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NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 Readme

June 2018


This file contains important information about NI-RFmx Demod and is organized into the following sections:


New Features

Installation Instructions

Supported Hardware

System Requirements

Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples

Executable

Documentation

Accessing VIs and Functions

Finding Examples

Product Security and Critical Updates

Behavior Changes

Known Issues

Bug Fixes

Increasing Available Memory For Your Application

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

Legal Information


New Features

NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 includes the following new features:


  • Addition of APIs to perform self-calibration and partial self-calibration
  • Addition of NI-RFmx Debug Configuration Utility to configure debug settings
  • Support for LabVIEW 2018 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Support for querying configuration attributes without calling RFmxDemod Commit API

NI-RFmx Demod 2.3.1 includes the following new features:


  • Support for CFO estimation mode
  • Support for Search Length attribute to decouple acquisition time and number of symbols to measure

NI-RFmx Demod 2.3 includes the following new features:


  • Addition of functions to query signal configuration names and result names
  • Support for LabVIEW 2017 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Support for frequency-dependent external attenuation tables
  • Support for monitoring API calls in the NI IO Trace
  • Support for Burst Analysis in DDemod
  • Support for Linearized GMSK Pulse Shaping Filter and 3*Pi/8 - 8PSK modulation for EDGE DDemod
  • Support for enabling or disabling IQ offset correction in EVM measurement

Installation Instructions

Caution Before you install NI-RFmx Demod 2.5, ensure that you have uninstalled all related NI-RFmx 1.0 products.


Caution If you are using only RFmx LabVIEW Runtime products, NI recommends uninstalling all the RFmx Runtime products before installing a newer version of RFmx Runtime products.


NI-RFmx drivers require that all the installed drivers have the same version for proper functionality because the NI-RFmx drivers use shared components that need to use the same version across all drivers. If driver incompatibilities exist, they are reported through a dialog box after installation. You can also use the Version Compatibility Checker utility to manually check for version incompatibilities. Refer to the Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples section for more information about the installed location of the Version Compatibility Checker utility.


Note  Some of the installed NI-RFmx Demod.NET examples require the NI-RFSG .NET Class Library. For these examples to build and run successfully, install NI-RFSG .NET Class Library before or after installing NI-RFmx Demod.


Supported Hardware

Vector Signal Analyzers

  • NI PXIe-5663
  • NI PXIe-5663E
  • NI PXIe-5665
  • NI PXIe-5668R
  • NI PXIe-5698 with NI PXIe-5668R

Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI RF Vector Signal Analyzers Help.


Vector Signal Transceivers

  • NI PXIe-5644R
  • NI PXIe-5645R
  • NI PXIe-5646R
  • NI PXIe-5840

Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI RF Vector Signal Transceivers Help.


System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 supports the following operating systems:


  • Windows 10/8.11/7 SP12 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2012 R21 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP12 (64-bit)

Note  In 2016, NI-RFmx Demod dropped support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack), Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-RFmx Demod 2.5, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.


For more information about the changes to our OS support for 2017, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does my LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, Measurement Studio, or TestStand Built Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Server 2003?.


1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.2. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 require Microsoft updates to support these items. Refer to Microsoft KB2919442 and KB2919355 for more information about how to install these updates.


2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1, Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.


Note  NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.


NI recommends that you have the most recent service pack for your operating system installed.


Minimum Requirements

  • Processor—1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
  • RAM—4 GB*
  • A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768
  • Windows 10/8.1/7, with all available critical updates and service packs
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2

*Depending on the amount of data acquired and/or processed, a larger amount of memory may be required.


Application Development Environments (ADEs)

Note  You should install ADEs, such as NI LabVIEW, NI LabWindows/CVI, or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing NI-RFmx Demod. To add support for ADEs installed after installing NI-RFmx Demod, modify your NI-RFmx Demod installation or launch the NI-RFmx Demod installer again.


  • NI LabVIEW 2015 SP1 f5 patch, 2016, 2017, or 2018
  • NI LabWindows/CVI 2010 or later
  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 SP1 or later

Note  NI-RFmx Demod does not operate correctly without the service packs and patches previously mentioned installed.


Other Required Software

  • NI-RFSA 14.1 or later
  • NI-RFSG 14.0.1 or later

Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples

Installed Software

  • <MSTUDIOVS2010DIR> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    • (32-bit) Program Files\National Instruments\MeasurementStudioVS2010
    • (64-bit) Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\MeasurementStudioVS2010
  • <NIDir> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    • (32-bit OS) Program Files\National Instruments
    • (64-bit OS) Program Files (x86)\National Instruments for 32-bit programs and Program Files\National Instruments for 64-bit programs
  • <NIDocDir> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location: Users\Public\Public Documents\National Instruments
  • <SYSDIR> is an alias for the following file folder location:
    • (32-bit) windows\system32
    • (64-bit) windows\SysWow64 for 32-bit programs and windows\system32 for 64-bit programs

File Locations

Item Installed Location
Version Compatibility Checker <NIDir>\RFmx\niRFmxCompatibility_Checker.exe
Debug Configuration Utility <NIDir>\RFmx\niRFmxDebugConfigurationUtility.exe
DLLs <SYSDIR>
Function Panels

<NIDir>\Shared\CVI\Bin\niRFmxDemod.lfp


<NIDir>\Shared\CVI\Bin\niRFmxInstr.lfp


Header files

<NIDir>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\include


Import Library files (32-bit)

<NIDir>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\include


Import Library files (64-bit)
  • 32-bit: <NIDir>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\lib32\msvc
  • 64-bit: <NIDir>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\lib64\msvc
C, .NET, NI TestStand
Examples <NIDocDir>\NI-RFmx\Demod\Examples
LabWindows/CVI
Examples <NIDocDir>\CVI\samples\NI-RFmx\Demod
LabVIEW
Examples <NIDir>\LabVIEW <version>\examples\RFmx\Demod
.NET Class Libraries
Assemblies <MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>\DotNET\Assemblies\Current\NationalInstruments.RFmx.DemodMX.Fx40.dll
<MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>\DotNET\Assemblies\Current\NationalInstruments.RFmx.InstrMX.Fx40.dll
<MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>\DotNET\Assemblies\Current\NationalInstruments.Common.dll

Executable

Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFmx Demod»NI-RFmx Demod Measurement Interactive Panel to launch the NI-RFmx Demod Measurement Interactive Panel.


