Product:
M4x.6631-x4
16 bit Arbitrary Waveform Generator
Description:
The M4x.66xx-x4 series arbitrary waveform generators (AWG) deliver the highest performance in both speed and resolution. The series includes PXI Express (PXIe) cards with either one, two or four synchronous channels. The large onboard memory can be segmented to replay different waveform sequences. The AWG features a PCI Express x4 Gen 2 interface that offers outstanding data streaming performance. The interface and Spectrum’s optimized drivers enable data transfer rates in excess of 2.8 GB/s so that signals can continuously replayed at a high output rate. While the cards have been designed using the latest technology they are still software compatible with the drivers from earlier Spectrum waveform generators. So, existing customers can use the same software they developed for a 10 year old 20 MS/s AWG card and for an M4x series 625 MS/s AWG.
Facts & Features:
- Up to 1.25 GS/s on 2 channels
- Fast 16 bit arbitrary waveform generator
- Simultaneous signal generation on all channels
- Output level ±160 mV to ±5 V (625 MS/s) or ±4 V (1.25 GS/s) into High Impedance
- Output level ±80 mV to ±2.5 V (625 MS/s) or ±2.0 V (1.25 GS/s) into 50 Ohm
- Fixed trigger to output delay
- Multi-carrier DDS option available
- Single-Shot, Loop, Gated, Sequence Mode
- Marker Output, Digital Outputs
- PXIe x4 Gen 2 Interface
- Sustained streaming mode more than 1.7 GB/s
- Works with all PXIe and PXI hybrid slots
- PXIe 3U format, 2 slots wide
Product-Video:
Application examples:
- Telecommunications
- Research and Development
- Stimulus-Response Tests
- Semiconductor Tests
FIFO mode
The FIFO mode is designed for continuous data transfer between measurement board and PC memory or hard disk. The write(replay) transfer rate reached depends on the motherboard and can be up to 1.4 GByte/s on a PXI Express x4 Gen2 slot. The control of the data stream is done automatically by the driver on interrupt request. The complete installed on-board memory is used for buffer data, making the continuous streaming extremely reliable.Repeated Output
When repeated output is used the data of the on-board memory is replayed continuously until a stop command is executed or N times. As trigger source one can use the external TTL trigger or the software trigger.
Sequence Replay Mode
The sequence mode allows to split the card memory into several data segments of different length. These data segments are chained up in a user chosen order using an additional sequence step memory with the ability to program loops and triggers and to reload data while output is running.
Single Restart
When this mode is activated the data of the on-board memory will be replayed once after each trigger event. As Trigger source one can use the external TTL or software trigger.
Singleshot Output
When singleshot output is activated the data of the on-board memory is replayed exactly one time. As trigger source one can use the external TTL trigger or the software trigger.The multi-carrier DDS option allows to program and combine multiple DDS cores in hardware allowing to generate multi-tone sine signals with a few DDS commands. DDS commands allow manipulation of frequency, amplitude and phase as well as advanced functions liek frequencya or amplitude slopes, all with single DDS commands.
Digital Pulse Generator Option (Optional)
The digital pulse generator option adds three internal independent pulse generators with programmable duty cycle, output frequency, delay and number of loops. These pulse generators can be triggered by software, hardware trigger or can trigger each other allowing to form complex pulse schemes to drive external equipment or experiments. The pulse generators can be outputted on the existing multi-XIO lines or can be used to trigger the instrument internally. Time resolution of the pulse generator depends on the cards type and the selected sampling rate and can be found in the technical data section.
External Trigger
All boards can be triggered using a separate external trigger signal with a two level programmable window comparator and a second separate external trigger with a single programmable level comparator. It's possible to use positive or negative edge. An internally recognized trigger event can - when activated by software - be routed to a multi purpose i/o connector to start external instruments.
Gated Replay
The Gated Sampling option allows data replay controlled by an external gate signal. Data is only replayed if the gate signal has a programmed level.
Multiple Replay
The Multiple Replay option allows the fast repetition output on several trigger events without restarting the hardware. With this option very fast repetition rates can be achieved. The on-board memory is divided in several segments of same size. Each of them is generated if a trigger event occurs.
External Clock
Using a dedicated connector a sampling clock can be fed in from an external system. It's also possible to output the internally used sampling clock to synchronize external equipment to this clock.
High Precision PLL
The internal sampling clock of the card is generated using a high precision PLL. This powerful device allows to select the sampling rate with a fine step size making it possible to perfectly adopt to different measurement tasks. Most other cards on the market only allow the setup of fixed sampling rates like 100 MS/s, 50 MS/s, 25 MS/s, 10 MS/s, ... without any possibility to set the sampling rate to any value in between.
PXI Reference Clock
The card is able to use the 10 MHz reference clock that is supplied by the PXI system. Enabled by software the PXI reference clock is feeded in the on-board PLL. This feature allows the cards to run with a fixed phase relation.
