Labview compatible 2-channel function generator board?

[DonRoth]

I am potentially looking to purchase a function generator card with the following characteristics:

1) 2-channels
2) 5 MHz bandwith
3) pci bus
4) has SDK for LabVIEW
5) reasonable?! price

Any suggestions are appreciated. Have not had much success looking on the web.

Sincerely,

Don

[Sonya W.]

Hello,

I would recommend looking at the NI 5411 (arbitrary waveform generator) and the NI 5401 (function generator). Both of these signal generators are available for the PCI bus, in addition to PXI. They both offer a bandwidth of 16 MHz. They both also include an SDK for LabVIEW (the NI-FGEN driver -- a free download from our web site). The NI-FGEN driver includes LabVIEW VIs, example programs, documentation, and a Soft Front Panel that allows you to interact with the signal generator directly without per
forming any programming.

Both of these signal generators offer one output channel. Our only two-channel function generator, the PXI-5404, is only offered for PXI.

For additional information on these signal generators, please see the link below and call 1-800-433-3488 to speak with a technical sales representative.

Arbitrary Waveform and Function Generators

I hope this helps!

Regards,

Sonya W.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[DonRoth]

Well, as you stated, and as I posted originally, I need two channels. I might be able to look into using 2 cards. If I use the NI cards, I won't need the SDK because I would expect being an experienced LabVIEW programmer, I would be able to write the code to control these.

Sincerely,

Don

[Sonya W.]

Hello Don,

Yes, you are correct that you would need to use two PCI signal generators in order to have two channels.

To clarify what I said earlier, the NI-FGEN driver includes the LabVIEW VIs you would use to program your NI signal generator(s) in LabVIEW. Once you download the NI-FGEN driver from our web site, these VIs will automatically be placed in your Functions palette (Functions >> Instrument I/O >> Instrument Drivers >> NI-FGEN). As an experienced LabVIEW programmer, it will be easy for you to program your application using these VIs. In addition, there are several NI-FGEN shipping examples which you can use as a starting point and then customize them for your own application.

If you are curious, you could download the driver b
efore you have the hardware in order to see the NI-FGEN VIs and example programs. You would also be able to try out the NI-FGEN Soft Front Panel in simulation mode before you have the actual hardware installed.

Regards,

Sonya W.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[DonRoth]

Good idea to make a simulator (I do this now for all my apps also so that I can write the software without hardware). I will download the NI-FGEN and take a look.

As I am understanding the specifications of this project better, For one of the channels, I only need to generate 1KHz sinewave with 5Vpp max amplitude. Would it be possible to do this with one of your general purpose DAQ cards (by first digitally synthesizing the sine wave in LabVIEW, converting to analog, and then sending out thru analog out of the general purpose DAQ card)? If so, which one would you recommend that is the lowest price and can meet this spec?

Thanks,

Don

[Sonya W.]

Function generators are recommended for high frequency signal generation, frequency sweep and hopping (no glitches), multiple trigger modes, and spectrally pure signal generation. However, for this application it seems that you do not need these features and that an E Series or Analog Output device might fit best for your application.

I can recommend a couple different devices for you to look at. You might want to compare the output resolution of the devices, along with any other functionality you may use in the future. When looking at the maximum update rate of the device, it is important to keep in mind that in order to generate a 1 kHz sinewave you will need at least an update rate of 10 kHz (if you have 10 points repres
enting one cycle of your sine wave).

The PCI-6014 is our most basic multifunction DAQ board which might just meet your requirements. It has a maximum update rate of 10 kS/s which can only be acheived if the device is not being used for an analog input or counter operation at the same time.

If you would like a faster update rate, I would recommend looking at our non-static analog output devices (such as the PCI-6711 with a 1 MS/s) and E Series devices (such as the PCI-6030E with a 100 kS/s update rate).

I hope this helps!

Regards,

Sonya W.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[DonRoth]

I think the PCI-6014 would do fine for the one channel. The other channel will require what I originally speced out (minimum 5 MHz) so that is why I think one 5401 or 5411 plus the 6014 will do the trick.

Thanks for your help.

Sincerely,

Don