DAQ S Series

S Series User Manual

NI 6110/6111/6115/6120/6122/6123/6132/6133/6143 Simultaneous Multifunction
Input/Output Devices

S Series User Manual

May 2009
370781H-01
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S Series devices are warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of shipment, as evidenced
by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective during the
warranty period. This warranty includes parts and labor.
The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects in
materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments
will, at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such defects
during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free.
A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before any
equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will pay the shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are covered by
warranty.
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the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of this document
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Contents

About This Manual

Conventions ...................................................................................................................xi
Related Documentation..................................................................................................xii

Chapter 1
Getting Started
Installing NI-DAQmx ....................................................................................................1-1
Installing Other Software...............................................................................................1-1
Installing the Hardware..................................................................................................1-1
Device Self-Calibration .................................................................................................1-1
Device Pinouts ...............................................................................................................1-2
Device Specifications ....................................................................................................1-2

Chapter 2
DAQ System Overview
DAQ Hardware ..............................................................................................................2-1
DAQ-STC........................................................................................................2-2
Calibration Circuitry ......................................................................................................2-3
Internal or Self-Calibration..............................................................................2-3
External Calibration.........................................................................................2-3
Signal Conditioning .......................................................................................................2-4
Sensors and Transducers................................................................................................2-4
Programming Devices in Software ................................................................................2-5

Chapter 3
I/O Connector
I/O Connector Signal Descriptions ................................................................................3-1
Terminal Name Equivalents ..........................................................................................3-4
+5 V Power Source ........................................................................................................3-6

Chapter 4
Analog Input
Analog Input Terminal Configuration ...........................................................................4-2
Input Polarity and Range ...............................................................................................4-3
Working Voltage Range ................................................................................................4-4
AI Data Acquisition Methods ........................................................................................4-4

© National Instruments Corporation v S Series User Manual

Contents

Analog Input Triggering................................................................................................ 4-6

Connecting Analog Input Signals.................................................................................. 4-6
Types of Signal Sources.................................................................................. 4-7
Differential Connections for Ground-Referenced Signal Sources.................. 4-8
Common-Mode Signal Rejection Considerations ............................ 4-8
Differential Connections for Floating Signal Sources .................................... 4-9
DC-Coupled...................................................................................... 4-9
AC-Coupled...................................................................................... 4-10
Pseudodifferential Connections for Ground-Referenced Signal Sources ....... 4-11
Common-Mode Signal Rejection Considerations ............................ 4-12
Pseudodifferential Connections for Floating Signal Sources ......................... 4-13
Field Wiring Considerations ........................................................................... 4-15
Minimizing Drift in Differential Mode ........................................................... 4-15
Analog Input Timing Signals ........................................................................................ 4-16
AI Sample Clock Signal.................................................................................. 4-17
Using an Internal Source .................................................................. 4-18
Using an External Source ................................................................. 4-18
Outputting the AI Sample Clock Signal ........................................... 4-18
Other Timing Requirements ............................................................. 4-19
AI Sample Clock Timebase Signal ................................................................. 4-20
AI Start Trigger Signal.................................................................................... 4-20
Using a Digital Source...................................................................... 4-21
Using an Analog Source ................................................................... 4-21
Outputting the AI Start Trigger Signal ............................................. 4-21
AI Reference Trigger Signal ........................................................................... 4-22
Using a Digital Source...................................................................... 4-23
Using an Analog Source ................................................................... 4-24
Outputting the AI Reference Trigger Signal .................................... 4-24
AI Pause Trigger Signal .................................................................................. 4-24
Using a Digital Source...................................................................... 4-24
Using an Analog Source ................................................................... 4-25
Master Timebase Signal.................................................................................. 4-25
External Strobe Signal .................................................................................... 4-26
Getting Started with AI Applications in Software ........................................................ 4-26

Chapter 5
Analog Output
Minimizing Glitches on the Output Signal.................................................................... 5-2
AO Data Generation Methods ....................................................................................... 5-2
Analog Output Triggering ............................................................................................. 5-4
Connecting Analog Output Signals ............................................................................... 5-4

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Waveform Generation Timing Signals ..........................................................................5-5

AO Sample Clock Signal.................................................................................5-5
Using an Internal Source...................................................................5-5
Using an External Source..................................................................5-6
Outputting the AO Sample Clock Signal ..........................................5-6
Other Timing Requirements..............................................................5-7
AO Sample Clock Timebase Signal ................................................................5-7
AO Start Trigger Signal...................................................................................5-8
Using a Digital Source ......................................................................5-8
Using an Analog Source ...................................................................5-9
Outputting the AO Start Trigger Signal............................................5-9
AO Pause Trigger Signal.................................................................................5-10
Using a Digital Source ......................................................................5-10
Using an Analog Source ...................................................................5-10
Master Timebase Signal ..................................................................................5-10
Getting Started with AO Applications in Software .......................................................5-11

Chapter 6
Digital I/O
Static DIO ......................................................................................................................6-2
Digital Waveform Generation .......................................................................................6-2
DO Sample Clock Signal.................................................................................6-2
Using an Internal Source...................................................................6-3
Using an External Source..................................................................6-3
Digital Waveform Acquisition.......................................................................................6-3
DI Sample Clock Signal ..................................................................................6-4
Using an Internal Source...................................................................6-4
Using an External Source..................................................................6-4
I/O Protection.................................................................................................................6-5
Power-On States ............................................................................................................6-5
Connecting Digital I/O Signals......................................................................................6-5
Getting Started with DIO Applications in Software ......................................................6-6

Chapter 7
Counters
Counter Triggering ........................................................................................................7-1
Start Trigger.....................................................................................................7-1
Pause Trigger...................................................................................................7-2

© National Instruments Corporation vii S Series User Manual

Contents

Counter Timing Signals................................................................................................. 7-2

Counter 0 Source Signal ................................................................................. 7-4
Counter 0 Gate Signal ..................................................................................... 7-4
Counter 0 Internal Output Signal .................................................................... 7-5
CTR 0 OUT Pin ................................................................................ 7-6
Counter 0 Up/Down Signal............................................................................. 7-7
Counter 1 Source Signal ................................................................................. 7-7
Counter 1 Gate Signal ..................................................................................... 7-8
Counter 1 Internal Output Signal .................................................................... 7-8
Counter 1 Up/Down Signal............................................................................. 7-9
Frequency Output Signal ................................................................................ 7-10
Master Timebase Signal.................................................................................. 7-10
Getting Started with Counter Applications in Software................................................ 7-11

Chapter 8
Programmable Function Interfaces (PFI)
PFI Inputs ...................................................................................................................... 8-1
PFI Outputs.................................................................................................................... 8-1

Chapter 9
Digital Routing
Timing Signal Routing .................................................................................................. 9-1
Connecting Timing Signals ........................................................................................... 9-4
Routing Signals in Software.......................................................................................... 9-5

Chapter 10
Real-Time System Integration Bus (RTSI)
RTSI Triggers................................................................................................................ 10-1
Device and RTSI Clocks ............................................................................................... 10-4
Synchronizing Multiple Devices ................................................................................... 10-4

Chapter 11
Bus Interface
MITE and DAQ-PnP ..................................................................................................... 11-1
Using PXI with CompactPCI ........................................................................................ 11-1
Data Transfer Methods .................................................................................................. 11-2
Changing Data Transfer Methods between DMA and IRQ............................ 11-2

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 Contents

Chapter 12
Triggering
Triggering with a Digital Source ...................................................................................12-2
Triggering with an Analog Source.................................................................................12-3
PFI 0/AI START TRIG Pin.............................................................................12-4
Analog Input Channel......................................................................................12-4
Analog Trigger Actions...................................................................................12-4
Analog Trigger Types ....................................................................................................12-4
Level Triggering..............................................................................................12-4
Level Triggering with Hysteresis ....................................................................12-5
Window Triggering .........................................................................................12-6
Analog Trigger Accuracy ..............................................................................................12-7

Appendix A
Device-Specific Information

Appendix B
Technical Support and Professional Services

Glossary

Index

Device Pinouts
Figure A-1. NI 6110 Pinout ......................................................................................A-3
Figure A-2. NI 6111 Pinout ......................................................................................A-4
Figure A-6. NI 6115/6120 Pinout .............................................................................A-11
Figure A-9. NI 6122 Pinout ......................................................................................A-17
Figure A-10. NI 6123 Pinout ......................................................................................A-18
Figure A-13. NI 6132 Pinout ......................................................................................A-24
Figure A-14. NI 6133 Pinout ......................................................................................A-25
Figure A-17. NI 6143 Pinout ......................................................................................A-31

© National Instruments Corporation ix S Series User Manual

About This Manual

The S Series User Manual contains information about using the National
Instruments S Series data acquisition (DAQ) devices with NI-DAQmx 8.8
and later.

Conventions
The following conventions appear in this manual:

<> Angle brackets that contain numbers separated by an ellipsis represent

a range of values associated with a bit or signal name—for example,
AO <3..0>.

» The » symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options
to a final action. The sequence File»Page Setup»Options directs you to
pull down the File menu, select the Page Setup item, and select Options
from the last dialog box.

This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.

This icon denotes a caution, which advises you of precautions to take to

avoid injury, data loss, or a system crash. When this symbol is marked on a
product, refer to the Read Me First: Safety and Electromagnetic
Compatibility document for information about precautions to take.

bold Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such
as menu items and dialog box options. Bold text also denotes parameter
names.

italic Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an introduction

to a key concept. Italic text also denotes text that is a placeholder for a word
or value that you must supply.

monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from the
keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples.
This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories,
programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions, operations,
variables, filenames, and extensions.

Platform Text in this font denotes a specific platform and indicates that the text
following it applies only to that platform.

© National Instruments Corporation xi S Series User Manual

About This Manual

Related Documentation
Each application software package and driver includes information about
writing applications for taking measurements and controlling measurement
devices. The following references to documents assume you have
NI-DAQmx 8.8 or later, and where applicable, version 7.1 or later of the
NI application software.

NI-DAQmx for Windows

The DAQ Getting Started Guide describes how to install your NI-DAQmx
for Windows software, how to install your NI-DAQmx-supported DAQ
device, and how to confirm that your device is operating properly. Select
Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DAQ»DAQ Getting
Started Guide.

The NI-DAQ Readme lists which devices are supported by this version of
NI-DAQ. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DAQ»
NI-DAQ Readme.

The NI-DAQmx Help contains general information about measurement

concepts, key NI-DAQmx concepts, and common applications that are
applicable to all programming environments. Select Start»All Programs»
National Instruments»NI-DAQ»NI-DAQmx Help.

NI-DAQmx for Linux

The DAQ Getting Started Guide describes how to install your
NI-DAQmx-supported DAQ device and confirm that your device is
operating properly.

The NI-DAQ Readme for Linux lists supported devices and includes
software installation instructions, frequently asked questions, and known
issues.

The C Function Reference Help describes functions and attributes.

The NI-DAQmx for Linux Configuration Guide provides configuration

instructions, templates, and instructions for using test panels.

Note All NI-DAQmx documentation for Linux is installed at /usr/local/natinst/

nidaqmx/docs.

S Series User Manual xii ni.com

 About This Manual

NI-DAQmx Base (Linux/Mac OS X)

(NI 611x/6120/6143 Only) The NI-DAQmx Base Getting Started Guide
describes how to install your NI-DAQmx Base software, your NI-DAQmx
Base-supported DAQ device, and how to confirm that your device is
operating properly. In Windows, select Start»All Programs»National
Instruments»NI-DAQmx Base»Documentation»Getting Started
Guide.

Getting Started with NI-DAQmx Base for Linux and Mac Users describes
how to install your NI-DAQmx Base software, your NI-DAQmx
Base-supported DAQ device, and how to confirm that your device is
operating properly on your Mac/Linux machine.

The NI-DAQmx Base Readme lists which devices are supported by this
version of NI-DAQmx Base. In Windows, select Start»All Programs»
National Instruments»NI-DAQmx Base»DAQmx Base Readme.

The NI-DAQmx Base VI Reference Help contains VI reference and general

information about measurement concepts. In LabVIEW, select Help»
NI-DAQmx Base VI Reference Help.

The NI-DAQmx Base C Reference Help contains C reference and general

information about measurement concepts. In Windows, select Start»All
Programs»National Instruments»NI-DAQmx Base»Documentation»
C Function Reference Help.

Note All NI-DAQmx Base documentation for Linux is installed at /usr/local/

natinst/nidaqmxbase/documentation.

Note All NI-DAQmx Base documentation for Mac OS X is installed at

/Applications/National Instruments/NI-DAQmx Base/documentation.

LabVIEW
If you are a new user, use the Getting Started with LabVIEW manual to
familiarize yourself with the LabVIEW graphical programming
environment and the basic LabVIEW features you use to build data
acquisition and instrument control applications. Open the Getting Started
with LabVIEW manual by selecting Start»All Programs»National
Instruments»LabVIEW»LabVIEW Manuals or by navigating to the
labview\manuals directory and opening LV_Getting_Started.pdf.

Use the LabVIEW Help, available by selecting Help»Search the

LabVIEW Help in LabVIEW, to access information about LabVIEW

© National Instruments Corporation xiii S Series User Manual

About This Manual

programming concepts, step-by-step instructions for using LabVIEW, and

reference information about LabVIEW VIs, functions, palettes, menus, and
tools. Refer to the following locations on the Contents tab of the LabVIEW
Help for information about NI-DAQmx:
• Getting Started with LabVIEW»Getting Started with
DAQ—Includes overview information and a tutorial to learn how to
take an NI-DAQmx measurement in LabVIEW using the DAQ
Assistant.
• VI and Function Reference»Measurement I/O VIs and
Functions—Describes the LabVIEW NI-DAQmx VIs and properties.
• Taking Measurements—Contains the conceptual and how-to
information you need to acquire and analyze measurement data in
LabVIEW, including common measurements, measurement
fundamentals, NI-DAQmx key concepts, and device considerations.

LabWindows/CVI
The Data Acquisition book of the LabWindows/CVI Help contains
measurement concepts for NI-DAQmx. This book also contains Taking an
NI-DAQmx Measurement in LabWindows/CVI, which includes
step-by-step instructions about creating a measurement task using the DAQ
Assistant. In LabWindows™/CVI™, select Help»Contents, then select
Using LabWindows/CVI»Data Acquisition.

The NI-DAQmx Library book of the LabWindows/CVI Help contains

API overviews and function reference for NI-DAQmx. Select Library
Reference»NI-DAQmx Library in the LabWindows/CVI Help.

Measurement Studio
If you program your NI-DAQmx-supported device in Measurement Studio
using Visual C++, Visual C#, or Visual Basic .NET, you can interactively
create channels and tasks by launching the DAQ Assistant from MAX or
from within Visual Studio .NET. You can generate the configuration code
based on your task or channel in Measurement Studio. Refer to the DAQ
Assistant Help for additional information about generating code. You also
can create channels and tasks, and write your own applications in your
ADE using the NI-DAQmx API.

For help with NI-DAQmx methods and properties, refer to the NI-DAQmx
.NET Class Library or the NI-DAQmx Visual C++ Class Library included
in the NI Measurement Studio Help. For general help with programming in
Measurement Studio, refer to the NI Measurement Studio Help, which is
fully integrated with the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET help. To view

S Series User Manual xiv ni.com

 About This Manual

this help file in Visual Studio. NET, select Measurement Studio»

NI Measurement Studio Help.

To create an application in Visual C++, Visual C#, or Visual Basic .NET,

follow these general steps:
1. In Visual Studio .NET, select File»New»Project to launch the New
Project dialog box.
2. Find the Measurement Studio folder for the language you want to
create a program in.
3. Choose a project type. You add DAQ tasks as a part of this step.

ANSI C without NI Application Software

The NI-DAQmx Help contains API overviews and general information
about measurement concepts. Select Start»All Programs»National
Instruments»NI-DAQ»NI-DAQmx Help.

The NI-DAQmx C Reference Help describes the NI-DAQmx Library

functions, which you can use with National Instruments data acquisition
devices to develop instrumentation, acquisition, and control applications.
Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DAQ»
NI-DAQmx C Reference Help.

.NET Languages without NI Application Software

With the Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1 or later, you can use
NI-DAQmx to create applications using Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET
without Measurement Studio. You need Microsoft Visual Studio
.NET 2003 or Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 for the API documentation to
be installed.

The installed documentation contains the NI-DAQmx API overview,

measurement tasks and concepts, and function reference. This help is fully
integrated into the Visual Studio .NET documentation. To view the
NI-DAQmx .NET documentation, go to Start»Programs»National
Instruments»NI-DAQ»NI-DAQmx .NET Reference Help. Expand
NI Measurement Studio Help»NI Measurement Studio .NET Class
Library»Reference to view the function reference. Expand
NI Measurement Studio Help»NI Measurement Studio .NET Class
Library»Using the Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries to view
conceptual topics for using NI-DAQmx with Visual C# and
Visual Basic .NET.

© National Instruments Corporation xv S Series User Manual

About This Manual

To get to the same help topics from within Visual Studio, go to Help»
Contents. Select Measurement Studio from the Filtered By drop-down
list and follow the previous instructions.

Device Documentation and Specifications

The following specifications documents contain contains all specifications
for the following S Series devices:
• NI PCI-6110/6111 Specifications
• NI 6115/6120 Specifications
• NI 6122/6123 Specifications
• NI 6132/6133 Specifications
• NI 6143 Specifications

Documentation for supported devices and accessories, including PDF and

help files describing device terminals, specifications, features, and
operation are on the NI-DAQmx media that includes Device
Documentation. Insert the media, open the Device Documentation
directory, and double-click the Device Documents shortcut for your
language to find, view, and print device documents.

Training Courses
If you need more help getting started developing an application with NI
products, NI offers training courses. To enroll in a course or obtain a
detailed course outline, refer to ni.com/training.

Technical Support on the Web

For additional support, refer to ni.com/support or zone.ni.com.

DAQ specifications and some DAQ manuals are available as PDFs. You
must have Adobe Acrobat Reader with Search and Accessibility 5.0.5 or
later installed to view the PDFs. Refer to the Adobe Systems Incorporated
Web site at www.adobe.com to download Acrobat Reader. Refer to the
National Instruments Product Manuals Library at ni.com/manuals for
updated documentation resources.

S Series User Manual xvi ni.com

Getting Started
1
S Series devices discussed in the S Series User Manual are simultaneous
sampling multifunction I/O devices that use the DAQ-STC ASIC.

Before installing your DAQ device, you must install the software you plan
to use with the device.

Installing NI-DAQmx
The DAQ Getting Started Guide, which you can download at ni.com/
manuals, offers NI-DAQmx users step-by-step instructions for installing
software and hardware, configuring channels and tasks, and getting started
developing an application.

Installing Other Software

If you are using other software, refer to the installation instructions that
accompany your software.

Installing the Hardware

The DAQ Getting Started Guide contains non-software-specific
information about how to install PCI and PXI devices, as well as
accessories and cables.

Device Self-Calibration
NI recommends that you self-calibrate your S Series device after
installation and whenever the ambient temperature changes.
Self-calibration should be performed after the device has warmed up for the
recommended time period. Refer to the device specifications to find your
device warm-up time. This function measures the onboard reference
voltage of the device and adjusts the self-calibration constants to account
for any errors caused by short-term fluctuations in the environment.
Disconnect all external signals when you self-calibrate a device.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 1 Getting Started

You can initiate self-calibration using Measurement & Automation

Explorer (MAX), by completing the following steps.
1. Launch MAX.
2. Select My System»Devices and Interfaces»NI-DAQmx
Devices»your device.
3. Initiate self-calibration using one of the following methods:
• Click Self-Calibrate in the upper right corner of MAX.
• Right-click the name of the device in the MAX configuration tree
and select Self-Calibrate from the drop-down menu.

Note You can also programmatically self-calibrate your device with NI-DAQmx,
as described in Device Calibration in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in
version 8.0 or later.

Device Pinouts
Refer to Appendix A, Device-Specific Information, for S Series device
pinouts.

Device Specifications
Refer to the specifications for your device, available on the NI-DAQ Device
Document Browser or ni.com/manuals, for more detailed information
about S Series devices:
• NI PCI-6110/6111 Specifications
• NI 6115/6120 Specifications
• NI 6122/6123 Specifications
• NI 6132/6133 Specifications
• NI 6143 Specifications

S Series User Manual 1-2 ni.com

DAQ System Overview
2
Figure 2-1 shows a typical DAQ system setup, which includes transducers,
signal conditioning, cables that connect the various devices to the
accessories, the S Series device, and the programming software. Refer to
Appendix A, Device-Specific Information, for a list of S Series devices and
their compatible accessories.

+
V
–

1 5

1 Sensors and Transducers 4 DAQ Hardware

2 Signal Conditioning 5 PC or PXI Chassis and DAQ Software
3 Cable Assembly

Figure 2-1. Typical DAQ System

DAQ Hardware
DAQ hardware digitizes signals, performs D/A conversions to generate
analog output signals, and measures and controls digital I/O signals. The
following sections contain more information about specific components of
the DAQ hardware.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 2 DAQ System Overview

Figure 2-2 shows the components common to most S Series devices.

Analog Input

Analog Output
I/O Connector

Digital Bus
Digital I/O Bus
Routing Interface

Counters

RTSI
PFI

Figure 2-2. S Series Block Diagram

DAQ-STC
S Series devices use the National Instruments DAQ system timing
controller (DAQ-STC) for time-related functions. The DAQ-STC consists
of the following three timing groups:
• AI—Two 24-bit, two 16-bit counters
• AO—Three 24-bit, one 16-bit counter
• General-purpose counter/timer functions—Two 24-bit counters

You can independently configure the groups for timing resolutions of 50 ns

or 10 μs. With the DAQ-STC, you can interconnect a wide variety of
internal timing signals to other internal blocks. The interconnection scheme
is flexible and completely software-configurable.

The DAQ-STC offers PFI lines to import external timing and trigger signals
or to export internally generated clocks and triggers. The DAQ-STC also
supports buffered operations, such as buffered waveform acquisition,
buffered waveform generation, and buffered period measurement. It also
supports numerous non-buffered operations, such as single pulse or pulse
train generation, digital input, and digital output.

S Series User Manual 2-2 ni.com

 Chapter 2 DAQ System Overview

Calibration Circuitry
Calibration is the process of making adjustments to a measurement device
to reduce errors associated with measurements. Without calibration, the
measurement results of your device will drift over time and temperature.
Calibration adjusts for these changes to improve measurement accuracy
and ensure that your product meets its required specifications.

DAQ devices have high precision analog circuits that must be adjusted to
obtain optimum accuracy in your measurements. Calibration determines
what adjustments these analog circuits should make to the device
measurements. During calibration, the value of a known, high precision
measurement source is compared to the value your device acquires or
generates. The adjustment values needed to minimize the difference
between the known and measured values are stored in the EEPROM of the
device as calibration constants. Before performing a measurement, these
constants are read out of the EEPROM and are used to adjust the calibration
hardware on the device. NI-DAQmx determines when this is necessary and
does it automatically. If you are not using NI-DAQmx, you must load these
values yourself.

You can calibrate S Series devices in two ways—through internal

(or self-calibration) or through external calibration.

Internal or Self-Calibration
Self-calibration is a process to adjust the device relative to a highly accurate
and stable internal reference on the device. Self-calibration is similar to the
autocalibration or autozero found on some instruments. You should
perform a self-calibration on a regular basis whenever environmental
conditions, such as ambient temperature, change significantly. To perform
self-calibration, use the self-calibrate function or VI that is included with
your driver software. Self-calibration requires no external connections.

External Calibration
External calibration is a process to adjust the device relative to a traceable,
high precision calibration standard. The accuracy specifications of your
device change depending on how long it has been since your last external
calibration. National Instruments recommends that you calibrate your
device at least as often as the intervals listed in the accuracy specifications.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 2 DAQ System Overview

For a detailed calibration procedure for S Series devices, refer to the

B/E/M/S Series Calibration Procedure for NI-DAQmx, which you can find
at ni.com/calibration and selecting Manual Calibration
Procedures.

Signal Conditioning
Many sensors and transducers require signal conditioning before a
computer-based measurement system can effectively and accurately
acquire the signal. The front-end signal conditioning system can include
functions such as signal amplification, attenuation, filtering, electrical
isolation, simultaneous sampling, and multiplexing. In addition, many
transducers require excitation currents or voltages, bridge completion,
linearization, or high amplification for proper and accurate operation.
Therefore, most computer-based measurement systems include some form
of signal conditioning in addition to plug-in data acquisition DAQ devices.

