Comprehensive Product Summary – DDE-Server(PC)NT (InTouch NT Driver for CONTEC Cards)

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### 1. Product Overview

Product Name: DDE-Server(PC)NT
Model / Article Number: DDE-Server(PC)NT
Series: InTouch NT Driver Series for CONTEC Cards
Manufacturer: CONTEC Co., Ltd.
Product Category: Industrial Automation Software / Device Communication Driver
Primary Function: DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) server software enabling communication between Wonderware InTouch NT SCADA systems and CONTEC data acquisition and control interface cards.

The DDE-Server(PC)NT is a specialized communication driver designed to integrate CONTEC’s range of analog, digital, counter, and communication interface boards with InTouch NT environments. It provides a standardized data exchange interface, allowing real-time monitoring and control of industrial processes through CONTEC hardware within Windows-based supervisory control systems.

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### 2. Key Features

- InTouch NT Integration: Provides seamless connectivity between Wonderware InTouch NT SCADA software and CONTEC I/O cards.
- Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) Protocol: Utilizes Microsoft’s DDE protocol for real-time data transfer between applications.
- Broad Hardware Compatibility: Supports a wide range of CONTEC interface boards including analog I/O, digital I/O, counter/timer, GPIB, and serial communication modules.
- Windows NT/2000/XP Support: Fully compatible with legacy and modern Windows NT-based operating systems.
- Unified API Architecture: Built on CONTEC’s API-PAC(W32) framework, ensuring consistent function calls and simplified programming across multiple hardware types.
- LabVIEW and Visual Studio Integration: Compatible with National Instruments LabVIEW and Microsoft Visual Basic/C++/.NET environments for hybrid system development.
- Diagnostic and Configuration Utilities: Includes setup and diagnostic tools for hardware configuration, communication verification, and troubleshooting.
- Event-Driven Data Handling: Supports foreground and background data collection, enabling continuous operation even when the application is minimized.
- Hardware Independence: The same DDE interface can be used across different CONTEC devices (PCI, ISA, PC Card, CompactPCI, USB).
- Sample Programs and Templates: Provides practical examples for analog input, digital output, and counter operations to accelerate system development.

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### 3. Technical Specifications

Supported Operating Systems:
- Windows XP Professional / Home Edition
- Windows 2000 Professional
- Windows NT Workstation 4.0 (SP3 or later)
- Windows Me / 98SE / 98 / 95

Supported Programming Environments:
- National Instruments LabVIEW 7.1 / 7.0 / 6.1 / 6i / 5.1 / 5.0
- Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 / 5.0 / 4.0
- Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 / 5.0 / 4.x / 2.0
- Microsoft Visual Basic .NET 2003 / 2002
- Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2003 / 2002
- Microsoft Visual C# .NET 2003 / 2002
- Borland C++ Builder 6.0 / 5.0
- Borland Delphi 6.0 / 5.0 / 4.0

Supported Hardware Interfaces:
- Analog I/O Boards: ADA16-32/2(PCI)F, AD12-16U(PCI)EH, AD16-16(LPCI)L, DA12-8(PCI), etc.
- Digital I/O Boards: PI-64L(PCI), PIO-32/32L(PCI), PIO-16/16L(LPCI)H, PIO-48D(PCI), etc.
- Counter Boards: CNT24-4(PCI), CNT24-4D(PCI), CNT32-8M(PCI), CNT32-4MT(CB).
- GPIB Communication Boards: GP-IB(PCI)F, GP-IB(LPCI)F, GP-IB(CPCI)F, GP-IB(CB)F, GP-IB(PM).
- Serial Communication Boards: COM-1(LPCI)H, COM-4(PCI)H, COM-8(PCI)H, COM-2(PM), COM-4(CB)H.

Architecture: 32-bit Windows DLL-based driver library (Win32 API).
Communication Protocol: IEEE-488.2 (for GPIB), RS-232C (for serial), DDE (for InTouch).
Maximum Controllable Boards:
- Up to 16 serial boards
- Up to 4 GPIB boards
- Up to 64 analog/digital channels per board

Data Transfer: Supports DMA, FIFO, and interrupt-driven data exchange for high-speed performance.

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### 4. Functionality

The DDE-Server(PC)NT acts as a middleware layer between CONTEC’s hardware and InTouch NT SCADA software. It translates hardware-level signals and data into DDE-accessible variables that can be read or written by InTouch applications.

Operational Flow:
1. Hardware Detection: Automatically identifies installed CONTEC boards via the API-TOOL Configuration utility.
2. Parameter Configuration: Users set up board parameters (I/O range, sampling rate, communication mode) through the setup program.
3. Data Exchange: The DDE server continuously polls or receives interrupts from the hardware and updates corresponding DDE items in InTouch.
4. Control Commands: InTouch can send write commands to the DDE server to control outputs, counters, or communication ports.

Use Cases:
- Industrial process monitoring and control
- Laboratory data acquisition systems
- Automated test equipment (ATE)
- Machine control and motion systems
- Remote I/O and distributed monitoring networks

Compatibility:
- Fully compatible with CONTEC’s API-PAC(W32) and LabVIEW VI-DAQ libraries.
- Can coexist with other CONTEC drivers such as API-AIO, API-DIO, API-CNT, API-GPIB, and API-SIO.
- Not compatible with National Instruments GPIB drivers or CONTEC API-GPIB(98/PC) when used simultaneously.

