Page 4.1
RF SWITCHING MODULE 40-710
pickering
SECTION 4 - PROGRAMMING GUIDE
SECTION 4 - PROGRAMMING GUIDE
PROGRAMMING OPTIONS FOR PICKERING INTERFACES PXI CARDS
Software drivers are supplied for Microsoft Windows operating systems, with specific support for the following
development environments:
●
Microsoft Visual Studio (VB, C++, C#)
●
Borland C++
●
National Instruments LabWindows/CVI
●
National Instruments LabVIEW and LabVIEW RT
Windows drivers are supplied in the form of Dynamic Link Libraries, which should also be usable in any other
development environment that supports them.
Some recent drivers developed for the LXI platform are capable of addressing both PXI and LXI domains. Such
duality may be of help to users considering future migration from PXI based systems to LXI based systems, or
indeed systems containing both PXI and LXI components.
Programming for PXI
A number of different Windows drivers are available to meet particular system requirements, and should none of
these be suitable there is also the option of register-level programming. Drivers are generally ‘universal’, handling all
models in the System 40, 45 and 50 ranges; however some models that are not compliant with the Ivi Swtch class
cannot be used with the pi40iv IVI driver. The pipx40 and Pilpxi drivers are also applicable to certain models in the
System 41 (PXI Instruments) range - see these drivers’ System 41 support list.
Please note that this documentation is available in its most up-to-date form as HTML help files, fully hyperlinked for
easy access - both pipx40 and Pilpxi documents are included in the Pipx40vpp software installation.
IVI Driver for Windows - pi40iv
The pi40iv IVI (Interchangeable Virtual Instrument) driver supports all Pickering Interfaces PXI switch cards that
are consistent with the Iviswtch class model - as are the great majority of cards in the System 40/45/50 ranges. It
integrates well with LabWindows/CVI and LabVIEW, and is fully compatible with Switch Executive. It is also usable
in general-purpose programming environments such as Visual C++ and Visual Basic.
Prior installation of the VISA and IviEngine from National Instruments are required for the correct installation and
operation of this driver.
VISA Driver for Windows - pipx40
The pipx40 driver conforms to the VISA (Virtual Instrument Software Architecture) standard for programmable
instrumentation. Instrument control environments such as LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI are based on VISA, and
pipx40 support libraries are provided for them.
Prior installation of VISA from National Instruments is required for the operation of this driver.
Where VISA is available, pipx40 can also be used in general-purpose programming environments such as Visual
C++ and Visual Basic. When IVI is not a system requirement this driver will often yield faster operation than the
pi40iv driver.
Direct I/O Driver for Windows - Pilpxi
The Pilpxi driver accesses cards directly, without using the VISA software layer, while offering similar overall
functionality to pipx40. It is most commonly used in general-purpose programming environments such as Visual
C++ and Visual Basic. Operating speed of the VISA and Direct I/O drivers is generally comparable.
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