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Introduction to LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

Customer Manual

August 2010 Edition Northern Region

Copyright
2010 National Instruments Corporation. 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.

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National Instruments, NI, ni.com, and LabVIEW are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Refer to the Terms of Use section on ni.com/legal for more information about National Instruments trademarks. 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 National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: HelpPatents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.

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Contents
National Instruments Overview..................................................................................................................... 1 Exercise #1: Open and Run Final Application...................................................................................... 15 Exercise #2: Simulate Signal to Graph ................................................................................................. 28 Exercise #3: Taking a Basic Measurement ........................................................................................... 43 Exercise #4: Add Analysis and Output ................................................................................................. 57 Exercise #5: Write to File ..................................................................................................................... 67 Next Steps ................................................................................................................................................... 70 LabVIEW Modules and Toolkits ................................................................................................................ 77

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Welcome to the Introduction to LabVIEW Graphical Programming HandsOn Seminar. This seminar introduces you to building measurement and automation applications using graphical development. Through hands-on exercises, you learn the concept of graphical programming and how you can use it to build powerful instrumentation and data acquisition systems. In some exercises, you will build LabVIEW virtual instruments (VIs). In other exercises, you will run completed LabVIEW VIs. All of the examples demonstrate the power and flexibility of the LabVIEW graphical development paradigm. By the end of this seminar, you will learn that no matter what measurement you need to make, LabVIEW provides a solution.

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What Youll Do Today


Learn LabVIEW fundamentals Acquire temperature signal Output warning light based on alarm level Write data to file

During todays seminar you will learn the basics of the LabVIEW environment and create a data acquisition application that does the following: Acquires a temperature signal Determines if the temperature is above a chosen level Outputs a warning to the screen and a digital output to the hardware Writes acquired data to file In addition to those basic exercises we will review several case studies of companies that have used LabVIEW and National Instruments hardware to build advanced applications. For more examples of how engineers and scientists have used our products please visit http://www.ni.com/solutions. Finally, information regarding modules and toolkits that increase LabVIEWs functionality in different industries can be found in the appendices.

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National Instruments at a Glance


Leaders in Computer-Based Measurement and Automation Long-term Track Record of Growth and Profitability Fortunes 100 Best Companies to Work For 11 years in a row Significant investment in research and development > 18% of revenue in 2009

More than 5000 employees; operations in more than 40 countries


LabVIEW 1.0 released in 1986

National Instruments transforms the way engineers and scientists around the world design, prototype, and deploy systems for test, control, and embedded design applications. Using NI open graphical programming software and modular hardware, customers at more than 25,000 companies annually simplify development, increase productivity, and dramatically reduce time to market. From testing next-generation gaming systems to creating breakthrough medical devices, NI customers continuously develop innovative technologies that impact millions of people. Over the last 20 years LabVIEW has earned a strong reputation as the software tool for creating measurement solutions. LabVIEW users have an advantage of traditional text based programmers by reducing development time, and taking advantage of functionality that is pre-built for test and control applications. This enables users to reduce development time by up to 40% and easily create complex data acquisition and control applications which previously required extensive knowledge of software design.

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Virtual Instrumentation with LabVIEW


Automated Test

Industrial

Modular I/O

Software-defined behavior

Embedded
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In the past, vendor-defined instruments were necessary for data acquisition systems. Those instruments were limited to the functionality designed into them by the manufacturer, eliminating the ability to customize them for a specific solution and requiring extra time and equipment to incorporate them into larger systems. When LabVIEW launched in 1986, National Instruments introduced a new concept for data acquisition: virtual instrumentation. Virtual instrumentation involves designing your application on standard desktop PCs and then deploying it to whatever hardware platform your application requires, including desktop, automated test, industrial and embedded devices. This method allows developers to use flexible, off-theshelf hardware to create custom acquisition and control systems. It also speeds up the overall development time of your system since theres no need for custom equipment or learning multiple programming languages for each hardware platform you use. Virtual Instrumentation is possible because of LabVIEW. LabVIEW is a graphical programming language that allows scientists and engineers to program their own applications with its easy-to-learn environment. LabVIEW works seamlessly with NI hardware and contains over 6000 instrument drivers to connect with your existing hardware.

