There were a number of new data-acquisition announcements at Emerson’s NI Connect 2026. In this video overview, NI’s Brett Burger discusses some of them, which are described below. While NI’s Nigel AI assistant garnered a lot of eyeballs, there was a good deal of hardware being shown off at the conference.

Making CompactDAQ a Snap

NI’s well-known CompactDAQ series received a few new additions, including a set of 16-channel, ±10-V modules that are available in multiplexed or simultaneous versions (Fig. 1). The multiplexed version has 16 single-ended or eight differential inputs. They offer 250 and 200 kSPS/channel, respectively.

NI also added a new snap-in connector option (Fig. 2). The connectors handle 20 (0.5 mm²) to 14 (2.5 mm²) AWG wires. These are especially handy when doing bench testing.

NI added small, Ethernet and USB-C CompactDAQ chassis to its repertoire (Fig. 3). The single-port Ethernet chassis, designed for  end-of-chain connections, are available in 4- and 8-slot versions. Both support time-sensitive networking (TSN) for real-time applications.

There are 1-, 4- and 8-slot USB-C chassis. The 4- and 8-slot versions are designed for more rugged applications supporting temperatures from −40 to 70°C and 50 g shock / 5 gRMS vibration.

High-Speed PCIe

The new 32-channel PXIe-4311 targets power-consumption application platforms like CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and more (Fig. 4). The boards handle 4 MSPS with a 12- to 22-bit resolution. The resolution depends on a number of factors, including sample rate and voltage range. The sampling rate is configurable with a fixed-rate ADC configuration.

The board has an 800-kHz bandwidth and can handle differential inputs with voltage ranges of 150 mV, 0 to 6 V, and 0 to 25 V. Cables and terminal blocks are compatible with the 32-channel, 28-bit ADC PXIe-4309.

The board is supported by NI’s FlexLogger with DAQmx sync support. It has full streaming support with on-board processing for calculated Virtual Power.

Cutting Up FieldDAQ

FieldDAQ comes in a number of flavors that differ by connections and application (Fig. 5). They all have an operating temperature range of -40 to 85 °C, and can handle shocks up to 100 g and vibration up to 10 gRMS; plus they feature a IP65/67 rating (1 m submergible for 30 minutes). Each has an Ethernet port built-in switch.

The FieldDAQs use standard M12 connectors. Internally, they have a 24-bit, 102.4-kSPS/channel. The thermocouple versions run at 85 samples/s/channel.

You can’t take a FieldDAQ apart, but if you want to look under the hood, then check this out (Fig. 6). NI engineers cut one open for you. This exposes the epoxy-like potting material encasing the electrical components. This also helps with heat transfer.

The LBU-100 load cell is one way to link transducers to FieldDAQ (Fig. 7). Like the FieldDAQ, this hardened system is designed for field deployment.