NI PXI-7811 / PXI-7811R Digital RIO with Virtex-II 1M Gate FPGA Module

The NI PXI-7811 and PXI-7811R are digital reconfigurable I/O (RIO) modules built around a Xilinx Virtex-II FPGA with 1 million gate equivalents. These instruments deliver 128 configurable digital I/O lines at sample rates up to 100 MS/s per channel, supporting multiple voltage standards (3.3 V, 2.5 V, 1.8 V, 1.5 V) across independently configured banks. With 4.5 Mbit block RAM, 160 Kbit distributed RAM, and 80 DSP slices, these modules enable engineers to implement custom digital protocols, real-time signal processing, and precision timing control. The integrated Digital Clock Managers provide flexible clock generation, while PXI backplane trigger integration and external clock inputs ensure system-wide synchronization. JTAG programming support and FPGA-generated interrupts enable rapid development and event-driven processing in test, embedded control, and research applications.

– Technical Specifications

-# FPGA
• FPGA Family: Xilinx Virtex-II
• Logic Cells: 1 million gate equivalent
• Block RAM: 4.5 Mbit
• Distributed RAM: 160 Kbit
• DSP Slices: 80
• Clock Management: Integrated Digital Clock Managers (DCMs)

-# Digital I/O
• Channels: 128 digital I/O lines
• Voltage Levels: 3.3 V, 2.5 V, 1.8 V, 1.5 V (configurable per bank)
• Maximum Sample Rate: 100 MS/s per channel
• I/O Standards: LVTTL, LVCMOS

-# Timing and Synchronization
• Onboard Clock: User-configurable FPGA clock frequencies
• External Clocking: External clock input support for system synchronization
• PXI Trigger Bus: Integration with PXI backplane trigger lines
• Software Triggering: Software-initiated trigger generation capability

-# Interfaces
• Module Interface: PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation)
• FPGA Programming: JTAG interface for configuration and debugging

-# Physical Characteristics
• Form Factor: PXI module
• High-density: Digital I/O connectors

– Key Features

• Reconfigurable FPGA architecture adapts to application-specific requirements
• Independent voltage configuration per I/O bank maximizes flexibility
• Dual-module variants (PXI-7811 and PXI-7811R) for standard and extended applications
• FPGA-generated interrupts enable event-driven host processing
• Onboard memory resources support custom buffering and state machine implementation

– Typical Applications

• Custom digital interface development
• High-speed control systems
• Real-time signal processing
• Advanced data acquisition
• Embedded control systems
• Research and development platforms

– Compatibility & Integration

• Compatible with National Instruments PXI and PXIe chassis
• NI-RIO driver support for software integration
• PXI backplane synchronization for multi-module systems