National Instruments NI USB-621x - Manual (Page 161)

Glossary
NI USB-621x User Manual G-12 ni.com
monotonicity A characteristic of a DAC in which the analog output always increases as
the values of the digital code input to it increase.
multichannel Pertaining to a radio-communication system that operates on more than one
channel at the same time. The individual channels might contain identical
information, or they might contain different signals.
multifunction DAQ See MIO .
multiplex To assign more than one signal to a channel. See also mux.
mux Multiplexer—A set of semiconductor or electromechanical switches
arranged to select one of many inputs to a single output. The majority of
DAQ cards have a multiplexer on the input, which permits the selection of
one of many channels at a time.
A switching device with multiple inputs that sequentially connects each of
its inputs to its output, typically at high speeds, in order to measure several
signals with a single analog input channel.
N
NI National Instruments.
NI-DAQ The driver software needed to use National Instruments DAQ devices and
SCXI components. Some devices use Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy); others
use NI-DAQmx.
NI-DAQmx The latest NI-DAQ driver with new VIs, functions, and development tools
for controlling measurement devices. The advantages of NI-DAQmx over
earlier versions of NI-DAQ include the DAQ Assistant for configuring
channels and measurement tasks for your device for use in LabVIEW,
LabWindows/CVI, and Measurement Studio; increased performance such
as faster single-point analog I/O; and a simpler API for creating DAQ
applications using fewer functions and VIs than earlier versions of
NI-DAQ.
NI-PGIA See instrumentation amplifier .
non-referenced signal
sources Signal sources with voltage signals that are not connected to an absolute
reference or system ground. Also called floating signal sources. Some
common example of non-referenced signal sources are batteries,
transformers, or thermocouples.