NI PXIe-8820 User manual

Artisan Technology Group is your source for quality
new and certied-used/pre-owned equipment
• FAST SHIPPING AND
DELIVERY
• TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
IN-STOCK ITEMS
• EQUIPMENT DEMOS
• HUNDREDS OF
MANUFACTURERS
SUPPORTED
• LEASING/MONTHLY
RENTALS
• ITAR CERTIFIED
SECURE ASSET SOLUTIONS
SERVICE CENTER REPAIRS
Experienced engineers and technicians on staff
at our full-service, in-house repair center
WE BUY USED EQUIPMENT
Sell your excess, underutilized, and idle used equipment
We also offer credit for buy-backs and trade-ins
www.artisantg.com/WeBuyEquipment
REMOTE INSPECTION
Remotely inspect equipment before purchasing with
our interactive website at www.instraview.com
LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION?
Visit us on the web at www.artisantg.com for more
information on price quotations, drivers, technical
specications, manuals, and documentation
Contact us: (888) 88-SOURCE | [e-mail] | www.artisantg.com
SM
View
Instra

PXI Express
NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
May 2013
373989A-01
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Support
Worldwide Technical Support and Product Information
ni.com
Worldwide Offices
Visit ni.com/niglobal to access the branch office Web sites, which provide up-to-date contact information,
support phone numbers, email addresses, and current events.
National Instruments Corporate Headquarters
11500 North Mopac Expressway Austin, Texas 78759-3504 USA Tel: [phone]
For further support information, refer to the Technical Support and Professional Services appendix. To comment
on National Instruments documentation, refer to the National Instruments Web site at ni.com/info and enter
the Info Code feedback.
©2013 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Important Information
Warranty
The NI PXIe-8220 is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of shipment, as evidenced
by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective during the
warranty period. This warranty includes parts and labor.
The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects in
materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments
will, at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such defects
during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free.
A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before any
equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will pay the shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are covered by
warranty.
National Instruments believes that the information in this document is accurate. The document has been carefully reviewed for technical accuracy. In
the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of this document
without prior notice to holders of this edition. The reader should consult National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no event shall National
Instruments be liable for any damages arising out of or related to this document or the information contained in it.
EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN, NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMER’SRIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES CAUSED BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF NATIONAL
INSTRUMENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT THERETOFORE PAID BY THE CUSTOMER. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING
FROM LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, USE OF PRODUCTS, OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. This limitation of
the liability of National Instruments will apply regardless of the form of action, whether in contract or tort, including negligence. Any action against
National Instruments must be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues. National Instruments shall not be liable for any delay in
performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control. The warranty provided herein does not cover damages, defects, malfunctions, or service
failures caused by owner’s failure to follow the National Instruments installation, operation, or maintenance instructions; owner’s modification of the
product; owner’s abuse, misuse, or negligent acts; and power failure or surges, fire, flood, accident, actions of third parties, or other events outside
reasonable control.
Copyright
Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National
Instruments Corporation.
National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other
intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only
to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.
End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations:
• Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
• EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
•Review
<National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for more information on including legal information in installers built with
NI products.
Trademarks
Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for more information on National Instruments trademarks.
ARM, Keil, and µVision are trademarks or registered of ARM Ltd or its subsidiaries.
LEGO, the LEGO logo, WEDO, and MINDSTORMS are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2013 The LEGO Group.
TETRIX by Pitsco is a trademark of Pitsco, Inc.©2013
FIELDBUS FOUNDATION™and FOUNDATION™are trademarks of the Fieldbus Foundation.
EtherCAT®is a registered trademark of and licensed by Beckhoff Automation GmbH.
CANopen®is a registered Community Trademark of CAN in Automation e.V.
DeviceNet™and EtherNet/IP™are trademarks of ODVA.
Go!, SensorDAQ, and Vernier are registered trademarks of Vernier Software & Technology. Vernier Software & Technology and vernier.com are
trademarks or trade dress.
Xilinx is the registered trademark of Xilinx, Inc.
Taptite and Trilobular are registered trademarks of Research Engineering & Manufacturing Inc.
FireWire®is the registered trademark of Apple Inc.
