PXI[e]-8115 Compatibility with RTOS and DAQmx

[sendust7]

Hello,

I am running Win 7 Pro x64 and I just installed NI DAQmx version 9.2.3 which I thought supported the PXI[e]-8115 controller. However a rigorous search in C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\ for the string "8115" returned nothing. I also looked under Program Files and Program Data. Same result.

First question: Which DAQmx versions support the PXI[e]-8115 controller?

Here is why I ask: The NI System Driver Set February 2012 added support for PXI-8115: http://www.ni.com/white-paper/13818/en/ (which I assume also applies to PXIe-8115). But this set includes DAQmx 9.5 and, according to the DAQmx 9.5 Readme:

"NI-DAQmx 9.2 is the last release that includes full feature support for Visual C++ MFC 2005 and 2008."

Since I am running Visual C++ 2008, I am concerned that using DAQmx 9.5 would result in some level of degradation.

Second question: According to the table shown here:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/35F1FD98520D6E0E8625783A005AF557

the PXI[e]-8115 runs Phar Lap ETS whose latest version is equivalent to NI ETS 2009. Considering this, are NI ETS 201x and Phar Lap ETS 201x also equivalent, or does the table entry for PXI[e]-8115 say that the 8115 will not run any versions of NI ETS beyond 2009?

Thanks.

[SkyWalka]

The version of DAQmx shouldn't be dependent on the controller.  The version of PXI Platform Services is the driver that offers compatibility with certain controllers.  In this case, the most recent version of PXI Platform Services offers support for the PXIe 8115 (http://www.ni.com/download/pxi-platform-services-14.0/4897/en/).  Knowing this, we'll be able to put an DAQmx 9.2.3 on the device (this compability depends on the OS running on the controller). 

You mentioned you're running Windows 7 on your 8115.  In this case, the KB you referred to about Phar Lap doesn't apply because your controller doesn't have a Real-Time OS installed.

[sendust7]

Actually I have Win 7 installed on my development machine, not the 8115.

My understanding based on the following NI table is that the PXI[e]-8115 controller runs Phar Lap ETS, which I assume is version 13.1 or earlier:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/35F1FD98520D6E0E8625783A005AF557

Is this correct?

If the 8115 cannot run a hard RTOS, I will need to find a different controller, different chassis or different vendor.

I hope to use the 8115 system either to interface with --- or to be a standalone replacement for --- a complex embedded real-time avionics simulator with 1553, ARINC-429, digital and analog I/O and GPS.

Thanks,

sendust7

[SkyWalka]

Correct, the 8115 will run a versioin of Phar Lap.  As mentioned in the article, the OS you can install on the target depends on which version of the Real-Time module you have installed on your host machine.  If you have Real-Time 13, then your 8115 will be running NI ETS 2013.

[sendust7]

In that case I think NI can eliminate some confusion if they update the first table (RTOS vs. Controller Series):

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/35F1FD98520D6E0E8625783A005AF557

to include NI ETS as well as Phar Lap ETS for appropriate controllers. This would say that all controllers running Phar Lap are not restricted to legacy versions (13.1 and earlier) but could also run NI ETS 20xx, especially since the two RTOS are divergent:

http://forums.ni.com/t5/Real-Time-Measurement-and/Pharlap-vs-VxWorks-Advantages-Disadvantages/td-p/9...

Back to drivers... From this: http://download.ni.com/support/softlib//multifunction_daq/nidaqmx/9.2.3/readme.html

it appears that DAQmx 9.2.3 supports LabVIEW Real-Time 2009 and later.

Summarizing, here is the configuration I am looking at: Win 7 x64 dev machine running LabVIEW RT 2009 and DAQmx 9.2.3 and PXIe-8115 controller running NI ETS 2009.

Is PXI Platform Services 14.0 compatible here, or would I need to go with a legacy version?

I noticed from this link: http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/F0C087D7B88DDECB8625766400596A62

that Platform Services 14.x is not (yet) shown.

Thanks,

sendust7

[SkyWalka]

You are correct, PXI 14.0 isn't going to support LV RT 2009.  If you're working with 2009 SP1, then PXI Platform Services 3.2.2 would be best.