Digital Instrument Cable and Accessory Compatibility

1. How to Use this Guide

It is important to work through this guide sequentially to identify and then pair up your device with compatible cables and accessories. To do this, complete the following steps:

1. Identify your device or module.
2. Find your module or device in the Device List.
3. Use the Cable and Accessory Compatibility Tables to identify your device.
4. Check the Known Limitations and Issues List for any known limitations you may encounter.
5. Note: Using the page search functionality in your browser to locate your model may speed up this process, typically CTRL+F on Windows or ⌘+F on MacOS.

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2. Depth and Coverage of the HSDIO Cable and Accessory Compatibility Guide

This guide covers a broad range of configurations, to stay concise, it is not intended to cover every potential combination or use case. The most common and recommended solutions are presented. Configurations with known limitations are noted.

This guide is intended to cover current, legacy, and recently obsoleted NI HSDIO hardware devices, and their cable and accessory options. It does not cover long-time end of life (EOL) NI HSDIO products, and does not cover EOL cable or accessory options. The guide is not intended to cover cable or accessory options for other NI hardware families such as RF, Source Measurement Units (SMUs), Switches, DAQ, C Series, or R Series.

• To find more information about other NI Digital Instrument accessories and general information that applies to all Digital accessories, visit the Digital Instrument Accessory Guide Main Page.
• To find more information about NI Digital Instrument cables and general information that applies to all Digital Instrument cables, visit Digital Instrument Cable Guide Main Page.
• To create your own cable or test fixture, or to repair an existing NI Digital Instrument cable or accessory, visit the Digital Instrument Custom Cables, Replacement Connectors and Screws Guide.

Some cables or accessories from other NI product families may share the same connector or visually appear the same, but typically come with limitations, incompatibilities, or safety concerns. For this reason, unless expressly mentioned in this guide, compatibility with other NI cables and accessories are not covered in this guide and are not recommended.

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3. Finding your Device or Module Model

These pages are arranged by first having you identify your hardware model and then choose the accessory or cable combination that best fits your needs. 

To start, your module or device's model number can be found on the physical device or in software.

How to locate your model number on the physical device:

If your device is already installed it may be easier to locate the model number in software, below.

• PCI and PCI Express (PCIe) devices: Model numbers are typically found on the faceplate of the card near the connector. Click here for an example. Some models also have the product family printed on the shielding of the card.
• PXI and PXI Express (PXIe) modules: Model numbers are typically found at the top of the faceplate of the card. Click here for an example.

How to locate your model number in software:

If you've already installed NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) and the device driver, complete the following steps.

1. Open NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX).
2. Select My System»Devices and Interfaces .
   • PCI, PCI Express (PCIe), and USB devices are listed as NI PCI-,NI PCIe- or NI USB- followed by the model number.
   • PXI and PXI Express (PXIe) modules are listed under their chassis, which you will have to click to expand. Modules are listed as NI PXI- or NI PXIe- followed by the model number.

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4. Device List

Use the following tables to locate your device or module. Once found, note your connector type, pin count, and any other notes for reference. Next move to the Cable and Accessory Compatibility Tables.

Important Note: "Group" used in this context is solely to categorize devices together that use the same cables and accessories. It does not necessarily indicate similar functionality, specifications, or other commonalities between the devices.

Group 1: VHDCI 68-Pin HSDIO Models, Devices and Modules

Group 2: SCSI 68-Pin HSDIO Models, Devices And Modules

Group 3: Infiniband Connector HSDIO Models, Devices and Modules

Group 4: 68-Pin Digital Pattern Models, Devices And Modules

Group 5: High-Speed Serial Models, Devices and Modules

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5. Cable and Accessory Compatibility Tables

Find the compatibility table that matches the pin count and connector type of your device. If you have questions on terminology, refer to the Glossary below. After you have identified the cable and accessory options for your device from this section, move to the Known Limitations and Issues List.

Note: To help keep the size down of the compatibility tables, the terms terminal block and connector block are used interchangeably.

Group 1: VHDCI 68-Pin HSDIO Models Device And Module

¹ Cable is offered in 0.5m, 1m, Low Leakage 1m, and 2m. For more information on Low Leakage Cables see Glossary.
² The 653x Cable Adapter is designed for use with the PCIe/PXIe 6535/6/7, the PCIe 6535B/6B/7B, the 654x series and the 655x series. It has not been tested and is not recommended for use with other NI products. If you plan to use the 653x Cable adapter please see the Known Limitations and Issues List. 

