PXI

[kanad]

I have a PXI express chassis PXIe-1073 with an integrated controller MXI-Express controller PCIe-8361. I now want to use the chassis as a standalone system with an embedded controller.

(a)Can i use PXIe-1073 chassis with PXIe-8108 embedded controller

(b)Can i use a windows based laptop to control the PXIe-1073 via the PCIe-8361 integrated controller.

[Jeremy@MSI]

I have the same question.  Anyone?

[Denn_Mann]

Hi Kanad,

a) Yes you can.  The PXIe-8108 is able to support 250 MB/slot of bandwidth up to a max of 1 GB, thus it is a perfect match for a 5 slot chassis.

b) You can remote login into the PXIe-8108 through the ethernet port. So YES.

We have a similar set up here in my lab with a 1031dc chassis and a PXI 8102 controller and it works beautifully.  MXI is usually much cheaper than an embedded controller and so PXI chassis come with this cheaper interface MXI slots so that you can at least do something with the chassis.  Upgrading to an embedded controller is always a great idea, especially if you want to take your equipment on the GO like we do for our glacial studies.

Hope this helps!

-Denn

[Denn_Mann]

Kanad,

On further inspection, the PXIe-8108 is a 4 slot PXI module, so you will only have 3 PXI slots remaining for I/O cards (Bandwidth requirements will still be met).  If your application only requires 3 PXI slots and the controller, then this combination that you are seeking will indeed work.

-Denn

[Denn_Mann]

kanad,

I misread your b) question.  You can indeed access the MXI port using a laptop.  You will need to purchase the MXI cable for laptop access which you can find on ni.com.  It is more expensive than having the PCI card to access the MXI.

Hope this helps,

-Denn

[gt3000]

Hello kanad,

The PXIe-1073 is a MXI-integrate chassis.  This means that the MXI card that would normally go into the controller slot (slot 1) is built into the chassis.  The PCIe-8361 or Expresscard8360 are placed into the desktop or laptop, respectively, and connect to the chassis.  The cards in the PXIe-1073 then appear as if they are part of the desktop of laptop.

Since the controller is built into the chassis, the PXIe-1073 does not have a slot 1.  Controllers, such as the 8108 can only be plugged into slot 1.  Therefore, the PXIe-1073 can only be controlled by the desktop or laptop MXI link.  It cannot run standalone with an embedded controller.

Consider reading page 1-3 and 1-6 in the manual below:

NI PXIe-1073 User Manual and Specifications

Regards, 

[Denn_Mann]

Disregard my comment about running it with an embeded controller. I forgot about what each slot number represents  :/  .

-Denn