InstrumentStudio supports a variety of synchronization options for different panels.

In InstrumentStudio, device synchronization falls under the following categories:
  • Software
  • Hardware
Software Synchronization Hardware Synchronization
An icon with three signals with different peaks and timings. An icon with three signals with the same peaks and timings.
Channel acquisition and generation is sequenced in software. Channel acquisition and generation is sequenced in hardware.
There is no strict timing guarantee between channels. There is strict timing guarantee between channels.

Panel Synchronization

The different panels in InstrumentStudio support the following levels of device and channel synchronization:
  • Digital multimeters (DMMs)
    • All channels are always software-synchronized.
  • Waveform generators
    • All channels are software-synchronized by default.
    Note Channels within a 2-channel PXIe-5450 or PXIe-5451 waveform generator are always hardware-synchronized.
  • Oscilloscopes
    • All channels on a single device are always hardware-synchronized.
    • All channels in a single panel are hardware-synchronized if every device is the same model and every device is in the same chassis. Channels across different physical devices are synchronized with NI-TClk technology.
    • You can trigger an oscilloscope from another instrument in the system. To do so, you must configure a digital trigger and select the source according to the device name.
  • SMU and VPS devices
    • Every channel that you configure for a sequence or for pulse generation within a single SFP is automatically hardware-synchronized. You can configure routing options by clicking the An icon with three signals with the same peaks and timings. icon.
    • Channels are software-synchronized (An icon with three signals with different peaks and timings.) in all other cases.
    • You can trigger an SMU from another instrument in the system. To do so, you must configure a digital trigger and select the source according to the device name.
  • RF Signal Generators (RFSGs), RF Signal Analyzers (RFSAs), and Network Analyzers
    • You can only have one device in a single panel.
    • You cannot synchronize devices.