set it after AlazarFFTSetup() call,
because this is where its default value is set.

6.28 AlazarDSPGetParameterS32
6.28.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPGetParameterS32(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U32 parameter,
S32 * result)
Generic interface to retrieve S32-typed parameters.
This function is called with an element of DSP_PARAMETERS_S32 as parameter. Depending
on which value is selected, the function will query a different parameter internally and pass
the return value to result.
This function returns ApiSuccess upon success, and standard errors otherwise.

6.28.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.28.3 Related Enumerations
enum DSP_PARAMETERS_S32
Parameters that can be queried with AlazarDSPGetParameter*() or set with AlazarDSPSetParameter*()
See AlazarDSPGetParameterS32() and AlazarDSPGetParameterS32() for information about
the way to use these parameters.
Values:
DSP_FFT_POSTPROC_REAL_A = 0
25-bit signed integer value of “a” for real FFT output value calculation “(Re + a) * b +
c”. To set this parameter in your program, it is necessary to set it after AlazarFFTSetup()
call, because this is where its default value is set.
DSP_FFT_POSTPROC_IMAG_A
25-bit signed integer value of “a” for imaginary FFT output value calculation “(Im + a)
* b + c”. To set this parameter in your program, it is necessary to set it after AlazarFFTSetup() call, because this is where its default value is set.

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6.29 AlazarDSPGetParameterU32
6.29.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPGetParameterU32(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U32 parameter,
U32 * result)
Generic interface to retrieve U32-typed parameters.
This function is called with an element of DSP_PARAMETERS_U32 as parameter. Depending
on which value is selected, the function will query a different parameter internally and pass
the return value to result.
This function returns ApiSuccess upon success, and standard errors otherwise.

6.29.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.29.3 Related Enumerations
enum DSP_PARAMETERS_U32
Parameters that can be queried with AlazarDSPGetParameter*()
See AlazarDSPGetParameterU32() for information about the way to use these parameters.
Values:
DSP_RAW_PLUS_FFT_SUPPORTED = 0
Tells if an FFT module supports RAW+FFT mode. This parameter returns 0 if RAW+FFT
mode is not supported, and 1 if it is.
DSP_FFT_SUBTRACTOR_SUPPORTED
Tells if an FFT module supports the background subtraction feature. This parameter
returns 0 if the feature is not supported, and 1 if it is.

6.30 AlazarDSPSetParameterFloat
6.30.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPSetParameterFloat(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U32 parameter, float value)
Generic interface to set Float-typed parameters.

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This function is called with an element of DSP_PARAMETERS_FLOAT as parameter. Depending on which value is selected, the function will write value to different parameter internally.
This function returns ApiSuccess upon success, and standard errors otherwise.

6.30.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.31 AlazarDSPSetParameterS32
6.31.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPSetParameterS32(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U32 parameter,
S32 value)
Generic interface to set S32-typed parameters.
This function is called with an element of DSP_PARAMETERS_S32 as parameter. Depending
on which value is selected, the function will write value to different parameter internally.
This function returns ApiSuccess upon success, and standard errors otherwise.

6.31.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.32 AlazarDSPSetParameterU32
6.32.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarDSPSetParameterU32(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U32 parameter,
U32 value)
Generic interface to set U32-typed parameters.
This function is called with an element of DSP_PARAMETERS_U32 as parameter. Depending
on which value is selected, the function will write value to different parameter internally.
This function returns ApiSuccess upon success, and standard errors otherwise.

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6.32.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.33 AlazarErrorToText
6.33.1 Function Syntax
const char* AlazarErrorToText(RETURN_CODE retCode)
Converts a numerical return code to a NULL terminated string.
Return A string containing the identifier name of the error code
Remark It is often easier to work with a descriptive error name than an error number.
Parameters
• retCode: Return code from an AlazarTech API function

6.33.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.33.3 Related Enumerations
enum RETURN_CODE
API functions return codes. Failure is ApiSuccess.
Values:
ApiSuccess = API_RETURN_CODE_STARTS
512 - The operation completed without error
ApiFailed = 513
The operation failed.
ApiAccessDenied = 514
Access denied.
ApiDmaChannelUnavailable = 515
Channel selection is unavailable.
ApiDmaChannelInvalid = 516
Channel selection in invalid.

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ApiDmaChannelTypeError = 517
Channel selection is invalid.
ApiDmaInProgress = 518
A data transfer is in progress. This error code indicates that the current action cannot be
performed while an acquisition is in progress. It also returned by AlazarPostAsyncBuffer()
if this function is called with an invalid DMA buffer.
ApiDmaDone = 519
DMA transfer is finished.
ApiDmaPaused = 520
DMA transfer was paused.
ApiDmaNotPaused = 521
DMA transfer is not paused.
ApiDmaCommandInvalid = 522
A DMA command is invalid.
ApiNullParam = 531
One of the parameters of the function is NULL and should not be.
ApiUnsupportedFunction = 533
This function is not supported by the API. Consult the manual for more information.
ApiInvalidPciSpace = 534
Invalid PCI space.
ApiInvalidIopSpace = 535
Invalid IOP space.
ApiInvalidSize = 536
Invalid size passed as argument to the function.
ApiInvalidAddress = 537
Invalid address.
ApiInvalidAccessType = 538
Invalid access type requested.
ApiInvalidIndex = 539
Invalid index.
ApiInvalidRegister = 543
Invalid register.
ApiConfigAccessFailed = 550
Access for configuration failed.
ApiInvalidDeviceInfo = 551
Invalid device information.
ApiNoActiveDriver = 552
No active driver for the board. Please ensure that a driver is installed.

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ApiInsufficientResources = 553
There were not enough system resources to complete this operation. The most common
reason of this return code is using too many DMA buffers, or using DMA buffers that
are too big. Please try reducing the number of buffers posted to the board at any time,
and/or try reducing the DMA buffer sizes.
ApiNotInitialized = 556
The API has not been properly initialized for this function call. Please review one of the
code samples from the ATS-SDK to confirm that API calls are made in the right order.
ApiInvalidPowerState = 558
Power state requested is not valid.
ApiPowerDown = 559
The operation cannot be completed because the device is powered down. For example,
this error code is output if the computer enters hiberanation while an acquisition is
running.
ApiNotSupportThisChannel = 561
The API call is not valid with this channel selection.
ApiNoAction = 562
The function has requested no action to be taken.
ApiHSNotSupported = 563
HotSwap is not supported.
ApiVpdNotEnabled = 565
Vital product data not enabled.
ApiInvalidOffset = 567
Offset argument is not valid.
ApiPciTimeout = 569
Timeout on the PCI bus.
ApiInvalidHandle = 572
Invalid handle passed as argument.
ApiBufferNotReady = 573
The buffer passed as argument is not ready to be called with this API. This error code
is most often seen is the order of buffers posted to the board is not respected when
querying them.
ApiInvalidData = 574
Generic invalid parameter error. Check the function’s documentation for more information about valid argument values.
ApiDoNothing = 575
ApiDmaSglBuildFailed = 576
Unable to lock buffer and build SGL list.
ApiPMNotSupported = 577
Power management is not supported.

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ApiInvalidDriverVersion = 578
Invalid driver version.
ApiWaitTimeout = 579
The operation did not finish during the timeout interval. try the operation again, or
abort the acquisition.
ApiWaitCanceled = 580
The operation was cancelled.
ApiBufferTooSmall = 581
The buffer used is too small. Try increasing the buffer size.
ApiBufferOverflow = 582
The board overflowed its internal (on-board) memory. Try reducing the sample rate,
reducing the number of enabled channels. Also ensure that DMA buffer size is between
1 MB and 8 MB.
ApiInvalidBuffer = 583
The buffer passed as argument is not valid.
ApiInvalidRecordsPerBuffer = 584
The number of reocrds per buffer passed as argument is invalid.
ApiDmaPending
585 - An asynchronous I/O operation was successfully started on the board. It will be
completed when sufficient trigger events are supplied to the board to fill the buffer.
ApiLockAndProbePagesFailed = 586
The buffer is too large for the driver or operating system to prepare for scatter-gather
DMA transfer. Try reducing the size of each buffer, or reducing the number of buffers
queued by the application.
ApiTransferComplete = 589
This buffer is the last in the current acquisition.
ApiPllNotLocked = 590
The on-board PLL circuit could not lock. If the acquisition used an internal sample clock,
this might be a symptom of a hardware problem; contact AlazarTech. If the acquisition
used an external 10 MHz PLL signal, please make sure that the signal is fed in properly.
ApiNotSupportedInDualChannelMode = 591
The requested acquisition is not possible with two channels. This can be due to the
sample rate being too fast for DES boards, or to the number of samples per record
being too large. Try reducing the number of samples per channel, or switching to single
channel mode.
ApiNotSupportedInQuadChannelMode = 592
The requested acquisition is not possible with four channels. This can be due to the
sample rate being too fast for DES boards, or to the number of samples per record
being too large. Try reducing the number of samples per channel, or switching to single
channel mode.

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ApiFileIoError = 593
A file read or write error occured.
ApiInvalidClockFrequency = 594
The requested ADC clock frequency is not supported.
ApiInvalidSkipTable = 595
Invalid skip table passed as argument.
ApiInvalidDspModule = 596
This DSP module is not valid for the current operation.
ApiDESOnlySupportedInSingleChannelMode = 597
Dual-edge sampling mode is only supported in signel-channel mode. Try disabling dualedge sampling (lowering the sample rate if using internal clock), or selecting only one
channel.
ApiInconsistentChannel = 598
Successive API calls of the same acuqiisiton have received inconsistent acquisition channel masks.
ApiDspFiniteRecordsPerAcquisition = 599
DSP acquisition was run with a finite number of records per acqusiition. Set this value
to inifinite.
ApiNotEnoughNptFooters = 600
Not enough NPT footers in the buffer for extraction.
ApiInvalidNptFooter = 601
Invalid NPT footer found.
ApiOCTIgnoreBadClockNotSupported = 602
OCT ignore bad clock is not supported.
ApiError1 = 603
The requested number of records in a single-port acquisition exceeds the maximum supported by the digitizer. Use dual-ported AutoDMA to acquire more records per acquisition.
ApiError2 = 604
The requested number of records in a single-port acquisition exceeds the maximum supported by the digitizer.
ApiOCTNoTriggerDetected = 605
No trigger is detected as part of the OCT ignore bad clock feature.
ApiOCTTriggerTooFast = 606
Trigger detected is too fast for the OCT ignore bad clock feature.
ApiNetworkError = 607
There was a network-related issue. Make sure that the network connection and settings
are correct.
ApiFftSizeTooLarge = 608
On-FPGA FFT cannot support FFT that large. Try reducing the FFT size, or querying the

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maximum FFT size with AlazarDSPGetInfo()
ApiGPUError = 609
GPU returned an error. See log for more information.
ApiAcquisitionModeOnlySupportedInFifoStreaming = 610
This board only supports this acquisition mode in FIFO only streaming mode. Please set
the ADMA_FIFO_ONLY_STREAMING flag in AlazarBeforeAsyncRead().
ApiInterleaveNotSupportedInTraditionalMode = 611
This board does not support sample interleaving in traditional acquisition mode. Please
refer to the SDK guide for more information.
ApiRecordHeadersNotSupported = 612
This board does not support record headers. Please refer to the SDK guide for more
information.
ApiRecordFootersNotSupported = 613
This board does not support record footers. Please refer to the SDK guide for more
information.

6.34 AlazarExtractFFTNPTFooters
6.34.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarExtractFFTNPTFooters(void * buffer,
U32 recordSize_bytes,
U32 bufferSize_bytes, NPTFooter * footersArray, U32 numFootersToExtract)
Extracts NPT footers from a buffer acquired during an FFT acquisition.
Before calling this function, it is important to make sure that the buffers have been acquired in
NPT mode with the NPT footers active. In addition, the acquisition must have used on-FPGA
FFT computation.
Warning footersArray must contain at least numFootersToExtract elements.
Parameters
• buffer: Base address of the DMA buffer to process
• recordSize_bytes: Bytes per record in the DMA buffer passed as argument as returned by AlazarFFTSetup().
• bufferSize_bytes: Bytes per buffer in the DMA buffer passed as argument
• footersArray: Base address of an array of NPTFooter structures which will be filled
by this function
• numFootersToExtract: Maximum numbers of footers to extract. This can be a number from zero to the number of records in the DMA buffer passed as argument.

