National Instruments FP-1001 - Manual (Page 25)

© National Instruments Corporation 3-1 FieldPoint FP-1000/FP-1001 User Manual
Chapter
3
Feature Set Description
This chapter describes the feature set for the FP-1000 and FP-1001
network modules.
Both the FP-1000 and FP-1001 have an identical feature set, so this
chapter uses the term network module to refer to either one. Any specific
differences are noted.
High-Speed Local Bus
The network modules provide a high-speed local bus for
communication to the I/O modules in the bank. The high-speed local
bus has low overhead that enables fast response to commands from the
host computer.
Network Watchdog Timer
The network module can detect unexpected periods of network
inactivity and respond to it in a user-defined way. The network
watchdog timer feature enables you to guard your system against
failures in the network connection, cables, or host computer, and to put
the channel outputs in a user-defined state (the watchdog state) if such
failures do occur.
You can set the watchdog output values to be different from the
power-up output values. Some system applications do not differentiate
between power-up output values and watchdog output values, while
other applications treat the two conditions differently. The network
module supports both types of applications.
By default, the watchdog timer for the bank is disabled on power up. To
use the watchdog timer, set up the following parameters. You can use
either the FieldPoint Explorer software or the FieldPoint command set.
• Watchdog data value for each channel.
• Watchdog data enable/disable status for each channel.