National Instruments NI PXIe-8880 User manual

PXIe-8880
Getting Started
2024-02-05

Contents
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Unpacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Electrical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Preparing the Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Shock and Vibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Installing an OS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Installing from a USB CD/DVD-ROM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Installing the NI PXIe-8880 into a PXI Express Chassis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
LabVIEW RT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
LabVIEW RT Soware Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
LabVIEW RT Configuration Switches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Drivers and Soware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Data Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
NI PXIe-8880 Front Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Front Panel Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
PXI Express Trigger Connectivity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Front Panel Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
PXI Express Chassis Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
PXI Express System Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Removing the NI PXIe-8880 from a PXI Express Chassis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Common Configuration Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
General Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What do the LEDs on the front panel mean?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Aer shutting down my NI PXIe-8880 controller, the Port 1 Ethernet LEDs
continue to blink. Is it safe to remove my controller or disconnect power?.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
How do I check the configuration of the memory, hard drive, time/date,
and so on?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Can I use the internal Serial ATA drive and an external hard drive at the
same time?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Boot Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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PXIe-8880 Getting Started

What devices can I boot from?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
How do I configure the controller to boot from these devices?. . . . . . . . . 18
Cables and Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
How do I plug both a PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard into the controller?.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
What if I don’t have a Y-splitter cable? Can I still use a mouse and
keyboard?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Soware Driver Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
How do I install or reinstall the video driver?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
How do I install or reinstall the Ethernet driver?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
How do I install or reinstall the GPIB driver?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
How do I install soware from a CD?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Upgrade Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
How do I upgrade system memory?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
NI PXIe-8880 System Memory Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
How do I flash a new BIOS?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Where do I get the latest soware drivers?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
My NI PXIe-8880 does not have an internal floppy drive. Is there a way to
use an external drive?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
PXI Express Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
How do I use the SMB trigger on the front panel?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
What if the Controller Does Not Boot?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
What If I Can’t See The Video?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
My system boots fine as long as a particular module is not in my chassis. How
do I boot the chassis with the module installed?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
My chassis or controller does not appear in MAX. How do I use MAX to identify
and configure my PXI system?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
My CMOS is corrupted. How do I set it back to default?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
NI Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
© National Instruments 3
PXIe-8880 Getting Started

Overview
This document includes instructions for installing and configuring your NI PXIe-8880
embedded controller.
© 2014National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved. Refer to the <National
Instruments>\_Legal Information directory for information about NI copyright,
patents, trademarks, warranties, product warnings, and export compliance.
Unpacking
The NI PXIe-8880 ships in an antistatic package to prevent electrostatic discharge
from damaging device components. To prevent such damage when handling the
device, ground yourself using a grounding strap or by holding a grounded object,
such as your computer chassis, and complete the following steps:
1. Touch the antistatic package to a metal part of the chassis before removing
the device from the package.
Caution Never touch the exposed pins of connectors.
2. Remove the device from the package and inspect the device for loose
components or any other sign of damage.
3. Notify NI if the device appears damaged in any way. Do not install a damaged
device into your chassis.
Electrical
Voltage (V) Current (Amps) Typical Current (Amps) Maximum
+3.3 V 3.75 A 5.4 A
+5 V 1.5 A 2.0 A
+12 V 3.5 A 5.0 A
-12 V 0.00 A 0.00 A
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PXIe-8880 Getting Started

Voltage (V) Current (Amps) Typical Current (Amps) Maximum
5 VAUX 0.3 A 0.4 A
Preparing the Environment
Ensure the environment you are using the NI PXIe-8880 in meets the following
specifications.
Ambient temperature range
Standard 0 to 50 °C[1],[2] (Tested in accordance with
IEC-60068-2-1 and IEC-60068-2-2. Meets MIL-
PRF-28800F Class 3 temperature limits, except
as noted.)
Relative humidity range 10% to 90%, noncondensing (Tested in
accordance with IEC-60068-2-56.)
Maximum altitude 2,000 m (800 mbar) (at 25 °C ambient
temperature) with chassis fans on high.
Pollution Degree 2
Indoor use only.
Note Refer to the NI PXIe-8880 User Manual and Specifications for full
NI PXIe-8880 specifications.
Shock and Vibration
Operating Shock 30 g peak, half-sine, 11 ms pulse in the Y and Z
axes. 20 g peak, half-sine, 11 ms pulse in the X
axis. (Tested in accordance with IEC-60068-2-27.
Meets MIL-PRF-28800F Class 2 limits in Y and Z
axes.)
Random Vibration
Operating 5 to 500 Hz, 0.3 grms
Nonoperating 5 to 500 Hz, 2.4 grms (Tested in accordance with
IEC-60068-2-64. Nonoperating test profile
© National Instruments 5
PXIe-8880 Getting Started

exceeds the requirements of MIL-PRF-28800F,
Class 3.)
Installing an OS
NI PXIe-8880 controllers include a preinstalled OS. In some cases, you may want to
install a dierent OS.
You can install Windows 7 from a USB CD/DVD-ROM or use an external SCSI CD-ROM
with a PXI-SCSI adapter.
Note For additional assistance with installing or changing an operating
system, refer to KnowledgeBase 2ZKC02OK, Hard Drive Recovery and OS
Installation for PXI, VXI, cRIO-908x, and cDAQ-913x Controllers, at
ni.com/support.
Installing from a USB CD/DVD-ROM
The NI PXIe-8880 supports the installation of Windows 7 from a USB CD/DVD-ROM.
As an alternative to a USB CD/DVD-ROM drive, you can use an external SCSI CD-ROM
with a PXI-SCSI adapter.
Note For additional assistance with installing or changing an operating
system, refer to KnowledgeBase 2ZKC02OK, Hard Drive Recovery and OS
Installation for PXI, VXI, cRIO-908x, and cDAQ-913x Controllers, at
ni.com/support.
Installing the NI PXIe-8880 into a PXI Express Chassis
To install the NI PXIe-8880 into a PXI Express chassis, complete the following steps.
1. Plug in your chassis before installing the NI PXIe-8880. The power cord
grounds the chassis and protects it from electrical damage while you install
the module.
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PXIe-8880 Getting Started