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What is LabVIEW?

LabVIEW is designed to help you solve technical challenges you face daily. Regardless of what industry you are in, LabVIEW has built in functions for common tasks such as data acquisition and analysis, to more specialized functions for applications such as control design, simulation, or RF design. For those with a programming background, you will find all the programming constructs you relay on such as case statements, For and While loops, etc., as well as a wide array of ready to use functions including string parsing, file i/o, and array manipulations. You do not need to be a programmer to use LabVIEW, there are features designed for both the non-programmer and for those who have extensive application development background. For the non-programmer LabVIEW offers Express VIs which are interactive, configuration oriented functions which you parameterize and connect together to perform tasks such as data acquisition, analysis and reporting. Regardless of your programming experience LabVIEW has thousands of built-in analysis functions, and a wide array of toolkits and modules that offer specific functionality in areas such as real-time control, RF design, SCADA application development, motion control and machine vision, to name just a few.

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G
Programming Language

Hardware Support

Analysis and Technical Code Libraries

Reporting and Data Visualization Tools

Technology Abstraction

Models of Computation

LabVIEW is a highly productive development environment for creating custom applications that interact with real-world data or signals in fields such as science and engineering. LabVIEW itself is a software development environment that contains numerous components, several of which are required for any type of test, measurement, or control application. Each component is designed in some way to save you time or otherwise make you more productive by eliminating unnecessary details or making difficult operations easier. To quote one of our software developers, We write low level code so you dont have to. Our team of developers continually trying free LabVIEW users up to focus on the bigger problems and tasks they are trying to solve. Some people need every component. Others only use some parts. However, everyone who uses LabVIEW is aware of the productivity and empowerment that comes from abstracting unnecessary complexity and being able to focus on the challenge at hand, not the challenges typically associated with creating custom software.

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LabVIEW is a Programming Language


Graphical Programming
Data types Structures (i.e. loops, case, event handling) Standard functions (i.e. File I/O)

Reuse external code Compiles to machine code Automatic multithreading

LabVIEW is a graphical programming language. Like text-based languages, LabVIEW has common programming devices like data types (numbers, strings, arrays, etc.), structures (for loops, while loops, case structures, event handling) and functions (file I/O, comparisons, etc.). Graphical programming is valuable for domain experts that dont have a heavy background in text-based programming. Using function blocks, wires and loops in place of text strings, engineers and scientists can create a program that looks similar to their whiteboard drawings of an application instead of translating that high level design to specific text strings, avoiding errors in that translation from algorithm to code. This additional level of abstraction aides in program design, but in no way decreases application power. Like text-based languages, LabVIEW compiles to machine code when run and performs at similar speeds to applications written in text-based languages. In addition to including its own, optimized compiler for run-time, LabVIEW continually compiles your program during design to help you catch errors while you code. Multicore processing is one of the most important trends in computing today, and LabVIEW has been inherently multithreaded for over 10 years. LabVIEW automatically looks for ways to break up your application into different pieces that can be processed simultaneously on multiple cores. That way, without any effort on your part, your applications can see improved execution speeds.

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LabVIEW is a Development Environment


Debugging tools Assistants Configurable functions I/O Finder Easy UI Development Software Engineering Tools Performance Tools

Beyond being a graphical programming language, LabVIEW provides an entire development environment that makes the process of application development faster and easier than standard development languages. Debugging tools As mentioned previously, LabVIEW continually compiles your code as you develop to help you identify and correct issues as they occur. Beyond that, LabVIEW also has built in utilities that track how different pieces of your code interact and what dependencies exist. Assistants From setting up hardware to designing customer filters for signal processing applications, LabVIEW has dozens of wizards and assistants to help you create custom applications with standard, easy-touse tools. Configurable functions LabVIEW has thousands of pre-made functions that you can use to build larger applications. Each of these functions can be customized even further to meet you own unique needs. I/O Finder LabVIEW has built-in wizards that help you automatically detect and set up hardware for your application. We will use several of these wizards to set up hardware for input and output in todays exercises. Easy UI Development You can make user interfaces without any programming experience, and they can be as simple or complex as your application requires. Drag-and-drop UI elements like graphs, knobs,

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displays and decorations require no programming beyond visually connecting them to the rest of your application (we will do this in todays exercises). Software Engineering Tools LabVIEW has the tools you will need as your applications become more complex, and more than one developer works on a single application. Manage your code base with the LabVIEW Project Explorer and integrate with the source code control applications. Map graphical code in LabVIEW to requirements documents and distribute professional, end-use applications with LabVIEW Application Builder. Performance Tools After you have created your program, use tools like VI Analyzer and VI Profiler to optimize your codes appearance and behavior.

