High-Performance M Series Multifunction DAQ for USB –
16-Bit, up to 1.25 MS/s, up to 80 Analog Inputs
Overview and Applications
With recent bandwidth improvements and new innovations from
National Instruments, USB has evolved into a core bus of choice
for measurement and automation applications. National Instruments
M Series devices for USB deliver high-performance data acquisition in
an easy-to-use and portable form factor through USB ports on laptop
computers and other portable computing platforms. NI designed a
new and innovative patent-pending NI signal streaming technology
that enables sustained bidirectional high-speed data streams on USB.
The new technology, combined with advanced external synchronization
and isolation, helps engineers and scientists achieve high-performance
applications on USB.
NI M Series high-performance multifunction data acquisition (DAQ)
modules for USB are optimized for superior accuracy at fast sampling
rates. They provide an onboard NI-PGIA 2 amplifier designed for
fast settling times at high scanning rates, ensuring 16-bit accuracy
even when measuring all available channels at maximum speed.
All high-performance devices have a minimum of 16 analog inputs,
24 digital I/O lines, seven programmable input ranges, analog and
digital triggering, and two counter/timers. High-speed NI USB-625x
and NI USB-622x M Series devices have two-year and one-year
calibration intervals, respectively. USB M Series devices are ideal
for test, control, and design applications including:
• Portable data logging – log environmental or voltage data
quickly and easily
• Field-monitoring applications
• Embedded OEM applications
• In-vehicle data acquisition
• Academic lab use – academic discounts available
NI Signal Streaming
To optimize the use of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) and deliver
high-performance data acquisition, National Instruments created several
key technologies to push the limits of USB throughput and latency.
NI signal streaming combines three innovative hardware- and software-
level design elements to enable sustained high-speed and bidirectional
data streams over USB. For more information, visit ni.com/usb.
• Up to 80 analog inputs at 16 bits,
1.25 MS/s (1 MS/s or 750 KS/s
scanning)
• Up to 4 analog outputs at 16 bits,
2.8 MS/s (2 µs full-scale settling)
• Up to 48 TTL/CMOS digital I/O lines
(up to 32 hardware-timed at up to
1 MHz)
• Two 32-bit, 80 MHz counter/timers
• Analog and digital triggering
• NI-PGIA 2 and NI-MCal
calibration technology for improved
measurement accuracy
• NI signal streaming for 4 high-speed
data streams on USB
• Power supply included
• 1-year warranty
• Additional warranty and calibration
services available
Operating Systems
• Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit)/XP/2000
Recommended Software
• LabVIEW
• LabVIEW SignalExpress
• LabWindows
™
/CVI
• Measurement Studio
Other Compatible Software
• Visual Studio .NET
• C/C++/C#
Measurement Services
Software (included)
• NI-DAQmx driver software
• Measurement & Automation Explorer
configuration utility
• LabVIEW SignalExpress LE
NI USB-6221, NI USB-6225, NI USB-6229,
NI USB-6251, NI USB-6255, NI USB-6259
Family Bus
Analog
Inputs
Resolution
(bits)
Max Rate
(S/s)
Analog
Outputs
Analog Output
Resolution (bits)
Max Rate
(S/s)
Range (V) Digital I/O
Clocked
DIO
1
Counter
Resolution
(bits)
NI 6251 USB 16 16 1.25 M 2 16 2.86 M ±10 24
8, up to 1 MHz
1
2 32
NI 6255 USB 80 16 1.25 M 2 16 2.86 M ±10 24
8, up to 1 MHz
1
2 32
NI 6259 USB 32 16 1.25 M 4 16 2.86 M ±10 48
32, up to 1 MHz
1
2 32
NI 6221 USB 16 16 250 k 2 16 833 k ±10 24
8, up to 1 MHz
1
2 32
NI 6225 USB 80 16 250 k 2 16 833 k ±10 24 8, up to 1 MHz
1
232
NI 6229 USB 32 16 250 k 4 16 833 k ±10 48 32, up to 1 MHz
1
2 32
1
Correlated DIO can be clocked at up to 1 MHz across the USB bus and up to 10 MHz using onboard regeneration.
Table 1. Selection Guide for High-Performance M Series Multifunction DAQ for USB
USB M Series for Test
For test, you can use the M Series high-speed analog inputs and
10 MHz digital lines with NI signal conditioning for applications
including test, component characterization, and sensor measurement.