Reference Clock
The option to use a precise external reference clock (normally 10 MHz) is necessary to synchronize the board for high-quality measurements with external equipment (like a signal source). It's also possible to enhance the quality of the sampling clock in this way. The driver automatically generates the requested sampling clock from the fed in reference clock.Digital Outputs/Marker Outputs
Additional synchronous digital channels (markers) can be replayed phase-stable with the analog data. When this mode is active up to 3 additional digital marker outputs can be used by reducing the analog resolution of the D/A converter.
Programmable Amplitude
The Spectrum Arbitrary Waveform Generators are equipped with a very wide programmable output amplitude. This allows to adapt the output signal level to the needs of the stimulated device while also having the maximum output resolution available for the signal.
High Bandwidth Option (Optional)
This option is available for all 663x products with 1.25 GS/s. One option is needed per card/internal AWG of a generatorNETBOX. The bandwidth is extended from 400 MHz to 600 MHz. The maximum output level is reduced to ±480 mV. An external reconstruction filter is needed to remove mirror signals that result from higher Nyquist images.
This standard driver is included in the card delivery and it is possible to get the newest driver version free of charge from our homepage at any time. There are no additional SDK fees for the classical text-based programming. All boards are delivered with drivers for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Windows 11, all 32 bit and 64 bit.
| Product | Channels | Max. Samplerate | Max. Bandwidth |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4x.6620-x4 | 1 | 625 MS/s | 200 MHz |
| M4x.6621-x4 | 2 | 625 MS/s | 200 MHz |
| M4x.6622-x4 | 4 | 625 MS/s | 200 MHz |
| M4x.6630-x4 | 1 | 1.25 GS/s | 400 MHz |
| On different platforms | Bus | Max. Bus Transfer speed |
|---|---|---|
| DN2.663-02 | Ethernet | 70 MByte/s |
| DN2.663-04 | Ethernet | 70 MByte/s |
| DN6.663-06 | Ethernet | 70 MByte/s |
| DN6.663-08 | Ethernet | 70 MByte/s |
| DN6.663-10 | Ethernet | 70 MByte/s |
| DN6.663-12 | Ethernet | 70 MByte/s |
| M4i.6631-x8 | PCI Express x8 | 3000 MByte/s |
Documents
 AN Introduction to PXIe and PXI |
Application Note: Intoduction to PXIe and PXI |
21.02.2022 | 656 K | |
| Legacy Windows Driver Installation |
Windows driver installation of driver versions < 4.0 |
21.02.2022 | 1 M | |
| M4x.66xx Datasheet |
Data sheet of the M4x.66xx AWG series |
23.09.2024 | 656 K | |
| M4x.96xx Datasheet |
Data sheet of the M4x.96xx AWG series |
23.09.2024 | 677 K | |
| M4i.66xx / M4i.96xx Manual |
Manual of M4i/M4x.66xx, M4i/M4x.96xx family |
05.12.2024 | 11 M | |
| IVI Driver Manual |
Short Manual for IVI Driver |
21.02.2022 | 532 K | |
| M4i LabVIEW Manual |
Manual for LabVIEW drivers for M4i / M4x |
08.12.2023 | 6 M | |
| MATLAB Manual |
Manual for MATLAB driver M2p/M4i/M4x/M5i/M2i/M3i/DN2/DN6 |
13.12.2023 | 1 M | |
| SCAPP Manual |
SCAPP Manual |
08.12.2023 | 618 K |
WINDOWS DRIVER + SOFTWARE
 Driver Win7/8/10/11 |
M2p/M4i/M4x/M5i/M2i/M3i/DN2/DN6 driver for Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 (32/64 bit) |
7.04 | 25.10.2024 | 5 M |
 Win32 Driver WinXP/Vista |
M2i/M3i/M4i/M4x driver - last Version for Windows 32 XP / Vista |
3.30 | 21.02.2022 | 2 M |
| Win64 Driver WinXP/Vista |
M2i/M3i/M4i/M4x driver - last Version for Windows 64 XP / Vista |
3.20 | 21.02.2022 | 3 M |
| c_header |
C/C++ driver header and library files |
7.04 | 25.10.2024 | 44 K |
 IVI FGen |
IVI Driver for IVI FGen class (32 bit) |
25.10.2024 | 3 M | |
| Control Center (32-bit) |
Spectrum Control Center (32-bit) / Windows 7, 8, 10 |
2.38 | 25.10.2024 | 24 M |