Linux®is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
Handle Graphics®, MATLAB®, Real-Time Workshop®, Simulink®, Stateflow®, and xPC TargetBox®are registered trademarks, and TargetBox™
and Target Language Compiler™are trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc.
Tektronix®, Tek, and Tektronix, Enabling Technology are registered trademarks of Tektronix, Inc.
The Bluetooth®word mark is a registered trademark owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
The ExpressCard™word mark and logos are owned by PCMCIA and any use of such marks by National Instruments is under license.
The mark LabWindows is used under a license from Microsoft Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and other countries.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Members of the National Instruments Alliance Partner Program are business entities independent from National Instruments and have no agency,
partnership, or joint-venture relationship with National Instruments.
Patents
For patents covering National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software,
the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.
Export Compliance Information
Refer to the Export Compliance Information at ni.com/legal/export-compliance for the National Instruments global trade compliance
policy and how to obtain relevant HTS codes, ECCNs, and other import/export data.
WARNING REGARDING USE OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS
(1) NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH COMPONENTS AND TESTING FOR A LEVEL OF
RELIABILITY SUITABLE FOR USE IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH SURGICAL IMPLANTS OR AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN
ANY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS WHOSE FAILURE TO PERFORM CAN REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT
INJURY TO A HUMAN.
(2) IN ANY APPLICATION, INCLUDING THE ABOVE, RELIABILITY OF OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS CAN BE
IMPAIRED BY ADVERSE FACTORS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO FLUCTUATIONS IN ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY,
COMPUTER HARDWARE MALFUNCTIONS, COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE FITNESS, FITNESS OF COMPILERS
AND DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE USED TO DEVELOP AN APPLICATION, INSTALLATION ERRORS, SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE
COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS, MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING OR CONTROL DEVICES,
TRANSIENT FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS (HARDWARE AND/OR SOFTWARE), UNANTICIPATED USES OR MISUSES, OR
ERRORS ON THE PART OF THE USER OR APPLICATIONS DESIGNER (ADVERSE FACTORS SUCH AS THESE ARE HEREAFTER
COLLECTIVELY TERMED “SYSTEM FAILURES”). ANY APPLICATION WHERE A SYSTEM FAILURE WOULD CREATE A RISK OF
HARM TO PROPERTY OR PERSONS (INCLUDING THE RISK OF BODILY INJURY AND DEATH) SHOULD NOT BE RELIANT SOLELY
UPON ONE FORM OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEM DUE TO THE RISK OF SYSTEM FAILURE. TO AVOID DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH,
THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MUST TAKE REASONABLY PRUDENT STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST SYSTEM FAILURES,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BACK-UP OR SHUT DOWN MECHANISMS. BECAUSE EACH END-USER SYSTEM IS
CUSTOMIZED AND DIFFERS FROM NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS' TESTING PLATFORMS AND BECAUSE A USER OR APPLICATION
DESIGNER MAY USE NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PRODUCTS IN A MANNER NOT
EVALUATED OR CONTEMPLATED BY NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER IS ULTIMATELY
RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING AND VALIDATING THE SUITABILITY OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS WHENEVER
NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE INCORPORATED IN A SYSTEM OR APPLICATION, INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, THE APPROPRIATE DESIGN, PROCESS AND SAFETY LEVEL OF SUCH SYSTEM OR APPLICATION.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Compliance
Electromagnetic Compatibility Information
This product was tested and complies with the regulatory requirements and limits for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) as
stated in the product specifications. These requirements and limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference when the product is operated in its intended operational electromagnetic environment. This product is intended for
use in industrial locations. There is no guarantee that harmful interference will not occur in a particular installation, when the
product is connected to a test object, or if the product is used in residential areas. To minimize the potential for the product to
cause interference to radio and television reception or to experience unacceptable performance degradation, install and use this
product in strict accordance with the instructions in the product documentation. Furthermore, any changes or 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, product installation requires either special considerations or
user-installed, add-on devices. See the product installation instructions for further information.
