Tutorial Vxi

VXI Tutorial
Tutorial

VXI Benefits
• Open, multivendor standards maximize flexibility and minimize obsolescence • Increased system throughput reduces test time or increases capabilities • Smaller size and higher density reduce floor space, enhance mobility or portability, and give close proximity to device(s) under test or control • More precise timing and synchronization improve measurementcapability • Standardized VXIplug&play software simplifies system configuration, programming, and ease of integration • Modular, rugged design improves reliability, increases mean time between failure (MTBF), and decreases mean-time to repair (MTTR) • VXI reduces cost over lifetime of system

What Is VXI?
VXIbus is an exciting, fast-growing platform for instrumentation systems. First introduced in1987, VXI has experienced tremendous growth and acceptance around the world. From the beginning, the VXI standard was designed as an open specification to take advantage of the latest computer technologies to decrease test costs, increase throughput, and reduce development time. VXI means smaller, faster test systems for a wide range of applications. With more than 1,000 commercial VXI productsavailable today, VXI serves many diverse industries from automotive to telecom. VXI is used for applications ranging from test and measurement – including portable field testers, functional test systems, and ATE – to high performance data acquisition applications and industrial automation.

National Instruments and VXIplug&play
Established in 1993, the VXIplug&play Systems Alliance sought toelevate the level of standardization above and beyond the baseline VXI specifications to make VXI systems easier to build and use. The VXI Consortium made VXI systems open at the hardware level; you can use modules from different vendors in the same mainframe without electrical or mechanical conflict. However, as many of the first VXI users began integrating systems, it was clear that softwarespecifications were needed to ensure multivendor interoperability at the system level. As a founding member of the alliance, National Instruments has worked side by side with the alliance members to define standards that make VXI systems open at the system level. Today, the VXIplug&play standards are described in a complete set of specifications published by the alliance with hundreds of VXIplug&play productsavailable. VXIplug&play-compliant controllers and instruments are delivered with standardized software to get you up and running quickly.
Photo courtesy of Guidant Corp/CPI

VXI and VME

The Value of Open Industry Standards
The baseline VXI hardware specifications require interoperatibility between hardware products from different vendors. These specifications cover mechanical and environmentalrequirements, such as module sizes, mainframe and module cooling, and EMC compatibility between modules, as well as automated system initialization and backplane communication protocols. The VXIplug&play Systems Alliance builds on these baseline specifications to address the system as a whole with the goal of having the end-user up and running in “five minutes or less.” Building a system based onopen industry standards means that you choose components for your system based on your requirements, regardless of vendor. Open standards also ensure that once your system is built, your investment will continue to pay dividends well into the future.

VXI Fundamentals
The following pages give a brief description of the VXI standard and our VXI products. For more information on VXI and ourproducts, including specifications, configurations, and ordering information, please request our 1998-1999 VXI Solutions Product Guide.

National Instruments
Phone: (512) 794-0100 • Fax: (512) 683-8411 • info@natinst.com • www.natinst.com

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standards, VXI instruments are delivered with ready-touse standardized software, including soft front...