NI ELVISmx 19.0 Readme

March 2019

This file contains important information about the NI ELVISmx software, including supported operating systems, software requirements, and known issues.

Supported Operating Systems

Software Requirements

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

Driver Version Naming Changes

Using the Instruments in Manual Mode (NI ELVIS II Series Only)

Documentation

Known Issues

Accessing the Help

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

NI ELVISmx Drops Support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-Bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and All 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems in 2021

Legal Information

The NI ELVISmx driver provides driver support for NI ELVIS II series and NI myDAQ hardware. Refer to ni.com/downloads for the latest information about the NI ELVISmx driver.

For more information on how to get started with NI ELVIS II series, visit ni.com/nielvis. Visit ni.com/mydaq for materials related to NI myDAQ.

Note:  NI ELVISmx driver software does not support Legacy NI ELVIS workstations. NI recommends NI ELVIS II/II+ programmed with NI ELVISmx driver software for new applications. Refer to ni.com/downloads for the NI ELVIS Software driver for Legacy ELVIS workstations.

Supported Operating Systems

NI ELVISmx 19.0 supports the following operating systems:

• Windows 10 (version 1809)/8.1 Update 1¹/7 SP1²
• Windows Server 2012 R2¹
• Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1²

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 

• In 2016 NI ELVISmx dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. NI ELVISmx 19.0 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI ELVISmx 19.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI ELVISmx 19.0, 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 2016, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does My NI ADE Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Windows Server 2003?.
• Support for Windows 32-bit operating systems may require disabling physical address extension (PAE). To learn how this might affect your system and what actions you might need to take, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code PAESupport.
• Refer to NI ELVISmx Drops Support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-Bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and All 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems in 2021 for information about future OS support.

Software Requirements¹

You must have NI-DAQmx 19.0 or later installed to use NI ELVISmx 19.0. NI ELVISmx 19.0 installs NI-DAQmx 19.0 by default. NI ELVISmx 19.0 is used with LabVIEW 2016 or later. If you are using NI SignalExpress, you must use version 2014 or later. If you are using NI Multisim, you must use version 13.0 or later.

Note: Because several of the NI ELVISmx instruments run the device at maximum speed, NI ELVIS II Series and NI myDAQ devices must be used with Hi-Speed USB interfaces.

¹ NI ELVISmx is not supported in LabVIEW (64-bit), but NI ELVISmx software instruments are still available for use. For full programmatic functionality with LabVIEW and NI ELVISmx, you must have LabVIEW (32-bit) installed on a Windows 10/8.1/7 (64-bit) operating system.

Installation Instructions

NI automates software installation using NI Package Manager. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code NIPMDownload to download NI Package Manager. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.

Product Security and Critical Updates

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

Driver Version Naming Changes

NI ELVISmx versions are now aligned with the versions of major NI application software products. This alignment gives you information about the year the driver was released and the most recent software version the driver was designed to work with. Driver versions now start with a two-digit year indicator: <ProductName><Year-BasedVersion>. For example, NI ELVISmx 19.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2019. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is NI ELVISmx 4.5. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is NI ELVISmx 14.0.

Using the Instruments in Manual Mode (NI ELVIS II Series Only)

The Variable Power Supplies and Function Generator can be set to Manual mode or Software mode by using their associated Soft Front Panel Instruments, Express VIs, or SignalExpress Steps. In Manual mode, the knobs on the NI ELVIS II Series Workstation control the instrument outputs.

Documentation

The following list describes the documentation that installs with NI ELVISmx:

• NI ELVIS II Series Quick Start Guide—This document explains how to install the application and NI ELVISmx driver software, set up your NI ELVIS II/ELVIS II+ device, and take your first measurement.
• NI Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite II Series (NI ELVIS II Series) User Manual—This user manual provides more detailed information about the NI ELVIS II Series hardware, including specifications and safety information.
• NI ELVIS II Series Specifications—This document lists the hardware specifications for the NI ELVIS II series devices.
• NI myDAQ Quick Start Guide—This document explains how to install the application and NI ELVISmx driver software, set up your NI myDAQ device, and take your first measurement.
• NI myDAQ User Guide—This document contains information about the NI myDAQ hardware and the concept of virtual instrumentation for the NI myDAQ device.
• NI myDAQ Specifications—This document lists the hardware specifications for your NI myDAQ device.
• NI ELVISmx Help—This help file provides information about the soft front panel (SFP) instruments and the LabVIEW Express VIs that you may need while using the software.
• SignalExpress Help—This help file contains instructions for designing measurement projects using the NI ELVISmx steps in SignalExpress.
• Using NI ELVISmx Instruments in NI Multisim—This help file explains how to use NI ELVISmx instruments in NI Multisim to simulate data, acquire data from hardware, and compare simulated and acquired data.

To download the latest NI ELVISmx documentation, refer to ni.com/manuals.

Known Issues

• Upgrading the version of Windows on a system with NI ELVISmx installed can result in the loss of device names and device configuration. Devices can also appear disconnected. For information on how to resolve this, see Device Configuration Erased after Upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1.
• When using NI ELVISmx software instruments, controls can disable/enable incorrectly and/or contain incorrect values when an invalid device is selected. A device becomes invalid when it is disconnected from the PC while the software instrument Device control drop-down dialog is open. If the disconnected device is selected from the drop-down control and then reconnected, the software instrument controls may not update correctly. Selecting the device again from the software instrument Device control corrects the issue.
• Scope Zoom has been hidden. You can enable it using the steps outlined in the KB document, KB 4T5GG7HF: How Do I Display the Zoom Controls on the NI ELVISmx Scope Soft Front Panel?. To access this document, go to ni.com/info and enter the Info Code exh3ma.
• The NI ELVIS II Series device must be plugged into the system and powered on before launching the NI ELVISmx Express VIs and SignalExpress steps in order for it to be recognized by the software. If the device is plugged in after the software is launched, close the software application and relaunch it.
• Some NI ELVISmx instruments are not supported by NI myDAQ. For more information on NI ELVISmx instrument support, refer to the NI ELVISmx Help.
• When running the NI ELVISmx Express VIs continuously in a loop, wire the Stop input of the Express VI to the Stop control of the loop for optimal performance.
• In SignalExpress, if you drag NI ELVISmx steps data into the SignalExpress Data view, the graph axes always default to voltage versus time. If you want to change these defaults (for instance, to current versus voltage), you must manually change the labels on the graph.

Accessing the Help

Refer to the NI ELVISmx Help, accessible from NI ELVISmx Instrument launcher Resources tab, for information about using NI ELVISmx driver software with your device.

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.

If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.6.2, 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 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.

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

• For more information about silent installations of individual NI products, refer to Customize and Automate Installation of a Single Installer.
• For more information about silent installations of NI products in a suite, such as NI Software Platform Bundle, refer to Customize and Automate Installation of a Suited Installer.
• To determine what version of NI Installers your product contains, refer to Determine Type and Version of My National Instruments Installer.

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 NI 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.

NI ELVISmx Drops Support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-Bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and All 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems in 2021

NI ELVISmx will drop support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and all 32-bit Windows operating systems starting in 2021. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, will not install or run on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:

Legal Information

Copyright

© 2003–2019 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.

NI 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.

Trademarks

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

Patents

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

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