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NI PCI-6541

Digital Waveform Generator/Analyzer for Interfacing Applications

  • Compatibility with 5.0, 3.3, 2.5, and 1.8 V (software-selectable)
  • Interactive waveform and script editor software
  • 50 MHz maximum clock rate
  • 1, 8, or 64 Mb/channel onboard memory
  • 32 channels with per-channel direction control
  • NI Synchronization and Memory Core (SMC) device
  • New! Compare to similar products
Data Sheet

The National Instruments PCI-6541 is a 50 MHz digital waveform generator/analyzer for interfacing to digital electronics. This board features 32 channels with per-channel direction control and deep onboard memory with triggering and pattern sequencing. Through the NI-HSDIO driver, you can configure the board for 5.0, 3.3, 2.5, or 1.8 V logic. You also can use the NI PCI-6541 with the NI Digital Waveform Editor, an interactive software tool for creating and editing digital waveforms. With the SMC architecture, you can create mixed-signal test systems with digitizers, arbitrary waveform generators, and other digital waveform generator/analyzers, or you can synchronize multiple digital devices to build low-skew multichannel systems for interfacing to high-pin-count digital ICs and electronics.

Step 1: Verify Device and Quantity Selection
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
  NI PCI-6541      
778988-01 1 Mb/channel 12 - 20 $ 2,999.00
778988-02 8 Mb/channel (NI Digital Waveform Editor Included)
NI Recommended
12 - 20 $ 5,399.00
778988-03 64 Mb/channel (NI Digital Waveform Editor Included) Call $ 7,999.00

Each NI PCI-6541- 8 Mb/ch requires: 1 Cable, 1 Connector Block

NI PCI-6541- 8 Mb/ch Cable Connector Block
Step 2: Select Cable
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Shielded
196275-01 SHC68-C68-D4 Cable (1m)
NI Recommended
10 - 15 $ 299.00
192681-1R5 SHC68-H1X38 Cable, 1.5m (no connector block required) 12 - 20 $ 499.00
Unshielded
195949-01 C68-C68-D4 Cable (1m) 12 - 20 $ 199.00
Step 3: Select Connector Block
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
High-Speed Digital
778592-01 CB-2162 - Unshielded
NI Recommended
10 - 15 $ 299.00
Connectors
778914-01 Connector, .8MM Champ, 68 Pos, VHDCI, Through Hole 10 - 15 $ 19.00
High-Speed Digital
778747-01 SMB-2163 12 - 20 $ 999.00
PCB Mountable
780390-01 Dual Stacked VHDCI Connector, 68 Pin, Right-Angle 10 - 15 $ 19.00
780389-01 VHDCI Connector, 68 Pin, Vertical 10 - 15 $ 19.00
Step 4: Select Optional Accessories
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Accessories for the NI CB-2162
199101-01 Twisted Pair Header Jumpers 12 - 20 $ 49.00
Accessories for the SHC68-H1X38
779581-01 4X2 Header Receptacles for Digital Flying-Leads Cable, Set of 10 12 - 20 $ 19.00
194096-01 IC Grabber Clips for Digital Flying-Leads Cable, Set of 10 12 - 20 $ 59.00
194097-01 Attenuators for Flying Lead Cables and NI 655x, 1 kOhm, Set of 10 Call $ 139.00
Software
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00
Step 5: Add to Cart or Get a Quote
Step 2: Select Cable
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Shielded
196275-01 SHC68-C68-D4 Cable (1m)
NI Recommended
10 - 15 $ 299.00
192681-1R5 SHC68-H1X38 Cable, 1.5m (no connector block required) 12 - 20 $ 499.00
Unshielded
195949-01 C68-C68-D4 Cable (1m) 12 - 20 $ 199.00
Step 3: Select Connector Block
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
High-Speed Digital
778592-01 CB-2162 - Unshielded
NI Recommended
10 - 15 $ 299.00
Connectors
778914-01 Connector, .8MM Champ, 68 Pos, VHDCI, Through Hole 10 - 15 $ 19.00
High-Speed Digital
778747-01 SMB-2163 12 - 20 $ 999.00
PCB Mountable
780390-01 Dual Stacked VHDCI Connector, 68 Pin, Right-Angle 10 - 15 $ 19.00
780389-01 VHDCI Connector, 68 Pin, Vertical 10 - 15 $ 19.00
Step 4: Select Optional Accessories
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Accessories for the NI CB-2162
199101-01 Twisted Pair Header Jumpers 12 - 20 $ 49.00
Accessories for the SHC68-H1X38
779581-01 4X2 Header Receptacles for Digital Flying-Leads Cable, Set of 10 12 - 20 $ 19.00
194096-01 IC Grabber Clips for Digital Flying-Leads Cable, Set of 10 12 - 20 $ 59.00
194097-01 Attenuators for Flying Lead Cables and NI 655x, 1 kOhm, Set of 10 Call $ 139.00
Step 5: Add to Cart or Get a Quote
Step 2: Select Cable
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Shielded
196275-01 SHC68-C68-D4 Cable (1m)
NI Recommended
10 - 15 $ 299.00
192681-1R5 SHC68-H1X38 Cable, 1.5m (no connector block required) 12 - 20 $ 499.00
Unshielded
195949-01 C68-C68-D4 Cable (1m) 12 - 20 $ 199.00
Step 3: Select Connector Block
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
High-Speed Digital
778592-01 CB-2162 - Unshielded
NI Recommended
10 - 15 $ 299.00
Connectors
778914-01 Connector, .8MM Champ, 68 Pos, VHDCI, Through Hole 10 - 15 $ 19.00
High-Speed Digital
778747-01 SMB-2163 12 - 20 $ 999.00
PCB Mountable
780390-01 Dual Stacked VHDCI Connector, 68 Pin, Right-Angle 10 - 15 $ 19.00
780389-01 VHDCI Connector, 68 Pin, Vertical 10 - 15 $ 19.00
Step 4: Select Optional Accessories
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Accessories for the NI CB-2162
199101-01 Twisted Pair Header Jumpers 12 - 20 $ 49.00
Accessories for the SHC68-H1X38
779581-01 4X2 Header Receptacles for Digital Flying-Leads Cable, Set of 10 12 - 20 $ 19.00
194096-01 IC Grabber Clips for Digital Flying-Leads Cable, Set of 10 12 - 20 $ 59.00
194097-01 Attenuators for Flying Lead Cables and NI 655x, 1 kOhm, Set of 10 Call $ 139.00
Step 5: Add to Cart or Get a Quote

