Module offers remote control for PXI systems with Thunderbolt 3

Engineers can use the second port to daisy chain additional Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C devices.

With its modern connectivity and low price point, the PXIe-8301 makes high-performance control of PXI systems more accessible and affordable to engineers performing benchtop characterization and validation or developing portable automated test systems. 

“The PXI platform has seen strong adoption with vendors and customers over the past 20 years in a broad set of applications,” said Mark Wetzel, distinguished engineer at NI and technical chair of PXI Systems Alliance. “The introduction of a remote control module using Thunderbolt 3 demonstrates the continued ability of the PXI platform to incorporate the latest commercial technologies and further its reach into high-performance, low-cost and ultraportable applications.”  

The PXIe-8301 extends NI’s portfolio for low-cost PXI control, which includes the recently released embedded PXI Controller, the PXIe-8821.

The PXIe-8821 is optimised for test and measurement applications, featuring a 2.6GHz Intel Core i3-4110E dual-core processor and providing up to 2GB/s system bandwidth.

With their industrial ratings, small physical footprint and managed life cycles, embedded controllers are ideal for long-life PXI deployments into harsh operating environments. 

Remote control modules and embedded controllers are an important part of the NI platform and ecosystem that engineers can use to build smarter test systems.

These test systems benefit from more than 600 PXI products ranging from DC to mmWave and feature high-throughput data movement using PCI Express bus interfaces and sub-nanosecond synchronisation with integrated timing and triggering.