
Chapter 2 Hardware Overview ofthe NI 781xR
© National Instruments Corporation 2-3 NI 781xR User Manual
Caution Exceeding the maximum input voltage ratings listed in TableB-2, NI 781x R I/O 
Signal Summary, can damage the NI 781xR and the computer. NIis not liable for any 
damage resulting from such signal connections.
Caution Do not short the DIO lines of the NI781xR directly to power or to ground. Doin g 
so can damage the NI781xR by causing excessive current to flow through the DIO lines.
You can connect multiple NI781xR digital output lines in parallel to 
provide higher current sourcing or sinking capability. If you connect 
multiple digital output lines in parallel, your application must drive all of 
these lines simultaneously to the same value. If you connect digital lines 
together and drive them to different values, excessive current can flow 
through the DIO lines and damage the NI 781xR. Refer to Appendix A, 
Specifications, for more information about DIO specifications. Figure 2-2 
shows signal connections for three typical DIO applications.
Figure 2-2.  Example Digital I/O Connections
*3.3 V CMOS
 †Use a pull-up resistor when driving 5 V CMOS devices
LED
TTL, LVTTL, CMOS, or LVCMOS Signal
+5 V
Switch
I/O Connector
DGND
NI 781xR
DIO<0..3>
DIO<4..7>
+5 V
5 V CMOS†
TTL or 
LVCMOS* 
Compatible
Devices
DGND