Caution To ensure the specified EMC performance, operate this product only with shielded cables and
accessories.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

©National Instruments vii NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
Contents
About This Manual
How to Use the Documentation Set...............................................................................xi
Conventions ...................................................................................................................xi
Related Documentation..................................................................................................xii
Chapter 1
Introduction
Benefits of PXI Express.................................................................................................1-1
NI PXIe-8820.................................................................................................................1-2
Description ......................................................................................................1-2
Functional Overview .......................................................................................1-2
NI PXIe-8820 Functional Description ..............................................1-2
National Instruments Software ......................................................................................1-4
Chapter 2
Installation and Configuration
Installing the NI PXIe-8820...........................................................................................2-1
How to Remove the Controller from the PXI Express Chassis.......................2-4
BIOS Setup Utility.........................................................................................................2-4
Accessing BIOS Setup Utility .........................................................................2-4
Main Setup Menu ............................................................................................2-5
Advanced Setup Menu ....................................................................................2-6
SATA Configuration Submenu.........................................................2-7
CPU Configuration Submenu ...........................................................2-7
Video Configuration Submenu .........................................................2-8
Power/Wake Configuration Submenu ..............................................2-8
USB Configuration Submenu ...........................................................2-9
Serial/Parallel Port Configuration Submenu.....................................2-10
Serial Port Configuration Submenu....................................2-10
Parallel Port Configuration Submenu.................................2-10
Memory Configuration Submenu .....................................................2-11
LabVIEW RT Setup Menu..............................................................................2-11
LabVIEW RT Configuration Overrides Submenu............................2-12
Boot Setup Menu.............................................................................................2-12
Boot Settings Configuration Submenu .............................................2-13
Hard Drive BBS Priorities Submenu ................................................2-14
CD/DVD ROM Drive BBS Priorities Submenu...............................2-14
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Contents
NI PXIe-8820 User Manual viii ni.com
Floppy Drive BBS Priorities Submenu ............................................ 2-14
Network Device BBS Priorities Submenu........................................ 2-14
Security Menu ................................................................................................. 2-14
Save & Exit Menu........................................................................................... 2-15
BIOS Diagnostic Utilities.............................................................................................. 2-16
Accessing BIOS Diagnostic Utilities.............................................................. 2-16
Hard Drive Diagnostic Utility......................................................................... 2-16
Memory Diagnostic Utility ............................................................................. 2-16
System CMOS ............................................................................................................... 2-17
LabVIEW RT Installation ............................................................................................. 2-18
LabVIEW RT Software Installation ............................................................... 2-18
LabVIEW RT Configuration Switches ........................................................... 2-19
Drivers and Software..................................................................................................... 2-22
PXI Express Features .................................................................................................... 2-22
PXI Express Trigger Connectivity.................................................................. 2-22
PXI Express Chassis Configuration .............................................................................. 2-22
PXI Express System Configuration ................................................................ 2-23
Upgrading RAM ............................................................................................................ 2-24
Hard Drive Recovery..................................................................................................... 2-25
Installing an OS ............................................................................................................. 2-25
Installing from a USB CD/DVD-ROM .......................................................... 2-25
Chapter 3
I/O Information
Front Panel Connectors ................................................................................................. 3-1
Front Panel.....................................................................................................................3-2
DisplayPort...................................................................................................... 3-3
COM1.............................................................................................................. 3-5
Ethernet ........................................................................................................... 3-6
Parallel Port..................................................................................................... 3-7
Universal Serial Bus........................................................................................ 3-9
Trigger............................................................................................................. 3-11
Front Panel Features ...................................................................................................... 3-12
Data Storage .................................................................................................................. 3-12
Chapter 4
Common Configuration Questions
General Questions ......................................................................................................... 4-1
Boot Options.................................................................................................................. 4-2
Cables and Connections ................................................................................................ 4-3
Software Driver Installation .......................................................................................... 4-4
Upgrade Information ..................................................................................................... 4-4
PXI Express Configuration............................................................................................ 4-6
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Contents
©National Instruments ix NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
Chapter 5
Troubleshooting
Appendix A
Specifications
Appendix B
Technical Support and Professional Services
Glossary
Index
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

©National Instruments xi NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
About This Manual
This manual contains detailed instructions for installing and configuring
the National Instruments PXIe-8820 embedded computer kit.
How to Use the Documentation Set
Begin by reading the NI PXIe-8820 Installation Guide, a brief quick-start
guide that describes how to install and get started with your controller.
This manual, the NI PXIe-8820 User Manual, contains more details about
changing the installation or configuration from the defaults and using the
hardware.
