National Instruments PXIe-8861 User manual

GETTING STARTED GUIDE
PXIe-8861
This document includes instructions for installing and configuring your PXIe-8861
PXI Express controller module.
Contents
Getting Started.......................................................................................................................... 1
Unpacking......................................................................................................................... 2
Installing the PXIe-8861 into a PXI Express Chassis.......................................................2
Data Storage......................................................................................................................4
PXIe-8861 Front Panel......................................................................................................4
Removing the PXIe-8861 from a PXI Express Chassis....................................................6
Common Configuration Questions........................................................................................... 6
General Questions............................................................................................................. 7
Boot Options..................................................................................................................... 7
Cables and Connections.................................................................................................... 8
Software Driver Installation..............................................................................................8
Upgrade Information.........................................................................................................9
Troubleshooting...................................................................................................................... 10
What if the controller does not boot?..............................................................................10
What if I can’t see the video?..........................................................................................11
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?........................................................... 11
What if some modules installed in a remote Thunderbolt chassis show up in
Windows Device Manager with yellow exclamation points?...................................11
What if some devices, when installed in a system with many remote chassis,
show up in Windows Device Manager with yellow exclamation points?................ 11
My chassis or controller does not appear in MAX. How do I use MAX to identify
and configure my PXI system?.................................................................................11
My CMOS is corrupted. How do I set it back to default?.............................................. 12
Worldwide Support and Services............................................................................................ 13
Getting Started
This section includes instructions for unpacking and installing your PXIe-8861 controller. It
also describes the controller's front panel connectors.
Caution Using the PXIe-8861 controller in a manner not described in this guide
can impair the protection the controller provides.

Unpacking
The PXIe-8861 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 National Instruments if the device appears damaged in any way. Do not install a
damaged device into your chassis.
Installing the PXIe-8861 into a PXI Express Chassis
To install the PXIe-8861 into a PXI Express chassis, complete the following steps.
1. Plug in your chassis before installing the PXIe-8861. The power cord grounds the chassis
and protects it from electrical damage while you install the module.
Caution In some National Instruments chassis, you must ensure that the
power LED is off. For more information about chassis power behavior, refer to
the user manual for the specific chassis.
Caution To protect both yourself and the chassis from electrical hazards,
leave the chassis off until you finish installing the PXIe-8861.
2. Remove any 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.
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Figure 1. Removing Protective Plastic Covers
1
1. Protective Screw Cap (4x)
5. Make sure the injector/ejector handle is in its downward position. Align the PXIe-8861
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 PXIe-8861.
The module will not insert properly unless the handle 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 PXIe-8861 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 PXIe-8861 to the chassis.
9. Check the installation.
10. Connect the keyboard and mouse to the appropriate connectors.
11. Connect the DisplayPort monitor video cable or adapter to the DisplayPort connector.
12. Connect devices to ports as required by your system configuration.
13. Power on the display.
14. Power on the chassis.
15. Verify that the controller boots. If it does not boot, refer to the Troubleshooting section.
The following figure shows a PXIe-8861 controller installed in the system controller slot
of an NI PXIe-1082 chassis.
PXIe-8861 Getting Started Guide | © National Instruments | 3

