National Instruments NI 5422 User Manual

NI 5422 Specifications

NI PXI-5422 16-Bit 200 MS/s Arbitrary Waveform Generator

Unless otherwise noted, the following conditions were used for each
specification:

• Analog Filter enabled.

• Signals terminated with 50 Ω.

• Direct Path set to 1 V
and High-Gain Amplifier Path set to 12 V

• Sample rate set to 200 MS/s and the Sample Clock Source set to
Divide-by-N.

Typical values are representative of an average unit operating at room
temperature (20 °C ±3 °C). Specifications are subject to change without
notice. For the most recent NI 5422 specifications, visit

To access all of the NI 5422 documentation, including the NI Signal
Generators Getting Started Guide, which contains functional descriptions
of the NI 5422 signals, navigate to Start»Programs»National
Instruments»NI-FGEN»Documentation.

Hot Surface If the NI 5422 has been in use, it may exceed safe handling temperatures and

cause burns. Allow the NI 5422 to cool before removing it from the chassis.

, Low-Gain Amplifier Path set to 2 V

pk-pk

.

pk-pk

ni.com/manuals.

pk-pk

,

Contents

CH 0 ........................................................................................................ 2

Sample Clock .......................................................................................... 15

Onboard Clock ........................................................................................ 18

Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) Reference Clock .......................................... 18

CLK IN ................................................................................................... 19

PFI 0 and PFI 1 .......................................................................................20

DIGITAL DATA & CONTROL (DDC) ................................................ 22

Start Trigger ............................................................................................ 24

Markers ................................................................................................... 25

Arbitrary Waveform Generation Mode................................................... 27

Calibration............................................................................................... 29

Power ...................................................................................................... 30

Software .................................................................................................. 31

Environment ............................................................................................32

Safety, Electromagnetic Compatibility, and CE Compliance .................33

Physical....................................................................................................35

Where to Go for Support .........................................................................36

CH 0

(Channel 0 Analog Output, Front Panel Connector)

Table 1.

Specification Valu e Comments

Number of

1 —

Channels

Connector SMB (jack) —

Output Voltage Characteristics

Output Paths 1. The software-selectable Main Output Path setting

provides full-scale voltages from 12.00 V

5.64 mV

into a 50 Ω load. NI-FGEN uses either the

pk-pk

pk-pk

to

—

Low-Gain Amplifier or the High-Gain Amplifier when
the Main Output Path is selected, depending on the Gain
attribute.

2. The software-selectable Direct Path is optimized for
IF applications and provides full-scale voltages from

DAC

1.000 V

16 bits —

to 0.707 V

pk-pk

pk-pk

.

Resolution

NI 5422 Specifications 2 ni.com

Table 1. (Continued)

Specification Valu e Comments

Amplitude and Offset

Amplitude

Amplitude (V

) 1. Amplitude

pk-pk

Range

Path Load

Minimum Value Maximum Value

Direct 50 Ω 0.707 1.00

1 kΩ 1.35 1.91

Open 1.41 2.00

Low-

50 Ω 0.00564 2.00

Gain

Amplifier

1 kΩ 0.0107 3.81

Open 0.0113 4.00

High-

50 Ω 0.0338 12.0

Gain

Amplifier

1 kΩ 0.0644 22.9

Open 0.0676 24.0

Amplitude

3 digits

Resolution

Offset Range Span of ±50% of Amplitude Range with increments

<0.0028% of Amplitude Range.

values assume
the full scale
of the DAC is
utilized. If an
amplitude
smaller than
the minimum
value is
desired, then
waveforms less
than full scale
of the DAC can
be used.

2. NI-FGEN
compensates
for user­specified
resistive loads.

Not available on
the Direct Path.