Sensors and Transducers

Sensors can generate electrical signals to measure physical phenomena,
such as temperature, force, sound, or light. Some commonly used sensors
are strain gauges, thermocouples, thermistors, angular encoders, linear
encoders, and resistance temperature detectors (RTDs).

To measure signals from these various transducers, you must convert them
into a form that a DAQ device can accept. For example, the output voltage
of most thermocouples is very small and susceptible to noise. Therefore,
you may need to amplify or filter the thermocouple output before digitizing
it. The manipulation of signals to prepare them for digitizing is called
signal conditioning.

For more information about sensors, refer to the following documents:

• For general information about sensors, visit ni.com/sensors.
• If you are using LabVIEW, refer to the LabVIEW Help by selecting
Help»Search the LabVIEW Help in LabVIEW and then navigate to
the Taking Measurements book on the Contents tab.
• If you are using other application software, refer to Common Sensors
in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

S Series User Manual 2-4 ni.com

 Chapter 2 DAQ System Overview

Programming Devices in Software

National Instruments measurement devices are packaged with NI-DAQmx
driver software, an extensive library of functions and VIs you can call from
your application software, such as LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI, to
program all the features of your NI measurement devices. Driver software
has an application programming interface (API), which is a library of VIs,
functions, classes, attributes, and properties for creating applications for
your device.

NI-DAQmx includes a collection of programming examples to help you get

started developing an application. You can modify example code and save
it in an application. You can use examples to develop a new application or
add example code to an existing application.

To locate LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI. Measurement Studio, Visual

Basic, and ANSI C examples, refer to the KnowledgeBase document,
Where Can I Find NI-DAQmx Examples?, by going to ni.com/info and
entering the info code daqmxexp.

For additional examples, refer to zone.ni.com.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-5 S Series User Manual

I/O Connector
3
This chapter contains information about the S Series I/O connectors.

Refer to Appendix A, Device-Specific Information, for the I/O connector

pinout for your device.

I/O Connector Signal Descriptions

Table 3-1 describes the signals found on the I/O connectors for S Series
devices. For more information about these signals, refer to the
specifications for your device.

Table 3-1. S Series Device Signal Descriptions

I/O Connector Pin Reference Direction Signal Description

AI <0..7> GND — — Analog Input Channels 0 through 7 Ground—These

pins are the bias current return point for differential
measurements.

AI <0..7> + AI <0..7> GND Input Analog Input Channels 0 through 7 (+)—These pins are
routed to the (+) terminal of the respective channel
amplifier.

AI <0..7> – AI <0..7> GND Input Analog Input Channels 0 through 7 (–)—These pins are
routed to the (–) terminal of the respective channel
amplifier.

AO <0..1> AO GND Output Analog Output Channels 0 through 1—These pins

supply the voltage output of analog output channels 0 and 1.

AO GND — — Analog Output Ground—The AO voltages and the

external reference voltage are referenced to these pins.

D GND — — Digital Ground—These pins supply the reference for the

digital signals at the I/O connector and the +5 VDC supply.

P0.<0..7> D GND Input or Digital I/O Channels 0 through 7—You can individually
Output configure each signal as an input or output. P0.6 and P0.7
can also control the up/down signal of Counters 0 and 1,
respectively.

+5 V D GND Output +5 Power Source—These pins provide +5 V power. For

more information, refer to the +5 V Power Source section.

© National Instruments Corporation 3-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 3 I/O Connector

Table 3-1. S Series Device Signal Descriptions (Continued)

I/O Connector Pin Reference Direction Signal Description

EXT STROBE* D GND Output External Strobe Signal—This output can be toggled under
software control to latch signals or trigger events on
external devices. This signal is not available for use with
NI-DAQmx. For more information, refer to the External
Strobe Signal section of Chapter 4, Analog Input.

PFI 0/AI START TRIG D GND Input PFI 0—As an input for digital signals, this pin is a
general-purpose input terminal. As an input for analog
signals, this pin is the source for the hardware analog
trigger. This is the default input for the AI Start Trigger
signal. For more information about PFI signals, refer to
Chapter 8, Programmable Function Interfaces (PFI).

Output AI Start Trigger Signal—As an output, this pin emits the

AI Start Trigger signal. A low-to-high transition of this
signal indicates the start of an acquisition. For more
information, refer to the AI Start Trigger Signal section of
Chapter 4, Analog Input.

PFI 1/AI REF TRIG D GND Input PFI 1—As an input, this is a general-purpose input
terminal. This is the default input for the AI Reference
Trigger signal.

Output AI Reference Trigger Signal—As an output, this pin

emits the AI Reference Trigger signal. This is a low-to-high
transition signal. For more information, refer to the AI
Reference Trigger Signal section of Chapter 4, Analog
Input.

PFI 2/AI CONV CLK D GND Input PFI 2—As an input, this pin is a general-purpose input
terminal.

Output AI Convert Clock Signal—This pin reflects the internal

signal connected to AI Sample Clock. This signal is only
available internally

PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE D GND Input PFI 3—As an input, this pin is a general-purpose input
terminal. This is the default input for the Ctr1Source signal.

Output Counter 1 Source Signal—As an output, this pin emits the

selected Ctr1Source signal. This signal reflects the actual
source signal connected to Counter 1. For more
information, refer to the Counter 1 Source Signal section of
Chapter 7, Counters.

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 Chapter 3 I/O Connector

Table 3-1. S Series Device Signal Descriptions (Continued)

I/O Connector Pin Reference Direction Signal Description

PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE D GND Input PFI 4—As an input, this pin is a general-purpose input
terminal. This is the default input for the Ctr1Gate signal.

Output Counter 1 Gate Signal—As an output, this pin emits the

selected Ctr1Gate signal. This signal reflects the actual gate
signal connected to Counter 1. For more information, refer
to the Counter 1 Gate Signal section of Chapter 7,
Counters.

CTR 1 OUT D GND Output Counter 1 Output Signal—This pin emits the
Ctr1InternalOutput signal. For more information, refer to
the Counter 1 Internal Output Signal section of Chapter 7,
Counters.

PFI 5/AO SAMP D GND Input PFI 5—As an input, this pin is a general-purpose input
CLK* terminal.

Output AO Sample Clock Signal—As an output, this pin emits the

AO Sample Clock signal. A high-to-low transition of this
signal indicates a new sample is being generated. For more
information, refer to the AO Sample Clock Signal section of
Chapter 5, Analog Output.

PFI 6/AO START D GND Input PFI 6—As an input, this pin is a general-purpose input
TRIG terminal. This is the default input for the AO Start Trigger
signal.

Output AO Start Trigger Signal—As an output, this pin emits the

AO Start Trigger signal. A low-to-high transition of this
signal indicates the start of a generation. For more
information, refer to the AO Start Trigger Signal section of
Chapter 5, Analog Output.

PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK D GND Input PFI 7—As an input, this pin is a general-purpose input
terminal.

Output AI Sample Clock Signal—As an output, this pin emits the

AI Sample Clock signal. A low-to-high transition of this
signal indicates the start of the sample. For more
information, refer to the AI Sample Clock Signal section of
Chapter 4, Analog Input.

PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE D GND Input PFI 8—As an input, this pin is a general-purpose input
terminal and can also be used to route signals directly to the
RTSI bus. This is the default input for the Ctr0Source
signal.

Output Counter 0 Source Signal—As an output, this pin emits the

Ctr0Source signal. This signal reflects the actual source
signal connected to Counter 0. For more information, refer
to the Counter 0 Source Signal section of Chapter 7,
Counters.

© National Instruments Corporation 3-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 3 I/O Connector

Table 3-1. S Series Device Signal Descriptions (Continued)

I/O Connector Pin Reference Direction Signal Description

PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE D GND Input PFI 9—As an input, this pin is a general-purpose input
terminal and can also be used to route signals directly to the
RTSI bus. This is the default input for the Ctr0Gate signal.

Output Counter 0 Gate Signal—As an output, this pin emits the

Ctr0Gate signal. This signal reflects the actual gate signal
connected to Counter 0. For more information, refer to the
Counter 0 Gate Signal section of Chapter 7, Counters.

CTR 0 OUT D GND Input Counter 0 Output Signal—As an input, this pin can be
used to route signals directly to the RTSI bus. For more
information, refer to the Counter 0 Internal Output Signal
section of Chapter 7, Counters.

Output As an output, this pin emits the Ctr0InternalOutput signal.

FREQ OUT D GND Output Frequency Output Signal—This output is from the
frequency generator. For more information, refer to the
Frequency Output Signal section of Chapter 7, Counters.

Terminal Name Equivalents

With NI-DAQmx, National Instruments has revised its terminal names so
they are easier to understand and more consistent among National
Instruments hardware and software products. The revised terminal names
used in this document are usually similar to the names they replace.
Table 3-2 lists the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) terminal names and their
NI-DAQmx equivalents.

Table 3-2. Terminal Name Equivalents

Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) NI-DAQmx

ACH# AI #

ACH# + AI # +

ACH# – AI # –

ACHGND AI GND

ACK# PFI #

AIGND AI GND

AISENSE AI SENSE

AISENSE2 AI SENSE 2

AOGND AO GND

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 Chapter 3 I/O Connector

Table 3-2. Terminal Name Equivalents (Continued)

Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) NI-DAQmx

CONVERT* AI CONV CLK or AI CONV

DAC0OUT AO 0

DAC1OUT AO 1

DGND D GND

DIO_# P0.#

DIO# P0.#

DIOA#, DIOB#, DIOC#... P0.#, P1.#, P2.#...

EXTREF AO EXT REF or EXT REF

EXT_STROBE EXT STROBE

EXT_TRIG EXT TRIG

EXT_CONV EXT CONV

FREQ_OUT FREQ OUT or F OUT

GPCTR0_GATE CTR 0 GATE

GPCTR0_OUT CTR 0 OUT

GPCTR0_SOURCE CTR 0 SOURCE or CTR 0 SRC

GPCTR1_GATE CTR 1 GATE

GPCTR1_OUT CTR 1 OUT

GPCTR1_SOURCE CTR 1 SOURCE or CTR 1 SRC

PA#, PB#, PC#... P0.#, P1.#, P2.#...

PFI# PFI #

PFI_# PFI #

PCLK# PFI #

REQ# PFI #

SCANCLK AI HOLD COMP or AI HOLD

SISOURCE AI Sample Clock Timebase

STARTSCAN AI SAMP CLK or AI SAMP

STOPTRIG# PFI #

TRIG1 AI START TRIG or AI START

TRIG2 AI REF TRIG or REF TRIG

© National Instruments Corporation 3-5 S Series User Manual

Chapter 3 I/O Connector

Table 3-2. Terminal Name Equivalents (Continued)

Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) NI-DAQmx

UISOURCE AO Sample Clock Timebase

UPDATE AO SAMP CLK or AO SAMP

WFTRIG AO START TRIG or AO START

+5 V Power Source
The +5 V pins on the I/O connector supply +5 V power. You can use these
pins, referenced to D GND, to power external circuitry.

Newer revision S Series devices have a traditional fuse to protect the supply
from overcurrent conditions. This fuse is not customer-replaceable; if the
fuse permanently opens, return the device to NI for repair.

Older revision S Series devices have a self-resetting fuse to protect the

supply from overcurrent conditions. This fuse resets automatically within a
few seconds after the overcurrent condition is removed. For more
information about the self-resetting fuse and precautions to take to avoid
improper connection of +5 V and ground terminals, refer to the
KnowledgeBase document, Self-Resetting Fuse Additional Information,
by going to ni.com/info and entering the info code pptc.

Power rating (most devices): +4.65 to +5.25 VDC at 1 A

To find your device’s power rating, refer to the specifications document for
your device.

Caution Never connect these +5 V power pins to analog or digital ground or to any other
voltage source on the S Series device or any other device. Doing so can damage the device
and the computer. NI is not liable for damage resulting from such a connection.

S Series User Manual 3-6 ni.com

Analog Input
4
Figure 4-1 shows the analog input circuitry of each channel of an S Series
device.

Input Instrumentation
Coupling Amplifier Filter

AI+
ADC AI FIFO AI Data
AI– Mux

CAL
Analog
Trigger AI Timing Signals

Figure 4-1. S Series Analog Input Block Diagram

Note Figure 4-1 offers a general overview of the analog input circuitry for most S Series
devices. Refer to Appendix A, Device-Specific Information, for a diagram of the specific
elements that comprise the analog input circuitry of your device.

On S Series devices, each channel uses its own instrumentation amplifier,

FIFO, multiplexer (mux), and A/D converter to achieve simultaneous data
acquisition. The main blocks featured in the S Series analog input circuitry
are as follows:
• Mux—By default, the mux is set to route AI signals to the analog front
end. When you calibrate your device, the state of the mux switches.
You can manually switch the state of the mux to measure AI GND.
• Input Coupling—(NI 611x/6120 Only) You can configure these S Series
devices for either AC or DC input coupling on a per-channel basis. Use
AC coupling when the AC signal contains a large DC component. If
you enable AC coupling, you remove the large DC offset for the input
amplifier and amplify only the AC component. This configuration
makes effective use of the ADC dynamic range.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 4 Analog Input

• Instrumentation Amplifier—The instrumentation amplifier can

amplify or attenuate an AI signal to ensure that you get the maximum
resolution of the ADC. NI 611x/6120/6123/6133 devices provide
programmable instrumentation amplifiers that allow you to select the
input range.
• Filter—The filter on the S Series device minimizes high frequency
noise without attenuating signals of interest within the Nyquist
bandwidth.
• A/D Converter—The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) digitizes the
AI signal by converting the analog voltage into a digital number.
• AI FIFO—A large first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer holds data during
A/D conversions to ensure that no data is lost. S Series devices can
handle multiple A/D conversion operations with DMA, interrupts, or
programmed I/O.
• Analog Trigger—For information about the trigger circuitry of
S Series devices, refer to the Analog Input Triggering section.
• AI Timing Signals—For information about the analog input timing
signals available on S Series devices, refer to the Analog Input Timing
Signals section.

Analog Input Terminal Configuration

S Series devices support only differential (DIFF) input mode. The channels
on S Series devices are true differential inputs, meaning both positive and
negative inputs can carry signals of interest. For more information about
differential input, refer to the Connecting Analog Input Signals section,
which contains diagrams showing the signal paths for differential input
mode.

(NI 611x/6120 Only) The channels on these S Series devices are

pseudodifferential inputs. The input signal of each channel, AI <0..x> +, is
connected to the positive input of the instrumentation amplifier, and each
reference signal AI <0..x> –, is connected to the negative input of the
instrumentation amplifier. The inputs are differential only in the sense that
ground loops are broken. The reference signal, AI <0..x> –, is not intended
to carry signals of interest but only to provide a DC reference point for
AI <0..x> + that may be different from ground.

Pseudodifferential signal connections reduce noise pickup and increase

common-mode noise rejection. This connection type also allows input
signals to float within the common-mode limits of the PGIA.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

Caution Exceeding the differential and common-mode input ranges distorts the input
signals. Exceeding the maximum input voltage rating can damage the device and the
computer. NI is not liable for any damage resulting from such signal connections. The
maximum input voltage ratings can be found in the specifications document for each
S Series device.

Input Polarity and Range

Input range refers to the set of input voltages that an analog input channel
can digitize with the specified accuracy. On some S Series devices, you can
individually program the input range of each AI channel.

The input range affects the resolution of the S Series device for an AI
channel. Resolution refers to the voltage of one ADC code. For example, a
16-bit ADC converts analog inputs into one of 65,536 (= 216) codes,
meaning one of 65,536 possible digital values. These values are spread
fairly evenly across the input range. So, for an input range of –5 V to 5 V,
the voltage of each code of a 16-bit ADC is:

5 V – ( –5 V )
- = 153 μV
-------------------------------
16
2

S Series devices support bipolar input ranges. A bipolar input range means
that the input voltage range is between –Vref and Vref.

The instrumentation amplifier applies a different gain setting to the AI

signal depending on the input range. Gain refers to the factor by which the
instrumentation amplifier multiplies (amplifies) the input signal before
sending it to the ADC.

On S Series devices with programmable input ranges, choose an input

range that matches the expected input range of your signal. A large input
range can accommodate a large signal variation, but reduces the voltage
resolution. Choosing a smaller input range improves the voltage resolution,
but may result in the input signal going out of range. For more information
about programming these settings, refer to the NI-DAQmx Help or the
LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 4 Analog Input

Working Voltage Range

On most S Series devices, the PGIA operates normally by amplifying
signals of interest while rejecting common-mode signals under the
following three conditions:
• The common-mode voltage (Vcm), which is equivalent to subtracting
AI <0..x> GND from AI <0..x> –, must be less than ±10 V. This Vcm
is a constant for all range selections.
• The signal voltage (Vs), which is equivalent to subtracting AI <0..x> +
from AI <0..x> –, must be less than or equal to the range selection of
the given channel. If Vs is greater than the range selected, the signal
clips and information are lost.
• The total working voltage of the positive input, which is equivalent to
(Vcm + Vs), or subtracting AI <0..x> GND from AI <0..x> +, must be
less than ±11 V.

If any of these conditions are exceeded, the input voltage is clamped until
the fault condition is removed.

Note All inputs are protected at up to ±42 V.

(NI 6143 Only) The instrumentation amplifier operates normally by

amplifying signals of interest while rejecting common-mode signals under
one condition. The total voltage, (Vcm + Vs), present at the positive and
negative input terminals must be less than the working voltage, which is
±7 V.

AI Data Acquisition Methods

When performing analog input measurements, there are several different
data acquisition methods available. You can either perform software-timed
or hardware-timed acquisitions:
• Software-Timed Acquisitions—With a software-timed acquisition,
software controls the rate of the acquisition. Software sends a separate
command to the hardware to initiate each ADC conversion. In
NI-DAQmx, software-timed acquisitions are referred to as having on
demand timing. Software-timed acquisitions are also referred to as
immediate or static acquisitions and are typically used for reading a
single point of data.
• Hardware-Timed Acquisitions—With hardware-timed acquisitions,
a digital hardware signal controls the rate of the acquisition. This

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

signal can be generated internally on your device or provided

externally.
Hardware-timed acquisitions have several advantages over
software-timed acquisitions:
– The time between samples can be much shorter.
– The timing between samples can be deterministic.
– Hardware-timed acquisitions can use hardware triggering. For
more information, refer to Chapter 12, Triggering.
Hardware-timed operations can be buffered or non-buffered. A buffer
is a temporary storage in the computer memory where acquired
samples are stored.
– Buffered—In a buffered acquisition, data is moved from the DAQ
device’s onboard FIFO memory to a PC buffer using DMA or
interrupts before it is transferred to ADE memory. Buffered
acquisitions typically allow for much faster transfer rates than
non-buffered acquisitions because data is moved in large blocks,
rather than one point at a time. For more information about DMA
and interrupts, refer to the Data Transfer Methods section of
Chapter 11, Bus Interface.
One property of buffered I/O operations is the sample mode. The
sample mode can be either finite or continuous:
• Finite sample mode acquisition refers to the acquisitions of a
specific, predetermined number of data samples. After the
specified number of samples has been collected into the
buffer, the acquisition stops. If you use a reference trigger,
you must use finite sample mode. Refer to the AI Reference
Trigger Signal section for more information.
• Continuous acquisition refers to the acquisition of an
unspecified number of samples. Instead of acquiring a set
number of data samples and stopping, a continuous
acquisition continues until you stop the operation. A
continuous acquisition is also referred to as double-buffered
or circular-buffered acquisition.
If data cannot be transferred across the bus fast enough, the
data in the FIFO will be overwritten and an error will be
generated. With continuous operations, if the user program
does not read data out of the PC buffer fast enough to keep up
with the data transfer, the buffer could reach an overflow
condition, causing an error to be generated.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-5 S Series User Manual

Chapter 4 Analog Input

– Non-Buffered—In non-buffered acquisitions, data is read directly

from the FIFO on the device. Typically, hardware-timed
non-buffered operations are used to read single samples with
known time increments between them and small latency.

Analog Input Triggering

Analog input supports three different triggering actions: start, reference,
and pause. An analog or digital hardware trigger can initiate these actions.
All S Series devices support digital triggering, and some also support
analog triggering. To find your device’s triggering options, refer to the
specifications document for your device.

The AI Start Trigger Signal, AI Reference Trigger Signal, and AI Pause

Trigger Signal sections contain information about the analog input trigger
signals.

Refer to Chapter 12, Triggering, for more information about triggers.

Connecting Analog Input Signals

Table 4-1 summarizes the recommended input configuration for different
types of signal sources for S Series devices.

Table 4-1. S Series Analog Input Signal Configuration

Floating Signal Sources

(Not Connected to Earth Ground) Ground-Referenced Signal Sources
Examples: Example:
• Ungrounded thermocouples • Plug-in instruments with
• Signal conditioning with isolated non-isolated outputs
outputs
Input • Battery devices
Differential
AI 0 + AI 0 +
(DIFF) + V + +
+ V AI 0 –
– 1 AI 0 –
– – 1 –
R
AI GND AI GND

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

Refer to the Analog Input Terminal Configuration section for descriptions

of the input modes.

Types of Signal Sources

When configuring the input channels and making signal connections, first
determine whether the signal sources are ground-referenced or floating:
• Ground-Referenced Signal Sources—A ground-referenced signal
source is connected in some way to the building system ground and is,
therefore, already connected to a common ground point with respect to
the device, assuming that the computer is plugged into the same power
system as the source. Non-isolated outputs of instruments and devices
that plug into the building power system fall into this category.
The difference in ground potential between two instruments connected
to the same building power system is typically between 1 mV and
100 mV, but the difference can be much higher if power distribution
circuits are improperly connected. If a grounded signal source is
incorrectly measured, this difference can appear as measurement error.
Follow the connection instructions for grounded signal sources to
eliminate this ground potential difference from the measured signal.
• Floating Signal Sources—A floating signal source is not connected in
any way to the building ground system, and instead has an isolated
ground-reference point. Some examples of floating signal sources are
outputs of transformers, thermocouples, battery-powered devices,
optical isolators, and isolation amplifiers. An instrument or device that
has an isolated output is a floating signal source. You must connect the
ground reference of a floating signal to the AI ground of the device to
establish a local or onboard reference for the signal. Otherwise, the
measured input signal varies as the source floats outside the
common-mode input range.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-7 S Series User Manual

Chapter 4 Analog Input

Differential Connections for Ground-Referenced Signal Sources

Figure 4-2 shows how to connect a ground-referenced signal source to a
channel on an S Series device.

S Series Device
Instrumentation
AI 0 +
+ Amplifier
Ground-
+
Referenced
Signal Vs
+
Source – AI 0 –
– Vm Measured
Common- Voltage
+ –
Mode Noise
and Ground Vcm
Potential –
AI 0 GND

I/O Connector
AI 0 Connections Shown

Figure 4-2. Differential Connection for Ground-Referenced Signals

With these types of connections, the instrumentation amplifier rejects both

the common-mode noise in the signal and the ground potential difference
between the signal source and the device ground, shown as Vcm in the
figure.

Common-Mode Signal Rejection Considerations

The instrumentation amplifier can reject any voltage caused by ground
potential differences between the signal source and the device. In addition,
the instrumentation amplifier can reject common-mode noise pickup in the
leads connecting the signal sources to the device. The instrumentation
amplifier can reject common-mode signals as long as V+in and V–in (input
signals) are both within the working voltage range of the device.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

Differential Connections for Floating Signal Sources

Figure 4-3 shows how to connect a floating, or non-referenced, signal
source to a channel on an S Series device.

S Series Device
AI 0 +

Instrumentation
Floating + Amplifier
+
Signal Vs
Source
–
+
AI 0 – Measured
– Vm
Bias Voltage
–
Current
Return
Paths

Bias
Resistor AI 0 GND

I/O Connector
AI 0 Connections Shown

Figure 4-3. Differential Connection for Floating Signals

Figure 4-3 shows a bias resistor connected between AI 0 – and the floating
signal source ground. This resistor provides a return path for the bias
current. A value of 10 kΩ to 100 kΩ is usually sufficient. If you do not use
the resistor and the source is truly floating, the source is not likely to remain
within the common-mode signal range of the instrumentation amplifier, so
the instrumentation amplifier saturates, causing erroneous readings. You
must reference the source to the respective channel ground.

