Page 3 - Important Information; Warranty; Copyright
Important Information Warranty The NI 5401 is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective ...
Page 4 - Conventions; bold
Conventions The following conventions are used in this manual: » The » symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options to a final action. The sequence File»Page Setup»Options directs you to pull down the File menu, select the Page Setup item, and select Options from the last dialog...
Page 5 - Contents
© National Instruments Corporation v NI 5401 User Manual Contents Chapter 1Generating Functions with the NI 5401 About Your NI 5401 ...................................................................................................... 1-1Connecting Signals ..............................................
Page 6 - Glossary
Contents NI 5401 User Manual vi www.natinst.com SYNC Output and Duty Cycle ........................................................................ 2-9Output Attenuation.......................................................................................... 2-9Output Impedance .......................
Page 7 - Table
Contents © National Instruments Corporation vii NI 5401 User Manual Figure 2-1. NI 5401 Block Diagram ........................................................................ 2-1 Figure 2-2. Waveform Data Path Block Diagram.................................................... 2-2 Figure 2-3. DDS Buil...
Page 9 - Connecting Signals
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 NI 5401 User Manual 1-2 www.natinst.com Connecting Signals Figure 1-1 shows the front panels for the NI 5401 for the PXI and PCI buses. The front panel contains three types of connectors: BNC, SMB, and 50-pin very high-density SCSI (VHDSCSI). The main ...
Page 10 - ARB Connector; SYNC Connector
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 © National Instruments Corporation 1-3 NI 5401 User Manual ARB Connector The ARB connector provides the waveform output. The maximum output levels on this connector depend on the type of load termination. If the output of your NI 5401 terminates into a...
Page 11 - PLL Ref Connector
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 NI 5401 User Manual 1-4 www.natinst.com sine wave being generated and t w is the pulse width of the SYNC output. The duty cycle is (t w /t p ) × 100%. Figure 1-3. SYNC Output and Duty Cycle For your NI 5401 for PCI, you can route the SYNC output to the...
Page 12 - Connector Pin Assignments
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 © National Instruments Corporation 1-5 NI 5401 User Manual Pattern Out Connector (PCI Only) This connector is used on the NI 5401 for PCI to supply the external trigger input to the board. Connector Pin Assignments Figure 1-4 shows the NI 5401 50-pin d...
Page 13 - Signal Descriptions; Signal Name
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 NI 5401 User Manual 1-6 www.natinst.com Signal Descriptions Table 1-1 shows the pin names and signal descriptions used on the NI 5401 digital output connector. SHC50-68 50-Pin Cable Connector You can use an optional SHC50-68 50-pin to 68-pin cable for ...
Page 15 - Software Options for Your NI 5401; Software Included with Your NI 5401; VirtualBench
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 NI 5401 User Manual 1-8 www.natinst.com Software Options for Your NI 5401 This section describes the NI-FGEN driver software and development tools that you can use to create application software for your NI 5401. Software Included with Your NI 5401 You...
Page 16 - Waveform Editor; NI-FGEN Instrument Driver; Additional National Instruments Development Tools
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 © National Instruments Corporation 1-9 NI 5401 User Manual Waveform Editor You use the Waveform Editor to create, sketch, and edit complex waveforms that the VirtualBench-FG player can then generate. A library of standard waveforms for creating complex...
Page 18 - Using the Soft Front Panels to Generate Waveforms; Generating Standard Functions
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 © National Instruments Corporation 1-11 NI 5401 User Manual Using the Soft Front Panels to Generate Waveforms You use the VirtualBench soft front panels to interactively control your NI 5401 as you would a desktop function generator. Generating Standar...
Page 20 - Click the On button to generate the waveform.; Generating Multiple Frequencies in a Sequence
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 © National Instruments Corporation 1-13 NI 5401 User Manual You can also load a custom waveform pattern with VirtualBench-FG. This waveform should be a text file and should contain exactly 16,384 samples. If the defined waveform does not contain exactl...
Page 21 - Save the sequence by selecting File»Save.
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 NI 5401 User Manual 1-14 www.natinst.com them using the VirtualBench-FG Frequency List Editor. Follow these steps to create a list of multiple frequencies: 1. Select Window»Frequency List Editor from the VirtualBench-FG soft front panel to bring up the...
Page 23 - Power-Up and Reset Conditions
Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401 NI 5401 User Manual 1-16 www.natinst.com Power-Up and Reset Conditions When you power up your computer, the NI 5401 is in the following state: • The output is disabled and set to 0 V. • The trigger mode is set to continuous. • The trigger source is set...
Page 25 - Generating Waveforms
Chapter 2 Function Generator Operation NI 5401 User Manual 2-2 www.natinst.com The NI 5401 has several main components: • A PXI or PCI bus interface that handles Plug and Play protocols for assigning resources to the device and providing drivers for the data and address bus that are local to the dev...