Figure 2. PXIe-8861 Installed in a PXI Express Chassis
1
2
COOLING CLEARANCES AND FAN FILTER MAINTENANCE REQUIRED. SEE MANUAL
NI PXIe-1082
PXIe-8861
Embedded Contr
3
1. PXI Express Chassis
2. PXI Express Controller
3. Injector/Ejector Rail
Data Storage
The PXIe-8861 has the following data storage features:
• m.2 NVME internal solid state drive (500 GB or larger)
• USB storage support—USB CD/DVD-ROM, mass storage device, or floppy drive
PXIe-8861 Front Panel
The following figure shows the PXIe-8861 front panel layout.
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Figure 3. PXIe-8861 Front Panel Layout
PXIe-8861
Embedded Controller
TRIG
RESET
GPIB
DRIVE
PWR OK/
FAULT
USER1
USER2
ACT/
LINK
Pulse
10/100
/1000
2
1
2
4
5
7
1
3
10
11
6
8
9
1. GPIB
2. Ethernet
3. USB 2.0
4. RS-232 Serial
5. Trigger
6. Reset Button
7. USB 3.0
8. DisplayPort 1.1
9. DisplayPort 1.2
10. Thunderbolt
11. LEDs
Front Panel Connectors
The following table lists various peripherals and their corresponding PXIe-8861 external
connectors, bus interfaces, and functions.
Peripheral External Connector Description
Video (DisplayPort 1.1
and 1.2)
DisplayPort ATI Radeon E6465 Embedded GPU
Thunderbolt 3 USB Type C (2 ports) Thunderbolt 3 compliant, supports
USB, PCI Express, and DisplayPort
Serial COM1 (9-pin DSUB) 16550 RS-232 serial port
Ethernet Port 0 LAN (RJ45) 10/100/1000 Ethernet connection
Intel I219
Wake on LAN
Ethernet Port 1 LAN (RJ45) 10/100/1000 Ethernet connection
Intel I210
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Peripheral External Connector Description
USB 2.0 USB 4-pin Series A stacked
receptacle (4 ports)
Hi-Speed USB 2.0
USB 3.0 USB 9-pin Series A stacked
receptacle (2 ports)
SuperSpeed USB, backwards
compatible with USB 2.0
PXI trigger Trigger (SMB) Routing PXI triggers to or from the
backplane trigger bus
GPIB GPIB (25-pin Micro D) General-Purpose Interface Bus, IEEE
488.2
Front Panel Features
The PXIe-8861 has two front panel LEDs that show PC status:
•DRIVE LED— Indicates when an access to the internal drive is occurring.
•PWR OK/FAULT LED—Indicates the controller status. The LED indicates one of the
following states:
–Green ON steady—PXI and onboard power is on and within regulation limits.
–Green BLINKING—One of the onboard power supplies is operating outside the
normal limits or the system power supply is out of regulation.
–OFF—The controller is powered off.
–Red BLINKING—The controller detected a power rail fault when trying to boot.
–Red SOLID—The controller detected a thermal fault and has shut down to protect
the system.
•USER LEDs — Two bi-color green/yellow LEDs (USER1 and USER2) that you can
define to meet the needs of your LabVIEW application.
Removing the PXIe-8861 from a PXI Express Chassis
To remove the PXIe-8861 from a PXI Express chassis, complete the following steps.
1. Power off the chassis.
2. Remove any cables that may be attached to the controller front panel.
3. Unscrew the four bracket-retaining screws in the front panel.
4. Press the injector/ejector handle down.
5. Slide the unit out of the chassis.
Common Configuration Questions
This section answers common configuration questions you may have when using a PXIe-8861
embedded controller.
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General Questions
What do the LEDs on the front panel mean?
Refer to the LED status descriptions in the Front Panel Features section.
How do I check the configuration of the memory, storage drive,
time/date, and so on?
You can view these parameters in the BIOS setup utility. Complete the following steps to enter
the BIOS setup:
1. Reboot the PXIe-8861.
2. Press <Delete> during the system boot up.
Can I use the internal storage drive and an external storage
drive at the same time?
Yes.
Boot Options
What devices can I boot from?
The PXIe-8861 can boot from the following devices:
• The internal drive.
• An external SCSI hard drive or SCSI CD/DVD-ROM if a SCSI adapter, such as the
PXI-8214, is used.
• A network PXE server on the same subnet.
• An external USB mass storage device such as a USB hard drive, USB CD/DVD-ROM, or
USB flash drive.
• Most PCI or PCI Express-based devices that provide an Option ROM.
Note There are limitations when booting from a USB device. You can install
Windows 7 and later from a USB CD/DVD-ROM, but not earlier versions of
Windows. The PXIe-8861 BIOS configures the USB devices so that they work in a
DOS environment.
How do I configure the controller to boot from these devices?
You can configure the controller to permanently or temporarily change the boot order.
There are two methods.
• Enter Setup and select the Boot menu. You will see a list of all bootable devices, ordered
by device type. You can set the boot order using <+> and <->. Set the order by device
type and set the order for the devices listed within the device type.
• To boot from a different device without changing the boot order in the BIOS, press
<F10> continuously while booting. After the BIOS completes the POST and just before
PXIe-8861 Getting Started Guide | © National Instruments | 7