DC-Coupled
You can connect low source impedance and high source impedance
DC-coupled sources:
• Low Source Impedance—You must reference the source to AI GND.
The easiest way to make this reference is to connect the positive side
of the signal to the positive input of the instrumentation amplifier and

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Chapter 4 Analog Input

connect the negative side of the signal to AI GND as well as to the

negative input of the instrumentation amplifier, without using resistors.
This connection works well for DC-coupled sources with low source
impedance (less than 100 Ω).
• High Source Impedance—For larger source impedances, this
connection leaves the differential signal path significantly off balance.
Noise that couples electrostatically onto the positive line does not
couple onto the negative line because it is connected to ground. Hence,
this noise appears as a differential-mode signal instead of a
common-mode signal, and the instrumentation amplifier does not
reject it. In this case, instead of directly connecting the negative line to
AI GND, connect the negative line to AI GND through a resistor that
is about 100 times the equivalent source impedance. The resistor puts
the signal path nearly in balance, so that about the same amount of
noise couples onto both connections, yielding better rejection of
electrostatically coupled noise. This configuration does not load down
the source (other than the very high input impedance of the
instrumentation amplifier).
You can fully balance the signal path by connecting another resistor of
the same value between the positive input and AI GND. This fully
balanced configuration offers slightly better noise rejection but has the
disadvantage of loading the source down with the series combination
(sum) of the two resistors. If, for example, the source impedance is
2 kΩ and each of the two resistors is 100 kΩ, the resistors load down
the source with 200 kΩ and produce a –1% gain error.

AC-Coupled
Both inputs of the instrumentation amplifier require a DC path to ground in
order for the instrumentation amplifier to work. If the source is AC-coupled
(capacitively coupled), the instrumentation amplifier needs a resistor
between the positive input and AI GND. If the source has low-impedance,
choose a resistor that is large enough not to significantly load the source but
small enough not to produce significant input offset voltage as a result of
input bias current (typically 100 kΩ to 1 MΩ). In this case, connect the
negative input directly to AI GND. If the source has high output
impedance, balance the signal path as previously described using the same
value resistor on both the positive and negative inputs; be aware that there
is some gain error from loading down the source.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

Pseudodifferential Connections for Ground-Referenced Signal Sources

(NI 6115/6120 Only) Figure 4-4 shows how to connect a ground-referenced
signal source to a channel on the NI 6115.

NI 6115
Common-Mode AC Coupling
Choke
AI 0 +
Instrumentation
Ground- + Amplifier
Referenced +
Signal
Vs 100 pF* 1 M*
Source – PGIA
+
Measured
– Vm
AI 0 – Voltage
–
Common- 10 nF
Mode +
Noise and Vcm
Ground –
Potential

AI 0 GND
*10 kΩ⏐⏐40 pF for ranges > ±10 V
I/O Connector
AI 0 Connections Shown

Figure 4-4. Pseudodifferential Connection for Ground-Referenced Signals on

NI 6115 Devices

© National Instruments Corporation 4-11 S Series User Manual

Chapter 4 Analog Input

Figure 4-5 shows how to connect a ground-referenced signal source to a

channel on the NI 6120.

NI 6120
AC Coupling
Instrumentation
AI 0 + + Amplifier
Ground- +
Referenced
Vs 100 pF* 1 M* PGIA
Signal + Measured
Source – Vm
– – Voltage
Common- AI 0 –
Mode + High-Frequency
Noise and Vcm Common-Mode Choke
Ground –
Potential
AI 0 GND
*10 kΩ⏐⏐40 pF for ranges > ±10 V
50 Ω 0.1 μF

I/O Connector
AI 0 Connections Shown

Figure 4-5. Pseudodifferential Connection for Ground-Referenced Signals on

NI 6120 Devices

With this type of connection, the instrumentation amplifier rejects both the
common-mode noise in the signal and the ground potential difference
between the signal source and the device ground, shown as Vcm in these
figures.

Common-Mode Signal Rejection Considerations

The instrumentation amplifier can reject any voltage caused by ground
potential differences between the signal source and the device. In addition,
the instrumentation amplifier can reject common-mode noise pickup in the
leads connecting the signal sources to the device. The instrumentation
amplifier can reject common-mode signals as long as V+in and V–in (input
signals) are both within the working voltage range of the device.

Like any amplifier, the common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of the PGIA
is limited at high frequency. A common-mode choke on each channel of the
NI 6115/6120 compensates for this limitation.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

(NI 6115 Only) The purpose of the 10 nF capacitance on the AI <0..3> –

connection of the NI 6115 is to provide an impedance for this choke to
work against at high frequency, which improves the high-frequency
CMRR. Depending on your application and the type of common noise at
your source, it is possible to gain further common-noise rejection by
placing a 0.1 μF ceramic bypass capacitor between AI – and AI 0 GND.

Pseudodifferential Connections for Floating Signal Sources

(NI 6115/6120 Only) Figure 4-6 shows how to connect a floating, or
non-referenced, signal source to a channel on the NI 6115.

NI 6115

Common-Mode AC Coupling
AI 0 + Choke
Instrumentation
Floating + Amplifier
+
Signal Vs
100 pF* 1 M*
Source – PGIA
+
Measured
– Vm
Bias AI 0 – Voltage
Current –
10 nF
Return
Paths

Bias
Resistor
(see text)

AI 0 GND *10 kΩ⏐⏐40 pF for ranges > ±10 V

I/O Connector
AI 0 Connections Shown

Figure 4-6. Pseudodifferential Connection for Floating Signals on NI 6115 Devices

© National Instruments Corporation 4-13 S Series User Manual

Chapter 4 Analog Input

Figure 4-7 shows how to connect a floating signal source to a channel on

the NI 6120.

NI 6120
AC Coupling
Instrumentation
AI 0 + + Amplifier
Floating +
Signal Vs 100 pF* 1 M* PGIA + Measured
Source – Vm – Voltage
–
Bias AI 0 –
High-Frequency
Current
Common-Mode Choke
Return
Paths

Bias
Resistor
50 Ω 0.1 μF
(see text)

AI 0 GND
*10 kΩ⏐⏐40 pF for ranges > ±10 V
I/O Connector
AI 0 Connections Shown

Figure 4-7. Pseudodifferential Connection for Floating Signals on NI 6120 Devices

The figures show a bias resistor connected between AI 0 – and the floating
signal source ground. This resistor provides a return path for the bias
current. A value of 10 kΩ to 100 kΩ is usually sufficient. If you do not use
the resistor and the source is truly floating, the source is not likely to remain
within the common-mode signal range of the instrumentation amplifier, so
the instrumentation amplifier saturates, causing erroneous readings. You
must reference the source to the respective channel ground.

Common-mode rejection might be improved by using another bias resistor

from the AI 0 + input to AI 0 GND. This connection gives a slight
measurement error due to the voltage divider formed with the output
impedance of the floating source, but it also gives a more balanced input for
better common-mode rejection.

If a signal source is truly floating, you can use a bias resistor with a smaller
value to reduce noise. You can further reduce noise by putting a capacitor
in parallel with the bias resistor.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

Field Wiring Considerations

Environmental noise can seriously affect the measurement accuracy of the
S Series device if you do not take proper care when running signal wires
between signal sources and the device. The following recommendations
apply mainly to AI signal routing, although they also apply to signal
routing in general.

Minimize noise pickup and maximize measurement accuracy by taking the

following precautions.
• Use differential AI connections to reject common-mode noise.
• Use individually shielded, twisted-pair wires to connect AI signals to
the device. With this type of wire, the signals attached to the AI + and
AI – inputs are twisted together and then covered with a shield. You
then connect this shield only at one point to the signal source ground.
This kind of connection is required for signals traveling through areas
with large magnetic fields or high electromagnetic interference.
• Route signals to the device carefully. Keep cabling away from noise
sources. The most common noise source in a PCI DAQ system is the
video monitor. Separate the monitor from the analog signals as far as
possible.
• Separate the signal lines of the S Series device from high-current or
high-voltage lines. These lines can induce currents in or voltages on
the signal lines of the S Series device if they run in close parallel paths.
To reduce the magnetic coupling between lines, separate them by a
reasonable distance if they run in parallel, or run the lines at right
angles to each other.
• Do not run signal lines through conduits that also contain power lines.
• Protect signal lines from magnetic fields caused by electric motors,
welding equipment, breakers, or transformers by running them through
special metal conduits.

Refer to the NI Developer Zone document, Field Wiring and Noise

Considerations for Analog Signals, for more information. To access this
document, go to ni.com/info and enter the info code rdfwn3.

Minimizing Drift in Differential Mode

If the readings from the DAQ device are random and drift rapidly, you
should check the ground-reference connections. The signal can be
referenced to a level that is considered floating with reference to the device
ground reference. Even though you are in differential mode, you must still

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Chapter 4 Analog Input

reference the signal to the same ground level as the device reference. There
are various methods of achieving this reference while maintaining a high
common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR). These methods are outlined in the
Connecting Analog Input Signals section.

AI GND is an AI common signal that routes directly to the ground

connection point on the devices. You can use this signal if you need a
general analog ground connection point to the device.

Analog Input Timing Signals

An acquisition with posttrigger data allows you to view data that is
acquired after a trigger event is received. A typical posttrigger DAQ
sequence is shown in Figure 4-8. The sample counter is loaded with the
specified number of posttrigger samples, in this example, five. The value
decrements with each pulse on AI Sample Clock (ai/SampleClock), until
the value reaches zero and all desired samples have been acquired.

AI Start Trigger

AI Sample Clock

Sample Counter 4 3 2 1 0

Figure 4-8. Typical Posttriggered DAQ Sequence

An acquisition with pretrigger data allows you to view data that is acquired
before the trigger of interest, in addition to data acquired after the trigger.
Figure 4-9 shows a typical pretrigger DAQ sequence. The AI Start Trigger
(ai/StartTrigger) signal can be either a hardware or software signal. If AI
Start Trigger is set up to be a software start trigger, an output pulse appears
on the AI START TRIG line when the acquisition begins. When the AI
Start Trigger pulse occurs, the sample counter is loaded with the number of
pretrigger samples, in this example, four. The value decrements with each
pulse on AI Sample Clock, until the value reaches zero. The sample counter
is then loaded with the number of posttrigger samples, in this example,
three.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

AI Start Trigger

AI Reference Trigger Don't Care

AI Sample Clock

Sample Counter 3 2 1 0 2 2 2 1 0

Figure 4-9. Typical Pretriggered DAQ Sequence

If an AI Reference Trigger (ai/ReferenceTrigger) pulse occurs before the

specified number of pretrigger samples are acquired, the trigger pulse is
ignored. Otherwise, when the AI Reference Trigger pulse occurs, the
sample counter value decrements until the specified number of posttrigger
samples have been acquired. For more information about start and
reference triggers, refer to the Analog Input Triggering section.

In order to provide all of the timing functionality described throughout this

section, the DAQ-STC provides an extremely powerful and flexible timing
engine. For more information about all of the clock routing and timing
options that the analog input timing engine provides, refer to the
NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

S Series devices feature the following analog input timing signals:

• AI Sample Clock Signal
• AI Sample Clock Timebase Signal
• AI Start Trigger Signal
• AI Reference Trigger Signal
• AI Pause Trigger Signal
• Master Timebase Signal
• External Strobe Signal

AI Sample Clock Signal

You can use the AI Sample Clock (ai/SampleClock) signal to initiate a
measurement. Your S Series device samples the AI signals on all channels
once for every occurrence of AI Sample Clock. A measurement acquisition
consists of one or more samples.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-17 S Series User Manual

Chapter 4 Analog Input

The source of the AI Sample Clock signal can be internal or external. You
specify whether the measurement sample begins on the rising edge or
falling edge of the AI Sample Clock signal.

Using an Internal Source

By default, AI Sample Clock is created internally by dividing down the AI
Sample Clock Timebase.

Several other internal signals can be routed to the sample clock. Refer to
Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in
version 8.0 or later for more information.

Using an External Source

You can use a signal connected to any PFI or RTSI <0..6> pin as the source
of AI Sample Clock. Figure 4-10 shows the timing requirements of the AI
Sample Clock source.

tw

Rising-Edge
Polarity
Falling-Edge
Polarity

tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 4-10. AI Sample Clock Timing Requirements

Outputting the AI Sample Clock Signal

You can configure the PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK pin to output the AI Sample
Clock signal. The output pin reflects the AI Sample Clock signal regardless
of what signal you specify as its source. Your DAQ device briefly pulses
the PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK pin once for every occurrence of AI Sample
Clock.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

Figure 4-11 shows the timing of pulse behavior of the

PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK pin when the pin is an output.

tw

AI Sample Clock
tw = 50 to 100 ns

Figure 4-11. PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK as an Output

The PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK pin is configured as an input by default.

Other Timing Requirements

A counter on your device internally generates AI Sample Clock unless you
select some external source. The AI Start Trigger signal starts this counter.
It is stopped automatically by hardware after a finite acquisition completes
or manually through software. When using an internally generated AI
Sample Clock in NI-DAQmx, you can also specify a configurable delay
from the AI Start Trigger to the first AI Sample Clock pulse. By default,
this delay is two ticks of the AI Sample Clock Timebase signal.

Figure 4-12 shows the relationship of the AI Sample Clock signal to the AI
Start Trigger signal.

AI Sample Clock Timebase

AI Start Trigger

AI Sample Clock

Delay
From
Start
Trigger

Figure 4-12. AI Sample Clock and AI Start Trigger

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Chapter 4 Analog Input

AI Sample Clock Timebase Signal

Any PFI can externally input the AI Sample Clock Timebase
(ai/SampleClockTimebase) signal, which is not available as an output on
the I/O connector. The AI Sample Clock Timebase is divided down to
provide the Onboard Clock source for the AI Sample Clock. You can
configure the polarity selection for AI Sample Clock Timebase as either
rising or falling edge.

The maximum allowed frequency is 20 MHz, with a minimum pulse width

of 23 ns high or low. There is no minimum frequency limitation.

The 20MHzTimebase or the 100kHzTimebase generates AI Sample Clock

Timebase unless you select some external source. Figure 4-13 shows the
timing requirements for AI Sample Clock Timebase.

tp

tw tw

tp = 50 ns minimum
tw = 23 ns minimum

Figure 4-13. AI Sample Clock Timebase Timing Requirements

AI Start Trigger Signal

You can use the AI Start Trigger (ai/StartTrigger) signal to begin a
measurement acquisition. A measurement acquisition consists of one or
more samples. If you do not use triggers, you begin a measurement with a
software command. After the acquisition begins, you can configure the
acquisition to stop:
• When a certain number of points are sampled (in finite mode)
• After a hardware reference trigger (in finite mode)
• With a software command (in continuous mode)

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

Using a Digital Source

To use AI Start Trigger with a digital source, you specify a source and an
edge. The source can be an external signal connected to any PFI or
RTSI <0..6> pin. The source can also be one of several internal signals on
your DAQ device. Refer to Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help
or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later for more information.

Also, specify whether the measurement acquisition begins on the rising

edge or falling edge of the AI Start Trigger signal.

Figure 4-14 shows the timing requirements of the AI Start Trigger source.

tw
Rising-Edge
Polarity
Falling-Edge
Polarity

tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 4-14. AI Start Trigger Timing Requirements

Using an Analog Source

When you use an analog trigger source, the acquisition begins on the first
rising edge of the Analog Comparison Event signal. For more information,
refer to the Triggering with an Analog Source section of Chapter 12,
Triggering.

Outputting the AI Start Trigger Signal

You can configure the PFI 0/AI START TRIG pin to output the AI Start
Trigger signal. The output pin reflects the AI Start Trigger signal regardless
of what signal you specify as its source.

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Chapter 4 Analog Input

The output is an active high pulse. Figure 4-15 shows the timing behavior
of the PFI 0/AI START TRIG pin when the pin is an output.

tw

tw = 50 to 100 ns

Figure 4-15. PFI 0/AI START TRIG as an Output

The PFI 0/AI START TRIG pin is configured as an input by default.

When acquisitions use a start trigger without a reference trigger, they are
posttrigger acquisitions because data is acquired only after the trigger. The
device also uses AI Start Trigger to initiate pretrigger DAQ operations. In
most pretrigger applications, a software trigger generates AI Start Trigger.
Refer to the AI Reference Trigger Signal section for a complete description
of the use of AI Start Trigger and AI Reference Trigger in a pretrigger DAQ
operation.

AI Reference Trigger Signal

You can use the AI Reference Trigger (ai/ReferenceTrigger) signal to stop
a measurement acquisition. To use a reference trigger, specify a buffer of
finite size and a number of pretrigger samples (samples that occur before
the reference trigger). The number of posttrigger samples (samples that
occur after the reference trigger) desired is the buffer size minus the
number of pretrigger samples.

When the acquisition begins, the DAQ device writes samples to the buffer.
After the DAQ device captures the specified number of pretrigger samples,
the DAQ device begins to look for the reference trigger condition. If the
reference trigger condition occurs before the DAQ device captures the
specified number of pretrigger samples, the DAQ device ignores the
condition.

If the buffer becomes full, the DAQ device continuously discards the oldest
samples in the buffer to make space for the next sample. You can access this
data (with some limitations) before the DAQ device discards it. Refer to the
KnowledgeBase document, Can a Pretriggered Acquisition be
Continuous?, for more information. To access this KnowledgeBase, go to
ni.com/info and enter the info code rdcanq.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

When the reference trigger occurs, the DAQ device continues to write
samples to the buffer until the buffer contains the number of posttrigger
samples desired. Figure 4-16 shows the final buffer.

Reference Trigger

Pretrigger Samples Posttrigger Samples

Complete Buffer

Figure 4-16. Reference Trigger Final Buffer

Using a Digital Source

To use AI Reference Trigger with a digital source, specify a source and an
edge. The source can be an external signal connected to any PFI or
RTSI <0..6> pin. The source can also be one of several internal signals on
your DAQ device. Refer to Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help
or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later for more information.

Also, specify whether the measurement acquisition stops on the rising edge
or falling edge of the AI Reference Trigger signal.

Figure 4-17 shows the timing requirements of the AI Reference Trigger

source.

tw

Rising-Edge
Polarity
Falling-Edge
Polarity

tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 4-17. AI Reference Trigger Source Timing Requirements

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Chapter 4 Analog Input

Using an Analog Source

When you use an analog trigger source, the acquisition stops on the first
rising edge of the Analog Comparison Event signal. For more information,
refer to the Triggering with an Analog Source section of Chapter 12,
Triggering.

Outputting the AI Reference Trigger Signal

You can configure the PFI 1/AI REF TRIG pin to output the AI Reference
Trigger signal. The output pin reflects the AI Reference Trigger signal
regardless of what signal you specify as its source.

The output is an active high pulse. Figure 4-18 shows the timing behavior
of the PFI 1/AI REF TRIG pin when the pin is an output.

tw

tw = 50 to 100 ns

Figure 4-18. PFI/AI REF TRIG Timing Behavior

The PFI 1/AI REF TRIG pin is configured as an input by default.

AI Pause Trigger Signal

You can use the AI Pause Trigger (ai/PauseTrigger) signal to pause and
resume a measurement acquisition. This signal is not available as an output.

Using a Digital Source

To use AI Pause Trigger, specify a source and a polarity. The source can be
an external signal connected to any PFI or RTSI <0..6> pin. The source can
also be one of several other internal signals on your DAQ device. Refer to
Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in
version 8.0 or later for more information.

Also, specify whether the measurement sample is paused when AI Pause

Trigger is at a logic high or low level.

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 Chapter 4 Analog Input

Using an Analog Source

When you use an analog trigger source, the internal sample clock pauses
when the Analog Comparison Event signal is low and resumes when the
signal goes high (or vice versa). For more information, refer to the
Triggering with an Analog Source section of Chapter 12, Triggering.

Note Pause triggers are only sensitive to the level of the source, not the edge.

Master Timebase Signal

The Master Timebase (MasterTimebase) signal, or Onboard Clock, is the
timebase from which all other internally generated clocks and timebases on
the device are derived. It controls the timing for the analog input, analog
output, and counter subsystems. It is available as an output on the I/O
connector, but you must use one or more counters to do so.

The maximum allowed frequency for the Master Timebase is 20 MHz, with
a minimum pulse width of 23 ns high or low. There is no minimum
frequency limitation.

The two possible sources for the Master Timebase signal are the internal
20MHzTimebase signal or an external signal through RTSI 7. Typically the
20MHzTimebase signal is used as the Master Timebase unless you wish to
synchronize multiple devices, in which case, you should use RTSI 7. Refer
to Chapter 10, Real-Time System Integration Bus (RTSI), for more
information about which signals are available through RTSI.

Figure 4-19 shows the timing requirements for Master Timebase.

tp

tw tw

tp = 50 ns minimum
tw = 23 ns minimum

Figure 4-19. Master Timebase Timing Requirements

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Chapter 4 Analog Input

External Strobe Signal

External Strobe is an output-only signal on the EXT STROBE pin that
generates either a single pulse or a sequence of eight pulses in the
hardware-strobe mode. An external device can use this signal to latch
signals or to trigger events. In the single-pulse mode, software controls the
level of the External Strobe. External Strobe is used for signal conditioning
with SCXI and is not available for use with NI-DAQmx.

Getting Started with AI Applications in Software

You can use the S Series device in the following analog input applications:
• Simultaneous sampling
• Single-point analog input
• Finite analog input
• Continuous analog input

You can perform these applications through DMA, interrupt, or

programmed I/O data transfer mechanisms. Some of the applications also
use start, reference, and pause triggers.

Note For more information about programming analog input applications and triggers in
software, refer to the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

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Analog Output
5
Figure 5-1 shows the analog output circuitry of an S Series NI 611x/6120
device.

AO 0 DAC0

AO FIFO AO Data

AO 1 DAC1

AO Sample Clock
Polarity Select
Reference Select

Figure 5-1. S Series Device Analog Output Block Diagram

Note Analog output is not a feature on the NI 6122/6123/613x/6143 devices.

The main blocks featured in the S Series analog output circuitry are as
follows:
• DACs—Digital-to-analog converters (DACs) convert digital codes to
analog voltages.
• AO FIFO—The AO FIFO enables analog output waveform
generation. It is a first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory buffer between the
computer and the DACs that allows you to download all the points of
a waveform to your device without host computer interaction.
• AO Sample Clock—The DAC reads a sample from the FIFO with
every cycle of the AO Sample Clock signal and generates the AO
voltage. For more information, refer to the AO Sample Clock Signal
section.

© National Instruments Corporation 5-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 5 Analog Output

Minimizing Glitches on the Output Signal

When you use a DAC to generate a waveform, you may observe glitches
on the output signal. These glitches are normal; when a DAC switches from
one voltage to another, it produces glitches due to released charges. The
largest glitches occur when the most significant bit (MSB) of the DACcode
switches. You can build a lowpass deglitching filter to remove some of
these glitches, depending on the frequency and nature of the output signal.
Visit ni.com/support for more information about minimizing glitches.

AO Data Generation Methods

When performing an analog output operation, there are several different
data generation methods available. You can either perform software-timed
or hardware-timed generations:
• Software-Timed Generations—With a software-timed generation,
software controls the rate at which data is generated. Software sends a
separate command to the hardware to initiate each DAC conversion. In
NI-DAQmx, software-timed generations are referred to as on demand
timing. Software-timed generations are also referred to as immediate
or static operations. They are typically used for writing a single value
out, such as a constant DC voltage.
• Hardware-Timed Generations—With a hardware-timed generation,
a digital hardware signal controls the rate of the generation. This signal
can be generated internally on your device or provided externally.
Hardware-timed generations have several advantages over
software-timed generations:
– The time between samples can be much shorter.
– The timing between samples can be deterministic.
– Hardware-timed generations can use hardware triggering. For
more information, refer to Chapter 12, Triggering.
Hardware-timed operations can be buffered or non-buffered. A buffer
is a temporary storage in computer memory for acquired or
to-be-generated samples.
– Buffered—In a buffered generation, data is moved from a PC
buffer to the DAQ device’s onboard FIFO using DMA or
interrupts before it is written to the DACs one sample at a time.
Buffered generations typically allow for much faster transfer rates
than non-buffered generations because data is moved in large
blocks, rather than one point at a time. For more information about

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 Chapter 5 Analog Output

DMA and interrupts, refer to the Data Transfer Methods section

of Chapter 11, Bus Interface.
One property of buffered I/O operations is the sample mode. The
sample mode can be either finite or continuous:
• Finite sample mode generation refers to the generation of a
specific, predetermined number of data samples. When the
specified number of samples has been written out, the
generation stops.
• Continuous generation refers to the generation of an
unspecified number of samples. Instead of generating a set
number of data samples and stopping, a continuous
generation continues until you stop the operation. There are
several different methods of continuous generation that
control what data is written. These methods are regeneration,
FIFO regeneration and non-regeneration modes.
Regeneration is the repetition of the data that is already in the
buffer. Standard regeneration is when data from the PC buffer
is continually downloaded to the FIFO to be written out. New
data can be written to the PC buffer at any time without
disrupting the output.
With FIFO regeneration, the entire buffer is downloaded to
the FIFO and regenerated from there. After the data is
downloaded, new data cannot be written to the FIFO. To use
FIFO regeneration, the entire buffer must fit within the FIFO
size. The advantage of using FIFO regeneration is that it does
not require communication with the main host memory after
the operation is started, thereby preventing any problems that
may occur due to excessive bus traffic.
With non-regeneration, old data will not be repeated. New
data must be continually written to the buffer. If the program
does not write new data to the buffer at a fast enough rate to
keep up with the generation, the buffer will underflow and
cause an error.
– Non-Buffered—In hardware-timed non-buffered generations,
data is written directly to the FIFO on the device. Typically,
hardware-timed non-buffered operations are used to write single
samples with known time increments between them and good
latency.

