int n_dochan;
        const struct comedi_lrange *ai_range_type;
        unsigned int IRQbits;
-       unsigned int DMAbits;
        int ai_maxdata;
        int ao_maxdata;
+       unsigned int has_dma:1;
        unsigned int has_fifo:1;
        int is_818;
 };
                .n_dochan       = 16,
                .ai_range_type  = &range_pcl818l_l_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0x00fc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
                .ai_maxdata     = 0xfff,
                .ao_maxdata     = 0xfff,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .is_818         = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "pcl818h",
                .n_dochan       = 16,
                .ai_range_type  = &range_pcl818h_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0x00fc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
                .ai_maxdata     = 0xfff,
                .ao_maxdata     = 0xfff,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .is_818         = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "pcl818hd",
                .n_dochan       = 16,
                .ai_range_type  = &range_pcl818h_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0x00fc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
                .ai_maxdata     = 0xfff,
                .ao_maxdata     = 0xfff,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .has_fifo       = 1,
                .is_818         = 1,
        }, {
                .n_dochan       = 16,
                .ai_range_type  = &range_pcl818hg_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0x00fc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
                .ai_maxdata     = 0xfff,
                .ao_maxdata     = 0xfff,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .has_fifo       = 1,
                .is_818         = 1,
        }, {
                .n_dochan       = 16,
                .ai_range_type  = &range_pcl818h_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0x00fc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
                .ai_maxdata     = 0xfff,
                .ao_maxdata     = 0xfff,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .is_818         = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "pcl718",
                .n_dochan       = 16,
                .ai_range_type  = &range_unipolar5,
                .IRQbits        = 0x00fc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
                .ai_maxdata     = 0xfff,
                .ao_maxdata     = 0xfff,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
        }, {
                .name           = "pcm3718",
                .n_ranges       = 9,
                .n_dochan       = 16,
                .ai_range_type  = &range_pcl818h_ai,
                .IRQbits        = 0x00fc,
-               .DMAbits        = 0x0a,
                .ai_maxdata     = 0xfff,
                .ao_maxdata     = 0xfff,
+               .has_dma        = 1,
                .is_818         = 1,
        },
 };
        const struct pcl818_board *board = comedi_board(dev);
        struct pcl818_private *devpriv;
        int ret;
-       int dma;
        unsigned long pages;
        struct comedi_subdevice *s;
 
        devpriv->irq_blocked = 0;       /* number of subdevice which use IRQ */
        devpriv->ai_mode = 0;   /* mode of irq */
 
-       /* grab our DMA */
-       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 (dma < 1)
-                       goto no_dma;    /* DMA disabled */
-               if (((1 << dma) & board->DMAbits) == 0) {
+       /* 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,
-                               "DMA is out of allowed range, FAIL!\n");
-                       return -EINVAL; /* Bad DMA */
+                               "unable to request DMA channel %d\n",
+                               it->options[2]);
+                       return -EBUSY;
                }
-               ret = request_dma(dma, dev->board_name);
-               if (ret)
-                       return -EBUSY;  /* DMA isn't free */
-               devpriv->dma = dma;
+               devpriv->dma = it->options[2];
+
                pages = 2;      /* we need 16KB */
                devpriv->dmabuf[0] = __get_dma_pages(GFP_KERNEL, pages);
                if (!devpriv->dmabuf[0])
                devpriv->hwdmasize[1] = (1 << pages) * PAGE_SIZE;
        }
 
-no_dma:
-
        ret = comedi_alloc_subdevices(dev, 4);
        if (ret)
                return ret;