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6.35 AlazarExtractNPTFooters
6.35.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarExtractNPTFooters(void * buffer, U32 recordSize_bytes, U32 bufferSize_bytes, NPTFooter * footersArray, U32 numFootersToExtract)
Extracts NPT footers from a buffer that contains them.
Before calling this function, it is important to make sure that the buffers have been acquired
in NPT mode with the NPT footers active.
Warning This function has been deprecated in favor of AlazarExtractTimeDomainNPTFooters() and AlazarExtractFFTNPTFooters(). It is still usable, but only works on NPT footers
acquired as part of an FFT acquisition.
Warning footersArray must contain at least numFootersToExtract elements.
Parameters
• buffer: Base address of the DMA buffer to process
• recordSize_bytes: Bytes per record in the DMA buffer passed as argument
• bufferSize_bytes: Bytes per buffer in the DMA buffer passed as argument
• footersArray: Base address of an array of NPTFooter structures which will be filled
by this function
• numFootersToExtract: Maximum numbers of footers to extract. This can be a number from zero to the number of records in the DMA buffer passed as argument.

6.35.2 Related Enumerations
struct _NPTFooter
NPT Footer structure that can be retrieved using AlazarExtractNPTFooters().
Public Members
U64 triggerTimestamp
Timestamp of the trigger event in this
U32 recordNumber
acquisition.
Record number
U32 frameCount
Frame count.
BOOL aux_in_state
AUX I/O state received during the record’s acquisition

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6.36 AlazarExtractTimeDomainNPTFooters
6.36.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarExtractTimeDomainNPTFooters(void * buffer, U32 recordSize_bytes,
U32 bufferSize_bytes,
NPTFooter
* footersArray, U32 numFootersToExtract)
Extracts NPT footers from a buffer acquired during a time-domain acquisition.
Before calling this function, it is important to make sure that the buffers have been acquired
in NPT mode with the NPT footers active. In addition, the acquisition must not have used
on-FPGA FFT computation.
Warning footersArray must contain at least numFootersToExtract elements.
Parameters
• buffer: Base address of the DMA buffer to process
• recordSize_bytes: Bytes per record in the DMA buffer passed as argument
• bufferSize_bytes: Bytes per buffer in the DMA buffer passed as argument
• footersArray: Base address of an array of NPTFooter structures which will be filled
by this function
• numFootersToExtract: Maximum numbers of footers to extract. This can be a number from zero to the number of records in the DMA buffer passed as argument.

6.37 AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionGetRecordS16
6.37.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionGetRecordS16(dsp_module_handle dspHandle,
S16
*
backgroundRecord,
U32 size_samples)
Reads the background subtraction record from a board.
This function can be called to read which record the board uses for the background subtraction feature. It is used by allocating an array of the right size, then passing it to
backgroundRecord along with it’s size in samples to size_samples.
This function should be called before or between acquisitions, not during one.

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6.37.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.38 AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetEnabled
6.38.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetEnabled(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, BOOL enabled)
Controls the activation of the background subtraction feature.
Passing true to enabled activates background subtraction. Passing false deactivates it.
This function should be called before or between acquisitions, not during one.

6.38.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.39 AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetRecordS16
6.39.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetRecordS16(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, const S16 * record,
U32 size_samples)
Download the record for the background subration feature to a board.
Pass this function a pointer to an 16-bit integer array containing the record you want to
download, and the size of this record in samples.
This function should be called before or between acquisitions, not during one.

6.39.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.40 AlazarFFTGetMaxTriggerRepeatRate
6.40.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFFTGetMaxTriggerRepeatRate(dsp_module_handle
dspHandle,
U32 fftSize, double * maxTriggerRepeatRate)
Queries the maximum trigger repeat rate that the FFT engine can support without overflow.
This utility function is useful to calculate the theoretical maximum speed at which FFTs can
be computed on a specific digitizer. The value returned only takes into account the FFT
processing speed of the on-board module. Other parameters such as bus transfer speed must
still be taken into account to ensure that an acquisition is possible on a given board.
Warning This function is available for FFT modules versions 4.5 and up.
Return ApiSucces upon success
Return ApiInvalidDspModule if the FFT module is invalid (wrong type or version)
Parameters
• dspHandle: The board for which to calculate the maximum trigger rate.
• fftSize: The number of points acquired by the board per FFT operation.
• maxTriggerRepeatRate: Output parameter that gets assigned the maximum trigger
rate supported by this board’s FFT processing module in Hertz.

6.40.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.41 AlazarFFTSetScalingAndSlicing
6.41.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFFTSetScalingAndSlicing(dsp_module_handle
dspHandle,
U8 slice_pos, float loge_ampl_mult)
Sets internal scaling and slicing parameters in the FFT module.
This function modifies internal parameters used by the on-FPGA FFT module to convert the
output of the FFT engine to the desired format. Please refer to the figure below for details as
to where conversions happen.
Remark This function is only valid for on-FPGA FFT modules with version less than 5.

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Warning This function is intended for advanced users only. Calling it with the wrong parameters can prevent any meaningful data from being output by the FFT module.
To use this function in your program, it is necessary to call it after AlazarFFTSetup(), because
this is where default scaling and slicing values are set.

Parameters
• dspHandle: Handle to DSP module
• slice_pos: This parameter indicates the position of the most significant bit of the
output of slicing operations with respect to the input. Lowering this value by one
has the effect of multiplying the output of the FFT module by 2. Default value is 7
for log outputs and 38 otherwise. On the block diagram, this parameter applies to
all blocks marked ‘Slice’.
• loge_ampl_mult: This controls a multiplicative factor used after the log conversion
in the FFT module. Hence, it does not apply to ‘amplitude squared’ outputs. Default
value is 4.3429446 for U8 log and float log outputs, and 1111.7938176 for U16 log
output.

6.41.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.42 AlazarFFTSetWindowFunction
6.42.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFFTSetWindowFunction(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U32 samplesPerRecord, float * realWindowArray, float
* imagWindowArray)
Sets the window function to use with an on-FPGA FFT module.
Downloads a window function to an AlazarTech digitizer’s memory. This window function
will be used during all subsequent acquisitions that use the on-FPGA DSP module.
This function should be called before AlazarFFTSetup(). It does not have to be called every
time an acquisition is done. It can be located in the board configuration section.
Warning Please note that the window function is not compatible with the FFT verification
mode.
Parameters
• dspHandle: The handle of the FFT DSP module to set the window function for.
• samplesPerRecord: The number of samples in the window function array.
• realWindowArray: The real window function array. Passing NULL is equivalent to
passing an array filled with ones. The values of the window function must be in the
interval [−1, 1].
• imagWindowArray: The imaginary window function array. Passing NULL is equivalent
to passing an array filled with zeros. The values of the window function must be in
the interval [−1, 1].

6.42.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.43 AlazarFFTSetup
6.43.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFFTSetup(dsp_module_handle dspHandle, U16 inputChannelMask,
U32 recordLength_samples, U32 fftLength_samples, U32 outputFormat, U32 footer, U32 reserved, U32 * bytesPerOutputRecord)
Configure the board for an FFT acquisition.

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This function needs to be called in the board configuration procedure, therefore before
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead().
The output format of the fft is controlled by the outputFormat parameter, with the
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT enumeration.
All elements of FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT except
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_PLUS_FFT describe a data type (unsigned 8-bit integer, floating point number, etc.) as well as a scale (logarithmic or amplitude squared). It is mandatory
to select one (and only one) of these.
On the other hand, when FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_PLUS_FFT is OR’ed (using the C |
operator) to another symbol, it has the meaning of asking the board to output both the timedomain (raw) and FFT data.
Parameters
• dspHandle: The FFT module to configure.
• inputChannelMask: The channels to acquire data from. This must be CHANNEL_A.
• recordLength_samples: The number of points per record to acquire. This needs to
meet the usual requirements for the number of samples per record. Please see the
documentation of AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() for more information.
• fftLength_samples: The number of points per FFT. This value must be:
– A power of two;
– Greater than or equal to recordLength_samples;
– Less than or equal to the maximum FFT size, as returned by the AlazarDSPGetInfo() function.
• outputFormat: Describes what data is output from the FFT post-processing
module.
This can be any element of the FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT enum
except
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_PLUS_FFT,
optionnaly
OR’ed
with
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_PLUS_FFT.
• footer: Describes if a footer is attached to the returned records. Must be an element
of the FFT_FOOTER enum.
• reserved: Reserved for future use. Pass 0.
• bytesPerOutputRecord: Returns the number of bytes in each record coming out
of the FFT module. This value can be used to know how long the allocated DMA
buffers must be.

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6.43.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.43.3 Related Enumerations
enum FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT
FFT output format enumeration.
Values:
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_U32_AMP2 = 0x0
32-bit unsigned integer amplitude squared output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_U16_LOG = 0x1
16-bit unsigned integer logarithmic amplitude output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_U16_AMP2 = 0x101
16-bit unsigned integer amplitude squared output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_U8_LOG = 0x2
8-bit unsigned integer logarithmic amplitude output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_U8_AMP2 = 0x102
8-bit unsigned integer amplitude squared output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_S32_REAL = 0x3
32-bit signed integer real part of FFT output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_S32_IMAG = 0x4
32-bit signed integer imaginary part of FFT output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_FLOAT_AMP2 = 0xA
32-bit floating point amplitude squared output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_FLOAT_LOG = 0xB
32-bit floating point logarithmic output.
FFT_OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_PLUS_FFT = 0x1000
Prepend each FFT output record with a signed 16-bit version of the time-domain data.
enum FFT_FOOTER
FFT footer enumeration.
Values:
FFT_FOOTER_NONE = 0x0

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FFT_FOOTER_NPT = 0x1

6.44 AlazarForceTrigger
6.44.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarForceTrigger(HANDLE handle)
Generate a software trigger event.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

6.44.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.45 AlazarForceTriggerEnable
6.45.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarForceTriggerEnable(HANDLE handle)
Generate a software trigger enable event.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

6.45.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.46 AlazarFreeBufferU16
6.46.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFreeBufferU16(HANDLE handle, U16 * buffer)
Frees a buffer allocated with AlazarAllocBufferU16()
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• buffer: Base address of the buffer to free

6.47 AlazarFreeBufferU16Ex
6.47.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFreeBufferU16Ex(HANDLE handle, U16 * buffer)
Frees a buffer allocated with AlazarAllocBufferU16Ex()
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• buffer: Base address of the buffer to free

6.48 AlazarFreeBufferU8
6.48.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFreeBufferU8(HANDLE handle, U8 * buffer)
Frees a buffer allocated with AlazarAllocBufferU8()
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• buffer: Base address of the buffer to free

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6.49 AlazarFreeBufferU8Ex
6.49.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarFreeBufferU8Ex(HANDLE handle, U8 * buffer)
Frees a buffer allocated with AlazarAllocBufferU8Ex()
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• buffer: Base address of the buffer to free

6.50 AlazarGetBoardBySystemHandle
6.50.1 Function Syntax
HANDLE AlazarGetBoardBySystemHandle(HANDLE systemHandle, U32 boardId)
Get a handle to a board in a board system where the board system is specified by a handle to
its master board and the board by its identifier within the system.
Return A handle to the specified board if it was found
Return NULL if the master board handle is invalid, or a board with the specified board identifier was not found in the specified board system.
Parameters
• systemHandle: Handle to master board
• boardId: Board identifier in the board system

6.50.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.51 AlazarGetBoardBySystemID
6.51.1 Function Syntax
HANDLE AlazarGetBoardBySystemID(U32 systemId, U32 boardId)
Get a handle to a board in a board system where the board and system are identified by their
ID.
Detailed description
Return A handle to the specified board if it was found.
Return NULL if the board with the specified systemId and boardId was not found.
Parameters
• systemId: The system identifier
• boardId: The board identifier

6.51.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.52 AlazarGetBoardKind
6.52.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarGetBoardKind(HANDLE handle)
Get a board model identifier of the board associated with a board handle.
Return A non-zero board model identifier upon success. See BoardTypes for converting the
identifier into a board model.
Return Zero upon error.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

