April 2023
This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI-Digital Pattern Driver 2023 Q2.
You can find more release information on ni.com.
Product Security and Critical Updates
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 11
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Unsupported Windows Operating Systems
NI no longer supports Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System
Use the NI Digital Pattern Editor with a Digital Pattern Instrument and the NI-Digital Pattern Driver software for digital testing of semiconductors, or devices under test (DUTs).
NI-Digital Pattern Driver 2023 Q2 has the following requirements:
The NI-Digital Pattern Driver and the Digital Pattern Editor 2023 Q2 support the following operating systems with all available critical updates and service packs:
NI-Digital Pattern Driver and Digital Pattern Editor 2023 Q2 support the following application software versions, including service packs.
| Application Software | Versions Supported by NI-Digital Pattern Driver and Digital Pattern Editor 2023 Q2 |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | 2020 and later |
| NI TestStand | 2016 and later (64-bit) |
| NI TestStand Semiconductor Module™ | 2016 and later (64-bit) |
| Microsoft Visual Studio | 2010 and later (.NET versions 4.0 and 4.5) |
Note: You must install the NI-DCPower driver to access NI-DCPower-related functionality in the Digital Pattern Editor.
Note: You must install the NI-Sync driver to access NI-Sync-related functionality.
This product no longer supports LabVIEW NXG. Refer to LabVIEW NXG on ni.com for more information about LabVIEW NXG Life-Cycle Dates and driver version support.
If you are using the NI-Digital Pattern Driver .NET Class Library, .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The NI-Digital Pattern Driver 2023 Q2 .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 .NET Resources for NI Hardware and Software.
For more information on installing and using the NI-Digital Python API, refer to the nidigital module.
Download the NI-Digital Pattern Driver installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Documentation for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using Package Manager.
After installing your software, you will need to activate it. Activating your software verifies the licenses associated with your NI account, so you can start using your software. You have different options for activation, based on your software and how it was purchased. Please visit ni.com/activate for more information on activation methods.
If Windows Update is enabled, the installation process might hang if Windows Update interferes with the installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Run-Time. Visit ni.com/r/exjq43 for more information and steps to resolve this issue.
If you purchased this product with an NI Software Suite or NI Product Bundle, use the installation method of the Suite or Bundle.
The NI–Digital Pattern Driver palette VIs are available from the following location:
You can 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 Visual Studio.
You can use the NI-Digital Pattern C dynamically linked library by adding a reference to C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niDigital_64.dll for 64-bit development.
The "NI-Digital Pattern Driver Support for LabVIEW" package supports applications using NI-Digital Pattern Driver with LabVIEW 2022 or later [1]. When you install NI-Digital Pattern Driver on LabVIEW 2022 or later, this package is recommended and will install to the LVAddons directory.
LVAddons directory location: C:\Program Files\NI\LVAddons
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. For information about critical updates from NI, refer to Available Critical and Security Updates for NI Software.
Visit NI Hardware and Software Operating System Compatibility to view driver, desktop operating system, and real-time operating system support for individual hardware devices.
To view information for your device:
Note: Some compatibility information may only be available in the archive attached to the NI Hardware and Software Operating System Compatibility page. For historic driver and OS support information, refer to the readme for the relevant driver version.
Refer to the NI-Digital Pattern Driver documentation, accessible from Help»LabVIEW Help..., for information about the NI-Digital Pattern Driver. The installed documentation set is composed of the following document:
Digital Pattern Instrument manuals are available as PDFs. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to view the PDFs. You can install the viewer from www.adobe.com/acrobat.
For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/docs. Digital Pattern Instrument manuals include the following documents:
Use the getting started examples, located by default in the <Public Documents>\National Instruments\NI-Digital\Examples\Getting Started directory, to help you learn key concepts or to serve as a starting point for applications you create. You can also access the getting started examples by selecting the Start menu and navigating to NI Digital Pattern Examples in the National Instruments folder.
In the Welcome window of the Digital Pattern Editor, click Examples or click the Learning tab to launch the Learning window, which includes examples of common usages of digital patterns.
Use the NI-Digital Pattern Driver example programs to learn more about how to use the NI-Digital Pattern Driver software to configure and control digital pattern instruments.
Use the NI Example Finder to locate LabVIEW examples. In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder.
The Microsoft .NET examples are located in the <Public Documents>\National Instruments\NI-Digital\Examples\DotNET 4.x directory. In the Start menu, navigate to NI Digital Pattern Examples in the National Instruments folder.
The C examples are located in the <Public Documents>\National Instruments\NI-Digital\Examples\C directory. In the Start menu, navigate to NI Digital Pattern Examples in the National Instruments folder.
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 4.6.2, 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 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager documentation.
Microsoft Windows 11 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. For more information about NI support for Windows 11, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 11.
For more information about NI support for Windows 10, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10.
NI-Digital Pattern Driver no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. 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 https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.
NI Software no longer supports Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2022, may not install or execute correctly on this operating system. For high-level information on the support roadmap for Phar Lap and its replacement, NI Linux Real-Time, visit ni.com/r/xf35k1. To find out what hardware is supported on PXI controllers running NI Linux Real-Time, visit ni.com/r/b7g5wi.