NI Announces New Multichannel Mixed-Signal Instruments to Lower Cost and Size of Automated Test Systems

05/10/2017

National Instruments, the provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, announced the release of a new family of PXI arbitrary waveform generators with up to two channels and 80 MHz of analog bandwidth in a single slot, and a new 100 MHz, 8-channel oscilloscope that builds on NI’s expertise in high-density and software-designed instruments in PXI. Engineers can achieve high-performance signal generation and measure complex waveforms with these new low-cost, compact mixed-signal instruments in a modular form factor.

The new PXIe-5413, PXIe-5423, and PXIe-5433 arbitrary waveform generators deliver -92 dB of spurious-free dynamic range and 435 fs integrated system jitter while providing precise waveform adjustment when used with a dedicated standard waveform generation engine. With a new fractional resampling architecture for arbitrary waveform generation, similar dynamic range and jitter performance is available independent of user sample rate. Users also benefit from the high-speed waveform streaming capabilities and multiple-instrument synchronization synonymous with PXI.

Key features of the PXIe-54x3 arbitrary waveform generators include:

• Up to two independently controlled output channels
• Maximum ±12 V and minimum ±7.75 mV output ranges
• Options for 20, 40 and 80 MHz in a single PXI slot

The new PXIe-5172 oscilloscope includes a user-programmable FPGA. Engineers can use LabVIEW to customize this oscilloscope’s firmware, such as adding in-line signal processing or advanced triggering.

Key features of the PXIe-5172 oscilloscope include:

• Highly flexible with 100 MHz, 250 MS/s and 8 channels
• Input voltage range of up to 80 V peak-to-peak with ±20 V DC offset
• Support for external sample and reference clocks

“Test engineers need the best technology available at the right price and channel counts to meet their cost, complexity and time-to-market requirements,” said Luke Schreier, director of automated test product marketing at NI. “The new family of arbitrary waveform generators provide software continuity with our NI-FGEN drivers for simple technology insertion, and the new oscilloscope includes a user-programmable FPGA to customize functionality for different applications. We believe the software-centric and standardized hardware approach in PXI for automated test, both in the laboratory and production environments, offers the flexibility to balance continuous innovation with proven measurement technologies.”

PXI arbitrary waveform generators and oscilloscopes are important parts of the NI platform and ecosystem that engineers can use to build smarter test systems. These test systems are built on more than 600 NI PXI products ranging from DC to mmWave and feature high-throughput data movement using PCI Express bus interfaces and sub-nanosecond synchronization with integrated timing and triggering. Supported by a vibrant ecosystem of partners, add-on IP and applications engineers, the NI platform helps engineers lower the cost of test, reduce time to market and future-proof testers for tomorrow’s challenging requirements.

www.ni.com

Company profile:  National Instruments