NI VXIpc-870B Series Embedded Pentium III VXIbus Controllers

VXI Slot 0 Functionality – The VXIpc-870B Series controllers have full VXI Slot 0 capability, including a MODID register and a CLK10

source, as required by the VXIbus specification. You can also install the VXIpc-870B Series in another slot and use it in the non-Slot 0 mode. No matter what your configuration needs, the VXIpc-870B Series can automatically detect whether it is inserted into Slot 0 and automatically enable or disable the Slot 0 onboard circuitry without switches and jumpers.

External VXI CLK10 Synchronization – The VXIpc-870B Series controllers have an SMB connector on the front panel for an external clock. Onboard programmable logic can configure the VXIpc-870B Series to drive its 10 MHz VXI CLK10 signal to this connector as an output or to use this connector as an input for the 10 MHz VXI CLK10 signal. In this way, you can configure multiple mainframes to operate off a single 10 MHz system clock.

Advanced Trigger/Timing – With the VXIpc-870B Series, you have full software and hardware control of the VXI trigger lines. The VXIpc-870B Series has two SMB trigger I/O connectors on the front panel for routing any TTL trigger line between the backplane and external devices. The VXIpc-870B Series can respond to all VXI-defined protocols on all P2 TTL and ECL trigger lines at the same time. The hardware also includes an internal counter, which gives sophisticated counting of events and interrupting on trigger edges and pulses, as well as generating pulse trains, variable length pulses, and pulse stretching.

VXI Interrupts – The VXIpc-870B Series can function as an interrupter and an interrupt handler for any or all of the VXIbus interrupt lines in a VXI mainframe. Using NI-VXI/NI-VISA software, your application can be notified when any interrupt is asserted, and can assert any interrupt level with a programmable status. You can use the NI-VXI configuration software to assign which interrupt levels should be handled by each device in the system.

Software

The VXIpc-870B Series includes NI-VXI/NI-VISA software, making it completely compliant with VXIplug&play Systems Alliance specifications. NI-VXI/NI-VISA is the combination of our popular NI-VXI VXIbus interface software and our new-generation VISA I/O software, also standardized by the VXIplug&play Systems Alliance. Because the VXIpc-870B Series is completely VXIplug&play compliant, you can run all the latest VXIplug&play software, including executable soft front panels, with which you can operate the instrument immediately, and standardized LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, and Measurement Studio instrument drivers to simplify your programming task.

NI-VXI/NI-VISA comes with a VXI bus interface library that you can use with a number of popular programming environments and compilers, including NI LabVIEW, NI LabWindows/CVI, NI Measurement Studio, Microsoft Visual C++, Borland C++, and Microsoft Visual Basic. The industry-standard NI-488.2 software for controlling external GPIB instruments through the VXIpc-870B

Series front-panel GPIB port is also available. Application software developed using the VXIpc-870B Series and the NI-VXI/NI-VISA bus interface software is compatible with many other VXI controller platforms, including computers equipped with a MXI-2 or MXI-3 based interface. NI-VXI and NI-VISA I/O software compatibility across platforms protects your software investment in the future. Because the software for all these configurations is compatible, you can program both general-purpose external PCs and embedded VXIpc controllers using the same programming tools and concepts. You can easily port VXI software to other platforms as your controller requirements change or expand in the future. The NI-VXI and NI-DAQ software for the VXIpc-870B Series controllers is not compatible with National Instruments legacy VXI data acquisition and signal conditioning devices. Please see technical support at ni.com for additional information.