6.52.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.52.3 Related Enumerations
enum BoardTypes
Existing board models.
Values:
ATS_NONE = 0
ATS850 = 1
ATS310 = 2
ATS330 = 3
ATS855 = 4
ATS315 = 5
ATS335 = 6
ATS460 = 7
ATS860 = 8
ATS660 = 9
ATS665 = 10
ATS9462 = 11
ATS9434 = 12
ATS9870 = 13
ATS9350 = 14
ATS9325 = 15
ATS9440 = 16
ATS9410 = 17
ATS9351 = 18
ATS9310 = 19
ATS9461 = 20
ATS9850 = 21
ATS9625 = 22
ATG6500 = 23
ATS9626 = 24
ATS9360 = 25
AXI8870 = 26
ATS9370 = 27

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ATU7825 = 28
ATS9373 = 29
ATS9416 = 30
ATS9637 = 31
ATS9120 = 32
ATS9371 = 33
ATS9130 = 34
ATS9352 = 35
ATS9453 = 36
ATS_LAST

6.53 AlazarGetBoardRevision
6.53.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetBoardRevision(HANDLE handle, U8 * major, U8 * minor)
Get the PCB hadware revision level of a digitizer board.
AlazarTech periodically updates the PCB hadware of its digitizers to improve functionality.
Many PCIE digitizers can report the PCB hadware revision to software. Note that this function
is not supported on PCI digitizer boards.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: The board handle
• major: PCB major version number
• minor: PCB minor version number

6.53.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.54 AlazarGetCPLDVersion
6.54.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetCPLDVersion(HANDLE handle, U8 * major, U8 * minor)
Get the CPLD version number of the specified board.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• major: CPLD version number
• minor: CPLD version number

6.54.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.55 AlazarGetChannelInfo
6.55.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetChannelInfo(HANDLE handle, U32 * memorySize, U8 * bitsPerSample)
Get the total on-board memory in samples, and sample size in bits per sample.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark The memory size information is independant of how many channels the board
can acquire on simultaneously. When multiple channels acquire data, they share this
amount.
Remark The memory size indication is given for the default packing mode. See documentation about data packing for more information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle.
• memorySize: Total size of the on-board memory in samples.

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• bitsPerSample: Bits per sample.

6.55.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.56 AlazarGetChannelInfoEx
6.56.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetChannelInfoEx(HANDLE handle, S64 * memorySize, U8 * bitsPerSample)
Get the total on-board memory in samples, and sample size in bits per sample.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark The memory size information is independant of how many channels the board
can acquire on simultaneously. When multiple channels acquire data, they share this
amount.
Remark The memory size indication is given for the default packing mode. See documentation about data packing for more information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle.
• memorySize: Total size of the on-board memory in samples.
• bitsPerSample: Bits per sample.

6.57 AlazarGetDriverVersion
6.57.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetDriverVersion(U8 * major, U8 * minor, U8 * revision)
Get the device driver version of the most recently opened device.
Driver releases are given a version number with the format X.Y.Z where: X is the major release
number, Y is the minor release number, and Z is the minor revision number.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.

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See AlazarGetSDKVersion() AlazarGetCPLDVersion()
Parameters
• major: The driver major version number
• minor: The driver minor version number
• revision: The driver revision number

6.57.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.58 AlazarGetMaxRecordsCapable
6.58.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetMaxRecordsCapable(HANDLE handle, U32 samplesPerRecord, U32
* maxRecordsPerCapture)
Calculate the maximum number of records that can be captured to on-board memory given
the requested number of samples per record.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Note This function is part of the single-port API. It should not be used with AutoDMA API
functions.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• samplesPerRecord: The desired number of samples per record
• maxRecordsPerCapture: The maximum number of records per capture possible with
the requested value of samples per record.

6.58.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.59 AlazarGetParameter
6.59.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetParameter(HANDLE handle, U8 channel, U32 parameter, long * retValue)
Get a device parameter as a signed long value.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• channel: The channel to control. See ALAZAR_CHANNELS for a list of possible
values. This parameter only takes unsigned 8-bit values.
• parameter: The Parameter to modify. This can be one of ALAZAR_PARAMETERS.
• retValue: Parameter’s value

6.59.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.59.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_PARAMETERS
Parameters suitable to be used with AlazarSetParameter() and/or AlazarGetParameter()
Values:
DATA_WIDTH = 0x10000009UL
The number of bits per sample.
SETGET_ASYNC_BUFFSIZE_BYTES = 0x10000039UL
The size of API-allocated DMA buffers in bytes.
SETGET_ASYNC_BUFFCOUNT = 0x10000040UL
The number of API-allocated DMA buffers.
GET_ASYNC_BUFFERS_PENDING = 0x10000050UL
DMA buffers currently posted to the board.
GET_ASYNC_BUFFERS_PENDING_FULL = 0x10000051UL
DMA buffers waiting to be processed by the application

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GET_ASYNC_BUFFERS_PENDING_EMPTY = 0x10000052UL
DMA buffers waiting to be filled by the board.
SET_DATA_FORMAT = 0x10000041UL
0 if the data format is unsigned, and 1 otherwise
GET_DATA_FORMAT = 0x10000042UL
0 if the data format is unsigned, and 1 otherwise
GET_SAMPLES_PER_TIMESTAMP_CLOCK = 0x10000044UL
Number of samples per timestamp clock.
GET_RECORDS_CAPTURED = 0x10000045UL
Records captured since the start of the acquisition (single-port) or buffer (dual-port)
ECC_MODE = 0x10000048UL
ECC mode. Member of ALAZAR_ECC_MODES.
GET_AUX_INPUT_LEVEL = 0x10000049UL
Read the TTL level of the AUX connector. Member of ALAZAR_AUX_INPUT_LEVELS
GET_CHANNELS_PER_BOARD = 0x10000070UL
Number of analog channels supported by this digitizer.
GET_FPGA_TEMPERATURE = 0x10000080UL
Current FPGA temperature in degrees Celcius. Only supported by PCIe digitizers.
PACK_MODE = 0x10000072UL
Get/Set the pack mode as a member of ALAZAR_PACK_MODES
SET_SINGLE_CHANNEL_MODE = 0x10000043UL
Reserve all the on-board memory to the channel passed as argument. Single-port only.
API_FLAGS = 0x10000090UL
State of the API logging as a member of ALAZAR_API_TRACE_STATES
enum ALAZAR_ECC_MODES
ECC Modes.
Values:
ECC_DISABLE = 0
Disable.
ECC_ENABLE = 1
Enable.
enum ALAZAR_AUX_INPUT_LEVELS
Auxiliary input levels.
Values:
AUX_INPUT_LOW = 0
Low level.
AUX_INPUT_HIGH = 1
High level.

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enum ALAZAR_PACK_MODES
Data pack modes.
Values:
PACK_DEFAULT = 0
Default pack mode of the board.
PACK_8_BITS_PER_SAMPLE = 1
8 bits per sample
PACK_12_BITS_PER_SAMPLE = 2
12 bits per sample
enum ALAZAR_API_TRACE_STATES
API trace states.
Values:
API_ENABLE_TRACE = 1
Trace enabled.
API_DISABLE_TRACE = 0
Trace disabled.

6.60 AlazarGetParameterLL
6.60.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetParameterLL(HANDLE handle, U8 channel, U32 parameter, S64
* retValue)
Get a device parameter as a long long value.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• channel: The channel to control. See ALAZAR_CHANNELS for a list of possible
values. This parameter only takes unsigned 8-bit values.
• parameter: The Parameter to modify. This can be one of ALAZAR_PARAMETERS.
• retValue: Parameter’s value

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6.61 AlazarGetParameterUL
6.61.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetParameterUL(HANDLE handle, U8 channel, U32 parameter, U32
* retValue)
Get a device parameter as an unsigned long value.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• channel: The channel to control. See ALAZAR_CHANNELS for a list of possible
values. This parameter only takes unsigned 8-bit values.
• parameter: The Parameter to modify. This can be one of ALAZAR_PARAMETERS.
• retValue: Parameter’s value

6.61.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.61.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_PARAMETERS_UL
Parameters suitable to be used with AlazarSetParameterUL() and/or AlazarGetParameterUL()
Values:
SET_ADC_MODE = 0x10000047UL
Set the ADC mode as a member of ALAZAR_ADC_MODES.
SET_BUFFERS_PER_TRIGGER_ENABLE = 0x10000097UL
Configures the number of DMA buffers acquired after each trigger enable event. The
default value is 1.
Remark To set the number of buffers per trigger enable, this must be called after AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() but before AlazarStartCapture(), which means that
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() must be called with ADMA_EXTERNAL_STARTCAPTURE
Remark This parameter is reset in between acquisitions.

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GET_POWER_MONITOR_STATUS = 0x10000098UL
Queries the status of the power monitor on the board. The value returned is zero if there
is no problem. If it is not zero, please send the value returned to AlazarTech’s technical
support.
SET_EXT_TRIGGER_RANGE = 0x1000001CUL
Configure external trigger range.
ALAZAR_EXTERNAL_TRIGGER_RANGES

Parameter

is

as

a

member

of

enum ALAZAR_ADC_MODES
Analog to digital converter modes.
Values:
ADC_MODE_DEFAULT = 0
Default ADC mode.
ADC_MODE_DES = 1
Dual-edge sampling mode.

6.62 AlazarGetSDKVersion
6.62.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetSDKVersion(U8 * major, U8 * minor, U8 * revision)
Get the driver library version. This is the version of ATSApi.dll under Windows, or ATSApi.so
under Linux.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark Note that the version number returned is that of the driver library file, not the ATSSDK version number. SDK releases are given a version number with the format X.Y.Z
where: X is the major release number, Y is the minor release number, and Z is the minor
revision number.
See AlazarGetCPLDVersion()
See AlazarGetDriverVersion()
Parameters
• major: The SDK major version number
• minor: The SDK minor version number
• revision: The SDK revision number

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6.62.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.63 AlazarGetStatus
6.63.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarGetStatus(HANDLE handle)
Return a bitmask with board status information.
Return If the function fails, the return value is 0xFFFFFFFF. Upon success, the return value
is a bit mask of the following values:
• 1 : At least one trigger timeout occured.
• 2 : At least one channel A sample was out of range during the last acquisition.
• 4 : At least one channel B sample was out of range during the last acquisition.
• 8 : PLL is locked (ATS660 only)
Note This function is part of the single-port data acquisition API. It cannot be used with the
dual-port AutoDMA APIs.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

6.63.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.64 AlazarGetSystemHandle
6.64.1 Function Syntax
HANDLE AlazarGetSystemHandle(U32 systemId)
Return the handle of the master board in the specified board system.

