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Test Automation

"With NI LabVIEW software and NI hardware, we successfully integrated a complex mechanical test system with a personal computer system to provide control, data acquisition, reporting, and a user interface in a single window."

- Arun Venkataswamy - Pyramid Precision Engineering (India) Pvt. Ltd.

From initial design validation to the final production line, testing electrical or mechanical designs often involves varying a known stimulus and measuring the resulting response. Whether it is the pressure behind a valve, the vibration being applied to a vehicle suspension, or the simulation of sensors around an embedded controller, test systems can use I/O automation to ensure proper performance and reliability.

With PC-based data acquisition, you can take advantage of user-defined I/O and software flexibility to build a test system that meets your unique application requirements. You can select the correct combination of I/O; configure any special timing or triggering functionality; and implement custom signal processing, test sequencing, and report generation. In addition, PC-based test systems offer easy integration with existing systems and instruments, all with low-cost PC system components and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.


Data acquisition hardware adds inputs and outputs (I/O) to standard laptop and desktop computers to turn a general-purpose PC into a flexible, high-performance test system. You can select the exact I/O specifications you need and the type of I/O timing and triggering functionality you require, as well as customize software for user-defined processing, analysis, test sequencing, and report generation.

NI CompactDAQ Environmental Test Station

NI CompactDAQ hardware, featuring modular I/O and easy-to-use software, provides USB plug-and-play simplicity to sensor and electrical measurements. This complete test solution for environmental measurements features:

  • 4- or 8-slot USB chassis to interface with I/O modules
  • Configurable options for temperature, strain, vibration, and voltage measurements
  • Recommendations for sensors, accessories, and software

View USB Test System

NI X Series Test Automation System

NI X Series multifunction data acquisition (DAQ) hardware provides analog inputs, analog outputs, hardware-timed digital I/O, and four counter/timers on a single device, making it a cost-effective solution for basic device-under-test (DUT) characterization and test automation. This PXI-based test system includes:

  • Up to 32 analog inputs, 4 analog outputs, and 48 digital I/O lines per device
  • Four 32-bit counter/timers for PWM, encoders, frequency measurements, and more
  • PXI synchronization for multiple devices, with PCI Express or ExpressCard interface options

View PXI Test System

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Top Five Advantages for PC-Based Test Automation

  • User-defined I/O operation
  • High-performance streaming, processing, and storage
  • Customizable test sequencing and report generation
  • Integration with existing systems and instruments
  • Lower costs with PC components and COTS hardware


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