确定适合您数据采集应用的最佳总线技术
Determine Which Bus Works Best for Your Data Acquisition Application
from：http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/3242
Overview
When developing a measurement system, you may find that choosing the correct communication bus or form factor for your hardware is just as important as choosing a device with the correct sampling rate and resolution. Hardware buses can affect measurement performance, hardware setup time, interchangeability, and portability. This document will help you learn more about some of the popular buses available for data acquisition systems, including PCI Express, USB, PXI, PCI, Ethernet, PCMCIA, FireWire, and CompactFlash, and educate you on how emerging bus technologies will affect your measurements.
Table of Contents
PCI Express
PCI Express is a recently released bus architecture with an initial speed of 2.5 Gb/s. This provides a nominal bandwidth of about 250 MB/s in each direction per PCI Express lane. Once overhead is taken into account, about 200 MB/s of this is usable by the device for data movement. This rate represents a twofold to fourfold increase over most classic PCI devices. Because the same level of bandwidth can be allocated to each device using PCI Express, rather than sharing bandwidth among devices with PCI, PCI Express devices can achieve higher performance levels than their PCI counterparts. For measurement applications, this means higher sampling and data throughput rates.
The PCI Express specification also offers hot-swap/hot-plug, the ability to replace/add I/O devices without powering-down the entire system. The hot-plug feature, however, relies on specific OS features that may not be initially available. In addition, the variety of formats for PCI Express devices, especially SIOM and ExpressCard, greatly increases the ability to add high-performance peripherals in servers and notebooks.
In keeping with this increasingly popular architecture, National Instrument has recently released the [Model Number] M-Series data acquisition hardware, as well as GPIB and image acquisition hardware, with more PCI Express devices to come.
See Also:
PCI Express Data Acquisition Hardware
PCI Express Image Acquisition Hardware
PCI Express GPIB Interface
USB
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) was originally designed to connect peripheral devices, such as keyboards and mice, with PCs. However, it has proven useful for many other applications, including measurement and automation. USB delivers an inexpensive, yet easy to use and operate connection between data acquisition devices/instruments and PCs.
The USB bus embodies several characteristics that make it easier to use than some of the traditional internal PC buses such as PCI and ISA. Devices that connect using USB are hot-pluggable, so they eliminate the need to shut down the PC to add or remove a device. The bus also has automatic device detection, meaning that the user does not have to manually configure his device once he plugs it in. The operating system software should detect and install the device on its own.
High-speed data and control applications benefit from the ability of USB to deliver data through either isochronous or asynchronous data transfers. With isochronous transfers, the bus guarantees bandwidth with time-based delivery of data packets. Isochronous transport guarantees that a transmission is completed within a given amount of time, but it does not guarantee that the transmission is received error-free. The USB protocol guarantees devices that have requested isochronous bandwidth a predetermined number of data packets in each frame. Data-intensive applications often demand this type of guaranteed bandwidth.
On the other hand, measurement and control systems commonly require the ability to respond to events. USB allows any device to generate an asynchronous event. Asynchronous transport guarantees accurate delivery, and devices with urgent messages can be given priority over all other devices. Applications for asynchronous transport include delivering control messages and changing device parameters.
USB 2.0
The recently released USB 2.0 specification increases the throughput of USB devices to 480 Mbits/s - 40 times faster than the current standard. Since all USB 1.1 devices are compatible with the USB 2.0 standard, current USB devices will not be obsolete.
National Instruments offers many measurement products for USB 2.0, including the USB-9221 with sampling rates up to 800 kS/sec and ±60V voltage ranges. These range from very low cost to high performance and all are compatible with USB 2.0.
See Also:
USB Data Acquisition Hardware
USB Overview
Webcast On Demand: USB Behind-The-Scenes
PXI/CompactPCI
PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI) were developed to bridge the gap between desktop PC systems and high-end VXI and GPIB systems. While standard PCs offer a very low-cost option for instrumentation systems, they fail to meet many of the needs of industrial applications. VXI and GPIB systems meet the specific needs of instrumentation users but are often too large and expensive for mainstream applications. Based on CompactPCI, PXI incorporates instrumentation extensions and more rigid system-level specifications to ensure an open, yet high-performance specification for measurement and automation. PXI adds system-level specifications for timing, synchronization, cooling, environmental testing, and software. These extensions make it easy for end users and integrators to quickly build open, multi-vendor measurement and automation systems. While PXI extends CompactPCI, it also maintains complete interoperability so that you can use any CompactPCI-compliant product in a PXI system and vice versa.
The benefits of PXI-based data acquisition systems include rugged packaging that can withstand the harsh conditions that often exist in industrial applications. PXI systems also offer a modular architecture, which means that you can fit several devices in the same space as a single stand-alone instrument, and you have the ability to expand your system far beyond the capacity of a desktop computer with a PCI bus. One of the most important benefits PXI offers is its integrated timing and triggering features. Without any external connections, multiple devices can be synchronized by using the internal buses resident on the backplane of a PXI chassis.
NI M Series next generation data acquisition devices, as well as many other National Instruments hardware products, are available in PXI in addition to PCI. Using the NI-DAQmx interface, you can take advantage of the advanced timing and synchronization features of PXI without the worries of complex programming.
See Also:
Products & Services: PXI Hardware from NI
Products & Services: M Series Data Acquisition
PXI Systems Alliance Website
PCI
The Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus is one of the most commonly used internal computer buses today. You will typically find three or more PCI slots in desktop computers currently available on the market. The wide availability of the PCI bus makes it a top choice for data acquisition systems. However, there are some other advantages and disadvantages to consider. First of all, a PCI-based system is not easily expandable. If you need more PCI-based devices than you have PCI slots in your computer, your options for expansion are limited. Additionally, adding cards yourself requires opening up the computer; they are not hot-pluggable. Inexperienced computer users may not feel comfortable installing a data acquisition board in this way.
