Modular real-time target machine - CompactPCI versus PXI

PXI stands for PCI eXtensions for Instrumentations and is based on 3U CompactPCI.

The 3U CompactPCI standard defines a section of the cPCI connector as User Pins meaning that they are not used for the actual PCI bus signals but can be used freely for other purposes. The PXI systems alliance has standardized the use of the User Pin section for interconnecting trigger and other signals across instrumentation I/O cards like data acquisition cards. Instead of bringing these interconnect signals to the outside at the front I/O connector and interconnecting them at the I/O connector level, these signals are connected at the actual backplane (User Pin section). This definition (standardization) is called PXI.

PXI is a viable approach for data acquisition and instrument control systems which run on non real-time operating systems like Windows but need the interconnection and therefore real-time synchronization between several I/O cards. But xPC Target is already a real-time environment for Simulink based designs and the access of various I/O cards in a model is already 'naturally' interconnected in real-time at the model level. The PXI User Pin interconnection is therefore of less value in a real-time environment like xPC Target and actually not really needed because if still some interconnection would be necessary at the I/O pin level it can be done at the actual I/O front connector level.

Furthermore, the xPC Target drivers from MathWorks or Speedgoat for the I/O modules we support (even for PXI modules) are not making use of triggers signals going via the PXI User Pins. Therefore no real additional value results from the use of a native PXI board or system. But because a PXI module also works in a CompactPCI system and therefore our Modular real-time target machine, our Modular machine can also be declared as being 'PXI compatible'.

From an overall system's perspective our Modular real-time target machine is a system which can offer the same overall characteristics of what is commonly associated with PXI systems.

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