National Instruments NI PXI-8105 User Manual

PXI

NI PXI-8105 User Manual

NI PXI-8105 User Manual
April 2006 371755B-01

Support

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For further support information, refer to the Technical Support and Professional Services appendix. To comment on National Instruments documentation, refer to the National Instruments Web site at ni.com/info and enter the info code feedback.
© 2006 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

Important Information

Warranty

The NI PXI-8105 embedded controller is 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.
National Instruments believes that the information in this document is accurate. The document has been carefully reviewed for technical accuracy. In the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of this document without prior notice to holders of this edition. The reader should consult National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no event shall National Instruments be liable for any damages arising out of or related to this document or the information contained in it.
E
XCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN, NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE . CUSTOMERS RIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES CAUSED BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF
N
ATIONAL INSTRUMENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT THERETOFORE PAID BY THE CUSTOMER. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, USE OF PRODUCTS, OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSS IBILITY THEREOF. This limitation of the liability of National Instruments will apply regardless of the form of action, whether in contract or tort, including
negligence. Any action against National Instruments must be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues. National Instruments shall not be liable for any delay in performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control. The warranty provided herein does not cover damages, defects, malfunctions, or service failures caused by owner’s failure to follow the National Instruments installation, operation, or maintenance instructions; owner’s modification of the product; owner’s abuse, misuse, or negligent acts; and power failure or surges, fire, flood, accident, actions of third parties, or other events outside reasonable control.

Copyright

Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.
National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.

Trademarks

National Instruments, NI, ni.com, and LabVIEW are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Refer to the Terms of Use section on
ni.com/legal for more information about National Instruments trademarks.
The ExpressCard product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Members of the National Instruments Alliance Partner Program are business entities independent from National Instruments and have no agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship with National Instruments.
word mark and logos are owned by PCMCIA and any use of such marks by National Instruments is under license. Other

Patents

For patents covering National Instruments products, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your CD, or ni.com/patents.

WARNING REGARDING USE OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS

(1) NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH COMPONENTS AND TESTING FOR A LEVEL OF RELIABILITY SUITABLE FOR USE IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH SURGICAL IMPLANTS OR AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN ANY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS WHOSE FAILURE TO PERFORM CAN REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT INJURY TO A HUMAN.
(2) IN ANY APPLICATION, INCLUDING THE ABOVE, RELIABILITY OF OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS CAN BE IMPAIRED BY ADVERSE FACTORS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO FLUCTUATIONS IN ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY, COMPUTER HARDWARE MALFUNCTIONS, COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE FITNESS, FITNESS OF COMPILERS AND DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE USED TO DEVELOP AN APPLICATION, INSTALLATION ERRORS, SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS, MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING OR CONTROL DEVICES, TRANSIENT FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS (HARDWARE AND/OR SOFTWARE), UNANTICIPATED USES OR MISUSES, OR ERRORS ON THE PART OF THE USER OR APPLICATIONS DESIGNER (ADVERSE FACTORS SUCH AS THESE ARE HEREAFTER COLLECTIVELY TERMED “SYSTEM FAILURES”). ANY APPLICATION WHERE A SYSTEM FAILURE WOULD CREATE A RISK OF HARM TO PROPERTY OR PERSONS (INCLUDING THE RISK OF BODILY INJURY AND DEATH) SHOULD NOT BE RELIANT SOLELY UPON ONE FORM OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEM DUE TO THE RISK OF SYSTEM FAILURE. TO AVOID DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MUST TAKE REASONABLY PRUDENT STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST SYSTEM FAILURES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BACK-UP OR SHUT DOWN MECHANISMS. BECAUSE EACH END-USER SYSTEM IS CUSTOMIZED AND DIFFERS FROM NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS' TESTING PLATFORMS AND BECAUSE A USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MAY USE NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PRODUCTS IN A MANNER NOT EVALUATED OR CONTEMPLATED BY NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING AND VALIDATING THE SUITABILITY OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS WHENEVER NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE INCORPORATED IN A SYSTEM OR APPLICATION, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE APPROPRIATE DESIGN, PROCESS AND SAFETY LEVEL OF SUCH SYSTEM OR APPLICATION.

Compliance

Compliance with FCC/Canada Radio Frequency Interference Regulations
Determining FCC Class
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rules to protect wireless communications from interference. The FCC places digital electronics into two classes. These classes are known as Class A (for use in industrial-commercial locations only) or Class B (for use in residential or commercial locations). All National Instruments (NI) products are FCC Class A products.
Depending on where it is operated, this Class A product could be subject to restrictions in the FCC rules. (In Canada, the Department of Communications (DOC), of Industry Canada, regulates wireless interference in much the same way.) Digital electronics emit weak signals during normal operation that can affect radio, television, or other wireless products.
All Class A products display a simple warning statement of one paragraph in length regarding interference and undesired operation. The FCC rules have restrictions regarding the locations where FCC Class A products can be operated.
Consult the FCC Web site at
FCC/DOC Warnings
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in strict accordance with the instructions in this manual and the CE marking Declaration of Conformity*, may cause interference to radio and television reception. Classification requirements are the same for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Canadian Department of Communications (DOC).
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by NI could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment under the FCC Rules.
Class A
Federal Communications Commission
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user is required to correct the interference at their own expense.
www.fcc.gov for more information.
Canadian Department of Communications
This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.
Compliance with EU Directives
Users in the European Union (EU) should refer to the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) for information* pertaining to the CE marking. Refer to the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) for this product for any additional regulatory compliance information. To obtain the DoC for this product, visit and click the appropriate link in the Certification column.
* The CE marking Declaration of Conformity contains important supplementary information and instructions for the user or
installer.
ni.com/certification, search by model number or product line,

Contents

About This Manual
How to Use the Documentation Set...............................................................................vii
Conventions ...................................................................................................................vii
Related Documentation..................................................................................................viii
Chapter 1 Introduction
Benefits of PXI ..............................................................................................................1-1
NI PXI-8105 ..................................................................................................................1-2
Description ......................................................................................................1-2
Functional Overview .......................................................................................1-2
National Instruments Software ......................................................................................1-4
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
Installing the NI PXI-8105 ............................................................................................2-1
How to Remove the Controller from the PXI Chassis ....................................2-4
BIOS Setup ....................................................................................................................2-5
Entering BIOS Setup .......................................................................................2-5
Main Setup Menu ............................................................................................2-6
Advanced Setup Menu ....................................................................................2-6
PXI Setup Menu ..............................................................................................2-9
Security Menu .................................................................................................2-10
Boot Setup Menu.............................................................................................2-10
Exiting BIOS Setup .........................................................................................2-11
System CMOS ...............................................................................................................2-11
Drivers and Software .....................................................................................................2-13
Files and Directories Installed on Your Hard Drive........................................2-13
PXI Features ..................................................................................................................2-13
PXI Trigger Connectivity................................................................................2-13
Chassis Configuration....................................................................................................2-14
Basic PXI System Configuration.....................................................................2-15
Upgrading RAM ............................................................................................................2-15
Hard Drive Recovery .....................................................................................................2-17
Installing an OS .............................................................................................................2-17
Installing from a CD-ROM .............................................................................2-17
ExpressCard ...................................................................................................................2-18
Installing an ExpressCard................................................................................2-18
Removing an ExpressCard ..............................................................................2-18
© National Instruments Corporation v NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Contents
Chapter 3 I/O Information
Front Panel Connectors ................................................................................................. 3-1
Front Panel.....................................................................................................................3-2
DVI-I............................................................................................................... 3-3
COM1.............................................................................................................. 3-5
Ethernet ........................................................................................................... 3-6
Parallel Port..................................................................................................... 3-7
Universal Serial Bus........................................................................................ 3-9
Trigger............................................................................................................. 3-10
GPIB (IEEE 488.2) ......................................................................................... 3-11
ExpressCard/34 Slot........................................................................................ 3-12
Front Panel Features ...................................................................................................... 3-14
Data Storage .................................................................................................................. 3-14
Chapter 4 Common Configuration Questions
General Questions ......................................................................................................... 4-1
Boot Options.................................................................................................................. 4-1
Cables and Connections ................................................................................................ 4-2
Software Driver Installation ..........................................................................................4-3
Upgrade Information ..................................................................................................... 4-4
PXI Configuration ......................................................................................................... 4-6
Chapter 5 Troubleshooting
Appendix A Specifications
Appendix B Technical Support and Professional Services
Glossary
Index
NI PXI-8105 User Manual vi ni.com

About This Manual

This manual contains detailed instructions for installing and configuring your National Instruments NI PXI-8105 embedded controller kit.

How to Use the Documentation Set

Begin by reading the NI PXI-8105 Installation Guide, a brief quick-start guide that describes how to install and get started with your controller.
This manual, the NI PXI-8105 User Manual, contains more details about changing the installation or configuration from the defaults and using the hardware.

Conventions

The following conventions appear in this manual:
» 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.
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.
© National Instruments Corporation vii NI PXI-8105 User Manual
About This Manual
monospace bold Bold text in this font denotes the messages and responses that the computer
automatically prints to the screen. This font also emphasizes lines of code that are different from the other examples.

