Onboard Counters

CompactDAQ chassis and Multifunction I/O (MIO) 63xx devices (formerly referred to as X Series) have onboard counters you can configure and use similarly to counter module channels. An onboard counter, such as the NI-9361, looks like a module in FlexLogger, but it is not a module and functions differently from a counter module.

Introduced in FlexLogger 2020 R4

When configuring and using onboard counters, keep in mind the following functionality:
  • CompactDAQ chassis and MIO 63xx devices connect differently. You can use the available digital lines to connect to the onboard counter of MIO 63xx devices. To connect to the onboard counter of a CompactDAQ chassis, you must connect a digital device to the chassis. For more information about supported digital modules, refer to Digital I/O Considerations for C Series Devices in the NI-DAQmx Help matching your driver version.
  • You must specify which digital line you want to use as the input terminal. You may have multiple options.
  • Onboard counters cannot create their own internal sample clock. FlexLogger uses the Frequency Output (FREQ OUT) signal to supply the clock source.
  • Onboard counters have fixed supported sample rates but you can sync them to an analog channel in the same chassis and use the data rate of the analog channel. If you select Counter as the data rate, the onboard counter uses a fixed number of data rates based on the Frequency Output signal and cannot synchronize with anything else on the board. The Frequency Output signal only allows for data rates between 6.25 kHz and 20 MHz.

    If you sync to an analog channel in the same chassis, the onboard counter can use the Slow, Medium, or Fast data rate level that you configured on the analog channel.

  • You can configure onboard counters and counters on MIO 63xx devices to use the Slow, Medium, or Fast data rate level. You must first configure an analog input channel or digital channel in the same chassis to access these data rates.

You can find more information about onboard counters and the Frequency Output signal in the CompactDAQ chassis and MIO 63xx device user manuals under Counters » Counter Timing Engine and Counters » Counter Output Applications » Frequency Generation.