National Instruments PXI-8170 Series - Manual (Page 13)

© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 PXI-8170 Series User Manual
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Introduction
This chapter describes the PXI-8170 Series of embedded PXI computers,
what you need to get started, optional equipment and software, and gives
an overview of the directory structure on your hard drive.
Overview
The PXI-8170 Series controller is a 3U PXI/CompactPCI embedded
computer based on the Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) bus
and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA). The computer is a
high-performance, easy-to-use platform for controlling PCI systems,
featuring complete PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI) functionality
through interactive utilities and C function calls
Figure 1-1 shows a PXI-8170 module. Refer to Appendix E, Front Panel
and Connectors , to determine the purpose for each connector on the
module.
The PXI-8170 is a custom computer that you install directly in the system
controller slot of your PXI mainframe. An embedded computer can take
full advantage of the PXI high-performance backplane capabilities.
The PXI-8170 is compatible with PC-compatible software tools, the
National Instruments LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI application
software, and the NI-VISA, NI-488.2M, and NI-DAQ software.