The PXIe-4138 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-4138 Specifications.

The following list defines the minimum required hardware and software for a system that includes a PXIe-4138.

Table 2. System Components
Component Description and Recommendations
PXI Chassis

 A PXI chassis houses the PXIe-4138 and supplies power, communication, and timing for PXIe-4138 functions.
Note When installing the PXIe-4138 in a chassis with slot cooling capacity = 38 W, set the chassis fan speed to the HIGH.
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-4138, interface with the SMU using NI device drivers.
SMU

 Your SMU 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-DCPower Driver

 Instrument driver software that provides functions to interact with the PXIe-4138 and execute measurements using the PXIe-4138.
Note NI recommends to always use the most current version of NI-DCPower with the PXIe-4138. You can find the NI-DCPower driver requirements in the NI-DCPower Readme.
NI Applications

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

Cables and Accessories

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

Table 3. Cables and Accessories
Accessory Description Notes Part Number
Screw Terminal Connector Kit for PXIe-4136/7/8/9 SMUs Ships with the PXIe-4138 784068-01
SA-413T, Triaxial Adapter for PXIe-4138/4139 SMUs — 784000-01
SA-413B, Banana Jack Adapter for PXIe-4136/4137/4138/4139 SMUs — 786818-01
Low-Noise Triax-Triax Cable 1 m and 3 m lengths 785659-01/03
5 m length 788746-05
PXI slot blockers Set of 5 199198-01
Note Visit NI SMU Cable and Accessory Compatibility at ni.com/r/cable-compatibility for more information about supported cables and accessories for your instrument.

Additional Cabling and Accessory Guidance

NI recommends the following:

  • You can install PXI slot blockers (p/n 199198-01) to fill empty instrument slots in a PXI chassis. For more information about installing slot blockers and filler panels, go to ni.com/r/pxiblocker.
  • If your PXIe-4138 is hardware revision F or earlier, a snap-on ferrite bead is required to remain in EMC compliance. To determine which revision of a device you have, open Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) and select the PXIe-4138 in question. The hardware revision is displayed in the settings pane on the right-hand side.
  • When operating in industrial environments with high levels of radiated RF energy (>3 V/m), NI recommends adding a snap-on ferrite bead to the PXIe-4138 I/O cables, since radiated RF interference can adversely affect measurement accuracy.

Programming Options

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

  • InstrumentStudio—When you install NI-DCPower 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-DCPower driver on a 64-bit system. You can access InstrumentStudio in any of the following ways:

    • From the Windows start menu, select National Instruments » [Driver] Soft Front Panel. This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel populated with NI-DCPower 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-DCPower Instrument Driver —The NI-DCPower 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-DCPower. Examples are available from the Start menu in the National Instruments folder.
    • LabVIEW NXG—Available from the diagram at Hardware Interfaces » Electronic Test » NI-DCPower. Examples are available from the Learning tab in the Examples » Hardware Input and Output folder.
    • LabWindows/CVI—Available at Program Files » IVI Foundation » IVI » Drivers » NI-DCPower. LabWindows/CVI examples are available from the Start menu in the National Instruments folder.
    • C/C++—Available at Program Files » IVI Foundation » IVI. Refer to the Creating an Application with NI-DCPower in Microsoft Visual C and C++ topic of the NI DC Power Supplies and SMUs Help to manually add all required include and library files to your project. NI-DCPower does not ship with installed C/C++ examples.
    • Python—For more information about installing and using Python, refer to the NI-DCPower Python Documentation.