Related Documentation

The following documents contain information you may find helpful as you read this manual:
PICMG 2.0 R3.0 CompactPCI Specification, PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group
IEEE Standard P1284.1-1997 (C/MM) Standard for Information
Technology for Transport Independent Printer/System Interface
PCI Local Bus Specification, Revision 2.3, PCI Special Interest Group
PXI Hardware Specification, Revision 2.2, PXI Systems Alliance
PXI Software Specification, Revision 2.1, PXI Systems Alliance
Serialized IRQ Support for PCI Systems Specification, Revision 6.0, Compaq Computer et al.
ExpressCard Standard, Release 1.0, PCMCIA
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Specification, Revision 2.0
Digital Visual Interface (DVI) Specification, Revision 1.0
IEEE Std 488.1-2003, IEEE Standard for Higher Performance Protocol for the Standard Digital Interface for Programmable Instrumentation
NI PXI-8105 User Manual viii ni.com
Introduction

Benefits of PXI

The PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) industry standard, an open specification governed by the PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA), defines a compact modular PC platform for test, measurement, and control systems. PXI leverages the PCI bus, which is the de facto standard for today’s desktop computer software and hardware designs. As a result, PXI users receive all the benefits of PCI within an architecture that supports mechanical, electrical, and software features tailored to industrial instrumentation, data acquisition, industrial automation, and control applications.
Well-suited for industrial applications, PXI leverages from the CompactPCI specification, which defines a rugged form factor for PCI that offers superior mechanical integrity and easy installation and removal of hardware components. PXI products offer higher and more carefully defined levels of environmental performance required by the vibration, shock, temperature, and humidity extremes of industrial environments. PXI adds mandatory environmental testing and active cooling to the CompactPCI mechanical specification to ease system integration and ensure multivendor interoperability.
1
Additionally, PXI meets the more specific needs of instrumentation users by adding an integrated trigger bus and reference clock for multiple-board synchronization, a star trigger bus for very precise timing, and local buses for side-band communication between adjacent peripherals.
© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 1 Introduction

NI PXI-8105

Description

Note The NI PXI-8105 controller will not function in the NI PXI-1020 or NI PXI-1025
chassis.
Caution ESD: An electrostatic discharge event to the ExpressCard port may cause the
controller to restart. This is an Electromagnetic Compatibility Performance Criteria C (non-continuous operation) for ESD.
The NI PXI-8105 PXI/CompactPCI embedded computer is a high-performance PXI/CompactPCI system controller. The NI PXI-8105 controller integrates standard I/O features in a single unit by using state-of-the-art packaging. Combining an NI PXI-8105 embedded controller with a PXI-compatible chassis, such as the NI PXI-1042, results in a fully PC-compatible computer in a compact, rugged package.
The standard I/O on each module includes DVI-I (Digital Video Interface Integrated Analog/Digital) video, one RS-232 serial port, a parallel port, four Hi-Speed USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, a reset button, and a PXI trigger.
The NI PXI-8105 has an Intel core processor), all the standard I/O, and a 30 GB (or larger) hard drive. It also has a PCI-based GPIB controller and an ExpressCard/34 expansion slot.
®
Core™ Duo processor T2500 (2.0 GHz dual

Functional Overview

This section contains functional descriptions of each major logic block on the NI PXI-8105 embedded computer.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 1-2 ni.com
Chapter 1 Introduction
NI PXI-8105 Functional Description
The NI PXI-8105 is a modular PC in a PXI 3U-size form factor. Figure 1-1 is a functional block diagram of the NI PXI-8105. Following the diagram is a description of each logic block shown.
Socket 479
CPU
SO-DIMM
DDR2 SDRAM
PC2-5300
Flash ROM
4 Hi-Speed
USB
Connectors
ATA 100
IDE Interface
S ATA
ExpressCard/34
Slot
DUAL CH
Gigabit
Ethernet
LPT 1
COM 1
Chipset
Graphics
Memory
Controller
Hub
Chipset
I/O
Controller
Hub
Super I/O
DMI
LPC Bus
DVI-I
Connector
GPIB
PXI
Connector
PCI Bus
PXI
Triggers
SMB to
PXI Trigger
Watchdog
Timer
SMB
Figure 1-1. NI PXI-8105 Block Diagram
© National Instruments Corporation 1-3 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 1 Introduction
The NI PXI-8105 consists of the following logic blocks on the CPU module and the I/O module. The CPU module has the following logic blocks:
Socket 479 CPU is the socket definition for the Intel
®
Core™ Duo
processor T2500.
The SO-DIMM block consists of two 64-bit DDR2 SDRAM sockets that can hold up to 1 GB each.
The Chipset 945GMCH (Graphics and Memory Controller Hub) connects to the CPU, DDR2 SDRAM, and DVI-I video.
The SMB to PXI Trigger provides a routable connection of the PXI triggers to/from the SMB on the front panel.
The Watchdog Timer block consists of a watchdog timer that can reset the controller or generate a trigger.
The Chipset ICH7M connects to the PCI, USB, IDE, SATA, and LPC buses.
The USB Connectors are connected to the ICH7M chipset.
The PXI Connector connects the NI PXI-8105 to the PXI/CompactPCI backplane.
The Super I/O block represents the other peripherals supplied by the NI PXI-8105. The NI PXI-8105 has one serial port, and an ECP/EPP parallel port.
The Gigabit Ethernet connects to either 10 Mbit, 100 Mbit, or 1,000 Mbit Ethernet interfaces.
The GPIB block contains the GPIB interface.
The ExpressCard/34 slot accommodates an ExpressCard/34 module.
The SATA block connects a Serial ATA hard drive to the ICH7M.
The ATA-100 IDE block is dedicated PCI-IDE circuitry providing fast ATA-100 transfers to the internal 2.5 in. hard drive. The IDE feature is built into the chipset. The hard drive is 30 GB or larger.

National Instruments Software

National Instruments has developed several software tools you can use with the NI PXI-8105.
National Instruments’ hardware and software work together to help you make the most of your PXI system. The LabVIEW, Measurement Studio, and LabWindows with leading hardware drivers such as NI-DAQmx to provide exceptional
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 1-4 ni.com
/CVI™ application development environments combine
Chapter 1 Introduction
control of NI hardware. Instrument drivers are available at ni.com/idnet to simplify communication with instruments over a variety of busses.
LabVIEW is a powerful and easy-to-use graphical programming environment you can use to acquire data from thousands of different instruments including USB, IEEE 488.2, VXI, serial, PLCs, and plug-in boards. LabVIEW helps you convert acquired data into meaningful results using powerful data analysis routines. Add-on tools provide additional specialized functionality. For more information visit and
ni.com/toolkits.
ni.com/labview
If you prefer to use Microsoft’s Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Visual Studio .NET for the core of your application, Measurement Studio adds tools for Measurement and Automation to each language. For more information visit
ni.com/mstudio.
LabWindows/CVI is an interactive ANSI C programming environment designed for building virtual instrument applications. LabWindows/CVI delivers a drag-and-drop editor for building user interfaces, a complete ANSI C environment for building your test program logic, and a collection of automated code generation tools, as well as utilities for building automated test systems, monitoring applications, or laboratory experiments. For more information visit
ni.com/lwcvi.
NI-DAQmx provides an extensive library of functions that you can call from your application development environment or interactive environment such as NI Signal Express. These functions provide an intuitive API for National Instruments’ multifunction DAQ products. Features available include analog input (A/D conversion), buffered data acquisition (high-speed A/D conversion), analog output (D/A conversion), waveform generation, digital I/O, counter/timer operations, SCXI signal conditioning, RTSI or PXI synchronization, self-calibration, messaging, and acquiring data to extended memory. For more information visit
ni.com/daq.
National Instruments’ Modular Instruments use specialized drivers suited to each product’s specialization. Express VIs provide customized, interactive programming of instruments in a single interface and soft front panels provide an interface for testing the functionality of each instrument with no programming required. NI Switches, DMMs, High-Speed DIO, High-Speed Digitizers, and Sources each have customized drivers for high-end modular instrumentation systems. RF applications leverage two drivers, NI-RFSG and NI-RFSA and Dynamic Signal Acquisition is available through NI-DAQmx. For more information visit
modularinstruments
© National Instruments Corporation 1-5 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
.
ni.com/
Chapter 1 Introduction
You can expand the timing and triggering functionality of your PXI system with PXI Timing and Synchronization products. These products provide precision clock sources, custom routing of triggers for multi-chassis synchronization, clock sharing, and more and are programmed with NI-Sync. For more information visit
ni.com/pxi.
NI-VISA is the National Instruments implementation of the VISA specification. VISA is a uniform API for communicating and controlling USB, Serial, GPIB, PXI, VXI, and various other types of instruments. This API aids in the creation of portable applications and instrument drivers. For information on writing your own PXI instrument driver with NI-VISA, refer to the NI-VISA Getting Started Manual and the the NI-VISA directory. For more information visit
readme.txt file in
ni.com/visa.
With LabVIEW for Linux and support for over two hundred devices on Linux with the NI-DAQmx driver, you can now create Virtual Instruments based on the Linux OS. Instrument control in Linux has been improved by the NI-VISA driver for Linux and NI Modular Instruments are partially supported. For more information visit
ni.com/linux.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 1-6 ni.com
Installation and Configuration
This chapter contains information about installing and configuring your NI PXI-8105 controller.

Installing the NI PXI-8105

This section contains general installation instructions for the NI PXI-8105. Consult your PXI chassis user manual for specific instructions and warnings.
1. Plug in your chassis before installing the NI PXI-8105. The power cord grounds the chassis and protects it from electrical damage while you install the module. (Make sure the power switch is turned off.)
Caution To protect both yourself and the chassis from electrical hazards, leave the chassis
powered off until you finish installing the NI PXI-8105 module.
2. Remove any filler panels blocking access to the system controller slot (Slot 1) in the chassis.
3. Touch the metal part of the case to discharge any static electricity that might be on your clothes or body.
2
© National Instruments Corporation 2-1 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
4. Remove the protective plastic covers from the four bracket-retaining screws as shown in Figure 2-1.
1
1 Protective Screw Cap (4X)

Figure 2-1. Removing Protective Screw Caps

5. Make sure the injector/ejector handle is in its downward position. Align the NI PXI-8105 with the card guides on the top and bottom of the system controller slot.
Caution Do not raise the injector/ejector handle as you insert the NI PXI-8105.
The module will not insert properly unless the handle is in its downward position so that it does not interfere with the injector rail on the chassis.
6. Hold the handle as you slowly slide the module into the chassis until the handle catches on the injector/ejector rail.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 2-2 ni.com
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
7. Raise the injector/ejector handle until the module firmly seats into the backplane receptacle connectors. The front panel of the NI PXI-8105 should be even with the front panel of the chassis.
8. Tighten the four bracket-retaining screws on the top and bottom of the front panel to secure the NI PXI-8105 to the chassis.
9. Check the installation.
10. Connect the keyboard and mouse to the appropriate connectors. If you are using a PS/2 keyboard and a PS/2 mouse, a Y-splitter adapter is available to connect both to a single USB connector. Refer to Figure 4-1, Y-Splitter Cable.
11. Connect the DVI monitor video cable to the DVI connector. If you are using a VGA monitor, use the DVI-to-VGA adapter included with your kit.
12. Connect devices to ports as required by your system configuration.
13. Power on the display device.
14. Power on the chassis.
15. Verify that the controller boots. If the controller does not boot, refer to the What if the NI PXI-8105 does not boot? section of Chapter 5,
Troubleshooting.
© National Instruments Corporation 2-3 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
Figure 2-2 shows an NI PXI-8105 installed in the system controller slot of a National Instruments PXI-1042 chassis. You can place PXI devices in any other slots.
1
2
3
1 PXI-1042 Chassis 2 NI PXI-8105 Controller 3 Injector/Ejector Rail

Figure 2-2. NI PXI-8105 Controller Installed in a PXI Chassis

How to Remove the Controller from the PXI Chassis

The NI PXI-8105 controller is designed for easy handling. To remove the unit from the PXI chassis, complete the following steps:
1. Power off the chassis.
2. Remove any cables that may be attached to the controller front panel.
3. Unscrew the bracket-retaining screws in the front panel. Refer to Figure 2-1 for the location of these screws.
4. Press the injector/ejector handle down.
5. Slide the unit out of the chassis.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 2-4 ni.com

BIOS Setup

Caution Changing BIOS settings may lead to incorrect controller behavior and possibly
an unbootable controller. If this happens, follow the instructions for restoring default settings in the System CMOS section. In general, do not change a setting unless you are absolutely certain what it does.

