August 2015
This file contains important information about NI-RFSG and is organized into the following sections:
Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples
Product Security and Critical Updates
Uninstalling/Modifying NI–RFSG
Automating the Installation of NI Products
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x
NI-RFSG Drops Support for Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 in 2016
This software installation provides support for customers using NI RF signal generator hardware, as specified in the Supported Hardware section. To program your NI RF signal generator, use the NI–RFSG instrument driver or NI-RFSG Soft Front Panel (SFP).
The getting started guide for your device provides information about how to install, configure, test, and begin using an NI RF signal generator.
NI–RFSG 15.0 includes the following new features:
NI–RFSG 14.5 includes the following new features:
NI–RFSG 14.0 includes the following new features:
NI–RFSG 1.9.7 includes the following new features:
NI–RFSG 1.9.6 adds support for the NI-RFSG Compensate for Filter Group Delay property for the NI PXIe-5672.
NI–RFSG 1.9.5 includes the following new features:
NI–RFSG 1.9 includes the following new features:
The following table shows which hardware products are supported in the NI-RFSG instrument driver and the NI-RFSG SFP. The following hardware products are supported in all operating systems listed in the Supported Operating Systems section.
| Hardware Product | NI-RFSG | NI-RFSG SFP |
|---|---|---|
| NI PXI-5610 | √ | — |
| NI PXIe-5611 | √ | — |
| NI PXIe-5644R | √ | √ |
| NI PXIe-5645R | √ | √ |
| NI PXIe-5646R | √ | √ |
| NI PXI/PXIe-5650 | √ | √ |
| NI PXI/PXIe-5651 | √ | √ |
| NI PXI/PXIe-5652 | √ | √ |
| NI PXIe-5653 | √ | — |
| NI PXIe-5654 | √ | √ |
| NI PXIe-5654 with NI PXIe-5696 | √ | √ |
| NI PXI-5670 | √ | √ |
| NI PXI-5671 | √ | √ |
| NI PXIe-5672 | √ | √ |
| NI PXIe-5673/5673E | √ | √ |
Note Some hardware products are not supported by the NI-DAQmx-based runtime. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code rfsgdevices for more information about which NI-RFSG devices are supported by the NI-DAQmx-based runtime.
Note MXI Express and MXI-4 are supported on Windows 8.1/8.0/7/Vista/XP, but MXI-3 is supported on only Windows XP.
NI-RFSG 15.0 and NI-RFSG Soft Front Panel 14.5 support the following operating systems:
Note NI-RFSG 15.0 and later does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.
It is recommended that you have the most recent service pack for your operating system installed.
NI-RFSG 15.0 supports the following real-time operating environments:
| Note: | When using NI-RFSG, the NI 5644R/5645R/5646R/5654/5654 with NI 5696 does not support the LabVIEW Real-Time Module or LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module. |
Minimum Runtime/Deployment System
| Note: | Depending on the amount of data generated or processed, a larger amount of RAM may be required. |
Recommended Development System
| Note: | Depending on the amount of data generated or processed, a larger amount of RAM may be required. |
Application Development Environments
| Note: | You should install ADEs, such as NI LabVIEW, NI LabWindows/CVI or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing NI-RFSG. To add support for ADEs installed after installing NI-RFSG, modify your NI-RFSG installation or launch the NI-RFSG installer again. |
| NI Application Software | Versions Supported by NI-RFSG |
|---|---|
| NI LabVIEW | 2012, 2013, 2014, or 2015 |
| NI LabVIEW Real-Time Module | 2012, 2013, 2014, or 2015 |
| NI LabWindows/CVI | 2010 or later |
| NI LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module | 2010 or later |
| Note: | Install any toolkits or add-on software you intend to use with the NI–RFSG instrument driver after NI–RFSG installation is complete. Refer to the getting started guide for your device for more information about software and hardware installation. |
| Note: | MXI users must install the software included with the MXI hardware. |
| Note | $(IVIROOTDIR32) is configured as an environment variable on the target system. |
|---|---|
If you upgraded an installation of IVI, your files may be located in the following location:
|
Note $(IVIROOTDIR64) is configured as an environment variable on the target system.
| Item | Installed Location on Windows 8.1 (32-bit)/8.0 (32-bit)/7 (32-bit)/Vista (32-bit)/XP |
|---|---|
| NI-RFSG | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Drivers\niRFSG |
| NI-RFSG Function Panel | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Drivers\niRFSG\niRFSG.fp |
| NI-RFSG Examples | <NIDocDir>\NI-RFSG\Examples |
| NI-RFSG Header files | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Include |
| NI-RFSG Import Library files (32-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Lib |
| NI-RFSG DLL (32-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Bin |
| NI-RFSG SFP | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Drivers\niRFSG |
| NI-RFSG SFP Example Waveforms | <NIDocDir>\NI-RFSG Soft Front Panel\examples\Waveforms |
| Item | Installed Location on Windows 8.1 (64-bit)/8.0 (64-bit)/7 (64-bit)/Vista (64-bit) |
|---|---|
| NI-RFSG Function Panel | <IVIROOTDIR64>\Drivers\niRFSG\niRFSG.fp |
| NI-RFSG Header files | <IVIROOTDIR64>\Include |
| NI-RFSG Import Library files (64-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR64>\Lib_x64 |
| NI-RFSG DLL (64-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR64>\Bin |
To launch the NI-RFSG SFP, navigate to Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFSG»NI-RFSG Soft Front Panel.
