Chapter 4 - Software Tools And Communications; Introduction - Galil Motion Control DMC-18 2 Series User Manual

Chapter 4 - Software Tools and
Communications

Introduction

Galil software is available for PC computers running Microsoft Windows
DMC-18x2 controller via the PCI bus. 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 the PCI card. 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 PCI communication registers used on the DMC-18x2 controller.
The following sections in this chapter are a brief introduction to the software tools and communication
techniques used by Galil. Figure-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 with the controller. Custom application programs
can utilize API function calls directly to our DLL's, or use our ActiveX COM objects, which simplifies
programming. At the driver level, we provide fundamental hardware interface information for users
who desire to create their own drivers.
DMC-18x2
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Chapter 4 - Software Tools and Communications • 35
to communicate with the