Documentation

Documentation for NI-RFmx Demod is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFmx Demod»NI-RFmx Demod Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.


Document Format Description
NI-RFmx Demod Help HTML/Windows Help Information about NI-RFmx Demod. This help file is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
  • An introduction to NI-RFmx Demod
  • How to get started with application development
  • A complete reference for all NI-RFmx Demod programming functions and VIs
NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 Readme HTML (this document) Information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices.

For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.


Accessing VIs and Functions

NI-RFmx Demod palette VIs are available from the Functions»Measurement I/O»NI-RFmx palette.


NI-RFmx Demod functions are available in LabWindows/CVI from the Library»RFmx Demod Library menu.


Finding Examples

In LabVIEW, you can use the NI Example Finder to search or browse examples. NI-RFmx Demod examples are classified by keyword, so you can search for a particular device or measurement function. In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder. The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs (including NI–RFSG and Modulation Toolkit examples) and their descriptions:


  • Click the Browse tab to locate modulation examples by task at Hardware Input and Output»Modular Instruments»NI–RFmx» Demod or by directory structure at RFmx» Demod.
  • Click the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword. For example, search for "Demod" to locate all NI-RFmx Demod examples.

The NI Example Finder is also available in LabWindows/CVI by selecting Help»Find Examples.


You can also access all the installed NI-RFmx Demod examples for LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFmx Demod»NI-RFmx Demod Examples.


Refer to ni.com/examples for these examples and for more information.


Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.


Behavior Changes

The following items are the behavior changes in NI-RFmx Demod 2.3.1 from NI-RFmx Demod 2.3.


  • Changed the default value of the IQ Power Edge Source property to ""(empty string).
  • The alias 'default@Demod' for the default signal name is accepted as a valid signal name in a selector string parameter.
  • LabVIEW built binaries using RFmx versions older than 2.2 are no longer supported.

Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 Known Issues at ni.com for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI-RFmx Demod 2.5.


Bug Fixes

The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in NI-RFmx Demod. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of the NI-RFmx Demod. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate that the issue has been fixed.


The following items are changes in NI-RFmx Demod 2.5 from NI-RFmx Demod 2.4.


ID Fixed Issue
644169 Fixed an issue to enhance the CFO estimation for QAM.
699425 Fixed an issue to align the Quadrature skew definition with NI-RFmx Waveform Creator.

The following items are changes in NI-RFmx Demod 2.4 from NI-RFmx Demod 2.3.1.


ID Fixed Issue
656549 Fixed an issue with EVM measurements resulted from the IQ imbalance application to half-sine filtered OQPSK signal.
656458 Fixed an issue with impairments estimation of OQPSK modulated signal.
640495 Fixed an issue where switching between measurements from an NI-RFmx cellular personality to Demod resulted in higher EVM on 5668R.
641411 Fixed an issue with running DDEM measurement with Auto Level.

The following items are changes in NI-RFmx Demod 2.3.1 from NI-RFmx Demod 2.3.


ID Fixed Issue
653303 Fixed an issue with synchronization bit pattern detection with MSK modulation and differential encoding.
654064 Fixed an issue where high magnitude error reported with FSK modulation when a valid synchronization bit pattern is detected.
657793 Fixed an issue in measurement filter used with FSK modulation signal with RRC pulse shaping.
650095 Fixed an issue where the RFmxInstr Close API did not abort a measurement in progress, but instead waited for the measurement to finish before closing.
650083 Fixed an issue with RFmxInstr Save All Configurations API to save the attribute configurations depending on the corresponding number of channels configured by user.
648703 Fixed an issue where passing NULL as selector string in a few C functions, caused the function to crash.

The following items are changes in NI-RFmx Demod 2.3 from NI-RFmx Demod 2.2.


ID Fixed Issue
631432 Fixed an issue where incorrect values were returned on reading RF Attenuation and Mechanical Attenuation properties.

Increasing Available Memory For Your Application

When developing memory intensive applications, you may encounter memory limits as 32-bit Windows applications only utilize 2 GB of memory by default. To expand the amount of memory an application can utilize, you can configure the executable to be large address aware to gain access to up to 3 GB of memory on a 32-bit Windows operating system and up to 4 GB of memory on a 64-bit Windows operating system.


For more information, refer to Memory Limits for Windows and Windows Server Releases on the Microsoft website.


Note  LabVIEW 8.5 and later are large address aware. For more information, refer to How Much Memory can LabVIEW 32-bit or 64-bit Use?.

In TestStand 2013 and later, the Large Address Aware flag is enabled by default for the TestStand Sequence Editor and TestStand User Interfaces. For more information, refer to Using the Large Address Aware Flag With TestStand Applications.


Automating the Installation of NI Products

You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.


If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.0 separately before you install NI software.


For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:


Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.


Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher. For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.



Legal Information

Copyright


© 2014–2018 National Instruments. All rights reserved.


Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.


National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.


End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices


You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:


  • Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
  • EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
  • Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.

U.S. Government Restricted Rights


If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.


IVI Foundation Copyright Notice


Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.


The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.


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Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on National Instruments trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.


Patents


For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.


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