National Instruments 778692-01 Arbitrary Waveform Generator Device

National Instruments part number 778692-01 is the version of the PCI-5421 Arbitrary Waveform Generator that has 8 MB of onboard memory. Regarded as the standard version of the waveform generator, the memory capacity equates to 8,388,608 bytes. The 778692-01 features advanced Synchronization and Memory Core technology, which allows both waveforms and instructions to share in the onboard memory. The parameters of the memory usage, such as the maximum amount of waveforms that are able to be stored in memory or the amount of samples available, are all flexible and able to be modified by the user.  

The 778692-01 comes equipped with a selection of connector ports. The front panel features two SMB (jack) connections, compatible with PFI 0 and PFI 1. These connections are bidirectional, and they boast a frequency range of DC to 105 MHz. In addition, an optional front panel for digital data and control includes a 68-pin VHDCI female receptable connector. 

One of the standout features of the 778692-01 is its flexibility, provided by two distinct output modes: arbitrary waveform and arbitrary sequence. When the generator is in arbitrary waveform mode, a singular waveform is chosen from a collection of waveforms that are stored in the onboard memory. When using arbitrary sequence mode, the device is instructed to produce a collection of waveforms in a certain order. To break this process down even further- each individual part of the sequence, called a segment, has an individual set of instructions attached to it. These instructions determine which waveform is chosen in addition to other specifications. The memory limit for the arbitrary waveform mode of the 778692-01 is 4,194,176 samples, while the limit for arbitrary sequence mode is slightly lower at 4,194,120 samples.