Digital Pattern Editor
- Updated2025-07-01
- 1 minute(s) read
Use Digital Pattern Editor to view, create, modify, and debug pin and channel maps, specifications, levels, timings, patterns, register maps, source waveforms, and capture waveforms. You can also use Digital Pattern Editor to configure the state of the digital pattern instrument.
Use the components of the editor to perform the following tasks:
- Pin and channel map editor—Assign DUT pin names to instrument channels and create pin groups with support for multiple test sites.
- Specifications—Define specification variables to use in levels, timing, and other files.
- Levels—Define levels for digital and power pins and pin groups.
- Timing—Define format and edge placement to shape digital patterns on a per-pin basis.
- Patterns—Burst digital patterns and display per-site, per-pin results.
- Pin View pane—Perform parametric voltage and current source and measure operations.
- Shmoo plots—Sweep parameters while repeatedly bursting a pattern and plot pass/fail results as Shmoo plots.
- Digital scope—Capture and display the analog waveform to inspect actual electrical behavior on pins at a particular point in a pattern.
- Source and capture waveforms—Configure waveform files to use in source and capture operations.
- Register maps—View and modify DUT register maps to display or change information stored in register memory.
- TDR—Measure and display time domain reflectometry values, and save measurements on a per-channel basis.
Related Information
- Components of an NI-Digital Pattern System
- Pin and Channel Map Editor
Use the pin and channel map editor to view, create, modify, and save pin and channel map files, which define the relationships among pins, sites, channels, and digital pattern instruments in the test system. If you change the pin and channel map file, you must manually update any other references to pins in levels, time sets, and patterns.
- Specifications
Use the specifications document to view, create, modify, and save specifications files (.specs). An asterisk (*) next to a filename in the Project Explorer window and in the document tab indicates that the file has been modified but not saved.
- Timing
Use the timing document to view, create, modify, save, and apply timing files (.digitiming). Timing files include period, edge multiplier (edge x), drive format, and edge information for pattern execution. Timing files currently can contain only one timing sheet, which is a collection of time sets. An asterisk (*) next to a filename in the Project Explorer window and in the document tab indicates that the file has been modified but not saved.
- Levels
Use the pin levels sheet (.digilevels) to view, create, modify, save, and apply levels to your project. The sheet displays voltage and current levels for pins and pin groups connected to digital pattern instruments and NI-DCPower instruments. Pins and pin groups must be defined in the pin and channel map file.
- Patterns
Use the pattern document to view, create, modify, load, burst, and debug binary pattern files (.digipat). A digital pattern file can contain only one pattern.
- Pin View Pane
Use the Pin View pane during debugging to interactively view and modify the current state of the pin driver, active load, comparators, PPMU, and NI-DCPower instrument settings for a single pin at a time in the active instrument session.
- Shmoo Plot
Use the Shmoo plot to view a dynamically updated plot of pass and fail values for a sweep of up to two variables you specify using the specifications, timing, levels, pin and channel map, and pattern files in the project. An asterisk (*) next to a filename in the Project Explorer window and in the document tab indicates that the file has been modified but not saved.
- Digital Scope
Use the digital scope to view a graph of the expected waveform underneath the actual waveform using the pattern, timing set, and levels, including compare strobe locations, VOH and VOL levels, and expected drive levels. You can use the digital scope to help debug failures to verify that the actual waveform accurately reflects what you expect based on what the pattern and timing define.
- Source Waveform Configurations
Use the source waveform configuration document to view, modify, save, and load source waveform files (.tdms). Use the source functionality when the data you need to use is site-specific or only determined at run time, such as when you need to write registers or test converters. You can send multiple source waveforms with the same configuration in a single pattern burst. Use the source_start and source opcodes to send waveform data when you burst the pattern. An asterisk (*) next to a filename in the Project Explorer window and in the document tab indicates that the file has been modified but not saved.
- Capture Waveform Configurations
Use the capture waveform configuration document to view, modify, save, and load capture waveform files (.digicapture). Use the capture functionality when the data you need to acquire is site-specific or only determined at run time, such as when you need to read registers or test converters. You can receive multiple capture waveforms with the same configuration in a single pattern burst. Use the capture_start, capture, and capture_stop opcodes to store values when you burst a pattern. An asterisk (*) next to a filename in the Project Explorer window and in the document tab indicates that the file has been modified but not saved.
- Getting Started with Digital Pattern Instruments
- NI-Digital Pattern Driver Examples
Use the NI-Digital Pattern Driver examples to learn more about how to use the NI-Digital Pattern Driver software to configure and control digital pattern instruments.
- Programming with the NI-Digital Pattern Driver