PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI) modular instrumentation delivers a PC based, standardized, high performance measurement and automation system. PXI combines the high speed PCI bus with integrated timing and triggering designed specifically for measurement and automation applications to deliver significant performance improvements over older architectures. The following figure shows a typical PXI chassis installation:

Digital Waveform Generator/Analyzers Available as PXI Modules

The following digital waveform generators and analyzers are available in the PXI form factor:

  • NI 6541/6542
  • NI 6551/6552
  • NI 6561/6562

Chassis Guidelines

PXI signal generators can be installed in the following chassis and slots:

  • PXI chassis—PXI signal generators can be installed in any peripheral slot of a PXI chassis.
  • PXI Express chassis—PXI signal generators can be installed in the following PXI Express chassis slots:
    • PXI 1 slots—Accepts PXI modules
    • PXI hybrid slots—Accepts either PXI modules that are hybrid slot compatible or PXI Express modules
Note Refer to the Specifications documentation for your PXI Express device and chassis for more information about installing and configuring PXI Express modules.

Using PXI-Compatible Products with Standard CompactPCI Products

The ability to use PXI compatible products with standard CompactPCI products is an important feature of revision 2.1 of the PXI specification. If you use a PXI compatible plugin device in a standard CompactPCI chassis, you cannot use PXI specific functions, but you can still use the basic plug-in device functions.

For example, the PXI trigger bus on signal generators is available in a PXI chassis but not in a CompactPCI chassis. The CompactPCI specification permits vendors to develop sub buses that co-exist with the basic PCI interface on the CompactPCI bus. Compatible operation is not guaranteed between CompactPCI devices with different sub buses nor between CompactPCI devices with sub buses and PXI.

The standard implementation for CompactPCI does not include these sub-buses. Signal generators work in any standard CompactPCI chassis. PXI specific features, such as the PXI trigger bus and PXI_CLK10 reference are implemented on the J2 connector of the CompactPCI bus.