cRIO-9038

The cRIO-9038 is a CompactRIO Controller from National Instruments, designed for advanced control, industrial monitoring, embedded data acquisition, machine control, and rugged measurement systems. As an 8-slot CompactRIO controller, the NI cRIO-9038 combines a real-time processor, a user-programmable FPGA, and C Series module compatibility in one rugged embedded platform. It features a 1.33 GHz dual-core Intel Atom E3825 processor, 2 GB DRAM, 8 GB storage, and a Xilinx Kintex-7 160T FPGA, making it suitable for demanding embedded control and monitoring applications.

The NI cRIO-9038 runs NI Linux Real-Time, allowing users to build reliable embedded applications that can operate independently without a desktop computer. This real-time operating system is useful for applications that require deterministic control, long-term deployment, and stable operation in industrial environments. The controller supports LabVIEW, LabVIEW Real-Time Module, and LabVIEW FPGA Module for developing control, monitoring, and FPGA-based I/O applications.

One of the main advantages of the cRIO-9038 CompactRIO Controller is its onboard FPGA. The Kintex-7 160T FPGA allows engineers to implement custom timing, triggering, high-speed control logic, data processing, and deterministic I/O operations directly in hardware. NI lists the FPGA with 202,800 flip-flops, 101,400 6-input LUTs, 600 DSP slices, 11,700 kbits of block RAM, 16 DMA channels, and 32 logical interrupts, providing strong FPGA resources for advanced control and signal-processing tasks.

The National Instruments cRIO-9038 provides 8 C Series module slots, allowing users to build flexible systems with analog input, analog output, digital I/O, thermocouple, strain, vibration, relay, CAN, serial, and other C Series modules. This modular design makes the cRIO-9038 suitable for systems that need different types of I/O in one embedded controller. Engineers can use it for distributed measurement, industrial control, machine monitoring, test cell automation, and field-deployed data acquisition.

For connectivity, the cRIO-9038 includes two tri-speed RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet ports, two USB host ports, one USB device port, two RS-232 serial ports, an SDHC slot, and Mini DisplayPort for local HMI or development use. These interfaces allow users to connect networks, USB storage, serial instruments, local displays, and peripheral devices. The dual Ethernet ports are useful for network communication, remote access, distributed control, and system integration.

The NI cRIO-9038 supports an extended temperature range and is designed for rugged applications. NI specifications state that the cRIO-9038 is valid for operation from -40 °C to 70 °C, making it suitable for harsh industrial and field environments. The controller supports a 9 V to 30 VDC input range for both V1 and V2 power inputs, with maximum power consumption of 46 W for a fully populated system under high-stress conditions.

The cRIO-9038 CompactRIO Controller is suitable for applications such as industrial automation, condition monitoring, machine control, power monitoring, embedded data logging, structural test, remote measurement, and hardware-in-the-loop control. Because it combines real-time processing, FPGA customization, rugged operation, and C Series I/O flexibility, it is especially useful for systems that need reliable embedded control outside a standard laboratory environment.

Overall, the NI cRIO-9038 CompactRIO Controller is a rugged 8-slot embedded controller for real-time control and monitoring applications. With its 1.33 GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor, 2 GB DRAM, 8 GB storage, Kintex-7 160T FPGA, 8 C Series slots, dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB, RS-232, SDHC, Mini DisplayPort, and extended temperature support, the cRIO-9038 is well suited for industrial control, embedded measurement, and advanced CompactRIO applications.