Import or Export Clock Signal on NI 658x

• I want to import or export a clock with my NI 658x adapter module. How can I configure and use these clock signals?
• Can I import multiple clock signals with my NI 658x?

The 658x adapter modules can import and export clock signals to be used as FPGA base clocks and/or CLIP clocks once properly configured. The following instructions will walk you through how to configure these signals. 

Note: Only the PXI-795x and PXIe-796x FPGA modules allow external clock sources to be used as FPGA base clocks. The PXIe-797x FPGA modules do not have access to the external clock connector on the NI-658x modules and therefore cannot be used as a base clock resource. However, you can use external clock sources to drive the CLIP clocks (for example, "DDCx_ClockIn" on the NI-6585B) with the PXIe-797x FPGA modules to perform source synchronous acquisition. Refer to Base Clock Resources for FlexRIO Modular I/O FPGA Modules for more details on the available base clocks. 
 

​Importing Clock as an FPGA Base Clock

*Only available on PXI-795x and PXIe-796x FPGA modules.

You can import a clock signal through the STROBE or GLOBAL CLK pins of the 658x module to use as an FPGA base clock. This clock can be used as a timing source within the FPGA code. There is one clock input pin per connector. You can find which pins are used for importing the external signals for each module by looking at the module's manual or CLIP reference. For example, the pins for the external clock source on the NI-6585B module would be pins 26 & 27 on each connector:
 
For the NI-6583 module, the external clock pins for the LVDS connector clock source would be pins 62 & 63. 
 

Configuring the IO Module Clock/Strobe Lines

1. Right-click your FlexRIO Target in the FPGA Project and choose New » FPGA Base Clock. 

2. ​In the FPGA Base Clock Properties window, choose the name for the clock signal and configure the clock resource conditions            

Using the IO Module Clock/Strobe Lines

1. On the block diagram of the FPGA VI, from the Functions Palette choose Structures » Timed Structures » FPGA Clock Constant:

2. Connect the FPGA Clock Constant to the input of the timed loop and use the dropdown menu and select the clock that was configured previously by choosing the entry with the clock's name.

​Importing Clock as a CLIP Clock

You can use external clocks to drive a CLIP in the same way you use other clocks your target provides. This is particularly useful if you would like to drive your CLIP with an external clock but are not able to use the external clock as an FPGA base clock (such as with the PXIe-797x modules). The variable name for the external CLIP clock changes based on which module and CLIP version you have, but can be found under the IO Module tree from the LabVIEW project window. For example, when using the NI-6585B with the 'DDR Connector' CLIP, you will use the 'DDCx_ClockIn' variable:

To use this clock in your program, you will use the same steps as mentioned in Using the IO Module Clock/Strobe Lines section from above except you will select the clock from the IO Module. For the NI-6585B using the 'DDR Connector' CLIP, it would look like this:
 

For some CLIPs, such as the 'DDR Connector' CLIP for the NI-6585B, you might also need to set this as the clock selection for the IO Module so that the signals are synchronized to a specific clock. The following steps show you how to do this using the NI-6585B with the 'DDR Connector' CLIP as an example:

1. Right-click on the IO Module and select Properties

 

2. On the Clock Selections tab, change the Connection option to match the CLIP clock

 

3. Hit OK at the bottom of the window.

 

Exporting a Clock

You can output a clock from your 658x adapter module on the DDC Clock Out Lines. There is one DDC Clock Out Line per connector (pin 33), DDCA Clock Out, and DDCB Clock Out. There are two signals, DDCA_ClockOut_Enable and DDCB_ClockOut_Enable, which will control if the configured clock will be exported from the FPGA.
 

Configuring the DDC Clock Out Lines

1. ​Right-click your IO Module in the FPGA Project and choose Properties.
2. Select the internal clock you want to export on each line.

 

Using the DDC Clock Out Lines

1. On the Functions Palette, choose FPGA I/O » I/O Node:

 

2. Set the DDCA_ClockOut_Enable or DDCB_ClockOut_Enable signal to True.

 

Additional Information

Because FPGA clock signals have tighter constraints and accuracy requirements than normal digital logic, clock signals can only be imported or exported via mechanisms defined in the CLIP. This means users are limited to import or export only two clock signals. If you need to access clock signals through a method other than the suggestions here, it may be possible but would require CLIP modification to define the I/O paths. This kind of modification is not supported by NI but can be done through VHDL programming. This also applies to extra functionalities like inverting the input clocks and such.

When using the PXIe-797x FPGA modules, you cannot use the external clocks from the 658x as a base clock for the FPGA, but you would be able to use an external clock from those same pins to drive the CLIP clock as a source for the timed loop on the FPGA diagram. Keep in mind that the CLIP clocks are directly driven by the external signal coming in and that there is no PLL between the external clock source and the CLIP clock. If the external clock stops, then the CLIP clock will stop along with it. This will cause an error to be thrown and stop the FPGA VI due to an attempt to read/write a control/indicator/FIFO in the CLIP clock domain while the external clock is stopped.