Entering BIOS Setup

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
You can change the NI PXI-8105 configuration settings in the BIOS setup. The BIOS is the low-level interface between the hardware and PC software that configures and tests your hardware when you boot the system. The BIOS setup program includes menus for configuring settings and enabling NI PXI-8105 controller features.
Most users do not need to use the BIOS setup program, as the NI PXI-8105 controller ships with default settings that work well for most configurations.
To start the BIOS setup utility, complete the following steps:
1. Power on or reboot your NI PXI-8105 controller.
2. When the message the Delete key on the keyboard. The message appears, and the setup program is loaded after a short delay.
3. When you first enter the BIOS setup program, it displays the Main menu.
Press <DEL> to enter SETUP appears, press
Entering Setup
Use the following keys to navigate through the BIOS setup:
Left Arrow, Right Arrow—Use these keys to move between the different setup menus. If you are in a submenu, these keys have no effect, and you need to press <Esc> to leave the submenu first. (To use the arrows on the numeric keypad, you must turn off Num Lock.)
Up Arrow, Down Arrow—Use these keys to move between the options within a setup menu. (To use the arrows on the numeric keypad, you must turn off Num Lock.)
<Enter>—Use this key either to enter a submenu or display all available settings for a highlighted configuration option.
<Esc>—Use this key to return the parent menu of a submenu. At the top-level menus, this key serves as a shortcut to the Exit menu.
© National Instruments Corporation 2-5 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
<+> and <–>—Use these keys to cycle between all available settings
for a selected configuration option.
<Tab>—Use this key to select time and date fields.

Main Setup Menu

The most commonly accessed and modified BIOS settings are in the Main setup menu. The Main setup menu includes the following settings:
System Time & Date—This setting controls the time of day, which is
stored in a battery-backed real-time clock. Most operating systems also include a way to change this setting. Use <+> and <–> in conjunction with <Enter> and <Tab> to change these values.
Require Keyboard to Boot—When Enabled, a missing or
malfunctioning keyboard causes the BIOS to halt with an error. When Disabled, the BIOS allows booting without a keyboard. If you are using a USB keyboard, you may attach it at any time during the powered up state. To use this controller in a “headless” mode, you must set this option to Disabled. The default value is Enabled.
Note Attaching a USB-to-PS/2 keyboard adapter may allow the system to boot even if no
PS/2 keyboard is attached.
Num Lock—This setting indicates whether you turn on Num Lock at boot time. The default value is On.
SATA Port—This item displays the SATA devices detected in the system. Normally, you do not need to modify this item. However, if a SATA device is not autodetected properly, you can specify it manually by pressing <Enter> on the item.
IDE Channel 0 Master—These items display the IDE/ATA devices detected in the system. Normally, you do not need to modify these items. However, if an IDE/ATA device is not autodetected properly, you can specify it manually by pressing <Enter> on an item.
System Information—This setting displays a screen containing important system information about the NI PXI-8105 controller.

Advanced Setup Menu

This menu contains BIOS settings that normally do not require modification. If you have specific problems such as unbootable disks or resource conflicts, you may need to examine these settings.
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Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
Caution Changing settings in this menu may result in an unstable or unbootable controller.
If this happens, follow the procedures outlined in the System CMOS section to restore BIOS settings to their factory defaults.
The Advanced setup menu includes the following settings:
Reset Configuration Data—A portion of the EEPROM on the
controller is designated as the Extended System Configuration Data region (ESCD). The BIOS and Plug-and-Play operating systems use this table to store the Last Known Good configuration of system peripherals. If you experience resource conflicts or peripheral malfunction, set this setting to Yes to force the BIOS to recreate the ESCD on the next reboot. This is rarely necessary.
Integrated Peripherals—Use this setting to bring up the Integrated Peripherals submenu. (Refer to the Integrated Peripherals Submenu section.)
Quick Boot Mode—When you enable this option, certain lengthy BIOS tests that rarely fail are skipped to shorten controller boot time. The default is Enabled.
Summary Screen—This setting controls the display of the summary screen shown after BIOS completes its initialization, but before booting takes place. You can disable this screen in the interest of shortening controller boot time. The default is Disabled.
PXE Network Boot—This setting enables the option for booting from a network PXE server on the subnet. The default is Disabled.
Integrated Peripherals Submenu
Use this submenu to apply nondefault configurations to the front panel peripherals of an NI PXI-8105 controller. Normally, you do not need to modify these settings, as the factory default settings provide the most compatible and optimal configuration possible.
Serial Port A—This setting enables or disables COM1. You also can change this setting to Enabled and modify the base address and Interrupt Request Level (IRQ) of a port. The default is Auto, which places COM1 at 0x3F8 IRQ 4.
Parallel Port—Use this setting to enable or disable LPT1. You also can change this setting to Enabled and modify the base address, IRQ level, and ISA Direct Memory Access (DMA) channel of the port. The default is Auto, which places LPT1 at 0x378, IRQ 7, using ISA DMA Channel 3 if necessary.
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Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
Parallel Port Mode—The PC industry has created several different
modes of operation for this port over the years. Usually, the default setting works for all applications. However, if a parallel port device specifically requires a nondefault setting, you can change it here. The default is Bidirectional, for full IEEE 1284 capabilities.
Legacy USB Support—Use this setting to use a USB keyboard and
mouse as if they were standard PS/2-style peripherals. You must enable this setting to use these devices in operating systems with no USB support and to boot from a USB floppy or CD-ROM. The BIOS setup screen always works with USB keyboards regardless of this setting. Certain real-time applications may require you to disable this setting to reduce loop time jitter. The default is Enabled.
AHCI Configuration—This setting determines whether AHCI mode is Enabled or Disabled for the SATA port. Some operating systems, such as Windows 2000, do not support AHCI mode. You can use this setting to disable AHCI mode so that non-compatible OSes function correctly. The default setting is Enabled.
Multi-Core Processing—This setting determines whether or not the second core processor on the Intel enabled. The default setting is Enabled.
Monitor DDC—This setting determines how the monitor DDC is routed. Use this setting to select whether or not the DDC is routed for an Analog monitor or a DVI monitor. In order to use a DVI monitor, this setting must be set to DVI. An analog monitor, however, will function with this option set to either Analog or DVI. The DDC communication path is only enabled when set to Analog for an analog monitor, so certain advanced features of your analog monitor may only be enabled when routing DDC to Analog. The default setting is DVI.
®
Core™ Duo processor T2500 is
Note After changing DDC routing settings, a power cycle is required to enable the change.
ExpressCard Hot-Plug Resources—This setting determines whether or not resource pre-allocation is Enabled or Disabled for the ExpressCard port. When this setting is Enabled, the BIOS will pre-allocate memory space, I/O space, and PCI bus numbers for the ExpressCard port, allowing non-PCI Express-aware operating systems to support hot-plugging ExpressCard devices. When this setting is Disabled, no resources will be pre-allocated, and you may need to restart the OS when hot-plugging an ExpressCard device. The default setting is Enabled.
Hot-Plug Bus Gap—This setting determines the number of PCI buses that will be reserved by the BIOS for ExpressCard PCI-PCI bridges
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Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
that may be hot-plugged in the ExpressCard slot. This setting is only applicable if ExpressCard Hot-Plug Resources is set to Enabled. The default value for this setting is 8 PCI buses.
I/O—This setting determines the amount of I/O space, in bytes, that
will be reserved by the BIOS for PCI-PCI bridges that may be hot-plugged in the ExpressCard slot. This setting is only applicable if ExpressCard Hot-Plug Resources is set to Enabled. The default value for this setting is 4096 bytes of I/O space.
Memory—This setting determines the amount of memory space, in
bytes, that will be reserved by the BIOS for PCI-PCI bridges that may be hot-plugged in the ExpressCard slot. This setting is only applicable if ExpressCard Hot-Plug Resources is set to Enabled. The default value for this setting is 32 megabytes of memory.
Pre-fetchable Memory—This setting determines the amount of
pre-fetchable memory space, in bytes, that will be reserved by the BIOS for PCI-PCI bridges that may be hot-plugged in the ExpressCard slot. This setting is only applicable if ExpressCard Hot-Plug
Resources is set to Enabled. The default value for this setting is 32 megabytes of pre-fetchable memory.

