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Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio 2021 Patch 1 Readme

February 2022

This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio.

You can find more release information on ni.com.


Overview

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

Supported Hardware and Functions

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

Legal Information


Overview

The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio is a software add-on that helps you perform interactive register read/write operations using common or custom digital protocols. This InstrumentStudio add-on supports general hardware control tasks using static I/O and can be used in parallel with automated applications to monitor and debug device control tasks in real time.

System Requirements

The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio has the following requirements:

  • Pentium 4 G1 equivalent or later (Intel i5 equivalent or later recommended)
  • At least 10 GB of disk space
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 1024 x 768 screen resolution (1366 x 768 or higher recommended)

Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW 2018 SP1 or later.

Supported Operating Systems

The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio supports the following operating systems:

  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2016

Note  Refer to Unsupported Windows Operating Systems for more information about support for Microsoft Windows OSes.

Note  The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio, 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, visit https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

Application Software Support

The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio supports the following application software versions, including service packs. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.

Application Software Versions Supported by the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio
InstrumentStudio 2021 (64-bit only)
LabVIEW 2018 SP1, 2018 SP1 Patch, 2019, 2019 SP1, 2020, 2021 (all 64-bit only)
TestStand 2020, 2021 (all 64-bit only)
Python 3.6 to 3.8 (all 64-bit only)
.NET framework 4.6.2 or later (all 64-bit only)

Device Drivers Minimum Versions Supported by the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio
NI-Digital Pattern Driver 20.6.2, 21.0 (64-bit only)
NI-845x Driver Support 20.0 (64-bit only)

Microsoft Visual Studio Support

If you are using the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio .NET Class Library, .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio .NET Class Library can be used with Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET in any Visual Studio version that can target .NET Framework 4.0 or .NET Framework 4.5.

To use the .NET API, you must install the .NET class libraries or the .NET wrapper in addition to the NI device driver. For information about versions of the .NET Framework and the drivers each supports, as well as the download location of the installer files, refer to .NET Resources for NI Hardware and Software.

The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for Visual Studio extensions support all Visual Studio 2019 editions.

Installation Instructions

Download the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using Package Manager.

Notes

  • If Windows Update is enabled, the installation process might hang if Windows Update interferes with the installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Run-Time. Visit ni.com/r/exjq43 for more information and steps to resolve this issue.
  • Before starting the installation, close all running Visual Studio and VSIX files. If these files are running when the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On is installed, some Visual Studio templates in the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On might not install properly.
  • If you purchased this product with an NI Software Suite or NI Product Bundle, use the installation media that shipped with your purchase to install this product.
  • Use the serial number that is included with your software to activate the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio. For more information on Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio activation, refer to NI Software Activation.

Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. For information about critical updates from NI, refer to Available Critical and Security Updates for NI Software.

Supported Hardware and Functions

The following table details the hardware models and functions supported in the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On 2021 for InstrumentStudio.

Hardware Models Protocols Channels Custom Timings
PXIe-6570, PXIe-6571 I2C, I3C®, 3-wire SPI, 4-wire SPI, MIPI® RFFE DIO, PPMU dEVM MIPI® RFFE, dEVM SPI
USB-8451, USB-8452 I2C, 4-wire SPI, DIO DIO

Accessing the Help

Refer to the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio Manual, accessible from ni.com/manuals, for information about the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio.

Finding Examples

The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio includes several example projects that you can use to learn key concepts or use as a starting point for applications you create.

Navigate to %Public%\Documents\National Instruments\Semi Device Control (64-bit)\Examples in File Explorer to view the example projects that are installed with the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio.

LabVIEW API Examples

Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW to launch the NI Example Finder. LabVIEW examples for the Semiconductor Device Control Add-On are located in the labview\examples\Semi Device Control directory. You can modify an example VI to fit an application, or you can copy and paste from one or more examples into a VI that you create.

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 Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager manual.

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, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10.

Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

The Semiconductor Device Control Add-On for InstrumentStudio no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.1, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, may not install or execute correctly on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.


Legal Information

Copyright

© 2020–2022 National Instruments Corporation. 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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