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NI PCI-6255

16-Bit, 1.25 MS/s(max), 750 kS/s(scanning), 80 Analog Inputs

  • Two 16-bit analog outputs (2.8 MS/s), 24 digital I/O, and 32-bit counters
  • Correlated DIO (8 clocked lines, 10 MHz); analog and digital triggering
  • NI-MCal calibration technology for increased measurement accuracy
  • NIST-traceable calibration; more than 70 signal conditioning options
  • High-accuracy M Series module available for improved measurement accuracy, resolution, sensitivity
  • NI-DAQmx driver software and NI LabVIEW SignalExpress LE interactive data-logging software
  • Data Sheet

Step 1: Verify Device and Quantity Selection
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
779546-01 NI PCI-6255 -- For price, select country  

Each NI PCI-6255 requires: 2 Connector Blocks

NI PCI-6255 Connector Block
Step 2: Select Cable
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Connector 0
Shielded
192061-01 SHC68-68-EPM Cable (1m) -- For price, select country  
192061-02 SHC68-68-EPM Cable (2m) -- For price, select country  
192061-0R5 SHC68-68-EPM Cable (0.5m) -- For price, select country  
192061-10 SHC68-68-EPM Cable (10m) -- For price, select country  
Unshielded
187252-01 RC68-68 Cable (1m) -- For price, select country  
187252-0R5 RC68-68 Cable (0.5m) -- For price, select country  
187252-0R25 RC68-68 Cable (0.25m) -- For price, select country  
Connector 1
Shielded
191945-01 SHC68-68 Cable (1m) -- For price, select country  
191945-02 SHC68-68 Cable (2m) -- For price, select country  
Unshielded
187252-01 RC68-68 Cable (1m) -- For price, select country  
187252-0R5 RC68-68 Cable (0.5m) -- For price, select country  
187252-0R25 RC68-68 Cable (0.25m) -- For price, select country  
Step 3: Select Connector Block
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Connector 0
Screw Terminals
776844-01 SCB-68 - Shielded
NI Recommended
-- For price, select country  
BNC Termination
779556-01 BNC-2090A - Shielded, Rack Mountable -- For price, select country  
777643-01 BNC-2110 - Shielded -- For price, select country  
777960-01 BNC-2120 - Shielded -- For price, select country  
779347-01 BNC-2111 - Shielded -- For price, select country  
Screw Terminals
779475-01 SCC-68 - Unshielded -- For price, select country  
777145-01 CB-68LP - Unshielded -- For price, select country  
777141-01 TBX-68 Unshielded, I/O Connector Block with DIN-Rail Mounting - Unshielded -- For price, select country  
777145-02 CB-68LPR - Unshielded -- For price, select country  
Connector 1
Screw Terminals
776844-01 SCB-68 - Shielded
NI Recommended
-- For price, select country  
BNC Termination
779556-01 BNC-2090A - Shielded, Rack Mountable -- For price, select country  
777643-01 BNC-2110 - Shielded -- For price, select country  
777960-01 BNC-2120 - Shielded -- For price, select country  
779347-01 BNC-2111 - Shielded -- For price, select country  
Screw Terminals
779475-01 SCC-68 - Unshielded -- For price, select country  
777145-01 CB-68LP - Unshielded -- For price, select country  
777141-01 TBX-68 Unshielded, I/O Connector Block with DIN-Rail Mounting - Unshielded -- For price, select country  
777145-02 CB-68LPR - Unshielded -- For price, select country  
Step 4: Select Optional Accessories
Part
Number
Description Est Ship Days Glossary Definition US Dollars
(change)
Qty
Other
779489-01 DAQ 7 Steps Tutorial -- For price, select country  
SCC Modules
777459-18 SCC-RTD01, 2-Channel RTD Input Module -- For price, select country  
777459-04 SCC-TC02, Thermocouple Input Module with Screw Terminals -- For price, select country  
777459-22 SCC-AI03, 2-Channel Isolated Analog Input -- For price, select country  
777459-16 SCC-SG04, 2-Channel Full Bridge -- For price, select country  
Step 5: Add to Cart or Get a Quote

Please select the country where you will use the product(s) so that we can provide you with accurate pricing, availability, and purchasing information

The National Instruments PCI-6255 is a high-speed multifunction M Series data acquisition (DAQ) board optimized for superior accuracy at fast sampling rates. For optimal performance using the NI PCI-6255, NI recommends using the SHC68-68-EPM cable for connector 0 and the SHC68-68 cable for connector 1. The SCC-68 or other NI signal conditioning accessories are not compatible with connector 1. Also consider the high-accuracy M Series devices with an 18-bit analog-to-digital converter for a 4X resolution increase.

High-speed M Series devices incorporate advanced features such as the NI-STC 2 system controller, NI-PGIA 2 programmable amplifier, and NI-MCal calibration technology to increase performance and accuracy. High-speed M Series devices have an onboard NI-PGIA 2 amplifier designed for fast settling time at high scanning rates, ensuring 16-bit accuracy even when measuring all channels at maximum speeds. To learn more about M Series technologies, device specifications, and information on recommended cables and accessories, please refer to the data sheet and specifications.