PXI Setup Menu

Use this menu to control and route certain signals on the PXI backplane. Normally, you do not need to modify these settings. However, other sections of this manual may indicate that modifications are necessary and may lead to unpredictable behavior.
APIC Routing—This item is valid only for Windows XP and 2000 and other modern operating systems. Select Enabled to initialize the IOAPIC and local APIC in uniprocessor mode. Select Disabled to use the legacy PIC for interrupt routing. The default setting is Enabled.
PIRQx Routing—This setting selects the routing option for PXI/PCI devices connected to PIRQx. This settings affects OSes that do not use APIC routing. The default setting for all PIRQx options is IRQ10.
Per-Slot Device Settings—This setting brings up the Per-Slot Device Settings submenu. Refer to the Per-Slot Device Settings Submenu section.
Per-Slot Device Settings Submenu
Use this menu to configure options that can be modified for individual PCI devices in a PXI chassis.
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Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
Note Scanning for Option ROMs on devices behind a PCI bridge cannot be disabled.
PCI Device x Option ROM Scan—This setting selects whether PCI device x will be scanned for an option ROM. Setting this option to Enabled allows the BIOS to scan for a PCI option ROM on this PCI device. Setting to Disabled prevents the BIOS from detecting option ROMs on this device. Setting to Disabled does not completely disable the PCI device, just the option ROM scan. The default is Enabled.

Security Menu

Use this menu to enable BIOS security options.
Set User Password—This setting allows you to specify a password that must be entered to boot the system. To activate this feature, you must first specify a Supervisor password and enable the Password on boot feature. By default, no password is specified.
Set Supervisor Password—This setting allows you to specify a password that must be entered to access the BIOS setup options. By default, no password is specified.

Boot Setup Menu

Password on Boot—This setting controls whether or not a password is required to boot the system. If enabled, the user must enter the User Password to boot the system. The default setting is Disabled.
Write Protect Boot Sector—When set to Yes, this setting prevents modification of a hard disk boot sector via INT 13h services, which may help prevent certain computer viruses from infecting the controller. This setting does not prevent boot sector modification by 32-bit operating system drivers that access the hard disk directly. The default is No.
This screen displays the boot order of devices associated with the controller. The BIOS proceeds down the Boot priority order list in search of a bootable device. Devices under the Excluded from boot order list will not be used for booting. If the BIOS fails to find any bootable device, the message system halts.
IDE HDD—The internal hard drive.
USB HDD—A USB based flash drive or hard disk drive.
USB CDROM—A USB based CD-ROM drive.
Operating System Not Found is displayed, and the
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Exiting BIOS Setup

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
USB FDC—A USB based floppy disk drive.
PCI SCSI—A SCSI drive (hard disk drive or CD-ROM) connected through a SCSI controller in the PXI chassis.
PCI LAN—A PXE Network boot device, if PXE Network Boot is enabled on the Advanced menu.
The Exit setup menu includes all available options for exiting, saving, and loading the BIOS default configuration. As an alternative to this screen, press <F9> to load BIOS default settings and <F10> to save changes and exit setup.
The Exit setup menu includes the following settings:
Exit Saving Changes—Any changes made to BIOS settings are stored in the battery-backed System CMOS. The setup program then exits and reboots the controller.
Exit Discarding Changes—Any changes made to BIOS settings during this session of the BIOS setup program are discarded. The setup program then exits and boots the controller without rebooting first.
Load Setup Defaults—This setting restores all BIOS settings to the factory default. This is useful if the controller exhibits unpredictable behavior due to an incorrect or inappropriate BIOS setting. Notice that any nondefault settings such as boot order, passwords, and keyboardless operation are restored to their factory defaults. This may produce undesirable behavior, and in heavily customized cases, may cause the controller to malfunction or fail to boot.
Discard Changes—Any changes made to BIOS settings during this session of the BIOS setup program are discarded. Unlike Exit Discarding Changes, however, the BIOS setup continues to be active.
Save Changes—Changes made to BIOS settings during this session are committed to battery-backed System CMOS. The setup program remains active, allowing further changes.

System CMOS

The NI PXI-8105 contains a backed-up memory used to store BIOS configuration information.
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Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
Complete the following steps to clear the CMOS contents:
1. Power off the chassis.
2. Remove the controller from the chassis.
3. Move the jumper on W7 from pins 1–2 to pins 2–3, as shown in Figure 2-3.
4. Wait one second. Move the jumper back to pins 1–2.
5. Reinstall the controller in the chassis.
Caution Do not leave the jumper on pins 2–3. Doing so decreases battery life. In addition,
leaving the jumper on the pins prevents the controller from booting.
3
1
1 Normal Operation (Default) 2 Clear CMOS Contents 3Pin 1

Figure 2-3. Clearing the CMOS Contents

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2
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

Drivers and Software

Files and Directories Installed on Your Hard Drive

Your hard drive includes a directory called images in its root that contains software and soft copies of manuals for the installed devices. The directory structure under the several levels.
In the
images directory, you will find a manuals directory,
an
os directory, and a drivers directory.
The
manuals directory contains quick reference guides, technical
reference manuals, and National Instruments software manuals, all in Adobe Acrobat format. To access any manual, change your directory to
c:\images\manuals and list the contents of that directory. You will see
several files, one corresponding to each device.
The
os directory contains a subdirectory corresponding to the operating
system installed on your controller.
The rest of the directories correspond to each device in your controller. Within each of these directories are the drivers for the devices. These files and directories are copied exactly from the manufacturer distribution disks, so the naming conventions vary from device to device.
images directory is logically organized into

PXI Features

PXI Trigger Connectivity

The SMB connector on the NI PXI-8105 front panel can connect to or from any PXI backplane trigger line. A trigger allocation process is needed to prevent two resources from connecting to the same trigger line, resulting in the trigger being double-driven and possibly damaging the hardware. At the time of this manual’s publication, this software is not yet available for Windows. Contact National Instruments for more information.
© National Instruments Corporation 2-13 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

Chassis Configuration

Configuration of the PXI system is handled through Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), included with the software pre-installed on your controller. MAX creates the the layout and parameters of your PXI system.
The configuration steps for single or multiple-chassis systems are the same. An example of a multichassis configuration is shown in Figure 2-4.
pxisys.ini file, which defines

Figure 2-4. Multichassis Configuration in MAX

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Basic PXI System Configuration

1. Launch MAX.
2. In the Configuration tree, click the Devices and Interfaces branch to
expand it.
3. If the PXI system controller has not yet been configured, it is labeled
PXI System (Unidentified). Right-click this entry to display the pop-up menu, then select the appropriate controller model from the Identify As submenu.
4. Click the PXI System controller. The chassis (or multiple chassis, in a
multichassis configuration) is listed below it. Identify each chassis by right-clicking its entry, then selecting the appropriate chassis model through the Identify As submenu. Further expanding the PXI System branch shows all devices in the system that can be recognized by NI-VISA. When your controller and all your chassis are identified, the required
The PXI specification allows many combinations of PXI chassis and system modules. To assist system integrators, the manufacturers of PXI chassis and system modules must document the capabilities of their products. The minimum documentation requirements are contained in
.ini files, which consist of ASCII text. System integrators, configuration
utilities, and device drivers can use these
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
pxisys.ini file is complete.
.ini files.
The capability documentation for the chassis is contained in a
chassis.ini file provided by the chassis manufacturer. The information
in this file is combined with information about the system controller to create a single system initialization file called Initialization). The NI PXI-8105 uses MAX to generate the file from the
chassis.ini file.
Device drivers and other utility software read the
pxisys.ini (PXI System
pxisys.ini
pxisys.ini file to
obtain system information. For detailed information about initialization files, refer to the PXI specification at
www.pxisa.org.

Upgrading RAM

You can change the amount of installed RAM on the NI PXI-8105 by upgrading the SO-DIMM.
To upgrade the RAM, remove the NI PXI-8105 from the PXI chassis. To optimize both memory capacity and system performance, use the same size and speed memory module in each of the two module slots. The use of
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Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
different size modules in each slot is supported, but system performance will be slower than using two matched modules. However, two mismatched modules will result in better performance than using a single module.
National Instruments offers the following types of SO-DIMMs for use with the NI PXI-8105 controller.
PC2-5300 512 MB, 64 MB × 64, CL 5, 1.18 in. max
PC2-5300 1 GB, 128 MB × 64, CL 5, 1.18 in. max
Note National Instruments has tested and verified that the DDR2 SO-DIMMs we sell
work with the NI PXI-8105. We recommend you purchase your DDR2 SO-DIMM modules from National Instruments. Other off-the-shelf DDR2 SO-DIMM modules are not guaranteed to work properly.
2
1
1 DDR2 SO-DIMM Module 2 DDR2 SO-DIMM Socket

Figure 2-5. Installing a DDR2 SO-DIMM in an NI PXI-8105 Controller

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Hard Drive Recovery

NI PXI-8105 controllers include two methods of restoring the original factory condition of your hard drive. Hard drive-based recovery stores a factory backup on a separate portion of your hard drive allowing you to restore your controller without additional media. The NI PXI-8105 controller also ships with an OS Recovery CD that allows you to reinstall your operating system onto your hard drive through an external CD-ROM. For more information on these tools, refer to the documentation on your hard drive in the 2ZKC02OK at
Note Your system hot key is <F4>. To access the hard drive-based recovery tool, press and
hold <F4> when video first appears during the boot process.
If you need to recover your factory-installed operating system from a CD, you can use the included OS re-installation CD with an external CD-ROM drive such as a USB CD-ROM drive. Boot the PXI controller using the OS re-installation CD to recover the OS. You also may need to reinstall other software after using the CD to recover the OS.
Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
c:\Images\Recovery directory or KnowledgeBase
ni.com/support.
Note Recovering the OS erases the contents of your hard disk. Back up any files you want
to keep.

Installing an OS

NI PXI-8105 controllers include a pre-installed OS. In some cases, you may want to install a different OS. When doing so, consider the following guidelines.

Installing from a CD-ROM

The NI PXI-8105 supports the installation of Windows XP from a USB CD-ROM. However, many other operating systems do not support installation from a USB CD-ROM. For example, Windows 2000 aborts during the install process because it does not have drivers for the CD-ROM device.
With DOS drivers, you can install Windows 9x operating systems. However, only a few USB CD-ROM drives have DOS drivers.
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Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
As an alternative to a USB CD-ROM drive, you can use an external SCSI CD-ROM with a PXI-SCSI adapter.
Note For additional assistance with installing or changing an operating system, refer to
KnowledgeBase 2ZKC02OK at

ExpressCard

This section provides information on the installation and removal of ExpressCard modules.

