National Instruments PXI-8421/2 RS-485 Interface

Featured with hyperthreading and multiprocessor capabilities, the National Instruments PXI-8421/2 is a high-performance, Serial RS-485 Interface for high-speed communications. This model features universal PCI and is fully compatible with a standard PC serial port. The National Instruments PXI-8421 is fully Plug-and-Play compatible with Windows 2000/9x; thus, it can be operated in a switchless configuration. This module is capable of handling interrupt sharing between ports and RTS/CTS hardware handshake lines. The NI PXI-8421/2 has two ports (Part Number: 777735-02), but there are also 4 and 8 port configurations available.

The 2-port version incorporates DB-9 male connectors. When purchasing this module in a 4-port configuration, the user can order cables that can be used for the conversion of phone jacks to either DB-25 or DB-9 male connectors. In 8-port configuration, the NI PXI-8421 comes equipped with an SCSI 68-pin interface.  This Serial Interface offers up to 460.8 (kb/s) maximum transfer rate, has a 64 (B) FIFO, and fully supports the LabVIEW Real-Time software.

The NI PXI 8421/2 features an advanced memory-mapping feature that allows the user to connect to more serial devices without encountering resource conflicts. Since this Interface Module is fully compatible with both 3.3 V and 5 V signaling environments, this board can work in a broad range of PCs. This module can easily be installed as a standard serial port from numerous applications, such as Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Excel. The National Instruments PXI-8421/2 is compatible with any package that uses the Microsoft Win32 Serial API.

PXI-8421/2 Obsolete Status has been announced by National Instruments, but the module will still be available for purchase and repairs by Apex Waves.