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Specifications Documents


Specifications Summary

General 
Form FactorPCI
OS SupportWindows, Real-Time
LabVIEW RT SupportYes
Digital I/O 
Number of Channels32
TimingHardware
Maximum Clock Rate50 MHz
Maximum Data Rate / Channel50 Mbits/s
Logic LevelsTTL, LVTTL, 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.3 V
Differential LogicNo
Maximum On-Board Memory 64 Mbit
Supports Pattern I/O?Yes
Supports Handshaking I/O?Yes
Supports Hardware Data Compare?No
Supports Per Cycle Configuration of Line Direction?No
Supports Linking/Looping Segments?Yes
Supports Data Delay?Yes
Offers Watchdog Timer?No
Offers Dedicated Bandwidth?No
Digital InterfaceParallel
Timing/Triggering/Synchronization 
Synchronization Bus (RTSI)Yes
T-clock CapabilityYes
TriggeringDigital
External ClockingYes

Extended Warranties

National Instruments designs and manufactures all products to minimize failures, however unexpected failures can still occur. Extended warranties provide a fixed economical price at the time of system purchase, covering any repair costs for up to three years. In addition, they offer the following benefits:

  • Significant cost savings compared to individual repair incidents
  • Fault location, diagnostics, and repair by NI any time the system product fails
  • All parts and labor costs covered as well as any adjustments needed to restore the hardware to manufacturing specifications

For more information about your warranty options:

Calibration

NI recognizes the need to maintain properly calibrated devices for high-accuracy measurements. NI provides manual calibration procedures, services to recalibrate your products, and automated calibration software to calibrate many NI measurement products.

Training

NI training is the fastest, most certain route to productivity with NI tools and successful application development.

Repair Services

Return your registered product under warranty at no additional labor and parts cost. NI offers fault location, diagnostics, and repair any time the system fails as well as any adjustments needed to restore the hardware to manufacturing specifications.

Technical Support

ni.com/support

Select your application need to see compatible software options for the NI PCI-6541.

