Syncing PXI Cards to TSN Network

Issue Details

I have a PXI(e) system and Time Sensitive Networks (TSN) -enabled cRIO or cDAQ controllers. I would like to have a TSN network set up between all of these devices. Can I sync my PXI(e) system to my TSN network?

Solution

Currently, there are no TSN-enabled PXI(e) cards available. Some PXI(e) cards can accept IEEE-1588 software time references to synchronize their systems, however IEEE-1588 software timed synchronization is not compatible with TSN. To synchronize your TSN and 1588 networks, you can bridge the PXI's 1588 network with the cDAQ/cRIO TSN network by connecting to a cRIO-904X (CompactRIO) or IC-317X (Industrial Controller). 

One Network Interface Card (NIC) on the cRIO or IC syncs to the 1588 software timed synchronization network, and the other NIC syncs to the TSN network. The 1588 network will sync the system clocks of devices on that network and the TSN network will sync the system clock, FPGA clock, and DSA clocks of devices on that network to network time. This setup will automatically determine which clock is the best master for either network through and election process. There is no additional configuration for this; you would just need both the 1588 and the 802.1AS time references installed on the bridge controller using the NI-TimeSync driver 17.5 or newer. 

Additional Information

This method only works with select PXI cards that support 1588, such as the PXI-6683.