NI Single-Board RIO FAQ

1. How many NI Single-Board RIO products are available?
2. Which displays work with NI Single-Board RIO?
3. How do I add other I/O types to NI Single-Board RIO?
4. Where can I get the mechanical drawings for NI Single-Board RIO?
5. With which specifications and certifications does NI Single-Board RIO comply?
6. Does National Instruments provide any enclosures for NI Single-Board RIO?
7. How do I program NI Single-Board RIO?
8. Can I program NI Single-Board RIO in C/C++?
9. How much does NI Single-Board RIO cost?
10. How can I port code from NI CompactRIO to NI Single-Board RIO?

How many NI Single-Board RIO products are available?

The NI Single-Board RIO systems are differentiated by processor speed, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) size, amount of memory, expansion connectivity, and I/O combinations. For more information on which models include specific features, see Table 1. All NI Single-Board RIO products share the NI RIO architecture, which includes a real-time processor, a reconfigurable FPGA, and I/O.

Table 1. NI Single-Board RIO Systems

Which displays work with NI Single-Board RIO?

NI human machine interfaces (HMIs) are fully compatible with NI Single-Board RIO. This includes the NI TPC-2006 and the TPC-2012 touch panels. If you need a simpler, lower-cost display for your embedded system, several serial-based (RS232) displays have been tested with NI Single-Board RIO. This includes simple character LCDs and more complex LCDs up to full-color touch-panel interfaces. For instrument drivers and information about the RS232-based displays that have been tested with NI Single-Board RIO, view the Adding a User Interface to Your Embedded System white paper.

How do I add other I/O types to NI Single-Board RIO?

In addition to built-in I/O, NI Single-Board RIO offers two primary methods for expanding the number and types of I/O available.  The sbRIO-9605, sbRIO-9606, sbRIO-9623, and sbRIO-9626 feature a RIO Mezzanine Card connector, which is a high-bandwidth, high-density connector providing direct access to FPGA DIO lines and processor-specific functions.  The RIO Mezzanine Card connector is the primary method for interfacing custom RIO Mezzanine Cards, or daughter cards, with NI Single-Board RIO.

NI Single-Board RIO devices with no RIO Mezzanine Card connector contains three expansion slots for board-only versions of C Series I/O modules. The NI Single-Board RIO Product Selection Guide features an updated list of board-only C Series modules. In addition to board-only C Series modules, all C Series modules for prototyping with CompactRIO are compatible with NI Single-Board RIO. The C Series modules for CompactRIO are slightly larger than the board-only versions, so they overlap with neighboring slots on NI Single-Board RIO devices. Therefore, if you are using any C Series modules for CompactRIO with NI Single-Board RIO, you can use only two of the expansion slots. 

Figure 1. NI Single-Board RIO with Three Board-Level C Series Expansion I/O Modules

Figure 2. NI Single-Board RIO with Two C Series Expansion I/O Modules Attached

Where can I get the mechanical drawings for NI Single-Board RIO?

You can find and download mechanical drawings of all NI Single-Board RIO products online. To access the mechanical drawings for NI Single-Board RIO products, navigate to ni.com/dimensions and search for "sbRIO."

With which specifications and certifications does NI Single-Board RIO comply?

Visit ni.com/certifications for information on certifications and ratings for NI hardware.

NOTE: Packaged CompactRIO embedded systems from NI offer additional mechanical and safety certifications for industrially rugged and harsh environments.

Does National Instruments provide any enclosures for NI Single-Board RIO?

No. National Instruments does not have any enclosures for NI Single-Board RIO products. NI offers the CompactRIO industrial and embedded system, which is a packaged version of NI Single-Board RIO. A variety of third-party companies, such as Hoffman, offer enclosures for extreme environments that you can use with any NI products including NI Single-Board RIO.

When choosing or building an enclosure for an NI Single-Board RIO device, you need to consider applicable safety and electromagnetic standards in all the countries you intend to sell your end solution. To assist in that process, National Instruments has created a white paper regarding Electromagnetic Compatibility Considerations for NI Single-Board RIO.

How do I program NI Single-Board RIO?