Conventions
The following conventions appear in this manual:
»The »symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options
to a final action. The sequence Options»Settings»General directs you to
pull down the Options menu, select the Settings item, and select General
from the last dialog box.
This icon denotes a tip, which alerts you to advisory information.
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.
This icon denotes a caution, which advises you of precautions to take to
avoid injury, data loss, or a system crash.
bold Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such
as menu items and dialog box options. Bold text also denotes parameter
names.
italic Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an introduction
to a key concept. Italic text also denotes text that is a placeholder for a word
or value that you must supply.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

About This Manual
NI PXIe-8820 User Manual xii ni.com
monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from the
keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples.
This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories,
programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions, operations,
variables, filenames, and extensions.
monospace bold Bold text in this font denotes the messages and responses that the computer
automatically prints to the screen. This font also emphasizes lines of code
that are different from the other examples.
Related Documentation
The following documents contain information you may find helpful as you
read this manual:
•PICMG EXP.0 R1.0 CompactPCI Express Specification,
PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group
• IEEE Standard P1284.1-1997 (C/MM) Standard for Information
Technology for Transport Independent Printer/System Interface
•PCI Express Base Specification, Revision 2.0, PCI Special Interest
Group
•PXI-5 PXI Express Hardware Specification, Revision 1.0,
PXI Systems Alliance
•PXI-6 PXI Express Software Specification, Revision 1.0,
PXI Systems Alliance
•Serialized IRQ Support for PCI Systems Specification, Revision 6.0,
Compaq Computer et al.
•ExpressCard Standard, Release 1.0, PCMCIA
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

©National Instruments 1-1 NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
1
Introduction
This chapter provides overview information for PXI Express and the
NI PXIe-8820 embedded controller.
Benefits of PXI Express
The PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) industry standard, an open
specification governed by the PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA), has quickly
gained adoption and grown in prevalence in test, measurement, and control
systems since its release in 1998. One of the key elements driving the rapid
adoption of PXI is its use of PCI in the communication backplane. As
the commercial PC industry has improved the available bus bandwidth
by evolving PCI to PCI Express, PXI is now able to meet even more
application needs by integrating PCI Express into the PXI standard. By
taking advantage of PCI Express technology in the backplane, PXI Express
increases the maximum PXI bandwidth from up to 132 MB/s to up to
2 GB/s for a more than 45x improvement in bandwidth.
PXI Express maximizes both hardware and software compatibility with
PXI modules. PXI Express hybrid slots deliver both PCI and PCI Express
signaling to accept devices that use PXI communication and triggering or
the newer PXI Express standard. Software compatibility is maintained
because PCI Express uses the same OS and driver model as PCI, resulting
in complete software compatibility among PCI-based systems, for example
PXI, and PCI Express-based systems such as PXI Express.
PXI Express, like PXI, leverages from the CompactPCI specification to
define a rugged, modular form factor that offers superior mechanical
integrity and easy installation and removal of hardware components.
PXI Express products offer higher and more carefully defined levels of
environmental performance required by the shock, vibration, temperature,
and humidity extremes of industrial environments. Mandatory
environmental testing and active cooling is added to the CompactPCI
mechanical specification to ease system integration and ensure multivendor
interoperability.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 1 Introduction
NI PXIe-8820 User Manual 1-2 ni.com
The demanding timing and synchronization requirements of
instrumentation systems are met by the integrated features of PXI Express.
Not only are the trigger bus, 10 MHz system reference clock, and star
trigger bus available in PXI retained by PXI Express, but new timing and
synchronization features that include a 100 MHz differential system
reference clock for the synchronization of multiple modules and three
differential star trigger buses for the distribution of precise clock and trigger
signals have been added. Differential timing and synchronization signals
provide PXI Express systems with increased noise immunity and the ability
to transmit clock signals at higher frequencies.
NI PXIe-8820
Description
The NI PXIe-8820 PXI Express/CompactPCI Express embedded computer
is a high performance PXI Express/CompactPCI Express-compatible
system controller. The NI PXIe-8820 controller integrates standard I/O
features in a single unit by using state-of-the-art packaging. Combining an
NI PXIe-8820 embedded controller with a PXI Express-compatible
chassis, such as the NI PXIe-1082, results in a fully PC-compatible
computer in a compact, rugged package.