Page 27 - Frequency Hopping and Sweeping; Triggering; Trigger Sources
Chapter 2 Function Generator Operation NI 5401 User Manual 2-4 www.natinst.com Each stage is made up of two instructions: the frequency, which specifies the frequency of the waveform to be generated, and the time, which specifies the time for which the frequency is to be generated. Note You cannot s...
Page 28 - Modes of Operation
Chapter 2 Function Generator Operation © National Instruments Corporation 2-5 NI 5401 User Manual Figure 2-4. Waveform Generation Trigger Sources If you need to automatically trigger the waveform generation, use software to generate the triggers. A rising TTL edge is required for external triggering...
Page 30 - Analog Output
Chapter 2 Function Generator Operation © National Instruments Corporation 2-7 NI 5401 User Manual Stepped Trigger Mode After a start trigger is received, the waveform defined by the first stage is generated. Then, the device waits for the next trigger signal. On the next trigger, the waveform descri...
Page 32 - Output Attenuation
Chapter 2 Function Generator Operation © National Instruments Corporation 2-9 NI 5401 User Manual SYNC Output and Duty Cycle The SYNC output is a TTL version of the sine waveform generated at the output. The signal from the pre-amplifier is sent to a comparator, where it is compared against a level ...
Page 33 - Output Impedance; Output Enable
Chapter 2 Function Generator Operation NI 5401 User Manual 2-10 www.natinst.com NI-FGEN calculates the value of the output attenuation chain, which you can control by changing the peak-to-peak amplitude parameter. 0 dB attenuation corresponds to an amplitude of 10 V pk-pk . The maximum attenuation o...
Page 34 - Pre-Attenuation Offset; Phase-Locked Loops and Board Synchronization
Chapter 2 Function Generator Operation © National Instruments Corporation 2-11 NI 5401 User Manual Pre-Attenuation Offset The NI 5401 hardware supports a DC offset of up to ±2.5 V before the attenuation chain. Unless the 10 dB attenuator is switched in, which occurs when the amplitude is less then 3...
Page 38 - Calibration
Chapter 2 Function Generator Operation © National Instruments Corporation 2-15 NI 5401 User Manual The NI 5401 can receive a hardware trigger from another board as a RTSI trigger signal on any of the RTSI/PXI trigger lines. You can also route signals as follows: • Route the Start Trigger signal gene...
Page 39 - Voltage Output
© National Instruments Corporation A-1 NI 5401 User Manual A Specifications This appendix lists the specifications for the NI 5401. These specifications are typical at 25 °C unless otherwise stated. The operating temperature range is 0 to 50 °C. Analog Output Number of channels ........................
Page 40 - Sine Spectral Purity
Appendix A Specifications NI 5401 User Manual A-2 www.natinst.com Pre-attenuation offset Range ...............................................±2.5 V into 50 Ω 1 Accuracy ..........................................±5 mV Output coupling .....................................DC Output impedance ............
Page 42 - SYNC Out; External Clock Reference Input; Internal Clock
Appendix A Specifications NI 5401 User Manual A-4 www.natinst.com SYNC Out Level ......................................................TTL Duty cycle ...............................................20% to 80%, software controllable External Clock Reference Input Frequency ...............................
Page 43 - Optional Accessories; Cabling
© National Instruments Corporation B-1 NI 5401 User Manual B Optional Accessories National Instruments offers a variety of products to use with your NI 5401, including probes, cables, and other accessories: • Shielded and unshielded I/O connector blocks (SCB-68, TBX-68, CB-68) • RTSI bus cables For ...
Page 46 - Technical Support Resources; NI Web Support; On-Line Problem-Solving and Diagnostic Resources
© National Instruments Corporation D-1 NI 5401 User Manual D Technical Support Resources This appendix describes the comprehensive resources available to you in the Technical Support section of the National Instruments Web site and provides technical support telephone numbers for you to use if you h...
Page 47 - Software-Related Resources; Worldwide Support
Appendix D Technical Support Resources NI 5401 User Manual D-2 www.natinst.com Software-Related Resources • Instrument Driver Network—A library with hundreds of instrument drivers for control of standalone instruments via GPIB, VXI, or serial interfaces. You also can submit a request for a particula...
Page 48 - Prefix
© National Instruments Corporation G-1 NI 5401 User Manual Glossary Prefix Meaning Value µ- micro- 10 – 6 m- milli- 10 – 3 k- kilo- 10 3 M- mega- 10 6 Numbers/Symbols % percent + positive of, or plus – negative of, or minus ± plus or minus / per ° degree Ω ohm +5 V +5 V output signal A A amperes amp...
Page 57 - Index
© National Instruments Corporation I-1 NI 5401 User Manual Index A analog filter correction, 2-13analog output, 2-7 to 2-11 analog output and SYNC out block diagram, 2-8 output attenuation, 2-9 to 2-11output enable, 2-10output impedance, 2-10pre-attenuation offset, 2-11specifications, A-1SYNC output...
