7½-Digit Accuracy, PXI Express DMM Launched
Also performs the role of a 1.8 MS/s isolated digitizer

National Instruments (ni.com/korea, hereinafter NI) announced the NI PXIe-4081, the industry's most accurate high-performance digital multimeter (hereinafter DMM) with 7½ digits of resolution.

The NI PXIe-4081 is the industry's first PXI Express DMM and also serves as a 1.8 MS/s isolated digitizer. It meets the resolution (7.5 digits) and isolation performance (1.8 MS/s) required for everything from consumer electronics, where engineers need smart test systems, to aerospace and defense solutions.

The NI PXIe-4081 is capable of measuring voltages ranging from nanovolts (nV) to kilovolts (kV), as well as resistances ranging from microohms (µΩ) to gigaohms (gigaΩ). The solid-state current shunt configuration provides eight DC currents with a current range of 1µA to 3A, and six AC currents with a current range of 100µA to 3A. The DMM occupies a single 3U PXI slot and provides the best channel density for multi-channel count systems by implementing 17 DMM channels within a single PXI chassis when using 4U rack space.


For applications requiring high-volume rapid processing, DC-coupled waveforms can be acquired at a maximum sample rate of 1.8 MS/s across all voltage and current ranges via isolated digitizer mode. Engineers can simultaneously benefit from high speed and accuracy by changing the digitizer sampling rate to freely set the digitizer resolution between 10 and 23 bits.

For high-performance hardware such as the NI PXIe-4081, calibration services are required to maintain a high level of measurement accuracy. NI provides calibration services for up to two years with 15 ppm accuracy for DC voltage measurements, the industry's best.

When utilizing the interactive soft front panel for basic measurement and automated debugging tasks, all functions can be easily accessed, just like with conventional instruments. The driver software includes a best-in-class programming interface that works with various development environments such as C, Microsoft .NET, and LabVIEW. Additionally, this driver supports test code development through files, documentation, and 28 ready-to-run example programs.

Steve Warntjes, Vice President of Modular Instruments R&D at NI, said, “Customers requiring automated testing select PXI platforms based on the accuracy, channel density, and speed of PXI instruments to reduce costs. “Building on over 20 years of success with NI PXI DMMs, the NI PXIe-4081 extends the lifecycle of test and measurement functions and delivers top-level performance by providing code-compatible migration options to PXI Express,” he said.

You can find out more about how to build a smarter test system and reduce test costs with the NI PXIe-4081 in the technical white paper.