Components of a PXIe-6571 System

The PXIe-6571 is designed for use in a system that includes other hardware components, drivers, and software.

Notice A system and the surrounding environment must meet the requirements defined in PXIe-6571 Specifications.

The following list defines the minimum required hardware and software for a system that includes a PXIe-6571.

Table 2. System Components
Component Description and Recommendations
PXI Chassis
1378

 A PXI chassis houses the PXIe-6571 and supplies power, communication, and timing for PXIe-6571 functions.
Notice The 32-channel PXIe-6571 requires an 82 W power and cooling–capable chassis; the 8-channel PXIe-6571 requires a ≥58 W power and cooling–capable chassis. Using the PXIe-6571 in a chassis with lower power or cooling capabilities than required will result in an error.
PXI Controller or PXI Remote Control Module
1378

 You can install a PXI controller or a PXI remote control (MXI) module depending on your system requirements. These components, installed in the same PXI chassis as the PXIe-6571, interface with the instrument using NI instrument drivers.
Digital Pattern Instrument
1378

 Your digital pattern instrument.
Cables and Accessories
1378

 Cables and accessories allow connectivity to/from your instrument for measurements. Refer to Cables and Accessories for recommended cables and accessories and guidance.
NI-Digital Pattern Driver
1378

 Instrument driver software that provides functions to interact with the PXIe-6571 and execute measurements using the PXIe-6571.
Note NI recommends that you always use the most current version of NI-Digital Pattern Driver with the PXIe-6571.
Additional NI Drivers
1378
  • NI-DCPower—The NI-DCPower driver is required to use NI-DCPower modules within the Digital Pattern Editor.
  • NI-Sync—The NI-Sync driver is required to support operations using the PXIe-6674T timing and synchronization module, such as combining comparison results across digital pattern instruments.
    • For more information about using NI-DCPower modules with the Digital Pattern Editor and using the PXIe-6674T with digital pattern instruments, refer to the Digital Pattern User Manual.
    NI Applications
    1378

    		 NI-Digital Pattern Driver offers driver support for the following applications:
    • InstrumentStudio
    • LabVIEW
    • TestStand
    • TestStand Semiconductor Module™
    • C/C++
    • .NET
    • Python

    PXIe-6571 Cables and Accessories

    NI recommends using the following cables and accessories with your module.

    Accessory Description Notes NI Part Number
    CB-2162 Connector Block and Prototyping Board DIO channels: 32 778592-01
    SCB-68 HSDIO Shielded Connector Block for R Series and HSDIO Devices DIO channels: 32 782914-01
    SMB-2163 SMB Breakout Box for High-Speed Digital Devices DIO channels: 32 778747-01
    NI SHC68-C68-D4 Shielded Single-Ended Cable for High-Speed Digital Devices DIO channels: 40 0.55 m length 781013-01
    1 m length 196275-01
    1 m length, low leakage 152870-01
    2 m length 781293-01
    SHC68-H1X38 High-Speed Digital Flying-Lead Cable, 1.5 m DIO channels: 32 192681-1R5
    Single Stack Right Angle Through Hole Mount 68-pin VHDCI Connector/

    Double Stack Right Angle Through Hole Mount 68-pin VHDCI Connector/

    Vertical Through Hole Mount 68-pin VHDCI Connector

    		 — 785633-01/

    785634-01/

    785753-01
    PXI slot blockers — 199198-01
    Note For more information about recommended accessories for use within a system such as STS, contact your NI Sales Engineer.

    Additional Cabling and Accessory Guidance

    • NI recommends installing PXI slot blockers (NI part number 199198-01) to fill empty instrument slots in a PXI chassis. For more information about installing slot blockers and filler panels, refer to PXI slot blocker documentation.

    Programming Options

    You can use Digital Pattern Editor to operate your digital pattern instrument or you can use the NI-Digital Pattern Driver to program your instrument in the supported ADE of your choice.

  • Digital Pattern Editor—Use Digital Pattern Editor to view, create, modify, and debug pin and channel maps, specifications, levels, timing, patterns, register maps, source waveforms, and capture waveforms. You can also use Digital Pattern Editor to configure the state of the digital pattern instrument.

    The Digital Pattern Editor is automatically installed when you install NI-Digital Pattern Driver. You can access the Digital Pattern Editor by selecting National Instruments » NI Digital Pattern Editor from the Windows start menu.

  • NI-Digital Pattern Driver—Use the NI-Digital Pattern Driver APIs to call pin and channel map, specifications, levels, timing, pattern, and waveform files you create in the Digital Pattern Editor and to configure and control digital pattern devices.
    • LabVIEW—Available on the LabVIEW Functions palette at Functions » Instrument I/O » Instrument Drivers » NI-Digital palette or at Functions » Measurement I/O » NI-Digital palette .

      Examples are available from the Start menu in the National Instruments folder.

      The NI-Digital Pattern Driver LabVIEW API is installed by default when you run the installer.

    • C—You can use the NI-Digital Pattern C dynamically linked library by adding a reference to C:\Program Files (x86)\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niDigital_32.dll for 32-bit development or to C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niDigital_64.dll for 64-bit development. The NI-Digital Pattern Driver API is installed by default when you run the installer.
    • .NET—Use the NI-Digital Pattern .NET class library by adding a reference to NationalInstruments.ModularInstruments.NIDigital.Fx40 or NationalInstruments.ModularInstruments.NIDigital.Fx45 and any dependent class libraries from within the Solution Explorer in Microsoft Visual Studio.

      You can optionally install and use the NI-Digital Pattern Driver .NET API to configure and control the digital pattern instrument.

      The Microsoft .NET examples are available from the Start menu in the National Instruments » NI Digital Pattern Examples folder or from the <Public Documents>\National Instruments\NI-Digital\Examples\DotNET 4.x directory.

    • Python—For more information about installing and using Python, refer to NI-Digital Pattern Driver Python API Documentation.

    • Chassis Guidelines

    Digital pattern instruments are designed to operate in a PXI Express chassis with a well-designed cooling system at specified environmental conditions.

    Note The 32-channel PXIe-6571 is compatible only with 82 W power and cooling–capable chassis; the 8-channel PXIe-6571 is compatible with ≥58 W power and cooling–capable chassis.

    Instrument performance and reliability might be limited at temperatures outside of the specified operating range, and operating under high humidity or dusty conditions can cause leakages among circuit components to increase and might result in additional measurement errors.

    To guarantee that the instrument meets its listed specifications, ensure that the ambient temperature is within the temperature range listed in the instrument specifications and that the temperature is stable at Tcal ±5 °C. Tcal is the internal instrument temperature recorded by the digital pattern instrument at the completion of the last self-calibration.

    Chassis Cooling Guidelines

    Use the following guidelines to optimize cooling and ensure high-quality performance and reliability:

    • Fill all empty slots with PXI slot blockers.
    • Cover all empty slots in the chassis with an EMC slot filler panel.
    • Remove and clean the inlet filters often to prevent buildup of dust and other foreign material that might restrict airflow.
    • Position the chassis such that the fan inlets and outlet vents are not obstructed. Keep other objects and equipment a minimum of 4 inches away from the fan inlets.

    For more information about cooling considerations, refer to your chassis documentation.

    Digital Pattern Instrument Placement in Chassis

    Digital pattern instruments are high-precision modules and might be sensitive to interference from other electronic devices. To optimize the accuracy and performance of the digital pattern instrument, position the instrument in a slot away from third-party instruments that may include noisy circuitry, such as power supplies. The digital pattern instrument might also be sensitive to excess heat generated by high-power products in neighboring slots.