On the other hand, PCI offers high-speed transfers with a theoretical bus bandwidth of up to 1,056 Mbits/s. For this reason, customers with high-speed data streaming applications may prefer to use PCI over some of the other bus choices. National Instruments offers multifunction data acquisition devices for PCI with multiplexed sampling speeds of up to 1.25 MS/s and simultaneous sampling speeds of up to 10 MS/s. PCI also offers latching connectors, an important feature for industrial applications operating in harsh environments.
Several variations of the PCI bus have emerged in recent years. Now, some PCI slots offer 32-bit transfers, while others provide 64-bit. Older versions may operate at 33 MHz, but, more commonly, the PCI bus transfers data at a rate of 66 MHz. Even the power required by PCI boards can even vary, with some demanding 5 V, and others needing only 3.3 V. Another specification, known as PCI-X, allows up to 133 MHz transfer rates.
National Instruments is ensuring compatibility of our PCI-based data acquisition devices with all of the available variations of PCI by keying them for universal signaling. In addition, the NI M Series next generation data acquisition devices are available in PCI for high performance 16-bit or 18-bit data acquisition.
See Also:
Products & Services: NI M Series Data Acquisition
Ethernet
Although Ethernet is most commonly used to network computers in offices and homes, it can also offer excellent benefits for connecting instruments or data acquisition devices. Ethernet, which started out with transfer rates of about 10 Mbits/s over coaxial cable, has evolved to twisted pair cable that provides data rates of up to 1 Gbits/s. Its popularity as a networking bus has brought down component costs, thus making it attractive for use in industrial measurement and automation applications.
Because Ethernet is the typical communication medium for most office networks, measurement and control devices that communicate via Ethernet can be accessed by any computer on the network that has permission to access the device. This concept is known as distributed I/O, and it allows someone working in an office to monitor data coming from a device on the manufacturing floor in a different building. While this is a very powerful capability, some caution should be used. Some Ethernet products may not stand up to the harsher conditions in some industrial environments. They may be more susceptible to noise than other bus types, and special connectivity options may be required for applications that could potentially put a considerable amount of strain on the cabling.
National Instruments CompactRIO and Compact FieldPoint product lines offer modular I/O with Ethernet communication for industrial measurement and control applications.
See Also:
Learn more about Compact FieldPoint
Learn more about CompactRIO
PCMCIA (PC Card)
PC Cards are used to perform a wide variety of function ranging from add-on memory to modems and even data acquisition. Their small size and light weight makes them perfect for portable applications that use laptops, and, since they are hot-pluggable, their installation is simple. In addition, they are capable of speeds up to 20 Mbits/s.
While PCMCIA is probably the most portable platform for data acquisition, it does not come without limitations. Due to lack of DMA, data transfer speeds can be limited, and their size can limit functionality. However, National Instruments has fit functionality equivalent to that of some PCI data acquisition devices into the small space of a PCMCIA to create E Series DAQCards.
PCMCIA DAQCards can also be used in conjunction with LabVIEW PDA to build measurement systems for Windows CE and PocketPC-based touchpanel and industrial PDA devices. Please refer to the link below for a list of recommended devices.
See Also:
Products & Services: PCMCIA Data Acquisition
LabVIEW PDA Module
FireWire
FireWire, also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link, is a high-performance serial bus originally developed by Apple Computer in the 1989. Like USB, devices that connect using FireWire are hot-pluggable, and have automatic device detection. In addition, the FireWire specification outlines features beneficial to multiple-device applications, such as broadcast mode.
Broadcast mode can be used to synchronize multiple devices with an event or signal. Broadcast mode can also prove useful in an emergency shutdown situation for embedded machine and automation applications. Because of its peer-to-peer architecture, FireWire can deliver synchronized broadcasts from any device to all other devices when operated in broadcast mode.
Also like USB, FireWire is capable of both isochronous and asynchronous data transfers. The IEEE 1394a specification provides speeds of up to 400 Mbits/s, but the newly released IEEE 1394b specification enables transfers exceeding 3.2 Gbits/s, which even surpasses the theoretical bus bandwidth of PCI at 1.056 Gbits/s. The IEEE 1394b specification is backwards compatible with the older specification.
Both USB and FireWire are external buses that simplify the connection and configuration of devices. The thin, flexible cable that they use to connect to a PC makes them ideal for embedded applications where connectivity can be an issue. As their speed capabilities increase, they become even more attractive for measurement and automation applications.
See Also:
FireWire Data Acquisition
FireWire (IEEE 1394) Overview
1394 Trade Association
CompactFlash
When small form-factor is your primary concern, CompactFlash data acquisition is an ideal choice, and especially cost effective for multiple systems. The NI CF-6004 data acquisition device is designed specifically for PDA-based applications using the CompactFlash type II form factor. Applications that involve portable, hand-held measurements benefit the most from this data acquisition solution.
See Also:
CompactFlash Data Acquisition
CompactFlash Frequently Asked Questions
LabVIEW PDA Module
Other Communication Methods
Many other buses, form factors, and communication protocols exist, including CAN, DeviceNet and Fieldbus. Depending on size, speed, portability and environmental conditions, each bus offers different features for improving the overall success of a data acquisition system, and choosing the correct bus is an important decision. As shown by PCI Express, USB 2.0 and compact flash hardware, National Instruments continues to innovate and produce new measurement hardware as new applicable buses emerge, providing support of whichever bus is most effective for your application.
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