The NI PXIe-8820 has an Intel®Celeron®1020E processor (2.2 GHz dual
core processor), all the standard I/O, and a 250 GB (or larger) hard drive.
The standard I/O on each module includes one DisplayPort video, one
RS-232 serial port, a parallel port, four Hi-Speed USB ports, one Gigabit
Ethernet, a reset button, and a PXI trigger.
Functional Overview
This section contains functional descriptions of each major logic block on
the NI PXIe-8820 embedded computer.
NI PXIe-8820 Functional Description
The NI PXIe-8820 is a modular PC in a PXI Express 3U-size form factor.
Figure 1-1 is a functional block diagram of the NI PXIe-8820.
Following the diagram is a description of each logic block shown.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 1 Introduction
©National Instruments 1-3 NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
Figure 1-1. NI PXIe-8820 Block Diagram
The NI PXIe-8820 consists of the following logic blocks on the CPU
module and the I/O (daughter card) module. The CPU module has the
following logic blocks:
• The processor is an Intel®Celeron®1020E processor (2M Cache,
2.2 GHz). The processor connects to the SO-DIMM block through the
DDR3 interface supporting up to 1333MHz SO-DIMMs, the PCH
through a x4 DMI2 (Direct Media Interface) interface supporting up to
5 GT/s per lane and through x4 FDI (Flexible Display Interface)
supporting up to 2.7 GT/s per lane.
Super I/O
Parallel
Serial
PCH
LPC
x1 PCIE
x1 PCIE
x1 PCIE
x1 PCIE
Processor SO-DIMM
DDR3
S ATA
SPI
x1 PCIE
USB
DisplayPort
FDIDMI2
S ATA
Hard Disk
1 DisplayPort
Connector
4 Hi-Speed
USB 2.0
Connectors
BIOS
PXI Express
Connectors
PXI
Trigger
Watchdog
SMB Front
Panel Trigger
Ethernet
Port
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 1 Introduction
NI PXIe-8820 User Manual 1-4 ni.com
• The SO-DIMM blocks consists of one 64-bit DDR3 SDRAM socket
that can hold up to 8 GB of memory.
• The PCH (Platform Controller Hub) provides the DisplayPort, USB,
PCI Express, LPC and SPI interfaces that connect to the peripherals on
the NI PXIe-8820.
• The DisplayPort block consists of 1 DisplayPort connector.
• The USB block consists of 4 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectors.
• The Ethernet Port block consists of an Intel® 82579LM Gigabit
Network Connection.
• The Super I/O block connects to 1 serial port and 1 ECP/EPP parallel
port.
• The SMB Front Panel Trigger provides a routable connection of the
PXI triggers to/from the SMB on the front panel.
• The Watchdog block consists of a watchdog timer that can reset the
controller or generate triggers.
• The PXI Express Connectors connect the NI PXIe-8820 to the
PXI Express/CompactPCI Express backplane.
National Instruments Software
National Instruments has developed several software tools you can use with
the NI PXIe-8820.
National Instruments’ hardware and software work together to help you
make the most of your PXI Express system. The LabVIEW, Measurement
Studio, and LabWindows™/CVI™application development environments
combine with leading hardware drivers such as NI-DAQmx to provide
exceptional control of NI hardware. Instrument drivers are available at
ni.com/idnet to simplify communication with instruments over a variety
of buses.
LabVIEW is a powerful and easy-to-use graphical programming
environment you can use to acquire data from thousands of different
instruments including USB, IEEE 488.2, VXI, serial, PLCs, and plug-in
boards. LabVIEW helps you convert acquired data into meaningful results
using powerful data analysis routines. Add-on tools provide additional
specialized functionality. For more information visit ni.com/labview
and ni.com/toolkits.
If you prefer to use Microsoft’s Visual Basic, Visual C++, and
Visual Studio .NET for the core of your application, Measurement Studio
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 1 Introduction
©National Instruments 1-5 NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
adds tools for Measurement and Automation to each language. For more
information visit ni.com/mstudio.
