May 2018
This file contains important information about NI-RFSG, including new features, supported hardware, a partial list of bugs fixed for NI-RFSG 18.0, and known issues.
Product Security and Critical Updates
IVI Compliance Package Functionality
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
This software installation provides support for customers using RF signal generator hardware, as specified in the Supported Hardware section. To program your 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 a RF signal generator.
NI-RFSG 18.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2018 (32- and 64-bit)
NI-RFSG 17.1 includes the following new features:
NI-RFSG 17.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2017 (32- and 64-bit)
NI-RFSG 16.0 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 | Hardware Model | NI-RFSG | NI-RFSG SFP |
|---|---|---|---|
| RF Signal Upconverter | PXI-5610 | √ | — |
| I/Q Modulator | PXIe-5611 | √ | — |
| Vector Signal Transceiver | PXIe-5644 | √ | √ |
| PXIe-5645 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5646 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5820 | √ | ||
| PXIe-5840 | √ | √ | |
| RF Analog Signal Generator | PXI/PXIe-5650 | √ | √ |
| PXI/PXIe-5651 | √ | √ | |
| PXI/PXIe-5652 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5653 | √ | — | |
| PXIe-5654 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5654 with PXIe-5696 Amplitude Extender | √ | √ | |
| Vector Signal Generator | PXI-5670 | √ | √ |
| PXI-5671 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5672 | √ | √ | |
| 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 10/8.1/7.
NI-RFSG has the following requirements:
*Depending on the amount of data acquired and/or processed, a larger amount of memory may be required.
Note Guest accounts are not supported under any OS.
NI-RFSG 18.0 and NI-RFSG Soft Front Panel 18.0 support the following operating systems:
1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.2. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 require Microsoft updates to support these items. Refer to Microsoft KB2919442 and KB2919355 for more information about how to install these updates.
2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.
Note In 2016 NI-RFSG dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. NI-RFSG 18.0 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-RFSG 18.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-RFSG 18.0, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.
For more information about the changes to our OS support for 2016, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does My NI ADE Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Windows Server 2003?.
Note Support for Windows 32-bit operating systems may require disabling physical address extension (PAE). To learn how this might affect your system and what actions you might need to take, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code PAESupport.
NI-RFSG supports the following application software versions, including service packs. You should install application software, such as LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing NI-RFSG. To add support for application software installed after installing NI-RFSG, modify your NI-RFSG installation or launch the NI-RFSG installer again. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.
| Application Software | Versions Supported by NI-RFSG |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | 2015 SP1, 2016, 2017 SP1, or 2018 |
| LabVIEW Real-Time Module | 2015 SP1, 2016, 2017, or 2018 |
| LabWindows/CVI | 2010 and later |
| LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module | 2010 and later |
Note When using NI-RFSG with LabVIEW Real-Time Module or LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module, the PXIe-5644/5645/5646, PXIe-5654/5654 with PXIe-5696, and the PXIe-5820/5840 are not supported.
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.
If you are using the NI-RFSG .NET Class Library, .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The NI-RFSG .NET Class Library can be used with Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET in any Visual Studio version that can target .NET Framework 4.0 or .NET Framework 4.5. For more information on .NET development using NI .NET drivers, visit ni.com/info and enter Info Code NETAPIdriversupport.
To install the NI-RFSG .NET Class Library, ensure that you select .NET Framework 4.5 Languages Support or .NET Framework 4.0 Languages Support in the NI-RFSG installer.
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 IVI\Drivers\niRFSG\niRFSG.fp.
You can use the NI-RFSG .NET Class library by adding a reference to NationalInstruments.ModularInstruments.NIRfsg.Fx40 or NationalInstruments.ModularInstruments.NIRfsg.Fx45 and any dependent class libraries from within the Solution Explorer in Visual Studio.
You can use the NI-RFSG C dynamically linked library by adding a reference to:
To launch the NI-RFSG SFP, navigate to Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFSG»NI-RFSG Soft Front Panel.
Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI to launch the NI Example Finder and navigate to Hardware Input and Output»Modular Instruments»NI-RFSG. You can also select the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword.
You can access all the installed NI-RFSA examples at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFSG»NI-RFSG Examples.
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.
Note To view PDFs, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can install the viewer from www.adobe.com/reader.
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 no longer installs IVI Compliance Package. NI-RFSG supports IVI configuration and runtime, but no longer supports the following features:
If you want to use the above features, you must install IVI Compliance Package separately, either from ni.com/downloads or from the NI Device Drivers 2018 DVD.
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 18.0 and NI-RFSG SFP 18.0.
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 17.1.2
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 664698 | Fixed an issue where a timeout error occurred when TClk was used with the PXIe-5820/5840 using the WLAN Toolkit. |
NI-RFSG 17.1
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 601860 | Fixed an issue where an error occurred when changing the device name of the PXIe-5840 in MAX. |
| 515837 | Fixed an issue where the PXIe-5654 device name persisted for other devices inserted into the same slot. |
| 640124 | Fixed an issue where the PXIe-5840 could show a slow phase drift below 400 MHz. |
| 541356 | Fixed an issue where attribute names did not show up correctly in I/O trace. |
| 479015 | Fixed an issue where the niRFSG Reset VI and the niRFSG_reset function did not re-enable the output for the PXIe-5645. |
| 573420 | Fixed an issue where the default value of the Impairment Enabled property and the NIRFSG_ATTR_IQ_IMPAIRMENT_ENABLED attribute for the PXIe-5644/5645/5646 was incorrect. |
| 637641 | Fixed an issue where the PXI-5671 would incorrectly error with markers on a quantum of two when the DUC (digital upconverter) was enabled. |
NI-RFSG 16.0
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 560185 | Fixed an issue where the power level is incorrect until the amplification path is specified on the PXIe-5654 with PXIe-5696. |
| 570905 | Fixed an issue where after first commit, changes to the Waveform Repeat Count property or NIRFSG_ATTR_WAVEFORM_REPEAT_COUNT attribute and Waveform Repeat Count Is Finite property or NIRFSG_ATTR_WAVEFORM_REPEAT_COUNT_IS_FINITE attribute are ignored. |
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 16.0
| Bug ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 575506 | Fixed an issue where changing external gain was not available for the PXIe-5644/5645/5646. |
NI-RFSG SFP 15.0.3
| Bug ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 549309 | Fixed an issue where incorrect power output occurred after self-calibration on the PXIe-5672. |
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.
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:
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.
When you install NI software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, 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. For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.
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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 NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.
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