National Instruments Introduces 1 GHz Bandwidth PXI Digitizer

New Module Delivers Optimized Performance for High-Bandwidth Measurements in Automated Test Applications

AUSTIN, Texas, July 28 -- National Instruments (NASDAQ:NATI) today announced a significant bandwidth increase in its digitizer offering with the introduction of the NI PXI-5154 digitizer/PC-based oscilloscope, expanding the family of more than 20 high-speed, high-resolution and high-channel-count products. The dual-channel, 1 GHz PXI-5154 digitizer offers up to a 2 GS/s real-time sample rate (20 GS/s equivalent-time sample rate for repetitive signals), making it ideal for acquisition and characterization of fast, nanosecond-edge speeds. Equipped with the deepest onboard memory in its class of up to 256 MB per channel, the digitizer also provides high sustained sample rates over extended data capture windows. The device is well-suited for automated test and data streaming applications in the consumer electronics, semiconductor, aerospace/defense and life sciences industries.

Using National Instruments patented T-Clock technology, engineers can integrate PXI digitizers with a variety of NI hardware -- including arbitrary waveform generators and digital waveform generators/analyzers -- to customize and build a complete, automated mixed-signal test system. Using T-Clock technology, engineers also can synchronize multiple PXI-5154 digitizers to build systems with up to 34 channels in a single PXI chassis, all simultaneously sampling at 1GS/s and synchronized to picosecond-level accuracy between modules. The digitizer's high bandwidth and tight multi-module synchronization are particularly beneficial for applications including mass spectrometry, radar, signal intelligence, non-destructive test and high-channel count physics experimentation.

Engineers can combine the new digitizer with NI LabVIEW Signal Express software to quickly acquire data, perform measurements, and view and analyze data in Microsoft Excel. Additionally, the PXI-5154 digitizer works with all National Instruments software including LabVIEW and LabWindows(TM)/CVI as well as other development environments such as ANSI C, Microsoft C++ and Visual Basic.

For more information on the new digitizer, readers can visit http://www.ni.com/digitizers.

About PXI and Modular Instruments

PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI) is an open specification governed by the PXI Systems Alliance (http://www.pxisa.org/) that defines a rugged, CompactPCI-based platform optimized for test, measurement and control. Created in 1997, the PXI specification is supported by more than 70 vendors offering more than 1,500 PXI products. With PXI modular instruments, engineers specify the essential functionality they require -- choosing from a wide variety of measurement, signal generation, RF, power and switch modules. Then, they configure the instruments in software for their specific measurement tasks. PXI and modular instruments provide high-speed test execution by harnessing the power of industry-standard PC and advanced timing and synchronization technologies. The product family includes:

  -- Digitizers/oscilloscopes (up to 24 bits, up to 2 GS/s, up to eight
     channels)
  -- Signal generators (up to 16 bits, 200 MS/s)
  -- Digital waveform generator/analyzers (up to 400 Mb/s)
  -- RF signal generators and analyzers (up to 6.6 GHz)
  -- Digital multimeters (up to 71/2 digits, LCR)
  -- Source measure unit (four-quadrant source, 1 nA resolution)
  -- Programmable power supplies (up to 20 W, 16 bits)
  -- Dynamic signal analyzers (up to 24 bits, 500 kS/s)
  -- Switching (multiplexers, matrices, general-purpose and RF)


  About National Instruments

National Instruments (http://www.ni.com/) is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 25,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 10 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 4,800 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past nine years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the company's investor relations department by calling (512) 683-5090, e-mailing nati at ni.com or visiting http://www.ni.com/nati.

  Pricing and Contact Information
  NI PXI-5154 digitizer/oscilloscope      11500 N Mopac Expwy, Austin, Texas
                                           78759-3504
  Priced* from $8,999; euro 7,949;        Tel: (800) 258-7022,
   1,276,000 yen                           Fax: (512) 683-9300
  Web: http://www.ni.com/digitizers       E-mail: info at ni.com

  *All prices are subject to change without notice.

CVI, LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com and SignalExpress are trademarks of National Instruments. 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. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Editor Contact: Julia Betts, (512) 683-8165

Reader Contact: Ernest Martinez, (800) 258-7022