From 14-sample/s DAQ to 6.6-GHz PXI—with a helping of software
-- Test & Measurement World, 8/13/2008 1:30:00 PM
Introductions by National Instruments at its annual NIWeek event covered the gamut from low-frequency data-acquisition modules to RF instrumentation—with a healthy helping of software included all along the way. Leading off among the new offerings was LabViewversion 8.6, followed by WiFi and Ethernet data-acquisition (DAQ) devices, 6.6-GHz PXI RF signal analyzers and generators, and reconfigurable I/O (RIO) devices. The company, in conjunction with Lego, even announced a new educational robotics platform.
The new version 8.6 of the LabView graphical-system-design software platform for control, test, and embedded system development offers new control capabilities for wireless data-acquisition (DAQ) products and adds features that make the most of multicore processing. With respect to multicore processing, the new version can automatically assign a processor to a specific task, and it’s available with more than 1200 data-analysis functions optimized for use with multicore processors. (See related article, “LabView 8.6 adds wireless, enhances multicore and FPGA features.”)
To complement LabView 8.6’s wireless DAQ control capabilities, National Instruments debuted 10 WiFi and Ethernet data-acquisition devices. The new wireless and Ethernet DAQ devices include built-in signal conditioning and direct sensor connectivity for electrical, physical, mechanical, and acoustic signals. The new NI WiFi DAQ devices can stream 24-bit-wide data on each of four channels at rates from 14 samples/s for a thermocouple application to more than 50 ksamples/s for IEPE (integrated electronics piezo electric) accelerometer and microphone applications. Prices start at $699 for WiFi devices and $599 for wired Ethernet devices.
The company also announced that it is extending the measurement range of its PXI RF instrument lineup beyond 6 GHz. The company debuted two instruments, the NI PXIe-5663 6.6-GHz RF vector signal analyzer and the NI PXIe-5673 6.6-GHz RF vector signal generator, as well as the NI PXIe-1075 18-slot high-bandwidth chassis (see related article, “Speed, flexibility key for RF PXI instruments”). Use of the instruments with LabView 8.6 improves measurement speed, the company reports, by allowing the hardware-software combination to take advantage of multicore processing.
The eight new sbRIO-96xx RIO devices combine an embedded real-time processor, reconfigurable field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and analog and digital I/O on a single printed-circuit board (PCB). Engineers and scientists can use the LabView graphical-system design platform to customize the single-board RIO hardware as well as to facilitate the development of their embedded systems. The new RIO devices feature an industrial 266-MHz or 400-MHz Freescale MPC5200 processor built on Power Architecture technology, the Wind River VxWorks real-time operating system (RTOS), and a Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA. The onboard analog and digital I/O connects directly to the FPGA to provide low-level customization of timing and I/O signal processing. (See related article, "Reconfigurable module targets embedded designs.")
Finally at NIWeek, National Instruments and Lego Education announced that they are continuing their educational robotics collaboration with the new Lego Education WeDo classroom robotics platform. Powered by LabView, Lego Education WeDo software is a drag-and-drop, icon-based environment that students ages 7 to 11 can use to program their own robotics inventions. (See related article, “National Instruments and Lego announce educational software.”)
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