National Instruments VXI-USB User Manual

VXI

VXI-USB User Manual

VXI-USB User Manual

December 2004
371381A-01

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Important Information

Warranty

The VXI-USB 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

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(1) NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH COMPONENTS AND TESTING FOR A LEVEL OF
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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
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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
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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

Conventions ...................................................................................................................vii

Related Documentation..................................................................................................viii

Chapter 1
Introduction

What You Need to Get Started ......................................................................................1-1

VXI-USB Interface Kit Overview .................................................................................1-2

VXI 3.0 Specification Support.......................................................................................1-2

Hardware Description ....................................................................................................1-2

VXI-USB Front Panel Features .....................................................................................1-3

Advanced Configuration Options ..................................................................................1-4

National Instruments Application Software ..................................................................1-4

Chapter 2
Installation and Configuration

Installing the Software ...................................................................................................2-1

Installing the NI-VXI and NI-VISA Software ................................................2-1

Completing the Software Installation..............................................................2-2

Configuring the Hardware (Optional)............................................................................2-3

Installing the Hardware..................................................................................................2-4

Installing Your VXI-USB Interface Module ...................................................2-5

Connecting Cables...........................................................................................2-5

Software Configuration and Verification ......................................................................2-6

Chapter 3
Developing Your Application

NI-VXI, NI-VISA, and Related Terms..........................................................................3-1

Configuration .................................................................................................................3-2

Device Interaction..........................................................................................................3-3

Programming for VXI....................................................................................................3-5

Optimizing Large VXIbus Transfers...............................................................3-7

NI-VXI API Notes...........................................................................................3-8

Compiler Symbols.............................................................................3-8

Compatibility Layer Options ............................................................3-8

Debugging......................................................................................................................3-9

© National Instruments Corporation v VXI-USB User Manual

Contents

Appendix A
Specifications

Appendix B
Default Settings

Appendix C
Advanced Hardware Configuration Settings

Appendix D
Common Questions

Appendix E
Technical Support and Professional Services

Glossary

Index

VXI-USB User Manual vi ni.com

About This Manual

This manual contains instructions for installing and configuring the
VXI-USB interface kit. It also discusses how to start developing your
VXI/VME application.

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. When this symbol is marked on a
product, refer to the Safety section in Appendix A, Specifications, for
information about precautions to take.

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. This font 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.

monospace italic Italic text in this font denotes text that is a placeholder for a word or value

that you must supply.

© National Instruments Corporation vii VXI-USB User Manual

About This Manual

Related Documentation

The following documents contain information that you might find helpful
as you read this manual:

• ANSI/IEEE Standard 1014-1987, IEEE Standard for a Versatile

Backplane Bus: VMEbus

• ANSI/IEEE Standard 1155-1998, IEEE VMEbus Extensions for

Instrumentation: VXIbus

• ANSI/VITA 1-1994, VME64

• Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 2.0

• VXI-6, VXIbus Mainframe Extender Specification, Rev. 2.0, VXIbus
Consortium

•NI-VISA Help

•NI-VXI Help

• Measurement & Automation Explorer Help for NI-VISA/NI-VXI

VXI-USB User Manual viii ni.com

Introduction

This chapter describes your VXI-USB interface kit, lists what you need to
get started, and includes a brief description of the hardware and software.
The VXI-USB interface kit links a PC-based computer to the VXIbus using
the Universal Serial Bus (USB). This kit makes your computer perform as
if it were plugged directly into the VXI backplane, giving your external
computer the capability of an embedded computer. USB 2.0 features hot
plug-in capability under Windows, which means you can add and configure
USB devices without powering down your system. Your kit contains a
National Instruments VXI-USB interface module, which plugs into your
VXI mainframe and links your computer to the VXIbus. Your kit includes
the NI-VXI/NI-VISA bus interface software, which is fully VXIplug&play
compliant. NI-VXI/NI-VISA is the National Instruments implementation
of the VISA I/O software standard on which all VXIplug&play software
components are based.

What You Need to Get Started

To set up and use the VXI-USB interface kit, you need the following items:

1

❑ Computer running the Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating

system, with a USB 2.0 port or plug-in card (USB 2.0 plug-in cards
may not have the same level of performance as an integrated USB 2.0
port)

❑ VXIbus mainframe

❑ VXI-USB interface module that plugs directly into a VXI mainframe

❑ USB 2.0-compliant cable

❑ National Instruments software CD

❑ This manual

© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 VXI-USB User Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction

VXI-USB Interface Kit Overview

The interface kit described in this manual links a USB-equipped computer
directly to the VXIbus using USB 2.0. The VXI-USB kit uses this
high-speed (480 Mbps) serial bus to link your computer running Windows
to a VXI chassis.

