National Instruments DMM & scopes,viable alternative to Keysight? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: fonograph
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2017, 08:54:24 am
content: I am considering buying PXIe 7.5 digit dmm and 14bit 1 Gs/s scope from National Instruments.They dont have display,they only work with pc,like a usb scopes.1. Does anybody have experience with NI dmms and scopes?2. How is the software that enables you to use them through pc called?3. Is that software good? Does it have all the functionality of proper bench scope and dmm? ( hi res mode,fft,trendchart,triggers,math functions etc )4. Can you please post screenshots of the PC screen when using the scope or dmm?There is very little info and videos ,pictures,I dont know how it looks,I dont know what it can do.NI makes whole bunch of software,I dont want to program anything,I dont want to run the instruments in rack for testing things in production line with custom scripts,all I want is to hook it up to PC and use it like normal bench meter or scope,with only difference that I will use mouse and PC monitor instead of knobs and build in display,like a analog discovery or picoscope.I am not sure if it is viable alternative to your typical bench setup,like keysight 3000X scope and 34470 dmm for example.Dave made review of the NI all in one bench student usb thing,and while it was bug free,it missed many important things like hi res mode for scope,or trendchart for dmm.But that was student product,NI makes much more expensive professional instruments,and I think it uses different software than that student thing,so I expect more capable,fully featured software that rivals bench scopes from keysight,the key word is expect,I dont know anything about it,tell me how it is.

author: HalFET
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2017, 03:15:52 pm
content: While I haven't used the PXIe modules yet, but I have used the sampling cards and some other hardware of theirs. Overall the installation goes very smoothly, the hardware is very well built, but I have yet to see any real pre-made UI that's usable. (Granted, I might have not bothered to look for it)

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2017, 05:33:51 pm
content: I strongly doubt these modules will work as well as a real oscilloscope and DMM. AFAIK these are more geared towards data acquisition.

author: adranp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2017, 05:39:35 pm
content: NI PXIe cards are comparable with high-end stuff. The hardware is very well built and rivals with high-end stand-alone dmm's.The power of the NI PXIe platforms is inside Labview. This allows to program whatever data-flow is needed and do whatever you need with that data. From acquisition to processing and display, labview enables you to do almost anything. But this requires programming in labview.NI offers also some quick tools for some cards they provide in your case NI-DMM or NI-SCOPE.Screen capture can be seen here:http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/12679If you need a comparison between pxie platform tools and keysight desktop stuff, you can imagine that for keysight you need a computer to connect to the device and use BenchVue for example. NI doesn't have the display but gives you the basic interfaces on computer plus Labview which allows you to expand to whatever level of complexity is required.NI PXIe platform is not cheap but is comparable with Keysight AXIe platform not with desktop stuff. These are higher grade tools than desktop stuff.:nctnico - They are geared towards data acquisition but they provide the basic features as well through the upper software tools (these tools won't require any programming).Hope it helps.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2017, 05:41:22 pm
content: Quote from: fonograph on November 16, 2017, 08:54:24 amI have used some of their hardware in the past and continue to use one of their GPIB controllers but nothing new.QuoteI use LabVIEW.QuoteGood? I guess like any language there are pros and cons. Yes, the libraries are fairly feature rich.QuoteLike writing any program, it's really up to the person individual to design the GUI. The first video shows LabVIEW talking to my Signal Hound and sniffing an Extech EX540 multimeter. The second video, I am using LabVIEW to talk with an oscilloscope and attempting to measure AC power with it.https://youtu.be/Mkec-Eyhg7chttps://youtu.be/04I7nHA_HxM

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2017, 08:30:07 pm
content: http://www.ni.com/en-ca/support/model.pxi-4071.html6k for the PXI card alone, I would ask sales to send out a loaner unit or offer a 30 day trial, if you have this much cash to throw around.QuoteBut it doesn't sound like the right tool for you at all..

author: HalFET
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2017, 08:54:08 pm
content: Yeah, the picotech ones are easier to run out-of-the-box I think:https://www.picotech.com/products/oscilloscope(Also way cheaper)

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 17, 2017, 11:53:45 am
content: Definitely excellent quality tools but they’re not meant to serve the same purpose as benchtop gear.As such, you will find that the controller (and software) and rack alone cost as much or more as high end benchtop equivalent and with a huge usability trade-off.Of course, if you find rack, controller and plugins cheap on the used market it’s very interesting and maybe also worth the experience. But if you want to use it instead of a hand held dmm or everyday scope I’d say look for something else.

author: fonograph
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2017, 10:40:47 am
content: Quote from: Neganur on November 17, 2017, 11:53:45 amWhat usability tradeoffs do you mean? Be more specific.I am not aware of anything that NI pxie instruments cant do.

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 18, 2017, 11:21:56 am
content: Dictionary definition: “the quality or state of being usable :ease of use”It not about what they can and can’t do, there is no physical user interface (knobs). As a consequence, everything has to be set up in software before you can do the measurement and in my opinion it is not as easy as pushing the power button on a dmm and selecting resistance.Let’s take regular Keysight bench equipment as example. Here you can set things up physically but you can also connect it to a PC and program it.PXIe gear is meant to be controlled only by software. In return its size is minimized, typically stuffed into a rack to do automatized tasks for e.g. production or wherever ‘headless’ operation is needed. It is typically set up to do a set of tasks or cycles of tasks unattended.