National Instruments announced two new low-cost embedded controllers – the PXI-8104 and PXI-8183 – that deliver exceptional performance for value-based test, measurement, and control applications. With these new controllers, engineers and scientists can apply PXI in a variety of new applications across many industries including consumer electronics, automotive, semiconductor, telecommunications, and aerospace and defense. The NI PXI-8104 is an Intel Celeron M 440 processor-based embedded controller for use in PXI and CompactPCI systems. With its 1.86 GHz processor and dual-channel 533 MHz DDR2 memory, the PXI-8104 controller offers 41 percent performance improvement compared to its predecessor, the NI PXI-8195 controller. Engineers can use the new controller to create a PC-based platform that offers an optimal balance of performance and value. The NI PXI-8183 is ideal for high-volume OEM and industrial control applications. The two-slot embedded controller features an 850 MHz Intel Celeron processor and provides a highly cost-effective and compact platform when combined with a PXI-compatible chassis, such as the NI PXI-1036.

The PXI-8104 uses the Mobile Intel 945GME Express chipset to deliver maximum performance, flexibility, and stability. The PXI-8104 includes high-performance peripheral I/O such as 10/100/1000BASE-TX (gigabit) Ethernet and four Hi-Speed USB ports for connection to a keyboard, mouse, CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive for software installation, or other standard PC peripherals such as speakers, printers, or memory sticks. Use the IEEE 1284 ECP/EPP parallel port to connect to a wide variety of devices, including tape backup drives, printers, and scanners. The PXI-8104 also features an RS232 port for connecting to serial devices. The PXI-8104 features an integrated Intel Extreme Graphics controller, which delivers intense, realistic 3D graphics with sharp images, fast rendering, smooth motion, and high detail without the need for an additional video card. The PXI-8104 uses dual-channel 533 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, which makes the controller ideal for data-intensive applications requiring significant analysis. It has two SO-DIMM sockets for the DDR2 SDRAM.

The PXI-8183 integrates a Celeron processor and all standard and extended PC peripherals into a single unit. Because of this, all active slots in the PXI chassis remain available for measurement modules. This rugged one-piece controller design minimizes integration issues and eliminates the need for complex cabling to peripheral daughter boards. In addition to standard I/O such as 10/100BASE-TX Ethernet, keyboard, mouse, and video, the PXI-8183 includes extended I/O for easy connectivity to instruments or other peripherals. Use the two USB ports for connection to a CD drive for easy software installation, or other standard PC peripherals such as USB speakers, printers, or memory sticks. Add the NI GPIB-USB-HS GPIB controller to your system for connectivity to various GPIB-based instruments. Use the onboard IEEE 1284 ECP/EPP parallel port to connect to a wide variety of devices, such as tape backup drives, printers, and scanners. Additionally, the RS232 port is available for connecting to serial devices. The PXI-8183 has a single socket for SDRAM. It comes standard with 256 MB of SDRAM and is upgradable to 512 MB SDRAM.

The PXI-8104 and PXI-8183 controllers are also available in versions that support NI LabVIEW Real-Time and LabWindows™/CVI Real-Time software to deliver a flexible, rugged platform for deterministic and real-time measurement and control. Using PXI-based real-time systems, engineers can leverage powerful processors, high-level software development tools and off-the-shelf PXI I/O modules to quickly create and deploy systems in a variety of applications such as hardware-in-the-loop test, rapid control prototyping and industrial measurement and control.

Related products

• Distributed programmable automation controller for machine automation