NI-Digital Pattern Driver 2023 Q3 Readme

July 2023

This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI-Digital Pattern Driver 2023 Q3.

You can find more release information on ni.com.


Overview

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

Accessing the API

Product Security and Critical Updates

Supported Hardware

Accessing the Documentation

Finding Examples

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


Overview

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).

System Requirements

NI-Digital Pattern Driver 2023 Q3 has the following requirements:

Minimum System Requirements

  • 4 GB RAM
  • A screen resolution of 1024 x 768

Recommended System

  • 8 GB RAM

Supported Operating Systems

The NI-Digital Pattern Driver and the Digital Pattern Editor 2023 Q3 support the following operating systems with all available critical updates and service packs:

  • Windows 11
  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2022
  • Windows Server 2019

Application Software Support

NI-Digital Pattern Driver and Digital Pattern Editor 2023 Q3 support the following application software versions, including service packs.

Application Software Versions Supported by NI-Digital Pattern Driver and Digital Pattern Editor 2023 Q3
LabVIEW2020 and later
NI TestStand2016 and later (64-bit)
NI TestStand Semiconductor Module™2016 and later (64-bit)
Microsoft Visual Studio2010 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.

Microsoft Visual Studio 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 Q3 .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.

Python Support

For more information on installing and using the NI-Digital Python API, refer to the nidigital module.

Installation Instructions

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.

  • Use the serial number that is included with your software to activate the NI-Digital Pattern Driver and Digital Pattern Editor. For more information on NI-Digital Pattern Driver and Digital Pattern Editor activation, refer to NI Software Activation.
  • Accessing the API

    LabVIEW

    The NI–Digital Pattern Driver palette VIs are available from the following location:

    • Functions»Measurement I/O»NI–Digital palette or Functions»Instrument I/O»Instrument Drivers»NI–Digital palette

    .NET Class Library

    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.

    C

    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.

    Updated LabVIEW Compatibility Policy

    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

    Product Security and Critical Updates

    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.

    Supported Hardware

    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:

    • Select your hardware model in the dropdown list on the page to view compatibility information for your device.
    • Type your hardware model number in the dropdown list on the web page to filter the list of available devices.

    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.

    Accessing the Documentation

    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 Help—Contains information about using the Digital Pattern Editor with a Digital Pattern Instrument and NI-Digital Pattern Driver software for digital testing of semiconductors, or devices under test (DUTs). Includes references for the NI-Digital Pattern Driver VIs and properties, the NI-Digital Pattern Driver C functions, and the NI-Digital Pattern .NET Class Library.

    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:

    • PXIe-6570 Getting Started Guide—Contains information about installing, configuring, and testing the PXIe-6570.
    • PXIe-6570 Specifications—Lists technical specifications for the PXIe-6570.
    • PXIe-6570 Safety, Environmental, and Regulatory Information—Contains information about safely operating the PXIe-6570.
    • PXIe-6571 Getting Started Guide—Contains information about installing, configuring, and testing the PXIe-6571.
    • PXIe-6571 Specifications—Lists technical specifications for the PXIe-6571.
    • PXIe-6571 Safety, Environmental, and Regulatory Information—Contains information about safely operating the PXIe-6571.

    Finding Examples

    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.

    NI-Digital Pattern Driver Examples

    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.

    LabVIEW Examples

    Use the NI Example Finder to locate LabVIEW examples. In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder.

    Microsoft .NET Examples

    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.

    C Examples

    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.

    Automating the Installation of NI Products

    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.

    Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 11

    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.

    Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

    For more information about NI support for Windows 10, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10.

    Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

    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 No Longer Supports Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System

    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.