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DMC-1700/1800 Chapter 4 - Software Tools and Communications • 51
Chapter 4 - Software Tools and
Communications
Introduction
Galil software is available for PC computers running Microsoft Windows
®
to communicate with DMC-1700 and DMC-
1800 controllers via ISA and PCI buses, respectively. Standard Galil communications software utilities are available for
Windows operating systems, which includes SmartTERM and WSDK. These software packages are developed to
operate under Windows 98SE, ME, NT4.0, 2000, and XP, and include all the necessary drivers to communicate with
both ISA and PCI cards. In addition, Galil offers software development tools ( CToolkit and ActiveX Toolkit) to allow
users to create their own application interfaces using programming environments such as C, C++, Visual Basic, and
LabVIEW.
Galil also offers some basic software drivers and utilities for non-Windows environments such as DOS, Linux, and
QNX. For users who prefer to develop there own drivers, details are provided in this chapter describing the ISA and PCI
communications registers used on Galil DMC-1700 and DMC-1800 controllers.
The following sections in this chapter are a brief introduction to the software tools and communication techniques used
by Galil. Figure-4.1 illustrates the software hierarchy that Galil communications software employs. At the application
level, SmartTERM and WSDK are the basic programs that the majority of users will need to communicate with the
controller, to perform basic setup, and to develop application code (.DMC programs) that is downloaded to the
controller. At the Galil API level, Galil provides software tools (ActiveX and API functions) for advanced users, who
wish to develop their own custom application programs to communicate to the controller. Custom application programs
can utilize API function calls directly to our DLL’s, or use our ActiveX COM objects. The ActiveX controls can
simplify programming and offer additional functionality over using the communication DLL’s directly. At the driver
level, we provide fundamental hardware interface information for users who desire to create their own drivers.