Driver Software
M Series devices work with multiple operating systems using three driver software options including NI-DAQmx, NI-DAQmx Base, and the Measurement Hardware DDK. Browse the information in the Resources tab to learn more about driver software or download a driver. M Series devices are not compatible with the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) driver.

Application Software
With NI LabVIEW, you can create custom data acquisition applications with the ease of graphical programming and power of more than 500 analysis functions and advanced programming tools. LabVIEW Full and Professional Development Systems include LabVIEW SignalExpress for interactive data logging. M Series data acquisition devices are compatible with the following versions (or later) of NI application software – LabVIEW 7.x, LabWindows™/CVI 7.x, or Measurement Studio 7.x; LabVIEW SignalExpress 1.x; or LabVIEW with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module 7.1. M Series data acquisition devices are also compatible with Visual Studio .NET, C/C++, and Visual Basic 6.

Specifications Documents


Specifications Summary

General 
Form FactorPCI
OS SupportWindows, Real-Time, Linux, Mac OS
Measurement TypeQuadrature encoder
DAQ Product FamilyM Series
LabVIEW RT SupportYes
Analog Input 
Number of Channels80 SE/40 DI
Sample Rate1.25 MS/s
Resolution16 bits
Simultaneous SamplingNo
Maximum Voltage Range-10..10 V
      Range Accuracy1920 µV
      Range Sensitivity112 µV
Minimum Voltage Range-100..100 mV
      Range Accuracy52 µV
      Range Sensitivity6 µV
Number of Ranges7
On-Board Memory4095 samples
Analog Output 
Number of Channels2
Update Rate2.86 MS/s
Resolution16 bits
Maximum Voltage Range-10..10 V
      Range Accuracy2080 µV
Minimum Voltage Range-5..5 V
      Range Accuracy1045 µV
Current Drive (Channel/Total)5 mA
Digital I/O 
Number of Channels24 DIO
TimingHardware, Software
Maximum Clock Rate10 MHz
Logic LevelsTTL
Maximum Input Range0..5 V
Maximum Output Range0..5 V
Input Current FlowSinking, Sourcing
Programmable Input FiltersYes
Output Current FlowSinking, Sourcing
Current Drive (Channel/Total)24 mA/448 mA
Watchdog TimerNo
Supports Programmable Power-Up States?Yes
Supports Handshaking I/O?No
Supports Pattern I/O?Yes
Counter/Timers 
Number of Counter/Timers2
Resolution32 bits
Maximum Source Frequency80 MHz
Minimum Input Pulse Width12.5 ns
Logic LevelsTTL
Maximum Range0..5 V
Timebase Stability50 ppm
GPS SynchronizationNo
Pulse GenerationYes
Buffered OperationsYes
Debouncing/Glitch RemovalYes
Number of DMA Channels6
Timing/Triggering/Synchronization 
Synchronization Bus (RTSI)Yes
TriggeringAnalog, Digital
Physical Specifications 
Length15.5 cm
Width9.7 cm
I/O Connector68-pin VHDCI female

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-6255.

Application Need

Graphical Programming Text-Based Programming
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
-- For price, select country  
777756-09 NI LabVIEW Full Development System for Linux -- For price, select country  
776675-01 LabVIEW Application Builder for Windows (English)
NI Recommended
-- For price, select country  
777755-03 NI LabVIEW Application Builder for Linux -- For price, select country  
778406-03 NI LabVIEW Report Generation Toolkit for Microsoft Office -- For price, select country  
778807-09 DIAdem Advanced Edition (English) -- For price, select country  

Please select the country where you will use the product(s) so that we can provide you with accurate pricing, availability, and purchasing information

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 -- For price, select country  
778801-09 NI Measurement Studio Professional Edition for Microsoft Visual Studio -- For price, select country  
779384-03 NI LabWindows/CVI Run-Time Module for Linux -- For price, select country  
778807-09 DIAdem Advanced Edition (English) -- For price, select country  

Please select the country where you will use the product(s) so that we can provide you with accurate pricing, availability, and purchasing information

Other compatible software: ANSI C/C++, C#, Visual Basic .NET, Visual Basic 6.0
Graphical Programming Text-Based Programming
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
-- For price, select country  
779037-09 NI LabVIEW SignalExpress for Windows -- For price, select country  
777756-09 NI LabVIEW Full Development System for Linux -- For price, select country  
776675-01 LabVIEW Application Builder for Windows (English)
NI Recommended
-- For price, select country  
777755-03 NI LabVIEW Application Builder for Linux -- For price, select country  
778406-03 NI LabVIEW Report Generation Toolkit for Microsoft Office -- For price, select country  
778807-09 DIAdem Advanced Edition (English) -- For price, select country  

Please select the country where you will use the product(s) so that we can provide you with accurate pricing, availability, and purchasing information

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 -- For price, select country  
778801-09 NI Measurement Studio Professional Edition for Microsoft