computer science

VME eXtensions for Instrumentation

VME eXtensions for Instrumentation is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand VME eXtensions for Instrumentation rather than just read about it. In short: VME eXtensions for instrumentation (VXI) bus refers to standards for automated test based upon VMEbus. VXI defines additional bus lines for timing and triggering as well as mechanical requirements and standard protocols for configuration, message-based communication, multi-chassis extension, and other features.

Key takeaways

VME eXtensions for Instrumentation belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect VME eXtensions for Instrumentation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of VME eXtensions for Instrumentation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

VME eXtensions for instrumentation (VXI) bus refers to standards for automated test based upon VMEbus. VXI defines additional bus lines for timing and triggering as well as mechanical requirements and standard protocols for configuration, message-based communication, multi-chassis extension, and other features. In 2004, the 2eVME extension was added to the VXI bus specification, giving it a maximum data rate of 160 MB/s. The basic building block of a VXI system is the mainframe or chassis. This contains up to 13 slots into which various modules (instruments) can be added. The mainframe also contains all the power supply requirements for the rack and the instruments it contains. Instruments in the form of VXI Modules then fit the slots in the rack. VXI bus modules are typically 6U in height (see Eurocard) and C-size (unlike VME bus modules which are more commonly B-size). It is therefore possible to configure a system to meet a particular requirement by selecting the required instruments. The basic architecture of the instrument system is described in US patent 4,707,834. This patent was freely licensed by Tektronix to the VXIbus Consortium. The VXIbus grew from the VME bus specification, it was established in 1987 by Hewlett Packard (now Keysight Technologies), Racal Instruments (now Astronics Test Systems), Colorado Data Systems, Wavetek and Tektronix. VXI was promoted by the VXIbus Consortium, whose sponsor members were (as of 2009) Astronics Test Systems (formerly Racal Instruments), Bustec, Keysight Technologies, National Instruments, Teradyne, and VTI Instruments (formerly known as VXI Technology). The VXIplug&play Alliance specified additional hardware and software interoperability standards, such as the Virtual Instrument Software Architecture (VISA), although the alliance was eventually merged with the IVI Foundation. Application software that supports VXIplug&play instrument drivers for controlling instruments include LabVIEW and MATLAB.

See also LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI) PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with VME eXtensions for Instrumentation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what VME eXtensions for Instrumentation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to VME eXtensions for Instrumentation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about VME eXtensions for Instrumentation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of VME eXtensions for Instrumentation

In research: VME eXtensions for Instrumentation appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses VME eXtensions for Instrumentation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: VME eXtensions for Instrumentation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer buses, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for VME eXtensions for Instrumentation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study VME eXtensions for Instrumentation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what VME eXtensions for Instrumentation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain VME eXtensions for Instrumentation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is VME eXtensions for Instrumentation in simple terms?

Why does VME eXtensions for Instrumentation matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study VME eXtensions for Instrumentation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on VME eXtensions for Instrumentation.