August 2021
This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for RFIC Test Software 21.0.
You can find more release information on ni.com.
Driver and Add-On Requirements
Product Security and Critical Updates
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Unsupported Windows Operating Systems
RFIC Test Software enables you to explore testing advanced RF integrated circuit (RFIC) devices featuring envelope tracking (ET), digital predistortion (DPD), and hardware-accelerated power servoing. Available measurements include adjacent channel power (ACP), spectral emission mask (SEM), error vector magnitude (EVM), AM-to-AM, and AM-to-PM. To set up measurements for your device, use the installed examples or the RFIC Test Soft Front Panel (SFP).
The getting started guide for your device provides information about how to install, configure, test, and begin using your hardware.
RFIC Test Software 21.0 has the following minimum requirements:
NI recommends the following requirements:
* Depending on the amount of data acquired and/or processed a larger amount of memory may be required.
Note Guest accounts are not supported under any OS.
RFIC Test Software 21.0 supports Windows 10 (64-bit).
Note Refer to Unsupported Windows Operating Systems for more information about support for Microsoft Windows OSes.
RFIC Test Software 21.0 supports the following application software versions, including service packs. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.
Note Install application software, such as LabVIEW or Microsoft Visual Studio, before installing RFIC Test Software. To add support for application software installed after installing RFIC Test Software, modify your RFIC Test Software installation or launch the RFIC Test Software installer again.
| Application Software | Versions Supported by RFIC Test Software |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW (64-bit only) | 2017, 2017 SP1, 2018, 2018 SP1, 2019, 2019 SP1, 2020, and 2020 SP1 |
| Microsoft Visual Studio | 2017 and later |
| TestStand | 2019 |
Note RFIC Test Software will not operate correctly without the service packs previously mentioned.
If you are using the RFIC Test Software .NET Class Library, .NET Framework 4.5 (minimum) is required.
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.
RFIC Test Software requires the following driver and add-on versions:
¹ Installation and licensing are only required for standard-specific measurements.
² Required to use the PXI-2599 PXI RF Relay Module to connect the PXIe-5841/5840 and the PXIe-5831/5830 VSTs.
³ Required to control DUTs that use the MIPI RF front-end (RFFE) or SPI hardware protocol.
⁴ Requires a valid license.
Note The run-time versions of these products are sufficient to run the RFIC Test SFP.
Refer to the readme of each driver and add-on for more information about system requirements, installation instructions, and activation.
Download the RFIC Test Software 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 NI Package Manager.
The following table lists the measurements and features included in the RFIC Test Software Base and Professional versions. You must have a valid license to activate RFIC Test Software Professional. Use the serial number that is included with your software to activate RFIC Test Software Professional. For more information about activation, refer to NI Software Activation.
| Measurement and Feature | RFIC Test Software Base | RFIC Test Software Professional |
|---|---|---|
| General measurements | ✓ | ✓ |
| Software-based power servo | Excludes power meter-based servo | ✓ |
| Hardware-accelerated power servo | — | ✓ |
| Transmission power (TXP) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adjacent channel power (ACP) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Modulation accuracy (ModAcc - including EVM) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spectral emission mask (SEM) | ✓ | ✓ |
| AM-to-AM (AMAM) and AM-to-PM (AMPM) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Digital predistortion (DPD) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Load pull | Single point only, excludes sweeping | ✓ |
| Power added efficiency (PAE) | — | ✓ |
| Dynamic EVM (DEVM) | — | ✓ |
| Envelope tracking (ET) | — | ✓ |
| Crest factor reduction (pre-DPD and post-DPD) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Swept measurements (power, frequency, and load pull) | Power sweeping only | ✓ |
| Complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Routing triggers | — | ✓ |
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.
RFIC Test Software 21.0 includes the following new features:
¹ The Cross-Correlation EVM Optimization Toolkit activates with either the Cross-Correlation EVM Optimization Toolkit license or RFIC Test Software Professional.
The following table details the hardware models supported in RFIC Test Software 21.0.
| Hardware Product | Hardware Model | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Vector Signal Transceiver | PXIe-5830 | Hardware-accelerated power servoing |
| PXIe-5831 | ||
| PXIe-5840 | ||
| PXIe-5841 | ||
| PXIe-5820 | Envelope waveform generation when testing ET DUTs | |
| Waveform Generator | PXIe-5451 | Envelope waveform generation when testing ET DUTs Note For DEVM measurements, use the PXIe-5820. |
| Oscilloscope | PXIe-5162 |
|
| PXIe-5185 | ||
| PXIe-5186 | ||
| Source Measure Unit | PXIe-4139 | Vcc sourcing and system PAE measurements |
| PXIe-414x | ||
| Power Meter | USB-5681 |
Note Instrument drivers for R&S®NRP-Z are used for R&S® power sensors. R&S®NRP50S is verified. |
| USB-5683 | ||
| USB-5684 | ||
| R&S®NRP50S | ||
| Relay Module | PXI-2599 | For switching between VSTs on frequency ranges for WLAN measurements. |
| Digital Pattern Instrument | PXIe-6571 | For controlling DUTs using the MIPI RFFE or SPI hardware protocol. |
ETSync VIs are available in LabVIEW from the Functions»Addons»ET palette.
Power Servo VIs are available in LabVIEW from the Functions»User Libraries»NI Power Servoing IP palette.
NanoSemi Linearizer VIs and NanoSemi Dual Band VIs are available in LabVIEW from the Functions»User Libraries»NanoSemi Linearizer and NanoSemi Dual Band palettes, respectively.
You can use the ETSync .NET Class library by adding a reference to niETSync.cs, niETUtil.cs, and niFGEN.cs from C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\National Instruments\NI-ETSync\DotNET Wrappers\CS\ and any dependent class libraries from within the Solution Explorer in Visual Studio.
You can use the Power Servo .NET Class library by adding a reference to niVSTPowerServo.cs, niRFSA.cs, and niInteropCommon.cs from C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\National Instruments\FPGA Power Servo\DotNET Wrappers\CS\ and any dependent class libraries from within the Solution Explorer in Visual Studio.
You can use the ETSync C dynamically linked library by adding a reference to: Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niETSync_64.dll.
You can use the Power Servo C dynamically linked library by adding a reference to: Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niVSTPowerServo_64.dll.
To launch the RFIC Test SFP, navigate to Start»National Instruments»RFIC Test Soft Front Panel.
LabVIEW, .NET, and TestStand examples are available via the RFIC Test Automation Wizard, accessible from Start»National Instruments»RFIC Test Automation Wizard.
Refer to the RFIC Test Software User Manual (rfichelp.chm) located at Start»National Instruments»RFIC Documentation. The manual includes the following information:
For information about your device, such as getting started, technical specifications, and calibration instructions, refer to the documentation for your device. For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.
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.
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.
RFIC Test Software no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, 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.
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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:
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 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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