NEW SWITCHING HARDWARE & SOFTWARE SIMPLIFY AUTOMATED TEST SETUP & TROUBLESHOOTING

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NEW SWITCHING HARDWARE & SOFTWARE SIMPLIFY AUTOMATED TEST SETUP & TROUBLESHOOTING
10 May 2005 - National Instruments Corporation (UK)

Automated test engineers now can significantly reduce switch system hardware setup time with the new National Instruments USB switch mainframes, which introduce plug-and-play switch control to the SCXI platform. With the release of the mainframes as well as the new NI USB-1359 communication adapter and NI-SWITCH Soft Front Panel software, National Instruments delivers a low-cost, plug-and-play solution for implementing high-channel-count switching systems.

Engineers can use the new NI USB mainframes to take advantage of the high-performance, industry-standard USB port found on most PCs to instantly control any SCXI switch. The four-slot USB switch mainframe includes an NI SCXI-1000 chassis, a USB adapter and a high-voltage analog backplane. For higher-channel-count applications, automated test engineers can take advantage of the 12-slot USB switch mainframe, which includes an NI SCXI-1001 chassis, a USB adapter and a HVAB. With the HVAB, engineers can route signals between switch modules for matrix or multiplexer expansion, eliminating the need for external wiring between the modules.

The new NI USB-1359 communication adapter gives engineers the ability to quickly set up new switch systems or add USB functionality to their existing systems. With the easy-to-use, plug-and-play communication adapter, engineers can control an entire chassis of SCXI switch modules from any USB port, such as a laptop or desktop computer, an embedded controller or a USB hub. Using this functionality, engineers now can develop portable switching systems for applications such as remote data logging and man-portable field service systems.

The new NI-SWITCH Soft Front Panel software offers an interactive, graphical environment for troubleshooting, debugging or simplifying relay operations. With the new software, engineers can begin closing relays in their automated test applications in seconds. The software also provides an intuitive interface for easily viewing open and closed relays during application execution and clicking on specific relays for interactive troubleshooting and predictive maintenance.

National Instruments delivers a complete line of modular switch hardware based on PXI and SCXI with more than 100 configurations for automated test, data acquisition and control systems. Engineers can manage and maintain their switching systems with NI Switch Executive and NI TestStand from validation to manufacturing test. Each of these new products works with the entire suite of NI modular instruments, and engineers can use NI LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI and other common development environments to control their automated test and switching applications.

http://www.ni.com

About: National Instruments Corporation (UK)
National Instruments is a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation – a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists in industry, government and academia approach measurement and automation. Utilising the PC and its related technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs through easy-to-integrate software, such as the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment, and modular hardware, such as PXI modules for data acquisition, instrument control and machine vision. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 3,100 employees and direct operations in 41 countries. In 2003, the company sold products to more than 25,000 companies in 90 countries. For the past five years, FORTUNE magazine named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.

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