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LabVIEW Has Built-in Engineering Libraries


In-line and off-line analysis and control Signal processing Analysis and filtering Complex math PID Vision Motion

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LabVIEW includes hundreds of analysis functions in areas including signal processing, filter design, math, PID, and vision and motion control. Using these libraries in the same application where you acquire measurements simplifies data acquisition application development and allows you to do more in a single environment. You can also bring in previously acquired data for analysis.

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LabVIEW Easily Connects to Hardware I/O


8000+ instruments from over 250 vendors

PCI, PCIe, PXI, USB, Ethernet, serial, GPIB, and CAN devices
Modular data acquisition hardware from DC to the GHz range Motion control stages

Cameras
Hundreds of PLCs

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What makes LabVIEW the superior choice for acquisition and control applications is its ability to integrate with hardware to acquire real-world data. LabVIEW delivers seamless connectivity with a wide range of measurement hardware. You can use LabVIEW to quickly configure and use almost any measurement device, from stand-alone instruments to USB data acquisition devices, motion controllers, image acquisition systems, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). If you use bench top instruments such as an Agilent Network Analyzer, or other standalone instruments to make measurements, there are over 6,000 instrument drivers from over 250 instrument providers available online that enable you to control these instruments from LabVIEW. You are also opening yourself to use a wide range National Instruments hardware products allow you to create solutions including rugged industrial monitoring applications, bench top data acquisition, Real-Time process control, prototyping embedded control systems, and handheld applications running on a PDA to name just a few. Given the time constraints of todays seminar we are going to focus on how to acquire, analyze and present data using LabVIEW. However its important to recognize that the capabilities of LabVIEW extend far beyond simple data acquisition to include areas such as PID control, vision inspection, Embedded design, rapid prototyping and so on.

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LabVIEW Fundamentals

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The LabVIEW Environment


VI = program or function

Front Panel = user interface

Block Diagram = code


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A LabVIEW program, also referred to as a VI (virtual instrument), consists of two windows: the front panel and the block diagram. The front panel is where you create the user interface for your VI. The block diagram is the brain of your VI it is the home for your code. A complete block diagram has a similar appearance to a flowchart. The following pages will provide more detail on how to add and edit objects in both windows. You can arrange the front panel and block diagram to stand side-by-side by pressing <ctrl + T>. It is important to note that adding an object to the front panel creates an associated terminal on the block diagram that allows for functions to be performed on the inputs (controls) and then be routed to the appropriate output (indicator). Larger applications are made by adding lower level VIs to a main VI. VIs that are part of another application are referred to as subVIs. For example, you might create several VIs that perform different signal analysis and then use them as function blocks in your overall application.

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Exercise: Open and Run Final Application

Explore final application Acquire, analyze and display temperature signal


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Exercise 1: Open and Run Todays Final LabVIEW Application


Todays exercises revolve around creating a temperature monitoring application that will write the acquired data to file and output a digital warning signal if the temperature goes above an adjustable warning level. This exercise gives you a chance to see what youll complete by todays final application. Youll also explore important elements of the LabVIEW environment. 1. If you have not already done so, launch LabVIEW. Click the LabVIEW icon on your quick launch toolbar, or click Start Programs National Instruments LabVIEW 2010.

Once you launch LabVIEW, the Getting Started window appears:

The LabVIEW Getting Started window appears each time you launch LabVIEW to assist you in creating new applications or opening existing applications. Additionally you can use links on the Getting Started window to find local and online help resources or open example programs to aid in application design.

