NI myRIO Frequently Asked Questions


Featuring National Instruments industry-standard reconfigurable I/O (RIO) technology, NI myRIO places dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 real-time performance and Xilinx FPGA customizable I/O in the hands of students. With its onboard devices, seamless software experience, and library of courseware and tutorials, NI myRIO provides an affordable tool that helps students and educators “do real engineering” in one semester.
  1. What is RIO?

    RIO stands for reconfigurable I/O and describes a technology used in many NI hardware products. RIO products feature a processor and FPGA, both of which are fully programmable using NI LabVIEW software. Thousands of professional engineers around the world use National Instruments RIO products. Through NI myRIO, this powerful technology is placed in the hands of students. Learn more about RIO technology.
  2. What are the specifications of NI myRIO?

    You can find the specifications of NI myRIO in the user manual.
  3. Where can I see examples of projects with NI myRIO?

    The NI myRIO Community features user projects, code sharing, and examples for connecting sensors to NI myRIO.
  4. How can I connect sensors to NI myRIO?

    The premier resource for connecting sensors, actuators, and other devices to NI myRIO is the NI myRIO Project Essentials Guide. You can find other examples of connecting NI myRIO to sensors on the NI myRIO Community.
  5. What is an FPGA?

    Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are reprogrammable silicon chips. In contrast to processors that you find in your PC, programming an FPGA rewires the chip itself to implement your functionality rather than run a software application. Learn more about FPGAs.
  6. What programming languages can I use with NI myRIO?

    The processor and FPGA of NI myRIO are fully programmable using LabVIEW; however, it is also possible to program the processor in C or C++. View C Support for NI myRIO to learn more about the benefits of both programming options and how to get started. View C Support for NI myRIO to learn more about the benefits of both programming options and how to get started.

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  7. If I have existing code, can I use it with NI myRIO?

    You can use existing C, .m file script, or LabVIEW code with NI myRIO as long as it is compatible with NI myRIO I/O.
  8. Do I have to program the FPGA of NI myRIO?

    The FPGA of NI myRIO is shipped with predefined functionality. This includes the interpretation of digital input/output (DIO) lines as PWMs, universal asynchronous receivers/transmitters (UARTs), encoder inputs, I2C, and SPI. You do not need to customize the FPGA to program the processor of NI myRIO; however, if you need to customize your project, you can use the LabVIEW FPGA Module to make changes to the default personality or to create an entirely new personality. View resources on FPGA programming.