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When to Choose VXI Based Instruments

 By:  Tom Sarfi, 
Business Development Mngr at VXI Technology, Inc. and 
Current VXIbus Consortium President

This issue's focus is VXIbus Products. 
You can view and add to our existing list of Test Products/Services, Test Literature, Test Definitions, Test Vendors, containing "VXI"

The first VXIbus specification was introduced to the test and measurement community in 1987 and was initially developed to provide a card-based instrumentation platform for applications that required high density and high performance.  The platform continues to thrive today by leveraging off the original specifications which define the necessary physical (real estate/cooling) and electrical standards for demanding applications and has established itself as the ‘time-tested bus you can trust’ for requirements that must be supported in excess of ten-fifteen years.  

The systems base for which VXI is optimally designed, in addition to those that require density and performance, is that which demands the stability over time that can only be provided by a true instrumentation bus.   The VXIbus platform has shown a remarkable ability to adapt to the latest communication bus structures and improve on the original specifications, while maintaining backward compatibility with product that was first released 19 years ago.  The current revision of specifications (VXI 3.0) has increased the backplane speed to 160 MB/s.  

Additionally, through the introduction of various interfaces to a VXI mainframe, users can communicate to the instruments via various open-communication links including GPIB, Firewire, USB and most recently, Gigabit Ethernet.  This versatility and adherence to backward compatibility has allowed system designers to utilize the latest advances in technology, while maintaining existing investment.  Bridge interfaces have also been introduced on the VXI platform that allow system designers to seamlessly integrate other platforms like LXI with VXI in hybrid systems.  A VXI-LXI bridge interface (slot 0) provides a mechanism through which a VXI mainframe and instruments become part of an LXI network.  It is for these reasons that system implementations continue to make use of the VXI architecture in the original target market of military and aerospace, as well as the automotive, telecommunications and semiconductor industries.  

The physical layout of VXI modules makes it the preferred solution for higher performance applications in both test and data acquisition application spaces.  For example, the center spacing and card depth allow for the use of more rugged and ergonomically-friendly connectors in single-slot modules and also for more robust components.  This is particularly evident in signal switching, the heart of virtually every ATE, where recent advancements in technology allow for very high channel counts of high-voltage and high-current relays with densities that are unmatched in any other platform.  Physical layout also plays a critical role in data acquisition applications where signal conditioning for sensors such as strain gages, thermocouples and accelerometers can be integrated into the module without sacrificing density or performance.

One of the most important aspects of the success of the VXI platform and why it continues to thrive is that significant investment is being made by consortium members in the form of major product introductions.  Suppliers continue to introduce new cutting edge products to address today’s test and measurement challenges.  Examples of these are new synthetic dynamic signal analyzers that are considered the ‘gold-standard’ for modal and rotational applications.  A commitment to sustaining engineering and designing out component obsolescence that inevitably occurs in a platform that has a 19-year track record has ensured that test programs continue to execute without significant engineering investment by the user.

The VXIbus has a 19-year track record of supplying high-performance and high-density instrumentation to the test and measurement and data acquisition markets.  Its versatility, ability to adapt and integrate the latest technologies, and adherence to backward compatibility has provided a combination of stability and forward looking technology to the customer base for which the platform was originally designed.  New product introductions by a number of suppliers, and new system installations that heavily rely on the VXIbus architecture ensure that the platform will thrive well into the future making it the ‘time-tested bus you can trust’.

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