National Instruments Expands High-Performance CAN Communication to NI CompactDAQ and CompactRIO

AUSTIN, Texas, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI) today announced the NI 9862 C Series high-speed controller area network (CAN) module, the newest addition to the NI-XNET family of high-performance interfaces designed to communicate with embedded networks. The module expands the NI-XNET family to the NI CompactDAQ and CompactRIO hardware platforms and introduces CAN support to NI CompactDAQ. The NI 9862 provides sustained transfer rates up to 1 Mbit/s and includes similar advantages of other NI-XNET PCI and PXI interfaces including hardware-accelerated messaging, onboard frame processing and communication with 100 percent bus loads without dropped frames.

The NI CompactDAQ platform provides portable CAN communication with the availability of 4- and 8-slot USB or Ethernet chassis. NI CompactDAQ is compatible with more than 50 other NI C Series I/O modules, and the NI 9862 high-speed CAN module can be synchronized with other I/O modules in the same chassis. The modular nature of NI CompactDAQ, combined with its seamless integration with NI LabVIEW graphical programming software, increases ease of use and facilitates a faster time-to-measurement solution.

CAN is recognized as the standard in-vehicle automotive network and used in a variety of other industries including public transportation, avionics, farm/forest machinery, medical devices, military systems and industrial automation. Using the new module, engineers can develop applications including the following:

• In-vehicle networks monitoring and logging
• Portable ECU calibration
• In-vehicle diagnostics (monitoring and logging)
• Device validation with synchronized DAQ

The NI-XNET family offers a common programming interface for multiple automotive networks such as CAN, LIN and FlexRay. With NI-XNET interfaces, engineers can develop applications for prototyping, simulating and testing these networks faster and more easily in LabVIEW and LabVIEW Real-Time software as well as ANSI C/C++. The interfaces combine the performance and flexibility of low-level microcontroller interfaces with the speed and power of Windows and LabVIEW Real-Time OS development. They also can be easily integrated into desktop real-time PCs and real-time PXI systems. The NI-XNET CAN interfaces include integrated database support for importing, editing and using frames and signals from FIBEX, .DBC and .NCD files. In addition, the CAN module also includes intuitive software tools and APIs to accelerate development efforts, and the same code can be used across PXI, PCI, NI CompactDAQ (USB and Ethernet) and CompactRIO hardware systems for additional time savings. This advantage makes it possible for engineers to standardize their CAN applications for a variety of settings and application areas.

Engineers also can use the module with the CompactRIO platform and conduct rapid prototyping more easily using a common programming interface comparable to other NI-XNET CAN interfaces such as PCI and PXI. Additionally, the module has a native, built-in functionality for common CAN communication applications in NI VeriStand, an out-of-the-box software solution for configuring real-time testing applications such as hardware-in-the-loop testing and test cell applications.

Readers can learn more about the NI 9862 module at www.ni.com/9862.

About National Instruments

National Instruments (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 30,000 different companies worldwide, with its largest customer representing approximately 4 percent of revenue in 2010 and no one industry representing more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has approximately 5,500 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the past 12 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 [email protected] or visiting www.ni.com/nati.

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

SOURCE National Instruments