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Remark If the board system specified contains a single, independent board, this function
returns a handle to that board.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• systemId: System identification number

6.64.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.65 AlazarGetTriggerAddress
6.65.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetTriggerAddress(HANDLE handle, U32 Record, U32 * TriggerAddress, U32 * TimeStampHighPart, U32 * TimeStampLowPart)
Get the timestamp and trigger address of the trigger event in a record acquired to on-board
memory.
The following code fragment demonstrates how to convert the trigger timestamp returned by
AlazarGetTriggerAddress() from counts to seconds.
__int64 timeStamp_cnt;
timeStamp_cnt = ((__int64) timestampHighPart) << 8;
timeStamp_cnt |= timestampLowPart & 0x0ff;
double samplesPerTimestampCount = 2; // board specific constant
double samplesPerSec = 50.e6; // sample rate
double timeStamp_sec = (double) samplesPerTimestampCount *
timeStamp_cnt / samplesPerSec;

The sample per timestamp count value depends on the board model. See board-specific
information to know which value applies to which board.
Return ApiError2 (604) if it is called after a dual-port acquisition. This function should be
called after a single-port acquisition only.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark This function can be used in single-port acquisitions only.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

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• Record: Record in acquisition (1-indexed)
• TriggerAddress: The trigger address
• TimeStampHighPart: The most significant 32-bits of a record timestamp
• TimeStampLowPart: The least significant 8-bits of a record timestamp

6.65.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.66 AlazarGetTriggerTimestamp
6.66.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarGetTriggerTimestamp(HANDLE handle, U32 Record, U64 * Timestamp_samples)
Retrieve the timestamp, in sample clock periods, of a record acquired to on-board memory.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark This function is part of the single-port data acquisition API. It cannot be used to
retrieve the timestamp of records acquired using dual-port AutoDMA APIs.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• Record: 1-indexed record in acquisition
• Timestamp_samples: Record timestamp, in sample clock periods

6.67 AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemHandle
6.67.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemHandle(HANDLE
systemHandle,
U32
boardId,
U32 recordNumber)
Return which event caused a board system to trigger and capture a record to on-board memory.
Return One of the following values:

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• 0 : This board did not cause the system to trigger
• 1 : CH A on this board caused the system to trigger
• 2 : CH B on this board caused the system to trigger
• 3 : EXT TRIG IN on this board caused the system to trigger
• 4 : Both CH A and CH B on this board caused the system to trigger
• 5 : Both CH A and EXT TRIG IN on this board caused the system to trigger
• 6 : Both CH B and EXT TRIG IN on this board caused the system to trigger
• 7 : A trigger timeout on this board caused the system to trigger
Note This function is part of the single-port API. It cannot be used with the dual-port AutoDMA APIs.
Warning This API routine will not work with ATS850 version 1.2 hardware. Version 1.3 and
higher version number of ATS850 are fully supported, as are all versions of ATS330 and
ATS310.
Parameters
• systemHandle: Handle to a master board in a board system.
• boardId: Board identifier of a board in the specified system.
• recordNumber: Record in acquisition (1-indexed)

6.67.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.68 AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemID
6.68.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemID(U32 systemId, U32 boardId, U32 recordNumber)
Return which event caused a board system to trigger and capture a record to on-board memory.
Return One of the following values:
• 0 : This board did not cause the system to trigger
• 1 : CH A on this board caused the system to trigger
• 2 : CH B on this board caused the system to trigger

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• 3 : EXT TRIG IN on this board caused the system to trigger
• 4 : Both CH A and CH B on this board caused the system to trigger
• 5 : Both CH A and EXT TRIG IN on this board caused the system to trigger
• 6 : Both CH B and EXT TRIG IN on this board caused the system to trigger
• 7 : A trigger timeout on this board caused the system to trigger
Note This function is part of the single-port API. It cannot be used with the dual-port AutoDMA APIs.
Warning This API routine will not work with ATS850 version 1.2 hardware. Version 1.3 and
higher version number of ATS850 are fully supported, as are all versions of ATS330 and
ATS310.
Parameters
• systemId: System indentifier
• boardId: Board identifier of a board in the specified system.
• recordNumber: Record in acquisition (1-indexed)

6.68.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.69 AlazarHyperDisp
6.69.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarHyperDisp(HANDLE handle, void * buffer, U32 bufferSize, U8 * viewBuffer, U32 viewBufferSize, U32 numOfPixels, U32 option,
U32 channelSelect, U32 record, long transferOffset, U32
* error)
Enable the on-board FPGA to process records acquired to on-board memory, and transfer the
processed data to host memory.
HyperDisp processing enables the on-board FPGA to divide a record acquired to on-board
memory into intervals, find the minimum and maximum sample values during each interval,
and transfer an array of minimum and maximum sample values to a buffer in host memory.
This allows the acquisition of relatively long records to on-board memory, but the transfer of
relatively short, processed records to a buffer in host memory.
For example, it would take an ATS860-256M about ~2.5 seconds to transfer a 250,000,000
sample record from on-board memory, across the PCI bus, to a buffer in host memory. With
HyperDisp enabled, it would take the on-board FPGA a fraction of a second to process the

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record and transfer a few hundred samples from on-board memory, across the PCI bus, to a
buffer in host memory.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Note This function is part of the single-port data acquisition API. It cannot be used with the
dual-port AutoDMA APIs.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• buffer: Reseved (Set to NULL)
• bufferSize: Number of samples to process
• viewBuffer: Buffer to receive processed data
• viewBufferSize: Size of processed data buffer in bytes
• numOfPixels: Number of HyperDisp points
• option: Processing mode. Pass 1 to enable HyperDisp processing.
• channelSelect: Channel to process
• record: Record to process (1-indexed)
• transferOffset: The offset, in samples, of first sample to process relative to the
trigger position in record.
• error: Pointer to value to receive a result code.

6.70 AlazarInputControl
6.70.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarInputControl(HANDLE handle, U8 channel, U32 coupling, U32 inputRange, U32 impedance)
Select the input coupling, range, and impedance of a digitizer channel.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle.
• channel: The channel to control. See ALAZAR_CHANNELS for a list of possible
values. This parameter only takes unsigned 8-bit values. To configure channel I and
above, see AlazarInputControlEx().

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• inputRange:
Specify the input range of the selected channel.
See
ALAZAR_INPUT_RANGES for a list of all existing input ranges. Consult board-specific
information to see which input ranges are supported by each board.
• coupling: Specifies the coupling of the selected chanel. Must be an element of
ALAZAR_COUPLINGS
• impedance: Specify the input impedance to set for the selected channel. See
ALAZAR_IMPEDANCES for a list of all existing values. See the board-specific documentation to see impedances supported by various boards.

6.70.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.70.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_CHANNELS
Channel identifiers.
Values:
CHANNEL_ALL = 0x00000000
All channels.
CHANNEL_A = 0x00000001
Channel A.
CHANNEL_B = 0x00000002
Channel B.
CHANNEL_C = 0x00000004
Channel C.
CHANNEL_D = 0x00000008
Channel D.
CHANNEL_E = 0x00000010
Channel E.
CHANNEL_F = 0x00000020
Channel F.
CHANNEL_G = 0x00000040
Channel G.
CHANNEL_H = 0x00000080
Channel H.

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CHANNEL_I = 0x00000100
Channel I.
CHANNEL_J = 0x00000200
Channel J.
CHANNEL_K = 0x00000400
Channel K.
CHANNEL_L = 0x00000800
Channel L.
CHANNEL_M = 0x00001000
Channel M.
CHANNEL_N = 0x00002000
Channel N.
CHANNEL_O = 0x00004000
Channel O.
CHANNEL_P = 0x00008000
Channel P.
enum ALAZAR_INPUT_RANGES
Input range identifiers.
Values:
INPUT_RANGE_PM_20_MV = 0x00000001UL
+/- 20mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_40_MV = 0x00000002UL
+/- 40mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_50_MV = 0x00000003UL
+/- 50mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_80_MV = 0x00000004UL
+/- 80mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_100_MV = 0x00000005UL
+/- 100mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_200_MV = 0x00000006UL
+/- 200mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_400_MV = 0x00000007UL
+/- 400mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_500_MV = 0x00000008UL
+/- 500mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_800_MV = 0x00000009UL
+/- 800mV

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INPUT_RANGE_PM_1_V = 0x0000000AUL
+/- 1V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_2_V = 0x0000000BUL
+/- 2V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_4_V = 0x0000000CUL
+/- 4V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_5_V = 0x0000000DUL
+/- 5V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_8_V = 0x0000000EUL
+/- 8V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_10_V = 0x0000000FUL
+/- 10V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_20_V = 0x00000010UL
+/- 20V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_40_V = 0x00000011UL
+/- 40V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_16_V = 0x00000012UL
+/- 16V
INPUT_RANGE_HIFI = 0x00000020UL
no gain
INPUT_RANGE_PM_1_V_25 = 0x00000021UL
+/- 1.25V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_2_V_5 = 0x00000025UL
+/- 2.5V
INPUT_RANGE_PM_125_MV = 0x00000028UL
+/- 125mV
INPUT_RANGE_PM_250_MV = 0x00000030UL
+/- 250mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_40_MV = 0x00000031UL
0 to 40mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_80_MV = 0x00000032UL
0 to 80mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_100_MV = 0x00000033UL
0 to 100mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_160_MV = 0x00000034UL
0 to 160mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_200_MV = 0x00000035UL
0 to 200mV

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INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_250_MV = 0x00000036UL
0 to 250mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_400_MV = 0x00000037UL
0 to 400mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_500_MV = 0x00000038UL
0 to 500mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_800_MV = 0x00000039UL
0 to 800mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_1_V = 0x0000003AUL
0 to 1V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_1600_MV = 0x0000003BUL
0 to 1.6V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_2_V = 0x0000003CUL
0 to 2V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_2_V_5 = 0x0000003DUL
0 to 2.5V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_4_V = 0x0000003EUL
0 to 4V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_5_V = 0x0000003FUL
0 to 5V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_8_V = 0x00000040UL
0 to 8V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_10_V = 0x00000041UL
0 to 10V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_16_V = 0x00000042UL
0 to 16V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_20_V = 0x00000043UL
0 to 20V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_80_V = 0x00000044UL
0 to 80V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_32_V = 0x00000045UL
0 to 32V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_40_MV = 0x00000046UL
0 to -40mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_80_MV = 0x00000047UL
0 to -80mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_100_MV = 0x00000048UL
0 to -100mV

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INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_160_MV = 0x00000049UL
0 to -160mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_200_MV = 0x0000004AUL
0 to -200mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_250_MV = 0x0000004BUL
0 to -250mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_400_MV = 0x0000004CUL
0 to -400mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_500_MV = 0x0000004DUL
0 to -500mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_800_MV = 0x0000004EUL
0 to -800mV
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_1_V = 0x0000004FUL
0 to -1V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_1600_MV = 0x00000050UL
0 to -1.6V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_2_V = 0x00000051UL
0 to -2V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_2_V_5 = 0x00000052UL
0 to -2.5V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_4_V = 0x00000053UL
0 to -4V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_5_V = 0x00000054UL
0 to -5V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_8_V = 0x00000055UL
0 to -8V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_10_V = 0x00000056UL
0 to -10V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_16_V = 0x00000057UL
0 to -16V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_20_V = 0x00000058UL
0 to 20V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_80_V = 0x00000059UL
0 to 80V
INPUT_RANGE_0_TO_MINUS_32_V = 0x00000060UL
0 to 32V
enum ALAZAR_COUPLINGS
Coupling identifiers.

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Values:
AC_COUPLING = 0x00000001UL
AC coupling.
DC_COUPLING = 0x00000002UL
DC coupling.
enum ALAZAR_IMPEDANCES
Impedance indentifiers.
Values:
IMPEDANCE_1M_OHM = 0x00000001UL
IMPEDANCE_50_OHM = 0x00000002UL
IMPEDANCE_75_OHM = 0x00000004UL
IMPEDANCE_300_OHM = 0x00000008UL

6.71 AlazarInputControlEx
6.71.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarInputControlEx(HANDLE handle, U32 channel, U32 couplingId,
U32 rangeId, U32 impedenceId)
Select the input coupling, range and impedance of a digitizer channel.
This function is the equivalent of AlazarInputControl() with a U32-typed parameter to pass
the channel. This allows for boards with more than 8 channels to be configured.

6.71.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.72 AlazarNumOfSystems
6.72.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarNumOfSystems(void)
Get the total number of board systems detected.

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A board system is a group of one or more digitizer oards that share clock and trigger signals.
A board system may be composed of a single independent board, or a group of two or more
digitizer boards connected together with a SyncBoard.
Return The total number of board systems detected

6.73 AlazarOCTIgnoreBadClock
6.73.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarOCTIgnoreBadClock(HANDLE handle, U32 enable, double goodClockDuration_seconds, double badClockDuration_seconds, double * triggerCycleTime_seconds,
double * triggerPulseWidth_seconds)
Enables or disables the OCT ignore bad clock mechanism.
This function must be called before an acquisition starts. It informs the digitizer about portions of time during which the external clock signal is valid, and others during which it is
invalid and should be ignored.
“good” clock portions are durations of time during which the external clock signal is valid,
i.e. within the board’s specifications. “bad” clock portions are durations of time during which
the clock signal is invalid.
When OCT Ignore Bad Clock is active, the digitizer must be set in external TTL trigger mode,
and in external clock mode.
The external clock signal must be good when trigger events are received on the external
trigger connector. The duration of time after the trigger event during which the clock signal
is good is specified in goodClockDuration_seconds. After this good duration, the portion of
time during which the clock may be bad is specified in badClockDuration_seconds.
The sum of goodClockDuration_seconds and badClockDuration_seconds must be less than
the trigger cycle time. This means that the clock signal must be back to being good before the
next trigger event.
Remark This function must be called prior to calling AlazarBeforeAsyncRead(). Trigger
source must be set to TRIG_EXTERNAL (AlazarSetTriggerOperation()). Trigger input
range must be ETR_TTL (AlazarSetExternalTrigger()). Clock source must be set to
FAST_EXTERNAL_CLOCK (AlazarSetCaptureClock()).
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• enable: Enables (1) or disables (0) the feature
• goodClockDuration_seconds: Good clock duration in seconds
• badClockDuration_seconds: Bad clock duration in seconds
• triggerCycleTime_seconds: Trigger cycle time measured by the board

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• triggerPulseWidth_seconds: Trigger pulse width measured by the board

6.73.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.74 AlazarPostAsyncBuffer
6.74.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarPostAsyncBuffer(HANDLE handle,
Length_bytes)
Posts a DMA buffer to a board.

void * buffer,

U32 buffer-

This function adds a DMA buffer to the end of a list of buffers available to be filled by the
board. Use AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete() to determine if the board has received sufficient
trigger events to fill this buffer.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark You must call AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() before calling AlazarPostAsyncBuffer().
Warning You must call AlazarAbortAsyncRead() before your application exits if you have
called AlazarPostAsyncBuffer() and buffers are pending when your application exits.
Remark The bufferLength_bytes parameter must be equal to the product of the number of
bytes per record, the number of records per buffer and the number of enabled channels.
If record headers are enabled, the number of bytes per record must include the size of
the record header (16 bytes).
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• buffer: Pointer to buffer that will eventually receive data from the digitizer board.
• bufferLength_bytes: The length of the buffer in bytes.