Caution To protect both yourself and the chassis from electrical
hazards, leave the chassis powered o until you finish installing the
NI PXIe-8880 module.
2. Remove any filler panels blocking access to the system controller slot (Slot 1)
in the chassis.
3. Touch the metal part of the chassis case to discharge any static electricity that
might be on your clothes or body.
4. Remove the protective plastic covers from the four bracket-retaining screws as
shown in the following figure.
Figure 1. Removing Protective Screw Caps
a. Protective Screw Cap (4X)
5. Make sure the injector/ejector handle is in its downward position. Align the
NI PXIe-8880 with the card guides on the top and bottom of the system
controller slot.
Caution Do not raise the injector/ejector handle as you insert the
NI PXIe-8880. The module will not insert properly unless the handle
© National Instruments 7
PXIe-8880 Getting Started

is in its downward position so that it does not interfere with the
injector rail on the chassis.
6. Hold the handle as you slowly slide the module into the chassis until the
handle catches on the injector/ejector rail.
7. Raise the injector/ejector handle until the module firmly seats into the
backplane receptacle connectors. The front panel of the NI PXIe-8880 should
be even with the front panel of the chassis.
8. Tighten the four bracket-retaining screws on the top and bottom of the front
panel to secure the NI PXIe-8880 to the chassis.
9. Check the installation.
10. Connect the keyboard and mouse to the USB connectors. If you are using a
PS/2 keyboard and a PS/2 mouse, a Y-splitter adapter is available to connect
both to a single USB connector. National Instruments oers a Y-splitter
adapter cable, part number 778713-02, available through the online catalog at
ni.com/products.
11. Connect the DisplayPort monitor video cable to the DisplayPort connector, or
use the DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter included with your controller to connect a
VGA monitor to the DisplayPort connector.
12. Connect devices to ports as required by your system configuration. Refer to
the NI PXIe-8880 Front Panel Connectors figure for front panel connector
locations.
13. Power on the chassis.
14. Verify that the controller boots. If it does not boot, refer to the
Troubleshooting section.
Figure 2. NI PXIe-8880 Installed in a PXI Express Chassis
1
2
3
X
Y
Z
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PXIe-8880 Getting Started

a. PXI Express Chassis
b. PXI Express Controller
c. Injector/Ejector Rail
LabVIEW RT
This section explains soware installation and switch configuration for LabVIEW RT
on your PXI Express controller.
LabVIEW RT Soware Installation
The following section describes the necessary steps to get your PXI Express
embedded controller setup to run LabVIEW Real-Time. In this section you will
configure the boot mode of the controller, verify or change IP settings, and install
LabVIEW Real-Time soware.
Complete the following steps to install the LabVIEW RT soware.
1. Boot the NI PXI Express embedded controller into the real-time operating
system. Refer to the LabVIEW RT Configuration Switches section to
configure the controller for booting into LabVIEW RT.
The PXI Express controller will automatically boot into LabVIEW RT Safe Mode
when no soware is installed. LabVIEW RT Safe Mode loads with the basic real-
time operating system and will automatically attempt to connect to the
network using DHCP. If DHCP is not available, it will then connect to the
network with a link-local IP address.
Tip You can connect a monitor to the controller to display startup
messages such as the IP address and MAC address.
2. Open Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) on another computer in the
same subnet and expand the Remote Systems branch. MAX lists the PXI
Express controller as the model name of the controller followed by the MAC
address (for example, NI-PXIe-8880 00802f108562).
Note The other computer must have LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT, and any
desired drivers installed.
© National Instruments 9
PXIe-8880 Getting Started

Tip Record the PXI Express controller MAC address, located on the
side of the controller, for use in identifying the controller. The label
also can be removed and placed on the front of the controller for
easier access.
3. Click on the appropriate PXI Express controller entry to access the Network
Settings tab in the right pane view.
4. (Optional) Enter a name for the RT target in the Name text box.
5. (Optional) Set the network configuration options of the RT target in the IP
Settings section and click the Apply button.
For information about configuring network settings, refer to the Configuring
Network Settings book, accessible by browsing to MAX Remote Systems
Help » LabVIEW Real-Time Target Con󽘀guration » Con󽘀guring
Network Settings from the Contents tab of MAX Help.
Note When any IP or identification settings are changed, you will
be prompted to reboot the controller for the changes to take eect.
Click Yes to automatically reboot the RT target. You may also reboot
the controller by right-clicking on the target name under Remote
Systems and selecting Reboot.
Aer rebooting the PXI Express controller it will appear in the Remote
Systems category with the assigned name.
6. Expand the PXI Express controller view in the Remote Systems branch and
select Software.
7. Click the Add/Remove Software button in the toolbar to launch the
LabVIEW Real-Time Soware Wizard.
8. Install the LabVIEW Real-Time soware and device drivers that you require on
the RT target. Refer to the NI Web site at ni.com/info and enter the Info Code
etspc for the latest information about supported soware.
Aer installation of the soware the controller will automatically reboot and you
will now be able to program it using LabVIEW Real-Time.
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PXIe-8880 Getting Started