March 2018
This document contains installation and programming considerations for using NI-Motion with NI 73xx motion controllers, a list of changes in this version of NI-Motion, and information about NI-Motion known issues.
Installation and Configuration Instructions
NI-Motion 18.0 Changes and Enhancements
NI-Motion 18.0 General Considerations
Previous NI-Motion Changes and Enhancements
Automating the Installation of NI Products
NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003
NI-Motion 18.0 is the motion control software you use to communicate with all National Instruments NI 73xx motion controllers using LabVIEW, C, LabWindows™/CVI™, or Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 development platforms. Refer to KnowledgeBase article 39DA8HMU, Does the NI-Motion Driver Support Visual Studio .NET?, at ni.com/kb for information about Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Visual Studio 2005 or later support.
NI-Motion 18.0 is compatible with the following National Instruments software:
If you have developed motion control systems using a previous version of NI-Motion, you must recompile your code before it will work correctly with NI-Motion 18.0.
In addition, any applications you build in NI-Motion 18.0 will not work correctly in earlier versions of NI-Motion. Similarly, configuration settings you build and save in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) with NI-Motion 18.0 will not work with applications you build in earlier versions of NI-Motion.
To use NI-Motion 18.0 with a real-time target, you must update the NI-Motion driver software on the real-time target system using MAX. Driver versions on the host and target system must be the same for proper operation. Refer to the Measurement & Automation Explorer Remote Systems Help by selecting Help»Help Topics»Remote Systems in MAX for information about installing software on the remote system.
The following sections include important information about installing NI-Motion 18.0, instructions for downloading and installing NI-Motion 18.0 from the Web or from the CD, and information about NI-Motion firmware.
You can run the NI-Motion 18.0 installer on the following operating systems:
NI-Motion runs as a 32-bit application on all operating systems.
Note
Tip For optimal performance, update your operating system to the latest service pack and apply all security patches.
Complete the following steps to install this update:
Complete the following steps to install this update:
For optimal performance, ensure that the firmware on your controller matches the driver version you install. Complete the following steps to replace the firmware on your controller if you need to use an earlier version of the NI-Motion software and firmware:
NI-Motion 18.0 is fully supported on LabVIEW 2018.
Previous versions of NI-Motion included the NI Motion Assistant software for graphical prototyping of motion control systems. This software has reached end of life status, and NI-Motion 18.0 does not include a release of NI Motion Assistant. The last release of NI Motion Assistant was version 2016.
Importing motion controller settings from older portable configuration files may take a few minutes due to the settings upgrade process. This is expected behavior.
Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Visual Studio 2005 and later do not allow C++ precompiled header files to be used with C source files. Disable precompiled headers when running NI-Motion C examples.
The following table lists the expected firmware files that ship with NI-Motion 18.0.
| Firmware Sector |
Version Number | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NI 7330 | NI 7340 | NI 7350 | NI PCI-7390 | |
| 68331 | 7.40.3003 | 7.40.3003 | 7.40.3003 | 7.40.3003 |
| DSP | 7.32.3003 | 7.32.3003 | 7.32.3003 | 7.32.3003 |
| FPGA1 | 7.00.3001 | 7.00.3001 | 7.10.3001 | 7.00.3014 |
| FPGA2 | 7.00.3001 | 7.00.3001 | — | — |
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the National Instruments Web site for a list of known issues in NI-Motion 18.0.
An issue that may arise when running 32-bit applications in 64-bit versions of Windows could adversely affect NI-Motion. Refer to KnowledgeBase article 6EMFLQUB, Why Does National Instruments Software List Microsoft Hotfix 2588507 as a System Requirement?, at ni.com/kb for more information.
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.6.2, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.
For more information, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
NI-Motion will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI-Motion that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:
| Product | Info Code |
| NI LabVIEW | lifecycle |
| NI LabWindows/CVI | cvi_lifecycle |
| NI Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
| NI TestStand | tslcp |
| NI DIAdem | ddlcp |
| NI SignalExpress | selcp |
| NI VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
Copyright
© 2003–2018 National Instruments. All rights reserved.
Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.
National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.
End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
U.S. Government Restricted Rights
If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.
IVI Foundation Copyright Notice
Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.
The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Trademarks
Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on National Instruments trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Members of the National Instruments Alliance Partner Program are business entities independent from National Instruments and have no agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship with National Instruments.
Patents
For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.
376348C-01