Reusing PCI-4472 cards

[PsyenceFact]

I'm in the process of overhauling some data acquisition hardware at work and have stumbled across a PC with four PCI-4472 cards in it.  The PC has seen better days and is really not worth any effort, but I suspect the cards are still functional and would be a welcome (re-)addition to our kit stores.  I believe that they are still supported by the DAQmx drivers, or at least were until quite recently so I should be able to find a setup that works.

Where I'm struggling is on the hardware side.  What I envisaged was an external PCI enclosure that would accept 2 or 4 cards and would connect to a host PC through some variant of USB3 or Thunderbolt for maximum flexibility.  Unfortunately, such a beast doesn't seem to exist (maybe a bit niche).  The only PCI enclosure I've been able to find connects to the PC through PCIe which makes connecting to some of the laptops we use for data acquisition more awkward.

I've also had a look for any slightly more up-to-date motherboards that PCI slots, but no joy there (perhaps unsurprisingly).

If anyone has any suggestions of how I might salvage these cards and make a usable system, I'd be very keen to hear them.

PsyenceFact  

[santo_13]

Be aware that NI's PCI or express hardware depend on low level bus features and hence may not work with external enclosures as they translate to another protocol and it may lose some information.

[PsyenceFact]

Thanks Santhosh - definitely something I'll bear in mind when looking at options.

PsyenceFact

[santo_13]

If you couldn't find a motherboard with PCI slots, you could sell your 4472 inventory to resellers like Extend Test and Apex Waves for others who need 4472 to benefit and you can upgrade to one of the latest models.

[Apex_Waves]

Thank you for the shoutout, Santhosh! We are always looking to buy old NI systems 🙂 

The easiest way to do this is through our 'Sell your surplus' portal, here is the link 

We buy, sell, repair & support all things NI in every way we can. Thanks again for the recc.

[PsyenceFact]

Certainly a good suggestion and worth considering, thanks.

@Apex_Waves

Do you accept equipment from overseas?  I'm in the UK.

PsyenceFact