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6.75 AlazarQueryCapability
6.75.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarQueryCapability(HANDLE handle, U32 capability, U32 reserved, U32
* retValue)
Get a device attribute as a unsigned 32-bit integer.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• capability:
The board capability to query.
ALAZAR_CAPABILITIES.

Must be a member of

• reserved: Pass 0
• retValue: Capability value

6.75.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.75.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_CAPABILITIES
Capabilities that can be queried through AlazarQueryCapability()
Values:
GET_SERIAL_NUMBER = 0x10000024UL
Board’s serial number.
GET_FIRST_CAL_DATE = 0x10000025UL
First calibration date.
GET_LATEST_CAL_DATE = 0x10000026UL
Latest calibration date.
GET_LATEST_TEST_DATE = 0x10000027UL
Latest test date.
GET_LATEST_CAL_DATE_MONTH = 0x1000002DUL
Month of latest calibration.

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GET_LATEST_CAL_DATE_DAY = 0x1000002EUL
Day of latest calibration.
GET_LATEST_CAL_DATE_YEAR = 0x1000002FUL
Year of latest calibration.
GET_BOARD_OPTIONS_LOW = 0x10000037UL
Low part of the board options.
GET_BOARD_OPTIONS_HIGH = 0x10000038UL
High part of the board options.
MEMORY_SIZE = 0x1000002AUL
The memory size in samples.
ASOPC_TYPE = 0x1000002CUL
The FPGA signature.
BOARD_TYPE = 0x1000002BUL
The board type as a member of ALAZAR_BOARDTYPES.
GET_PCIE_LINK_SPEED = 0x10000030UL
PCIe link speed in Gb/s.
GET_PCIE_LINK_WIDTH = 0x10000031UL
PCIe link width in lanes.
GET_MAX_PRETRIGGER_SAMPLES = 0x10000046UL
Maximum number of pre-trigger samples.
GET_CPF_DEVICE = 0x10000071UL
User-programmable FPGA device. 1 = SL50, 2 = SE260.
HAS_RECORD_FOOTERS_SUPPORT = 0x10000073UL
Queries if the board supports NPT record footers. Returns 1 if the feature is supported
and 0 otherwise
CAP_SUPPORTS_TRADITIONAL_AUTODMA = 0x10000074UL
Queries if the board supports the AutoDMA Traditional acquisition mode. Returns 1 if
the feature is supported and 0 otherwise.
CAP_SUPPORTS_NPT_AUTODMA = 0x10000075UL
Queries if the board supports the AutoDMA NPT accquisition mode. Returns 1 if the
feature is supported and 0 otherwise.
CAP_MAX_NPT_PRETRIGGER_SAMPLES = 0x10000076UL
Queries the maximum number of pre-trigger samples that can be requested in the AutoDMA NPT acquisition mode. This amount is shared between all the channels of the
board.
CAP_IS_VFIFO_BOARD = 0x10000077UL
Tests if this board of the virtual-FIFO type.
CAP_SUPPORTS_NATIVE_SINGLE_PORT = 0x10000078UL
Tests if this board features native support for single-port acquisitions. Returns 1 if native
support is present, and 0 otherwise.
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CAP_SUPPORT_8_BIT_PACKING = 0x10000079UL
Tests if this board supports 8-bit data packing. Returns 1 if this board has a native
resolution of more than 8 bits and supports 8-bit packing.
CAP_SUPPORT_12_BIT_PACKING = 0x10000080UL
Tests if this board supports 12-bit data packing. Returns 1 if support is present, and 0
otherwise.
HAS_RECORD_HEADERS_SUPPORT = 0x10000081UL
Tests if this board supports record headers. Returns 1 if support is present, and 0 otherwise.
CAP_SUPPORT_TRADITIONAL_SAMPLES_INTERLEAVED = 0x10000082UL
Tests if this board supports samples interleaved in traditional mode. Returns 1 if support
is present, and 0 otherwise.
enum ALAZAR_BOARD_OPTIONS_LOW
AlazarTech board options. Lower 32-bits.
Values:
OPTION_STREAMING_DMA = (1UL << 0)
OPTION_EXTERNAL_CLOCK = (1UL << 1)
OPTION_DUAL_PORT_MEMORY = (1UL << 2)
OPTION_180MHZ_OSCILLATOR = (1UL << 3)
OPTION_LVTTL_EXT_CLOCK = (1UL << 4)
OPTION_SW_SPI = (1UL << 5)
OPTION_ALT_INPUT_RANGES = (1UL << 6)
OPTION_VARIABLE_RATE_10MHZ_PLL = (1UL << 7)
OPTION_MULTI_FREQ_VCO = (1UL << 7)
OPTION_2GHZ_ADC = (1UL << 8)
OPTION_DUAL_EDGE_SAMPLING = (1UL << 9)
OPTION_DCLK_PHASE = (1UL << 10)
OPTION_WIDEBAND = (1UL << 11)
enum ALAZAR_BOARD_OPTIONS_HIGH
AlazarTech board options. Higher 32-bits.
Values:
OPTION_OEM_FPGA = (1ULL << 15)

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6.76 AlazarQueryCapabilityLL
6.76.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarQueryCapabilityLL(HANDLE handle, U32 capability, U32 reserved,
S64 * retValue)
Get a device attribute as a 64-bit integer.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• capability:
The board capability to query.
ALAZAR_CAPABILITIES.

Must be a member of

• reserved: Pass 0
• retValue: Capability value

6.77 AlazarRead
6.77.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarRead(HANDLE handle, U32 channelId, void * buffer, int elementSize, long record,
long transferOffset, U32 transferLength)
Read all of part of a record from on-board memory to host memory (RAM).
The record must be less than 2,147,483,648 samples long.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Note AlazarRead() is part of the single-port API, it cannot be used in a dual-port context.
Remark AlazarRead() can transfer segments of a record. This may be useful if a full record
is too large to transfer as a single clock, or if only part of a record is of interest.
Remark Use AlazarReadEx() To transfer records with more than 2 billion samples.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• channelId: The channel identifier of the record to read.
• buffer: Buffer to receive sample data
• elementSize: Number of bytes per sample
• record: Index of the record to transfer (1-indexed)

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• transferOffset: The offset, in samples, from the trigger position in the record, of
the first sample to transfer.
• transferLength: The number of samples to transfer.

6.77.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.78 AlazarReadEx
6.78.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarReadEx(HANDLE handle, U32 channelId, void * buffer, int elementSize, long record,
INT64 transferOffset, U32 transferLength)
Read all or part of a record from an acquisition to on-board memory from on-board memory
to a buffer in hsot memory. The record may be longer than 2 billion samples.
Use AlazarRead() or AlazarReadEx() to transfer records with less than 2 billion samples. Use
AlazarReadEx() to transfer records with more than 2 billion samples.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Note AlazarReadEx() is part of the single-port data acquisition API. It cannot be used with
the dual-port AutoDMA APIs.
Remark AlazarReadEx() can transfer segments of a record to on-board memory. This may be
useful if a full record is too large to transfer as a single block, or if only part of a record
is of interest.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• channelId: channel identifier of record to read
• buffer: Buffer to receive sample data
• elementSize: number of bytes per sample
• record: record in on-board memory to transfer to buffer (1-indexed).
• transferOffset: The offset in samples from the trigger position in the record of the
first sample in the record in on-board memory to transfer to the buffer

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• transferLength: The number of samples to transfer from the record in on-board
memory to the buffer.

6.79 AlazarResetTimeStamp
6.79.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarResetTimeStamp(HANDLE handle, U32 option)
Resets the record timestamp counter.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark This function is not supported by ATS310, ATS330 and ATS850
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• option:
Record timestamp reset
ALAZAR_TIMESTAMP_RESET_OPTIONS.

option.

Can

be

one

of

6.79.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.79.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_TIMESTAMP_RESET_OPTIONS
Timestamp reset options. See AlazarResetTimeStamp()
Values:
TIMESTAMP_RESET_FIRSTTIME_ONLY = 0x00000000UL
TIMESTAMP_RESET_ALWAYS = 0x00000001UL

6.80 AlazarSetADCBackgroundCompensation
6.80.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetADCBackgroundCompensation(HANDLE handle, BOOL active)
Activates or deactivates the ADC background compensation.

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Remark This feature does not exist on all boards. Please check board-specific information
for more details.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• active: Determines whether this function activates or deactivates the ADC background compensation.

6.81 AlazarSetBWLimit
6.81.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetBWLimit(HANDLE handle, U32 channel, U32 enable)
Activates the bandwith limiter of an input channel. Not all boards support a bandwidth
limiter. See board-specific documentation for more information.
Remark The bandwidth limiter is disabled by default. When enabled, the bandwith is limited
to approximatively 20 MHz.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• channel: The channel identifier. Must be a channel from ALAZAR_CHANNELS.
• enable: Pass 1 to enable the bandwith limit, or zero otherwise.

6.81.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.82 AlazarSetCaptureClock
6.82.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetCaptureClock(HANDLE handle, U32 source, U32 sampleRateIdOrValue, U32 edgeId, U32 decimation)
Configure the sample clock source, edge and decimation.

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• If an ATS460/ATS660/ATS860 is configured to use a SLOW_EXTERNAL_CLOCK clock
source, the maximum decimation value is 1.
• If an ATS9350 is configured to use an EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF clock source,
the decimation value must be 1, 2, 4 or any multiple of 5. Note that the sample rate
identifier value must be 500000000, and the sample rate will be 500 MHz divided by
the decimation value.
• If an ATS9360 / ATS9371 / ATS9373 is configured to use an EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF clock source, the maximum decimation value is 1.
• If an ATS9850 is configured to use an EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF clock source, the
decimation value must be 1, 2, 4 or any multiple of 10. Note that the sample rate
identifier value must be 500000000, and the sample rate will be 500 MHz divided by
the decimation value.
• If an ATS9870 is configured to use an EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF clock source, the
decimation value must be 1, 2, 4 or any multiple of 10. Note that the sample rate
identifier value must be 1000000000, and the sample rate will be 1 GHz divided by the
decimation value.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• source: Clock source identifiers. Must be a member of ALAZAR_CLOCK_SOURCES.
See board-specific information for a list of valid values for each board. For external
clock types, the identifier to choose may depend on the clock’s frequency. See boardspecific information for a list of frequency ranges for all clock types.
• sampleRateIdOrValue: If the clock source chosen is INTERNAL_CLOCK, this value
is a member of ALAZAR_SAMPLE_RATES that defines the internal sample rate to
choose. Valid values for each board vary. If the clock source chosen is EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF, pass the value of the sample clock to generate from the
reference in herts. The values that can be generated depend on the board model.
Otherwise, the clock source is external, pass SAMPLE_RATE_USER_DEF to this parameter.
• edgeId: The external clock edge on which to latch sample rate. Must be a member
of ALAZAR_CLOCK_EDGES.
• decimation: Decimation value. May be an integer between 0 and 100000 with the
following exceptions. Note that a decimation value of 0 means disable decimation.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.