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2. Open the Intro to LabVIEW-DAQ Hands-on.lvproj Project in the Open section of the Getting Started window or navigate to it by pressing Browse link and going to the LabVIEW Handson folder on the desktop. Once opened, the Intro to LabVIEW-DAQ Hands-on Project Explorer looks like this:

The Project Explorer provides a central location for you to include the different elements of an application including LabVIEW code and other files like Microsoft Word and Excel documents. You can include any file in a LabVIEW application. You can create folders and sub-folders to organize the files in an application. Here, a few folders have been created as part of the example. 3. Expand the Solutions folder in the Project Explorer and open the 5-Write to File (Solution).vi by double-clicking on it or right-clicking and selecting Open.. Every LabVIEW application is made of a front panel and a block diagram. The front panel is the user interface, whereas the block diagram contains the code that controls the functionality of your application. You can toggle between the two windows by selecting Window Show Block Diagram or Window Show Front Panel to see the other window. You can also switch between the windows by pressing <Ctrl-E> on the keyboard or clicking either window if both are present on your monitor.

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Hover the cursor over the different objects on the front panel. Notice that your cursor turns to a pointer finger when above the Stop button, and turns into a text editor when above a text field. By default, LabVIEWs Automatic Tool Selection will change the cursor depending on what operations are possible. Also notice that as you move over any object, resizing boxes appear on its edges. Try resizing a few objects sizes.

4. Notice the menu bar at the top of the window. We will discuss many of its basic items in future pages and exercises. For now, the most important button to review is the Run button, found on the left edge of the menu bar.

You must press the Run button to begin any LabVIEW application, and a broken run arrow tells you that there are some unresolved errors in the code. Since LabVIEW is continually compiling code throughout development, you can press the broken Run button at any time and a list of current errors will appear. 5. Make sure that your CompactDAQ chassis is powered on, that its connected to your PC with a USB cable and that the I/O modules are plugged in firmly to the chassis. Now press the Run button in the LabVIEW application and watch as the application begins to record

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temperature data from the module plugged into the first slot of the CompactDAQ chassis. Contact the instructor if your application isnt running as described. Hold the end of the thermocouple and watch the values on the graph rise and fall accordingly. Change the Alarm Level control to different values and hold the thermocouple so that it rises above and below the value youve entered on the front panel. As temperature rises and falls around the Alarm Level, look at the NI 9472 module in the CompactDAQ chassis. One digital output line on this module has been programmed to drive a 5V signal whenever temperature is greater than the value of Alarm Level. The modules LEDs indicate the status of each digital line. These lines could be connected to other hardware, like a light or buzzer, or other 5V devices. 6. Press the Stop button on the front panel once you are ready to move on. Navigate to the block diagram.

LabVIEWs graphical programming makes application execution intuitive. In this case our application does the following: 1. Acquires temperature data with the DAQ Assistant and displays it on a chart 2. Compares acquired data with Alarm Level 3. Outputs 0V or 5V to the digital output module based on the comparison in #2 4. Writes acquired data to file. 7. Distribute the front panel and block diagram windows so that both are visible in your monitor. Once created, navigate to Window Tile Left and Right to tile the front panel and block diagram on your monitor, or press <Ctrl + T>.

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Notice that for every object on the front panel, there is a terminal with the same name on the block diagram. The functions and wires on the block diagram connect the inputs (controls) and outputs (indicators) on the front panel. As you add objects to the front panel in future exercises youll see that terminals are automatically created on the block diagram. Additional Steps 8. The LabVIEW help system is a great way to learn about LabVIEW and answer your programming questions. Press <F1> on the keyboard to start the help system. More assistance can be found from the LabVIEW Help menu. 9. Expand Fundamentals LabVIEW Environment and explore the information available here, click around and get a feel for how it is organized.

10. Take a few minutes to explore other topics in the help system. 11. Click on the Search tab and try searching on analysis functions for features you might need in your applications. End of Exercise 1

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Controls & Indicators


Knobs/Dials Graphs/Charts Buttons Digital Displays Sliders Thermometers Customize and create your own

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The LabVIEW front panel includes over 300 controls and indicators designed specifically for measurement applications. Each object is configurable, enabling you to create professional graphical interfaces. A control is a front panel object for user input. Simple examples of controls include buttons, slides, dials, and text boxes. An indicator is a front panel object that displays data to the user. Examples of indicators are graphs, thermometers, and gauges. When you place a control or indicator on the front panel, a corresponding terminal is placed on the block diagram.

