Windows driversThe Spectrum driver packet consists of a set of functions to manipulate registers on the board and to transfer data from or to the board. The delivered driver is used for all Spectrum boards. Depending on the functionality of the board and the used bus system only some of the functions are implemented for a special board. The different functionality of the boards is realised with the help of board specific software registers.
The driver is available for several operating systems and is programmed in the same way for all operating systems. For this reason a change in the operating system may be made without any changes in the source code.
Programming examples for Microsoft Visual C++, Borland Delphi, Microsoft Visual Basic and LabWindows/CVI are delivered with the driver. Due to the simple interface of the driver, the integration in other programming languages or special measurement software is no problem.
A detailed revision history can be found here (MI/MC/MX/PCI/ISA) or here (M2i).
Driver OverviewSpectrum supplies one driver that supports all boards with an unique interface for all operating systems. With introduction of the new version 3.00 which includes a WDM style driver there has been a separation made between PCI and ISA boards. Please use the matching driver that is listed in the table. If you mix ISA and PCI boards from Spectrum in your system you need to use the ISA driver.
spcm Windows driver for M2i seriesThe M2i driver for the spcm interface runs with all cards of the M2i series. The driver is desigend to run under the 32 bit versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista as well as with the 64 bit version of Windows XP.
The driver archhive besides the driver itself also contains the Spectrum Control Center and the compatibility DLL for MI interface.
WDM Drivers for MI/MC/MX/PCIThe WDM style driver was introduced by Microsoft for Windows 98 and is still the current driver for Windows XP. It's highly recommanded to use this driver. On some Windows 2000/XP sytems it's the only driver that works with our boards.
The driver is designed to supply PCI boards only. To use an ISA board with one of the above operating systems please refer to the selection table to determine which driver is suitable for you.
NT-Legacy Drivers for MI/MC/MX/PCI/ISAThe NT legacy driver was designed by Microsoft for the Windows NT operating system. Although it could still be used with Windows 2000 and Windows XP on most machines it is not recommended to do so. Instead one should use the modern WDM driver. If you use a Spectrum PCI board it's highly recommended that you use this driver only if you have Windows NT installed. If you use ISA boards from Spectrum it's necessary to use this kind of driver also for Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
VXD drivers for MI/MC/MX/PCI/ISAThe VXD driver was designed by Microsoft for the Windows 95 operating system. Although it could still be used with Windows 98 and Windows ME, this is not recommended. Instead one should use the modern WDM driver. If you use a Spectrum PCI board it's highly recommended that you use this driver only if you have Windows 95 installed. If you use ISA boards from Spectrum it's necessary to use this kind of driver also for Windows 98 and Windows ME.
DOS and Windows 3.11 Drivers for PCI/ISAThese drivers have been designed for the use under DOS or Windows 3.11. The drivers should only be used after discussion with Spectrum because they have some limitations.
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