the controller boots the OS, the Boot menu is displayed. You can select the device type
you want to boot from.
Cables and Connections
How do I plug both a PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard into the
controller?
The PXIe-8861 has no PS/2 connector, and you need to use a USB Y-splitter cable as shown
below, or a similar device, to connect both a PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard. National
Instruments part number 778713-02 is such a cable and is available through the online catalog
at ni.com/products.
Figure 4. Y-Splitter Cable
How do I connect a VGA monitor to the PXIe-8861?
You can use a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter (part number 782271-01) available from National
Instruments to connect a VGA monitor to a DisplayPort connector.
Software Driver Installation
How do I install or reinstall the video driver?
Refer to What Peripheral Drivers Should I Use with My PXI or VXI Controller? at ni.com/
support.
How do I install or reinstall the Ethernet driver?
Refer to What Peripheral Drivers Should I Use with My PXI or VXI Controller? at ni.com/
support.
How do I install software from a CD?
The compact size of the PXIe-8861 does not allow for an integrated USB CD/DVD-ROM
drive. You have the following options:
USB CD/DVD-
ROM
You can install from a USB CD/DVD-ROM using a bootable installation
CD.
SCSI CD-ROM Other types of CD-ROM drives are available. Check with the vendor to
make sure Windows 10 supports the drive.
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Mapped
network drive
You can use the Ethernet to connect to another computer. If you share the
USB CD/DVD-ROM drive on the other computer, you can map the
shared USB CD/DVD-ROM drive to a drive letter on the PXIe-8861.
A USB CD/DVD-ROM drive is available from National Instruments, part number 778492-01.
Upgrade Information
How do I upgrade system memory?
You can change the amount of installed RAM on the PXIe-8861 by augmenting or replacing
the preinstalled SO-DIMM. Complete the following steps to replace the RAM.
1. Remove the PXIe-8861 from the PXI chassis.
2. Locate the SO-DIMM module on the side of the controller, as shown in the following
figure.
3. Install the new SO-DIMM module into the slot.
PXIe-8861 System Memory Information
National Instruments offers the following types of SO-DIMMs for use with the PXIe-8861
controller.
• 8 GB, 2133 MHz DDR4 PC4-17000 compatible (NI part number 786777-01)
• 16 GB, DDR4-2133 MHz PC4-17000 compatible (NI part number 786776-01)
Note National Instruments has tested and verified that the DDR4 SO-DIMMs
listed above work with the PXIe-8861 controller. We recommend you purchase your
SO-DIMM modules from National Instruments. Other off-the-shelf modules are not
guaranteed to work properly.
Figure 5. Installing a SO-DIMM in a PXIe-8861 Controller
2
1
Pulse
JGL-0004NL
1. DDR4 SO-DIMM Socket
2. DDR4 SO-DIMM Module
PXIe-8861 Getting Started Guide | © National Instruments | 9

How do I flash a new BIOS?
For more information, refer to Determining and Upgrading PXI and VXI Embedded Controller
BIOS Versions.
Where do I get the latest software drivers?
The latest National Instruments software is available from ni.com/downloads. For peripheral
drivers, refer to What Peripheral Drivers Should I Use with My PXI or VXI Controller? at
ni.com/support.
Troubleshooting
This section answers common troubleshooting questions you may have when using the
PXIe-8861 embedded controller.
What if the controller does not boot?
Several problems can cause a controller not to boot. Here are some things to look for and
possible solutions.
Things to Notice:
• Which LEDs come on? The PWROK/FAULT LED should stay lit green. The Drive
LED should blink during boot as the disk is accessed.
• What appears on the display? Does it hang at some particular point (BIOS, Operating
System, and so on)? If nothing appears on the screen, try a different monitor. Does your
monitor work with a different PC? If it hangs, note the last screen output that you saw for
reference when consulting National Instruments technical support.
• What has changed about the system? Did you recently move the system? Was there
electrical storm activity? Did you recently add a new module, memory chip, or piece of
software?
• Refer to your chassis documentation for additional troubleshooting steps.
Things to Try:
• Make sure the chassis is plugged in to a working power source.
• Check any fuses or circuit breakers in the chassis or other power supply (possibly a UPS).
• Make sure the controller module is firmly seated in the chassis.
• Remove all other modules from the chassis.
• Remove any nonessential cables or devices.
• Try the controller in a different chassis.
• Try a similar controller in the same chassis.
• Clear the CMOS.
• Recover the internal drive on the controller.
• Make sure the RAM is properly seated.
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