© National Instruments Corporation 3 NI 5422 Specifications

Table 1. (Continued)

Specification Valu e Comments

Maximum Output Voltage

Maximum

Path Load Maximum Output Voltage (V) The combination
Output
Vo l t a g e

Direct 50 Ω ±0.500

1 kΩ ±0.953

Open ±1.000

Low­Gain

Amplifier

50 Ω ±1.000

1 kΩ ±1.905

Open ±2.000

High-

Gain

Amplifier

50 Ω ±6.000

1 kΩ ±11.43

Open ±12.00

Accuracy

DC Accuracy For the Low-Gain or High-Gain Amplifier Path:

±0.2% of Amplitude ± 0.05% of Offset ± 500 µV
(within ±10 °C of self-calibration temperature)

±0.4% of Amplitude ± 0.05% of Offset ± 1 mV
(0 °C to 55 °C)

For the Direct Path:

Gain Accuracy: ±0.2% (within ±10 °C of self-calibration
temperature)

Gain Accuracy: ±0.4% (0 °C to 55 °C)

DC Offset Error: ±30 mV (0 °C to 55 °C)

of Amplitude and
Offset is limited
by the Maximum
Output Voltage.

All paths are
calibrated for
amplitude and
gain errors. The
Low-Gain and
High-Gain
Amplifier Paths
also are
calibrated for
offset errors.
Calibrated for
high impedance
load.

AC Amplitude
Accuracy

±1.0% of desired Amplitude ± 1 mV 50 kHz sine

wave.

Output Characteristics

Output

50 Ω nominal or 75 Ω nominal, software-selectable. —

Impedance

Output

DC —

Coupling

NI 5422 Specifications 4 ni.com

Table 1. (Continued)

Specification Valu e Comments

Output Characteristics (Continued)

Output Enable Software-selectable. When the Output Path is disabled, the

CH 0 Output is terminated to ground with a 1 W resistor
equal to the selected output impedance.

Maximum
Output
Overload

The CH 0 output can be connected to a 50 Ω, ±12 V
(±8 V for the Direct Path) source without sustaining any
damage. No damage occurs if the CH 0 output is shorted to
ground indefinitely.

Waveform
Summing

The CH 0 output supports waveform summing among
similar paths—specifically, the outputs of multiple NI 5422
signal generators can be connected directly together.

Frequency and Transient Response

Analog
Filter

Pulse
Response

Software-selectable 7-pole elliptical filter for image
suppression.

Path Values are

Direct Low-Gain

Amplifier

High-Gain

Amplifier

Rise/Fall Time 1.0 ns 2.1 ns 4.8 ns

Aberration 16% 6% 8%

—

—

—

Available on
Low-Gain
Amplifier and
High-Gain
Amplifier Paths.

typical. Analog
Filter disabled.
Measured with a
1 m RG-223
cable.

© National Instruments Corporation 5 NI 5422 Specifications

1

+0.4 dB

0

–0.3 dB

–1

–2

Flatness (dB)

+0.4 dB

–0.3 dB

+0.4 dB

–1.2 dB

+0.4 dB

–3

–4

Guaranteed Specification
Typical

1 10 100

Frequency (MHz)

–3.4 dB

Figure 1. Normalized Passband Flatness, Direct Path

1

+0.3 dB

0

–0.5 dB

–1

–2

Flatness (dB)

–3

–4

Guaranteed Specification
Typical

1 10 100

+0.7 dB

–0.7 dB

Frequency (MHz)

+0.7 dB

–0.7 dB

–3.4 dB

+0.7 dB

Figure 2. Normalized Passband Flatness, Low-Gain Amplifier Path

NI 5422 Specifications 6 ni.com

1

+0.2 dB

0

–0.6 dB

–1

–2

Flatness (dB)

–3

Guaranteed Specification
Typical

–4

1 10 100

+0.2 dB

–1.1 dB

Frequency (MHz)

+0.2 dB

–1.1 dB

Figure 3. Normalized Passband Flatness, High-Gain Amplifier Path

2.0

1.6

1.2

0.8

0.4

0

–0.4

Amplitude (V)

–0.8

–1.2

–1.6

–2.0

05010 20 30 40 60 70 80 90 100

Time (ns)

Figure 4. Pulse Response, Low-Gain Amplifier Path with a 50

© National Instruments Corporation 7 NI 5422 Specifications

Ω Load

Table 1. (Continued)

Specification Va lu e Comments

Suggested Maximum Frequencies for Common Functions

Function Path Disable the

Analog Filter for
square, ramp,
and triangle
functions.

