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NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 Readme

March 2018


This file contains important information about the NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit and is organized into the following sections:


New Features

Supported Hardware

System Requirements

Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples

Documentation

Accessing VIs and Functions

Finding Examples

NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

Product Security and Critical Updates

Toolkit Version Naming Changes

Uninstalling/Modifying NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit

Known Issues

Bug Fixes

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

Legal Information


New Features

NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2018 (32- and 64-bit)


NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 17.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2017 (32- and 64-bit)


NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 16.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2016 (32- and 64-bit)


Supported Hardware

Vector Signal Generators

  • NI PXI-5670
  • NI PXI-5671
  • NI PXIe-5672
  • NI PXIe-5673
  • NI PXIe-5673E

Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI RF Signal Generators Help.


Arbitrary Waveform Generators

  • NI PXIe-5442
  • NI PXIe-5450
  • NI PXIe-5451

Vector Signal Analyzers

  • NI PXI-5660
  • NI PXI-5661
  • NI PXIe-5663
  • NI PXIe-5663E
  • NI PXIe-5665
  • NI PXIe-5668R

Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI RF Vector Signal Analyzers Help.


Vector Signal Transceivers

  • NI PXIe-5644R
  • NI PXIe-5645R
  • NI PXIe-5646R

Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI RF Vector Signal Transceivers Help.


Digitizers

  • NI PXI-5621
  • NI PXI-5620
  • NI PXI-5122
  • NI PXI-5124
  • NI PCI-5122
  • NI PCI-5124
  • NI PXI-5922
  • NI PXI-5142
  • NI PXIe-5122
  • NI PXIe-5622

Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI High-Speed Digitizers Help.


System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 supports the following operating systems:


  • Windows 10/8.11/7 SP12 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2012 R21 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP12 (64-bit)

1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.1. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 require Microsoft updates to support these items. Refer to Microsoft KB2919442 and KB2919355 for more information about how to install these updates.


2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1, Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.


Note  NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 and later does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.


NI recommends that you have the most recent service pack for your operating system installed.


Supported Real-Time Operating Environments

NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 and later supports the following real-time operating environments:


Minimum Requirements

  • Processor—1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
  • RAM—1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
  • A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768
  • Windows 10/8.1/7, with all available critical updates and service packs

Recommended System

  • Processor—Intel Core i5 or equivalent
  • RAM—4 GB
  • A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768
  • Windows 10/8.1/7, with all available critical updates and service packs
  • If your application runs on an RT target, NI recommends that you have at least 128 MB of RAM

Note   Instrument drivers are not required for NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit operation in simulation mode. However, the toolkit installs examples for the supported drivers if they are present on the system.


Application Development Environments (ADEs)

Note  You should install ADEs, such as NI LabVIEW before installing NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit. To add support for ADEs installed after installing NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit, modify your NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit installation or launch the NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit installer again.


  • NI LabVIEW 2015 SP1, 2016, 2017 SP1, or 2018
  • NI LabVIEW Real-Time Module 2015 SP1, 2016, 2017, or 2018
  • If your application runs on an RT target, NI recommends that you have at least 128 MB of RAM

Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples

Installed Software

  • <NIDIR> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    • (32-bit OS) Program Files\National Instruments
    • (64-bit OS) Program Files (x86)\National Instruments for 32-bit programs and Program Files\National Instruments for 64-bit programs
  • <labVIEW> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    • <NIDIR>\LabVIEW <year>

File Locations

Item Installed Location
VIs <labVIEW>\vi.lib\addons\Modulation
Examples <labVIEW>\examples\Modulation

Documentation

Documentation for NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Modulation Toolkit»Modulation Toolkit Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.


Document Format Description
NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit Help HTML/Windows Help Information about NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit product. The help is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
  • An introduction to NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit
  • A complete reference for all NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit programming VIs
NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit Readme HTML (this document) Information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices.

For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.


Accessing VIs and Functions

NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit palette VIs are available from the Functions»RF Communications»Modulation palette.