| Control Center (64-bit) |
Spectrum Control Center (64-bit) / Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 |
2.38 | 25.10.2024 | 36 M |
| Control Center WinXP |
Spectrum Control Center - last Version for Windows XP |
1.74 | 21.02.2022 | 8 M |
| SBench6 (32-bit) |
SBench 6 (32-bit) Installer / Windows 7, 8, 10 |
6.5.09 | 25.10.2024 | 36 M |
| SBench6 (64-bit) |
SBench 6 (64-bit) Installer / Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 |
6.5.09 | 25.10.2024 | 49 M |
| SBench6 WinXP |
SBench6 - last Version for Windows XP |
6.3.5 | 21.02.2022 | 41 M |
| Remote Server Windows |
Windows Installer for Remote Server Option |
10.03.2021 | 13 M | |
| LabView driver |
M2i/M2p/M3i/M4i/M4x/M5i/DN2/DN6 LabView driver installer |
11.11.2024 | 20 M | |
| Matlab driver |
M2p/M4i/M4x/M5i/M2i/M3i/DN2/DN6 Matlab driver + examples installer |
11.11.2024 | 25 M | |
| Examples for Windows |
Windows Examples (C/C++, .NET, Delphi, Java, Python, Julia ...) |
7.04 | 25.10.2024 | 2 M |
LINUX DRIVER + SOFTWARE
 Linux Driver Complete |
M2p/M4i/M4x/M5i/M2i/M3i drivers (Kernel + Library) for Linux 32 bit and 64 bit |
7.04 | 25.10.2024 | 36 M |
| Linux Driver Library |
Driver libraries (no Kernel) for Linux 32 bit and 64 bit |
7.04 | 25.10.2024 | 9 M |
| Remote Server Linux |
Spectrum Remote Server Linux Installer Package |
11.03.2021 | 12 K | |
| Control Center |
Spectrum Control Center |
2.38 | 25.10.2024 | 21 M |
| SBench6 |
SBench 6 Linux 32 (.rpm) |
6.5.08 | 22.04.2024 | 26 M |
| SBench6 |
SBench 6 Linux 64 (.rpm) |
6.5.09 | 17.09.2024 | 23 M |
| SBench6 |
SBench 6 Linux 32 (.deb) |
6.5.08 | 22.04.2024 | 23 M |
| SBench6 |
SBench 6 Linux 64 (.deb) |
6.5.09 | 25.10.2024 | 22 M |
| SBench6 |
SBench6 Jetson (.deb) |
6.5.09 | 19.04.2024 | 11 M |
| MATLAB Driver |
Drivers + examples for MATLAB for Linux (DEB + RPM) |
25.10.2024 | 156 K | |
| Examples for Linux |
Linux Examples (C/C++, Python, Julia ...) |
7.04 | 25.10.2024 | 569 K |
Firmware
| Firmware Update (Windows) |
M2i/M2p/M3i/M4i/M4x/M5i firmware update (Windows) |
17.09.2024 | 24 M | |
| Firmware Update (Linux) |
M2i/M2p/M3i/M4i/M4x/M5i firmware update (Linux) |
17.09.2024 | 30 M |
Case Studies
| CS AWG for Quantum Research | Case Study AWG used for Quantum Research at University |
21.02.2022 | 464 K | |
| CS AWG Atomic Experiment | Case Study AWG used for atomic experiments at Stuttgart University |
21.02.2022 | 3 M |
Product Notes
| Digitizer Software Integration | Software Support for Modular Digitizers |
21.02.2022 | 724 K | |
| SBench 6 Introduction | SBench 6 - Data Acquisition and Analysis of Digitizer Data |
21.02.2022 | 1 M | |
| AWG Waveforms | Creating AWG Waveforms in SBench 6 using Equations |
21.02.2022 | 479 K | |
| Create & Capture AWG Waveforms | Creating , Capturing and Transferring Waveforms for AWG's using SBench 6 |
21.02.2022 | 2 M | |
| PN Using the DDS Mode | Product Note: Using the DDS mode |
05.06.2024 | 3 M |
Application Notes
| Teaming AWG with Digitizer | Teaming an Arbitrary Waveform Generator with a Modular Digitizer |
21.02.2022 | 919 K | |
| Introduction to Modular Arbitrary Function Generators | An Introduction to Modular Arbitrary Function Generators |
21.02.2022 | 701 K | |
| Arbitrary Waveform Generator Operating Modes | Using Arbitrary Waveform Generator Operating Modes Effectively |
21.02.2022 | 481 K | |
| AN008 Install Legacy Win Drivers | Application Note: Legacy Windows Driver Installation |
21.02.2022 | 1 M | |
| Aircraft Systems Testing | Testing electronic aircraft systems using modular instruments |
21.02.2022 | 3 M | |
| AN Spectrum DDS in Quantum Research | Spectrum DDS in Quantum Research |
22.05.2024 | 616 K | |
| AN Using Spectrum DDS Mode in different Applications | Using Spectrum DDS Mode in different Applications |
22.05.2024 | 1 M |