Advantages of the Software-Defined Test Approach
Engineers have used software-defined instrumentation to create demanding automated test and measurement applications for more than 20 years. Its widespread adoption is due to the increasing test challenges that are causing engineers to search for more flexibility, greater performance, and lower cost. Examine the following advantages of using NI software with PXI modular instrumentation over traditional architectures based on stand-alone "box" instruments.
Architecture System Compare
Software-Defined
The software resides on the host PC, allowing user-defined measurements and analysis in real time. You can further extend the flexibility by deploying algorithms to an FPGA for increased performance.
Traditional
Traditional instruments have a fixed software architecture with most of the functionality defined inside the box by the vendor. You are often limited to performing custom analysis offline on the full data sets.
Software-Defined
The core of the integrated hardware architecture is the high-performance PCI/PCI Express data bus that links the modular instruments and embedded controller. System-level synchronization is available through a built-in advanced timing and triggering bus.
Traditional
Each box instrument is connected to a host PC through an external data bus, such as GPIB, USB, LXI, and LAN. Synchronization is typically available through external BNCs and some LXI instruments support IEEE 1588 synchronization.
Software-Defined
The modular architecture shares the PC, chassis, power supply, and display across all instruments. This architecture allows you to deploy up to 17 instruments in the same footprint as a single box instrument.
Traditional
Box instruments are optimized for stand-alone use on the bench, which requires them to have a redundant mechanical enclosure, processor, power supply, and display.
PCI Express – Highest Performance Bus
Software-defined systems, based on PXI, take full advantage of commercial PC technologies, such as Intel multicore processors and PCI/PCI Express. PCI Express is the highest bandwidth (up to 4 GB/s) data bus that delivers up to 10 times higher bandwidth and 100 times less latency than LAN. This performance results in much lower test times.
More Than 1,500 Instruments from 70+ Vendors
PXI modules are available from DC to 26.5 GHz, including the industry’s highest-resolution digitizer with 24 bits of resolution and the industry’s fastest, most accurate 7 ½ digit digital multimeter (DMM). If required, you can easily connect a traditional box instrument to meet your measurement needs.
Software-Defined Instrumentation Lowers Cost of Test
Realized Cost Savings
See how companies are benefitting from software-defined instrumentation by lowering cost, improving performance, and decreasing system size.
Reference Systems
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