
NI cDAQ-9172 User Guide and Specifications 28 ni.com
Static DIOEach of the DIO lines can be used as a static DI or DO line. You can use 
static DIO lines to monitor or control digital signals on some C Series I/O 
modules. Each DIO line can be individually configured as a digital input 
(DI) or digital output (DO), depending on the C Series I/O module being 
used.
All samples of static DI lines and updates of static DO lines are 
software-timed.
Digital Waveform Acquisition (Correlated Input)You can acquire digital waveforms using correlated digital modules in 
slots 1 through 4. The DI waveform acquisition FIFO stores the digital 
samples. The NI cDAQ-9172 chassis samples the DIO lines on each rising 
or falling edge of the di/SampleClock signal.
DI Sample Clock SignalUse the DI Sample Clock (di/SampleClock) signal to sample digital I/O on 
slots 1 through 4, using correlated digital modules, and store the result in 
the DI waveform acquisition FIFO. The NI cDAQ-9172 chassis does not 
have an independent DI Sample Clock circuit. Therefore, you must route 
an external signal or one of many internal signals from another subsystem 
to function as the DI Sample Clock. For example, you can correlate digital 
and analog samples in time by setting the AI Sample Clock or AO Sample 
Clock as the source of the DI Sample Clock. To sample a digital signal 
independent of an AI, AO, or DO operation, you can configure a counter 
to generate the desired DI Sample Clock or use an external signal as the 
source of the DI Sample Clock.
If the NI cDAQ-9172 chassis receives a di/SampleClock signal when the 
FIFO is full, it reports an overflow error to the host software.
5Yes Yes Yes —
6Yes Yes Yes —
7Yes — — —
8Yes — — —
1 Requires the use of a correlated digital I/O module.
Table 3.  Digital Module Slot Features (Continued)
Slots Static DIO PFI1Counter/Timer1
Digital 
Waveform/Change 
Detection1