NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PXIe-5160 PXIe 10-Bit PXI Oscilloscopes User Guide

**NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PXIe-5160 PXIe 10-Bit PXI Oscilloscopes User Guide

**

Verifying the System Requirements

To use the NI-SCOPE instrument driver, your system must meet certain requirements.

Refer to the product readme, which is available on the driver software media or online at
ni.com/manuals, for more information about minimum system requirements, recommended system, and supported application development environments (ADEs).

Unpacking the Kit

Refer to the following figure to identify the contents of the PXIe-5160/5162 kit.

1. PXIe-5160 or PXIe-5162
2. PXIe-5160 or PXIe-5162 Safety, Environmental, and Regulatory Information
3. PXIe-5160/5162 Getting Started Guide (this  document)
4. Maintain Forced-Air Cooling Note to Users

Notice
To prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) from damaging the module, ground yourself using a grounding strap or by holding a grounded object, such as your computer chassis.

1. Touch the antistatic package to a metal part of the computer chassis.

2. Remove the module from the package and inspect it for loose components or other signs of damage.
   Notice Never touch the exposed pins of connectors.
   Note Do not install a module if it appears damaged in any way.

3. Unpack any other items and documentation from the kit. Store the module in the antistatic package when the module is not in use.

Other Equipment

There are several required items not included in your device kit that you need to operate the PXIe-5160/5162. Your application may require additional items not included in your kit to install or operate your device.

Required Items

• A PXI Express chassis and chassis documentation
• A PXI Controller or PC with a Device for PXI Remote Control system that meets the system requirements specified in this guide and chassis documentation

Optional Items

• PXI Slot Blocker Kit, 5 slot blockers (NI part number 199198-01)
• PXI Filler Panel Kit, 17 filler panels (NI part number 778646-01)
• BNC-to-BNC cable, 50 Ω, 1 m (NI part number 781887-01)
• Oscilloscope probe compensator, SMB (NI part number 786983-01)
• Probes—refer to the following table for several options compatible with the PXIe-5160/5162.

Table 1. Probe Options for the PXIe-5160/5162

Table 1. Probe Options for the PXIe-5160/5162 (Continued)

Preparing the Environment

Ensure that the environment in which you are using the PXIe-5160/5162 meets the following specifications.

Temperature
Operating:   0 °C to 45 °C
Storage: -40 °C to 71 °C
Humidity
Operating:   10% to 90%, noncondensing
Storage: 5% to 95%, noncondensing
Pollution:   Degree 2
Maximum altitude: 2,000 m (800 mbar) (at 25 °C ambient temperature)
Indoor use only

Installing the Software

You must be an Administrator to install NI software on your computer.

1. Install an ADE, such as LabVIEW or LabWindows™/CVI™.

2. Visit ni.com/downloads/drivers and search for NI-SCOPE.

3. Download the latest version of NI-SCOPE, extract the downloaded files, and run the executable (.exe) file. Driver support for the PXIe-5160/5162 was first available in NI-SCOPE 4.1.

4. Follow the instructions in the installation prompts.
   **Note** Windows users may see access and security messages during installation. Accept the prompts to complete the installation.

5. When the installer completes, select Restart in the dialog box that prompts you to restart, shut down, or restart later.

Notice To prevent damage to the PXIe-5160/5162 caused by ESD or contamination, handle the module using the edges or the metal bracket

1. Ensure the AC power source is connected to the chassis before installing the module. The AC power cord grounds the chassis and protects it from electrical damage while you install the module.
2. Power off the chassis.
3. Inspect the slot pins on the chassis backplane for any bends or damage prior to installation. Do not install a module if the backplane is damaged.
4. Remove the black plastic covers from all the captive screws on the module front panel.
5. Identify a supported slot in the chassis. The following figure shows the symbols that indicate the slot types

Figure 1. Chassis Compatibility Symbols

1. PXI Express System Controller Slot

2. PXI Peripheral Slot

3. PXI Express Hybrid Peripheral Slot

4. PXI Express System Timing Slot

5. PXI Express Peripheral Slot  PXIe-5160/5162 modules can be placed in PXI Express peripheral slots, PXI Express hybrid peripheral slots, or PXI Express system timing slots.

6. Touch any metal part of the chassis to discharge static electricity.

7. Ensure that the ejector handle is in the downward (unlatched) position.

8. Place the module edges into the module guides at the top and bottom of the chassis. Slide the module into the slot until it is fully inserted.
   Figure 2. Module Installation

   ---

9. Chassis

10. Hardware Module

11. Ejector Handle in Downward (Unlatched) Position

12. Latch the module in place by pulling up on the ejector handle.

13. Secure the module front panel to the chassis using the front-panel mounting screws.
    **Note** Tightening the top and bottom mounting screws increases mechanical stability and also electrically connects the front panel to the chassis, which can improve the signal quality and electromagnetic performance.