Click here to jump to the Known Limitations and Issues List.

Group 2: SCSI 68-Pin HSDIO Models, Devices And Modules

Click here to jump to the Known Limitations and Issues List.

Group 3: Infiniband Connector HSDIO Models, Devices and Modules

Click here to jump to the Known Limitations and Issues List.

Group 4: 68-Pin Digital Pattern Models, Devices And Modules

¹ Cable is offered in 0.5m, 1m, Low Leakage 1m, and 2m. For more information on Low Leakage Cables see Glossary.

Click here to jump to the Known Limitations and Issues List.

Group 5: High-Speed Serial Models, Devices and Modules

¹ Cable is offered in 0.5m, 1m, Low Leakage 1m, and 2m. For more information on Low Leakage Cables see Glossary.
³ The PXIe-6591 has both a Mini-SAS and VHDCI Connector. It requires a compatible cable and/or accessory for each connector.

Click here to jump to the Known Limitations and Issues List.

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6. Known Limitations and Issues List

This section is important to review because not every cable and accessory combination allows access to the full functionality of your NI Digital Instrument device or module. This list contains notes about known limitations when using certain combinations of HSDIO cables and accessories. If your device or cable is not listed in this section, there are no known exceptions for it.

Devices and Modules:

Accessories:

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7. Glossary

• SCSI 0.050 D-Type - Industry standard SCSI connector standard featuring 0.050 pin spacing that is used in 68 -position HSDIO cable and accessory connections. Click here for an example.
• Dual Stack - Two combined connectors stacked onto each other on a PCB-mount connector. Each connector accepts its own cable. Click here for an example.
• Flying Lead Cable - Shielded cable that breaks out single ended signals into two 0.1 inch header receptacles, one receptacle each for the signal and ground. Used for direct connectivity to 0.1” pitch header pins or probes. Click here for an example.
• Low Leakage Cable - The PCB surfaces of low-leakage cables are cleaned of contaminants during manufacturing, reducing induced current leakage.
• Shielded Cable - A high performance cable solution that offers noise reduction through shielded conductors. Click here for an example.
• Shielded Terminal Block or Connector Block - A high performance accessory solution offering very low-noise signal termination through shielding. Click here for an example.
• Unshielded Terminal Block or Connector Block - An alternative low cost accessory solution that does not offer shielding. Click here for an example.
• Very-High-Density Cable Interconnect (VHDCI) - An improvement on the SCSI 68-pin connector featuring .8 mm pin spacing, allowing a smaller footprint and fewer bent pins during connection. Click here for an example.

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8. Ordering Information

When purchasing an NI HSDIO device or module, for ease of use, the cables and accessories are listed on the product selection page.  To begin browsing NI HSDIO devices and modules, visit ni.com/digital-instruments/.

You may also purchase your cables and accessories separately. Click here to browse cables and terminal blocks for NI HSDIO devices and modules.

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9. Additional Resources

NI Digital Cable and Accessory Resources

• Digital Instrument Device Custom Cables, Replacement Connectors and Screws
• Digital Instruments Accessory Guide
  • Learn more about the SCB-68 HSDIO
  • Learn more about the 653x Cable Adapter
• Digital Instruments Cable Guide
  • Learn more about VHDCI cables for Digital Instruments
  • Learn more about Infiniband cables for Digital Instruments
• NI Product Manuals, Product Specifications, Installation Guides, and more
  • NI 653x Cable Adapter User Guide
  • NI PXIe/PCIe-6535/6536/6537 and NI PCIE-6535B/6536B/6537B Specifications
  • NI SHC68-C68-D4 Specifications
  • Digital Pattern Help
• Products and Services: Digital Instruments Devices, Modules, Cable and Accessories
• Products and Services: Digital Instrument Cables and Accessories

Other NI Cable and Accessory Compatibility Guides

• Learn about cable and accessory compatibility for DAQ Multifunction I/O Modules
• Learn about cable and accessory compatibility for DAQ Digital I/O Modules
• Learn about cable and accessory compatibility for C Series (cDAQ or cRIO) Modules
• Learn about cable and accessory compatibility for NI Switch Modules
• Learn about cable and accessory compatibility for 78xx R series Modules
• Learn about cable and accessory compatibility for NI Source Measurement Units (SMUs)