Configure an NI Device
Learn how to connect and configure National Instruments modules.
The first step to start acquiring data and sending commands to your National Instruments (NI) hardware is to connect and configure your module.
Prerequisites
Before you can start using your NI hardware with Synnax, you will need to ensure that you have the following:
- A Synnax deployment running on your network. This deployment must be running on a Windows machine that your NI hardware is connected to.
- The NI DAQmx drivers installed on the machine running the Synnax deployment. Installation instructions can be found here.
- The Synnax Console installed on your local machine.
Step 1 Select a Device to Configure
Synnax will automatically detect new NI modules, and display a notification in the Console when a new device is connected. To start configuring the device, simply click the “Configure” button in the notification.
Alternatively, you can find connected devices in the resources toolbar. To open the device configuration dialog, right click on the device and select “Configure”.
Step 2 Name Your Device
The first step in the configuration dialog will prompt you to name your device. This name will be used for your team to identify the device in the console.
Step 3 Set the Device Identifier
Next, you’ll need to set a short device identifier. This identifier will be used to prefix the names of all of the channels on your device. We’ve automatically generated a few suggestions, although you’re welcome to choose your own.
Step 3 Save the Configuration
Once you’re happy with the name and identifier, the last step is to save the configuration by hitting the blue “Save” button in the bottom right corner.
Next Steps
Now that you’ve configured your device, it’s time to record data using a task. To read data, you can start with a Digital Read Task or an Analog Read Task. To send commands, try a Digital Write Task.