© National Instruments Corporation 5-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 5 Analog Output

Analog Output Triggering

Analog output supports two different triggering actions: start and pause. An
analog or digital hardware trigger can initiate these actions. All S Series
devices support digital triggering, and some also support analog triggering.
To find your device’s triggering options, refer to the specifications
document for your device.

The AO Start Trigger Signal and AO Pause Trigger Signal sections contain
information about the analog output trigger signals.

Refer to Chapter 12, Triggering, for more information about triggers.

Connecting Analog Output Signals

The AO signals are AO 0, AO 1, and AO GND. AO 0 is the voltage output
signal for AO channel 0. AO 1 is the voltage output signal for
AO channel 1. AO GND is the ground reference for the AO channels.

Figure 5-2 shows how AO 0 and AO 1 are wired on an S Series device.

AO 0
Channel 0
+

Load VOUT 0

– AO GND

–
Load VOUT 1
AO 1
+
Channel 1

Analog Output Channels

S Series Device

Figure 5-2. Analog Output Connections for S Series Devices

S Series User Manual 5-4 ni.com

 Chapter 5 Analog Output

Waveform Generation Timing Signals

There is one AO Sample Clock that causes all AO channels to update
simultaneously. Figure 5-3 summarizes the timing and routing options
provided by the analog output timing engine.

PFI 0–9, Ctr1InternalOutput

RTSI 7
Master RTSI 0–6 PFI 0–9, ao/SampleClock
Onboard ao/SampleClock
Timebase Onboard RTSI 0–6
Clock Timebase
Clock

÷200 ÷
20 MHz Divisor
Timebase

Figure 5-3. Analog Output Engine Routing Options

S Series devices feature the following waveform generation timing signals:

• AO Start Trigger Signal
• AO Sample Clock Timebase Signal
• AO Sample Clock Signal
• AO Pause Trigger Signal
• Master Timebase Signal

AO Sample Clock Signal

You can use the AO Sample Clock (ao/SampleClock) signal to initiate AO
samples. Each sample updates the outputs of all of the DACs.

The source of the AO Sample Clock signal can be internal or external. You
can specify whether the DAC update begins on the rising edge or falling
edge of the AO Sample Clock signal.

Using an Internal Source

By default, AO Sample Clock is created internally by dividing down the
AO Sample Clock Timebase signal.

Several other internal signals can be routed to the sample clock. Refer to
Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in
version 8.0 or later for more information.

© National Instruments Corporation 5-5 S Series User Manual

Chapter 5 Analog Output

Using an External Source

You can use a signal connected to any PFI or RTSI <0..6> pin as the source
of AO Sample Clock. Figure 5-4 shows the timing requirements of the AO
Sample Clock source.

tw
Rising-Edge
Polarity

Falling-Edge
Polarity

tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 5-4. AO Sample Clock Timing Requirements

Outputting the AO Sample Clock Signal

You can configure the PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK pin to output the AO Sample
Clock signal. The output pin reflects the AO Sample Clock signal
regardless of what signal you specify as its source.

The output is an active high pulse. Figure 5-5 shows the timing behavior of
the PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK pin when the pin is an output.

tw

tw = 50–75 ns

Figure 5-5. PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK as an Output

The PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK is configured as an input by default.

S Series User Manual 5-6 ni.com

 Chapter 5 Analog Output

Other Timing Requirements

A counter on your device internally generates AO Sample Clock unless you
select some external source. The AO Start Trigger signal starts this counter.
It is stopped automatically by hardware after a finite acquisition completes
or manually through software. When using an internally generated AO
Sample Clock in NI-DAQmx, you can also specify a configurable delay
from the AO Start Trigger to the first AO Sample Clock pulse. By default,
this delay is two ticks of the AO Sample Clock Timebase signal.

Figure 5-6 shows the relationship of the AO Sample Clock signal to the AO
Start Trigger signal.

AO Sample Clock Timebase

AO Start Trigger

AO Sample Clock

Delay
From
Start
Trigger

Figure 5-6. AO Sample Clock and AO Start Trigger

AO Sample Clock Timebase Signal

You can select any PFI or RTSI pin as well as many other internal signals
as the AO Sample Clock Timebase (ao/SampleClockTimebase) signal.
This signal is not available as an output on the I/O connector. AO Sample
Clock Timebase is divided down to provide the Onboard Clock source for
the AO Sample Clock. You specify whether the samples begin on the rising
or falling edge of AO Sample Clock Timebase.

You might use the AO Sample Clock Timebase signal if you want to use an
external sample clock signal, but need to divide the signal down. If you
want to use an external sample clock signal, but do not need to divide the
signal, then you should use the AO Sample Clock signal rather than the
AO Sample Clock Timebase. If you do not specify an external sample clock
timebase, NI-DAQmx uses the Onboard Clock.

© National Instruments Corporation 5-7 S Series User Manual

Chapter 5 Analog Output

Figure 5-7 shows the timing requirements for the AO Sample Clock
Timebase signal.

tp

tw tw

tp = 50 ns minimum
tw = 23 ns minimum

Figure 5-7. AO Sample Clock Timebase Timing Requirements

The maximum allowed frequency is 20 MHz, with a minimum pulse width

of 10 ns high or low. There is no minimum frequency.

Unless you select an external source, either the 20MHzTimebase or

100kHzTimebase generates the AO Sample Clock Timebase signal.

AO Start Trigger Signal

You can use the AO Start Trigger (ao/StartTrigger) signal to initiate a
waveform generation. If you do not use triggers, you begin a generation
with a software command.

Using a Digital Source

To use AO Start Trigger, specify a source and an edge. The source can be
an external signal connected to any PFI or RTSI <0..6> pin. The source
can also be one of several internal signals on your DAQ device. Refer to
Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in
version 8.0 or later for more information.

S Series User Manual 5-8 ni.com

 Chapter 5 Analog Output

Figure 5-8 shows the timing requirements of the AO Start Trigger digital
source.

tw

Rising-Edge
Polarity
Falling-Edge
Polarity

tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 5-8. AO Start Trigger Timing Requirements

Using an Analog Source

When you use an analog trigger source, the waveform generation begins on
the first rising edge of the Analog Comparison Event signal. For more
information, refer to the Triggering with an Analog Source section of
Chapter 12, Triggering.

Outputting the AO Start Trigger Signal

You can configure the PFI 6/AO START TRIG pin to output the AO Start
Trigger signal. The output pin reflects the AO Start Trigger signal
regardless of what signal you specify as its source.

The output is an active high pulse. Figure 5-9 shows the timing behavior of
the PFI 6/AO START TRIG pin when the pin is an output.

tw

tw = 50 –100 ns

Figure 5-9. PFI 6/AO START TRIG Timing Behavior

The PFI 6/AO START TRIG pin is configured as an input by default.

© National Instruments Corporation 5-9 S Series User Manual

Chapter 5 Analog Output

AO Pause Trigger Signal

You can use the AO Pause Trigger (ao/PauseTrigger) signal to mask off
samples in a DAQ sequence. That is, when AO Pause Trigger is active, no
samples occur.

The AO Pause Trigger does not stop a sample that is in progress. The pause
does not take effect until the beginning of the next sample. This signal is
not available as an output.

Using a Digital Source

To use AO Pause Trigger, specify a source and a polarity. The source can
be an external signal connected to any PFI or RTSI <0..6> pin. The source
can also be one of several other internal signals on your DAQ device. Refer
to Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in
version 8.0 or later for more information.

Also, specify whether the samples are paused when AO Pause Trigger is at
a logic high or low level.

Using an Analog Source

When you use an analog trigger source, the samples are paused when the
Analog Comparison Event signal is at a high level. For more information,
refer to the Triggering with an Analog Source section of Chapter 12,
Triggering.

Master Timebase Signal

The Master Timebase (MasterTimebase) signal, or Onboard Clock, is the
timebase from which all other internally generated clocks and timebases on
the device are derived. It controls the timing for the analog input, analog
output, and counter subsystems. The Master Timebase signal is available
as an output on the I/O connector, but you must use at least one counter to
output it.

The maximum allowed frequency for the Master Timebase is 20 MHz, with
a minimum pulse width of 23 ns high or low. There is no minimum
frequency limitation.

The two possible sources for the Master Timebase signal are the internal
20MHzTimebase signal or an external signal through RTSI 7. Typically the
20MHzTimebase signal is used as the Master Timebase unless you want to
synchronize multiple devices, in which case, you should use RTSI 7. Refer

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 Chapter 5 Analog Output

to Chapter 10, Real-Time System Integration Bus (RTSI), for more

information about which signals are available through RTSI.

Figure 5-10 shows the timing requirements for Master Timebase.

tp

tw tw

tp = 50 ns minimum
tw = 23 ns minimum

Figure 5-10. Master Timebase Timing Requirements

Getting Started with AO Applications in Software

You can use the S Series device in the following analog output
applications:
• Single-point generation
• Finite generation
• Continuous generation
• Waveform generation

You can perform these generations through DMA, interrupt, or

programmed I/O data transfer mechanisms. Some of the applications also
use start triggers and pause triggers.

Note For more information about programming analog output applications and triggers in
software, refer to the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

© National Instruments Corporation 5-11 S Series User Manual

Digital I/O
6
S Series devices contain eight lines of bidirectional DIO signals that
support the following features:
• Direction and function of each terminal, individually controllable
• (NI 6115/612x/613x Only) High-speed digital waveform generation
• (NI 6115/612x/613x Only) High-speed digital waveform acquisition

Figure 6-1 shows the circuitry of one DIO line.

DO Waveform
Generation FIFO

DO Sample Clock

Weak Pull-Up
Static DO
Buffer
I/O Protection P0.x
DO.x Direction Control

Static DI

DI Waveform
Measurement
FIFO

DI Sample Clock

Figure 6-1. S Series Digital I/O Block Diagram

The DIO terminals are named P0.<0..7> on the I/O connector.

© National Instruments Corporation 6-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 6 Digital I/O

Static DIO
Each DIO line can be used as a static DI or DO line. You can use static DIO
lines to monitor or control digital signals. Each DIO can be individually
configured as a digital input (DI) or digital output (DO). All samples of
static DI lines and updates of DO lines are software-timed.

P0.6 and P0.7 also can control the up/down input of general-purpose
counters 0 and 1, respectively. The up/down control signals, Counter 0
Up/Down and Counter 1 Up/Down, are input-only and do not affect the
operation of the DIO lines. For more information, refer to Chapter 7,
Counters.

Digital Waveform Generation

(NI 6115/612x/613x Only) These S Series devices can generate digital
waveforms. This behavior is also referred to as correlated digital I/O
because there is no dedicated clock source for the digital operation. Refer
to the DO Sample Clock Signal section for a list of possible sources.

The DO waveform generation FIFO stores the digital samples. These

S Series devices can use DMA transfers to move data from the system
memory to the DO waveform generation FIFO. The DAQ device moves
samples from the FIFO to the DIO terminals on each rising or falling edge
of a clock signal, DO Sample Clock. Refer to Chapter 11, Bus Interface, for
more information about DMA transfers.

You can configure each DIO line to be the following:

• An input
• A static output
• A digital waveform generation output

DO Sample Clock Signal

(NI 6115/612x/613x Only) Use the DO Sample Clock (do/SampleClock)
signal to update the DO pins with the next sample from the DO waveform
generation FIFO. Because there is no dedicated internal clock for timed
digital operations, you can use an external signal or one of several internal
signals as the DO Sample Clock. You can correlate digital and analog
samples in time by choosing the same signal as the source of the DO
Sample Clock, AI Sample Clock, or DI Sample Clock.

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 Chapter 6 Digital I/O

If the DAQ device receives a DO Sample Clock when the FIFO is empty,
the DAQ device reports an underflow error to the host software.

Using an Internal Source

To use DO Sample Clock with an internal source without making any
external connections, specify the signal source and the polarity of the
signal. The source can be one of the following signals:
• AI Sample Clock
• (NI 6115/6120 Only) AO Sample Clock
• Counter 0 Out

Program the DAQ device to update the DIO pins on the rising edge or
falling edge of DO Sample Clock.

Using an External Source

You can use a signal connected to any RTSI <0..6> pin as the source of
DO Sample Clock. You can generate samples on the rising or falling edge
of DO Sample Clock.

Any PFI line that can be routed to RTSI can also be used as the clock
source. Refer to Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the
LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later for more information.

You must ensure that the time between two active edges of the DO Sample
Clock is not too short. If the time is too short, the DO waveform generation
FIFO is not able to read the next sample fast enough. Refer to the device
specifications for the maximum sampling rate for your device.

Digital Waveform Acquisition

(NI 6115/612x/613x Only) These S Series devices can acquire digital
waveforms. This behavior is also referred to as correlated digital I/O
because there is no dedicated clock source for the digital operation. Refer
to the DI Sample Clock Signal section for a list of possible sources.

The DI waveform acquisition FIFO stores the digital samples. These

S Series devices can use DMA transfers to move data from the DI
waveform acquisition FIFO to system memory. The DAQ device samples
the DIO lines on each rising or falling edge of a clock signal, DI Sample
Clock. Refer to Chapter 11, Bus Interface, for more information about
DMA transfers.

© National Instruments Corporation 6-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 6 Digital I/O

You can configure each DIO line to be the following:

• An output
• A static input
• A digital waveform acquisition input

DI Sample Clock Signal

(NI 6115/612x/613x Only) Use the DI Sample Clock (di/SampleClock) signal
to sample the P0.<0..7> terminals and store the result in the DI waveform
acquisition FIFO. Because there is no dedicated internal clock for timed
digital operations, you can use an external signal or one of several internal
signals as the DI Sample Clock. You can correlate digital and analog
samples in time by choosing the same signal as the source of the DI Sample
Clock, AI Sample Clock, or DO Sample Clock.

If the DAQ device receives a DI Sample Clock when the FIFO is full, the
DAQ device reports an overflow error to the host software.

Using an Internal Source

To use DI Sample Clock with an internal source, specify the signal source
and the polarity of the signal. The source can be any of the following
signals:
• AI Sample Clock
• (NI 6115/6120 Only) AO Sample Clock
• Counter 0 Out

Program the DAQ device to sample the DIO terminals on the rising edge or
falling edge of DI Sample Clock.

Using an External Source

You can use a signal connected to any RTSI <0..6> pin as the source of
DI Sample Clock. You can sample data on the rising or falling edge of
DI Sample Clock.

Any PFI line that can be routed to RTSI can also be used as the clock
source. Refer to Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the
LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later for more information.

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 Chapter 6 Digital I/O

You must ensure that the time between two active edges of the DI Sample
Clock is not too short. If the time is too short, the DI waveform generation
FIFO is not able to store the sample fast enough. Refer to the device
specifications for the maximum sampling rate for your device.

I/O Protection
Each DIO and PFI signal is protected against overvoltage, undervoltage,
and overcurrent conditions as well as ESD events. However, you should
avoid these fault conditions by following these guidelines:
• If you configure a PFI or DIO line as an output, do not connect it to any
external signal source, ground signal, or power supply.
• If you configure a PFI or DIO line as an output, understand the current
requirements of the load connected to these signals. Do not exceed the
specified current output limits of the DAQ device. NI has several signal
conditioning solutions for digital applications requiring high-current
drive.
• If you configure a PFI or DIO line as an input, do not drive the line with
voltages outside of its normal operating range. The PFI or DIO lines
have a smaller operating range than the AI signals.
• Treat the DAQ device as you would treat any static-sensitive device.
Always properly ground yourself and the equipment when handling
the DAQ device or connecting to it.

Power-On States
At system startup and reset, the hardware sets all PFI and DIO lines to
high-impedance inputs. The DAQ device does not drive the signal high or
low. Each line has a weak pull-up resistor connected to it, as described in
the specifications document for your device.

Connecting Digital I/O Signals

The DIO signals, P0.<0..7>, are referenced to D GND. You can
individually program each line as an input or output. Figure 6-2 shows
P0.<0..3> configured for digital input and P0.<4..7> configured for digital
output. Digital input applications include receiving TTL signals and
sensing external device states, such as the state of the switch shown in the
figure. Digital output applications include sending TTL signals and driving
external devices, such as the LED shown in Figure 6-2.

© National Instruments Corporation 6-5 S Series User Manual

Chapter 6 Digital I/O

+5 V

LED

P0.<4..7>

TTL Signal
P0.<0..3>

+5 V

Switch

D GND

I/O Connector

S Series Device

Figure 6-2. Digital I/O Signal Connections

Caution Exceeding the maximum input voltage ratings, which are listed in the
specifications document for each S Series device, can damage the DAQ device and the
computer. NI is not liable for any damage resulting from such signal connections.

Getting Started with DIO Applications in Software

You can use the S Series device in the following digital I/O applications:
• Static digital input
• Static digital output
• Digital waveform generation
• Digital waveform acquisition

Note For more information about programming digital I/O applications and triggers in
software, refer to the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

S Series User Manual 6-6 ni.com

Counters
7
Figure 7-1 shows a counter on the S Series device.

Source

Out

Gate

Software Registers

Figure 7-1. Counter Block Diagram

Counters 0 and 1 each have two inputs (source and gate), one output, and
two software registers, which are used to perform different operations.
Counter functionality for S Series devices is built into the DAQ-STC. For
more information about the DAQ-STC, refer to Chapter 2, DAQ System
Overview.

Counter Triggering
Counters support two different triggering actions: start and pause. A digital
trigger can directly initiate these actions. An analog trigger can indirectly
initiate these actions by routing the Analog Comparison Event from a
triggered analog input or output task to the counter as a digital trigger.

Refer to Chapter 12, Triggering, for more information about triggers.

Start Trigger
A start trigger begins a finite or continuous pulse generation. After a
continuous generation is initiated, the pulses continue to generate until you
stop the operation in software. The specified number of pulses are
generated for finite generations unless the retriggerable attribute is used.
The retriggerable attribute causes the generation to restart on a subsequent
start trigger.

© National Instruments Corporation 7-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 7 Counters

Pause Trigger
You can use pause triggers in edge counting and continuous pulse
generation applications:
• For edge counting acquisitions, the counter stops counting edges while
the external trigger signal is low and resumes when the signal goes
high, or vice versa.
• For continuous pulse generations, the counter stops generating pulses
while the external trigger signal is low and resumes when the signal
goes high, or vice versa.

Counter Timing Signals

Figure 7-2 shows the timing requirements for the gate and source input
signals and the timing specifications for the output signals on your device.

tsc tsp tsp

VIH
SOURCE
VIL

tgsu tgh
VIH
GATE
VIL
tgw

tout
VOH
OUT
VOL

Source Clock Period tsc 50 ns minimum

Source Pulse Width tsp 10 ns minimum
Gate Setup Time tgsu 10 ns minimum
Gate Hold Time tgh 0 ns minimum
Gate Pulse Width tgw 10 ns minimum
Output Delay Time tout 80 ns maximum

Figure 7-2. Gate and Source Input Timing Requirements

The gate and out signal transitions shown in Figure 7-2 are referenced to
the rising edge of the source signal. This timing diagram assumes that the
counters are programmed to count rising edges. The same timing diagram,
but with the source signal inverted and referenced to the falling edge of the
source signal, applies when you program the counter to count falling edges.

S Series User Manual 7-2 ni.com

 Chapter 7 Counters

The gate input timing parameters are referenced to the signal at the source
input or to one of the internally generated signals on your device.
Figure 7-2 shows the gate signal referenced to the rising edge of a source
signal. The gate must be valid (either high or low) for at least 10 ns before
the rising or falling edge of a source signal so the gate can take effect at that
source edge, as shown by tgsu and tgh. The gate signal is not required after
the active edge of the source signal.

If you use an internal timebase clock, you cannot synchronize the gate
signal with the clock. In this case, gates applied close to a source edge take
effect either on that source edge or on the next one. This arrangement
results in an uncertainty of one source clock period with respect to
unsynchronized gating sources.

The output timing parameters are referenced to the signal at the source
input or to one of the internally generated clock signals on your device.
Figure 7-2 shows the out signal referenced to the rising edge of a source
signal. Any out signal state changes occur within 80 ns after the rising or
falling edge of the source signal.

For information about the internal routing available on the DAQ-STC

counter/timers, refer to Counter Parts in NI-DAQmx in the NI-DAQmx
Help or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

S Series devices feature the following counter timing signals:

• Counter 0 Source Signal
• Counter 0 Gate Signal
• Counter 0 Internal Output Signal
• Counter 0 Up/Down Signal
• Counter 1 Source Signal
• Counter 1 Gate Signal
• Counter 1 Internal Output Signal
• Counter 1 Up/Down Signal
• Frequency Output Signal
• Master Timebase Signal

© National Instruments Corporation 7-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 7 Counters

Counter 0 Source Signal

You can select any PFI as well as many other internal signals as the
Counter 0 Source (Ctr0Source) signal. The Counter 0 Source signal is
configured in edge-detection mode on either the rising or falling edge. The
selected edge of the Counter 0 Source signal increments and decrements
the counter value depending on the application the counter is performing.

You can export the Counter 0 Source signal to the PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE
pin, even if another PFI is inputting the Counter 0 Source signal. This
output is set to high-impedance at startup.

Figure 7-3 shows the timing requirements for the Counter 0 Source signal.

tp

tw tw

tp = 50 ns minimum
tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 7-3. Counter 0 Source Timing Requirements

The maximum allowed frequency is 20 MHz, with a minimum pulse width

of 10 ns high or low. There is no minimum frequency.

For most applications, unless you select an external source, the

20MHzTimebase signal or the 100kHzTimebase signal generates the
Counter 0 Source signal.

Counter 0 Gate Signal

You can select any PFI as well as many other internal signals like the
Counter 0 Gate (Ctr0Gate) signal. The Counter 0 Gate signal is configured
in edge-detection or level-detection mode depending on the application
performed by the counter. The gate signal can perform many different
operations including starting and stopping the counter, generating
interrupts, and saving the counter contents.

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 Chapter 7 Counters

You can export the gate signal connected to Counter 0 to the PFI 9/CTR 0
GATE pin, even if another PFI is inputting the Counter 0 Gate signal. This
output is set to high-impedance at startup.

Figure 7-4 shows the timing requirements for the Counter 0 Gate signal.

tw

Rising-Edge
Polarity
Falling-Edge
Polarity

tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 7-4. Counter 0 Gate Timing Requirements

Counter 0 Internal Output Signal

The Counter 0 Internal Output (Ctr0InternalOutput) signal is the output of
Counter 0. This signal reflects the terminal count (TC) of Counter 0. The
counter generates a terminal count when its count value rolls over. The
two software-selectable output options are pulse on TC and toggle output
polarity on TC. The output polarity is software-selectable for both options.
Figure 7-5 shows the behavior of the Counter 0 Internal Output signal.

TC

Ctr0Source

Ctr0InternalOutput
(Pulse on TC)

Ctr0InternalOutput
(Toggle Output on TC)

Figure 7-5. Counter 0 Internal Output Signal Behavior

You can use Counter 0 Internal Output in the following applications:

• In pulse generation mode, the counter drives Counter 0 Internal Output
with the generated pulses. To enable this behavior, software configures
the counter to toggle Counter 0 Internal Output on TC.

