PREFACE
5
Preface
Patent protection
The 3010 Series RF Synthesizer PXI module is protected by the following patents:
GB 2294599
US 5781600
4609881
EP 0125790
The PXI concept
VXI and GPIB systems meet the specific needs of instrumentation users but are often too large and expensive for
mainstream applications. PC-based instrumentation may cost less but cannot meet the environmental and
operational requirements of many systems.
PXI (PCI Extensions for Instrumentation) is based on CompactPCI, itself based on the PCI standard. PCI was
designed for desktop machines but CompactPCI was designed for industrial applications, and features a rugged
Eurocard format with easy insertion and removal. PXI adds to the CompactPCI specification by defining system-
level specifications for timing, synchronization, cooling, environmental testing, and software. While PXI extends
CompactPCI, it also maintains complete interoperability so that you can use any CompactPCI-compliant product in
a PXI system and vice versa. PXI also makes use of Windows® software, VXI timing and triggering, and
VXIplug&play instrument drivers to provide powerful and affordable systems.
PXI Express now integrates PCI Express into PXI, providing up to 6 Gbyte/s backplane bandwidth and up to
2 Gbyte/s slot bandwidth. PXI Express maintains backwards compatibility with PXI, providing software compatibility
and hardware compatibility with hybrid slots and hybrid systems.
Hybrid slot compatibility
PXI chassis that provide hybrid slots can accept both PXI Express modules and hybrid-compatible PXI modules.
Hybrid-compatible PXI modules have a ‘missing’ section of connector (see Fig. 1), which allows them to be inserted
into both hybrid slots and standard PXI-1 slots.
Because of the reduced connectivity of Cobham hybrid-compatible PXI modules, the PXI parallel local bus
LBR[12:0] disappears, to be replaced by the serial connection LBR[6], which is typically used to provide list
addresses to a 3010 Series RF Synthesizer. LBL[0] also disappears.
