The PXIe-4081 is designed for use in a system that includes other hardware components, drivers, and software.

Notice A system and the surrounding environment must meet the requirements defined in PXIe-4081 Specifications.

The following table defines the minimum required hardware and software for a system that includes a PXIe-4081:

Table 5. System Components
Component Description and Recommendations
PXI Chassis

 A PXI chassis houses the PXIe-4081 and supplies power, communication, and timing for PXIe-4081 functions.
PXI Controller or PXI Remote Control Module

 You can install a PXI controller or a PXI remote control (MXI) module depending on your system requirements. These components, installed in the same PXI chassis as the PXIe-4081, interface with the instrument using NI device drivers.
DMM

 Your DMM instrument.
Cables and Accessories

 Cables and accessories allow connectivity to/from your instrument for measurements. Refer to Cables and Accessories for recommended cables and accessories and guidance.
NI-DMM Driver

 Instrument driver software that provides functions to interact with the PXIe-4081 and execute measurements using the PXIe-4081.
Note For optimal performance, use the most current version of NI-DMM with the PXIe-4081. You can find the NI-DMM driver requirements in the NI-DMM Readme.
NI Applications

NI-DMM offers driver support for the following applications:
  • InstrumentStudio
  • LabVIEW
  • LabWindows/CVI
  • C++
  • .NET
  • Python

Cables and Accessories

NI recommends using the following cables and accessories with your module:

Table 6. Cables and Accessories
Accessory Description Notes Part Number
Replacement P-1 DMM Standard Probe Set, Banana Plugs Ships with the PXIe-4081 761000-01
P-3 DMM Probe Set, Banana Plug to Bare Wire Cables 1 m length 185692-01
P-2 DMM Probe Set with 2 Alligator Clips, Spade Connectors, Spring Hooks, and 1 m Test Leads — 184698-01
Adapter CSM-10A, Current Shunt Module, 10 A, 250 V — 777488-02
PXI Slot Blockers Set of 5 199198-01
Note NI recommends selecting a cable with characteristics similar to the Belden 83317E.
Note Tape-wrapped polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) insulation guarantees low leakage. Copper conductors with silver plating perform well for low-voltage measurements because of their low thermal characteristics. Use a cable with at least 90% shielding effectiveness.

Additional Cabling and Accessory Guidance

NI recommends the following:

  • The PXIe-4081 shipping kit contains a pair of test probes with safety banana plugs. These probes meet international safety requirements, including UL 3111 and IEC-1010-1, for the full range of applications supported by the DMM.
    Caution Before using any probes or accessories, ensure that they meet applicable safety requirements for the signal levels you may encounter.
    NI recommends that you connect the test probes to the banana plug connectors on the PXIe-4081 front panel using safety banana plugs. The shrouds around the banana plugs prevent you from contacting potentially hazardous voltages connected to the test probes. You can also connect the cable to standard, unshrouded banana plug probes or accessories. Use unshrouded probes or accessories only when the voltages are less than 30 V RMS and 42 Vpk, or 60 V DC.
    Caution To prevent possible safety hazards, the maximum voltage between any of the inputs and the ground of the PXI chassis is 500 V DC or 500 V RMS (sine wave), except between the HI terminal and ground, where the maximum voltage is 1,000 V DC or 700 V RMS (sine wave). The maximum current the PXIe-4081 can measure through the current inputs is ±3 A DC or 3 A RMS.
  • When using the PXIe-4081 to acquire waveforms, choose your connecting cable carefully. Any unshielded cable or test leads can pick up common electromagnetic and electrostatic interference which corrupts waveform measurements and introduces spurs in the frequency domain. Shielded coaxial cables are often used for waveform measurement. You can use a female-BNC-to-dual-banana-plug adapter, such as Pomona part number 1269, to easily connect the DMM inputs to signal sources using coaxial shielded cable. NI recommends the Belden 83317E shielded cable. The Belden 83317E shielded cable works well for DMM measurements within the 300 kHz bandwidth of the DMM and in situations where BNC connectivity is not required.

Programming Options

You can generate signals interactively using InstrumentStudio or you can use the NI-DMM instrument driver to program your device in the supported ADE of your choice.

  • InstrumentStudio—When you install NI-DMM on a 64-bit system, you can monitor, control, and record measurements from supported devices using InstrumentStudio. InstrumentStudio is a software-based soft front panel application that allows you to perform interactive measurements on several different device types in a single program.

    InstrumentStudio is automatically installed when you install the NI-DMM driver on a 64-bit system. You can access InstrumentStudio in any of the following ways:

    • From the Windows start menu, select National Instruments » NI-DMM Soft Front Panel. This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel populated with NI-DMM devices.
    • From the Windows start menu, select National Instruments » InstrumentStudio. This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel populated with devices detected on your system.
    • From Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), select a device and then click Test Panels.... This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel for the device you selected.
  • NI-DMM Instrument Driver —The NI-DMM API configures and operates the module hardware and performs basic acquisition and measurement functions.
    • LabVIEW—Available on the LabVIEW Functions palette at Measurement I/O » NI-DMM. Examples are available from the Start menu in the National Instruments folder.
    • LabWindows/CVI—Available at Program Files » IVI Foundation » IVI » Drivers » niDMM. LabWindows/CVI examples are available from the Start menu in the National Instruments folder.
    • C++—Available at Program Files » IVI Foundation » IVI. Refer to the Creating an Application with NI-DMM in Visual C++ in Microsoft Visual C and C++ topic of the NI Digital Multimeters Help to manually add all required include and library files to your project. NI-DMM does not ship with installed C++ examples.
    • Python—For more information about installing and using Python, refer to the NI-DMM Python Documentation.