Installing an ExpressCard

You can install an ExpressCard module while the NI PXI-8105 is running. The NI PXI-8105 will automatically detect the card. ExpressCards are generally marked with a symbol or a label to indicate which end to insert into the slot. The cards are keyed to prevent incorrect insertion.
To install an ExpressCard, complete the following steps.
1. Hold the card so the top side is facing left.
2. Insert the card until it is completely seated in its connector. The connector has an automatic eject mechanism. If you insert the card and it is ejected, simply re-insert the card until it is seated.
ni.com/support.
If you encounter too much resistance, do not force the card. Check the card orientation and try again.
The PXI-8105 will automatically recognize the ExpressCard and load the appropriate driver(s). Third-party cards may require that you install additional drivers. Contact your ExpressCard vendor for more information.
Caution The ExpressCard interface is ESD sensitive. An electrostatic shock on the
ExpressCard module while it is inserted may cause the controller to lock-up or reboot.

Removing an ExpressCard

To remove the ExpressCard module push in the module and then release to eject the card. Slide the card out of the slot.
Caution To avoid data loss and other potential issues, stop communication with your
ExpressCard device before removing it from the PXI-8105. In Windows, use the Safely Remove Hardware tool to safely stop the ExpressCard.
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I/O Information

Front Panel Connectors

Table 3-1 lists various I/O interfaces and their corresponding NI PXI-8105 external connectors, bus interfaces, and functions.

Table 3-1. NI PXI-8105 I/O Overview

I/O Interface External Connector Description
3
Video DVI-I
(24-pin DSUB)
Serial COM1
(9-pin DSUB)
Ethernet LAN
(RJ45)
Parallel Parallel Port
(36-pin champ)
USB (four ports) USB 4-pin Series A stacked
receptacle
PXI trigger Trigger
(SMB)
GPIB Controller GPIB
(25-pin Micro D)
ExpressCard/34 module ExpressCard/34 slot ExpressCard/34 Expansion
Intel Extreme Graphics controller
16550 RS-232 serial port
10/100/1000 Ethernet connection
IEEE 1284
Hi-Speed USB
Routing PXI triggers to or from the backplane trigger bus
General-Purpose Interface Bus, IEEE 488.1
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Chapter 3 I/O Information

Front Panel

Figure 3-1 shows the front panel layout and dimensions of the NI PXI-8105. Dimensions are in inches [millimeters].
3.371 [85.62]
1.546 [39.26]
.000 [0]
.340 [8.64]
1.997 [50.72]
2.221 [56.41]
2.328 [59.13]
2.847 [72.31]
4.393 [111.58]
3.840 [97.53]
3.551 [90.19]
3.165 [80.38]
2.490 [63.24]
2.063 [52.4]
1.550 [39.37]
1.069 [27.15]
.000 [0]
.775 [19.69]
2.847 [72.31]
2.345 [59.55]

Figure 3-1. NI PXI-8105 Front Panel Layout and Dimensions

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DVI-I

Chapter 3 I/O Information
Figure 3-2 shows the location and pinouts for the DVI-I connector on the NI PXI-8105. Table 3-2 lists and describes the DVI-I connector signals.
9
1
17
24 C3 C5 C4
Figure 3-2. DVI-I Connector Location and Pinout
Table 3-2. DVI-I Connector Signals
8
C1
C2
Pin Signal Name
1 TMDS Data2–
2 TMDS Data2+
3 TMDS Data2/4 Shield
4 Reserved
5 Reserved
6 DDC Clock [SCL]
7 DDC Data [SDA]
8 Analog vertical sync
9 TMDS Data1–
10 TMDS Data1+
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Chapter 3 I/O Information
Table 3-2. DVI-I Connector Signals (Continued)
Pin Signal Name
11 TMDS Data1/3 Shield
12 Reserved
13 Reserved
14 +5 V Power
15 Ground (for +5 V)
16 Hot Plug Detect
17 TMDS Data0 –
18 TMDSData0+
19 TMDS Data0/5 Shield
20 Reserved
21 Reserved
22 TMDS Clock Shield
23 TMDS Clock +
24 TMDS Clock –
C1 Analog Red
C2 Analog Green
C3 Analog Blue
C4 Analog Horizontal Sync
C5 Analog GND Return: (analog R, G, B)
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COM1

Chapter 3 I/O Information
Figure 3-3 shows the location and pinouts for the COM1 connector on the NI PXI-8105. Table 3-3 lists and describes the COM1 connector signal.
5
9
COM1
6
1
Figure 3-3. COM1 Connector Location and Pinout
Table 3-3. COM1 Connector Signals
Pin Signal Name Signal Description
1 DCD Data Carrier Detect
2 RXD Receive Data
3 TXD Transmit Data
4 DTR Data Terminal Ready
5 GND Ground
6 DSR Data Set Ready
7 RTS Ready to Send
8 CTS Clear to Send
9 RI Ring Indicator
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Chapter 3 I/O Information

Ethernet

Figure 3-4 shows the location and pinouts for the Ethernet connector on the NI PXI-8105. Table 3-4 lists and describes the Ethernet connector signals.
1
Ethernet
8
Figure 3-4. Ethernet Connector Location and Pinout
Table 3-4. Ethernet Connector Signals
Pin Fast Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet
1 TX+ TX_A+
2 TX– TX_A–
3 RX+ RX_B+
4 NC TX_C+
5 NC TX_C–
6 RX– RX_B–
7 NC RX_D+
8 NC RX_D–
The Ethernet controller can perform automatic crossover, thus eliminating the need
Note
for crossover cables.
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Chapter 3 I/O Information
Table 3-5. 10/100/1000 LAN Connector LED States
LED Color LED State Condition
Off LAN link is not established.
Top Green
Unlit Off 10 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.
Bottom
Green On 100 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.
Orange On 1000 Mbit/sec data rate is selected.

Parallel Port

On (steady state) LAN link is established.
On (brighter and pulsing) The controller is communicating with
another computer on the LAN.
Figure 3-5 shows the location and pinouts for the IEEE 1284 (parallel) connector on the NI PXI-8105. Table 3-6 lists and describes the IEEE 1284 connector signals.
Parallel port adapter cables are available from National Instruments, part number 777169-01.
1
18
Figure 3-5. Parallel Port Connector Location and Pinout
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19
Parallel Port
36
Chapter 3 I/O Information
Table 3-6. Parallel Port Connector Signals
Default Configuration (LPT)
Pin
Signal Name Signal Description
1 BUSY Device Busy
2 SLCT Select
3 ACK# Acknowledge
4 FAULT# (ERRO R#) Fault
5 PAP ER EN D Paper End
6 PD0 Data Bit 0
7 PD1 Data Bit 1
8 PD 2 Data Bit 2
9 PD3 Data Bit 3
10 PD4 Data Bit 4
11 PD5 Data Bit 5
12 PD6 Data Bit 6
13 PD7 Data Bit 7
14 INIT# Initialize Printer
15 STROBE# Strobe
16 SLCTIN# Select Input
17 AUTOFD# Auto Line Feed
18 +5V +5 V
19–35 GND Ground
36 NC Not Connected
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Universal Serial Bus

Figure 3-6 shows the location and pinouts for the Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors on the NI PXI-8105. Table 3-7 lists and describes the USB connector signals.
Chapter 3 I/O Information
4
USB
1
Figure 3-6. USB Connector Location and Pinout
Table 3-7. USB Connector Signals
Pin Signal Name Signal Description
1 VCC Cable Power (+5 V)
2 D– USB Data –
3 D+ USB Data +
4 GND Ground
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Chapter 3 I/O Information

Trigger

The TRG connector is the software-controlled trigger connection for routing PXI triggers to or from the backplane trigger bus.
Figure 3-7 shows the TRG connector location on the NI PXI-8105. Table 3-8 lists and describes the trigger connector signals.
1
Figure 3-7. TRG Connector Location and Pinout
Table 3-8. TRG Connector Signals
2
Pin Signal Name Signal Description
1 TRIG Trigger
2 (Shield) GND Ground
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GPIB (IEEE 488.2)

Chapter 3 I/O Information
Figure 3-8 shows the location and pinouts for the GPIB connector on the NI PXI-8105. Table 3-9 lists and describes the GPIB connector signals.
National Instruments provides a GPIB mating connector, part number 183285-0R2.
13
GPIB
1
Figure 3-8. GPIB Connector Location and Pinout
Table 3-9. GPIB Connector Signals
25
14
Pin Signal Name Signal Description
1 DIO1# Data Bit 1
2 DIO2# Data Bit 2
3 DIO3# Data Bit 3
4 DIO4# Data Bit 4
5 EOI# End or Identify
6 DAV# Data Valid
7 NRFD# Not Ready for Data
8 NDAC# Not Data Accepted
9 IFC# Interface Clear
10 SRQ# Service Request
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Chapter 3 I/O Information

ExpressCard/34 Slot

Table 3-9. GPIB Connector Signals (Continued)
Pin Signal Name Signal Description
11 AT N# Attention
12 SHIELD Chassis ground
13 DIO5# Data Bit 5
14 DIO6# Data Bit 6
15 DIO7# Data Bit 7
16 DIO8# Data Bit 8
17 REN# Remote Enable
18–25 GND Logic Ground
The NI PXI-8105 controller is equipped with an ExpressCard/34 slot on the front panel, which provides I/O expansion and options for removable storage, Ethernet, and a variety of other I/O.
Figure 3-9 shows the location and pinouts for the ExpressCard/34 slot on the NI PXI-8105. Table 3-10 lists and describes the ExpressCard connector signals.
26
ExpressCard/34
Slot
1
Figure 3-9. ExpressCard/34 Slot Location and Pinout
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Chapter 3 I/O Information
Table 3-10. ExpressCard Connector Signals
Pin Signal Name Signal Description
1 GND Ground
2 USBD– USB Data –
3 USBD+ USB Data +
4 CPUSB# USB Presence
5 RESERVED Reserved by spec for future use
6 RESERVED Reserved by spec for future use
7 SMBCLK SMBus Clock
8 SMBDATA SMBus Data
9 +1.5V Power
10 +1.5V Power
11 WA K E # PE Wake
12 +3.3VAUX Power
13 PERST# PE Reset
14 +3.3V Power
15 +3.3V Power
16 CLKREQ# Clock Request
17 CPPE# PE Presence
18 REFCLK– Reference Clock –
19 REFCLK+ Reference Clock +
20 GND Ground
21 PERn PE Data Receive –
22 PERp PE Data Receive +
23 GND Ground
24 PETn PE Data Transmit –
25 PETp PE Data Transmit +
26 GND Ground
© National Instruments Corporation 3-13 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 3 I/O Information

Front Panel Features

The NI PXI-8105 controller has the following front-panel features:
A controller reset pushbutton (press the button to generate a reset to the controller)
Two front panel LEDs that show PC status
The POWER OK LED indicates the power status of the
controller. The LED will indicate one of the following states:
ON steady—PXI and onboard power is on and within
Blinking—One of the PXI or onboard supplies is operating
OFF—The power to the controller is off.
The DRIVE LED indicates when an access to the internal hard
disk is occurring.