NI LabVIEW is the development tool for programming all aspects of your NI Single-Board RIO embedded application. LabVIEW is a graphical programming language where functions are represented as icons, and data “flows” between functions on wires. Programming NI Single-Board RIO requires the LabVIEW Real-Time Module for creating applications that run on the embedded processor. It also requires the LabVIEW FPGA Module for customizing the hardware personality of the onboard FPGA. The NI Developer Suite with Real-Time and FPGA Deployment Options includes all the minimum software development tools you need for NI Single-Board RIO.

Can I program NI Single-Board RIO in C/C++?

Yes. National Instruments provides an FPGA Interface C API. With this interface, you can program NI Single-Board RIO processors with C or C++ and program the FPGA with the LabVIEW FPGA Module. The FPGA Interface C API is available for download.

If you have code in C, LabVIEW Real-Time also has the ability to call code compiled into shared libraries. A tutorial on using the GNU tool chain for VxWorks to create shared libraries compatible with NI VxWorks targets, including NI Single-Board RIO, is available.

How much does NI Single-Board RIO cost?

NI Single-Board RIO is intended for OEM and high-volume quantities. At high volumes, OEM pricing for NI Single-Board RIO is very aggressive. For more specific pricing on any NI Single-Board RIO devices at quantities applicable to your application, contact your local sales engineer or call National Instruments at (800) 531-5066.

How can I port code from NI CompactRIO to NI Single-Board RIO?

CompactRIO and NI Single-Board RIO share the same hardware architecture including a real-time processor, a reconfigurable FPGA, and analog and digital I/O. Because of this common architecture, migrating code between CompactRIO and NI Single-Board RIO is easy. In most cases the only change needed to port a CompactRIO application to NI Single-Board RIO is mapping the existing I/O used on the CompactRIO FPGA VI to the I/O now available on NI Single-Board RIO. All other LabVIEW Real-Time and FPGA code is automatically migrated and reused when the existing application is targeted to NI Single-Board RIO in the LabVIEW project. After ensuring the I/O is correctly migrated in the project, the final step is to simply recompile the FPGA VI. LabVIEW automatically handles all other potential changes between CompactRIO and NI Single-Board RIO.

Figure 3. The NI RIO architecture is shared by a range of National Instruments hardware, including CompactRIO and NI Single-Board RIO. With the common RIO architecture, you can choose hardware that best meets your specific application requirements while reusing existing code and experience and saving time and money.

For additional information on the ability to rapidly prototype embedded devices using CompactRIO and then deploy those devices in high volumes using NI Single-Board RIO, read this white paper.

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Reader Comments | Submit a comment »

NI versus competitors
I appreciate NI's Labview FPGA software advantage in the RIO family and the associated differentiation but what technical hardware differences make it more appealing for embedded control and data acquisition / computing than say Kontron or Advantech?
- Jul 18, 2011

Single-Board RIO Update
You can now program NI Single-Board RIO with C/C++ using the C Interface to LabVIEW FPGA. This new pioneer release driver is available on ni.com/labs. It enables you to continue to use LabVIEW FPGA to program the FPGA in Single-Board RIO, and now use LabVIEW RT or C/C++ to program the onboard processor. Regarding the RS232 displays, the section on displays above has been updated with a link to a whitepaper comparing different display offerings and features. Regarding smaller quantity orders, you should work with you local Field Sales Engineer to discuss your application needs and discuss the options of using NI Single-Board RIO and/or CompactRIO in lower quantities, if necessary. Visit http://www.ni.com/niglobal/ to find your local office.
- Matt Spexarth,National Instruments. - Jan 28, 2009


Try the Reach Technology touchscreen displays. They work great with the sbRIO if you want to have a control input or display output. I stole the idea from an NI seminar.
- gvholland@yahoo.com - Jan 06, 2009

LabWindows/CVI support?
Can Labwindows/CVI be used with the Single-Board RIO?
- Sep 16, 2008

No info on RS232 displays
The article on the exciting new single-board RIO (FAQ) states: "search for NI Single-Board RIO embedded displays in the NI Developer Zone" for information on RS232 displays and drivers. I did various searches and could not find any information on alternatives to the NI HMI devices. I'd really prefer something that doesn't require an entire additional computer running windows CE. Please point me to this information if possible. Thank you for the help. Sean
- Aug 07, 2008

100 Quanity?
Hopefully we can get smaller quantities in the future.
- Bill Johnson,. bjohn@yahoo.com - Aug 02, 2008