Documentation for NI-RFSG is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFSG»Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.
| Document | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NI RF Signal Generators Help | HTML/Windows Help | Contains primary help content for NI-RFSG products. The help is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
|
| Getting Started Guide for your device | Printed and PDF | Contains software and hardware installation, MAX configuration, signal connection, and troubleshooting information for your device. |
| Specifications for your device | Lists technical specifications for your device. | |
| Calibration Procedure for your device | Contains calibration instructions for your device. | |
| NI-RFSG Readme | HTML (this document) | Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices. |
| Introduction to niRFSG | HTML | Contains information about driver documentation, examples, connecting to your instrument, configuring instrument settings, and known issues. |
| NI-RFSG IVI Compliance Document | TXT | Contains information about IVI compliance. |
For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.
To use the .NET API, you must install the the .NET class libraries or the .NET Wrapper in addition to the NI device driver. For information about versions of the .NET Framework and the drivers each supports, as well as the download location of the installer files, refer to the National Instruments .NET Driver Support document at ni.com/info and enter Info Code NETAPIdriversupport.
Note To view PDFs, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can install the viewer from www.adobe.com/acrobat.
NI–RFSG VIs are available in LabVIEW from the Functions»Measurement I/O»NI–RFSG palette.
NI–RFSG functions are available in LabWindows/CVI from the Instrument menu. To load the NI–RFSG function panel (.fp), select Instrument»Load, and navigate to <IVIROOTDIR32>\Drivers\niRFSG\niRFSG.fp or <IVIROOTDIR64>\Drivers\niRFSG\niRFSG.fp.
In LabVIEW, you can use the NI Example Finder to search or browse examples. NI–RFSG examples are classified by keyword, so you can search for a particular device or measurement function. In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder. The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs (including NI–RFSG and Modulation Toolkit examples) and their descriptions:
The NI Example Finder is also available in LabWindows/CVI by selecting Help»Find Examples.
You can also access all the installed NI–RFSG examples for LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI–RFSG»Examples.
Examples are also available online that demonstrate integrating NI RF signal generators with NI RF signal analyzers and NI toolkit software including the Modulation Toolkit. Refer to ni.com/examples for these examples and for more information.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.
NI-RFSG versions are now aligned with the versions of major NI application software products. This alignment gives you information about the year the driver was released and the most recent software version the driver was designed to work with. Driver versions now start with a two-digit year indicator: <ProductName><Year-BasedVersion>. For example, NI-RFSG 14.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2014. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is NI-RFSG 1.9.8. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is NI-RFSG 14.0.
For Windows XP, complete the following steps:
For Windows 7/Vista, complete the following steps:
For Windows 8.1/8.0, complete the following steps:
As part of the NI–RFSG 15.0 installation, the following software is installed. To completely remove the NI–RFSG 15.0 installation from your system, you must also remove all of the following packages:
| Caution: | Several of the software packages listed above are shared with other NI software packages. If you attempt to remove a piece of software that something else is dependent upon, a message warns you about the software dependencies. You can choose to either uninstall all of the software or to leave the shared software installed. If you choose to uninstall the shared software, some of your other NI software may no longer function correctly. |
| Note: | Do not attempt to uninstall by manually deleting files. |
NI–RFSG 14.5
NI–RFSG 1.9
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the following locations at ni.com for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI-RFSG 15.0 and the NI-RFSG SFP 14.5.
The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed between NI–RFSG instrument driver revisions. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of NI–RFSG.
NI–RFSG 14.5
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 489122 | Fixed an issue where the NI 5652 appears outside of the composite device in MAX. |
NI–RFSG 14.0.1
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 492490 | Fixed an issue where LabVIEW Run-Time Engine 2013 SP1 does not install with NI-RFSG. |
NI–RFSG 14.0
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 466905 | Fixed an issue where set frequency and power level execution time takes longer than expected on the NI 5644R/5645R/5646R. |
NI–RFSG 1.9.5
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 392343 | Fixed an issue where errors occur during IVI simulation of NI 5610- or NI 5611-based devices. |
NI–RFSG 1.9
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 376578 | Fixed an issue where verification on the NI PXI/PXIe-5650/5651/5652 devices fails at low power levels after an external calibration. |
| 378637 | Fixed an issue where nominal frequencies are returned rather than coerced values during NI PXI/PXIe-5650/5651/5652 external calibration. |
| 325416 | Fixed an issue where the Reference Clock can not be exported to REF OUT2 connector of the NI 5673E. |
The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed between NI–RFSG SFP revisions. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of the NI–RFSG SFP.
NI–RFSG SFP 1.9.5
| Bug ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 345106 | Fixed an issue where the NI-RFSG SFP took more than 40 seconds to launch after the device selection. |
| 346602 | Fixed an issue where switching from Ref In to Clk In, when there was no signal on Clk In for the NI PXIe-5673, caused the device to enter an unknown state. |
| 345543 | Fixed an issue where the splash screen disappeared before the NI-RFSG SFP finished launching. |
| 332005 | Fixed an issue where a Windows command prompt window opened while closing the SFP. |
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.0 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8.x, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher.
NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.
| Note NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.x. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher. |
For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications, such as MAX, to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary.
| Current Application | Icon Location | Pin to Action |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 8.x Desktop | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar |
| Windows 8.x Desktop | Start screen | Right-click application and select Pin to Start |
| Windows 8.x Start screen | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen |
If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files from the Apps view. To get to the Apps view, right-click anywhere on the Start screen and select All apps (Windows 8.0) or click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen (Windows 8.1).
For more information about NI support for Windows 8.x, visit ni.com/windows8.
NI-RFSG will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI-RFSG that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:
| Product | Info Code |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | lifecycle |
| LabWindows™/CVI™ | cvi_lifecycle |
| Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
| TestStand | tslcp |
| DIAdem | ddlcp |
| SignalExpress | selcp |
| VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
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End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
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Patents
For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.
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