14. Cover all empty slots using EMC filler panels or fill using slot blockers to maximize cooling air flow, depending on your application.

15. Power on the chassis.

Front Panels

Note PXIe-5160 shown

Table 2. PXIe-5160/5162 Signal Descriptions

BNC

| Analog input connection; digitizes data and triggers acquisitions
CH 2, CH 3| Additional analog input connections on the PXIe-5160/5162 (4 CH)
TRIG| External analog trigger connection; signals on the TRIG connector cannot be digitized; PXIe-5160/5162 (2 CH) only
Signal| Connector Type| Description
---|---|---
CLK IN|

SMB

| Imports an external Reference Clock or Sample Clock to the device
CLK OUT| Exports the Reference Clock from the device
PFI 0| PFI line for digital trigger input/output
PFI 1| PFI line for digital trigger input/output and probe compensation; no subsample trigger accuracy

Configuring the PXIe-5160/5162 in MAX

Use Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) to configure your NI hardware. MAX informs other programs about which NI hardware products are in the system and how they are configured. MAX is automatically installed with NI-SCOPE

1. Launch MAX

2. In the configuration tree, expand Devices and Interfaces to see the list of installed NI hardware.
   Installed modules appear under the name of their associated chassis.

3. Expand your Chassis tree item. MAX lists all modules installed in the chassis. Your default names may vary.  ****Note If you do not see your module listed, press to refresh the list of installed modules. If the module is still not listed, power off the system, ensure the module is correctly installed, and restart.

4. Record the identifier MAX assigns to the hardware. Use this identifier when programming the PXIe-5160/5162

5. Self-test the hardware by selecting the item in the configuration tree and clicking SelfTest in the MAX toolbar.
   The MAX self-test performs a basic verification of hardware resources.

Self-Calibration

To eliminate errors caused by changing temperatures, NI-SCOPE provides a highly repeatable self-calibration function.

For the PXIe-5160/5162, self-calibration yields the following benefits:

• Corrects for DC gain and offset errors within the digitizer by comparison to a precision, high-stability internal voltage reference for all ranges, input impedance paths (50 Ω and 1 MΩ), and filter paths.
• Calibrates trigger level offset and gain.
• Calibrates trigger timing, as well as the time-to-digital conversion circuitry to ensure accurate trigger timing and time-stamping.
• Calibrates gain, offset, and phase for interleaved ADC modes, reducing ADC interleaving errors in time-interleaved sampling modes.
• Calibrates the phase DAC used to adjust the phase of the sample clock. Self-calibration takes approximately two minutes to complete.

Running Self-Calibration
Running self-calibration enables the PXIe-5160/5162 to yield full performance over its operating temperature range and two-year external calibration cycle.

Before running self-calibration:

• Warm up the PXIe-5160/5162 for at least 15 minutes

• When possible, disconnect the inputs 1
  PXIe-5160/5162 modules are externally calibrated at the factory, but for optimal performance, use self-calibration in any of the following situations:

• When the module is placed in a new system

• When the temperature changes more than ±3 °C from the previous self-calibration

• Once 90 days have elapsed since the previous self-calibration

Note Unless temperature variations are a serious problem in your application, selfcalibration is not recommended more than once per day.

Tip You can use the nodes on the NI-SCOPE External Calibration palette to programmatically return the date and module temperature of the previous selfcalibration. You can also view this information by selecting the device in MAX. Self-calibrate the PXIe-5160/5162 programmatically in NI-SCOPE or on demand in MAX.

NI-SCOPE Use the Self Calibrate node to self-calibrate the module
MAX Select the device in the Devices and Interfaces menu and click the SelfCalibrate button

When the two-year external calibration interval expires, an external calibration is required to ensure performance within specifications over the subsequent two years.

First Measurements

Making a Measurement with Instrument Studio

1. Connect CH 0 to an input signal.
2. Launch Instrument Studio at Start» National Instruments.
3. n the instrument header menu in the upper-right corner of the panel ( ), add thePXIe-5160/5162 to the large panel with Add/Remove Devices.
4. Click Auto to automatically configure device settings for the detected signal.
5. If the soft front panel is not already running, click Run/Stop.
6. Add oscilloscope measurements to the channel by selecting Add/Remove in the measurement table of the oscilloscope.

For more information on the measurements available for oscilloscopes in InstrumentStudio,  refer to the InstrumentStudio Manual at ni.com/manuals

Making a Measurement with LabVIEW

1. Launch LabVIEW.

2. Select Help»Find Examples.

3. Open the example VI that you want to use by selecting Hardware Input and Output» Modular Instruments»NI-SCOPE (High-Speed Digitizers).
   **Tip** If you are not sure which example to run, use the Quick Start VI, which is found under Hardware Input and Output»Modular Instruments»NISCOPE (High-Speed Digitizers)»Demos»niScope EX Quick Start.vi.

