NI Week Spotlights HW/SW Breakthroughs

Nov. 10, 2003

Hardware and software for the rapid prototyping and testing of mixed-signal devices and systems are the lastest offerings from National Instruments. HARDWARE Based on a new common architecture that...

Roger Allan

Hardware and software for the rapid prototyping and testing of mixed-signal devices and systems are the lastest offerings from National Instruments.

HARDWARE Based on a new common architecture that synchronizes timing among different boards to tens of picoseconds, hardware includes the 100-MHz/50-MHz PXI-6552/6551 digital waveform generators/analyzers, the 100-Msample/s PXI-5421 16-bit arbitrary waveform generator, and the 100-Msample/s PXI 5122 14-bit digitizer. The PXI-6552/6551 come in 1-, 8-, and 64-Mbit/pin versions ($6995/$4995, $8495/$6495, and $11,995/$9995). The PXI-5421 comes in 8-, 32-, and 256-Mbit/pin versions ($4995, $6495, $9995). The PXI-5122 comes in 8-, 32-, and 256-Mbit/channel versions ($4995, $6495, $8995).SOFTWARE NI-DAQ 7 data-acquisition driver software allows simultaneous operations 100 to 1000 times faster and eases measurements with the DAQ Assistant Utility. Measurement Studio 7.0 is a suite of native classes and controls for developing measurement and automation applications in Visual Basic .Net 2003. Enterprise, Professional, and Studio Standard editions for Windows 2000/XP cost $1995, $995, and $495. Most significant is NI's LabWindows/CVI upgrade, featuring an integrated workspace, code-generating I/O, and DAQ Assistants that streamline the development of ANSI C code. Pricing starts at $995.National Instrumentswww.ni.com (800) 258-7022

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.