In July, I had the chance to attend NI’s Washington, D.C. Test Forum, hosted in McLean, VA. It was an excellent setting for NI experts, partners, and customers to meet face-to-face and explore the newest developments in NI’s portfolio.
The agenda featured technical talks from NI’s industry specialists, live demos covering a variety of applications, and hands-on sessions featuring PXI and CompactDAQ systems.
What’s New at NI
NI presented a range of new offerings and shared some insights into their future roadmaps. Here’s a brief overview of some of the key topics discussed.
Software Updates
- Nigel AL Advisor: You can now chat with Nigel in both LabVIEW and TestStand! Nigel is an AI advisor designed to answer domain-specific questions and provide helpful guidance as you develop in LabVIEW or TestStand.
- FlexLogger Evolution: NI launched a community-driven plug-in repository and a LabVIEW plug-in developer kit to perform higher-level functions in FlexLogger. They also released a LabVIEW Automation API that allows the programmatic control of FlexLogger from LabVIEW.
- InstrumentStudio SCPI Instrument Panels: You can now create and interact with SCPI instrument panels in NI InstrumentStudio, enabling you to control SCPI-compatible instruments, retrieve data and screenshots, and manage configurations.
- New Software License Options: NI has reintroduced perpetual licenses alongside their current subscription licenses for all NI test software.
Review NI’s software roadmaps here.
Hardware Updates
- PXI RF Test Portfolio Expansion: NI expanded its RF lineup with higher-frequency and wider-bandwidth VSTs, including the new PXIe-5860. Enhancements also include improved VNAs, agile attenuators, and RFmx software updates supporting Wi-Fi 8, 3GPP, and Bluetooth channel sounding.
- Updated CompactDAQ Hardware: NI’s upgrades include a few hardware updates to the CompactDAQ offering. NI released a new USB-C chassis that has improved ruggedness at a lower cost, which comes in 1, 4, and 8-slot options. They also released new snap-in connector modules for the C-series DAQs, providing easier wiring and module swaps.
- mioDAQ Improvements: NI has continued to improve the recently released mioDAQ with new features in the 2025 Q2 release of the DAQmx Driver, as well as releasing an OEM version for embedded applications.
- New FieldDAQs Released: : New models of the ultra-rugged FieldDAQ devices are here! They feature IP65/67-rated waterproof and dust-tight designs, shock and vibration resistance over 100 g/10 grms, and a temperature range from -40°C to 85°C.
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