Data Storage

regulation limits
outside of the normal limits, or is not functioning.
The NI PXI-8105 has the following data storage features:
Internal hard drive
2.5 in. notebook hard drive
Supports up to ATA-5 (UDMA 100) for extended temperatures or
SATA for standard configuration
USB storage support—USB CD-ROM, mass storage device, or floppy drive
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 3-14 ni.com
Common Configuration Questions
This chapter answers common configuration questions you may have when using the NI PXI-8105 embedded controller.

General Questions

What do the LEDs on the NI PXI-8105 front panel mean?
Refer to the LED status descriptions in the Front Panel Features section of Chapter 3, I/O Information.
How do I check the configuration of the memory, hard drive, time/date, and so on?
You can view these parameters in the BIOS setup. To enter the BIOS setup, reboot the NI PXI-8105 and press <Delete> during the memory tests. Refer to the Entering BIOS Setup section of Chapter 2, Installation and
Configuration, for more information.
4
Can I use the internal hard drive and an external hard drive at the same time?
Ye s.

Boot Options

What devices can I boot from?
The NI PXI-8105 can boot from the following devices:
The internal hard drive
An external SCSI hard drive or CD-ROM if an SCSI adapter, such as the PXI-8214, is used
A network PXE server on the same subnet
© National Instruments Corporation 4-1 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 4 Common Configuration Questions
An external USB mass storage device such as a USB hard drive or CD-ROM
An external USB floppy drive
Most PCI-based boards that provide an Option ROM
Note There are some limitations when booting from a USB device. Windows XP
can be installed from a USB CD-ROM, but earlier versions of Windows cannot. The NI PXI-8105 BIOS configures the USB devices so that they will work in a DOS environment.
How do I configure the controller to boot from these devices?
There are two methods.
Enter Setup and select the Boot menu. You will see a list of all bootable devices, ordered by device type. You can set the boot order using <+> and <–>. Set the order by device type and set the order for the devices listed within the device type.
To boot from a different device without permanently changing the boot order, press <Esc> during POST. After the BIOS completes the POST and just before the controller boots the OS, the Boot menu is displayed. You can select the device type you want to boot from.

Cables and Connections

How do I plug both a PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard into the controller?
The NI PXI-8105 has no PS/2 connector, and you need to use a USB Y-splitter cable as shown in Figure 4-1, or a similar device, to connect both a PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard. National Instruments Part Number 778713-01 is such a cable and is available through the online catalog at
ni.com/products.

Figure 4-1. Y-Splitter Cable

NI PXI-8105 User Manual 4-2 ni.com
What if I don’t have a Y-splitter cable? Can I still use a mouse and keyboard?
If you do not have a Y-splitter cable, plug a USB keyboard into any USB connector. You can also plug a USB mouse into any USB connector.
How do I connect a standard 25-pin LPT cable to the NI PXI-8105?
The NI PXI-8105 uses a type C LPT connector. Most parallel port devices use a type A connector. To use a device with a standard type A LPT connector, you need to use a type C-to-type-A LPT adapter. Parallel port adapter cables, part number 777169-01, are available through the online catalog at
ni.com/products.
How do I connect a VGA monitor to the NI PXI-8105?
A VGA-to-DVI-I adapter (part number 762559-01) is included with your kit. You can use this adapter to connect a VGA monitor to the DVI-I port.

Software Driver Installation

Chapter 4 Common Configuration Questions
How do I install or reinstall the video driver?
Refer to KnowledgeBase 3H3COSD8 at
ni.com support.
How do I install or reinstall the Ethernet driver?
Refer to KnowledgeBase 3H3COSD8 at
ni.com support.
How do I install or reinstall the GPIB driver?
The NI-488.2 driver for your GPIB port is installed by default when your controller is first shipped from the factory. To change the default installed driver, complete the following steps:
1. Download the latest GPIB driver from
ni.com/downloads.
2. Install the driver and verify that the driver has properly detected the GPIB driver in the Device Manager. If you need more assistance, refer to
ni.com/support/install.
© National Instruments Corporation 4-3 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 4 Common Configuration Questions
How do I install software from a CD?
The compact size of the NI PXI-8105 does not allow for an integrated CD-ROM drive. You have the following options:
USB CD-ROM—You can install from a USB CD-ROM using a
bootable installation CD.
SCSI CD-ROM—Other types of CD-ROM drives are available.
Check with the vendor to make sure Windows XP supports the drive.
Mapped network drive—You can use the Ethernet to connect to
another computer. If you share the CD-ROM drive on the other computer, you can map the shared CD-ROM drive to a drive letter on the NI PXI-8105.

Upgrade Information

How do I upgrade system memory?
You can change the amount of installed RAM on the NI PXI-8105 by upgrading the DDR2 SO-DIMM.
To upgrade the RAM, remove the NI PXI-8105 from the PXI chassis. To optimize both memory capacity and system performance, use the same size and speed memory module in each of the two module slots. The use of different size modules in each slot is supported, but system performance will be slower than using two matched modules. However, two mismatched modules will result in better performance than using a single module.
National Instruments offers the following types of SO-DIMMs for use with the NI PXI-8105 controller.
PC2-5300 512 MB, 64 MB × 64, CL 5, 1.18 in. max
PC2-5300 1 GB, 128 MB × 64, CL 5, 1.18 in. max
Note National Instruments has conducted thermal testing as well as mechanical shock and
vibration testing, and has verified that the DDR2 SO-DIMMs we sell work with the NI PXI-8105. We recommend you purchase your DDR2 SO-DIMM modules from National Instruments. Other off-the-shelf DDR2 SO-DIMM modules are not guaranteed to work properly.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 4-4 ni.com
Chapter 4 Common Configuration Questions
2
1
1 DDR2 SO-DIMM Module 2 DDR2 SO-DIMM Socket

Figure 4-2. Installing a DDR2 SO-DIMM in an NI PXI-8105 Controller

How do I flash a new BIOS?
You can download the new BIOS from
ftp.ni.com/support/pxi/.
For more information, refer to KnowledgeBase 3H3COSD8.
Where do I get the latest software drivers?
The latest National Instruments software is available from
downloads
at
ni.com.
/. For peripheral drivers, refer to KnowledgeBase 3H3COSD8
My NI PXI-8105 does not have an internal floppy drive. Is there a way to use an external drive?
Yes. The NI PXI-8105 controller supports and can boot from USB floppy drives. A USB floppy drive will not work with Windows NT4, but will work with Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Refer to the Boot Options section for more information.
A USB floppy drive is available from National Instruments, part number 778492-02.
ni.com/
© National Instruments Corporation 4-5 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 4 Common Configuration Questions

PXI Configuration

How do I use the SMB trigger on the front panel?
For details, refer to the PXI Features section of Chapter 2, Installation and
Configuration.
Why doesn’t the NI PXI-8105 work with the PXI-8220 or PXI-8221?
A serialized IRQ conflict with the PXI-8220/8221 and the NI PXI-8105 prevents PC cards using ISA interrupts from working with the NI PXI-8105 controller. For more information, refer to KnowledgeBase 2G3ED80Z at
ni.com/support.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 4-6 ni.com
Troubleshooting
This chapter answers common troubleshooting questions you may have when using the NI PXI-8105 embedded computer.
What if the NI PXI-8105 does not boot?
Several problems can cause a controller not to boot. Here are some things to look for and possible solutions.
Things to Notice:
Which LEDs come on? The Power OK LED should stay lit. The Drive LED should blink during boot as the disk is accessed.
Was the display installed prior to power-on? What appears on the display? Does it hang at some particular point (BIOS, Operating System, and so on)? If nothing appears on the screen, try a different monitor. Does your monitor work with a different PC? If it hangs, note the last screen output that you saw for reference when consulting National Instruments technical support.
What has changed about the system? Did you recently move the system? Was there electrical storm activity? Did you recently add a new module, memory chip, or piece of software?
5
Things to Try:
Make sure the chassis is plugged in to a working power source.
Check any fuses or circuit breakers in the chassis or other power supply (possibly an uninterruptible power supply).
Make sure the controller module is firmly seated in the chassis.
Remove all other modules from the chassis.
Remove any nonessential cables or devices.
Try the controller in a different chassis.
Try a similar controller in this same chassis.
Clear the CMOS. (Refer to the System CMOS section of Chapter 2,
Installation and Configuration.)
Recover the hard drive on the controller. (Refer to the Hard Drive
Recovery section of Chapter 2, Installation and Configuration.)
© National Instruments Corporation 5-1 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Chapter 5 Troubleshooting
My controller boots fine until I get to Windows, at which point I cannot read the screen. This may include garbled output, white screen, black screen, or an out of synch message from the monitor.
This problem usually results from having the video card output set past the limits of the monitor. You will need to boot Windows in Safe Mode. To do this, reboot the controller. As Windows begins to boot, hold down <F8>. You should now be able to reset the video driver to lower settings. Try setting the resolution to 640 × 480 and the refresh rate to 60 Hz. Once you reboot, you can raise these values again, using the test option in Windows. These settings are accessible through the Advanced tab of the Display item in the Control Panel. Alternately, you can try a different monitor, preferably a newer and larger one.
If the system has been booted to Windows without a monitor attached, the driver may have defaulted to the video output connector being disabled. Press <Ctrl-Alt-F1> to re-enable the video display in Windows. Press <Ctrl-Alt-F4> to re-enable a DVI display. For more information, refer to KnowledgeBase 3OHCFRD8 at
ni.com/support.
My system boots fine as long as a particular module is not in my chassis.
The most common cause of this is a damaged module. Try the module in a different chassis or with a different controller. Also, remove any external cables or terminal blocks connected to the system. If the module does not work in these cases, it is likely damaged. Contact the module manufacturer for further troubleshooting.
Refer to the KnowledgeBase or product manuals section at
ni.com for
more information specific to the chassis and controller with which you are having difficulties.
My CMOS is corrupted. How do I set it back to default?
1. Enter the BIOS setup program as described in the Entering BIOS Setup section of Chapter 2, Installation and Configuration.
2. Check the battery utility.
3. Press <F9> to load BIOS defaults.
4. Answer Y (Yes) to the verification prompt.
5. Select Save and Exit Setup.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual 5-2 ni.com
Chapter 5 Troubleshooting
As an alternative method, complete the following steps:
1. Power off the chassis.
2. Remove the controller from the chassis.
3. Move the jumper on W7 from pins 1–2 to pins 2–3 as shown in Figure 5-1.
4. Wait one second. Move the jumper back to pins 1–2.
5. Reinstall the controller in the chassis.
Caution Do not leave the jumper on pins 2–3. Doing so decreases battery life. Also, the
controller will not boot.
3
1
1 Normal Operation (Default) 2 Clear CMOS Contents 3Pin 1

