Expanding or Daisy Chaining Multiple PXIe or PXI Chassis

Issue Details

• I am looking to daisy chain multiple PXI/PXIe chassis, what additional hardware do I need to do so? Can I do this with copper or fiber configurations? 
• I have an application that needs more PXI modules than fits in one chassis. I would like to use a master chassis and have it control the other chassis. Can I do this?
• What can I do to expand my PXI chassis?

Solution

When setting up and connecting multiple PXI chassis via a daisy chain configuration there are a few routes that you can take. The two most common ones are as follows:

Option 1:
You can use one PXI Bus Extension Module and one PXI Remote Control Module per additional chassis to connect them to one another, as described on page 6 of the PXI Remote Control and System Expansion product flyer.
Available modules are, among others:

• Bus Extension Modules:
  • PXIe-8364  [copper].
  • PXIe-8384  [copper, fiber-optic].
• Remote Control Modules:
  • PXIe-8360  [copper].
  • PXIe-8381  [copper, fiber-optic].

An overview about possible combinations of Bus Extensions and Remote Control Modules is available on page 4 of the PXI Remote Control and System Expansion product flyer.


Option 2:
On a PXIe master chassis (the chassis that is either tied to your host PC or running an embedded controller) you can use a PXIe-8394, PXIe Bus Extension Module which will allow you to break out to multiple PXI(e) chassis. On each additional PXI(e) slave chassis you can use a PXIe-8398, PXI Remote Control Module.

Additional Information

When connecting multiple PXI chassis please keep in mind the number of PCI buses that you will be using, the PCI standard limits a user to 256 bus lines.

Daisy chain configurations work if you wish to connect:

• PXIe chassis to other PXIe chassis
• PXI chassis to other PXI chassis
• PXIe chassis to  PXI chassis (with the condition that the PXIe chassis act as the Master).

If you're using a PXIe embedded controller with Thunderbolt ports, you may need to enter the controller BIOS and disable the Thunderbolt ports. This will free up PCIe resources needed to establish the connections for a system with three or more PXIe chassis.

If you are also looking to implement this system expansion when using RT, refer to MXI Configurations Supported in LabVIEW Real-Time for more detail.