NI's new product targets I?C, SPI comm devices

National Instruments (NI) released a new USB device for use with I?C and serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication devices.

According to the press release, engineers and scientists can now use the USB-8451 interface with NI's LabVIEW software to easily create programs to test, validate and program devices such as analog-to-digital converters and EEPROMs. Since the module operates on the USB bus, it offers plug-and-play setup and is designed for use in close proximity to the system components, said NI.

The USB-8451 interface includes driver software that provides high-level, easy-to-use LabVIEW functions for quickly developing applications without requiring in-depth knowledge of I?C and SPI communications. In addition to providing both I?C and SPI communication, it also includes eight digital lines for general-purpose I/O and is capable of full-speed USB connectivity.

Testing component prototypes
Hardware design engineers can use the USB-8451 interface to test and validate component prototypes. For example, engineers wanting to validate the functionality of a microcontroller that includes I?C or SPI communication lines no longer need to place the microcontroller on the PCB and hope that it interacts well with the other components. Instead, they now can send I?C or SPI commands to the microcontroller through the USB-8451 interface to validate its functionality before placing it on the PCB, NI explained.