Signal Generators
Stand-alone operation of PXI-5412
I have a couple of layman's questions about the operation of the AWG PXI-5412.
I have noticed that AWG PXI-5412 (and most probably all other NI AWGs) is partially able to generate signals stand-alone without being constantly controlled or monitored externally, say in Arbitrary Waveform or Standard Function mode. For example, after receiving Initiate() call, AWG starts signal generation based on the instructions stored in Onboard Memory and stops only when Abort() or some other corresponding call is received. If one closes down a real-time application without specifically closing down ongoing signal generation by calling specific VIs from inside the application, the AWG just keeps generating signals continuously on its own.
Do I understand this and also the following operating principles correctly?
A waveform, clock mode, sample rate, gain and other parameters are saved in Onboard Memory. Waveform Generation Engine retrieves the waveform data and instructions from Onboard memory after Trigger and Event Control has received a call, such as Initiate(), Commit() or Abort(), which all come via the PXI_Trig<0..7> lines as event calls. Next, DAQ converts the waveform into an analog signal, and the analog signal is then generated continuously based on instruction parameters until some new call or trigger is received.
Any comments are welcome and appreciated.