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### 5. Components & Accessories

Included Software Components:
- DDE-Server(PC)NT main executable and service files
- Configuration utility for board setup (IEEE-488.2 compliant)
- Diagnostic utility for hardware and communication testing
- Sample DDE scripts and InTouch tag configuration examples
- API-PAC(W32) driver library (DLLs)
- VI-DAQ LabVIEW VI library (optional)
- API-GPLV(W32) GPIB driver (optional)
- COM-DRV(W32) serial communication driver (optional)

Optional Add-ons:
- API-AIO(WDM) for advanced analog I/O control
- API-DIO(98/PC)NT for digital I/O
- API-CNT(98/PC)NT for counter/timer control
- API-SMC(98/PC)NT for motor control
- API-TIMER(W32) for high-precision timing functions

Connectors and Interfaces:
- PCI, ISA, CompactPCI, and PC Card interfaces
- RS-232C serial ports
- IEEE-488 (GPIB) connectors

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### 6. Installation & Setup

System Requirements:
- Windows NT-based operating system (NT4.0 SP3 or later, 2000, XP)
- Available PCI, ISA, or PC Card slot for CONTEC hardware
- Administrator privileges for driver installation

Installation Procedure:
1. Run the API-PAC(W32) setup program.
2. Select the CONTEC board model to be used.
3. The installer automatically registers the appropriate DLLs and configuration files.
4. Launch the DDE-Server(PC)NT configuration utility to assign board parameters.
5. Verify operation using the included diagnostic tool.
6. Configure InTouch NT to connect to the DDE server using defined topic and item names.

Mounting Options:
- Software-based; no physical mounting required beyond hardware card installation.
- Supports both local and remote operation within Windows networking environments.

Configuration Tools:
- API-TOOL Configuration Ver.4.10 or later for board detection and setup.
- Diagnostic utilities for verifying I/O functionality and communication integrity.

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### 7. Performance & Capabilities

Data Throughput:
- High-speed data acquisition supported via DMA and FIFO buffering.
- Event-driven control allows simultaneous background data collection.

Analog I/O Performance:
- Up to 64 channels per board.
- Supports internal and external sampling clocks.
- Trigger-based sampling and continuous acquisition modes.

Digital I/O Performance:
- Up to 64 channels per board.
- Hardware digital filtering to prevent chattering.
- Bit-level I/O control and interrupt-driven input monitoring.

Counter/Timer Capabilities:
- Up to 16 boards controllable.
- Supports preset values, event generation, and one-shot pulse output.
- Timer resolution in microseconds (via API-TIMER(W32)).

GPIB Communication:
- IEEE-488.2 compliant.
- Supports master/slave mode selection, DMA, and interrupt control.
- 3-line handshaking for reliable data transfer.

Serial Communication:
- Up to 256 channels (depending on board combination).
- Independent buffer size configuration (256–65535 bytes).
- XON/XOFF flow control and event-driven transmission monitoring.

Limitations:
- Cannot operate concurrently with National Instruments GPIB drivers.
- Some ISA boards not auto-detectable under Windows NT 4.0/3.51.
- ActiveX control not supported under certain OS versions.

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### 8. Standards & Compliance

Regulatory and Industry Standards:
- IEEE-488 / IEEE-488.2 (GPIB communication compliance)
- RS-232C (serial communication compliance)
- Microsoft Windows DDE protocol compliance
- Plug and Play-compliant PCI/CompactPCI resource management
- Compatible with National Instruments LabVIEW VI architecture

Certifications:
- Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) tested (for supported OS versions)
- Conforms to CONTEC’s internal quality and reliability standards for industrial automation software

Software Licensing:
- Provided free of charge with CONTEC hardware products
- Redistribution and modification subject to CONTEC software license agreement

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### 9. Additional Information

Warranty & Support:
- Standard CONTEC software warranty applies (typically one year from purchase).
- Free lifetime technical support via CONTEC Global Portal (www.contec.com).
- Online documentation, FAQs, and driver updates available.

Maintenance & Updates:
- Free software upgrades and driver library downloads from CONTEC’s API-TOOL Developer’s Site.
- Regular updates ensure compatibility with new Windows versions and hardware models.
- Diagnostic and configuration utilities updated alongside driver releases.

Documentation & Resources:
- Comprehensive user manual and online help files.
- HTML-based function reference for API-PAC(W32) and VI-DAQ libraries.
- Sample programs for Visual Basic, C/C++, and LabVIEW environments.

Related Software Ecosystem:
- API-PAC(W32): Unified driver library for all CONTEC I/O boards.
- VI-DAQ: LabVIEW-compliant VI library for analog/digital/counter modules.
- API-GPLV(W32): LabVIEW-compatible GPIB driver.
- COM-DRV(W32): Standard COM driver for serial communication.
- API-AIO(WDM): High-performance analog I/O library.
- API-DIO, API-CNT, API-SMC: Specialized libraries for digital I/O, counter, and motor control.
- API-TIMER(W32): High-precision timer control library.
- Linux Support: Equivalent API-LNX libraries available for RedHat and TurboLinux distributions.

Global Portal:
- [www.contec.com](http://www.contec.com) – Access to product documentation, driver downloads, and technical support.
- [www.contec.com/apipac/](http://www.contec.com/apipac/) – API-PAC developer resources.
- [www.contec.com/vidaq/](http://www.contec.com/vidaq/) – VI-DAQ information and downloads.
- [www.contec.com/gplv/](http://www.contec.com/gplv/) – LabVIEW GPIB driver downloads.

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### Summary

The DDE-Server(PC)NT is a robust, Windows-based communication driver that bridges CONTEC’s industrial I/O hardware with Wonderware InTouch NT SCADA systems. Built upon the proven API-PAC(W32) architecture, it provides a unified, hardware-independent interface for analog, digital, counter, and communication modules. With comprehensive OS and language support, diagnostic utilities, and free lifetime updates, it is an essential component for engineers developing reliable, high-performance data acquisition and control systems in industrial and laboratory environments.