Components of a PXIe-5433 System

The PXIe-5433 is designed for use in a system that includes other hardware components, drivers, and software.

The following table defines the minimum required hardware and software for a system that includes a PXIe-5433.

Table 2. System Components
Component Description and Recommendations
PXI Chassis
1378

 A PXI chassis houses the PXIe-5433 and supplies power, communication, and timing for PXIe-5433 functions.
PXI Controller or PXI Remote Control Module
1378

 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-5433, interface with the signal generator using NI device drivers.
Waveform Generator
1378

 Your waveform generator instrument.
Cables and Accessories
1378

 Cables and accessories allow connectivity to/from your instrument for measurements. Refer to Cables and Accessories for recommended cables and accessories and guidance.
NI-FGEN Driver
1378

 Instrument driver software that provides functions to interact with the PXIe-5433 and execute measurements using the PXIe-5433.
Note NI recommends always using the most current version of NI-FGEN with the PXIe-5433. You can find the NI-FGEN driver requirements in the NI-FGEN Readme.
NI Applications
1378

 NI-FGEN 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 NI Part Number
SCB-19 Noise rejecting, shielded AUX I/O connector block for arbitrary waveform generators 785642-01
SHH19-MH19-AUX Cable 1 m length shielded single-ended cable 784091-01
PXI Slot Blockers — 199198-01
PXI Standard Filler Panels — 778646-01
PXI EMC Filler Panels — 778700-01

Additional Cabling and Accessory Guidance

NI recommends installing the following:

  • PXI slot blockers (NI part number 199198-01)—Fills empty instrument slots in a PXI chassis. The slot blocker improves system cooling in PXI chassis by rerouting airflow from empty slots to slots containing PXI modules.
  • PXI standard filler panels (NI part number 778646-01) or PXI EMC filler panels (NI part number 778700-01)—Covers empty slots within a PXI chassis. The filler panel improves the cooling performance of the PXI system. EMC filler panels contain additional gaskets to control EMC emissions from the chassis.

Programming Options

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

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

    • From the Windows Start menu, select National Instruments » NI-FGEN Soft Front Panel or National Instruments » InstrumentStudio [year]. This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel populated with devices detected on your system.
    • From Hardware Configuration Utility, select a device and then click Soft front panel. This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel for the device you selected.
  • NI-FGEN Driver—NI-FGEN includes a set of standard functions for configuring, creating, starting, and stopping waveform generation. The NI-FGEN APIs reduce your program development time and simplify device control by eliminating the need to learn a complex programming protocol for your device.
    • LabVIEW—Available on the LabVIEW Functions palette at Instrument I/O » Instrument Drivers » NI-FGEN.
    • LabWindows/CVI—Available at Program Files » IVI Foundation » IVI » Drivers » IviFgen.
    • Visual C/C++—Refer to the Creating an Application with Visual C++ topic in NI-FGEN User Manual to manually add all required include and library files to your project.
    • .NET—Refer to the Creating an Application with Visual Basic topic in NI-FGEN User Manual to add a reference to the NI-FGEN Function Generator library.
    • Python—For more information about installing and using Python, refer to NI-FGEN Python API Documentation.