4. Follow any setup instructions in the VI and specify any desired settings.

5. Click Run to run the example program.

Compensating Passive Probes

Compensating passive probes increases the accuracy of your measurements by matching the capacitance of your probe to the capacitance of a particular oscilloscope input channel.

Before beginning this procedure, complete the following:

• Set up your oscilloscope in a compatible chassis;
• Install a version of NI-SCOPE compatible with your oscilloscope on your system; and
• Configure a panel and layout in InstrumentStudio to include your oscilloscope.

**Note** For more information on using InstrumentStudio, refer to the InstrumentStudio Manual at ni.com/manuals.

The following equipment is required for this procedure:

If using the Oscilloscope Probe Compensator|

• Oscilloscope Probe Compensator (NI part number 786983-01)

---|---
If connecting the probe directly to the oscilloscope PFI|

• A 50 Ω SMB (f)-to-BNC (f) cable, such as the SMB-100 (NI part number 781449-01)
• A probe tip–to-BNC (m) adapter

The PXIe-5160/5162 can output a 1 kHz square wave that you can use to compensate passive probes.

To compensate a passive probe, complete the following steps:

1. Connect the BNC end of the probe to an input channel of your oscilloscope.

2. Depending on your connection method, connect the probe tip to the oscilloscope:
   Oscilloscope Probe Compensator

3. Connect the SMB end of the Oscilloscope Probe Compensator to the PFI
   connector of the oscilloscope that generates the probe compensation signal.

4. Connect the ground clip of the probe to the ground terminal.

5. Contact the tip of the probe to the square wave terminal.
   Direct connection to PFI

6. Connect the SMB end of the SMB (f)-to-BNC (f) cable to the PFI connector of the oscilloscope that generates the probe compensation signal.

7. Attach the BNC adapter to the tip of the probe.

8. Connect the probe tip via the BNC adapter to the BNC end of the cable.

9. Enable the probe compensation signal:

InstrumentStudio

In the instrument header menu ( ) in the upper-right corner of the panel, select Probe Compensation»Enabled

NI-SCOPE

Call Probe Compensation Signal Start.

1. In InstrumentStudio, configure the settings of the input channel to which you connected the probe.
   a) Set the channel to On to display the signal.
   b) Set the Input impedance of the channel to 1 MΩ.
   c) Match the Probe attenuation setting to the setting on your probe.

2. Adjust the vertical range on the input channel until the signal starts to clip and then increase the vertical range by one step so that it no longer clips. This process ensures you are using the maximum dynamic range of the ADC.

3. Examine the digitized signal and adjust the tunable capacitor on the probe.

The probe is correctly compensated when the waveform appears as square as possible:

Compensated Correctly
Probe Adjustment Signal

Undercompensated
Probe Adjustment Signal

Overcompensated
Probe Adjustment Signal

Proper Amplitude of a 1 MHz Test Signal

Reduced Amplitude of a 1 MHz Test Signal

Increased Amplitude of a 1 MHz Test Signal

Once compensated, the probe conveys signals to the input channel accurately, without artificially attenuating or amplifying frequency components of the signal

Tip For the most accurate measurements:

• Compensate probes for each channel of the oscilloscope;
• Use a compensated probe only with the channel you used to compensate it; and
• Compensate your probes frequently

Programming the PXIe-5160/5162

You can acquire data interactively using InstrumentStudio, or you can use the NI-SCOPE instrument driver to program your device in the supported ADE of your choice.

Table 3. PXIe-5160/5162 Programming Options

systems. If you are using a 32-bit system, use your driver’s specific soft front panel instead of InstrumentStudio.InstrumentStudio is automatically installed when you install theNI-SCOPE driver. You can access InstrumentStudio in one of the following ways:

• From the Windows start menu, select National Instruments » [Driver] Soft Front Panel. This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel populated with NI-SCOPE devices.
• From the Windows Start menu, select National Instruments » InstrumentStudio [year]. This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel populated with devices detected on your system.
• From Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), select a device and then click Test Panels….. Thislaunches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel for the device you selected.

| When you install NI-SCOPE on a 64-bit system, you can monitor, control, and record measurements from supported devices using InstrumentStudio.