© National Instruments Corporation 7-5 S Series User Manual

Chapter 7 Counters

• Counter 0 Internal Output can control the timing of analog input

acquisitions by driving:
– AI Sample Clock
– AI Start Trigger
– AI Convert Clock
• Counter 0 and 1 can be daisy-chained together by routing Counter 0
Internal Output to Counter 1 Gate.
• Counter 0 Internal Output can drive any of the RTSI <0..6> signals to
control the behavior of other devices in the system.
• Counter 0 Internal Output drives the CTR 0 OUT pin to trigger or
control external devices.
• Counter 0 Internal Output can drive other internal signals.

Refer to Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW

Help in version 8.0 or later for more information.

CTR 0 OUT Pin

When the CTR 0 OUT pin is an output, the Ctr0InternalOutput signal
drives the pin. As an input, CTR 0 OUT can drive any of the RTSI <0..6>
signals. CTR 0 OUT is set to high-impedance at startup. Figure 7-6 shows
the relationship of CTR 0 OUT and Ctr0InternalOutput.

Can Drive RTSI <0..6>,

AI Sample Clock,
AI Start Trigger,
or other signals

Ctr0Gate
Ctr0InternalOutput
Counter 0 CTR 0 OUT

Ctr0Source

Ctr0Up/Down
Ctr0Out

Can Drive RTSI <0..6>

Figure 7-6. CTR 0 OUT and Ctr0InternalOutput

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 Chapter 7 Counters

Counter 0 Up/Down Signal

You can externally input this signal on the P0.6 pin, but it is not available
as an output on the I/O connector. When you enable externally controlled
count direction, Counter 0 counts down when this pin is at a logic low and
counts up when it is at a logic high. If you are using an external signal to
control the count direction, do not use the P0.6 pin for output. If you do not
enable externally controlled count direction, the P0.6 pin is free for general
use.

Counter 1 Source Signal

You can select any PFI as well as many other internal signals as the
Counter 1 Source (Ctr1Source) signal. The Counter 1 Source signal is
configured in edge-detection mode on either rising or falling edge. The
selected edge of the Counter 1 Source signal increments and decrements
the counter value depending on the application the counter is performing.

You can export the Counter 1 signal to the PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE pin, even
if another PFI is inputting the Counter 1 Source signal. This output is set to
high-impedance at startup.

Figure 7-7 shows the timing requirements for the Counter 1 Source signal.

tp

tw tw

tp = 50 ns minimum
tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 7-7. Counter 1 Source Timing Requirements

The maximum allowed frequency is 20 MHz, with a minimum pulse width

of 10 ns high or low. There is no minimum frequency.

For most applications, unless you select an external source, the

20MHzTimebase signal or the 100kHzTimebase signal generates the
Counter 1 Source signal.

© National Instruments Corporation 7-7 S Series User Manual

Chapter 7 Counters

Counter 1 Gate Signal

You can select any PFI as well as many other internal signals like the
Counter 1 Gate (Ctr1Gate) signal. The Counter 1 Gate signal is configured
in edge-detection or level-detection mode depending on the application
performed by the counter. The gate signal can perform many different
operations including starting and stopping the counter, generating
interrupts, and saving the counter contents.

You can export the gate signal connected to Counter 1 to the PFI 4/CTR 1
GATE pin, even if another PFI is inputting the Counter 1 Gate signal. This
output is set to high-impedance at startup.

Figure 7-8 shows the timing requirements for the Counter 1 Gate signal.

tw

Rising-Edge
Polarity
Falling-Edge
Polarity

tw = 10 ns minimum

Figure 7-8. Counter 1 Gate Timing Requirements

Counter 1 Internal Output Signal

The Counter 1 Internal Output (Ctr0InternalOutput) signal is the output of
Counter 1. This signal reflects the terminal count (TC) of Counter 1. The
counter generates a terminal count when its count value rolls over. The
two software-selectable output options are pulse on TC and toggle output

S Series User Manual 7-8 ni.com

 Chapter 7 Counters

polarity on TC. The output polarity is software-selectable for both options.

Figure 7-9 shows the behavior of the Counter 1 Internal Output signal.

TC
Ctr1Source

Ctr1InternalOutput
(Pulse on TC)

Ctr1InternalOutput
(Toggle Output on TC)

Figure 7-9. Counter 1 Internal Output Behavior

You can use Counter 1 Internal Output in the following applications:

• In pulse generation mode, the counter drives Counter 1 Internal Output
with the generated pulses. To enable this behavior, software configures
the counter to toggle Counter 1 Internal Output on TC.
• (NI 6110/6111 Only) Counter 1 Internal Output can control the timing of
analog output acquisitions by driving AO Sample Clock.
• Counter 0 and 1 can be daisy-chained together by routing Counter 1
Internal Output to Counter 0 Gate.
• Counter 1 Internal Output drives the CTR 1 OUT pin to trigger or
control external devices.
• Counter 1 Internal Output can drive other internal signals.

Refer to Device Routing in MAX in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW

Help in version 8.0 or later for more information.

Counter 1 Up/Down Signal

You can externally input this signal on the P0.7 pin, but it is not available
as an output on the I/O connector. When you enable externally controlled
count direction, Counter 1 counts down when this pin is at a logic low and
counts up when it is at a logic high. If you do not enable externally
controlled count direction, the P0.7 pin is free for general use.

© National Instruments Corporation 7-9 S Series User Manual

Chapter 7 Counters

Frequency Output Signal

The frequency generator is a four-bit counter that can divide the output
timebase by a number you select from 1 to 16. The frequency output signal
(FREQ OUT) can be software-selectable from the internal 10 MHz and
100 kHz timebases.

This signal is available at any PFI <0..9> or RTSI <0..7> terminal. The
frequency output signal also can be routed to DO Sample Clock and
DI Sample Clock.

Master Timebase Signal

The Master Timebase (MasterTimebase) signal, or Onboard Clock, is the
timebase from which all other internally generated clocks and timebases on
the device are derived. It controls the timing for the analog input, analog
output, and counter subsystems. It is available as an output on the I/O
connector, but you must use one or more counters to do so.

The maximum allowed frequency for the Master Timebase is 20 MHz, with
a minimum pulse width of 23 ns high or low. There is no minimum
frequency limitation.

The two possible sources for the Master Timebase signal are the internal
20MHzTimebase signal or an external signal through RTSI 7. Typically the
20MHzTimebase signal is used as the Master Timebase unless you wish to
synchronize multiple devices, in which case, you should use RTSI 7. Refer
to Chapter 10, Real-Time System Integration Bus (RTSI), for more
information about which signals are available through RTSI.

Figure 7-10 shows the timing requirements for Master Timebase.

tp

tw tw

tp = 50 ns minimum
tw = 23 ns minimum

Figure 7-10. Master Timebase Timing Requirements

S Series User Manual 7-10 ni.com

 Chapter 7 Counters

Getting Started with Counter Applications in Software

You can use the S Series device in the following counter-based
applications:
• Counting edges
• Frequency measurement
• Period measurement
• Pulse width measurement
• Semi-period measurement
• Pulse generation

You can perform these measurements through DMA, interrupt, or

programmed I/O data transfer mechanisms. The measurements can be
finite or continuous in duration. Some of the applications also use start
triggers and pause triggers.

Note For more information about programming counter applications and triggers in
software, refer to the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

© National Instruments Corporation 7-11 S Series User Manual

Programmable Function
8
Interfaces (PFI)
The 10 Programmable Function Interface (PFI) pins allow timing signals to
be routed to and from the I/O connector of a device.

PFI Inputs
An external timing signal can be input on any PFI pin and multiple timing
signals can simultaneously use the same PFI pin. This flexible routing
scheme reduces the need to change the physical connections to the I/O
connector for different applications. Refer to the Timing Signal Routing
section of Chapter 9, Digital Routing, for more information.

When using the PFI pin as an input, you can individually configure each
PFI for edge or level detection and for polarity selection. You can use the
polarity selection for any of the timing signals, but the edge or level
detection depends upon the particular timing signal being controlled. The
detection requirements for each timing signal are listed within the section
that discusses that signal.

In edge-detection mode, the minimum pulse width required is 10 ns. This

applies for both rising-edge and falling-edge polarity settings. There is no
maximum pulse width requirement in edge-detect mode.

In level-detection mode, there are no minimum or maximum pulse width

requirements imposed by the PFI signals, but there can be limits imposed
by the particular timing signal being controlled.

PFI Outputs
You can also individually enable each PFI pin to output a specific internal
timing signal. For example, if you need the Counter 0 Source signal as an
output on the I/O connector, software can turn on the output driver for the
PFI 8/CTR 0 SRC pin. This signal, however, cannot be output on any other
PFI pin.

© National Instruments Corporation 8-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 8 Programmable Function Interfaces (PFI)

Not all timing signals can be output. PFI pins are labeled with the timing
signal that can be output on it. For example, PFI 8 is labeled PFI 8/CTR 0
SRC. The timing signals that can be output on PFI pins are as follows:
• AI Start Trigger Signal
• AI Reference Trigger Signal
• AI Sample Clock Signal
• AO Start Trigger Signal
• AO Sample Clock Signal
• Counter 0 Source Signal
• Counter 0 Gate Signal
• Counter 1 Source Signal
• Counter 1 Gate Signal

For more information about analog input signals, refer to Chapter 4,

Analog Input. For more information about analog output signals, refer to
Chapter 5, Analog Output. For more information about counter signals,
refer to Chapter 7, Counters.

Caution Do not drive a PFI signal externally when it is configured as an output.

For more information about PFI lines on S Series devices, refer to the
Power-On States section of Chapter 6, Digital I/O.

S Series User Manual 8-2 ni.com

Digital Routing
9
The digital routing circuitry manages the flow of data between the bus
interface and the acquisition subsystems (AI circuitry, AO circuitry, digital
I/O, and the counters). The digital routing circuitry includes the DAQ-STC
functionality and uses FIFOs (if present) in each subsystem to ensure
efficient data movement.

The digital routing circuitry also routes timing and control signals. The
acquisition subsystems use these signals to manage acquisitions. These
signals can come from the following:
• Your S Series device
• Other devices in your system through RTSI
• User input through the PFI pins

You can see which routes are possible on your device in Measurement &
Automation Explorer (MAX). In MAX, expand Devices and Interfaces»
NI-DAQmx Devices in the configuration tree. Click your device to see
information on the device resources, then click the Device Routes tab.

Timing Signal Routing

The DAQ-STC provides a flexible interface for connecting timing signals
to other devices or external circuitry. The S Series device uses the RTSI bus
to interconnect timing signals between devices, and it uses the
programmable function interface (PFI) pins on the I/O connector to connect
the device to external circuitry. These connections are designed to enable
the S Series device to both control and be controlled by other devices and
circuits.

You can control the following timing signals internal to the DAQ-STC by
an external source:
• AI Start Trigger Signal
• AI Reference Trigger Signal
• AI Sample Clock Signal
• AI Pause Trigger Signal

© National Instruments Corporation 9-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 9 Digital Routing

• AI Sample Clock Timebase Signal

• AO Start Trigger Signal
• AO Sample Clock Signal
• AO Pause Trigger Signal
• AO Sample Clock Timebase Signal
• DI Sample Clock Signal
• DO Sample Clock Signal
• Counter 0 Source Signal
• Counter 0 Gate Signal
• Counter 0 Up/Down Signal
• Counter 1 Source Signal
• Counter 1 Gate Signal
• Counter 1 Up/Down Signal
• Master Timebase Signal

You also can control these timing signals by signals generated internally to
the DAQ-STC, and these selections are fully software-configurable.
Figure 9-1 shows an example of the signal routing multiplexer controlling
the AI Sample Clock signal.

S Series User Manual 9-2 ni.com

 Chapter 9 Digital Routing

RTSI Trigger <0..6>

ai/Sample Clock
PFI <0..9>

Onboard Clock
Ctr0InternalOutput

Figure 9-1. Signal Routing Multiplexer

Figure 9-1 shows that AI Sample Clock can be generated from a number of
sources, including the external signals, RTSI <0..6> and PFI <0..9>, and
the internal signals, Onboard Clock and Ctr0InternalOutput.

On PCI and PXI devices, many of these timing signals are also available as
outputs on the PFI pins.

Note The Master Timebase signal can only be accepted as an external signal over RTSI.
Refer to the Device and RTSI Clocks section of Chapter 10, Real-Time System Integration
Bus (RTSI), for information about routing this signal.

© National Instruments Corporation 9-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 9 Digital Routing

Connecting Timing Signals

Caution Exceeding the maximum input voltage ratings, which are listed in the
specifications document for each S Series device, can damage your device and the
computer. NI is not liable for any damage resulting from such signal connections.

The 10 programmable function interface (PFI) pins labeled PFI <0..9>

route all external control over the timing of the S Series device. These PFIs
are bidirectional; as outputs they are not programmable and reflect the state
of many analog input, waveform generation, and counter timing signals.
There are five other dedicated outputs for the remainder of the timing
signals. As inputs, the PFI signals are programmable and can control all
analog input, waveform generation, and counter timing signals.

All digital timing connections are referenced to D GND. Figure 9-2 shows
this reference, and how to connect an external AI START TRIG source and
an external AI SAMP CLK source to two PFI pins.

PFI 0/AI START TRIG

PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK

AI START TRIG AI SAMP CLK

Source Source

D GND

I/O Connector
S Series Device

Figure 9-2. Connecting AI START TRIG and AI SAMP CLK to Two PFI Pins

S Series User Manual 9-4 ni.com

 Chapter 9 Digital Routing

Routing Signals in Software

Table 9-1 lists the basic functions you can use to route signals.

Table 9-1. Signal Routing in Software

Language Program Function

LabVIEW NI-DAQmx DAQmx Export Signal.vi and
DAQmx Connect Terminals.vi

C NI-DAQmx Export_Signal and

DAQmx_Connect_Terminals

Note For more information about routing signals in software, refer to the NI-DAQmx Help
or the LabVIEW Help in version 8.0 or later.

© National Instruments Corporation 9-5 S Series User Manual

Real-Time System Integration
10
Bus (RTSI)
NI-DAQmx devices use the Real-Time System Integration (RTSI) bus to
easily synchronize several measurement functions to a common trigger or
timing event. In a PCI system, the RTSI bus consists of the RTSI bus
interface and a ribbon cable. The bus can route timing and trigger signals
between several functions on as many as five DAQ devices in the
computer. In a PXI system, the RTSI bus consists of the RTSI bus interface
and the PXI trigger signals on the PXI backplane. This bus can route timing
and trigger signals between several functions on as many as seven DAQ
devices in the system. For more information, refer to the KnowledgeBase
document, RTSI Connector Pinout. Go to ni.com/info and enter the info
code rdrtsicp to locate the KnowledgeBase.

RTSI Triggers
The seven RTSI trigger lines on the RTSI bus provide a flexible
interconnection scheme for any device sharing the RTSI bus. These
bidirectional lines can drive or receive any of the timing and triggering
signals shown below directly to or from the trigger bus.

© National Instruments Corporation 10-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 10 Real-Time System Integration Bus (RTSI)

In PCI, you can access RTSI <0..6> through the special RTSI ribbon cable.
Figure 10-1 shows the PCI RTSI bus signal connection.

DAQ-STC

ai/StartTrigger
ai/ReferenceTrigger
ao/SampleClock
ao/StartTrigger
Ctr0Source
RTSI Bus Connector

Ctr0Gate

RTSI Switch
Ctr0InternalOutput

Trigger <0..6> Ctr0Out

ai/SampleClock
ai/PauseTrigger
ai/SampleClockTimebase
ao/SampleClockTimebase
Ctr1Source
Ctr1Gate
ao/PauseTrigger
RTSI Trigger 7
20MHzTimebase
Switch
MasterTimebase

Figure 10-1. PCI RTSI Bus Signal Connection

With PXI S Series devices, RTSI <0..5> connects to PXI Trigger <0..5>,
respectively, through the PXI bus on the PXI S Series device backplane.
RTSI 6 connects to the PXI star trigger line, allowing the device to receive
triggers from any star trigger controller plugged into Slot 2 of the chassis.
For more information about the star trigger, refer to the PXI Hardware
Specification Revision 2.1.

S Series User Manual 10-2 ni.com

 Chapter 10 Real-Time System Integration Bus (RTSI)

Figure 10-2 shows the PXI RTSI bus signal connection.

DAQ-STC

ai/StartTrigger
ai/ReferenceTrigger
ao/SampleClock
ao/StartTrigger
PXI Star 6
Ctr0Source
Ctr0Gate
PXI Bus Connector

RTSI Switch
Ctr0InternalOutput

PXI Trigger <0..5> Ctr0Out

6 ai/SampleClock
ai/PauseTrigger
ai/SampleClockTimebase
ao/SampleClockTimebase
Ctr1Source
Ctr1Gate
ao/PauseTrigger
RTSI Trigger 7
20MHzTimebase
Switch
MasterTimebase

Figure 10-2. PXI RTSI Bus Signal Connection

Refer to the Timing Signal Routing section of Chapter 9, Digital Routing,

for a description of the signals shown in the figures.

© National Instruments Corporation 10-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 10 Real-Time System Integration Bus (RTSI)

Device and RTSI Clocks

Many S Series device functions require a frequency timebase to generate
the necessary timing signals for controlling A/D conversions, DAC
updates, or general-purpose signals at the I/O connector. This timebase is
also called the Master Timebase or Onboard Clock. Refer to the Master
Timebase Signal section of Chapter 7, Counters, for more information.

Most S Series devices can use either their internal 20MHzTimebase signal
or a timebase received over the RTSI bus. The timebase can only be routed
to or received from RTSI 7, or the RTSI clock. The device uses this clock
source, whether local or from the RTSI bus, as the primary frequency
source. If you configure the device to use the internal timebase, you also
can program the device to drive its internal timebase over the RTSI bus to
another device that is programmed to receive this timebase signal. The
default configuration is to use the internal 20MHzTimebase signal without
driving the timebase onto the RTSI bus.

Synchronizing Multiple Devices

With the RTSI bus and the routing capabilities of the DAQ-STC, there are
several ways to synchronize multiple devices depending on your
application. NI recommends that you use a common timebase as the Master
Timebase signal and share any common triggers in the application. One
device is designated as the master device and all other devices are
designated as slave devices.

The 20MHzTimebase on the master device is the Master Timebase signal

for all devices. The slave devices pull this signal from the master device
across the RTSI trigger 7 line. Slave devices also pull any shared triggers
across an available RTSI trigger line from the master device. When you
start all of the slave devices before starting the master device, you have
successfully synchronized your application across multiple devices.

S Series User Manual 10-4 ni.com

Bus Interface
11
Each S Series device is designed on a complete hardware architecture that
is deployed on the following platforms:
• PCI
• PXI

Using NI-DAQmx driver software, you have the flexibility to change

hardware platforms and operating systems with little or no change to
software code.

MITE and DAQ-PnP

PCI and PXI S Series devices use the MITE application-specific integrated
circuit (ASIC) as a bus master interface to the PCI bus. PCI and PXI
S Series devices are inherently Plug-and-Play (PnP) compatible. On all
devices, the operating system automatically assigns the base address of the
device.

Using PXI with CompactPCI

Using PXI-compatible products with standard CompactPCI products is an
important feature provided by PXI Hardware Specification Revision 2.1. If
you use a PXI-compatible plug-in module in a standard CompactPCI
chassis, you cannot use PXI-specific functions, but you can still use the
basic plug-in device functions. For example, the RTSI interface on the
S Series device is available in a PXI chassis, but not in a CompactPCI
chassis.

The CompactPCI specification permits vendors to develop sub-buses that

coexist with the basic PCI interface on the CompactPCI bus. Compatible
operation is not guaranteed between CompactPCI devices with different
sub-buses nor between CompactPCI devices with sub-buses and PXI. The
standard implementation for CompactPCI does not include these
sub-buses. The PXI S Series device works in any standard CompactPCI
chassis adhering to the PICMG CompactPCI 2.0 R3.0 core specification.

© National Instruments Corporation 11-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 11 Bus Interface

PXI-specific features are implemented on the J2 connector of the

CompactPCI bus. The PXI device is compatible with any CompactPCI
chassis with a sub-bus that does not drive the lines used by that device. Even
if the sub-bus is capable of driving these lines, the PXI device is still
compatible as long as those pins on the sub-bus are disabled by default and
never enabled.

Caution Damage can result if these lines are driven by the sub-bus. NI is not liable for any
damage resulting from improper signal connections.

Data Transfer Methods

There are three primary ways to transfer data across the PCI bus:
• Direct Memory Access (DMA)—DMA is a method to transfer data
between the device and computer memory without the involvement of
the CPU. This method makes DMA the fastest available data transfer
method. National Instruments uses DMA hardware and software
technology to achieve high throughput rates and to increase system
utilization. DMA is the default method of data transfer for DAQ
devices that support it.
• Interrupt Request (IRQ)—IRQ transfers rely on the CPU to service
data transfer requests. The device notifies the CPU when it is ready to
transfer data. The data transfer speed is tightly coupled to the rate at
which the CPU can service the interrupt requests. If you are using
interrupts to acquire data at a rate faster than the rate the CPU can
service the interrupts, your systems may start to freeze.
• Programmed I/O—Programmed I/O is a data transfer mechanism
where the user’s program is responsible for transferring data. Each
read or write call in the program initiates the transfer of data.
Programmed I/O is typically used in software-timed (on demand)
operations.

Changing Data Transfer Methods between DMA and IRQ

There are a limited number of DMA channels per device (refer to the
specifications document for your device). Each operation (specifically, AI,
AO, and so on) that requires a DMA channel uses that method until all of
the DMA channels are used. After all of the DMA channels are used, you
will get an error if you try to run another operation requesting a DMA
channel. If appropriate, you can change one of the operations to use
interrupts. For NI-DAQmx, use the Data Transfer Mechanism property
node.

S Series User Manual 11-2 ni.com

Triggering
12
A trigger is a signal that causes a device to perform an action, such as
starting an acquisition. You can program your DAQ device to generate
triggers on any of the following:
• A software command
• A condition on an external digital signal
• A condition on an external analog signal

You can also program your DAQ device to perform an action in response to
a trigger. The action can affect the following:
• Analog input acquisitions
• Analog output generation
• Counter behavior

For more information about analog input triggering, refer to Chapter 4,

Analog Input. For more information about analog output triggering, refer to
Chapter 5, Analog Output. For more information about counter triggering,
refer to Chapter 7, Counters.

Note Not all S Series devices support analog triggering. For information about the
triggering capabilities of your device, refer to the specifications document for your device.

© National Instruments Corporation 12-1 S Series User Manual

Chapter 12 Triggering

Triggering with a Digital Source

S Series devices can generate a trigger on a digital signal. You must specify
a source and an edge. The digital source can be any of the input PFIs or
RTSI <0..6> signals.

The edge can be either the rising edge or falling edge of the digital signal.
A rising edge is a transition from a low logic level to a high logic level. A
falling edge is a high to low transition.

Figure 12-1 shows a falling-edge trigger.

5V
Digital Trigger
0V

Falling edge initiates acquisition

Figure 12-1. Falling-Edge Trigger

You can also program your DAQ device to perform an action in response to
a trigger from a digital source. The action can affect the following:
• Analog input acquisitions
• Analog output generation
• Counter behavior

S Series User Manual 12-2 ni.com

 Chapter 12 Triggering

Triggering with an Analog Source

Some S Series devices can generate a trigger on an analog signal.
Figure 12-2 shows the analog trigger circuitry.

ADC
+
AI 0 PGIA
–
ADC
+
AI 1 PGIA
–

ADC
+
AI 2 PGIA
–
ADC
+
AI 3 PGIA
– AI Circuitry
Analog
Analog Comparison Event
Mux Trigger AO Circuitry
ADC Detection (Analog Trigger Circuitry Output)
+ Counter Circuitry
AI 4 PGIA
–
ADC
+
AI 5 PGIA
–
ADC
+
AI 6 PGIA
–
ADC
+
AI 7 PGIA
–

PFI 0/AI START TRIG*

Figure 12-2. Analog Trigger Circuitry

You must specify a source and an analog trigger type. The source can be
any analog input channel. On NI 611x/6120 devices, the source can also be
the PFI 0/AI START TRIG pin.

© National Instruments Corporation 12-3 S Series User Manual

Chapter 12 Triggering

PFI 0/AI START TRIG Pin

(NI 611x/6120 Only) This pin is an analog input when configured as an analog
trigger. Therefore, it is susceptible to crosstalk from adjacent pins, resulting
in false triggering when the pin is unconnected. To avoid false triggering,
ensure that this pin is connected to a low-impedance signal source (less
than 1 kΩ source impedance) if you plan to enable this input using the
application software.