Figure 5-1. Clearing the CMOS Contents

© National Instruments Corporation 5-3 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
2
Specifications
This appendix lists the electrical, mechanical, and environmental specifications of the NI PXI-8105 embedded computer.
Electrical
A
Current (A)
Physical
Environment
Voltage (V)
+3.3 2.8 A 3.5 A
+5 (+5 VDC and +5 VIO) 5 A 8 A
+12 2 mA 10 mA
–12 0 A 0 A
Board dimensions................................... PXI 3U-size module
Slot requirements ................................... One system slot plus three
Compatibility ......................................... Fully compatible with
Weight.................................................... 0.94 Kg (2.1 lb) typical
Maximum altitude .................................. 2,000 m (at 25 °C ambient
Typical Maximum
8.1 cm × 13 cm × 21.6 cm (3.2 in. × 5.1 in. × 8.5 in.)
controller expansion slots
PXI specification
temperature)
Pollution Degree .................................... 2
Indoor use only.
© National Instruments Corporation A-1 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Appendix A Specifications
Caution Clean the NI PXI-8105 with a soft nonmetallic brush. Make sure that the device
is completely dry and free from contaminants before powering-on the controller again.
Operating Environment
NI PXI-8105
Ambient temperature range .............5 to 50 °C in an NI PXI-1042
chassis (Tested in accordance with IEC-60068-2-1 and IEC-60068-2-2). Refer to the datasheet linked from the NI PXI-8105 Embedded Controller product page at
ni.com for other
controller/chassis combinations.
NI PXI-8105 Extended Temp. Option
Ambient temperature range .............0 to 55 °C (Tested in accordance
with IEC-60068-2-1 and IEC-60068-2-2)
Relative humidity range..........................10% to 90%, noncondensing
(Tested in accordance with IEC-60068-2-56.)
Storage Environment
NI PXI-8105
Ambient temperature range .............–20 to 65 °C (Tested in
accordance with IEC-60068-2-1 and IEC-60068-2-2.)
NI PXI-8105 Extended Temp. Option
Ambient temperature range .............–40 to 85 °C (Tested in
accordance with IEC-60068-2-1 and IEC-60068-2-2.)
Relative humidity range..........................5% to 95% noncondensing
(Tested in accordance with IEC-60068-2-56.)
NI PXI-8105 User Manual A-2 ni.com
Shock and Vibration
Safety
Appendix A Specifications
Operational shock .................................. 30 g peak, half-sine, 11 ms pulse
(Tested in accordance with IEC-60068-2-27. Test profile developed in accordance with MIL-PRF-28800F.)
Random vibration
Operating ........................................ 5 to 500 Hz, 0.3 g
rms
(with solid-state hard drive)
Nonoperating .................................. 5 to 500 Hz, 2.4 g
rms
(Tested in accordance with IEC-60068-2-64. Nonoperating test profile exceeds the requirements of MIL-PRF-28800F, Class 3.)
This product is designed to meet the requirements of the following standards of safety for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use:
IEC 61010-1, EN 61010-1
UL 61010-1
CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 61010-1
Note For UL and other safety certifications, refer to the product label or to
ni.com/certification, search by model number or product line, and click the
appropriate link in the Certification column.
Electromagnetic Compatibility
Emissions ............................................... EN 55011 Class A at 10 m
FCC Part 15A above 1 GHz
Immunity................................................ EN 61326:1997 + A2:2001,
Table 1
EMC .......................................................CE, C-Tick, and FCC Part 15
(Class A) compliant
Note For full EMC compliance, operate this device with shielded cabling.
© National Instruments Corporation A-3 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Appendix A Specifications
CE Compliance
Note Refer to the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) for this product for any additional
regulatory compliance information. To obtain the DoC for this product, visit
ni.com/certification, search by model number or product line, and click the
appropriate link in the Certification column.
This product meets the essential requirements of applicable European Directives, as amended for CE marking, as follows:
Low-Voltage Directive (safety)..............73/23/EEC
Electromagnetic Compatibility
Directive (EMC) .....................................89/336/EEC
NI PXI-8105 User Manual A-4 ni.com
Technical Support and Professional Services
Visit the following sections of the National Instruments Web site at
ni.com for technical support and professional services:
Support—Online technical support resources at include the following:
Self-Help Resources—For answers and solutions, visit the
award-winning National Instruments Web site 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.
Free Technical Support—All registered users receive free Basic
Service, which includes access to hundreds of Application Engineers worldwide in the NI Developer Exchange at
ni.com/exchange. National Instruments Application Engineers
make sure every question receives an answer.
For information about other technical support options in your area, visit
ni.com/contact.
Training and Certification—Visit 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
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 electronic compatibility (EMC) and product safety. You can obtain the DoC for your product by visiting
ni.com/certification.
ni.com/services or contact your local office at
ni.com/alliance.
B
ni.com/support
ni.com/training for
© National Instruments Corporation B-1 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Appendix B Technical Support and Professional Services
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 office Web sites, which provide up-to-date contact information, support phone numbers, email addresses, and current events.
ni.com/niglobal to access the branch
NI PXI-8105 User Manual B-2 ni.com

Glossary

Symbol Prefix Value
nnano10
µ micro 10
m milli 10
k kilo 10
Mmega10
Ggiga10
Ttera10

Symbols

° Degrees.
Ohms.
–9
–6
–3
3
6
9
12
% Percent.
A
A Amperes.
AC Alternating Current.
ASIC Application-specific integrated circuit.
© National Instruments Corporation G-1 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Glossary
B
B Bytes.
backplane An assembly, typically a printed circuit board, with connectors and signal
paths that bus the connector pins.
BIOS Basic Input/Output System—BIOS functions are the fundamental level
of any PC or compatible computer. BIOS functions embody the basic operations needed for successful use of the computer’s hardware resources.
C
CCelsius.
cache Small portion of high-speed memory used for temporary storage of
frequently used data.
CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor—A type of integrated circuit.
CompactPCI An adaptation of the PCI specification for industrial and/or embedded
applications that require a more robust mechanical form factor than desktop PCI. CompactPCI provides a standard form factor for those applications requiring the high performance of PCI as well as the small size and ruggedness of a rack-mount system.
Controller An embedded computer module which configures and accesses a series of
devices connected to a chassis backplane.
D
DC Direct Current.
DDR2 Double Data Rate, 2
DIMM Dual In-line Memory Module.
DMA Direct Memory Access—A method by which data is transferred between
devices and internal memory without intervention of the central processing unit.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual G-2 ni.com
nd
generation.
Glossary
DRAM Dynamic RAM (Random Access Memory)—Storage that the computer
must refresh at frequent intervals.
DVI-I Direct Video Interface, Integrated—A video technology enabling the use of
both analog and digital video signals.
E
ECP Extended Capabilities Parallel.
EEPROM Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory.
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility.
EMI Electromagnetic interference.
EPP Enhanced Parallel Port.
expansion ROM An onboard EEPROM that may contain device-specific initialization and
system boot functionality.
F
FCC Federal Communications Commission.
G
g1. Grams.
2. A measure of acceleration equal to 9.8 m/s
GPIB General Purpose Interface Bus (IEEE 488).
g
rms
A measure of random vibration—The root mean square of acceleration levels in a random vibration test profile.
2
.
H
Hz Hertz—Cycles per second.
© National Instruments Corporation G-3 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Glossary
I
I/O Input/output—The techniques, media, and devices used to achieve
communication between machines and users.
IDE Integrated Drive Electronics—Hard disk and built-in controller.
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
in. Inches.
instrument driver A set of routines designed to control a specific instrument or family of
instruments, and any necessary related files for LabWindows/CVI or LabVIEW.
interrupt A means for a device to request service from another device.
interrupt level The relative priority at which a device can interrupt.
IRQ# Interrupt request signal.
ISA Industry Standard Architecture—The original PC bus architecture,
specifically the 16-bit AT bus.
K
kB Kilobytes of memory.
L
LAN Local Area Network—Communications network that serves users within
a confined geographical area. It is made up of servers, workstations, a network operating system, and a communications link.
LED Light-emitting diode.
M
m Meters.
master A functional part of a PXI device that initiates data transfers on the
PXI backplane. A transfer can be either a read or a write.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual G-4 ni.com
Glossary
MB Megabytes of memory.
MTBF Mean time between failure.
MTTR Mean time to repair.
N
NI-488 or NI-488.2 The National Instruments software for GPIB systems.
NI-DAQ The National Instruments software for data acquisition instruments.
NI-VISA The National Instruments implementation of the VISA standard—An
interface-independent software that provides a unified programming interface for VXI, GPIB, and serial instruments.
NMI Non-maskable interrupt—High-priority interrupt that cannot be disabled.
It is used to report malfunctions such as parity, bus and math coprocessor errors.
P
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect—The PCI bus is a high-performance
32-bit or 64-bit bus with multiplexed address and data lines.
PCI Express Peripheral Component Interconnect Express—A faster, serialized version
of the PCI bus.
PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association.
peripheral Any hardware device connected to a computer, such as a monitor,
keyboard, printer, plotter, disk or tape drive, graphics tablet, scanner, mouse, and so on.
POSC Power On Self Configuration.
PXI PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation—An open implementation of
CompactPCI that adds electrical features that meet the high-performance requirements of instrumentation applications by providing triggering, local buses, and system clock capabilities. PXI also offers two-way interoperability with CompactPCI products.
© National Instruments Corporation G-5 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Glossary
R
RAM Random Access Memory—the computer’s primary workspace.
RAMDAC Random Access Memory Digital to Analog Converter—the VGA
controller chip that maintains the color palette and converts data from memory into analog signals for the monitor.
resource Hardware settings used by devices in a computer system, including
ISA interrupt level, DMA channel, and I/O address.
RMS Root mean squared. See also g
RTC Real Time Clock—An electronic circuit that maintains the time of day and
also can provide timing signals for timesharing operations.
rms
.
S
s Seconds.
slave A functional part of a PXI device that detects data transfer cycles initiated
by a PXI bus master and responds to the transfers when the address specifies one of the device’s registers.
SO-DIMM Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module.
SRAM Static RAM—A memory chip that requires power to hold its content. It
does not require refresh circuitry as a dynamic RAM chip, but it does take up more space and uses more power.
U
USB Universal Serial Bus.
NI PXI-8105 User Manual G-6 ni.com
Glossary
V
V Volts.
VGA Video Graphics Array—The minimum video display standard for all PCs.
W
W Watts.
© National Instruments Corporation G-7 NI PXI-8105 User Manual

