©NationalInstruments Corporation 1-1 NI5911 User Manual
1
Taking Measurementswith the NI 5911Thankyou for buying a National Instruments (NI) 5911digitizer, featuring
the FLEX ADC. This chapter provides information on installing,
connecting signals to, and acquiring data from your NI 5911.
Installing the NI 5911
There are two main steps involved in installation:
1. Install the NI-SCOPE driversoftware. You use this driver to write
programsto control your NI 5911 in different application development
environments(ADEs). Installing N I-SCOPE also allowsy ou to
interactivelycontrol your NI 5911 with the Scope Soft Front Panel.
2. Install your NI 5911. For step-by-step instructions for installing
NI-SCOPEand the NI 5911, see Where to Start with Your NI Di gitizer.
For multiple-board considerations, see the Operating Environment section
in Appendix A, Specifications, of this manual.
Connecting Signals
Figure 1-1 shows the front panel for the NI 5911. The front panel contains
threeconnectors—a BNC connector, an SMB connector, and a 9-pin mini
circularD IN connector (see Figure 1-2).
The BNC connectoris for attaching the analog input signal you wish to
measure.The BNC connector is analog input channel 0. To minimize noise,
donot allow the shell of the BNC cable to touch or lie near the metal ofthe
computerchassis. The SMB connector is for external triggers and for
generating a probe compensation signal. The SMB connector is PFI1.
The DIN connector givesyou access to an additional external trigger line.
The DIN connectorcan be used to access PFI2.
Note The +5 V signal is fused at 1.1 A. However,NI recommends limiting the current
from this pin to 30 mA. The fuse is self-resetting.