NI Flexible-Resolution Digitizer Named Test Product of the Year

February 21, 2006
National Instruments Corporation
News

Summary

The readers of Test & Measurement World have voted the National Instruments PXI-5922 flexible-resolution digitizer the 2006 Test Product of the Year. This is the second Test & Measurement World honor for the digitizer, after it was named a Best in Test winner in December. Released in March 2005, the digitizer extends the industry-standard PXI platform with measurement capabilities that exceed the performance of high-end traditional instruments.

NEWS RELEASE – Feb. 2006 – The readers of Test & Measurement World have voted the National Instruments PXI-5922 flexible-resolution digitizer the 2006 Test Product of the Year. This is the second Test & Measurement World honor for the digitizer, after it was named a Best in Test winner in December. Released in March 2005, the digitizer extends the industry-standard PXI platform with measurement capabilities that exceed the performance of high-end traditional instruments.“We invited our readers to help determine which of the 12 Best in Test products would become the Test Product of the Year, and their choice was the NI PXI-5922 digitizer,” said Rick Nelson, chief editor of Test & Measurement World. “Our readers were undoubtedly impressed by the resolution and sample-rate flexibility that National Instruments engineers designed into the instrument.”Unlike traditional oscilloscopes and PC-based digitizers that have a fixed resolution for all sample rates, the NI PXI-5922 is a flexible-resolution digitizer with which engineers can trade sample rate for resolution through software. For example, at 15 MS/s, the module delivers 16 bits of resolution; by reducing the sample rate to 500 kS/s or less through a software call, the same module (without any hardware changes) delivers 24 bits of resolution. The PXI-5922 digitizer is the highest dynamic range digitizer with noise density as low as -170 dBFS/Hz. With the increased dynamic range, engineers can analyze a signal that was previously lost in the noise floor of their instrumentation. This unprecedented dynamic range and flexible resolution are possible with the development of the Flex II analog-to-digital converter (ADC) technology, which uses an enhanced multibit delta-sigma converter and patented techniques for digital linearization. PXI-5922 users already are implementing demanding applications such as high-end audio and ultrasound testing, characterization of high-resolution digital-to-analog converters and baseband I/Q analysis.“As we continue to increase our investment in R&D, we strengthen our commitment to delivering high-quality, innovative solutions to our customers,” said Tim Dehne, NI senior vice president of R&D. “Winning Test Product of the Year is a powerful testament to the National Instruments investment in innovation. The NI PXI-5922 flexible-resolution digitizer revolutionizes dynamic measurements with its leading dynamic range and flexibility.”Test & Measurement World published its list of Best in Test finalists in December and asked readers to vote for the Test Product of the Year in an online poll. Representatives from the magazine announced the results at the APEX trade show on Feb. 9 in Anaheim, Calif. This is the fourth Test Product of the Year Award for NI. About NI Modular Instruments NI offers essential technologies for test, which combine high-performance hardware, flexible software and innovative timing and synchronization technology for test and design applications. NI modular instruments offer accurate, high-throughput measurements from DC to 2.7 GHz. The product family includes:

High-resolution digitizers (up to 24 bits, up to 250 MS/s)

Signal generators (up to 16 bits, 200 MS/s)

Digital waveform generator/analyzers (up to 400 Mb/s)

Digital multimeters (up to 7½ digits)

RF vector signal generators and analyzers (up to 2.7 GHz)

Dynamic signal analyzers (up to 24 bits, 500 kS/s)

Switching (multiplexers, matrices and general purpose)About National InstrumentsFor 30 years, National Instruments has been a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation – a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists in industry, government and academia approach measurement and automation. Leveraging PCs and commercial technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs for test, control and design applications through easy-to-integrate software, such as NI LabVIEW, and modular measurement and control hardware for PXI, PCI, PCI Express, USB and Ethernet. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 3,800 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past seven years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Learn More

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