National Instruments has announced the NI PXIe-5840, the second generation of its Vector Signal Transceiver (VST) module. The company released the first generation "NI PXIe-5644R" in 2012.

　　The VST is a measurement instrument that combines a vector signal generator, a vector signal analyzer, and a user-programmable FPGA. The first product in the first generation was the PXIe-5644R, with an instantaneous bandwidth of 80 MHz, followed by the PXIe-5646R in 2014, with an instantaneous bandwidth of 200 MHz. This 2nd generation product increases the instantaneous bandwidth to 1 GHz, and with such a high instantaneous bandwidth, the new product will be the best choice for many applications including IEEE 802.11ac/ax standard device testing, mobile device testing, IoT (Internet of Things) device testing, and 5G (5th Generation Mobile Communication System) design and testing, RFIC testing, radar prototypes, etc.

　　In addition, the width of the 1st generation product is three PXI Express slots, while the 2nd generation product is narrowed to two slots. Within this width, vector signal generators, vector signal analyzers, user-programmable FPGAs, and high-speed serial/parallel interfaces with frequency bands ranging from 9 kHz to 6.5 GHz are embedded. Because of the reduced width and tight synchronization, an 18-slot chassis can support up to 8×8 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configurations. Moreover, the built-in FPGA allows users to use NI's system development software "LabVIEW" easy programming.

　　According to reports, the German Audi company radar system components responsible for Niels Koch as the first user of the second generation of products on the evaluation of the product said, "the industry's highest level of large bandwidth and low latency Software-Designed Instrument, we were able to develop an unprecedented car radar sensors. Moreover, it was possible to identify problems that were previously impossible to catch in the early stages of design. With the VST, which is equipped with an FPGA (programmable in LabVIEW), we were able to quickly simulate a wide range of scenarios, thus improving the safety and reliability of the automated driving system".