NI 5442 Memory Options

NI 5442 modules can be purchased with three onboard waveform memory size options: 32 MB, 256 MB, and 512 MB.

Onboard waveform memory size dictates the maximum time duration for which arbitrary waveforms can be generated without repeating the same waveform data. If your application requires arbitrary waveform playback over long time durations without looping, choose a larger AWG module onboard waveform memory option. For example, 256 MB of onboard memory can store approximately 1.28 s of waveform data at the default IQ rate of 100 MS/s.

Phase continuity enables large AWG onboard memory sizes to allow finer frequency tolerances in repetitive playback. Frequency tolerance for arbitrary waveforms is limited by available memory size when phase continuity is enabled. Phase continuity is always enabled on the NI 5672.

The following table lists maximum playback times for each memory option using the default IQ rate of 100 MS/s.

Memory Size (MB)	Playback Time Without Looping (msec)
32	160
256	1,280
≥512	≤2,560

Note  Not all onboard memory can be used for waveform storage. Onboard memory is shared between waveforms and instructions that specify how the waveforms are generated. These instructions typically require less than 1 KB of onboard memory.