High-speed USB-625x M Series devices are compatible with the
NI SCC signal conditioning platform, providing amplification filtering and
power for virtually every type of sensor. This platform is also compliant
with IEEE 1451.4 smart transducer electronic data sheet (TEDS) sensors,
which offer digital storage for sensor data sheet information.
USB M Series multifunction DAQ devices also complement existing
test systems that need additional measurement channels. For higher-
channel-count signal conditioning on USB, consider the NI CompactDAQ
or SCXI platforms.
USB M Series for Control
USB M Series digital lines can drive 24 mA for relay and actuator
control. By clocking the digital lines as fast as 10 MHz (with onboard
regeneration), you can use these lines for pulse-width modulation
(PWM) to control valves, motors, fans, lamps, and pumps. With four
waveform analog outputs, two 80 MHz counter/timers, and four high-
speed data streams on USB, M Series devices can execute multiple
control loops simultaneously. High-speed USB-625x M Series devices
also offer direct support for encoder measurements, protected digital
lines, and digital debounce filters. With up to 80 analog inputs,
32 clocked digital lines, and four analog outputs, you can execute
multiple control loops with a single device.
You can also create a complete custom motion controller by combining
USB M Series devices with the NI SoftMotion Development Module.
USB M Series for Design
For design applications, you can use a wide range of I/O – from
80 analog inputs to 48 digital lines – to measure and verify prototype
designs. USB M Series devices and National Instruments LabVIEW
SignalExpress interactive measurement software bring benchtop
measurements to the PC. With NI LabVIEW SignalExpress, you
can quickly create design verification tests. The fast acquisition and
generation rates of high-performance USB M Series high-speed
devices along with LabVIEW SignalExpress provide fast design analysis.
You can convert your tested and verified LabVIEW SignalExpress projects
to LabVIEW applications for immediate M Series DAQ use, and bridge
the gap between test, control, and design applications.
USB M Series for OEMs
Shorten your time to market by integrating National Instruments
OEM products in your design. Board-only versions of USB M Series
DAQ devices are available for OEM applications, with competitive
quantity pricing and software customization. The NI OEM Elite Program
offers free 30-day trial kits for qualified customers. Visit ni.com/oem
for more information.
Recommended Training and Services
All M Series devices are available with additional warranty and
calibration services. For new data acquisition programmers,
NI recommends the “Data Acquisition: 7 Steps to Success” tutorial kit.
This tutorial kit helps shorten development time for data acquisition
applications by describing the various stages of getting started with DAQ
including system definition, setup, test, and application programming.
Recommended Software
National Instruments measurement services software, built around
NI-DAQmx driver software, includes intuitive application programming
interfaces, configuration tools, I/O assistants, and other tools designed to
reduce system setup, configuration, and development time. National
Instruments recommends using the latest version of NI-DAQmx driver
software for application development in National Instruments LabVIEW,
LabVIEW SignalExpress, LabWindows/CVI, and Measurement Studio. To
obtain the latest version of NI-DAQmx, visit ni.com/support/daq/versions.
NI measurement services software speeds up your development with
features including:
• A guide to create fast and accurate measurements with no programming
using DAQ Assistant
• Automatic code generation to create your application in LabVIEW;
LabWindows/CVI; LabVIEW SignalExpress; and Visual Studio .NET,
C/C++/C#, or Visual Basic using Measurement Studio
• Multithreaded streaming technology for 1,000 times performance
improvements
• Automatic timing, triggering, and synchronization routing to make
advanced applications easy
• More than 3,000 free software downloads to jump-start your project
available at ni.com/zone
• Software configuration of all digital I/O features without hardware
switches/jumpers
• Single programming interface for analog input, analog output, digital
I/O, and counters on hundreds of multifunction DAQ hardware devices
M Series devices are compatible with the following versions (or later) of
NI application software – LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, or Measurement
Studio versions 7.x or LabVIEW SignalExpress 2.x.
High-Performance M Series Multifunction DAQ for USB –
16-Bit, up to 1.25 MS/s, up to 80 Analog Inputs
2
BUY ONLINE at ni.com or CALL 800 813 3693 (U.S.)