Index

A
Advanced Setup menu, 2-6 ATA-100 IDE logic block, 1-4
B
BIOS
checking settings, 4-1 flashing new BIOS, 4-5 setup
Advanced Setup menu, 2-6 Boot Setup menu, 2-10 entering, 2-5 Exiting BIOS Setup menu, 2-11 Integrated Peripherals menu, 2-7 Main Setup menu, 2-6 PXI Setup menu, 2-9
Per-Slot Device Settings, 2-9 boot options, configuring controller, 4-2 Boot Setup menu, 2-10
C
CD-ROM drive, installing software from, 4-4 chipset 945GMCH, 1-4 chipset ICH7M, 1-4 CMOS
clearing contents (figure), 2-12, 5-3 setting back to default, 5-2
COM1 connector
connector locations and pinout
(figure), 3-5
connector signals (table), 3-5
common configuration questions
boot options, 4-1 cables and connections, 4-2 chassis configuration, 2-14
figure, 2-14 driver installation, 4-3 general questions, 4-1 PXI configuration, 4-6 upgrade information, 4-4
CompactPCI specification, 1-1 configuration, common questions
boot options, 4-1 cables and connections, 4-2 chassis configuration, 2-14
figure, 2-14 driver installation, 4-3 general questions, 4-1 PXI configuration, 4-6 upgrade information, 4-4
connectors
COM1 connector and signals, 3-5 DVI-I connector and signals, 3-3 Ethernet connector and signals, 3-6 ExpressCard connector and signals, 3-12 GPIB connector and signals, 3-11 parallel port connector and signals, 3-7 peripheral expansion overview
(table), 3-1 trigger connector and signals, 3-10 Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector
and signals, 3-9
conventions used in the manual, vii
© National Instruments Corporation I-1 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Index
D
data storage, 3-14 DDR SO-DIMMs
installing, 2-15, 4-4
figure, 2-16, 4-5
DDR2 SO-DIMMs
from National Instruments (note), 2-16,
4-4 Declaration of Conformity (NI resources), B-1 diagnostic tools (NI resources), B-1 directories and files installed on hard
drive, 2-13
documentation
conventions used in manual, vii how to use this documentation set, vii NI resources, B-1
related documentation, viii DRIVE LED, 3-14 drivers, 2-13, B-1
installation
GPIB (IEEE 488.2), 4-3
video, 4-3 NI resources, B-1 obtaining latest drivers, 4-5
DVI-I
connector signals (table), 3-3 location and pinout (figure), 3-3 overview (table), 3-1
E
electrical specifications, A-1 electromagnetic compatibility, A-3 Ethernet, connector
location and pinout (figure), 3-6 signals (table), 3-6
examples (NI resources), B-1 Exiting BIOS Setup menu, 2-11
ExpressCard, 2-18, 3-12
connector location and pinout
(figure), 3-12 installing a module, 2-18 removing a module, 2-18
F
files and directories installed on hard
drive, 2-13 floppy drive, using external floppy drive, 4-5 front panel
connectors, 3-1 dimensions, 3-2 features, 3-14
functional overview of NI PXI-8105, 1-2
G
GPIB (IEEE 488.2), 3-11
connector location and pinout
(figure), 3-11 connector signals (table), 3-11, 3-13 driver installation, 4-3
H
hard drive, 3-14
files and directories installed on, 2-13 recovery, 2-17
help, technical support, B-1
I
IDE controller, using SCSI hard drive in
addition, 4-1 IEEE 488.2, 3-11 images directory, 2-13
NI PXI-8105 User Manual I-2 ni.com
Index
installation
See also configuration injector/ejector handle position
(caution), 2-2
NI PXI-8105 installed in a PXI chassis
(figure), 2-4 procedure, 2-1 removing NI PXI-8105 from PXI
chassis, 2-4 removing protective screw caps
(figure), 2-2
instrument drivers (NI resources), B-1 Integrated Peripherals menu, 2-7
K
keyboard, plugging PS/2 mouse and keyboard
into controller, 4-2
KnowledgeBase, B-1
L
LabVIEW, 1-5 LabWindows/CVI, 1-5 LEDs, front panel LEDs, 3-14, 4-1 Linux support, 1-6 LPT cable, connecting to NI PXI-8105, 4-3
M
Main Setup menu, 2-6 manuals directory, 2-13 mating connector
GPIB (IEEE 488.2), 3-11 parallel port, 3-7
Measurement Studio, 1-5 modular instruments, 1-5 mouse, plugging PS/2 mouse and keyboard
into controller, 4-2
multichassis configuration in MAX
(figure), 2-14
N
National Instruments
software, 1-4 support and services, B-1
NI PXI-8105
benefits of PXI, 1-1 BIOS setup, 2-5 block diagram, 1-3 connectors, 3-1
COM1 connector and signals, 3-5 DVI-I connector and signals
(table), 3-3
ExpressCard connector and
signals, 3-12
GPIB (IEEE 488.2) connector and
signals, 3-11
parallel port connector and
signals, 3-7 trigger connector and signals, 3-10 Universal Serial Bus (USB)
connector and signals, 3-9
data storage, 3-14 front panel
features, 3-14 LEDs, 4-1 system reset pushbutton, 3-14
front panel dimensions, 3-2 functional overview, 1-2 hard drive recovery, 2-17 installing DDR SO-DIMMs
(figure), 2-16, 4-5
installing in a PXI chassis, 2-1
figure, 2-4
logic blocks, 1-4 peripheral expansion overview
(table), 3-1 PXI trigger connectivity, 2-13 removing from a PXI chassis, 2-4 software, 1-4 specifications, A-1
© National Instruments Corporation I-3 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
Index
troubleshooting, 5-1
upgrading RAM, 2-15, 4-4 NI resources, B-1 NI support and services, B-1 NI-DAQmx, 1-5 NI-VISA, 1-6
O
operating environment specifications, A-1,
A-2 os directory, 2-13 OS installation from CD-ROM, 2-17
P
parallel port
connector location and pinout
(figure), 3-7 connector signals (table), 3-8 overview (table), 3-1
PCI bus, standard for desktop computer
designs, 1-1 peripheral expansion overview (table), 3-1 Per-Slot Device Settings menu, 2-9 physical specifications, A-1 POWER OK LED, 3-14 programming examples (NI resources), B-1 protective screw caps, removing (figure), 2-2 PS/2, plugging PS/2 mouse and keyboard into
controller, 4-2 PXI connectors, function (logic block), 1-4 PXI features, 2-13 PXI Setup menu, 2-9
Per-Slot Device Settings, 2-9 PXI trigger connectivity, 2-13 PXI-8220/PXI-8221, using NI PXI-8105
with, 4-6
pxisys.ini file, 2-14
R
RAM
DDR2 SO-DIMMs from National
Instruments (note), 2-16, 4-4
upgrading, 2-15, 4-4
related documentation, viii
S
safety specifications (table), A-3 serial port, 3-1
See also COM1 connector shock and vibration specifications, A-3 socket 479 1 CPU, 1-4 SO-DIMM logic block, 1-4 software
See also drivers
installed on your hard drive, 2-13
installing from CD-ROM, 4-4
LabVIEW, 1-5
LabWindows/CVI, 1-5
Measurement Studio, 1-5
National Instruments software, 1-4
NI resources, B-1
NI-DAQmx, 1-5
NI-VISA, 1-6 specifications
electrical, A-1
electromagnetic compatibility, A-3
operating environment, A-1, A-2
physical, A-1
safety, A-3
shock and vibration, A-3
storage environment, A-2 storage environment specifications, A-2 super I/O logic block, 1-4 support, technical, B-1 system CMOS, 2-11 system reset pushbutton, 3-14
NI PXI-8105 User Manual I-4 ni.com
Index
T
technical support, B-1 training and certification (NI resources), B-1 trigger, 3-10, 4-6
connector location and pinout
(figure), 3-10
connector signals (table), 3-10
troubleshooting
CMOS reset, 5-2 controller does not boot, 5-1 damaged module, 5-2 video display, 5-2
troubleshooting (NI resources), B-1
U
Universal Serial Bus (USB), 3-1, 3-9
connector function, 1-4 connector location and pinout
(figure), 3-9 connector signals (table), 3-9 overview (table), 3-1
V
video, 3-1
driver installation, 4-3
W
Web resources, B-1
Y
Y-splitter cable
figure, 4-2 using mouse and keyboard without, 4-3 using with PS/2 mouse and keyboard, 2-3
© National Instruments Corporation I-5 NI PXI-8105 User Manual
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