MTBF estimates are calculated using industry-standard FIT and reliability data sources, reported in hours, and expressed as conservative 90% confidence level values for assessing hardware reliability, spare-part requirements, and mission-critical system risk.

NI provides the following Predicted Mean Time between Failure (MTBF) estimations using the industry-accepted, component level, failure in time (FIT), and MTBF values. The primary source of component-level data comes from the following sources; but, in some cases, the data may be based on NI engineering judgment.

  • Telcordia SR-332
  • Exida EMCRH
  • MIL-HDBK-217F
  • Component manufacturer’s datasheets

The data shown below represents MTBF data for NI products in HOURS.

Table 17. MTBF Data for the USRP B310 (OEM)
Part Number Part Description MTBF Data (Hours)
121801A-02L Module Assembly, Ettus USRP B310, PCIe OEM 395,789

The estimates shown above are 90% Confidence Limit (CL) estimates and assume an external ambient temperature of 25 °C, with an internal product temperature of 40 °C.

For example, an MTBF estimation of 150,000 hours with 90% CL means that there is a 90% probability that the real MTBF is greater than 150,000 hours, based on the data set used in the MTBF

An MTBF estimated with a 90% CL is a conservative estimate and is frequently used by industry for estimating spares and probability of failure associated with mission critical test systems (for example test systems used in a 24/7 production environment), control systems, functional safety systems, military, aerospace, and other areas where the impact of hardware failure can have negative consequences to the customer.

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