LabWindows/CVI is an interactive ANSI C programming environment
designed for building virtual instrument applications. LabWindows/CVI
delivers a drag-and-drop editor for building user interfaces, a complete
ANSI C environment for building your test program logic, and a collection
of automated code generation tools, as well as utilities for building
automated test systems, monitoring applications, or laboratory
experiments. For more information visit ni.com/lwcvi.
NI-DAQmx provides an extensive library of functions that you can call
from your application development environment or interactive environment
such as NI Signal Express. These functions provide an intuitive API for
National Instruments’ multifunction DAQ products. Features available
include analog input (A/D conversion), buffered data acquisition
(high-speed A/D conversion), analog output (D/A conversion), waveform
generation, digital I/O, counter/timer operations, SCXI signal conditioning,
RTSI or PXI synchronization, self-calibration, messaging, and acquiring
data to extended memory. For more information visit ni.com/daq.
National Instruments’ Modular Instruments use specialized drivers suited
to each product’s specialization. Express VIs provide customized,
interactive programming of instruments in a single interface and soft front
panels provide an interface for testing the functionality of each instrument
with no programming required. NI Switches, DMMs, High-Speed DIO,
High-Speed Digitizers, and Sources each have customized drivers for
high-end modular instrumentation systems. RF applications leverage
two drivers, NI-RFSG and NI-RFSA and Dynamic Signal Acquisition is
available through NI-DAQmx. For more information visit ni.com/
modularinstruments.
You can expand the timing and triggering functionality of your PXI system
with PXI Timing and Synchronization products. These products provide
precision clock sources, custom routing of triggers for multi-chassis
synchronization, clock sharing, and more and are programmed with
NI-Sync. For more information visit ni.com/pxi.
NI-VISA is the National Instruments implementation of the VISA
specification. VISA is a uniform API for communicating and controlling
USB, Serial, GPIB, PXI, VXI, and various other types of instruments. This
API aids in the creation of portable applications and instrument drivers. For
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 1 Introduction
NI PXIe-8820 User Manual 1-6 ni.com
information on writing your own PXI instrument driver with NI-VISA,
refer to the NI-VISA Getting Started Manual and the readme.txt file in
the NI-VISA directory. For more information visit ni.com/visa.
With LabVIEW for Linux and support for over two hundred devices on
Linux with the NI-DAQmx driver, you can now create Virtual Instruments
based on the Linux OS. Instrument control in Linux has been improved by
the NI-VISA driver for Linux and NI Modular Instruments are partially
supported. For more information visit ni.com/linux.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

©National Instruments 2-1 NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
2
Installation and Configuration
This chapter contains information about installing and configuring your
NI PXIe-8820 controller.
Installing the NI PXIe-8820
This section contains general installation instructions for the
NI PXIe-8820. Consult your PXI Express chassis user manual for specific
instructions and warnings.
1. Plug in your chassis before installing the NI PXIe-8820. The power
cord grounds the chassis and protects it from electrical damage while
you install the module.
Caution To protect both yourself and the chassis from electrical hazards, leave the chassis
powered off until you finish installing the NI PXIe-8820 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 case to discharge any static electricity that
might be on your clothes or body.
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
NI PXIe-8820 User Manual 2-2 ni.com
4. Remove the protective plastic covers from the four bracket-retaining
screws as shown in Figure 2-1.
Figure 2-1. Removing Protective Screw Caps
5. Make sure the injector/ejector handle is in its downward position.
Align the NI PXIe-8820 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-8820. 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
NI PXIe-8820 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-8820 to the chassis.
1ProtectiveScrew Cap (4×)
4
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com

Chapter 2 Installation and Configuration
©National Instruments 2-3 NI PXIe-8820 User Manual
9. Check the installation.
10. Connect the keyboard and mouse to the appropriate 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. Refer to
Figure 4-1, Y-Splitter Cable.
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.
13. Power on the chassis.
14. Verify that the controller boots. If the controller does not boot, refer
to the What if the NI PXIe-8820 does not boot? section of Chapter 5,
Troubleshooting.
Figure 2-2 shows an NI PXIe-8820 installed in the system controller slot of
a National Instruments NI PXIe-1082 chassis.
Figure 2-2. NI PXIe-8820 Controller Installed in a PXI Express Chassis
1 NI PXIe-1082 Chassis
2 NI PXIe-8820 Controller
3Injector/Ejector Rail
NI PXIe-1082
2
3
1
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com