Finding Examples

In LabVIEW, you can use the NI Example Finder to search or browse examples. NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit examples are classified by keyword, so you can search for a particular device or measurement function. In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder. The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs (including NI–RFSG and NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit examples) and their descriptions:


  • Click the Browse tab to locate modulation examples by task at Toolkit and Modules»Modulation or by directory structure at Modulation.
  • Click the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword. For example, search for "Modulation" to locate all NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit examples.

You can also access all the installed NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit examples for LabVIEW at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Modulation Toolkit»Modulation Toolkit Examples.


Examples also are available online that demonstrate integrating NI RF signal generators with NI RF signal analyzers and NI toolkit software including the NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit. Refer to ni.com/examples for these examples and for more information.


NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 Drops Support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

With this release, NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit drops support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack), Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 and later will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.


For more information about the changes to our OS support for 2018, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does my LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, Measurement Studio, or TestStand Built Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Server 2003?.


Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.


Toolkit Version Naming Changes

NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit versions are now aligned with the versions of major NI application software products. This alignment gives you information about the year the toolkit was released and the most recent software version the toolkit was designed to work with. Toolkit versions now start with a two-digit year indicator: <ProductName><Year-BasedVersion>. For example, NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2018. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 4.4. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 15.0.


Uninstalling/Modifying NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit

For Windows 7, complete the following steps:


  1. Launch the Control Panel by selecting Start»Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Programs and Features.
  3. Select National Instruments Software.
  4. Click the Uninstall/Change button.
  5. Select NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 from the dialog box that appears.
  6. Click Remove to uninstall the product; click Modify to change the components that are installed.

For Windows 10/8.1, complete the following steps:


  1. Right-click on the Start button.
  2. Select Control Panel.
  3. Select Programs»Programs and Features.
  4. Select National Instruments Software.
  5. Click the Uninstall button.
  6. Select NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 from the dialog box that appears.
  7. Click Remove to uninstall the product; click Modify to change the components that are installed.

Note  Do not attempt to uninstall by manually deleting files.


Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0 Known Issues at ni.com for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 18.0.


Bug Fixes

The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in the NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of the NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate that the issue has been fixed.


The following items are changes in NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 15.0 from NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 4.4.


ID Fixed Issue
521869 Fixed an issue where the MT examples for NI-Scope had an NI-RFSA dependency.
525695 Fixed an issue where OQPSK intermittently reported NaN as the result for the I/Q Gain Imbalance and the Quadrature Skew measurements.
508707 Fixed an issue where intermittent loss of samples occurred during continuous digital demodulation.

The following items are changes in NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 4.4 from NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 4.3.4.


ID Fixed Issue
389508 Fixed DWarn 0x262C7578.
402017 Fixed an issue where MSK demodulation returned a high EVM.
462305 Fixed an issue where MSK recovered an incorrect constellation when the pulse shaping filter was set to None.
362507 Fixed an issue where installing MT 4.3.3 did not install the digital modulation related files on LabVIEW 2012.
404991 Fixed an issue where controls could not be created for the Modulation Toolkit classes.
415930 Fixed an issue where the OQPSK demodulation did not lock to the constellation consistently.
426459 Fixed an issue where EVM variations were observed in 8-PSK and 16-PSK demodulation.

The following items are changes in NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 4.3.4 from NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 4.3.3.


ID Fixed Issue
362507 Fixed an issue where installing NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit 4.3.3 did not install Digital Modulation Toolkit VIs on LabVIEW 2012.
374121 Fixed an issue where NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit did not install on LabVIEW 2012.
404822 Fixed an issue where multiple shortcuts to documents were present in the Start Menu folder for the NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit.

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. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.


If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, 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 4.0 separately before you install NI software.


For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:


Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.


Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher. For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.



Legal Information

Copyright


© 2002–2018 National Instruments. All rights reserved.


Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.


National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.


End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices


You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:


  • Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
  • EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
  • Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.

U.S. Government Restricted Rights


If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.


IVI Foundation Copyright Notice


Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.


The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.


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Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on National Instruments trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.


Patents


For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.


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