National Instruments Extends Design, Prototyping Platform for Hands-On Learning

NI ELVIS II+ Features 100 MS/s Oscilloscope and New Add-On Boards

AUSTIN, Texas, April 7, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- National Instruments
(Nasdaq: NATI) today introduced the NI Educational Laboratory Virtual
Instrumentation Suite (NI ELVIS) II+ design and prototyping platform, a
single, integrated system that is ideal for the lab or classroom because it
connects theory to real-world applications. The latest addition to the NI
ELVIS family incorporates an onboard, 100 MS/s oscilloscope and features a
series of new add-on boards to extend the platform beyond instrumentation and
circuits applications. Educators teaching circuit theory and electronics can
use this system to engage students through project-based, hands-on learning
with instrumentation based on NI LabVIEW graphical system design software,
which is used in industry and research throughout the world. With its open
configuration, NI ELVIS delivers a cost-effective, expandable teaching and
prototyping platform for a variety of advanced topics.

The 100 MS/s oscilloscope featured in NI ELVIS II+ samples nearly 100 times
faster than that of NI ELVIS II, extending the reach of hands-on education
into advanced circuit design. Using the new oscilloscope, students can gain
tangible exposure to high-frequency measurement techniques and high-frequency
filter designs. NI ELVIS II+ also features a variety of new add-on boards to
deliver a fully functional, multidisciplinary teaching platform. In addition
to NI ELVIS add-on boards for the study of control, telecommunications and
embedded systems and microcontrollers, students can use new bundled packages
to learn about aerospace dynamics and control, mechatronics sensors and the
block diagram approach to fiber optics. This expanded variety of add-on boards
provides greater flexibility to any educational laboratory requiring a
cost-effective selection of instructional instrumentation.

Two new add-on boards from Quanser, a manufacturer of advanced controls and
mechatronics systems, offer students hands-on experience in exploring controls
topics. The Quanser QNET-014 mechatronics sensor board helps students gain a
fundamental knowledge of sensor physical properties as well as sensor
application techniques and limitations. The second Quanser board, the QNET-013
Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) actuator, introduces the aerospace
application fundamentals of motion control, dynamics and kinematics.
Additionally, Emona, a telecommunications training equipment and software
provider, has created a board that takes a block diagram approach to teaching
fiber-optics concepts.

NI ELVIS II+ continues to be an integral part of the NI electronics education
platform, providing tight integration with NI Multisim circuit design and
SPICE simulation software. By combining NI ELVIS II+ with Multisim, educators
can guide their students through a full range of circuit concepts with
interactive simulation, analysis experiments and printed circuit board (PCB)
creation. Educators, students and professional PCB designers also can take
advantage of the NI Circuit Design Community, a new collaborative online
community that provides a variety of resources, including access to circuit
diagrams from leading manufacturers and a forum for the interactive discussion
of circuit design topics.

Readers can learn more about the NI ELVIS II+ platform, modular plug-in boards
and the NI electronics education platform by visiting www.ni.com/nielvis.

About National Instruments
National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and
scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation
and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software
such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad
base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer
representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing
more than 10 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more
than 5,000 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the
past 10 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to
work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the
company's investor relations department by calling (512) 683-5090, e-mailing
nati@ni.com or visiting www.ni.com/nati.

Pricing and Contact Information
NI ELVIS II+ hardware only
Priced* from $3,329; euro 3,049; 437,000 yen
Web: www.ni.com/nielvis

*All prices are subject to change without notice.

11500 N Mopac Expwy, Austin, Texas 78759-3504
Tel: (800) 258-7022, Fax: (512) 683-9300
E-mail: info@ni.com

LabVIEW, Multisim, National Instruments, NI and ni.com are trademarks of
National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or
trade names of their respective companies.

Editor Contact: Hilary Marchbanks, (512) 683-5937
Reader Contact: Ernest Martinez, (800) 258-7022

SOURCE National Instruments

Editor, Hilary Marchbanks, +1-512-683-5937, or Reader, Ernest Martinez,
1-800-258-7022, both of National Instruments