NI VSTs are capable of sending and receiving signals through the front panel connectors and the PXI trigger bus. Signals are routed between a source and destination via a path through the PXI trigger bus; there are two broad categories of routes.

The front panel connectors provide connectivity for input and output signals as well as for the control lines that send and receive clocks, triggers, and events. You can use the PXI trigger bus to send and receive events, triggers, and Sample and Reference Clocks.

Signals can be routed to and from the supported front panel connectors of your instrument. All signal routing operations can be characterized by a source and a destination. The possible signal routes for your instrument depend on the instrument, the PXI chassis, and the occupied PXI chassis slot.

When a signal is exported to a PXI trigger bus line from an instrument, only instruments in the same PXI chassis segment recognize the signal from that PXI trigger bus line. To route the signal to instruments in a different PXI chassis segment, you must establish a dynamic route or static route.

  • Dynamic route—Signal route that is specified by only the route endpoints. The actual route is determined automatically in software and is reserved and unreserved based on the based on the driver session using that route. Closing the driver session using a dynamic route releases that route.

    NI recommends using dynamic reservations and routing whenever possible.

  • Static route—Signal route that you create manually. You can implement static reservation of trigger lines in MAX through the Triggers tab.

    • Refer to your chassis documentation to determine the PXI trigger bus segments of your chassis.