July 2019
This file contains important information about RFIC Test Software, including new features, supported hardware, a partial list of bugs fixed for RFIC Test Software 19.0, and known issues.
Driver and Add-On Requirements
Product Security and Critical Updates
Automating the Installation of NI Products
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
RFIC Test Software Drops Support for Windows 7 (64-Bit) and Windows Server 2008 in 2021
RFIC Test Software enables you to explore testing advanced RF integrated circuit (RFIC) devices featuring envelope tracking (ET), digital predistortion (DPD), and hardware-accelerated power servoing. Available measurements include adjacent channel power (ACP), spectral emission mask (SEM), error vector magnitude (EVM), AM-to-AM, and AM-to-PM. To set up measurements for your device, use the installed examples or the RFIC Test Soft Front Panel (SFP).
The getting started guide for your device provides information about how to install, configure, test, and begin using your hardware.
RFIC Test Software 19.0:
RFIC Test Software 3.0:
RFIC Test Software 2.5:
RFIC Test Software 2.3:
RFIC Test Software 2.2:
RFIC Test Software 2.1:
Note This release provides no official support for WLAN measurements using the PXIe-5840.
RFIC Test Software 2.0:
The following table shows which hardware products are supported in RFIC Test Software. The following hardware products are supported in all operating systems listed in the Supported Operating Systems section.
| Hardware Product | Hardware Model | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Vector Signal Transceiver | PXIe-5646 | Hardware-accelerated power servoing |
| PXIe-5830 | ||
| PXIe-5831 | ||
| PXIe-5840 | ||
| PXIe-5820 | Envelope waveform generation when testing ET devices under test (DUTs) | |
| Waveform Generator | PXIe-5451 | Envelope waveform generation when testing ET DUTs Note For DEVM measurements, use the PXIe-5820. |
| Oscilloscope | PXIe-5162 |
|
| PXIe-5185 | ||
| PXIe-5186 | ||
| Source Measure Unit | PXIe-4139 | (Optional) Vcc sourcing and system PAE measurements |
| PXIe-414x |
RFIC Test Software has the following minimum requirements:
NI recommends 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.
RFIC Test Software 19.0 supports Windows 10/8.11/72 (64-bit).
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, Windows Embedded Standard 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 Refer to RFIC Test Software Drops Support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-Bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and All 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems in 2021 for information about future OS support.
RFIC Test Software supports the following application software versions, including service packs. You should install application software, such as LabVIEW or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing RFIC Test Software. To add support for application software installed after installing RFIC Test Software, modify your RFIC Test Software installation or launch the RFIC Test Software installer again. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.
| Application Software | Versions Supported by RFIC Test Software |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | 2016, 2017 SP1, 2018 SP1, or 2019 |
| Microsoft Visual Studio | 2010 SP1 and later |
Note RFIC Test Software will not operate correctly without the service packs previously mentioned.
If you are using the RFIC Test Software .NET Class Library, .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The RFIC Test Software .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.
To use the .NET API, you must install 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 National Instruments .NET Driver Support.
RFIC Test Software requires the following driver and add-on versions:
¹ Installation and licensing are only required for standard-specific measurements.
² Requires a valid license.
Note The run-time versions of these products are sufficient to run the RFIC Test Soft Front Panel.
ETSync VIs are available in LabVIEW from the Functions»Addons»ET palette.
Power Servo VIs are available in LabVIEW from the Functions»User Libraries»NI Power Servoing IP palette.
NanoSemi Linearizer VIs are available in LabVIEW from the Functions»User Libraries»NanoSemi Linearizer palette.
You can use the ETSync .NET Class library by adding a reference to niETSync.cs, niETUtil.cs, and niFGEN.cs from C:\Users\Public\Documents\National Instruments\NI-ETSync\DotNET Wrappers\CS\ and any dependent class libraries from within the Solution Explorer in Visual Studio.
You can use the Power Servo .NET Class library by adding a reference to niVSTPowerServo.cs, niRFSA.cs, and niInteropCommon.cs from C:\Users\Public\Documents\National Instruments\FPGA Power Servo\DotNET Wrappers\CS\ and any dependent class libraries from within the Solution Explorer in Visual Studio.
You can use the ETSync C dynamically linked library by adding a reference to: Program Files (x86)\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niETsync_32.dll for 32-bit development or Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niETSync_64.dll for 64-bit development.
You can use the Power Servo C dynamically linked library by adding a reference to: Program Files (x86)\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niVSTPowerServo_32.dll for 32-bit development or Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niVSTPowerServo_64.dll for 64-bit development.
To launch the RFIC Test SFP, navigate to Start»All Programs»National Instruments»RFIC Test Soft Front Panel.
All installed RFIC Test Software examples for LabVIEW, C, and .NET are accessible from Start»All Programs»National Instruments»RFIC Test Software»RFIC Examples.
Documentation for RFIC Test Software is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»RFIC Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.
| Document | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| RFIC Test Software Manual | Contains primary help content for RFIC Test Software products. The manual 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. | |
| RFIC Test Software Readme | HTML (this document) | Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices. |
| ETSync API Reference | Contains information about configuring hardware for use with the ETSync API and a complete reference for ETSync VIs, properties, and functions. | |
| Power Servo Theory of Operation | Contains theory of operation information on power servoing and a complete reference for Power Servo VIs, properties, and functions. |
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/acrobat.
NI installs RFIC Test Software using NI Package Manager. If you do not already have NI software installed, RFIC Test Software installs NI Package Manager to handle the installation of your NI software. Visit ni.com/r/NIPMDownload to download NI Package Manager. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.
Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates and security notifications from National Instruments.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Visit RFIC Test Software 19.0 Known Issues for an up-to-date list of known issues.
The following items are a subset of issues fixed between RFIC Test Software revisions. This section is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of RFIC Test Software.
The following items are a subset of issues fixed between RFIC Test SFP revisions. This section is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of RFIC Test 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.
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.
RFIC Test Software will drop support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and all 32-bit Windows operating systems starting in 2021. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, may not install or execute correctly on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.
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 |
Copyright
© 2004–##year## National Instruments. All rights reserved.
Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.
NI respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.
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:
U.S. Government Restricted Rights
If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.
IVI Foundation Copyright Notice
Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.
The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Trademarks
Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
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.
377985A-01