Multi-Device Synchronization

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Last Modified: May 19, 2020

In InstrumentStudio, device synchronization generally falls under two categories: software and hardware.

Software Synchronization	Hardware Synchronization

Channel acquisition and generation is sequenced in software.	Channel acquisition and generation is sequenced in hardware.
There is no strict timing guarantee between channels.	There is a strict timing guarantee between channels.

Panel Synchronization

The different panels within InstrumentStudio support various levels of device and channel synchronization:

DMM—All channels are always software synchronized.

Waveform generators—All channels are software synchronized by default.

Note

Channels within a 2-channel PXIe-5450 or PXIe-5451 waveform generator are always hardware synchronized.

Oscilloscopes

All channels on a single device are always hardware synchronized.
All channels within a single panel are hardware synchronized if every device is the same model and is in the same chassis. Channels across different physical devices are synchronized with NI-TClk technology.
You can also trigger an oscilloscope from another instrument in the system by configuring a digital trigger and selecting the source based on the device name.

SMUs and Power Supplies

Every channel configured for a sequence or pulse generation within a single SFP are automatically hardware synchronized. You can configure routing options by selecting the icon.
Channels are software synchronized ( ) in all other cases.
You can also trigger an SMU from another instrument in the system by configuring a digital trigger and selecting the source based on the device name.