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6.82.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.82.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_CLOCK_SOURCES
Clock source identifiers.
Values:
INTERNAL_CLOCK = 0x00000001UL
Internal clock.
EXTERNAL_CLOCK = 0x00000002UL
External clock.
FAST_EXTERNAL_CLOCK = 0x00000002UL
Fast external clock.
MEDIUM_EXTERNAL_CLOCK = 0x00000003UL
Medium external clock.
SLOW_EXTERNAL_CLOCK = 0x00000004UL
Slow external clock.
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_AC = 0x00000005UL
AC external clock.
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_DC = 0x00000006UL
DC external clock.
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF = 0x00000007UL
10MHz external reference
INTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_REF = 0x00000008
Internal 10MHz reference.
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10MHZ_PXI = 0x0000000A
External 10MHz PXI.
enum ALAZAR_SAMPLE_RATES
Sample rate identifiers.
Values:
SAMPLE_RATE_1KSPS = 0X00000001UL
SAMPLE_RATE_2KSPS = 0X00000002UL

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SAMPLE_RATE_5KSPS = 0X00000004UL
SAMPLE_RATE_10KSPS = 0X00000008UL
SAMPLE_RATE_20KSPS = 0X0000000AUL
SAMPLE_RATE_50KSPS = 0X0000000CUL
SAMPLE_RATE_100KSPS = 0X0000000EUL
SAMPLE_RATE_200KSPS = 0X00000010UL
SAMPLE_RATE_500KSPS = 0X00000012UL
SAMPLE_RATE_1MSPS = 0X00000014UL
SAMPLE_RATE_2MSPS = 0X00000018UL
SAMPLE_RATE_5MSPS = 0X0000001AUL
SAMPLE_RATE_10MSPS = 0X0000001CUL
SAMPLE_RATE_20MSPS = 0X0000001EUL
SAMPLE_RATE_25MSPS = 0X00000021UL
SAMPLE_RATE_50MSPS = 0X00000022UL
SAMPLE_RATE_100MSPS = 0X00000024UL
SAMPLE_RATE_125MSPS = 0x00000025UL
SAMPLE_RATE_160MSPS = 0x00000026UL
SAMPLE_RATE_180MSPS = 0x00000027UL
SAMPLE_RATE_200MSPS = 0X00000028UL
SAMPLE_RATE_250MSPS = 0X0000002BUL
SAMPLE_RATE_400MSPS = 0X0000002DUL
SAMPLE_RATE_500MSPS = 0X00000030UL
SAMPLE_RATE_800MSPS = 0X00000032UL
SAMPLE_RATE_1000MSPS = 0x00000035UL
SAMPLE_RATE_1GSPS = SAMPLE_RATE_1000MSPS
SAMPLE_RATE_1200MSPS = 0x00000037UL
SAMPLE_RATE_1500MSPS = 0x0000003AUL
SAMPLE_RATE_1600MSPS = 0x0000003BUL
SAMPLE_RATE_1800MSPS = 0x0000003DUL
SAMPLE_RATE_2000MSPS = 0x0000003FUL
SAMPLE_RATE_2GSPS = SAMPLE_RATE_2000MSPS
SAMPLE_RATE_2400MSPS = 0x0000006AUL

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SAMPLE_RATE_3000MSPS = 0x00000075UL
SAMPLE_RATE_3GSPS = SAMPLE_RATE_3000MSPS
SAMPLE_RATE_3600MSPS = 0x0000007BUL
SAMPLE_RATE_4000MSPS = 0x00000080UL
SAMPLE_RATE_4GSPS = SAMPLE_RATE_4000MSPS
SAMPLE_RATE_300MSPS = 0x00000090UL
SAMPLE_RATE_350MSPS = 0x00000094UL
SAMPLE_RATE_370MSPS = 0x00000096UL
SAMPLE_RATE_USER_DEF = 0x00000040UL
User-defined sample rate. Used with external clock.
enum ALAZAR_CLOCK_EDGES
Clock edge identifiers.
Values:
CLOCK_EDGE_RISING = 0x00000000UL
Rising clock edge.
CLOCK_EDGE_FALLING = 0x00000001UL
Falling clock edge.

6.83 AlazarSetExternalClockLevel
6.83.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetExternalClockLevel(HANDLE handle, float level_percent)
Set the external clock comparator level.
Remark Only the following boards support this feature: ATS460, ATS660, ATS860, ATS9350,
ATS9351, ATS9352, ATS9440, ATS9462, ATS9625, ATS9626, ATS9870.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• level_percent: The external clock comparator level, in percent.

6.83.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.84 AlazarSetExternalTrigger
6.84.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetExternalTrigger(HANDLE handle, U32 couplingId, U32 rangeId)
Set the external trigger range and coupling.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• couplingId: Specifies the external trigger coupling. See ALAZAR_COUPLINGS for
existing values. Consult board-specific information to see which values are supported by each board.
• rangeId:
Specifies
the
external
trigger
range.
See
ALAZAR_EXTERNAL_TRIGGER_RANGES for a list of all existing values. Consult board-specific information to see which values are supported by each board.

6.84.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.84.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_EXTERNAL_TRIGGER_RANGES
External trigger range identifiers.
Values:
ETR_5V_50OHM = 0x00000000UL
5V-50OHM range
ETR_1V_50OHM = 0x00000001UL
1V-50OHM range
ETR_TTL = 0x00000002UL
TTL range.
ETR_2V5_50OHM = 0x00000003UL
2V5-50OHM range
ETR_5V_300OHM = 0x00000004UL
5V-300OHM range

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6.85 AlazarSetLED
6.85.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetLED(HANDLE handle, U32 state)
Control the LED on a board’s mounting bracket.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• state: to put the LED in. Must be a member of ALAZAR_LED

6.85.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.85.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_LED
LED state identifiers.
Values:
LED_OFF = 0x00000000UL
OFF LED.
LED_ON = 0x00000001UL
ON LED.

6.86 AlazarSetParameter
6.86.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetParameter(HANDLE handle,
long value)
Set a device parameter as a signed long value.

U8

channel,

U32

parameter,

Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters

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• handle: Board handle
• channel: The channel to control. See ALAZAR_CHANNELS for a list of possible
values. This parameter only takes unsigned 8-bit values.
• parameter: The Parameter to modify. This can be one of ALAZAR_PARAMETERS.
• value: Parameter value

6.87 AlazarSetParameterLL
6.87.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetParameterLL(HANDLE handle,
S64 value)
Set a device parameter as a long long value.

U8 channel,

U32 parameter,

Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• channel: The channel to control. See ALAZAR_CHANNELS for a list of possible
values. This parameter only takes unsigned 8-bit values.
• parameter: The Parameter to modify. This can be one of ALAZAR_PARAMETERS.
• value: Parameter value

6.88 AlazarSetParameterUL
6.88.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetParameterUL(HANDLE handle,
U32 value)
Set a device parameter as an unsigned long value.

U8 channel,

U32 parameter,

Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• channel: The channel to control. See ALAZAR_CHANNELS for a list of possible
values. This parameter only takes unsigned 8-bit values.
• parameter: The Parameter to modify. This can be one of ALAZAR_PARAMETERS.

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• value: Parameter value. See ALAZAR_PARAMETERS for details about valid values

6.88.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.89 AlazarSetRecordCount
6.89.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetRecordCount(HANDLE handle, U32 Count)
Select the number of records to capture to on-board memory.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Remark The maximum number of records per capture is a function of the board type, the
maximum number of samples per channel (SPC), and the current number of samples
per record (SPR) :
• ATS850, ATS310, ATS330 : min(SPC / (SPR + 16), 10000)
• ATS460, ATS660, ATS9462 : min(SPC / (SPR + 16), 256000)
• ATS860, ATS9325, ATS935X : min(SPC / (SPR + 32), 256000)
• ATS9850, ATS9870 : min(SPC / (SPR + 64), 256000)
Note This function is part of the single-port API, and cannot be used in a dual-port context.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• Count: The number of records to acquire to on-board memory during the acquisition.

6.89.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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6.90 AlazarSetRecordSize
6.90.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetRecordSize(HANDLE handle, U32 preTriggerSamples, U32 postTriggerSamples)
Set the number of pre-trigger and post-trigger samples per record.
Remark The number of pre-trigger samples must not exceed the number of samples per
record minus 64.
Remark The number of samples per record is the sum of the pre- and post-trigger samples.
It must follow requirements specific to each board listed in the board-specific documentation.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• preTriggerSamples: Number of samples before the trigger position in each record.
• postTriggerSamples: Number of samples after the trigger position in each record.

6.90.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.91 AlazarSetTriggerDelay
6.91.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetTriggerDelay(HANDLE handle, U32 Delay)
Set the time, in sample clocks, to wait after receiving a trigger event before capturing a record
for the trigger.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

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• Delay: Trigger delay in sample clocks. Must be a value between 0 and 9 999 999.
It must also be a multiple of a certain value that varies from one board to another.
See board-specific information to know which multiplier must be respected.

6.91.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.92 AlazarSetTriggerOperation
6.92.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetTriggerOperation(HANDLE handle,
U32 TriggerOperation,
U32 TriggerEngine1, U32 Source1, U32 Slope1,
U32 Level1, U32 TriggerEngine2, U32 Source2,
U32 Slope2, U32 Level2)
Configures the trigger system.
Remark The trigger level is specified as an unsigned 8-bit code that represents a fraction of
the full scale input voltage of the trigger source: 0 represents the negative limit, 128
represents the 0 level, and 255 represents the positive limit. For example, if the trigger
source is CH A, and the CH A input range is ± 800 mV, then 0 represents a –800 mV
trigger level, 128 represents a 0 V trigger level, and 255 represents +800 mV trigger
level.
Remark If the trigger source is external, the full scale input voltage for the external trigger
connector is dictated by the AlazarSetExternalTrigger() function.
Remark All PCI Express boards except ATS9462 support only one external trigger level. If
both Source1 and Source2 are set to TRIG_EXTERNAL of ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SOURCES,
Level1 is ignored and only Level2 is used. All other boards support using different
values for the two levels.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• TriggerOperation: Specify how the two independant trigger engines generate a
trigger. This can be one of ALAZAR_TRIGGER_OPERATIONS
• TriggerEngine1:
First trigger engine to configure.
ALAZAR_TRIGGER_ENGINES.

Can be one of

• Source1:
Signal source for the first trigger engine.
ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SOURCES.

Can be one of

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• Slope1: Sign Direction of the trigger voltage slope that will generate a trigger event
for the first engine. Can be one of ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SLOPES.
• Level1: Select the voltage level that the trigger signal must cross to generate a
trigger event.
• TriggerEngine2:
Second trigger engine to configure.
ALAZAR_TRIGGER_ENGINES.

Can be one of

• Source2: Signal source for the second trigger engine.
ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SOURCES.

Can be one of

• Slope2: Sign Direction of the trigger voltage slope that will generate a trigger event
for the second engine. Can be one of ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SLOPES.
• Level2: Select the voltage level that the trigger signal must cross to generate a
trigger event.

6.92.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.92.3 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_TRIGGER_OPERATIONS
Trigger operation identifiers.
Values:
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J = 0x00000000UL
The board triggers when a trigger event is detected by trigger engine J. Events detected
by engine K are ignored.
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_K = 0x00000001UL
The board triggers when a trigger event is detected by trigger engine K. Events detected
by engine J are ignored.
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J_OR_K = 0x00000002UL
The board triggers when a trigger event is detected by any of the J and K trigger engines.
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J_AND_K = 0x00000003UL
This value is deprecated. It cannot be used.

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TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J_XOR_K = 0x00000004UL
This value is deprecated. It cannot be used.
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J_AND_NOT_K = 0x00000005UL
This value is deprecated. It cannot be used.
TRIG_ENGINE_OP_NOT_J_AND_K = 0x00000006UL
This value is deprecated. It cannot be used.
enum ALAZAR_TRIGGER_ENGINES
Trigger engine identifiers.
Values:
TRIG_ENGINE_J = 0x00000000UL
The J trigger engine.
TRIG_ENGINE_K = 0x00000001UL
The K trigger engine.
enum ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SOURCES
Trigger sources.
Values:
TRIG_CHAN_A = 0x00000000UL
Channel A.
TRIG_CHAN_B = 0x00000001UL
Channel B.
TRIG_EXTERNAL = 0x00000002UL
External trigger source.
TRIG_DISABLE = 0x00000003UL
Disabled trigger.
TRIG_CHAN_C = 0x00000004UL
Channel C.
TRIG_CHAN_D = 0x00000005UL
Channel D.
TRIG_CHAN_E = 0x00000006UL
Channel E.
TRIG_CHAN_F = 0x00000007UL
Channel F.
TRIG_CHAN_G = 0x00000008UL
Channel G.
TRIG_CHAN_H = 0x00000009UL
Channel H.
TRIG_CHAN_I = 0x0000000AUL
Channel I.