Direct

Low-Gain

Amplifier

High-Gain

Amplifier

Sine 80 MHz 80 MHz 43 MHz

Square Not Recommended 50 MHz 25 MHz

Ramp Not Recommended 10 MHz 10 MHz

Triangle Not Recommended 10 MHz 10 MHz

14

12

10

43 MHz

8

Not Recommended

6

4

Sine Amplitude (Vpp into 50 Ω)

2

0

0 20406080

NI 5422 Specifications 8 ni.com

Recommended Operation

Frequency (MHz)

Figure 5. Recommended Sine Wave Frequency Versus Amplitude

Table 1. (Continued)

Specification Va lu e Comments

Spectral Characteristics

Spurious-Free

Path Amplitude
Dynamic
Range
(SFDR) with
Harmonics

Direct

Low-Gain

Amplifier

1 MHz –70 dBc –65 dBc –66 dBc

5 MHz –70 dBc –65 dBc –58 dBc

10 MHz –70 dBc –65 dBc –52 dBc

20 MHz –63 dBc –64 dBc –49 dBc

30 MHz –57 dBc –60 dBc –43 dBc

40 MHz –48 dBc –53 dBc –39 dBc

50 MHz –48 dBc –53 dBc —

60 MHz –47 dBc –52 dBc —

70 MHz –47 dBc –52 dBc —

80 MHz –41 dBc –52 dBc —

High-Gain

Amplifier

–1 dBFS.
Measured from
DC to 100 MHz.
Also called
harmonic
distortion.
SFDR with
harmonics at low
amplitudes is
limited by a
–148 dBm/Hz
noise floor. All
values are
typical and
include aliased
harmonics.

© National Instruments Corporation 9 NI 5422 Specifications

Table 1. (Continued)

Specification Va lu e Comments

Spectral Characteristics (Continued)

Spurious-Free

Path Amplitude
Dynamic
Range
(SFDR)
without
Harmonics

Direct

Low-Gain

Amplifier

1 MHz –85 dBFS –80 dBFS –77 dBFS

5 MHz –85 dBFS –80 dBFS –77 dBFS

10 MHz –80 dBFS –80 dBFS –77 dBFS

20 MHz –80 dBFS –80 dBFS –77 dBFS

30 MHz –73 dBFS –71 dBFS –68 dBFS

40 MHz –48 dBFS –58 dBFS –55 dBFS

50 MHz –48 dBFS –53 dBFS —

60 MHz –47 dBFS –52 dBFS —

70 MHz –47 dBFS –52 dBFS —

80 MHz –41 dBFS –52 dBFS —

Average Noise
Density

Path

Amplitude

Range

V

pk-pk

Average Noise Density

nV

-----------

dBm dBm/Hz

Hz

Direct 1.00 4.0 19.9 –141 –145

High-Gain

Amplifier

dBFS/

Hz

–1 dBFS.
Measured from
DC to 100 MHz.
SFDR without
harmonics at low
amplitudes is
limited by a
–148 dBm/Hz
noise floor.
All values are
typical and
include aliased
harmonics.

Average Noise
Density at small
amplitudes is
limited by a
–168 dBm/Hz
noise floor.

Low Gain 0.06 –20.5 1.3 –164 –144

Low Gain 0.10 –16.0 2.2 –160 –144

Low Gain 0.40 –4.0 8.9 –148 –144

Low Gain 1.00 4.0 22.3 –140 –144

Low Gain 2.00 10.0 44.6 –134 –144

High Gain 4.00 16.0 93.8 –128 –144

High Gain 12.00 25.6 281.5 –118 –144

NI 5422 Specifications 10 ni.com

10

0

–10

–20

–30

–40

dBm

–50

–60

–70

–80

–90

0 102030405060708090100

Frequency (MHz)

Figure 6. 10 MHz Single-Tone Spectrum, Direct Path, 200 MS/s (Typical)

Note

The noise floor in Figure 6 is limited by the measurement device. Refer to the

Average Noise Density specification.

© National Instruments Corporation 11 NI 5422 Specifications