Note You can use the VXI-USB kit with USB 1.0, but performance will be significantly

slower than with USB 2.0 for many types of operations.

Note You can connect multiple USB devices to the host. However, increasing the number

of USB devices in a system can lower the VXI-USB performance.

The VXI-USB kit includes the NI-VXI/NI-VISA software for Windows,
a C-size VXI-USB module, and a USB cable. A USB-equipped computer
connected to a VXI-USB interface can function as a VXI Commander and
Resource Manager. With the VXI-USB interface kit, your computer
performs as if it is plugged directly into the VXI backplane as an embedded
CPU module. The VXI-USB transparently translates between USB and
VXI protocols.

VXI 3.0 Specification Support

The VXI-USB has been designed for VXIbus Specification 3.0, and also is
compatible with VXIbus Specification 2.0. The VXI-USB supports new
VXIbus 3.0 features such as 2eVME transfers (with a theoretical
bandwidth up to 160 Mbytes/s), A64 memory space allocation, and a
Resource Manager that supports A64 allocation. NI-VXI includes an
NI-VISA driver for the VXI-USB that has additional functionality for using
these VXIbus 3.0 features. If you have a VXI device that supports these
features, consult the VXI-USB release notes for information about how to
access them from NI-VISA.

Hardware Description

The VXI-USB module is a VXIbus Slot 0-capable device, so it can reside
in slot 0 of any C-size or D-size chassis.

Note D-size VXI mainframes have connections for a P3 connector. The VXI-USB,

however, does not have this connector and cannot provide the necessary control for VXI
devices that need P3 support.

VXI-USB User Manual 1-2 ni.com

The VXI-USB links the computer to the VXIbus and converts USB data
transfers into VXIbus data transfers and vice versa. The VXI-USB includes
additional USB Series A ports you can use to connect other USB devices.

VXI-USB Front Panel Features

The VXI-USB has the following front panel features:

• Front panel LEDs

– FAILED—Indicates the VXI-USB is asserting SYSFAIL on the

bus due to a controller failure.

– SYSFAIL—Indicates the VMEbus SYSFAIL line is asserted by

the VXI-USB or another device on the bus.

– VXI—Indicates the VXI-USB is being accessed as a VXI slave.

– ONLINE

• Green—Indicates the VXI-USB is configured by Resman.

• Amber—Indicates the VXI-USB is not configured by

Resman.

– USB—Indicates there is USB traffic to/from the VXI-USB (this

excludes any traffic to all other downstream USB devices).

– LINK

• Green—Indicates the VXI-USB is connected to a USB host

and has a full-speed (USB 1.x, 12 Mbps) connection.

• Amber—Indicates the VXI-USB is connected to a USB host

and has a high-speed (USB 2.0, 480 Mbps) connection.

• One host (Series B) USB connector

• Two device (Series A) USB connectors

• Three SMB connectors

– Trigger input

– Trigger output

– External clock

• System reset pushbutton

Chapter 1 Introduction

© National Instruments Corporation 1-3 VXI-USB User Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction

Advanced Configuration Options

The VXI-USB default hardware configuration should be acceptable for
most systems. Refer to Appendix B, Default Settings, only if your system
uses the front-panel CLK10 and trigger SMB connectors.

The NI-VISA/NI-VXI bus interface software includes a Resource
Manager, an interactive configuration and troubleshooting program,
a comprehensive library of software routines for VXI/VME programming,
a logging utility you can use for debugging, and graphical interactive
control programs for interacting with VISA. You can use this software to
seamlessly program multiple-mainframe configurations and have software
compatibility across a variety of controller platforms.

NI-VISA has a comprehensive library of software routines not only for
VXI/VME programming, but also for GPIB, GPIB-VXI, PXI, TCP/IP, and
Serial. You can use this software to program instruments connected through
different types of interfaces.

Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) helps you view your
entire test and measurement system and configure various components,
whether they are VXI, GPIB, PXI, or Serial devices. You can also add
VME devices to your system easily with MAX and view them on a screen
display along with the rest of your system. MAX also features various
options for running the Resource Manager, Resman. You can still execute
Resman independently to configure your instruments after a power cycle.
But you can also perform resource manager operations directly from MAX
or configure it to run Resman automatically at startup.

The NI Spy utility tracks the calls your application makes to National
Instruments drivers, including NI-VXI, NI-VISA, and NI-488.2. NI Spy
helps you debug your application by clearly highlighting the functions that
return errors. You can let NI Spy keep a log of your program’s calls to these
drivers so that you can check them for errors at your convenience.