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TRIG_CHAN_J = 0x0000000BUL
Channel J.
TRIG_CHAN_K = 0x0000000CUL
Channel K.
TRIG_CHAN_L = 0x0000000DUL
Channel L.
TRIG_CHAN_M = 0x0000000EUL
Channel M.
TRIG_CHAN_N = 0x0000000FUL
Channel N.
TRIG_CHAN_O = 0x00000010UL
Channel O.
TRIG_CHAN_P = 0x00000011UL
Channel P.
TRIG_PXI_STAR = 0x00000100UL
PXI Star channel.
enum ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SLOPES
Trigger slope identifiers.
These identifiers selects whether rising or falling edges of the trigger source signal are detected as trigger events.
Values:
TRIGGER_SLOPE_POSITIVE = 0x00000001UL
The trigger engine detects a trigger event when sample values from the trigger source
rise above a specified level.
TRIGGER_SLOPE_NEGATIVE = 0x00000002UL
The trigger engine detects a trigger event when sample values from the trigger source
fall below a specified level.

6.93 AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning
6.93.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning(HANDLE handle, U32 slopeId,
U32 level, U32 options)
Configure the trigger engines of a board to use an external trigger input and, optionally,
synchronize the start of an acquisition with the next external trigger event after AlazarStartCapture() is called.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.

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Remark AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning() is intended for scanning applications that
supply both external clock and external trigger signals to the digitizer, where the external
clock is not suitable to drive the digitizer in between trigger events.
Remark This function configures a board to use trigger operation TRIG_ENGINE_OP_J,
and the source of TRIG_ENGINE_J to be TRIG_EXTERNAL. The application must call
AlazarSetExternalTrigger() to set the full-scale external input range and coupling of the
external trigger signal connected to the TRIG IN connector. An application should call
AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning() or AlazarSetTriggerOperation(), but not both.
Remark The trigger level is specified as an unsigned 8-bit code that represents a fraction of
the full scale input voltage of the external trigger range: 0 represents the negative limit,
128 represents the 0 level, and 255 represents the positive limit.
Remark AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning() in currently only supported on ATS9462
with FPGA 35.0 or later.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle
• slopeId: Select the direction of the rate of change of the external trigger signal
when it crosses the trigger voltage level that is required to generate a trigger event.
Must be an element of ALAZAR_TRIGGER_SLOPES.
• level: Specify a trigger level code representing the trigger level in volts that an
external trigger signal connected must pass through to generate a trigger event. See
the Remarks section below.
• options: The options parameter may be one of ALAZAR_STOS_OPTIONS

6.93.2 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_STOS_OPTIONS
Options for AlazarSetExternalTriggerOperationForScanning()
Values:
STOS_OPTION_DEFER_START_CAPTURE = 1

6.94 AlazarSetTriggerTimeOut
6.94.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSetTriggerTimeOut(HANDLE handle, U32 timeout_ticks)
Set the time to wait for a trigger event before automatically generating a trigger event.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
Parameters

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• handle: Board handle
• timeout_ticks: The trigger timeout value in ticks. A tick is 10𝜇s.

6.94.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.95 AlazarSleepDevice
6.95.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarSleepDevice(HANDLE handle, U32 sleepState)
Control power to ADC devices.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• sleepState: Specifies the power state of the ADC converters. This paramter can be
one of ALAZAR_POWER_STATES.

6.95.2 Related Enumerations
enum ALAZAR_POWER_STATES
Power states.
Values:
POWER_OFF = 0x00000000UL
OFF.
POWER_ON = 0x00000001UL
ON.

6.96 AlazarStartCapture
6.96.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarStartCapture(HANDLE handle)
Arm a board to start an acquisition.
Return ApiSuccess upon success, or an error code. See RETURN_CODE for more detailed
information.
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Remark Only call on the master board in a master-slave system.

6.96.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.97 AlazarTriggered
6.97.1 Function Syntax
U32 AlazarTriggered(HANDLE handle)
Determine if a board has triggered during the current acquisition.
Return If the board has received at least one trigger event since the last call to AlazarStartCapture(), this function returns 1. Otherwise, it returns 0.
Note This function is part of the single-port data acquisition API. It cannot be used with the
dual-port AutoDMA APIs.
Parameters
• handle: Board handle

6.97.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

6.98 AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete
6.98.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete(HANDLE handle, void * buffer, U32 timeout_ms)
This function returns when a board has received sufficient triggers to fill the specified buffer,
or when the timeout internal elapses.
Each call to AlazarPostAsyncBuffer() adds a buffer to the end of a list fo buffers to be filled by
the board. AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete() expects to wait on the buffer at the head of this
list. As a result, you must wait for buffers in the same order than they were posted.
Return If the board receives sufficien ttrigger events to fill this buffer before the timeout
interval elapses, the function returns ApiSuccess.

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Return If the timeout interval elapses before the board receives sufficient trigger events to
fill the buffer, the function returns ApiWaitTimeout.
Return If the board overflows its on-board memory, the function returns ApiBufferOverflow.
This happens if the rate at which data is acquired is fater than the rate at which data is
being transferred from on-board memory to host memory across the host bus interface.
Return If this buffer was not found in the list of buffers available to be filled by the board,
the function returns ApiBufferNotReady.
Return If this buffer is not the buffer at the head of the list of buffers to be filled by the board,
this returns ApiDmaInProgress.
Return If the function fails for some other reason, it returns an error code that indicates the
reason that it failed. See RETURN_CODE for more information.
Remark You must call AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() and AlazarPostAsyncBuffer() before calling
AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete().
Warning You must call AlazarAbortAsyncRead() before your application exits if your have
called AlazarPostAsyncBuffer() and buffers are pending.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• buffer: Pointer to a buffer to receive sample data form the digitizer board
• timeout_ms: The time to wait for the buffer to be filled, in milliseconds.
When AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete() returns ApiSuccess, the buffer is removed from the
list of buffers to be filled by the board.
The arrangement of sample data in each buffer depends on the AutoDMA mode specified in
the call to AlazarBeforeAsyncRead().

6.99 AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete
6.99.1 Function Syntax
RETURN_CODE AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete(HANDLE handle, void * buffer,
U32 bytesToCopy, U32 timeout_ms)
This function returns when the board has received sufficient trigger events to fill the buffer,
or the timeout interval has elapsed.
To use this function, AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() must be called with ADMA_ALLOC_BUFFERS.
You must call AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() with the ADMA_GET_PROCESSED_DATA flag before
calling AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete().
Return If the board receives sufficient trigger events to fill the next available buffer before
the timeout interval elapses, and the buffer is not the last buffer in the acquisition, the
function returns ApiSuccess.

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Return If the board receives sufficient trigger events to fill the next available buffer before the
timeout interval elapses, and the buffer is the last buffer in the acquisition, the function
returns ApiTransferComplete.
Return If the timeout interval elapses before the board receives sufficient trigger events to
fill the next available buffer, the function returns ApiWaitTimeout.
Return If the board overflows its on-board memory, the function returns ApiBufferOverflow.
The board may overflow its on-board memory because the rate at which it is acquiring
data is faster than the rate at which the data is being transferred from on-board memory
to host memory across the host bus interface (PCI or PCIe). If this is the case, try reducing the sample rate, number of enabled channels, or amount of time spent processing
each buffer.
Return If the function fails for some other reason, it returns an error code that indicates the
reason that it failed.
Parameters
• handle: Handle to board
• buffer: Pointer to a buffer to receive sample data from the digitizer board.
• bytesToCopy: The number of bytes to copy into the buffer
• timeout_ms: The time to wait for the buffer to buffer to be filled, in milliseconds.
To discard buffers, set the bytesToCopy parameter to zero. This will cause AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete() to wait for a buffer to complete, but not copy any data into the application buffer.
To enable disk streaming using high-performance disk I/O functions, call AlazarCreateStreamFile() before calling AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete(). For best performance, set
the bytesToCopy parameter to zero so that data is streamed to disk without making any intermediate copies in memory.
If AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() is called with the ADMA_GET_PROCESSED_DATA flag, AlazarWaitNextAsyncBuferComplete() will process buffers so that the data always appears in NPT format: R1A, R2A, . . . RnA, R1B, R2B, . . . RnB. This may simply you application, but it comes
at the expense of added processing time for each buffer. If AlazarBeforeAsyncRead() is not
called with the called with the ADMA_GET_PROCESSED_DATA flag set, then arrangement of
sample data in a buffer depends on the AutoDMA mode.

6.99.2 LabVIEW Block Diagram

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SEVEN

BOARD-SPECIFIC INFORMATION

7.1 Supported impedances and input ranges
ATS310/50Ω, ATS330/50Ω, ATS9120/50Ω, ATS9130/50Ω ±40mV, ±50mV, ±80mV, ±100mV,
±200mV, ±400mV, ±500mV, ±800mV, ±1V, ±2V, ±4V
ATS310/1MΩ, ATS330/1MΩ ±40mV, ±50mV, ±80mV, ±100mV, ±200mV, ±400mV, ±500mV,
±800mV, ±1V, ±2V, ±4V, ±5V, ±8V, ±10V
ATS460/50Ω ±20mV, ±40mV, ±50mV, ±80mV, ±100mV, ±200mV, ±400mV, ±500mV, ±800mV,
±1V, ±2V, ±4V
ATS460/1MΩ ±20mV, ±40mV, ±50mV, ±80mV, ±100mV, ±200mV, ±400mV, ±500mV,
±800mV, ±1V, ±2V, ±4V, ±5V, ±8V, ±10V
ATS660/50Ω, ATS9462/50Ω ±200mV, ±400mV, ±800mV, ±2V, ±4V
ATS660/1MΩ, ATS9462/1MΩ ±200mV, ±400mV, ±800mV, ±2V, ±4V, ±8V, ±16V
ATS850/50Ω ±40mV, ±50mV, ±80mV, ±100mV, ±200mV, ±400mV, ±500mV, ±800mV, ±1V,
±2V, ±4V
ATS850/1MΩ ±20mV, ±40mV, ±50mV, ±80mV, ±100mV, ±200mV, ±400mV, ±500mV,
±800mV, ±1V, ±2V, ±4V, ±5V, ±8V, ±10V
ATS860/50Ω ±20mV, ±40mV, ±50mV, ±80mV, ±100mV, ±200mV, ±400mV, ±500mV, ±800mV,
±1V, ±2V, ±4V
ATS860/1MΩ ±20mV, ±40mV, ±50mV, ±80mV, ±100mV, ±200mV, ±400mV, ±500mV,
±800mV, ±1V, ±2V, ±4V, ±5V, ±8V, ±10V
ATS9325/50Ω, ATS9350/50Ω, ATS9850/50Ω, ATS9870/50Ω, AXI9870/50Ω ±40mV, ±100mV,
±200mV, ±400mV, ±1V, ±2V, ±4V
ATS9351/50Ω, ATS9360/50Ω, ATS9370/50Ω, ATS9371/50Ω, ATS9373/50Ω ±400mV
ATS9625/50Ω, ATS9626/50Ω ±1.25V
ATS9440/50Ω ±100mV, ±200mV, ±400mV, ±1V, ±2V, ±4V
ATS9416/50Ω ±1V

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7.2 Samples per record requirements
It is required for the value of samples per record to be above or equal to a given minimum and to
be a multiple of a certain value. These two requirements differ from board to board. The following
table lists the limits for all boards.
In addition, the number of pre-trigger samples for each board must be a multiple of a given value.
Board type
ATS310, ATS330
ATS460, ATS660
ATS850
ATS860
ATS9350, ATS9351
ATS9120, ATS9130
ATS9360, ATS9370
ATS9371, ATS9373
ATS9416
ATS9440, ATS9462
ATS9625, ATS9626
ATS9870, AXI9870

Min. record size
256
128
256
256
256
256
256
256
256
256
256
256

Pretrig. alignment
4
16
4
32
32
32
128
128
128
32
32
64

Resolution
16
16
16
32
32
32
128
128
128
32
32
64

7.3 Samples per timestamp and trigger delay alignment
Numbers in this table correspond to:
• The ratio between timestamp units and sample clocks in traditional record headers.
• The trigger delay value alignment requirement

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Board
ATS310
ATS330
ATS460
ATS660
ATS850
ATS860
ATS9120
ATS9130
ATS9350
ATS9351
ATS9360
ATS9370
ATS9371
ATS9373
ATS9416
ATS9440
ATS9462
ATS9625
ATS9626
ATS9870
AXI9870

Active Channels
1 ch. 2 ch. 4 ch.
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
4
2
1
8
4
8
4
8
4
8
4
16
8
16
8
16
8
16
8
16
8
4
4
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
16
8
16
8

8 ch.

