Colby Instruments PDL100A
Table of contents
Description
The Colby Instruments PDL100A is a programmable delay line. The delaygen module provides an asyn port driver (drvAsynColby) that communicates with the instrument over serial or Ethernet.
Communication
Serial
Requires a null-modem cable.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Baud rate | 9600 |
| Data bits | 8 |
| Parity | None |
| Stop bits | 2 |
| Input EOS | : |
| Output EOS | \r\n |
drvAsynSerialPortConfigure("serial1", "/dev/ttyS0", 0, 0, 0)
asynSetOption(serial1, 0, "baud", "9600")
asynSetOption(serial1, 0, "bits", "8")
asynSetOption(serial1, 0, "parity", "none")
asynSetOption(serial1, 0, "stop", "2")
asynOctetSetInputEos("serial1", -1, ":")
asynOctetSetOutputEos("serial1", -1, "\r\n")
Ethernet
drvAsynIPPortConfigure("serial1", "x.x.x.x:7000", 0, 0, 0)
asynOctetSetInputEos("serial1", -1, ":")
asynOctetSetOutputEos("serial1", -1, "\r\n")
Driver Initialization
drvAsynColby(myport, ioport, addr, units, iface)
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| myport | string | Name for the driver’s asyn port (e.g., “COL”). |
| ioport | string | Name of the communication asyn port (e.g., “serial1”). |
| addr | int | Address on the communication port. Use -1 for serial/Ethernet. |
| units | string | Default delay units: "ps" (picoseconds) or "ns" (nanoseconds). |
| iface | int | Communication interface: 0 for Ethernet, 1 for serial. |
Example:
drvAsynColby("COL", "serial1", -1, "ns", 1)
Database
Load colbyPDL100A.db with the following macros:
| Macro | Description |
|---|---|
| P | PV name prefix |
| R | PV name infix |
| PORT | Driver port name, must match the myport argument |
| PREC | Display precision for delay values |
| A | Asyn record name used by sseq records for connect/disconnect |
dbLoadRecords("$(DELAYGEN)/db/colbyPDL100A.db", "P=delaygen:,R=Colby:,PREC=3,A=Colby,PORT=COL")
Features
The Colby database provides:
- Delay – Set and read the delay value, with increment/decrement tweak support.
- Units – Select nanoseconds or picoseconds.
- Network configuration – Read IP address, gateway, netmask, TCP port, DHCP status, and MAC address (Ethernet mode).
- Connection control – Connect and disconnect sequences.