PCI Express Multi-Function DAQ Devices Claim Industry First

Introduced as the industry’s first PC-based multifunction data acquisition devices for PCI Express, the NI PCIe-6251 and NI PCIe-6259 DAQ cards combine the high-performance PCI Express bus with the company’s M Series DAQ technology. The new devices feature up to 32 analog channels with 16-bit, 1.25 Msamples/s sampling speed and 10-MHz digital I/O on up to 32 lines. The devices use a x1 (by 1) PCI Express connector that provides 250 MB/s bandwidth per device. As an added benefit, they are software-compatible with traditional PCI. As with other M Series DAQ devices, the NI PCIe-6251 and NI PCIe-6259 feature the NI-STC 2 system controller, the NI-PGIA 2 amplifier and NI-MCal calibration technology for increased performance, accuracy and I/O. Other features include up to four analog output channels with 16-bit, 2.8 Msamples/s sampling speed, additional static DIO lines and two 32-bit counter/ timers. Measurement services software, including NI-DAQmx driver software and VI Logger Lite data-logging software are included. The NI PCIe-6251 and NI PCIe-6259 are priced from $845. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, Austin, TX. (800) 258-7022.