Analog Input Channel

You can select any analog input channel to drive the instrumentation
amplifier. The instrumentation amplifier amplifies the signal as determined
by the input mode and the input polarity and range. The output of the
instrumentation amplifier then drives the analog trigger detection circuit.
By using the instrumentation amplifier, you can trigger on very small
voltage changes in the input signal. For more information, refer to the
Analog Trigger Accuracy section.

Analog Trigger Actions

The output of the Analog Trigger Detection circuit is the Analog
Comparison Event signal. You can program your S Series device to
perform an action in response to the Analog Comparison Event signal. The
action can affect the following:
• Analog input acquisitions
• Analog output generation
• Counter behavior

Note Refer to Timing and Triggering in the NI-DAQmx Help or the LabVIEW Help in
version 8.0 or later for more information.

Analog Trigger Types

You can configure the analog trigger circuitry to different triggering
modes.

Level Triggering
You can configure the analog trigger circuitry to detect when the analog
signal is below or above a level you specify.

S Series User Manual 12-4 ni.com

 Chapter 12 Triggering

In below-level analog triggering mode, the trigger is generated when the

signal value is less than Level.

Level

Analog Comparison Event

Figure 12-3. Below-Level Analog Triggering Mode

In above-level analog triggering mode, the trigger is generated when the

signal value is greater than Level.

Level

Analog Comparison Event

Figure 12-4. Above-Level Analog Triggering Mode

Level Triggering with Hysteresis

Hysteresis adds a programmable window above or below the trigger level
that a valid trigger signal must pass through and is often used to reduce
false triggering due to noise or jitter in the signal.

When using Hysteresis with a rising slope, the trigger asserts when the
signal starts below Level and then crosses above Level. The trigger
deasserts when the signal crosses below Level minus hysteresis.

© National Instruments Corporation 12-5 S Series User Manual

Chapter 12 Triggering

Level

Hysteresis

Analog Comparison Event

Figure 12-5. High Hysteresis

When using Hysteresis with a falling slope, the trigger asserts when the
signal starts above Level and then crosses below Level. The trigger
deasserts when the signal crosses above Level plus hysteresis.

Level

Hysteresis

Analog Comparison Event

Figure 12-6. Low Hysteresis

Window Triggering
A window trigger occurs when an analog signal either passes into (enters)
or passes out of (leaves) a window defined by two voltage levels. Specify
the levels by setting the window Top value and the window Bottom value.

S Series User Manual 12-6 ni.com

 Chapter 12 Triggering

Figure 12-7 demonstrates a trigger that asserts when the signal enters the
window.

Top

Bottom

Analog Comparison Event

Figure 12-7. Window Trigger

Analog Trigger Accuracy

The analog trigger circuitry compares the voltage of the trigger source to
the output of programmable trigger DACs. When you configure the level
(or the high and low limits in window trigger mode), the device adjusts the
output of the trigger DACs. Refer to the specifications document for your
device to find the accuracy and resolution of the analog trigger DACs.

To improve accuracy you can perform the following:

• Use an AI channel (with a small input range) instead of PFI 0/AI
START TRIG as your trigger source. The DAQ device does not
amplify the PFI 0/AI START TRIG signal. When using an AI channel,
the PGIA amplifies the AI channel signal before driving the analog
trigger circuitry. If you configure the AI channel to have a small input
range, you can trigger on very small voltage changes in the input
signal.
• Software-calibrate the analog trigger circuitry. No hardware
calibration is provided for the analog trigger circuitry. In addition, the
propagation delay from when a valid trigger condition is met to when
the analog trigger circuitry emits the Analog Comparison Event may
have an impact on your measurements if the trigger signal has a high
slew rate. If you find these conditions have a noticeable impact on your
measurements, you can perform software calibration on the analog
trigger circuitry by configuring your task as normal and applying a
known signal for your analog trigger. Comparing the observed results
against the expected results, you can calculate the necessary offsets to
apply in software to fine-tune the desired triggering behavior.

© National Instruments Corporation 12-7 S Series User Manual

Device-Specific Information
A
This appendix includes device-specific information about the following
S Series devices:
• NI 6110/6111
• NI 6115/6120
• NI 6122/6123
• NI 6132/6133
• NI 6143

© National Instruments Corporation A-1 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6110/6111
The NI 6110/6111 is a Plug-and-Play, multifunction analog, digital, and
timing I/O device for PCI bus computers.

The NI 6110 features the following:

• Four simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 12-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Two 16-bit D/A converters (DACs) with voltage outputs
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers

The NI 6111 features the following:

• Two simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 12-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Two 16-bit D/A converters (DACs) with voltage outputs
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers

Because the NI 6110/6111 has no DIP switches, jumpers, or

potentiometers, it can be easily calibrated and configured in software.

NI 6110/6111 Analog Output

The NI PCI-6110/6111 supplies two channels of AO voltage at the I/O
connector. The range is fixed at bipolar ±10 V.

NI 6110/6111 I/O Connector Pinouts

Figure A-1 shows the pin assignments for the 68-pin connector on the
NI 6110.

S Series User Manual A-2 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

AI 0 – 34 68 AI 0 +
AI 1 + 33 67 AI 0 GND
AI 1 GND 32 66 AI 1 –
AI 2 – 31 65 AI 2 +
AI 3 + 30 64 AI 2 GND
AI 3 GND 29 63 AI 3 –
NC 28 62 NC
NC 27 61 NC
NC 26 60 NC
NC 25 59 NC
NC 24 58 NC
NC 23 57 NC
AO 0 22 56 NC
AO 1 21 55 AO GND
NC 20 54 AO GND
P0.4 19 53 D GND
D GND 18 52 P0.0
P0.1 17 51 P0.5
P0.6 16 50 D GND
D GND 15 49 P0.2
+5 V 14 48 P0.7
D GND 13 47 P0.3
D GND 12 46 AI HOLD COMP
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 45 EXT STROBE*
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 10 44 D GND
D GND 9 43 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
+5 V 8 42 PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE
D GND 7 41 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK* 6 40 CTR 1 OUT
PFI 6/AO START TRIG 5 39 D GND
D GND 4 38 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE 3 37 PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE
CTR 0 OUT 2 36 D GND
FREQ OUT 1 35 D GND

NC = No Connect

Figure A-1. NI 6110 Pinout

© National Instruments Corporation A-3 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Figure A-2 shows the pin assignments for the 68-pin connector on the
NI 6111.

AI 0 – 34 68 AI 0 +
AI 1 + 33 67 AI 0 GND
AI 1 GND 32 66 AI 1 –
NC 31 65 NC
NC 30 64 NC
NC 29 63 NC
NC 28 62 NC
NC 27 61 NC
NC 26 60 NC
NC 25 59 NC
NC 24 58 NC
NC 23 57 NC
AO 0 22 56 NC
AO 1 21 55 AO GND
NC 20 54 AO GND
P0.4 19 53 D GND
D GND 18 52 P0.0
P0.1 17 51 P0.5
P0.6 16 50 D GND
D GND 15 49 P0.2
+5 V 14 48 P0.7
D GND 13 47 P0.3
D GND 12 46 AI HOLD COMP
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 45 EXT STROBE*
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 10 44 D GND
D GND 9 43 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
+5 V 8 42 PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE
D GND 7 41 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK* 6 40 CTR 1 OUT
PFI 6/AO START TRIG 5 39 D GND
D GND 4 38 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE 3 37 PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE
CTR 0 OUT 2 36 D GND
FREQ OUT 1 35 D GND

NC = No Connect

Figure A-2. NI 6111 Pinout

S Series User Manual A-4 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

For a detailed description of each signal, refer to the I/O Connector Signal
Descriptions section of Chapter 3, I/O Connector.

50-Pin MIO I/O Connector Pinout

Figure A-3 shows the 50-pin I/O connector that is available when you use
the SH6850 cable assembly with NI 6110/6111 devices.

AI <0..3> GND 1 2 AI <0..3> GND

AI 0 + 3 4 AI 0 –
AI 1 + 5 6 AI 1 –
AI 2 +1 7 8 AI 2 –1
AI 3 +1 9 10 AI 3 –1
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 12 NC
NC 13 14 NC
NC 15 16 NC
NC 17 18 NC
NC 19 20 AO 0
AO 1 21 22 NC
AO GND 23 24 D GND
P0.0 25 26 P0.1
P0.2 27 28 P0.3
P0.4 29 30 P0.5
P0.6 31 32 P0.7
D GND 33 34 +5 V
+5 V 35 36 AI HOLD COMP
EXT STROBE* 37 38 PFI 0/AI START TRIG
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 39 40 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE 41 42 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
CTR 1 OUT 43 44 PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK
PFI 6/AO START TRIG 45 46 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE 47 48 PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE
CTR 0 OUT 26 FREQ OUT
49 50
1 NC on NI 6111

Figure A-3. 50-Pin I/O Connector

Note Some hardware accessories may not yet reflect the NI-DAQmx terminal names. If
you are using an S Series device in Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy), refer to Table 3-2,
Terminal Name Equivalents, for the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) signal names.

© National Instruments Corporation A-5 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

For a detailed description of each signal, refer to the I/O Connector Signal
Descriptions section of Chapter 3, I/O Connector.

NI 6110/6111 Block Diagrams

Figure A-4 shows the NI 6110 block diagram.

AI 0 + +
AI 0 AI 0 AI 0 12 AI 0
Mux Amplifier Latch Data (16)
AI 0 – 12-Bit ADC
–
AI 1 + +
AI 1 AI 1 AI 1 12 AI 1
Data (16)
AI 1 – Mux Amplifier 12-Bit ADC Latch
–
AI 2 + +
AI 2 AI 2 AI 2 12 AI 2 Data (16)
AI 2 – Mux Amplifier 12-Bit ADC Latch Control
– Generic Mini PCI
ADC Bus
AI 3 + FIFO Data (32) MITE Bus
+ Interface Interface
AI 3 AI 3 AI 3 12 AI 3 Data (16)
Address/Data

AI 3 – Mux Amplifier 12-Bit ADC Latch

I/O Connector

PCI Bus
Calibration AI Control
Mux EEPROM

Analog IRQ
Trigger Trigger Level 2
DACs
Trigger DMA
Circuitry
Analog Input
PFI / Trigger Trigger DMA/IRQ Analog
Timing/Control
Input EEPROM DMA
Control Control Interface
Counter/ Bus
Timing Timing I/O DAQ - STC Interface DAQ-STC
Bus FPGA
Analog Output RTSI Bus Interface I/O
Digital I/O Timing/Control Bus
Digital I/O (8) Interface Analog
Output Interface
Control

AO Control

DAC
DAC0 Data (16) FIFO Data (32)

DAC1
RTSI Bus
Calibration
4 DACs

Figure A-4. NI 6110 Block Diagram

S Series User Manual A-6 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Figure A-5 shows the NI 6111 block diagram.

AI 0 + +
AI 0 AI 0 AI 0 12 AI 0
Mux Amplifier 12-Bit ADC Latch Data (16) Control
AI 0 – – Generic Mini
ADC PCI
Bus Bus
FIFO Data (32) Interface MITE Interface
AI 1 + +
AI 1 AI 1 12 AI 1 Address/Data
AI 1
Mux Amplifier 12-Bit ADC Latch Data (16)
AI 1 – –

Calibration AI Control
Mux EEPROM

Analog IRQ
Trigger Trigger Level 2 Trigger
I/O Connector

DACs DMA
Circuitry

PCI Bus
Analog Input Analog
PFI / Trigger Trigger DMA/IRQ Input EEPROM DMA
Timing/Control Control Interface
Control
Counter/ Bus DAQ-STC
Timing Timing I/O DAQ - STC Interface Bus FPGA
Interface
Analog I/O
Analog Output RTSI Bus Bus
Digital I/O (8) Digital I/O Timing/Control Interface Output
Control Interface

AO Control

DAC
DAC0 FIFO Data (32)

DAC1
RTSI Bus
Calibration
4 DACs

Figure A-5. NI 6111 Block Diagram

NI 6110/6111 Cables and Accessories

This section describes some of the cable and accessory options for the
NI 6110/6111. For more specific information about these products, refer to
ni.com.

Caution For compliance with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements, this

product must be operated with shielded cables and accessories. If unshielded cables or
accessories are used, the EMC specifications are no longer guaranteed unless all
unshielded cables and/or accessories are installed in a shielded enclosure with properly
designed and shielded input/output ports.

Using BNCs
You can connect BNC cables to your DAQ device using BNC accessories
such as the BNC-2110, BNC-2120, and BNC-2090A.

© National Instruments Corporation A-7 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Using Screw Terminals

You can connect signals to your DAQ device using a screw terminal
accessory such as the following:
• CB-68LP, CB-68LPR—Low-cost screw terminal block
• SCB-68—Shielded screw terminal block with breadboard areas
• TBX-68—DIN rail mountable screw terminal block
• TB-2705—PXI screw terminal block with metal housing

Cabling
To connect your DAQ device to the accessories listed in this section, use
one of the following cables:
• SH68-68-EPM—Shielded cable
• SH68-68R1-EP—Shielded cable with one right angle connector
• R6868—Unshielded cable

Using RTSI
Use RTSI bus cables to connect the timing and synchronization signals on
your DAQ device to other Measurement, Vision, Motion, and CAN devices
for PCI.

Custom Cabling/Connectors Options

The CA-1000 is a versatile connector/enclosure system. It allows the user
to define I/O connectors on a per-channel basis. Internally, the system
allows for flexible custom wiring configuration.

If you want to develop your own cable, follow these guidelines for best
results:
• Use shielded twisted-pair wires for each differential AI pair. Connect
the shield for each signal pair to the ground reference at the source.
• Route the analog lines separately from the digital lines.
• When using a cable shield, use separate shields for the analog and
digital halves of the cable. Failure to do so results in noise coupling
into the analog signals from transient digital signals.

Mating connectors and a backshell kit for making custom 68-pin cables are
available from NI.

S Series User Manual A-8 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI recommends that you use one of the following connectors with the
I/O connector on your device:
• Honda 68-position, solder cup, female connector
• Honda backshell
• AMP VHDCI connector

For more information about the connectors used for DAQ devices, refer to
the KnowledgeBase document, Specifications and Manufacturers for
Board Mating Connectors, by going to ni.com/info and entering the info
code rdspmb.

NI 6110/6111 Specifications
Refer to the NI 6110/6111 Specifications for more detailed information
about the devices.

NI 6115/6120
The NI 6115/6120 is a Plug-and-Play, multifunction analog, digital, and
timing I/O device for PCI and PXI bus computers.

The NI 6115 features the following:

• Four simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 12-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Two 12-bit D/A converters (DACs) with voltage outputs
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible correlated DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers
• Increased common-mode noise rejection through pseudodifferential
signal connection

The NI 6120 features the following:

• Four simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 16-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Two 16-bit D/A converters (DACs) with voltage outputs
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible correlated DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers
• Increased common-mode noise rejection through pseudodifferential
signal connection

© National Instruments Corporation A-9 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Because the NI 6115/6120 has no DIP switches, jumpers, or

potentiometers, it can be easily calibrated and configured in software.

NI 6115/6120 Analog Output

The NI 6115/6120 supplies two channels of AO voltage at the I/O
connector. The range is fixed at bipolar ±10 V.

The AO channels on the NI 6115 contain 12-bit DACs that are capable of
4 MS/s for one channel or 2.5 MS/s for each of two channels. The NI 6120
DACs are 16-bit, and they have the same AO capabilities as the NI 6115.
Refer to the NI 6115/6120 Specifications for more detailed information
about the AO capabilities of the NI 6115/6120.

Note The AO channels do not have analog or digital filtering hardware and do produce
images in the frequency domain related to the update rate.

The NI 6115/6120 includes high-density memory modules allowing for

long waveform generations.

NI 6115/6120 I/O Connector Pinout

Figure A-6 shows the pin assignments for the 68-pin connector on the
NI 6115/6120.

S Series User Manual A-10 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

AI 0 – 34 68 AI 0 +
AI 1 + 33 67 AI 0 GND
AI 1 GND 32 66 AI 1 –
AI 2 – 31 65 AI 2 +
AI 3 + 30 64 AI 2 GND
AI 3 GND 29 63 AI 3 –
NC 28 62 NC
NC 27 61 NC
NC 26 60 NC
NC 25 59 NC
NC 24 58 NC
NC 23 57 NC
AO 0 22 56 NC
AO 1 21 55 AO GND
NC 20 54 AO GND
P0.4 19 53 D GND
D GND 18 52 P0.0
P0.1 17 51 P0.5
P0.6 16 50 D GND
D GND 15 49 P0.2
+5 V 14 48 P0.7
D GND 13 47 P0.3
D GND 12 46 AI HOLD COMP
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 45 EXT STROBE*
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 10 44 D GND
D GND 9 43 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
+5 V 8 42 PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE
D GND 7 41 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK* 6 40 CTR 1 OUT
PFI 6/AO START TRIG 5 39 D GND
D GND 4 38 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE 3 37 PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE
CTR 0 OUT 2 36 D GND
FREQ OUT 1 35 D GND

NC = No Connect

Figure A-6. NI 6115/6120 Pinout

© National Instruments Corporation A-11 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

For a detailed description of each signal, refer to the I/O Connector Signal
Descriptions section of Chapter 3, I/O Connector.

NI 6115/6120 Block Diagrams

Figure A-7 shows the NI 6115 block diagram.

AI 0 + +
AI 0 Anti- AI 0 AI 0
AI 0 12
Mux Aliasing 12-Bit Latch Data (16)
Amplifier
AI 0 – Filter ADC
–

AI 1 + + Anti- AI 1
AI 1 AI 1 12 AI 1
Aliasing 12-Bit Data (16)
Mux Amplifier Latch
AI 1 – Filter ADC
–

AI 2 + + Anti- AI 2
AI 2 AI 2 12 AI 2 Data (16)
Aliasing 12-Bit
Mux Amplifier Latch Control
AI 2 – Filter ADC
– Generic PCI
ADC Bus Mini
Bus
FIFO Data (32) Interface MITE Interface
AI 3 + + Anti- AI 3 Address/Data
AI 3 AI 3 12 AI 3 Data (16)
Aliasing 12-Bit
Mux Amplifier Latch
AI 3 – Filter ADC
–
I/O Connector

PCI/PXI Bus
Calibration AI Control
Mux EEPROM

2 Analog IRQ
Trigger Trigger Level Trigger DMA
DACs Circuitry

Analog Input
PFI / Trigger Trigger DMA/IRQ Analog
Timing/Control EEPROM DMA
Input
Control Control Interface
Counter/ Bus
DAQ-STC
Timing Timing I/O DAQ - STC Interface Bus FPGA DIO
FIFO
Interface
Analog Output RTSI Bus Analog DIO
I/O
STC Digital I/O (8) Digital I/O Output Bus
DIO Timing/Control Interface Control
Control Interface
Digital I/O (8)
MUX FPGA Digital I/O (8)
AO Control

DAC0 Data (12) DAC Data (32)

FIFO

DAC1
RTSI Bus
Calibration
DACs

Figure A-7. NI 6115 Block Diagram

S Series User Manual A-12 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Figure A-8 shows the NI 6120 block diagram.

AI 0 + +
AI 0 AI 0 AI 0
AI 0 16
Mux 16-Bit Latch Data (16)
Amplifier
AI 0 – ADC
–

AI 1 + +
AI 1
AI 1 AI 1 16 AI 1
16-Bit Data (16)
Mux Amplifier Latch
AI 1 – ADC
–

AI 2 + +
AI 2
AI 2 AI 2 16 AI 2 Data (16)
16-Bit
Mux Amplifier Latch Control
AI 2 – ADC
– Generic PCI
ADC Bus Mini
Bus
Data (32) Interface MITE Interface
AI 3 + FIFO
+
AI 3 Address/Data
AI 3 AI 3 16 AI 3 Data (16)
16-Bit
Mux Amplifier Latch
AI 3 – ADC
–
I/O Connector

PCI/PXI Bus
Calibration AI Control
Mux
EEPROM
Analog IRQ
Trigger Trigger Level 2
Trigger DMA
DACs
Circuitry
Analog Input
PFI / Trigger Trigger DMA/IRQ Analog
Timing/Control EEPROM DMA
Input
Control Control Interface
Counter/ Bus
Timing Timing I/O DAQ-STC Interface
DAQ-STC
Bus FPGA DIO
Interface FIFO

STC Digital I/O (24) Analog Output RTSI Bus Analog DIO I/O
Digital I/O Timing/Control
Output Control Bus
DIO Interface Control Interface
Digital I/O (24) FPGA Digital I/O (24)
MUX
AO Control

DAC0 Data (16) DAC

Data (32)
FIFO

DAC1
RTSI Bus
Calibration
DACs

Figure A-8. NI 6120 Block Diagram

NI 6115/6120 Cables and Accessories

This section describes some of the cable and accessory options for the
NI 6115/6120. For more specific information about these products, refer to
ni.com.

Caution For compliance with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements, this

product must be operated with shielded cables and accessories. If unshielded cables or
accessories are used, the EMC specifications are no longer guaranteed unless all
unshielded cables and/or accessories are installed in a shielded enclosure with properly
designed and shielded input/output ports.

© National Instruments Corporation A-13 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Using BNCs
You can connect BNC cables to your DAQ device using BNC accessories
such as the BNC-2110, BNC-2120, and BNC-2090A.

Using Screw Terminals

You can connect signals to your DAQ device using a screw terminal
accessory such as the following:
• CB-68LP, CB-68LPR—Low-cost screw terminal block
• SCB-68—Shielded screw terminal block with breadboard areas
• TBX-68—DIN rail mountable screw terminal block
• TB-2705—PXI screw terminal block with metal housing

Using SMBs
You can connect SMB cables to your PXI DAQ device using the TB-2708.

Cabling
To connect your DAQ device to the accessories listed in this section, use
one of the following cables:
• SH68-68-EPM—Shielded cable
• SH68-68R1-EP—Shielded cable with one right angle connector
• R6868—Unshielded cable

Using RTSI
Use RTSI bus cables to connect the timing and synchronization signals on
your DAQ device to other Measurement, Vision, Motion, and CAN devices
for PCI.

S Series User Manual A-14 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Custom Cabling/Connectors Options

The CA-1000 is a versatile connector/enclosure system. It allows the user
to define I/O connectors on a per-channel basis. Internally, the system
allows for flexible custom wiring configuration.

If you want to develop your own cable, follow these guidelines for best
results:
• Use shielded twisted-pair wires for each differential AI pair. Connect
the shield for each signal pair to the ground reference at the source.
• Route the analog lines separately from the digital lines.
• When using a cable shield, use separate shields for the analog and
digital halves of the cable. Failure to do so results in noise coupling
into the analog signals from transient digital signals.

Mating connectors and a backshell kit for making custom 68-pin cables are
available from NI.

NI recommends that you use one of the following connectors with the I/O
connector on your device:
• Honda 68-position, solder cup, female connector
• Honda backshell
• AMP VHDCI connector

For more information about the connectors used for DAQ devices, refer to
the KnowledgeBase document, Specifications and Manufacturers for
Board Mating Connectors, by going to ni.com/info and entering the info
code rdspmb.

NI 6115/6120 Specifications
Refer to the NI 6115/6120 Specifications for more detailed information
about the devices.

© National Instruments Corporation A-15 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6122/6123
The NI 6122/6123 is a Plug-and-Play multifunction analog, digital, and
timing I/O device for PCI and PXI bus computers.

The NI 6122 features the following:

• Four simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 16-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible correlated DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers

The NI 6123 features the following:

• Eight simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 16-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible correlated DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers

Because the NI 6122/6123 devices have no DIP switches, jumpers, or

potentiometers, they can be easily calibrated and configured in software.

NI 6122/6123 I/O Connector Pinouts

Figure A-9 shows the pin assignments for the 68-pin I/O connector on the
NI 6122.

