Terminal Names

NI-DAQmx Key Concepts

Terminal Names

OnboardClockAn alias for the terminal within a device where the default source for a clock can be found. If your application does not set the source of a clock (or uses an empty string as the source), the clock's particular onboard clock is used. For example, the onboard clock for the ai sample clock is the ai Sample Clock Timebase.
PFInProgrammable Function Interface—general-purpose input terminals, fixed-purpose output terminals. The name of the fixed output signal is often placed on the I/O connector next to the terminal as a hint.
PXITrign PXI Trigger bus—general-purpose input/output lines.
RTSIn Real Time System Integration bus—general-purpose input/output lines. RTSI7 is the exception. It is the only line to use for the 20 MHz Timebase signal.
ai/SampleClock A terminal within a device where the analog input sample clock can be found.
ai/StartTrigger A terminal within a device where the analog input Start Trigger can be found.
ai/ReferenceTrigger A terminal within a device where the analog input Reference Trigger can be found.
ao/SampleClock A terminal within a device where the analog output sample clock can be found.
ao/StartTrigger A terminal within a device where the analog output Start Trigger can be found.
20MHzTimebase A terminal within a device where the onboard clock source for the master timebase can be found.
80MHzTimebase A terminal within a device where the onboard clock source for the master timebase can be found.
MasterTimebase A terminal within a device where the master timebase signal can be found. This signal originates either from the 20MHzTimebase terminal or the RTSI7 terminal. This signal is the onboard source for the Sample Clock Timebases and is one of the possible sources for the AI convert clock timebase.
100kHzTimebase A terminal within a device where the 100 kHz Timebase signal can be found. This signal is created by dividing the signal at the 20MHzTimebase terminal by 200 and is one of the possible sources for the Sample Clock Timebases.
ai/ConvertClock A terminal within a device where the AI Convert Clock can be found.
ai/ConvertClockTimebase A terminal within a device where the AI Convert Clock Timebase can be found. This is the onboard clock source for the AI convert clock.
ai/HoldCompleteEvent A terminal within a device where the AI Hold Complete Event signal can be found.
AIHoldComplete The terminal at the I/O connector (external to the device) where the AI Hold Complete Event signal can be emitted.
ai/PauseTrigger A terminal within a device where the analog input pause trigger can be found.
ai/SampleClockTimebase A terminal within a device where the AI Sample Clock Timebase can be found. This is the onboard clock source for the AI sample clock.
AnalogComparisonEvent A terminal within a device where the output of the analog comparison circuit, the Analog Comparison Event signal, can be found. This circuit is active whenever an analog edge or window trigger is configured.
ao/PauseTrigger A terminal within a device where the analog output pause trigger can be found.
ao/SampleClockTimebase A terminal within a device where the AO Sample Clock Timebase can be found. This is the onboard clock source for the AO sample clock.
Ctr0Out, Ctr1Out Terminals at the I/O connector where the output of counter 0 or counter 1 can be emitted. You also can use Ctr0Out as a terminal for driving an external signal onto the RTSI bus.
Ctr0Gate, Ctr1Gate Terminals within a device whose purpose depends on the application. Refer to Counter Parts in NI-DAQmx for more information on how the gate terminal is used in various applications.
Ctr0Source, Ctr1Source Terminals within a device whose purpose depends on the application. Refer to Counter Parts in NI-DAQmx for more information on how the source terminal is used in various applications.
Ctr0InternalOutput, Ctr1InternalOutput Terminals within a device where you can choose the pulsed or toggled output of the counters. Refer to Counter Parts in NI-DAQmx for more information on internal output terminals.
PairedCtrInternalOutput A terminal within a device that chains counters together, creating a paired counter without using any external connections. If your application uses counter 0, PairedCtrInternalOutput refers to the output of counter 1. If your application uses counter 1, PairedCtrInternalOutput refers to the output of counter 0.
PairedCtrOutputPulse A terminal within a device that chains counters together without using any external connections. If you configure counter 0, PairedCtrOutputPulse refers to the pulsed output of counter 1. If you configure counter 1, PairedCtrOutputPulse refers to the pulsed output of counter 0. Refer to Paired Counters for more information. When the counter reaches terminal count (zero when counting down, its maximum count when counting up), the output of the PairedCtrOutputPulse pulses. By using this terminal, you can chain counters together to create a wider counter, perform buffered edge counting using the other counter as your clock source, perform finite pulse-train generation, and create other custom applications.
Note  M Series and C Series devices do not have a master timebase of an arbitrary frequency. These devices use the 20 MHz/80 MHz/100 kHz timebase directly.