National Instruments myRIO-1950 User manual

USER GUIDE AND SPECIFICATIONS
NI myRIO-1950
The National Instruments myRIO-1950 is an embedded reconfigurable I/O (RIO) device that
students can use to design control, robotics, and mechatronics systems. This document contains
pinouts, connectivity information, dimensions, mounting instructions, and specifications for the
NI myRIO-1950.
Figure 1. NI myRIO-1950
1 Reset Button
2 Power Connector
3 Device USB Connector
4 Host USB Connector
5 Mounting Hole Connected to Chassis Ground (x6)
6LEDs
7 DDR3 Memory
8UserButton
9 MXP Connector B, Pin 1
10 Processor/FPGA
11 MXP Connector A, Pin 1
POWER
STATUS
LED0
LED1
LED2
LED3
1
11
9
10
234
5
6
7
8

2|ni.com |NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications
Safety Information
Caution Do not operate the hardware in a manner not specified in this document
and in the user documentation. Misuse of the hardware can result in a hazard. You
can compromise the safety protection if the hardware is damaged in any way. If the
hardware is damaged, return it to National Instruments for repair.
Clean the hardware with a soft, nonmetallic brush. Make sure that the hardware is completely
dry and free from contaminants before returning it to service.
Electromagnetic Compatibility Guidelines
This product was tested and complies with the regulatory requirements and limits for
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) stated in the product specifications. These requirements
and limits provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the product is
operated in the intended operational electromagnetic environment.
This product is intended for use in commercial locations. There is no guarantee that harmful
interference will not occur in a particular installation or when the product is connected to a test
object. To minimize interference with radio and television reception and prevent unacceptable
performance degradation, install and use this product in strict accordance with the instructions
in the product documentation.
Furthermore, any modifications to the product not expressly approved by National Instruments
could void your authority to operate it under your local regulatory rules.
Caution To ensure the specified EMC performance, the length of any cable
connected to the USB ports must be no longer than 3 m (10 ft), and the length of any
cable connected to the MXP ports must be no longer than 0.3 m (1 ft).
Caution To ensure the specified EMC performance, do not connect the power input
to a DC mains supply or to any supply requiring a connecting cable longer than 3 m
(10 ft). A DC mains supply is a local DC electricity supply network in the
infrastructure of a site or building.

NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications |© National Instruments |3
ESD Warning
Caution Although this product has been designed to be as robust as possible, ESD
(electrostatic discharge) can damage or upset this product. This product must be
protected at all times from ESD. Static charges may easily produce potentials of
several kilovolts on the human body or equipment, which can discharge without
detection. Industry-standard ESD precautions must be employed at all times.
The NI myRIO-1950 is designed and intended for use as a development platform for
hardware or software in an educational/professional laboratory environment. To
facilitate usage, the board is manufactured with its components and connecting traces
openly exposed to the operator and the environment. As a result, ESD sensitive
(ESDS) components on the board, such as the semiconductor integrated circuits, can
be damaged when exposed to an ESD event. To indicate the ESD sensitivity of the
NI myRIO-1950, it carries the symbol shown below.

4|ni.com |NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications
Hardware Overview
The NI myRIO-1950 provides analog input (AI), analog output (AO), digital input and output
(DIO), and power output in a compact embedded device. The NI myRIO-1950 connects to a host
computer over USB.
The following figure shows the arrangement and functions of NI myRIO-1950 components.
Figure 2. NI myRIO-1950 Hardware Block Diagram
Processor (LabVIEW RT)
FPGA (LabVIEW FPGA)
MXP A/B
(x2)
+3.3V
UART
4AI
2AO
16 16
DIO
DDR3
Nonvolatile
Memory
Watchdog
Status
LED
Reset
Button
USB Device
Port
USB Host
Port
Accelerometer Button0
Xilinx Zynq-7010
User
LEDs

NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications |© National Instruments |5
Connector Pinouts
NI myRIO-1950 Expansion Port (MXP) connectors A and B carry identical sets of signals. The
signals are distinguished in software by the connector name, as in ConnectorA/DIO1 and
ConnectorB/DIO1. Refer to the software documentation for information about configuring
and using signals. The following figure and table show the signals on MXP connectors A and B.
Note that some pins carry secondary functions as well as primary functions.
Figure 3. Primary/Secondary Signals on MXP Connectors A and B
Table 1. Descriptions of Signals on MXP Connectors A and B
Signal Name Reference Direction Description
+5V DGND Output +5 V power output.
AI <0..3> AGND Input 0-5 V, referenced, single-ended analog input
channels. Refer to the Analog Input
Channels section for more information.
AO <0..1> AGND Output 0-5 V referenced, single-ended analog
output. Refer to the Analog Output Channels
section for more information.
AGND N/A N/A Reference for analog input and output.
+3.3V DGND Output +3.3 V power output.
AO0 AO1
AGND
DGND
UART.RX
DGND
UART.TX
DGND
DIO11 / ENC.A
DGND
DIO12 / ENC.B
DGND
DIO13
DGND DGND
DIO14 / I2C.SCL
DIO15 / I2C.SDA
+5V AI1 AI3 AI2 DIO1 DIO2 DIO3 DIO4 AI0 DIO0 DIO5 / SPI.CLK DIO6 / SPI.MISO
DIO7 / SPI.MOSI
DIO8/ PWM0 DIO9 / PWM1 DIO10 / PWM2 +3.3V
34
33
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

6|ni.com |NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications
Analog Input Channels
The NI myRIO-1950 has analog input channels on myRIO Expansion Port (MXP) connectors A
and B. The analog inputs are multiplexed to a single analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that
samples all channels.
MXP connectors A and B have four single-ended analog input channels per connector, AI0-AI3,
which you can use to measure 0-5 V signals.
Note For important information about improving measurement accuracy by
reducing noise, go to ni.com/info and enter the Info Code analogwiring.
Figure 4 shows the analog input topology of the NI myRIO-1950.
Figure 4. NI myRIO-1950 Analog Input Topology
DIO <0..15> DGND Input or
Output
General-purpose digital lines with 3.3 V
output, 3.3 V/5 V-compatible input. Refer to
the DIO Lines section for more information.
UART.RX DGND Input UART receive input. UART lines are
electrically identical to DIO lines.
UART.TX DGND Output UART transmit output. UART lines are
electrically identical to DIO lines.
DGND N/A N/A Reference for digital signals, +5 V, and +3.3 V.
Table 1. Descriptions of Signals on MXP Connectors A and B (Continued)
Signal Name Reference Direction Description
MUX ADC
AI0
AI1
AI2
AI3
AI0
AI1
AI2
AI3
0–5 V
MXP A
MXP B

NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications |© National Instruments |7
Analog Output Channels
The NI myRIO-1950 has analog output channels on myRIO Expansion Port (MXP) connectors
A and B. Each analog output channel has a dedicated digital-to-analog converter (DAC), so they
can all update simultaneously. The DACs for the analog output channels are controlled by a
serial communication bus from the FPGA. MXP connectors A and B share one bus Therefore,
the maximum update rate is specified as an aggregate figure in the Analog Output section of the
Specifications.
MXP connectors A and B have two analog output channels per connector, AO0 and AO1, which
you can use to generate 0-5 V signals.
Figure 5 shows the analog output topology of the NI myRIO-1950.
Figure 5. NI myRIO-1950 Analog Output Topology
Accelerometer
The NI myRIO-1950 contains a three-axis accelerometer. The accelerometer samples each axis
continuously and updates a readable register with the result. Refer to the Accelerometer section
of the Specifications for the accelerometer sample rates.
Converting Raw Data Values to Voltage
You can use the following equations to convert raw data values to volts:
V = Raw Data Value * LSB Weight
LSB Weight = Nominal Range ÷ 2ADC Resolution
where Raw Data Value is the value returned by the FPGA I/O Node,
LSB Weight is the value in volts of the increment between data values,
Nominal Range is the absolute value in volts of the full, peak-to-peak nominal range
of the channel,
and ADC Resolution is the resolution of the ADC in bits. (ADC Resolution = 12.)
DAC
DAC
DAC
DAC
0–5 V
MXP A
MXP B
AO0
AO1
AO0
AO1

