unsigned int ai_ns_min;
        const struct comedi_lrange *rangelist_ai;
        unsigned int IRQbits;
-       unsigned char DMAbits;
+       unsigned int has_dma:1;
        unsigned char haveMPC508;
 };
 
                .ai_ns_min      = 33000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_bipolar10,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "pcl812pg",
                .board_type     = boardPCL812PG,
                .ai_ns_min      = 33000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_pcl812pg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "acl8112pg",
                .board_type     = boardPCL812PG,
                .ai_ns_min      = 10000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_pcl812pg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "acl8112dg",
                .board_type     = boardACL8112,
                .ai_ns_min      = 10000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_acl8112dg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .haveMPC508     = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "acl8112hg",
                .ai_ns_min      = 10000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_acl8112hg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .haveMPC508     = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "a821pgl",
                .ai_ns_min      = 10000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_acl8112dg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "a822pgh",
                .board_type     = boardACL8112,
                .ai_ns_min      = 10000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_acl8112hg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "a823pgl",
                .board_type     = boardACL8112,
                .ai_ns_min      = 8000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_acl8112dg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "a823pgh",
                .board_type     = boardACL8112,
                .ai_ns_min      = 8000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_acl8112hg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "pcl813",
                .board_type     = boardPCL813,
                .ai_ns_min      = 10000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_pcl813b2_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .haveMPC508     = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "a826pg",
                .ai_ns_min      = 10000,
                .rangelist_ai   = &range_pcl813b2_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0xdcfc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        },
 };
 
        const struct pcl812_board *board = comedi_board(dev);
        struct pcl812_private *devpriv;
        int ret, subdev;
-       unsigned int dma;
        unsigned long pages;
        struct comedi_subdevice *s;
        int n_subdevices;
                        dev->irq = it->options[1];
        }
 
-       dma = 0;
-       devpriv->dma = dma;
-       if (!dev->irq)
-               goto no_dma;    /* if we haven't IRQ, we can't use DMA */
-       if (board->DMAbits != 0) {      /* board support DMA */
-               dma = it->options[2];
-               if (((1 << dma) & board->DMAbits) == 0) {
-                       dev_err(dev->class_dev,
-                               "DMA is out of allowed range, FAIL!\n");
-                       return -EINVAL; /* Bad DMA */
-               }
-               ret = request_dma(dma, dev->board_name);
+       /* we need an IRQ to do DMA on channel 3 or 1 */
+       if (dev->irq && board->has_dma &&
+           (it->options[2] == 3 || it->options[2] == 1)) {
+               ret = request_dma(it->options[2], dev->board_name);
                if (ret) {
                        dev_err(dev->class_dev,
-                               "unable to allocate DMA %u, FAIL!\n", dma);
-                       return -EBUSY;  /* DMA isn't free */
+                               "unable to request DMA channel %d\n",
+                               it->options[2]);
+                       return -EBUSY;
                }
-               devpriv->dma = dma;
+               devpriv->dma = it->options[2];
+
                pages = 1;      /* we want 8KB */
                devpriv->dmabuf[0] = __get_dma_pages(GFP_KERNEL, pages);
                if (!devpriv->dmabuf[0]) {
                devpriv->hwdmaptr[1] = virt_to_bus((void *)devpriv->dmabuf[1]);
                devpriv->hwdmasize[1] = PAGE_SIZE * (1 << pages);
        }
-no_dma:
 
        n_subdevices = 0;
        if (board->n_aichan > 0)