Industrial PAC facilitates integral FPGA programming.

Press Release Summary:



Programmable automation controller (PAC), NI cRIO-9073, offers engineers and machine builders solution for control and monitoring applications. Architecture combines 266 MHz embedded real-time processor with reconfigurable 2M gate FPGA within single chassis. Other features include 8 slots for C Series I/O modules, 64 Mb DRAM for embedded operations, and 128 Mb nonvolatile storage for data logging. Solution also supports scan mode programming features in LabVIEW Real-Time Module v8.6.



Original Press Release:



National Instruments Simplifies Advanced Control with New CompactRIO System



New Low-Cost, Integrated Controller and Chassis Support LabVIEW 8.6 Control Features for Easier FPGA Programming

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 8, 2008 -- National Instruments (NASDAQ:NATI) today announced the release of the lowest-cost NI CompactRIO programmable automation controller (PAC), which offers engineers and machine builders an ideal solution for advanced control and monitoring applications. The NI cRIO-9073 system has an integrated hardware architecture that combines an embedded real-time processor and a user-programmable FPGA chip within a single chassis. When programming with the LabVIEW 8.6 graphical system design platform and the FPGA within National Instruments PACs such as the cRIO-9073, engineers can quickly implement custom analog and digital control and acquisition loops along with high-speed signal processing algorithms to meet advanced control application challenges easily at a low cost.

The cRIO-9073 supports the scan mode programming features in the newly released LabVIEW Real-Time Module 8.6, which simplifies the programming of this FPGA-based CompactRIO system. Using the new scan mode features, engineers can choose between accessing each I/O module within the CompactRIO system directly in LabVIEW Real-Time or using FPGA programming in the LabVIEW FPGA Module for maximum flexibility and performance. With these scan mode features, engineers now can use new test panels and I/O forcing functionality to get up and running quickly, perform advanced debugging and monitor system performance. For applications requiring custom and ultrahigh-speed control and signal processing, engineers can use the LabVIEW FPGA Module to quickly program the FPGA within the CompactRIO system. The LabVIEW FPGA Module features hundreds of graphical functions for implementing control, custom timing and signal processing algorithms on all NI FPGA hardware.

The cRIO-9073 integrates a 266 MHz industrial real-time processor with a reconfigurable 2M gate FPGA and features eight slots for NI C Series I/O modules. Engineers can choose from more than 60 NI and third-party C Series I/O modules to connect with a variety of analog, digital, communications and motion I/O for interfacing with industrial sensors and actuators within their applications. For rugged applications, the CompactRIO system offers a -20 to 55 degrees Celsius operating temperature range along with a 19 to 30 VDC power supply input range. It also includes 64 MB of DRAM for embedded operations and 128 MB of nonvolatile storage for data logging.

Readers can visit www.ni.com/compactrio for more information on the cRIO-9073 and other CompactRIO integrated systems.

About NI CompactRIO

Based on graphical system design principles, CompactRIO is a high-performance embedded control and acquisition platform for advanced applications where small size, low cost and reliability are crucial. CompactRIO is powered by National Instruments LabVIEW FPGA and LabVIEW Real-Time technologies that give users the ability to design, develop and deploy custom embedded systems for a variety of industries such as automotive, mil/aero, industrial and machine control and embedded systems prototyping. The CompactRIO programmable automation controller (PAC) delivers unprecedented control acquisition capabilities in a compact, rugged package. For more information on CompactRIO, readers can visit www.ni.com/compactrio.

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 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 5,000 employees and direct operations in more than 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@ni.com or visiting http://www.ni.com/nati.

Pricing and Contact Information
NI cRIO-9073
Priced from $1,499;
euro 1,349; 189,000 yen*
Web: www.ni.com/compactrio
11500 N Mopac Expwy, Austin, Texas 78759-3504
Tel: (800) 258-7022, Fax: (512) 683-9300
E-mail: info@ni.com
*Prices subject to change without notice.

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

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

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