National Instruments Application Software

In addition to the NI-VISA/NI-VXI software, you can use the National
Instruments LabVIEW, Measurement Studio, and LabWindows
application programs and instrument drivers to ease your programming
task. These standardized programs match the modular virtual instrument
capability of VXI and can reduce your VXI/VME software development
time. These programs are fully VXIplug&play compliant and feature

VXI-USB User Manual 1-4 ni.com

™

/CVI™

Chapter 1 Introduction

extensive libraries of VXI instrument drivers written to take full advantage
of direct VXI control. LabVIEW, Measurement Studio, and
LabWindows/CVI include all the tools needed for instrument control, data
acquisition, analysis, and presentation.

LabVIEW is an easy-to-use, graphical programming environment you can
use to acquire data from thousands of different instruments, including
IEEE 488.2 devices, VXI devices, serial devices, PLCs, and plug-in data
acquisition boards. After you have acquired raw data, you can convert it
into meaningful results using the powerful data analysis routines in
LabVIEW. LabVIEW also comes with hundreds of instrument drivers,
which dramatically reduce software development time, because you do not
need to spend time programming the low-level control of each instrument.

Measurement Studio allows you to choose from standard environments
such as Microsoft Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Visual Studio .NET to
create your application, using tools specific for each language. With
Measurement Studio, you can write programs quickly and easily and
modify them as your needs change.

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.

To use any of these application programs, install them before installing the
NI-VISA/NI-VXI software. LabVIEW, Measurement Studio, and
LabWindows/CVI integrate the VXI and VISA libraries required to support
your VXI-USB. You also get hundreds of complete instrument drivers,
which are modular, source-code programs that handle the communication
with your instrument to speed your application development.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-5 VXI-USB User Manual

Installation and Configuration

This chapter explains how to set up your test system.

Installing the Software

Use the Setup program that came with your NI-VXI/NI-VISA software to
install the entire software package or a software update, or to reinstall
software in the event that your files were accidentally erased. Some of the
utilities rely on the LabWindows/CVI Run-Time Engine. This software is
installed, if necessary, during the NI-VXI/NI-VISA installation.

Depending on the type of installation you choose, you may need up to
50 MB of free space on your hard drive to accommodate the NI-VXI and
NI-VISA software.

To be compliant with VXIplug&play specifications, a VXI controller must
provide the VISA I/O driver library standardized by VXIplug&play. VISA
ensures that your controller can run all VXIplug&play-compatible software
now and in the future.

2

The NI-VISA software in this kit is compatible with the WINNT/GWINNT
framework. With NI-VISA installed on your computer, you can run any
VXIplug&play software that is compatible with this framework. This
includes instrument drivers and executable soft front panel software
included with VXIplug&play-compatible instruments from a variety of
vendors.

Installing the NI-VXI and NI-VISA Software

This section describes how to install the NI-VXI and NI-VISA software.

Carefully read these directions along with any messages on the screen
before making your selections. You can quit the Setup program at any time
by clicking the Cancel button.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-1 VXI-USB User Manual

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

Caution To keep the manufacturer/model name tables or the VME device configuration

from a previous installation, be sure to back them up before starting Setup. They are in the

TBL subdirectory of your NI-VXI directory, usually Program Files\National

Instruments\VXI

.

Setup is an interactive, self-guiding program that installs the NI-VXI and
NI-VISA software and configures your system to use the software with the
VXI-USB. Complete the following steps to perform the installation:

1. For the CD, select Start»Run and enter the following text, where
your CD drive (usually D):

X:\setup.exe

Press <Enter>. Typically, this setup program runs automatically when
you insert the CD.

2. Click the Next button at the Welcome screen to start the installation
and accept the license agreement.

Note If you have a previous version of the NI-VXI software installed, Setup installs the

new version over the previous version.

3. Select the type of installation from the Installation Options screen.

• Typical setup installs runtime support and NI-VISA development

• Complete setup installs everything including NI-VXI API

• Custom setup gives you more control over which driver

4. Click the Next button. Confirm that you are ready to install and click
Next again to begin the installation.

5. Setup now copies the necessary files to your hard drive and creates
program icons.

X is

support.

development support. For more information about the NI-VXI
API, refer to Chapter 3, Developing Your Application.

components you want installed on your system. This option is
recommended for advanced users.

Completing the Software Installation

Review the information in any README files that Setup prompts you to
read.

When the installation process completes, reboot the system for the changes
to take effect. If you backed up the manufacturer and model name files,

VXI-USB User Manual 2-2 ni.com

restore them to the TBL subdirectory of your NI-VXI directory before
running MAX.

