This section includes instructions for unpacking and installing your PXIe-8881 controller. It also describes the controller's front panel connectors.

Caution Using the PXIe-8881 controller in a manner not described in this guide can impair the protection the controller provides.
Note The PXIe-8881 requires a chassis with 82 W per slot cooling capacity.

Unpacking

The PXIe-8881 ships in an antistatic package to prevent electrostatic discharge from damaging device components. To prevent such damage when handling the device, ground yourself using a grounding strap or by holding a grounded object, such as your computer chassis, and complete the following steps:

  1. Touch the antistatic package to a metal part of the chassis before removing the device from the package.
    Caution Never touch the exposed pins of connectors.
  2. Remove the device from the package and inspect the device for loose components or any other sign of damage.
  3. Notify NI if the device appears damaged in any way. Do not install a damaged device into your chassis.

Installing the PXIe-8881 into a PXI Express Chassis

Note The PXIe-8881 requires a chassis with 82 W per slot cooling capacity.

To install the PXIe-8881 into a PXI Express chassis, complete the following steps.

  1. Plug in your chassis before installing the PXIe-8881. The power cord grounds the chassis and protects it from electrical damage while you install the module.
    Caution In some NI chassis, you must ensure that the power LED is off. For more information about chassis power behavior, refer to the user manual for the specific chassis.
    Caution To protect both yourself and the chassis from electrical hazards, leave the chassis off until you finish installing the PXIe-8881.
  2. Remove any panels blocking access to the system controller slot (Slot 1) in the chassis.
  3. Touch the metal part of the chassis case to discharge any static electricity that might be on your clothes or body.
  4. Remove the protective plastic covers from the four bracket-retaining screws as shown in the following figure.
    Figure 1. Removing Protective Plastic Covers

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    1. Protective Screw Cap (4x)
  5. Make sure the injector/ejector handle is in its downward position. Align the PXIe-8881 with the card guides on the top and bottom of the system controller slot.
    Caution Do not raise the injector/ejector handle as you insert the PXIe-8881. The module will not insert properly unless the handle is in its downward position so that it does not interfere with the injector rail on the chassis.
  6. Hold the handle as you slowly slide the module into the chassis until the handle catches on the injector/ejector rail.
  7. Raise the injector/ejector handle until the module firmly seats into the backplane receptacle connectors. The front panel of the PXIe-8881 should be even with the front panel of the chassis.
  8. Tighten the four bracket-retaining screws on the top and bottom of the front panel to secure the PXIe-8881 to the chassis.
  9. Check the installation.
  10. Connect the keyboard and mouse to the appropriate connectors.
  11. Connect the DisplayPort monitor video cable or adapter to the DisplayPort connector.
  12. Connect devices to ports as required by your system configuration.
  13. Power on the display.
  14. Power on the chassis.
  15. Verify that the controller boots. If it does not boot, refer to the Troubleshooting section.

    The following figure shows a PXIe-8881 controller installed in the system controller slot of a PXIe-1092 chassis.

    Figure 2. PXIe-8881 Installed in a PXI Express Chassis

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    1. PXI Express Chassis
    2. PXI Express Controller
    3. Injector/Ejector Rail

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PXIe-8881 Front Panel

The following figure shows the PXIe-8881 front panel layout.

Figure 3. PXIe-8881 Front Panel Layout

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  1. GPIB
  2. RS-232 Serial
  3. Trigger
  4. Reset Button
  5. USB 3.2 Gen 1
  6. DisplayPort 1.2
  7. USB 2.0
  8. Ethernet
  9. Thunderbolt 3
  10. LEDs

Front Panel Connectors

The following table lists various peripherals and their corresponding PXIe-8881 external connectors, bus interfaces, and functions.

Peripheral External Connector Description
Video (DisplayPort 1.2) DisplayPort ATI Radeon E6465 Embedded GPU
Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C (2 ports) Thunderbolt 3 compliant, supports USB, PCI Express, and DisplayPort
Serial COM1 (9-pin DSUB) 16550 RS-232 serial port
Ethernet Port 0 LAN (RJ45) 10/100/1000 Ethernet connection

Intel I219

Wake on LAN

Ethernet Port 1 LAN (RJ45) 10/100/1000 Ethernet connection

Intel I210

USB 2.0 USB 4-pin Series A stacked receptacle (4 ports) Hi-Speed USB 2.0
USB 3.2 Gen 1 USB 9-pin Series A stacked receptacle (2 ports) SuperSpeed USB, backwards compatible with USB 2.0
PXI trigger Trigger (SMB) Routing PXI triggers to or from the backplane trigger bus
GPIB GPIB (25-pin Micro D) General-Purpose Interface Bus, IEEE 488.2

Front Panel Features

The PXIe-8881 has four front panel LEDs that show PC status:

  • DRIVE LED— Indicates when an access to the internal drive is occurring.
  • PWR OK/FAULT LED—Indicates the controller status. The LED indicates one of the following states:
    • Green ON steady—PXI and onboard power is on and within regulation limits.
    • Green BLINKING—The controller has entered the soft off state and is safe to power down.
      Note This status is applicable only when the chassis is set to Manual Inhibit Mode.
    • Green FADING—The controller has entered the standby (S3) state.
    • OFF—The controller is powered off.
    • Red BLINKING—The controller detected a power rail fault when trying to boot.
    • Red SOLID—The controller detected a thermal fault and has shut down to protect the system.
  • USER LEDs — Two bi-color green/yellow LEDs (USER1 and USER2) that you can define to meet the needs of your LabVIEW application.

Removing the PXIe-8881 from a PXI Express Chassis

To remove the PXIe-8881 from a PXI Express chassis, complete the following steps.
  1. Power off the chassis.
  2. Remove any cables that may be attached to the controller front panel.
  3. Unscrew the four bracket-retaining screws in the front panel.
  4. Press the injector/ejector handle down.
  5. Slide the unit out of the chassis.
Note If the PXI Express chassis Inhibit Mode is not set to Default, any attempt to shut down the PXIe-8881 through the power button or Windows will result in the controller Power OK LED blinking. The user must use the Remote Inhibit pin on the Remote Inhibit and Voltage Monitoring Connector to turn off the chassis. Refer to the PXI Express chassis user manual for details on the functionality of the Remote Inhibit and Voltage Monitoring controls.