InstrumentStudio is a software-based front panel application that allows you to perform interactive measurements on several different device types in a single program.

operates the device hardware and provides customizable acquisition, control, analysis, and measurement options using LabVIEW VIs or LabWindows/CVI functions.
C or LabWindows/CVI—Available at Program Files » IVI Foundation » IVI » Drivers » niScope.
Microsoft Visual C/C++, .NET—Use examples located in the file directory Users\Public\Public Documents\National Instruments\NI–SCOPE\examples.| You can modify an NI-SCOPE C example to create an application with Microsoft Visual C/C++, or modifya .NET example to create an application with Visual Basic .NET or Visual C#.Copy an NI-SCOPE example to copy required project settings for include paths and library files. Alternatively, refer to the Creating an Application section of the NI High-Speed Digitizers Help to manually add all required include and library files to your project.

NI-SCOPE Examples

Examples demonstrate the functionality of the device and serve as programming models and building blocks for your own applications.

The NI Example Finder is a utility available for some ADEs that organizes examples into categories and allows you to easily browse and search installed examples. You can see descriptions and compatible hardware models for each example, or see all the examples compatible with one particular hardware model.

To locate examples, refer to the following table:

LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI, select Help » Find Examples , and navigate to Hardware Input and Output » Modular Instruments.
Visual C/C++ or Visual Basic| Locate examples in the file directory Users\Public\Public Documents\National Instruments\NI– SCOPE\examples.
Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET

Troubleshooting

What Should I Do if the PXIe-5160/5162 Doesn’t Appear in MAX?

1. . In the MAX configuration tree, expand Devices and Interfaces

2. Expand the Chassis tree to see the list of installed hardware, and press to refresh the list.

3. If the module is still not listed, power off the system, ensure that all hardware is correctly  installed, and restart the system.

4. Navigate to the Device Manager.
   Operating System
   Windows 10/8.1
   Windows 7
   Description
   Right-click the Start button, and select Device Manager.
   Select Start»Control Panel»Device Manager.

5. Verify the PXIe-5160/5162 appears in the Device Manager.
   a) Under an NI entry, confirm that a PXIe-5160/5162 entry appears.
   Note If you are using a PC with a device for PXI remote control system, under System Devices, also confirm that no error conditions appear for the PCI-to-PCI Bridge.
   b) If error conditions appear, reinstall NI-SCOPE and the PXIe-5160/5162

What Should I Do if the PXIe-5160/5162 Fails the SelfTest?

1. Restart the system.
2. Launch MAX, and perform the self-test again.
3. Power off the chassis.
4. Reinstall the failed module in a different slot.
5. Power on the chassis.
6. Perform the self-test again

Thermal Shutdown Error

If you receive an over-temperature or thermal shutdown error and your device shuts down, complete the following steps to re-enable your device:

1. Power off the computer or chassis that contains the device.
2. Reinstall the device and make any necessary adjustments to make sure that the device is effectively cooled.
3. Power on the computer or chassis.
   ****Note The thermal shutdown error is reported until the device has cooled to an acceptable operating temperature and has been successfully reset.
   For more information about cooling the device, refer to the Maintain Forced- Air Cooling Note to Users included in your kit.

Where To Go Next

Refer to the following figure for information about other product tasks and associated resources for those tasks.

Worldwide Support and Services

The NI website is your complete resource for technical support. At ni.com/support, you have access to everything from troubleshooting and application development self-help resources to email and phone assistance from NI Application Engineers.

Visit ni.com/services for information about the services NI offers.

Visit ni.com/register to register your NI product. Product registration facilitates technical support and ensures that you receive important information updates from NI.

NI corporate headquarters is located at 11500 North Mopac Expressway, Austin, Texas, 78759-3504. NI also has offices located around the world. For support in the United States, create your service request at ni.com/support or dial 1 866 ASK MYNI (275 6964). For support outside the United States, visit the Worldwide Offices section of ni.com/niglobal to access the branch office websites, which provide up-to-date contact information.

Information is subject to change without notice. Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. For patents covering NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents. You can find information about end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the readme file for your NI product. Refer to the Export Compliance Information at ni.com/legal/export-compliance for the NI global trade compliance policy and how to obtain relevant HTS codes, ECCNs, and other import/export data. NI MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN AND SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY ERRORS. U.S. Government Customers: The data contained in this manual was developed at private expense and is subject to the applicable limited rights and restricted data rights as set forth in FAR 52.227-14, DFAR 252.227-7014, and DFAR 252.227 7015.

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References

• Test and Measurement Systems, a part of Emerson - NI
• Oscilloscopes and Digitizers - NI
• NI Driver Downloads - NI
• Product Documentation - NI
• Contact Us - NI
• Log In - National Instruments
• NI Services - NI
• Support - NI
• NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines - NI
• Software and Driver Downloads - NI
• Test and Measurement Systems, a part of Emerson - NI
• NI Driver Downloads - NI
• Product Documentation - NI
• Contact Us - NI
• Log In - National Instruments
• NI Services - NI
• Support - NI
• CC3050X NI Oscilloscope Probe | Apex Waves

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