Note If you save and restore the TBL files from an older version of NI-VXI, the software

will use TBL files that do not have the latest updates from National Instruments and may
not include recent hardware releases. If you added additional manufacturer or model names
to your TBL files, we recommend merging those changes with the latest updates included
with this version of NI-VXI, so that all your devices are properly identified.

Configuring the Hardware (Optional)

This section contains basic information about configuring your VXI-USB
hardware. Because the default settings for your VXI-USB hardware are
acceptable for most typical applications, this section is optional.

Refer to Appendix B, Default Settings, for a complete listing of the
hardware and software default settings.

Use Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) to change any
VXI-USB configuration settings. You can also use MAX to check for
software updates, including updates that may be available for the VXI-USB
firmware. Figure 2-1 shows the firmware update panel.

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

Figure 2-1. VXI-USB Firmware Update Panel

© National Instruments Corporation 2-3 VXI-USB User Manual

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

For information about the software, including optional settings, use MAX
and its online help. Use the Windows Start menu to open the program
group for National Instruments, launch MAX, and select Help»Help
Topics.

Installing the Hardware

This section summarizes how to install your VXI-USB hardware. Your kit
contains a VXI-USB interface module.

Caution To guard against electrostatic discharge, touch the antistatic plastic packages to a

metal part of your computer or chassis before removing the boards from their packages.
Your computer or chassis should be plugged in but powered off.

Figure 2-2 shows a system that includes a USB 2.0-equipped computer, a
VXI-USB, and USB devices.

2

3

1

N

A

IN

T

I

S

O

T

N

R

A

UM

L

E

N

TS

®

5

b
us

4

1 External Computer
2 Connections to Other USB Devices

4 VXI-USB in Slot 0
5 USB Cables

3 VXI Mainframe

Figure 2-2. USB System

VXI-USB User Manual 2-4 ni.com

Installing Your VXI-USB Interface Module

All kits contain a VXI-USB interface module.

To install the VXI-USB in Slot 0 of your VXI chassis, complete the
following steps:

1. Power off the chassis.

2. Verify that the backplane connector is intact and that there are no bent
or missing pins on the module.

3. Insert the VXI-USB into the chassis in Slot 0, as shown in Figure 2-2.

4. Power on the chassis.

The VXI system controllers operate certain VXI lines as required for VXI
systems. Verify that any other VXI devices with system controller
capability that are in the same chassis are not configured as system
controller.

Caution Having more than one device configured as system controller can damage the

VXI system.

For VXI systems that include VME devices, ensure that the VME devices
are not configured in the upper 16 KB (starting from 0xC000) of the A16
address space. This region is reserved for VXI device configuration
registers, which are used for initializing, configuring, and interacting with
VXI devices. The VXI-USB also uses this region for this purpose.

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

Note Also ensure that no VXI devices in your system are configured for logical address 0.

This is the VXI-USB logical address, which you cannot change.

Connecting Cables

Connect the USB cable to a USB connection in your host PC and to the
VXI-USB, as shown in Figure 2-2. You can use any available USB port on
the PC for each device. The VXI-USB has two external ports for devices.
You can connect any other USB devices to any available port on a
VXI-USB, but for best performance, minimize the number of USB
devices/hubs in the system. Adding to the number of devices in the tree
degrades system performance.

Note Your VXI-USB controller is a Hi-Speed USB device, which means it performs much

faster when connected to a Hi-Speed USB port as described in the USB 2.0 specification.
USB 2.0 ports are often integrated on the motherboard of current computers. National
Instruments recommends using an integrated USB 2.0 port, if available, for optimal

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Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration

performance. Plug-in boards with USB 2.0 ports are also supported but may not provide
the highest performance. Full-speed (USB 1.x) ports are supported as well, but provide
much lower performance. The LINK light (refer to Chapter 1, Introduction) on the front
panel of your VXI-USB controller indicates your connection speed.

Software Configuration and Verification

To configure the software and verify the configuration, follow these steps:

1. Run MAX. You must run the Resource Manager (Resman) every time
the chassis or computer power is cycled, so that your application can
access devices in the VXI chassis. You can also configure MAX to run
Resman automatically at every computer startup by selecting
Tools»NI-VXI»VXI Options and selecting the appropriate checkbox.

2. You can also use MAX to interactively configure the National
Instruments hardware in your system. Use the right-click help for
information about the various configuration options. After you finish
configuring the system through MAX, verify the configuration
through the interactive control utility, VISAIC (Start»Programs»
National Instruments»VISA»VISA Interactive Control), as
described in Chapter 3, Developing Your Application.

Note If you are using extenders such as MXI-2 to create a multichassis system, you may

need to run Resman before configuring some of your devices. Also, if you are using
multiple VXI-USB controllers to create a multisystem configuration, you configure each
system separately.

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