S Series User Manual A-16 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

AI 0 – 34 68 AI 0 +
AI 1 + 33 67 AI 0 GND
AI 1 GND 32 66 AI 1 –
AI 2 – 31 65 AI 2 +
AI 3 + 30 64 AI 2 GND
AI 3 GND 29 63 AI 3 –
NC 28 62 NC
NC 27 61 NC
NC 26 60 NC
NC 25 59 NC
NC 24 58 NC
NC 23 57 NC
NC 22 56 NC
NC 21 55 NC
NC 20 54 NC
P0.4 19 53 D GND
D GND 18 52 P0.0
P0.1 17 51 P0.5
P0.6 16 50 D GND
D GND 15 49 P0.2
+5 V 14 48 P0.7
D GND 13 47 P0.3
D GND 12 46 AI HOLD COMP
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 45 EXT STROBE*
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 10 44 D GND
D GND 9 43 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
+5 V 8 42 PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE
D GND 7 41 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
PFI 5 6 40 CTR 1 OUT
PFI 6 5 39 D GND
D GND 4 38 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE 3 37 PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE
CTR 0 OUT 2 36 D GND
FREQ OUT 1 35 D GND

NC = No Connect

Figure A-9. NI 6122 Pinout

© National Instruments Corporation A-17 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Figure A-10 shows the pin assignments for the 68-pin I/O connector on the
NI 6123.

AI 0 – 34 68 AI 0 +
AI 1 + 33 67 AI 0 GND
AI 1 GND 32 66 AI 1 –
AI 2 – 31 65 AI 2 +
AI 3 + 30 64 AI 2 GND
AI 3 GND 29 63 AI 3 –
AI 4 + 28 62 NC
AI 4 GND 27 61 AI 4 –
AI 5 – 26 60 AI 5 +
AI 6 + 25 59 AI 5 GND
AI 6 GND 24 58 AI 6 –
AI 7 – 23 57 AI 7 +
NC 22 56 AI 7 GND
NC 21 55 NC
NC 20 54 NC
P0.4 19 53 D GND
D GND 18 52 P0.0
P0.1 17 51 P0.5
P0.6 16 50 D GND
D GND 15 49 P0.2
+5 V 14 48 P0.7
D GND 13 47 P0.3
D GND 12 46 AI HOLD COMP
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 45 EXT STROBE*
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 10 44 D GND
D GND 9 43 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
+5 V 8 42 PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE
D GND 7 41 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
PFI 5 6 40 CTR 1 OUT
PFI 6 5 39 D GND
D GND 4 38 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE 3 37 PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE
CTR 0 OUT 2 36 D GND
FREQ OUT 1 35 D GND

NC = No Connect

Figure A-10. NI 6123 Pinout

S Series User Manual A-18 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

For a detailed description of each signal, refer to the I/O Connector Signal
Descriptions section of Chapter 3, I/O Connector.

50-Pin MIO I/O Connector Pinout

Figure A-11 shows the 50-pin I/O connector that is available when you use
the SH6850 cable assembly with NI 6122/6123 devices.

AI <0..3> GND 1 2 AI <0..3> GND

AI 0 + 3 4 AI 0 –
AI 1 + 5 6 AI 1 –
AI 2 + 7 8 AI 2 –
AI 3 + 9 10 AI 3 –
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 12 NC
NC 13 14 NC
NC 15 16 NC
NC 17 18 NC
NC 19 20 AO 0
AO 1 21 22 NC
AO GND 23 24 D GND
P0.0 25 26 P0.1
P0.2 27 28 P0.3
P0.4 29 30 P0.5
P0.6 31 32 P0.7
D GND 33 34 +5 V
+5 V 35 36 AI HOLD COMP
EXT STROBE* 37 38 PFI 0/AI START TRIG
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 39 40 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE 41 42 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
CTR 1 OUT 43 44 PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK
PFI 6/AO START TRIG 45 46 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE 47 48 PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE
CTR 0 OUT 26 FREQ OUT
49 50

Figure A-11. 50-Pin I/O Connector

Note Some hardware accessories may not yet reflect the NI-DAQmx terminal names. If
you are using an S Series device in Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy), refer to Table 3-2,
Terminal Name Equivalents, for the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) signal names.

For a detailed description of each signal, refer to the I/O Connector Signal
Descriptions section of Chapter 3, I/O Connector.

© National Instruments Corporation A-19 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6122/6123 Block Diagram

Figure A-12 shows the NI 6122/6123 block diagram.

CAL
MUX
Address/Data
DustMITE
AI 0 AI 0 Control
PGIA 16-Bit
ADC
Channel Control 0

AI 1 Data (32)
AI 1 Config
PGIA 16-Bit EEPROM
ADC Address (32)

Channel Control 1

AI 2
SCARAB
AI 2
PGIA 16-Bit Cal

ADC Data
ADC EEPROM

Channel Control 2 AI Control

AI 3 AI 3
PGIA 16-Bit
I/O Connector

PCI/PXI Bus
ADC
Channel Control 3 FPGA
AI 4 AI 4
PGIA 16-Bit STCA
ADC
Channel Control 4 DMA/IRQ
AI 5 AI 5 CPLD Analog
PGIA 16-Bit Input
Trigger DMA/IRQ
ADC Timing/
Control
Channel Control 5
Counter/ DAQ- Bus
AI 6 AI 6
Timing I/O
STC Interface

PGIA 16-Bit
Analog
ADC Output RTSI Bus
Digital I/O
Timing/ Interface
Channel Control 6 Control

AI 7 AI 7
PGIA 16-Bit Analog
FPGA DIO

ADC Trigger
Circuitry
Channel Control 7 RTSI
Connector
PFI/Trigger
Protection

Timing Buffer

Digital I/O STC

Figure A-12. NI 6122/6123 Block Diagram

Note AI <4..7> appear only on the NI 6123.

S Series User Manual A-20 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6122/6123 Cables and Accessories

This section describes some of the cable and accessory options for the
NI 6122/6123. For more specific information about these products, refer to
ni.com.

Caution For compliance with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements, this

product must be operated with shielded cables and accessories. If unshielded cables or
accessories are used, the EMC specifications are no longer guaranteed unless all
unshielded cables and/or accessories are installed in a shielded enclosure with properly
designed and shielded input/output ports.

Using BNCs
You can connect BNC cables to your DAQ device using BNC accessories
such as the BNC-2110, BNC-2120, and BNC-2090A.

Using Screw Terminals

You can connect signals to your DAQ device using a screw terminal
accessory such as the following:
• CB-68LP, CB-68LPR—Low-cost screw terminal block
• SCB-68—Shielded screw terminal block with breadboard areas
• TBX-68—DIN rail mountable screw terminal block
• TB-2705—PXI screw terminal block with metal housing

Using SMBs
You can connect SMB cables to your PXI DAQ device using the TB-2709.

Cabling
To connect your DAQ device to the accessories listed in this section, use
one of the following cables:
• SH68-68-EPM—Shielded 68-conductor cable
• SH68-68R1-EP—Shielded right-angle 68-conductor cable
• SH6868—Shielded 68-conductor cable
• R6868—68-conductor ribbon cable

© National Instruments Corporation A-21 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Using RTSI
Use RTSI bus cables to connect the timing and synchronization signals on
your DAQ device to other Measurement, Vision, Motion, and CAN devices
for PCI.

Custom Cabling/Connectors Options

The CA-1000 is a versatile connector/enclosure system. It allows the user
to define I/O connectors on a per-channel basis. Internally, the system
allows for flexible custom wiring configuration.

If you want to develop your own cable, follow these guidelines for best
results:
• Use shielded twisted-pair wires for each differential AI pair. Connect
the shield for each signal pair to the ground reference at the source.
• Route the analog lines separately from the digital lines.
• When using a cable shield, use separate shields for the analog and
digital halves of the cable. Failure to do so results in noise coupling
into the analog signals from transient digital signals.

Mating connectors and a backshell kit for making custom 68-pin cables are
available from NI.

NI recommends that you use one of the following connectors with the I/O
connector on your device:
• Honda 68-position, solder cup, female connector
• Honda backshell
• AMP VHDCI connector

For more information about the connectors used for DAQ devices, refer to
the KnowledgeBase document, Specifications and Manufacturers for
Board Mating Connectors, by going to ni.com/info and entering the info
code rdspmb.

NI 6122/6123 Specifications
Refer to the NI 6122/6123 Specifications for more detailed information
about the devices.

S Series User Manual A-22 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6132/6133
The NI 6132/6133 is a Plug-and-Play multifunction analog, digital, and
timing I/O device for PCI and PXI bus computers.

The NI 6132 features the following:

• Four simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 14-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible correlated DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers

The NI 6133 features the following:

• Eight simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 14-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible correlated DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers

Because the NI 6132/6133 devices have no DIP switches, jumpers, or

potentiometers, they can be easily calibrated and configured in software.

NI 6132/6133 I/O Connector Pinouts

Figure A-13 shows the pin assignments for the 68-pin I/O connector on the
NI 6132.

© National Instruments Corporation A-23 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

AI 0 – 34 68 AI 0 +
AI 1 + 33 67 AI 0 GND
AI 1 GND 32 66 AI 1 –
AI 2 – 31 65 AI 2 +
AI 3 + 30 64 AI 2 GND
AI 3 GND 29 63 AI 3 –
NC 28 62 NC
NC 27 61 NC
NC 26 60 NC
NC 25 59 NC
NC 24 58 NC
NC 23 57 NC
NC 22 56 NC
NC 21 55 NC
NC 20 54 NC
P0.4 19 53 D GND
D GND 18 52 P0.0
P0.1 17 51 P0.5
P0.6 16 50 D GND
D GND 15 49 P0.2
+5 V 14 48 P0.7
D GND 13 47 P0.3
D GND 12 46 AI HOLD COMP
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 45 EXT STROBE*
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 10 44 D GND
D GND 9 43 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
+5 V 8 42 PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE
D GND 7 41 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
PFI 5 6 40 CTR 1 OUT
PFI 6 5 39 D GND
D GND 4 38 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE 3 37 PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE
CTR 0 OUT 2 36 D GND
FREQ OUT 1 35 D GND

NC = No Connect

Figure A-13. NI 6132 Pinout

S Series User Manual A-24 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Figure A-1 shows the pin assignments for the 68-pin I/O connector on the
NI 6133.

AI 0 – 34 68 AI 0 +
AI 1 + 33 67 AI 0 GND
AI 1 GND 32 66 AI 1 –
AI 2 – 31 65 AI 2 +
AI 3 + 30 64 AI 2 GND
AI 3 GND 29 63 AI 3 –
AI 4 + 28 62 NC
AI 4 GND 27 61 AI 4 –
AI 5 – 26 60 AI 5 +
AI 6 + 25 59 AI 5 GND
AI 6 GND 24 58 AI 6 –
AI 7 – 23 57 AI 7 +
NC 22 56 AI 7 GND
NC 21 55 NC
NC 20 54 NC
P0.4 19 53 D GND
D GND 18 52 P0.0
P0.1 17 51 P0.5
P0.6 16 50 D GND
D GND 15 49 P0.2
+5 V 14 48 P0.7
D GND 13 47 P0.3
D GND 12 46 AI HOLD COMP
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 45 EXT STROBE*
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 10 44 D GND
D GND 9 43 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
+5 V 8 42 PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE
D GND 7 41 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
PFI 5 6 40 CTR 1 OUT
PFI 6 5 39 D GND
D GND 4 38 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE 3 37 PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE
CTR 0 OUT 2 36 D GND
FREQ OUT 1 35 D GND

NC = No Connect

Figure A-14. NI 6133 Pinout

© National Instruments Corporation A-25 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

For a detailed description of each signal, refer to the I/O Connector Signal
Descriptions section of Chapter 3, I/O Connector.

50-Pin MIO I/O Connector Pinout

Figure A-15 shows the 50-pin I/O connector that is available when you use
the SH6850 cable assembly with NI 6132/6133 devices.

AI <0..3> GND 1 2 AI <0..3> GND

AI 0 + 3 4 AI 0 –
AI 1 + 5 6 AI 1 –
AI 2 + 7 8 AI 2 –
AI 3 + 9 10 AI 3 –
PFI 0/AI START TRIG 11 12 NC
NC 13 14 NC
NC 15 16 NC
NC 17 18 NC
NC 19 20 AO 0
AO 1 21 22 NC
AO GND 23 24 D GND
P0.0 25 26 P0.1
P0.2 27 28 P0.3
P0.4 29 30 P0.5
P0.6 31 32 P0.7
D GND 33 34 +5 V
+5 V 35 36 AI HOLD COMP
EXT STROBE* 37 38 PFI 0/AI START TRIG
PFI 1/AI REF TRIG 39 40 PFI 2/AI CONV CLK
PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE 41 42 PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE
CTR 1 OUT 43 44 PFI 5/AO SAMP CLK
PFI 6/AO START TRIG 45 46 PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK
PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE 47 48 PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE
CTR 0 OUT 26 FREQ OUT
49 50

Figure A-15. 50-Pin I/O Connector

Note Some hardware accessories may not yet reflect the NI-DAQmx terminal names. If
you are using an S Series device in Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy), refer to Table 3-2,
Terminal Name Equivalents, for the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) signal names.

For a detailed description of each signal, refer to the I/O Connector Signal
Descriptions section of Chapter 3, I/O Connector.

S Series User Manual A-26 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6132/6133 Block Diagram

Figure A-16 shows the NI 6132/6133 block diagram.

CAL
MUX
Address/Data
DustMITE
AI 0 AI 0 Control
PGIA 14-Bit
ADC
Channel Control 0

AI 1 Data (32)
AI 1 Config
PGIA 14-Bit EEPROM
ADC Address (32)

Channel Control 1

AI 2
SCARAB
AI 2
PGIA 14-Bit Cal

ADC Data
ADC EEPROM

Channel Control 2 AI Control

AI 3 AI 3
PGIA 14-Bit
I/O Connector

ADC

PCI/PXI Bus
Channel Control 3 FPGA
AI 4 AI 4
PGIA 14-Bit STCA
ADC
Channel Control 4 DMA/IRQ
AI 5 AI 5 CPLD Analog
PGIA 14-Bit Input
Trigger DMA/IRQ
ADC Timing/
Control
Channel Control 5
Counter/ DAQ- Bus
AI 6 AI 6
Timing I/O
STC Interface

PGIA 14-Bit
Analog
ADC Output RTSI Bus
Digital I/O
Timing/ Interface
Channel Control 6 Control

AI 7 AI 7
PGIA 14-Bit Analog
FPGA DIO

ADC Trigger
Circuitry
Channel Control 7 RTSI
Connector
PFI/Trigger
Protection

Timing Buffer

Digital I/O STC

Figure A-16. NI 6132/6133 Block Diagram

Note AI <4..7> appear only on the NI 6133.

© National Instruments Corporation A-27 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6132/6133 Cables and Accessories

This section describes some of the cable and accessory options for the
NI 6132/6133. For more specific information about these products, refer to
ni.com.

Caution For compliance with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements, this

product must be operated with shielded cables and accessories. If unshielded cables or
accessories are used, the EMC specifications are no longer guaranteed unless all
unshielded cables and/or accessories are installed in a shielded enclosure with properly
designed and shielded input/output ports.

Using BNCs
You can connect BNC cables to your DAQ device using BNC accessories
such as the BNC-2110, BNC-2120, and BNC-2090A.

Using Screw Terminals

You can connect signals to your DAQ device using a screw terminal
accessory such as the following:
• CB-68LP, CB-68LPR—Low-cost screw terminal block
• SCB-68—Shielded screw terminal block with breadboard areas
• TBX-68—DIN rail mountable screw terminal block
• TB-2705—PXI screw terminal block with metal housing

Using SMBs
You can connect SMB cables to your PXI DAQ device using the TB-2709.

Cabling
To connect your DAQ device to the accessories listed in this section, use
one of the following cables:
• SH68-68-EPM—Shielded 68-conductor cable
• SH68-68R1-EP—Shielded right-angle 68-conductor cable
• SH6868—Shielded 68-conductor cable
• R6868—68-conductor ribbon cable

S Series User Manual A-28 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Using RTSI
Use RTSI bus cables to connect the timing and synchronization signals on
your DAQ device to other Measurement, Vision, Motion, and CAN devices
for PCI.

Custom Cabling/Connectors Options

The CA-1000 is a versatile connector/enclosure system. It allows the user
to define I/O connectors on a per-channel basis. Internally, the system
allows for flexible custom wiring configuration.

If you want to develop your own cable, follow these guidelines for best
results:
• Use shielded twisted-pair wires for each differential AI pair. Connect
the shield for each signal pair to the ground reference at the source.
• Route the analog lines separately from the digital lines.
• When using a cable shield, use separate shields for the analog and
digital halves of the cable. Failure to do so results in noise coupling
into the analog signals from transient digital signals.

Mating connectors and a backshell kit for making custom 68-pin cables are
available from NI.

NI recommends that you use one of the following connectors with the I/O
connector on your device:
• Honda 68-position, solder cup, female connector
• Honda backshell
• AMP VHDCI connector

For more information about the connectors used for DAQ devices, refer to
the KnowledgeBase document, Specifications and Manufacturers for
Board Mating Connectors, by going to ni.com/info and entering the info
code rdspmb.

NI 6132/6133 Specifications
Refer to the NI 6132/6133 Specifications for more detailed information
about the devices.

© National Instruments Corporation A-29 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6143
The NI 6143 is a Plug-and-Play multifunction analog, digital, and timing
I/O device for PCI and PXI bus computers.

The NI 6143 features the following:

• Eight simultaneously sampling analog inputs with one 16-bit A/D
converter (ADC) per channel
• Eight lines of TTL-compatible DIO
• Two general-purpose 24-bit counter/timers

Because the NI 6143 has no DIP switches, jumpers, or potentiometers, it

can be easily calibrated and configured in software.

NI 6143 I/O Connector Pinout

Figure A-17 shows the pin assignments for the 68-pin I/O connector on the
NI 6143.

S Series User Manual A-30 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

AI 0 + 68 34 AI 0 –
AI 0 GND 67 33 AI 1 +
AI 1 – 66 32 AI 1 GND
AI 2 + 65 31 AI 2 –
AI 2 GND 64 30 AI 3 +
AI 3 – 63 29 AI 3 GND
NC 62 28 AI 4 +
AI 4 – 61 27 AI 4 GND
AI 5 + 60 26 AI 5 –
AI 5 GND 59 25 AI 6 +
AI 6 – 58 24 AI 6 GND
AI 7 + 57 23 AI 7 –
AI 7 GND 56 22 NC
NC 55 21 NC
NC 54 20 NC
D GND 53 19 P0.4
P0.0 52 18 D GND
P0.5 51 17 P0.1
D GND 50 16 P0.6
P0.2 49 15 D GND
P0.7 48 14 +5 V
P0.3 47 13 D GND
AI HOLD COMP 46 12 D GND
EXT STROBE* 45 11 PFI 0/AI START TRIG
D GND 44 10 PFI 1/AI REF TRIG
PFI 2/AI CONV CLK 43 9 D GND
PFI 3/CTR 1 SOURCE 42 8 +5 V
PFI 4/CTR 1 GATE 41 7 D GND
CTR 1 OUT 40 6 PFI 5
D GND 39 5 PFI 6
PFI 7/AI SAMP CLK 38 4 D GND
PFI 8/CTR 0 SOURCE 37 3 PFI 9/CTR 0 GATE
D GND 36 2 CTR 0 OUT
D GND 35 1 FREQ OUT

NC = No Connect

Figure A-17. NI 6143 Pinout

For a detailed description of each signal, refer to the I/O Connector Signal
Descriptions section of Chapter 3, I/O Connector.

© National Instruments Corporation A-31 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6143 Block Diagram

Figure A-18 shows the NI 6143 block diagram.

CAL
MUX
Address/Data
DustMITE
AI 0 AI 0 Control
PGIA 16-Bit
ADC

AI 1 AI 1 Address (14)
CPLD
PGIA 16-Bit Flash
ADC Data (32)

AI 2 AI 2
PGIA 16-Bit
ADC

AI 3 AI 3
PGIA 16-Bit
ADC
I/O Connector

PCI/PXI Bus
FPGA
AI 4 AI 4
PGIA 16-Bit STCA
ADC

DMA/IRQ
AI 5 AI 5 Analog Analog
PGIA 16-Bit Output Input Bus
ADC Timing/ Timing/ Interface
Control Control

DMA/
Trigger DAQ- Interrupt
AI 6 AI 6 Interface STC Interface
PGIA 16-Bit
ADC Counter/ RTSI Bus
Digital I/O
Timing I/O Interface

AI 7 AI 7
PGIA 16-Bit
ADC
RTSI Bus

PFI/Trigger
Protection

Timing

Digital I/O STC DIO

Figure A-18. NI 6143 Block Diagram

S Series User Manual A-32 ni.com

 Appendix A Device-Specific Information

NI 6143 Cables and Accessories

This section describes some of the cable and accessory options for the
NI 6143. For more specific information about these products, refer to
ni.com.

Caution For compliance with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements, this

product must be operated with shielded cables and accessories. If unshielded cables or
accessories are used, the EMC specifications are no longer guaranteed unless all
unshielded cables and/or accessories are installed in a shielded enclosure with properly
designed and shielded input/output ports.

Using BNCs
You can connect BNC cables to your DAQ device using BNC accessories
such as the BNC-2110, BNC-2120, and BNC-2090A.

Using Screw Terminals

You can connect signals to your DAQ device using a screw terminal
accessory such as the following:
• CB-68LP, CB-68LPR—Low-cost screw terminal block
• SCB-68—Shielded screw terminal block with breadboard areas
• TBX-68—DIN rail mountable screw terminal block
• TB-2706—PXI screw terminal block with metal housing

Cabling
To connect your DAQ device to the accessories listed in this section, use
one of the following cables:
• SHC68-68-EPM—Individually shielded, twisted-pair VHDCI to
SCSI-II cable
• SHC68-68-EP—Shielded VHDCI to SCSI-II cable

Using RTSI
Use RTSI bus cables to connect the timing and synchronization signals on
your DAQ device to other Measurement, Vision, Motion, and CAN devices
for PCI.

© National Instruments Corporation A-33 S Series User Manual

Appendix A Device-Specific Information

Custom Cabling/Connectors Options

The CA-1000 is a versatile connector/enclosure system. It allows the user
to define I/O connectors on a per-channel basis. Internally, the system
allows for flexible custom wiring configuration.

If you want to develop your own cable, follow these guidelines for best
results:
• Use shielded twisted-pair wires for each differential AI pair. Connect
the shield for each signal pair to the ground reference at the source.
• Route the analog lines separately from the digital lines.
• When using a cable shield, use separate shields for the analog and
digital halves of the cable. Failure to do so results in noise coupling
into the analog signals from transient digital signals.

Mating connectors and a backshell kit for making custom 68-pin cables are
available from NI.

NI recommends that you use one of the following connectors with the I/O
connector on your device:
• Honda 68-position, solder cup, female connector
• Honda backshell
• AMP VHDCI connector

For more information about the connectors used for DAQ devices, refer to
the KnowledgeBase document, Specifications and Manufacturers for
Board Mating Connectors, by going to ni.com/info and entering the info
code rdspmb.

NI 6143 Specifications
Refer to the NI 6143 Specifications for more detailed information about the
device.

S Series User Manual A-34 ni.com

Technical Support and
B
Professional Services
Visit the following sections of the award-winning National Instruments
Web site at ni.com for technical support and professional services:
• Support—Technical support at ni.com/support includes the
following resources:
– Self-Help Technical Resources—For answers and solutions,
visit ni.com/support for software drivers and updates,
a searchable KnowledgeBase, product manuals, step-by-step
troubleshooting wizards, thousands of example programs,
tutorials, application notes, instrument drivers, and so on.
Registered users also receive access to the NI Discussion Forums
at ni.com/forums. NI Applications Engineers make sure every
question submitted online receives an answer.
– Standard Service Program Membership—This program
entitles members to direct access to NI Applications Engineers
via phone and email for one-to-one technical support as well as
exclusive access to on demand training modules via the Services
Resource Center. NI offers complementary membership for a full
year after purchase, after which you may renew to continue your
benefits.
For information about other technical support options in your
area, visit ni.com/services, or contact your local office at
ni.com/contact.
• Training and Certification—Visit ni.com/training for
self-paced training, eLearning virtual classrooms, interactive CDs,
and Certification program information. You also can register for
instructor-led, hands-on courses at locations around the world.
• System Integration—If you have time constraints, limited in-house
technical resources, or other project challenges, National Instruments
Alliance Partner members can help. To learn more, call your local
NI office or visit ni.com/alliance.

