Setting Maximum Measurement Buffer Size for NI SMU Device

Issue Details

• I would like to set the measurement buffer size for my NI SMU device. How can I do this?
• I am encountering the following error while using the SMU in my program:
  
  Error -1074118601 occurred at niDCPower Fetch Multiple.vi
  
  Possible reason(s):
  Measure buffer overflow occurred. Fetch measurements more frequently.
  
  
  

Solution

You can set the measurement buffer size of your NI SMU device by configuring the Measurement:Advanced:Measure Buffer Size property. Keep in mind that not all devices support this property. You should refer to the Supported Properties by Device documentation to verify whether your device is compatible. Additionally, the valid range for the measurement buffer size varies between different NI SMU models.

Additional Information

The NI‑DCPower driver follows a common rule of thumb used across many NI drivers: the default buffer size is configured to hold approximately one second of measurement data. While it is technically possible to increase the Measure Buffer Size, NI strongly recommends fetching data more frequently instead. Increasing the buffer size allocates additional system memory, which can reduce the resources available to other instruments and may impact overall system performance.