As mentioned in the National Instruments PXI Chassis Part 1 Blog Post, NI PXI Chassis have many beneficial features. A feature not yet discussed is the timing and synchronization capabilities of these models. PXI Chassis have a 10 MHz system reference clock, star trigger bus, slot-to-slot local bus, and a PXI trigger bus. Furthermore, PXI Express Chassis also have a 100 MHz differential system clock, differential star triggers, and differential signaling. The system reference clocks can phase-lock-loop or PLL to a higher stability clock source than that which is offered on the backplane of the chassis. The result is that PXI modules with higher sample rates can better align their samples across numerous devices.
The National Instruments PXI Chassis can be programmed with Python, .NET, LabVIEW, and C/C++. These different types of software can be utilized for code sequencing, signal processing, database reporting, parallel execution, user management, and operator interface. Several of the PXI Chassis have multiple part numbers, which each correspond to input voltages and power cords for different countries.
Another capability of some high-performing PXI Chassis, such as the PXIe-1085, is the remote power on/off feature. This feature allows the user to control the power without requiring them to press the power button on the chassis. When the inhibit mode switch is in the Default position, a controller is required for the chassis to power on. This chassis also has three front panel LED indicators, so the user can see how the system is functioning.
There are also general-purpose PXI Chassis, such as the PXI-1000B, PXI-1002, and PXI-1006. These are affordable options for users who still want the benefits of PXI in their measurement system. These NI PXI Chassis have durable, individually cooled, universal AC power supplies. The power supplies in the PXI-1000B and PXI-1006 are removable. The NI PXI-1006 also has a remote power inhibit and monitoring feature and is well-suited for high-performance applications with a large number of modules.
The PXI-1025 is another type of chassis, which was the first portable PXI computer platform equipped for the challenges and requirements of communications, test and measurement, and instrumentation applications. The NI PXI-1025 MegaPAC has a 10.4 inch LCD color display, carrying handle, and a fold-down keyboard, making it the perfect option for portable applications.
In addition, there are several PXI Chassis which are now in the mature stage of the life cycle and will soon be discontinued by National Instruments. One of these mature chassis is the PXI-1031. The NI PXI-1031 has 4 slots, 132 MB/s bandwidth, an AC power supply, and VCXO onboard clock. Other mature PXI Chassis include the PXI-1033, PXI-1036, PXI-1042, PXI-1042Q, PXI-1044, PXI-1045, PXIe-1065,
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