RS232 Interface

[estrandb]

I am trying to set up a LabVIEW system with equipment on hand, and I am not sure that I have what I need.  I need to read data from several instruments with RS232 serial outputs.  The board I have is a PCI-6259.  Can I use this board (I assume I would need a connector block with serial inputs)?  Or do I need to get a new board that can take the RS232 signals directly?

Thank you.

[Dennis_Knutson]

That is a DAQ board and not an RS-232 interface. For each instrument, you would need a serial port on your pc. Some pc's still come with 1 serial port. You can buy USB-RS232 converters (or pci cards) to expand on what your pc has. Converters are available with one or multiple ports. NI sells the ones at http://sine.ni.com/nifn/cds/view/main/p/sn/n21:26,n24:USB/lang/en/nid/10031/ap/ictrl. You can also find much cheaper ones but you have to be a bit careful. Not all are compatible with LabVIEW. You can search the forum for USB-RS232 converters and find several discussions on problems found with some of the different makes.

[MXI Master]

Just as Dennis suggested, there are lots of options for serial card; National Instruments serial boards are guaranteed to be compatible with all National Instruments software --including LabVIEW-- as well as are other hardware such as your DAQ board. National Instruments has lots of resources for your serial needs and have a gateway dedicated just to serial http://www.ni.com/serial. If you need more help selecting the appropriate serial board, feel free to contact your Local Technical Representative and they will be happy to help you get the perfect hardware.