National Instruments PC-DIO-96/PnP, User Manual

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Chapter 1 Introduction
PC-DIO-96/PnP User Manual 1-4 © National Instruments Corporation
digital I/O, counter/timer operations, SCXI, RTSI, self-calibration,
messaging, and acquiring data to extended memory.
NI-DAQ has both high-level DAQ I/O functions for maximum ease of
use and low-level DAQ I/O functions for maximum flexibility and
performance. Examples of high-level functions are streaming data to
disk or acquiring a certain number of data points. An example of a low-
level function is writing directly to registers on the DAQ device.
NI-DAQ does not sacrifice the performance of National Instruments
DAQ devices because it lets multiple devices operate at their peak
performance.
NI-DAQ also internally addresses many of the complex issues between
the computer and the DAQ hardware such as programming interrupts
and DMA controllers. NI-DAQ maintains a consistent software
interface among its different versions so that you can change platforms
with minimal modifications to your code. Whether you are using
conventional programming languages, LabVIEW, or
LabWindows/CVI, your application uses the NI-DAQ driver software,
as illustrated in Figure 1-1.
Figure 1-1. The Relationship between the Programming Environment,
NI-DAQ, and Your Hardware
LabWindows/CVI
(PC or
Sun SPARCstation)
LabVIEW
(PC, Macintosh, or
Sun SPARCstation)
Conventional
Programming
Environment
(PC, Macintosh, or
Sun SPARCstation)
NI-DAQ
Driver Software
DAQ or
SCXI Hardware
Personal
Computer
or
Workstation