8|ni.com |NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications
• For AI and AO channels on the MXP connectors,
LSB Weight = 5 V ÷ 212 = 1.221 mV
Maximum reading = 4095 * 1.221 mV = 4.999 V
• For the accelerometer,
LSB Weight = 16 g ÷ 212 = 3.906 mg
Maximum Positive Reading = +2047 * 3.906 mg = +7.996 g
Maximum Negative Reading = -2048 * 3.906 mg = -8.000 g
DIO Lines
The NI myRIO-1950 has 3.3 V general-purpose DIO lines on the MXP connectors. MXP
connectors A and B have 16 DIO lines per connector. Each DIO line from 0 to 13 has a 40 kΩ
pullup resistor to 3.3 V, and DIO lines 14 and 15 have 2.1 kΩ pullup resistors to 3.3 V. DGND
is the reference for all the DIO lines. You can program all the lines individually as inputs or
outputs. Secondary digital functions include Serial Peripheral Interface Bus (SPI), I2C,
pulse-width modulation (PWM), and quadrature encoder input. Refer to the NI myRIO software
documentation for information about configuring the DIO lines.
Figure 6. DIO Lines <13..0> on MXP Connector A or B
Figure 7. DIO Lines <15..14> on MXP Connector A or B
When a DIO line is floating, it floats in the direction of the pull resistor. A DIO line may be
floating in any of the following conditions:
• when the myRIO device is starting up
• when the line is configured as an input
• when the myRIO device is powering down
You can add a stronger resistor to a DIO line to cause it to float in the opposite direction.
40 kΩ
FPGA Bus Switch DIO<13..0>
+3.3V
2.1 kΩ
FPGA Bus Switch DIO<15..14>
+3.3V

NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications |© National Instruments |9
UART Lines
The NI myRIO-1950 has one UART receive input line and one UART transmit ouput line on
each MXP connector. The UART lines are electrically identical to DIO lines 0 to 13 on the MXP
connectors. Like those lines, UART.RX and UART.TX have 40 kΩ pullup resistors to 3.3 V.
Use LabVIEW Real-Time to read and write over the UART lines.
Using the Reset Button
Pressing and releasing the Reset button restarts the processor and the FPGA.
Pressing and holding the Reset button for 5 seconds, then releasing it, restarts the processor and
the FPGA and forces the NI myRIO-1950 into safe mode. In safe mode, the NI myRIO-1950
launches only the services necessary for updating configuration and installing software.
When the NI myRIO-1950 is in safe mode, you can communicate with it by using the UART
lines on MXP connector A. You need the following items to communicate with the myRIO
device over UART:
• USB-to-TTL serial UART converter cable (for example, part number
TTL-232RG-VSW3V3-WE from FTD Chip)
• Serial-port terminal program configured with the following settings:
• 115,200 bits per second
• Eight data bits
• No parity
• One stop bit
• No flow control
Using Button0
Button0 produces a logic TRUE when depressed and a logic FALSE when not depressed.
Button0 is not debounced.
Understanding LED Indications
Power LED
The Power LED is lit while the NI myRIO-1950 is powered on. This LED indicates that the
power supply connected to the device is adequate.

10 |ni.com |NI myRIO-1950 User Guide and Specifications
Status LED
The Status LED is off during normal operation. The NI myRIO-1950 runs a power-on self test
(POST) when you apply power to the device. During the POST, the Power and Status LEDs turn
on. When the Status LED turns off, the POST is complete. The NI myRIO-1950 indicates
specific error conditions by flashing the Status LED a certain number of times every few
seconds, as shown in Table 2.
LEDs 0-3
You can use LEDs 0-3 to help debug your application or easily retrieve application status. Logic
TRUE turns an LED on and logic FALSE turns an LED off.
Using the USB Host Port
The NI myRIO-1950 USB host port supports Web cameras that conform to the USB Video
Device Class (UVC) protocol as well as machine vision cameras that conform to the USB3
Vision standard and are USB 2.0 backward compatible. The NI myRIO-1950 USB host port also
supports Basler ace USB3 cameras.
The NI myRIO-1950 USB host port also supports USB Flash drives and USB-to-IDE adapters
formatted with FAT16 and FAT32 file systems. LabVIEW usually maps USB devices to the /U,
/V, /W, or /X drive, starting with the /U drive if it is available.
Table 2. Status LED Indications
Number of Flashes
Every Few Seconds Indication
2The device has detected an error in its software. This usually occurs when
an attempt to upgrade the software is interrupted. Reinstall software on
the device.
3The device is in safe mode.
4The software has crashed twice without rebooting or cycling power
between crashes. This usually occurs when the device runs out of
memory. Review your RT VI and check the memory usage. Modify
the VI as necessary to solve the memory usage issue.
Continuously flashing or
solid
The device has detected an unrecoverable error. Contact National
Instruments.