This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI-DCPower.
You can find more release information on ni.com.
NI-DCPower Release Notes: Known issues, bugs fixed since the last release, and other notes about this release
NI-DCPower Manuals: New features, behavior changes, and other documentation
If you plan to use LabVIEW NXG, refer to LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations.
Overview
System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems
Application Software Support
Installation Instructions
Product Security and Critical Updates
New Features
Supported Hardware
Behavior Changes
Accessing the Help
Finding Examples
LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations
IVI Compliance Package Functionality
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Unsupported Windows Operating Systems
NI Software Drops Support for Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System in 2022
Legal Information
Overview
NI-DCPower is an NI instrument driver that communicates with all NI programmable power supplies and SMUs. NI-DCPower is an interchangeable virtual instrument (IVI)–compliant instrument driver, and it features a set of operations and properties that exercise the functionality of the power supply or SMU and includes an interactive soft front panel and examples.
System Requirements
NI-DCPower 20.7 has the following requirements:
Minimum System Requirements
Processor—2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor or equivalent
RAM—1 GB, 800 MHz DDR2 RAM
A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768
Recommended System
Processor—2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 or equivalent
RAM—4 GB, dual-channel 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM
Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW.
Supported Operating Systems
NI-DCPower 20.7 supports the following operating systems:
Windows 10
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2016
NI Real-Time Phar Lap ETS1
NI Linux® Real-Time1
1 These operating systems are not supported for the following features:
NI Linux Real-Time
Autopopulation of resource names in LabVIEW
Test panels as accessible from Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)
NI Real-Time Phar Lap ETS
Support for the PXIe-4135 (40W), PXIe-4137 (40W), and PXIe-4139 (40W) SMU
Independent channels
Application Software Support
NI-DCPower 20.7 supports the following application software versions, including service packs. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support or Python Support.
Application Software
Versions Supported by NI-DCPower
LabVIEW
2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
LabVIEW Real-Time Module*
2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
LabVIEW NXG†
5.1
LabWindows™/CVI™
2015 and later
LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module*
2015 and later
* No support for PXIe-4162/4163 source measure units.
† No support for independent channels.
Microsoft Visual Studio Support
If you are using the NI-DCPower .NET Class Library, the .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The NI-DCPower .NET Class Library can be used with the Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET programming languages in any Visual Studio version that can target the .NET Framework 4.0 or the .NET Framework 4.5.
To use the .NET API, you must select the .NET Framework 4.0 Languages Support or the .NET Framework 4.5 Languages Support packages in the NI-DCPower installer to install the .NET class libraries in addition to the NI device driver. For information about versions of the .NET Framework and the drivers each supports, as well as the download location of the installer files, refer to .NET Resources for NI Hardware and Software.
Python Support
For more information on installing and using Python, refer to the nidcpower module.
Installation Instructions
Download the NI-DCPower 20.7 installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.
Note
If Windows Update is enabled, the installation process might hang if Windows Update interferes with the installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Run-Time. For more information and steps to resolve this issue, refer to NI Installer Hangs While Installing Visual C++ 2015 Run-Time.
If you purchased this product with an NI Software Suite or NI Product Bundle, use the installation media that shipped with your purchase to install this product.
Installing NI-DCPower 20.7 for LabVIEW NXG
NI automates LabVIEW NXG installation using NI Package Manager. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code NIPMDownload to download NI Package Manager. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.
Product Security and Critical Updates
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from NI.
New Features
Added support for the PXIe-4135 (40W) source measurement unit
Added support for the PXIe-4137 (40W) source measurement unit
Supported Hardware
NI-DAQmx-Based Power Supplies and SMUs
PXI-4110
PXIe-4112
PXIe-4113
PXI-4130
PXI-4132
PXIe-4135
PXIe-4136
PXIe-4137
PXIe-4138
PXIe-4139
PXIe-4140
PXIe-4141
PXIe-4142
PXIe-4143
PXIe-4144
PXIe-4145
PXIe-4154
Non-NI-DAQmx-Based Power Supplies and SMUs
PXIe-4147
PXIe-4162
PXIe-4163
Behavior Changes
NI-DCPower 20.6: To support independent channels, numerous NI-DCPower functions have been superseded by new versions that can access instrument channels independently. In addition, numerous NI-DCPower properties can now be configured per channel rather than per session.
