Our local field engineer is Matt Spiegelberg (Matt.Spiegelberg@ni.com). He is based in Portland, but visits OSU about once per week.

The E-series to M-series transition happened in 2000. The M-series is superior and the end-of-life is approaching for the E-series.

For low performance (e.g. 1 mV stability on voltage outputs) a USB based system with BNC breakout works great (~$1000)

For higher performance (options with 1nA stability, +/-20V etc.) the PXI format is ideal. This is a modular design where different components slot into a chassis: The SMU voltage/current source. The 1.25 MHz Vin.