16 ch.

2

1

7.4 Aux I/O output Synchronization
When used as an output, the AUX I/O works on a clock that is generally slower than the sample
clock. The ratio between the AUX I/O clock and the sample clock depends on the board and on
the number of active channels. For all boards except ATS9360, ATS9371, ATS9373 and ATS9416,
the ratio is the same as that specified in Samples per timestamp and trigger delay alignment. For
ATS9360, ATS9371, ATS9373 and ATS9416, the AUX I/O is driven by a free running clock of a
frequency of 260 MHz. Please note that the frequency of this clock may change from one board to
another and from one firmware version to another.

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7.5 Possible input channel configurations

Channels
A
B
A+B
C
A+C
B+C
D
A+D
B+D
C+D
A +..+ D
E
F
G
H
A +..+ H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
A +..+ P

Channels per board
2
4
16
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

7.6 Supported sample rates
ATS310, ATS9120 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s, 2MS/s, 5MS/s,
10MS/s, 20MS/s
ATS330, ATS9130 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s, 2MS/s, 5MS/s,
10MS/s, 25MS/s, 50MS/s
ATS460, ATS660 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s,
1MS/s, 2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 125MS/s
ATS850 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s, 2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s,
25MS/s, 50MS/s
ATS860 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s, 2MS/s,
5MS/s, 10MS/s, 25MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 125MS/s, 250MS/s

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ATS9350, ATS9351 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s,
1MS/s, 2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 125MS/s, 250MS/s, 500MS/s
ATS9360 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s,
2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 200MS/s, 500MS/s, 800MS/s,
1000MS/s, 1200MS/s, 1500MS/s, 1800MS/s
ATS9373 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s,
2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 200MS/s, 500MS/s, 800MS/s,
1000MS/s
ATS9373 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s,
2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 200MS/s, 500MS/s, 800MS/s,
1000MS/s, 1200MS/s, 1500MS/s, 2000MS/s, 2400MS/s, 3000MS/s, 3600MS/s, 4000MS/s
ATS9416 1MS/s, 2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s
ATS9440 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s,
2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 125MS/s
ATS9462 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s, 1MS/s,
2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 125MS/s, 160MS/s, 180MS/s
ATS9625, ATS9626 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s,
1MS/s, 2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 125MS/s, 250MS/s
ATS9870, AXI9870 1kS/s, 2kS/s, 5kS/s, 10kS/s, 20kS/s, 50kS/s, 100kS/s, 200kS/s, 500kS/s,
1MS/s, 2MS/s, 5MS/s, 10MS/s, 20MS/s, 50MS/s, 100MS/s, 250MS/s, 500MS/s, 1000MS/s

7.7 Miscellaneous features support
Bandwidth limit ATS460, ATS660, ATS9462, ATS9870
AC input coupling
ATS310, ATS330, ATS460, ATS660, ATS850, ATS860, ATS9350, ATs9440, ATS9462,
ATS9870, AXI9870, ATS9120, ATS9130
DC input coupling All boards except ATS9625
8-bit data packing ATS9360, ATS9371, ATS9373, ATS9440
12-bit data packing ATS9360, ATS9371, ATS9373
Configure LSB ATS9440, ATS9416

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7.8 External trigger level support
Board
ATS310
ATS330
ATS460
ATS660
ATS850
ATS860
ATS9350
ATS9351
ATS9360
ATS9371
ATS9373
ATS9416
ATS9440
ATS9462
ATS9625
ATS9626
ATS9870
AXI9870
ATS9120
ATS9130

1V
X
X
X
X
X
X

2.5 V

5V
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X

TTL

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X

7.9 Supported clock types
INTERNAL_CLOCK
ATS310, ATS330, ATS460, ATS660, ATS850, ATS860, ATS9350, ATS9351, ATS9360,
ATS9371, ATS9373, ATS9416, ATS9440, ATS9462, ATS9625, ATS9626, ATS9870,
AXI9870, ATS9120, ATS9130
FAST_EXTERNAL_CLOCK ATS310, ATS330, ATS460, ATS850, ATS860, ATS9360, ATS9371, ATS9373,
ATS9416, ATS9440
MEDIUM_EXTERNAL_CLOCK ATS460
SLOW_EXTERNAL_CLOCK ATS460, ATS660, ATS860, ATS9350, ATS9351, ATS9440, ATS9462,
ATS9870, AXI9870
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_AC ATS660, ATS9350, ATS9351, ATS9462, ATS9625, ATS9626, ATS9870,
AXI9870
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_DC ATS660, ATS9462
EXTERNAL_CLOCK_10_MHZ_REF

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ATS660, ATS9350, ATS9351, ATS9360, ATS9371, ATS9373, ATS9416, ATS9440,
ATS9462, ATS9625, ATS9626, ATS9870, AXI9870

7.10 Frequency limits for external clock types
Values are in MHz unles noted otherwise

ATS310
ATS330
ATS460
ATS660
ATS850
ATS860
ATS9350
ATS9351
ATS9360
ATS9371
ATS9373
ATS9416
ATS9440
ATS9462
ATS9625
ATS9626
ATS9870
AXI9870
ATS9120
ATS9130

Fast
low
0
0
80

20

1

0
0

high
20
50
125

Medium
low high

Slow
low high

AC
low

high

DC
low

high

10

0
0

10
10

1k

125

1k

125

0
0
0

250
20
20

1
1
300
300
300
5

500
500
1800
1000
2000
100

0
0

20
10

180

60
60

180
250
250
1000
1000

1

0
0

1
50
50
200
200

80

250

125

20
50

7.11 Valid frequencies in PLL mode
ATS660
ATS9350 / ATS9351
ATS9360
ATS9371
ATS9373 in non-DES mode
ATS9373 in DES mode
ATS9416
ATS9440
ATS9462
ATS9625 / ATS9626
ATS9870 / AXI9870

©2018 Alazar Technologies Inc.

100-130 MHz in 1 MHZ steps
500 MHz
300-1800 MHz in 1 MHz steps
300-1000 MHz in 1 MHz steps
300-2000 MHz in 1 MHz steps
500-2000 MHz in 1 MHz steps
5-100 MHz in 1 MHz steps
125 MHz or 100 MHz
150-180 MHz in 1 MHz steps
250 MHz
1 GHz

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INDEX

A
AlazarAbortAsyncRead (C function), 75
AlazarAbortCapture (C function), 76
AlazarAllocBufferU16 (C function), 77
AlazarAllocBufferU16Ex (C function), 77
AlazarAllocBufferU8 (C function), 77
AlazarAllocBufferU8Ex (C function), 78
AlazarAsyncRead (C function), 78
AlazarBeforeAsyncRead (C function), 79
AlazarBoardsFound (C function), 85
AlazarBoardsInSystemByHandle (C function),
86
AlazarBoardsInSystemBySystemID (C function),
86
AlazarBusy (C function), 87
AlazarConfigureAuxIO (C function), 87
AlazarConfigureLSB (C function), 89
AlazarConfigureRecordAverage (C function), 90
AlazarConfigureSampleSkipping (C function),
92
AlazarCoprocessorDownloadA (C function), 93
AlazarCoprocessorDownloadW (C function), 94
AlazarCoprocessorRegisterRead (C function), 94
AlazarCoprocessorRegisterWrite (C function),
95
AlazarCreateStreamFileA (C function), 96
AlazarCreateStreamFileW (C function), 96
AlazarDSPAbortCapture (C function), 97
AlazarDSPGenerateWindowFunction (C function), 97
AlazarDSPGetBuffer (C function), 99
AlazarDSPGetInfo (C function), 99
AlazarDSPGetModules (C function), 101
AlazarDSPGetNextBuffer (C function), 102
AlazarDSPGetParameterFloat (C function), 102
AlazarDSPGetParameterS32 (C function), 104
AlazarDSPGetParameterU32 (C function), 105

AlazarDSPSetParameterFloat (C function), 105
AlazarDSPSetParameterS32 (C function), 106
AlazarDSPSetParameterU32 (C function), 106
AlazarErrorToText (C function), 107
AlazarExtractFFTNPTFooters (C function), 112
AlazarExtractNPTFooters (C function), 113
AlazarExtractTimeDomainNPTFooters (C function), 114
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionGetRecordS16
(C function), 114
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetEnabled (C
function), 115
AlazarFFTBackgroundSubtractionSetRecordS16
(C function), 115
AlazarFFTGetMaxTriggerRepeatRate (C function), 116
AlazarFFTSetScalingAndSlicing (C function),
116
AlazarFFTSetup (C function), 118
AlazarFFTSetWindowFunction (C function), 118
AlazarForceTrigger (C function), 121
AlazarForceTriggerEnable (C function), 121
AlazarFreeBufferU16 (C function), 122
AlazarFreeBufferU16Ex (C function), 122
AlazarFreeBufferU8 (C function), 122
AlazarFreeBufferU8Ex (C function), 123
AlazarGetBoardBySystemHandle (C function),
123
AlazarGetBoardBySystemID (C function), 124
AlazarGetBoardKind (C function), 124
AlazarGetBoardRevision (C function), 126
AlazarGetChannelInfo (C function), 127
AlazarGetChannelInfoEx (C function), 128
AlazarGetCPLDVersion (C function), 127
AlazarGetDriverVersion (C function), 128
AlazarGetMaxRecordsCapable (C function), 129
AlazarGetParameter (C function), 130
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ATS-SDK Documentation, Release 7.2.3

AlazarGetParameterLL (C function), 132
AlazarGetParameterUL (C function), 133
AlazarGetSDKVersion (C function), 134
AlazarGetStatus (C function), 135
AlazarGetSystemHandle (C function), 135
AlazarGetTriggerAddress (C function), 136
AlazarGetTriggerTimestamp (C function), 137
AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemHandle
(C
function), 137
AlazarGetWhoTriggeredBySystemID (C function), 138
AlazarHyperDisp (C function), 139
AlazarInputControl (C function), 140
AlazarInputControlEx (C function), 146
AlazarNumOfSystems (C function), 146
AlazarOCTIgnoreBadClock (C function), 147
AlazarPostAsyncBuffer (C function), 148
AlazarQueryCapability (C function), 149
AlazarQueryCapabilityLL (C function), 152
AlazarRead (C function), 152
AlazarReadEx (C function), 153
AlazarResetTimeStamp (C function), 154
AlazarSetADCBackgroundCompensation
(C
function), 154
AlazarSetBWLimit (C function), 155
AlazarSetCaptureClock (C function), 155
AlazarSetExternalClockLevel (C function), 159
AlazarSetExternalTrigger (C function), 160
AlazarSetLED (C function), 161
AlazarSetParameter (C function), 161
AlazarSetParameterLL (C function), 162
AlazarSetParameterUL (C function), 162
AlazarSetRecordCount (C function), 163
AlazarSetRecordSize (C function), 164
AlazarSetTriggerDelay (C function), 164
AlazarSetTriggerOperation (C function), 165
AlazarSetTriggerOperationForScanning (C function), 168
AlazarSetTriggerTimeOut (C function), 169
AlazarSleepDevice (C function), 170
AlazarStartCapture (C function), 170
AlazarTriggered (C function), 171
AlazarWaitAsyncBufferComplete (C function),
171
AlazarWaitNextAsyncBufferComplete (C function), 172

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