Accessing the Help
Refer to the NI DC Power Supplies and SMUs Help accessible from Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DCPower»NI-DCPower Documentation, for information about NI-DCPower.
Finding Examples
You can access all the installed NI-DCPower examples at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DCPower»NI-DCPower Examples and online at ni.com/examples.
Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI to launch the NI Example Finder. LabVIEW examples for NI-DCPower are located in the LabVIEW XXXX\examples\instr\niDCPower directory. You can modify an example VI to fit an application, or you can copy and paste from one or more examples into a VI that you create.
The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs and their descriptions:
Click the Browse tab to locate modulation examples by task at Hardware Input and Output»Modular Instruments»NI–DCPower or by directory structure at instr»niDCPower.
Click the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword. For example, search for "DCPower" to locate all NI-DCPower examples.
LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations
The following sections detail considerations for using LabVIEW NXG with NI-DCPower.
LabVIEW NXG Operating Systems and System Requirements
Software support for LabVIEW NXG differs in the following ways:
System requirements—Only 64-bit (x64) processors are supported.
Operating system—Only 64-bit operating systems are supported. Refer to the Supported Operating Systems section for more information.
LabVIEW NXG Hardware Support
NI 411x, 413x, 414x, and 4154 Power Supplies and SMUs
PXI-4110
PXIe-4112
PXIe-4113
PXI-4130
PXI-4132
PXIe-4135
PXIe-4136
PXIe-4137
PXIe-4138
PXIe-4139
PXIe-4140
PXIe-4141
PXIe-4142
PXIe-4143
PXIe-4144
PXIe-4145
PXIe-4147
PXIe-4154
NI 416x SMUs
PXIe-4162
PXIe-4163
LabVIEW NXG Help
View context help in LabVIEW by pressing <Ctrl-H> and hovering over an object.
Search for items using the search bar in the upper right corner of the LabVIEW window. You can also view context help for the search results.
Additional documentation is available online at ni.com/manuals.
LabVIEW NXG Examples
Launch LabVIEW and click the Learning tab.
LabVIEW lessons are located in the Lessons tab, and LabVIEW Examples are located in the Examples tab. Follow the instructions in the lessons and examples.
IVI Compliance Package Functionality
NI-DCPower no longer installs IVI Compliance Package. NI-DCPower supports IVI configuration and runtime, but no longer supports the following features:
LabVIEW and CVI IVI class driver APIs for developing IVI interchangeable applications
IVI Class Simulation drivers
IVI-COM Adapters
If you want to use the above features, you must install IVI Compliance Package separately, either from ni.com/downloads or from the NI Device Drivers 2018 DVD.
Automating the Installation of NI Products
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.0 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
For more information about silent installations of individual NI products, refer to KB 4CJDP38M, Customize and Automate Installation of a Single Installer.
For more information about silent installations of NI products in a suite, such as NI Developer Suite, refer to KB 4GGGDQH0, Customize and Automate Installation of a Suited Installer.
To determine what version of NI Installers your product contains, refer to KB 4CJDR18M, Determine Type and Version of My NI Installer.
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.
Unsupported Windows Operating Systems
NI-DCPower no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, may not install or execute correctly on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit http://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.
NI Software Drops Support for Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System in 2022
NI Software will drop support for Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System starting in 2022. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2022, may not install or execute correctly on this operating system. For high-level information on the support roadmap for Phar Lap and its replacement, NI Linux Real-Time, please visit ni.com/r/xf35k1. To find out what hardware is supported on PXI controllers running NI Linux Real-Time, please visit ni.com/r/b7g5wi.
Legal Information
Copyright
© 2007–2021 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.
Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.
NI respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.
End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.
U.S. Government Restricted Rights
If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.
IVI Foundation Copyright Notice
Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.
The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Trademarks
Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Patents
For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.