Application Need

Graphical Programming Text-Based Programming
Option 1: Select one of the following NI Developer Suite packages or Configure Your NI Developer Suite >>
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
DS705787 NI Developer Suite Core with Communications Option (English)
NI Recommended
  $ 7,798.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 2: Select any of the following software products
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
776670-09 NI LabVIEW Full Development System for Windows (English)
NI Recommended
1 - 2 $ 2,599.00
779037-09 NI LabVIEW SignalExpress for Windows 5 - 10 $ 749.00
778786-03 NI Modulation Toolkit for LabVIEW 5 - 10 $ 2,099.00
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 1: Select one of the following NI Developer Suite packages or Configure Your NI Developer Suite >>
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
DS705787 NI Developer Suite Core with Communications Option (English)
NI Recommended
  $ 7,798.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 2: Select any of the following software products
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
776800-09 LabWindows/CVI Full Development System for Windows
NI Recommended
5 - 10 $ 2,599.00
779086-01 NI Modulation Toolkit for LabWindows/CVI 5 - 10 $ 2,099.00
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Graphical Programming Text-Based Programming
Option 1: Select one of the following NI Developer Suite packages or Configure Your NI Developer Suite >>
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
DS410841 NI Developer Suite Core with Automated Test Option (English)
NI Recommended
  $ 8,298.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 2: Select any of the following software products
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
776670-09 NI LabVIEW Full Development System for Windows (English)
NI Recommended
1 - 2 $ 2,599.00
779037-09 NI LabVIEW SignalExpress for Windows 5 - 10 $ 749.00
777777-09 NI TestStand Development System for Windows 5 - 10 $ 3,899.00
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 1: Select one of the following NI Developer Suite packages or Configure Your NI Developer Suite >>
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
DS410841 NI Developer Suite Core with Automated Test Option (English)
NI Recommended
  $ 8,298.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 2: Select any of the following software products
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
776800-09 LabWindows/CVI Full Development System for Windows
NI Recommended
5 - 10 $ 2,599.00
777777-09 NI TestStand Development System for Windows 5 - 10 $ 3,899.00
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Graphical Programming Text-Based Programming
Option 1: Select one of the following NI Developer Suite packages or Configure Your NI Developer Suite >>
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
DS590028 NI Developer Suite Core with Image Acquisition and Machine Vision Option (English)
NI Recommended
  $ 8,698.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 2: Select any of the following software products
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
776670-09 NI LabVIEW Full Development System for Windows (English)
NI Recommended
1 - 2 $ 2,599.00
779037-09 NI LabVIEW SignalExpress for Windows 5 - 10 $ 749.00
777859-09 NI Vision Development Module 5 - 10 $ 3,599.00
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 1: Select one of the following NI Developer Suite packages or Configure Your NI Developer Suite >>
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
DS590028 NI Developer Suite Core with Image Acquisition and Machine Vision Option (English)
NI Recommended
  $ 8,698.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 2: Select any of the following software products
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
776800-09 LabWindows/CVI Full Development System for Windows
NI Recommended
5 - 10 $ 2,599.00
777859-09 NI Vision Development Module 5 - 10 $ 3,599.00
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Graphical Programming Text-Based Programming
Option 1: Select one of the following NI Developer Suite packages or Configure Your NI Developer Suite >>
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
DS410841 NI Developer Suite Core with Automated Test Option (English)
NI Recommended
  $ 8,298.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 2: Select any of the following software products
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
776670-09 NI LabVIEW Full Development System for Windows (English)
NI Recommended
1 - 2 $ 2,599.00
779037-09 NI LabVIEW SignalExpress for Windows 5 - 10 $ 749.00
777777-09 NI TestStand Development System for Windows 5 - 10 $ 3,899.00
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 1: Select one of the following NI Developer Suite packages or Configure Your NI Developer Suite >>
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
DS410841 NI Developer Suite Core with Automated Test Option (English)
NI Recommended
  $ 8,298.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).

Option 2: Select any of the following software products
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
776800-09 LabWindows/CVI Full Development System for Windows
NI Recommended
5 - 10 $ 2,599.00
777777-09 NI TestStand Development System for Windows 5 - 10 $ 3,899.00
778724-03 NI Digital Waveform Editor 5 - 10 $ 699.00

Guarantee your price for 30 days with an NI Instant Quote (learn more)

You have selected United States as the country where you will use the product(s) (change).


Driver Software