What is the NI Switch Executive Advantage? Any Downside to Use this Product?

[LvCoder123]

Hi,

We are looking at using the NI Switch Exec software to integrate with our switch matrix. This NI layer seems to work well with TestStand and offers many seeming advantages. For our project, this includes not having to write several subsequences to: connect a DMM, read a DMM, and dis-connect DMM for a hundred signals. This could all be done on a single step in the main sequence, is that correct? How to do that way? We would like to know some of the disadvantages of this approach before we get too far down the road.

Thanks in advance!

Al

[~jiggawax~]

I highly recommend going with Switch Executive.

Pros:

Already integrates to TestStand

Easier to use than traditional way

Super easy to set up switching in MAX

Less dependencies in TestStand (which means less can go wrong)

Cons:

$200 for a deployment license (this is cheaper than most of your cables).  This license is good for life.  Meaning any updates to SE is free.

To give you perspective- We use it all over the place.  Probably around 200 automations with switching.  Switching is trivial for us because we us switch executive and the built in properties of the TestStand steps.

You've probably seen some of these:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCUQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ni...

http://zone.ni.com/reference/en-XX/help/370052N-01/tsexamples/infotopics/switching/

Hope this helps,

[LvCoder123]

Hi Jigg,

Thanks for your quick reply.

Still have some question need to be clarified:

Background: Our current TestStand software coding uses LabWindow/CVI as module in TestStand to connect/disconnect DMM. If we start to use NI Switch Executive we should be able to remove all the CVI code to connect/disconnect DMM, correct?

Thanks

Al

[RaviShrigiri]

Hi

How are you connecting\disconnecting the DMM.Are you using a NI relay card?

In any case you can try the evaluation version.

Hope this helps,

Ravi

[~jiggawax~]

What are you using to switch the DMM?  If what you are using is supported by Switch Executive then you can get rid of the CVI code modules.  TestStand steps can call out any route or route group from a virtual device defined in Switch Executive.  It's just a matter of setting up the virtual device correctly.

If you are using an NI card to do the switching then there is a high possibility that you can simulate the card in MAX to help set up your virtual device easily.  We do this all the time and it translates over to the HW nicely.  Most of our switching is RF so we are using the PXI-2599s and such.

Regards,

[LvCoder123]

Hi Ravi

We use Pickering LXI switch matrix cards.

Thansk

Allen

[LvCoder123]

Hi Jigg,

We use Pickering LXI switch matrix cards which are supported by Switch Executive. The disadvantage I heard is: developer does not have full access to the Switch Executive API (such as the ability to programmatically import/export Switch Executive configurations and generate XML reports). Is that correct?

Thanks
Al

[~jiggawax~]

Would this help: http://zone.ni.com/reference/en-XX/help/370404H-01/nise/config_prog/

We generally make our virtual devices on our development machines and then export them using MAX (NOT programmatically).  Then we include the xml files in our deployments.  We have a utility that will run on the back end of our deployment that sucks the xml into MAX.  That utility was created by one of our developers.  I'm pretty sure she used the API for that.  I haven't looked into her code though.

Hope this helps,

[crossrulz]

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@~jiggawax~ wrote:

We have a utility that will run on the back end of our deployment that sucks the xml into MAX.  That utility was created by one of our developers.  I'm pretty sure she used the API for that.  I haven't looked into her code though.

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I used the API in LabVIEW to do something similar.  Just importing the XML file is dirt simple: just call niseCfg Import.vi.

[buton]

Switch executive is just a great must have with teststand for sure.

I use pickering matrix cards and they work with Switch executive, but you do the routing kind of manual and not with the nice schematich drawing approach that you get if you buy NI cards...