© National Instruments Corporation B-1 S Series User Manual

Appendix B Technical Support and Professional Services

• Declaration of Conformity (DoC)—A DoC is our claim of

compliance with the Council of the European Communities using
the manufacturer’s declaration of conformity. This system affords
the user protection for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and
product safety. You can obtain the DoC for your product by visiting
ni.com/certification.
• Calibration Certificate—If your product supports calibration,
you can obtain the calibration certificate for your product at
ni.com/calibration.

If you searched ni.com and could not find the answers you need, contact
your local office or NI corporate headquarters. Phone numbers for our
worldwide offices are listed at the front of this manual. You also can visit
the Worldwide Offices section of ni.com/niglobal to access the branch
office Web sites, which provide up-to-date contact information, support
phone numbers, email addresses, and current events.

S Series User Manual B-2 ni.com

Glossary

Symbol Prefix Value

p pico 10–12
n nano 10–9
μ micro 10–6
m milli 10–3
k kilo 103
M mega 106

Symbols
° Degree.

> Greater than.

< Less than.

– Negative of, or minus.

Ω Ohms.

/ Per.

% Percent.

± Plus or minus.

+ Positive of, or plus.

A
A Amperes—The unit of electric current.

A/D Analog-to-digital.

AC Alternating current.

© National Instruments Corporation G-1 S Series User Manual

Glossary

ADC Analog-to-digital converter—An electronic device, often an integrated

circuit, that converts an analog voltage to a digital number.

ADE Application Development Environment—A software environment

incorporating the development, debug, and analysis tools for software
development. LabVIEW, Measurement Studio, and Visual Studio are
examples.

AI 1. Analog input.
2. Analog input channel signal.

aliasing The consequence of sampling that causes signals with frequencies higher
than half the sampling frequency to appear as lower frequency components
in a frequency spectrum.

AO Analog output.

ASIC Application-Specific Integrated Circuit—A proprietary semiconductor

component designed and manufactured to perform a set of specific
functions.

B
bipolar A signal range that includes both positive and negative values (for example,
–5 to +5 V).

building ground See earth ground.

C
C Celsius

CalDAC Calibration DAC.

S Series User Manual G-2 ni.com

 Glossary

channel 1. Physical—A terminal or pin at which you can measure or generate an

analog or digital signal. A single physical channel can include more than
one terminal, as in the case of a differential analog input channel or a digital
port of eight lines. The name used for a counter physical channel is an
exception because that physical channel name is not the name of the
terminal where the counter measures or generates the digital signal.
2. Virtual—A collection of property settings that can include a name, a
physical channel, input terminal connections, the type of measurement or
generation, and scaling information. You can define NI-DAQmx virtual
channels outside a task (global) or inside a task (local). Configuring virtual
channels is optional in Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) and earlier versions,
but is integral to every measurement you take in NI-DAQmx. In Traditional
NI-DAQ (Legacy), you configure virtual channels in MAX. In NI-DAQmx,
you can configure virtual channels either in MAX or in a program, and you
can configure channels as part of a task or separately.

chassis ground Any connection back to the protective conductor earth ground. See also
earth ground.

cm Centimeter.

CMOS Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor.

CMRR Common-mode rejection ratio—A measure of the capability of an

instrument to reject a signal that is common to both input leads.

CompactPCI A Eurocard configuration of the PCI bus for industrial applications.

correlated DIO A feature that allows you to clock digital I/O on the same clock as analog
I/O.

counter/timer A circuit that counts external pulses or clock pulses (timing).

coupling The manner in which a signal is connected from one circuit to another.
When applied to instrument products or DAQ cards, it refers to the input
signal coupling technique.

D
DAC Digital-to-analog converter—An electronic device, often an integrated
circuit, that converts a digital number into a corresponding analog voltage
or current.

© National Instruments Corporation G-3 S Series User Manual

Glossary

DAQ device A device that acquires or generates data and can contain multiple channels
and conversion devices. DAQ devices include plug-in devices, PCMCIA
cards, and DAQPad devices, which connect to a computer USB port. SCXI
modules are considered DAQ devices.

DAQ-STC Data acquisition system timing controller—An application-specific

integrated circuit (ASIC) for the system timing requirements of a general
A/D and D/A system.

data acquisition (DAQ) 1. Acquiring and measuring analog or digital electrical signals from
sensors, transducers, and test probes or fixtures.
2. Generating analog or digital electrical signals.

dB Decibel—The unit for expressing a logarithmic measure of the ratio of two

signal levels: dB = 20log10 V1/V2 for signals in volts.

dBc Decibel carrier—Level difference referenced to a carrier level, c.

DC Direct current—Although the term speaks of current, many different types

of DC measurements are made, including DC Voltage, DC current, and DC
power.

device 1. An instrument or controller you can access as a single entity that controls
or monitors real-world I/O points. A device often is connected to a host
computer through some type of communication network.
2. See DAQ device and measurement device.

D GND Digital ground signal.

DI Digital input.

differential mode DIFF. An analog input mode consisting of two terminals, both of which are
isolated from computer ground, whose difference is measured.

DIO Digital input/output.

DIP Dual inline package.

DMA Direct memory access—A method by which data can be transferred

to/from computer memory from/to a device or memory on the bus while the
processor does something else. DMA is the fastest method of transferring
data to/from computer memory.

S Series User Manual G-4 ni.com

 Glossary

DNL Differential nonlinearity—A measure in least significant bit of the

worst-case deviation of code widths from their ideal value of 1 LSB.

DO Digital output.

driver Software unique to the device or type of device, and includes the set of
commands the device accepts.

E
earth ground A direct electrical connection to the earth which provides a reference
voltage level (called zero potential or ground potential) against which all
other voltages in a system are established and measured. Also referred to as
building ground.

EEPROM Electrically erasable programmable read–only memory–ROM that can be

erased with an electrical signal and reprogrammed.

ESD Electrostatic Discharge—A high-voltage, low-current discharge of static

electricity that can damage sensitive electronic components. Electrostatic
discharge voltage can easily range from 1,000 to 10,000 V.

F
F Farad—A measurement unit of capacitance.

FIFO First-in-first-out memory buffer—A data buffering technique that functions

like a shift register where the oldest values (first in) come out first. Many
DAQ products use FIFOs to buffer digital data from an A/D converter, or to
buffer the data before or after bus transmission.

floating signal sources Signal sources with voltage signals that are not connected to an absolute
reference of system ground. Also called nonreferenced signal sources.
Some common examples of floating signal sources are batteries,
transformers, and thermocouples.

FPGA Field-programmable gate array.

© National Instruments Corporation G-5 S Series User Manual

Glossary

G
gain The factor by which a signal is amplified, often expressed in dB. Gain as a
function of frequency is commonly referred to as the magnitude of the
frequency response function.

grounded signal Signal sources with voltage sources that are referenced to a system ground
sources such as the earth or building ground. Also called referenced signal sources.

H
h Hour.

Hz Hertz.

I
I/O Input/output—The transfer of data to/from a computer system involving
communications channels, operator interface devices, and/or data
acquisition and control interfaces.

in. Inches.

INL Integral nonlinearity—For an ADC, deviation of codes of the actual

transfer function from a straight line.

IOH Current, output high.

IOL Current, output low.

IRQ Interrupt request.

L
LED Light-emitting diode—A semiconductor light source.

LSB Least significant bit.

S Series User Manual G-6 ni.com

 Glossary

M
m Meter.

master A functional part of a MXI/VME/VXIbus device that initiates data transfers

on the backplane. A transfer can be either a read or a write.

measurement device DAQ devices such as the E Series multifunction I/O (MIO) devices, SCXI
signal conditioning modules, and switch modules.

module A board assembly and its associated mechanical parts, front panel, optional
shields, and so on. A module contains everything required to occupy one or
more slots in a mainframe. SCXI and PXI devices are modules.

MSB Most significant bit.

mux Multiplexer—A switching device with multiple inputs that sequentially

connects each of its inputs to its output, typically at high speeds, in order to
measure several signals with a single analog input channel.

N
NI National Instruments.

NI-DAQ Driver software included with all NI measurement devices. NI-DAQ is an

extensive library of VIs and functions you can call from an application
development environment (ADE), such as LabVIEW, to program all the
features of an NI measurement device, such as configuring, acquiring and
generating data from, and sending data to the device.

NI-DAQmx The latest NI-DAQ driver with new VIs, functions, and development tools
for controlling measurement devices. The advantages of NI-DAQmx over
earlier versions of NI-DAQ include the DAQ Assistant for configuring
channels and measurement tasks for your device for use in LabVIEW,
LabWindows/CVI, and Measurement Studio; increased performance such
as faster single-point analog I/O; and a simpler API for creating DAQ
applications using fewer functions and VIs than earlier versions of
NI-DAQ.

© National Instruments Corporation G-7 S Series User Manual

Glossary

noise An undesirable electrical signal. Noise comes from external sources such
as the AC power line, motors, generators, transformers, fluorescent lights,
CRT displays, computers, electrical storms, welders, radio transmitters,
and internal sources such as semiconductors, resistors, and capacitors.
Noise corrupts signals you are trying to send or receive.

P
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect—A high-performance expansion bus
architecture originally developed by Intel to replace ISA and EISA. It offers
a theoretical maximum transfer rate of 132 Mbytes/s.

pd Pull-down.

PFI Programmable function interface.

PGIA Programmable gain instrumentation amplifier.

physical channel See channel.

port 1. A communications connection on a computer or a remote controller.

2. A digital port consisting of four or eight lines of digital input and/or
output.

ppm Parts per million.

pseudodifferential Pseudodifferential channels are all referred to a common ground, but this
channels ground is not directly connected to the computer ground. Often this
connection is made by a relatively low value resistor to give some isolation
between the two grounds.

pu Pull-up.

PXI PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation—PXI is an open specification that

builds off the CompactPCI specification by adding
instrumentation-specific features.

Q
quantization The process of converting an analog signal to a digital representation.
Normally performed by an analog-to-digital converter (A/D converter or
ADC).

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 Glossary

R
range The maximum and minimum parameters between which a sensor,
instrument, or device operates with a specified set of characteristics.

referenced signal Signal sources with voltage signals that are referenced to a system ground
sources such as the earth or a building ground. Also called ground signal sources.

rise time The time for a signal to transition from 10% to 90% of the maximum signal
amplitude.

rms Root mean square.

RTSI bus Real-Time System Integration bus—The National Instruments timing bus
that connects DAQ devices directly, by means of connectors on top of the
devices, for precise synchronization of functions.

S
s Seconds.

S Samples.

S/s Samples per second—Used to express the rate at which a digitizer or D/A
converter or DAQ device samples an analog signal.

scatter-gather The term used to describe very high-speed DMA burst-mode transfers that
are made only by the bus master, and where noncontiguous blocks of
memory are transparently mapped by the controller to appear as a seamless
piece of memory.

SCXI Signal Conditioning eXtensions for Instrumentation—The National

Instruments product line for conditioning low-level signals within an
external chassis near sensors so that only high-level signals are sent to DAQ
devices in the noisy PC environment. SCXI is an open standard available
for all vendors.

sensor A device that responds to a physical stimulus (heat, light, sound, pressure,
motion, flow, and so on) and produces a corresponding electrical signal.

settling time The amount of time required for a voltage to reach its final value within
specified limits.

© National Instruments Corporation G-9 S Series User Manual

Glossary

signal conditioning The manipulation of signals to prepare them for digitizing.

system noise A measure of the amount of noise seen by an analog circuit or an ADC
when the analog inputs are grounded.

T
task NI-DAQmx—A collection of one or more channels, timing, and triggering
and other properties that apply to the task itself. Conceptually, a task
represents a measurement or generation you want to perform.

terminal count The highest value of a counter.

tgh Gate hold time.

tgsu Gate setup time.

tgw Gate pulse width.

THD Total harmonic distortion—The ratio of the total rms signal due to
harmonic distortion to the overall rms signal, in dB or percent.

THD+N Signal-to-THD plus noise—The ratio in decibels of the overall rms signal
to the rms signal of harmonic distortion, plus noise introduced.

thermocouple A temperature sensor created by joining two dissimilar metals. The

junction produces a small voltage as a function of the temperature.

toff An offset (delayed) pulse; the offset is t nanoseconds from the falling edge
of the AI CONV CLK* signal.

tout Output delay time.

tp Period of a pulse train.

Traditional NI-DAQ An upgrade to the earlier version of NI-DAQ. Traditional NI-DAQ

(Legacy) (Legacy) has the same VIs and functions and works the same way as
NI-DAQ 6.9.x. You can use both Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) and
NI-DAQmx on the same computer, which is not possible with
NI-DAQ 6.9.x.

transducer See sensor.

TRIG Trigger signal.

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 Glossary

tsc Source clock period.

tsp Source pulse width.

TTL Transistor-transistor logic—A digital circuit composed of bipolar

transistors wired in a certain manner. A typical medium-speed digital
technology. Nominal TTL logic levels are 0 and 5 V.

V
V Volts.

VCC Nominal +5 V power supply provided by the PC motherboard.

Vcm Common-mode noise and ground potential.

VDC Volts direct current.

VI, virtual instrument 1. A combination of hardware and/or software elements, typically used
with a PC, that has the functionality of a classic stand-alone instrument.
2. A LabVIEW software module (VI), which consists of a front panel user
interface and a block diagram program.

VIH Volts, input high.

VIL Volts, input low.

Vin Volts in.

Vm Measured voltage.

VOH Volts, output high.

VOL Volts, output low.

VOUT Volts out.

Vrms Volts, root mean square.

Vs Ground-referenced signal source.

virtual channel See channel.

© National Instruments Corporation G-11 S Series User Manual

Index

Symbols analog input signals

AI Pause Trigger, 4-24
+5V Power Source, 3-6
AI Reference Trigger, 4-22
AI Sample Clock, 4-17
Numerics AI Sample Clock Timebase, 4-20
50-pin MIO I/O connector, A-5, A-19, A-26 AI Start Trigger, 4-20
connecting, 4-6
External Strobe, 4-26
A Master Timebase, 4-25
A/D converter, 4-1 analog output
AC coupling circuitry, 5-1
about, 4-1 connecting signals, 5-4
connections, 4-9 data generation methods, 5-2
accessories fundamentals, 5-1
field wiring considerations, 4-15 minimizing glitches, 5-2
I/O connector, 3-1 NI 6110/6111, A-2
NI 6110/6111, A-7 NI 6115/6120, A-10
NI 6115/6120, A-13 overview, 5-1
NI 6122/6123, A-21 triggering, 5-4
NI 6132/6133, A-28 analog output signals
NI 6143, A-33 AO Pause Trigger, 5-10
AI Pause Trigger signal, 4-24 AO Sample Clock, 5-5
AI Reference Trigger signal, 4-22 AO Sample Clock Timebase, 5-7
AI Sample Clock signal, 4-17 AO Start Trigger, 5-8
AI Sample Clock Timebase signal, 4-20 connecting, 5-4
AI Start Trigger signal, 4-20 Master Timebase, 5-10
analog input analog triggering
circuitry, 4-1 about, 12-3
connecting signals, 4-6 accuracy, 12-7
data acquisition methods, 4-4 types, 12-4
fundamentals, 4-1 ANSI C documentation, xv
overview, 4-1 AO FIFO, 5-1
signals, 4-16 AO Pause Trigger signal, 5-10
terminal configuration, 4-2 AO Sample Clock signal, 5-1, 5-5
timing signals, 4-16 AO Sample Clock Timebase signal, 5-7
timing summary, 4-16 AO Start Trigger signal, 5-8
triggering, 4-6

© National Instruments Corporation I-1 S Series User Manual

Index

B signal rejection considerations

differential ground-referenced
block diagram
signals, 4-8
NI 6110, A-6
pseudodifferential ground-referenced
NI 6111, A-7
signals, 4-11
NI 6115, A-12
CompactPCI, 11-1
NI 6120, A-13
connecting signals
NI 6122/6123, A-20
analog input, 4-6
NI 6132/6133, A-27
analog output, 5-4
NI 6143, A-32
digital I/O, 6-5
bus interface, 11-1
conventions used in the manual, xi
counter timing signals
C Counter 0 Gate, 7-4
Counter 0 Internal Output, 7-5
cables
Counter 0 Source, 7-4
NI 6110/6111, A-7
Counter 0 Up/Down, 7-7
NI 6115/6120, A-13
Counter 1 Gate, 7-8
NI 6122/6123, A-21
Counter 1 Internal Output, 7-8
NI 6132/6133, A-28
Counter 1 Source, 7-7
NI 6143, A-33
Counter 1 Up/Down, 7-9
calibration, 1-1, 2-3
Frequency Output, 7-10
certificate (NI resources), B-2
Master Timebase, 7-10
clocks, 10-4
summary, 7-2
common-mode
counters, 7-1
input range, 4-3
noise
differential ground-referenced D
signals, 4-8
DACs, 5-1
differential non-referenced or
DAQ
floating signals, 4-10
pseudodifferential ground-referenced hardware, 2-1
signals, 4-12 system overview, 2-1
pseudodifferential non-referenced or DAQ-PnP, 11-1
floating signals, 4-14 DAQ-STC, 2-2
pseudodifferential signals, 4-2, 4-8 data generation methods, 5-2
rejection, 4-15 data transfer methods, changing, 11-2
signal range DC coupling
differential non-referenced or about, 4-1
floating signals, 4-9 connections, 4-9
pseudodifferential non-referenced or Declaration of Conformity (NI resources), B-2
floating signals, 4-13

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 Index

device documentation
pinouts, 1-2 conventions used in manual, xi
specifications, 1-2 NI resources, B-1
device and RTSI clocks, 10-4 related documentation, xii
DI Sample Clock signal, 6-4, 6-5 drivers (NI resources), B-1
diagnostic tools (NI resources), B-1
DIFF mode
about, 4-2 E
connections for ground-referenced signal examples (NI resources), B-1
sources, 4-8 External Strobe, 4-26
connections for non-referenced or
floating signal sources, 4-9
minimizing drift, 4-15 F
differential connections features
for ground-referenced signal sources, 4-8 NI 6110/6111, A-2
for non-referenced or floating signal NI 6115/6120, A-9
sources, 4-9 NI 6122/6123, A-16
digital NI 6132/6133, A-23
routing, 9-1 NI 6143, A-30
triggering, 12-2 field wiring considerations, 4-15
waveform FIFO, 4-1
acquisition, 6-3 filter, 4-1
generation, 6-2
digital I/O
connecting signals, 6-5
G
digital waveform acquisition, 6-3 getting started, 1-1
digital waveform generation, 6-2 glitches, 5-2
I/O protection, 6-5
overview, 6-1
H
power-on states, 6-5
signals, 6-2, 6-4 hardware, 1-1
software, 6-6 help, technical support, B-1
static DIO, 6-2
digital I/O signals
DI Sample Clock, 6-4, 6-5
DO Sample Clock, 6-2
direct memory access (DMA), 11-2
DMA, 11-2
DO Sample Clock signal, 6-2

© National Instruments Corporation I-3 S Series User Manual

Index

I N
I/O connector National Instruments support and services,
+5 V, 3-6 B-1
50-pin MIO I/O connector, A-5, A-19, NET, .NET languages documentation, xv
A-26 NI 6110 block diagram, A-6
NI 6110/6111, A-2, A-4 NI 6110/6111, A-7
NI 6115/6120, A-10 analog output, A-2
NI 6122/6123, A-16, A-18 block diagrams, A-6, A-7
NI 6132/6133, A-23, A-25 cables and accessories, A-7
NI 6143, A-30 features, A-2
signal descriptions, 3-1 I/O connector pinout, A-2, A-4
I/O protection, 6-5 input coupling, 4-1
input coupling, 4-1 pseudodifferential inputs, 4-2
input polarity and range, 4-3 specifications, A-9
installation NI 6111 block diagram, A-7
hardware, 1-1 NI 6115
NI-DAQmx, 1-1 block diagram, A-12
other software, 1-1 common-mode signal rejection, 4-13
instrument drivers (NI resources), B-1 NI 6115/6120, A-13, A-16
instrumentation amplifier, 4-1 analog output, A-10
interrupt request (IRQ), 11-2 block diagrams, A-12, A-13
IRQ, 11-2 cables and accessories, A-13
DI Sample Clock signal, 6-4, 6-5
digital waveform
K acquisition, 6-3
KnowledgeBase, B-1 generation, 6-2
DO Sample Clock signal, 6-2
features, A-9
L high-speed digital waveform
LabVIEW documentation, xiii acquisition, 6-1
LabWindows/CVI documentation, xiv generation, 6-1
Linux, xiii I/O connector pinout, A-10
input coupling, 4-1
M pseudodifferential
floating signals, 4-13
Mac OS X, xiii
inputs, 4-2
Master Timebase signal, 4-25, 5-10, 7-10
specifications, A-15
Measurement Studio documentation, xiv
NI 6120 block diagram, A-13
minimizing glitches on the output signal, 5-2
MITE and DAQ-PnP, 11-1
mux, 4-1

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 Index

NI 6122/6123, A-21, A-23 P

block diagram, A-20
PFI
cables and accessories, A-21
about, 8-1
DI Sample Clock signal, 6-4, 6-5
inputs, 8-1
digital waveform
outputs, 8-1
acquisition, 6-3
pinouts
generation, 6-2
50-pin MIO I/O connector, A-5, A-19,
DO Sample Clock signal, 6-2 A-26
features, A-16 device, 1-2
high-speed digital waveform NI 6110/6111, A-2, A-4
acquisition, 6-1 NI 6115/6120, A-10
generation, 6-1 NI 6122/6123, A-16, A-18
I/O connector pinout, A-16, A-18 NI 6132/6133, A-23, A-25
specifications, A-22 NI 6143, A-30
NI 6132/6133, A-28, A-30 Power source, +5 V, 3-6
block diagram, A-27 power-on states, 6-5
cables and accessories, A-28 programmable function interfaces, 8-1
DI Sample Clock signal, 6-4, 6-5 programmed I/O, 11-2
digital waveform programming examples (NI resources), B-1
acquisition, 6-3 pseudodifferential connections
generation, 6-2 for ground-referenced signal
DO Sample Clock signal, 6-2 sources, 4-11
features, A-23 for non-referenced or floating signal
high-speed digital waveform acquisition, sources, 4-13
6-1 PXI with CompactPCI, 11-1
high-speed digital waveform generation,
6-1
I/O connector pinout, A-23, A-25 R
specifications, A-29 related documentation, xii
NI 6143, A-33 RTSI
block diagram, A-32 clocks, 10-4
cables and accessories, A-33 description, 10-1
features, A-30 synchronizing multiple devices, 10-4
I/O connector pinout, A-30 triggers, 10-1
specifications, A-34
working voltage range, 4-4
NI support and services, B-1
NI-DAQmx Base documentation, xiii
NI-DAQmx documentation, xii
NI-DAQmx for Linux documentation, xii

© National Instruments Corporation I-5 S Series User Manual

Index

S T
S Series technical support, B-1, xvi
devices, A-1 terminal name equivalents, 3-4
specifications, xvi timing signal routing, 9-1
self-calibration, 1-1 device and RTSI clocks, 10-4
sensors, 2-4 RTSI triggers, 10-1
signal conditioning, 2-4 timing signals
signal connections counter, 7-2
analog input, 4-6 power-on states, 6-5
analog output, 5-4 routing, 9-1
digital I/O, 6-5 waveform generation, 5-5
signal descriptions, 3-1 training, xvi
signal sources, 4-7 training and certification (NI resources), B-1
software, 1-1 transducers, 2-4
AI applications, 4-26 triggering
AO applications, 5-11 analog input, 4-6
counter applications, 7-11 analog output, 5-4
DIO applications, 6-6 analog trigger types, 12-4
installing, 1-1 counter, 7-1
NI resources, B-1 overview, 12-1
programming devices, 2-5 RTSI, 10-1
routing signals in, 9-5 with a digital source, 12-2
specifications with an analog source, 12-3
device, 1-2 troubleshooting (NI resources), B-1
NI 6110/6111, A-9
NI 6115/6120, A-15
NI 6122/6123, A-22 W
NI 6132/6133, A-29 waveform generation timing signals
NI 6143, A-34 AO Pause Trigger, 5-10
static DIO, 6-2 AO Sample Clock, 5-5
support, technical, B-1 AO Sample Clock Timebase, 5-7
synchronizing multiple devices, 10-4 AO Start Trigger, 5-8
system timing controller, DAQ-STC, 2-2 Master Timebase, 5-10
summary, 5-5
Web resources, B-1
wiring, 4-15
working voltage range, 4-4

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