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{alias:SI3.7_RequiredDAQHW}

ScanImage installations employ from 1 to 3 [National Instruments|http://www.natinst.com] data acquistion boards. The first board (required) is used for mirror control and PMT acquisition. The (optional) second and third boards are used for Pockels Cell control and photodiode signal inputs, as required.

h4. Mirror/Acquisition Board 
This board must support an Analog Input rate of 1.25MHz or higher and have 2 Analog Output channels.
* The [PCI-6110|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11888], [PCI-6111|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11889], and [PCI-6115|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11886] are only known boards to satisfy these criteria.
(/) The [PCI-6115|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11886] has a higher AI sampling rate which is not utilized by ScanImage. Thus either the [PCI-6110|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11888] or [PCI-6111|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11889] is recommended.
(/) If more than 2 PMT inputs are to be used, the [PCI-6110|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11888] (or [PCI-6115|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/11886]) must be used.
(/) Analog Input channels not used for PMT input signals can be used for photodiode input signals (employed for Pockels Cell, or other light modulator, calibration).

h4. Pockels Cell and Photodiode Board(s)
ScanImage supports 1-3 'beams' consisting of Pockels Cells (or other light modulators) determining the laser intensity for each. Each beam requires one Analog Output (AO) channel and, optionally, one Analog Input (AI) channel for a photodiode signal used to calibrate the light modulator.

At least one additional board is required to support the (optional) Pockels Cell and photodiode calibration functionality. The board(s) can be selected from one of four National Instruments product _series_:

* *Multifunction DAQ (X) Series*
** [PCIe-6321|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/207405] has 2 AO channels.
** [PCIe-6323|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/207406] has 4 AO channels.
** [PCIe-634x and PCIe-635x Families|http://sine.ni.com/np/app/main/p/bot/no/ap/daq/lang/en/pg/1/sn/n21:41,n17:daq,n23:11502/sb/+nigenso7+default] are also suitable, with excess capabilities beyond current ScanImage functionality.

* *Multifunction DAQ (M) Series* 
** [PCI-6221|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/14132] has 2 AO channels. Also available in a [37-pin version|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/202004], lowering connectivity costs. 
** [PCI-6229|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/14136] has 4 AO channels.
** [PCI-6251|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/14124] and [PCI-6259|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/14128] are also suitable, with excess capabilities beyond current ScanImage functionality. These are available in PCI Express and USB versions.

* *Analog Output (AO) Series*
** [PCI-6711|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/10700] has 4 AO channels (and no AI channels). 
** [PCI-6713|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/10700] has 8 AO channels (and no AI channels)

* *Multifunction DAQ (E) Series*
** [PCI-6040E|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/10795] contains 2 AO channels and 8 AI channels. 

(/) The _X Series_ options are the best choice for new users, as they have more advanced  counter/timer capabilities than the M series without costing more. Several of the new features in ScanImage r3.7 ([Frame/Line/Pixel clock generation|ScanImage r3.7.x Documentation#ClockExport], [Next Triggering|ScanImage r3.7.x Documentation#NextTrig], etc.) require these advanced counter/timer capabilities. Note that all _X Series_ options require a PCIe ([PCI Express|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express]) slot available in your computer.
(/) The _M Series_ options are the best choice if no PCIe slots are available, or to absolutely minimize the cost (e.g. the [PCI-6221 37 pin version|http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/202004]).
(!) The _AO Series_ and _E Series_ options should not be used for new installations. They are being supported/mentioned for legacy users only. While older and less functional, they are now offered at a higher price than _M Series_ and _X Series_ options. 

(i) If 3 beams are used, then one of the 4 channel options must be selected (e.g. the X series 6323 or M series 6229 or 6259).
(i) If an _AO Series_ board is used, then photodiode input channels per beam should either be 1) omitted, 2) input on primary mirror/acquisition board (provided channels are available), or 3) input on a third board which contains input channels.