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Finding Front Panel Objects


Controls Palette
Controls Quick Drop

or

Right-click on Front Panel Browse by object hierarchy

Press <ctrl + space> to bring up Search by object name

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Build a front panel by dragging and dropping controls and indicators from the Controls palette. Similar objects are divided into subpalettes for easier navigation. Right click on any open space on the front panel to bring up the Controls palette, and navigate through the palettes by hovering over the category icon of object you want to add. Left-click on an object in the palette and it will be placed on your cursor. Move the object to the desired location and left-click to drop it onto the front panel. Once placed you can move or resize the object, or right-click on the object to adjust other properties. To access front panel objects by name, press <ctrl + Space> while the front panel is active and the Quick Drop dialog will appear. Search for objects using any part of its name and a list of possible choices will appear below. Double click on the name of the object you want it will be placed on your cursor for use on your front panel.

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Functions and Express VIs

Configuration Based Express VI

Standard VIs

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We will now move to the block diagram window, where you will create the VIs functionality. Individual functions, or subVIs, are wired together to create your application logic. Functions can be broken into two types: standard VIs and Express VIs. Both types of VIs can work together in an application and both serve unique use cases. Standard VIs are low level building blocks for an application. Each VI performs a particular function and will output based on the inputs provided. We will discuss how subVIs communicate on the following page. Standard VIs provide a way to create customized functionality and execution control. For todays exercises well use Express VIs, which are a great way to learn LabVIEW, as well as make basic applications. As your applications get more complex you will begin to use the standard VIs more and more. Express VIs are designed to streamline your application development. There are over 40 Express VIs included in LabVIEW that enable you to create complete measurement programs in seconds. These VIs were created for the most frequently built applications with your productivity and efficiency needs in mind. The power you have with Express VIs is found in the configuration pages for each that you can individually customize simply by double-clicking them. This will significantly reduce the number of objects on your block diagram and the time needed to add additional functionality.

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Dataflow Programming

1 Both Simulate Signal Express VIs execute simultaneously 2 Comparison waits until all inputs are present, then executes 3 Once executed, output from comparison continues through code
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LabVIEW is a dataflow programming language. This means that data flows from one function to one or more other functions and propagates through the application. Unlike text-based development software, LabVIEW, because of its dataflow capability, is not sequential and can execute multiple operations in parallel using its intuitive diagram representation. For example, as you can see in this slide, the two Simulate Signal Express VIs execute in parallel. LabVIEW is a multithreaded programming environment, meaning that multiple operations can occur simultaneously without interfering with each other. Additionally, our redesigned NI-DAQmx data acquisition driver software also allows you to perform multithreaded measurements. LabVIEW is a compiled graphical dataflow programming that maps functional blocks to concepts. At the core of the LabVIEW platform is a graphical programming language called G. Compiled for comparable execution to C, LabVIEW G is based on dataflow technology, particularly suited to rapidly designing systems with parallel execution of tasks. The graphical nature of the language is typically a much more intuitive development paradigm for engineers and scientists than a text-based solution it mimics the flowcharts with which these users are very familiar. The LabVIEW language abstracts a great deal of artificial complexity created by other programming tools, enabling higher productivity and faster development for test, measurement, and control applications.

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Automatic Multithreading in LabVIEW


LabVIEW automatically divides each application into multiple execution threads (introduced in 1998 with LabVIEW 5.0) Parallel code paths will execute in unique threads thread thread thread

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For 20 years, weve been working on LabVIEW graphical programming and dataflow, which are inherently parallel Weve been working on multithreading in LabVIEW for 10 years and have significant investment in this area. Lets first review what the LV compiler does for you behind the scenes. LV automatically divides your program into two threads a user interface thread and an execution thread to separate the two fundamental parts of a program that can bog down your application. Because updating the UI can be time-consuming, or because the UI could become sluggish or non-responsive when it is bogged down by procesor-intensive processing LV Vis are automatically divided into these two threads so the OS can manage your app better. The user doesnt have to know anything about threads to take advantage of multicore processing and get better performance.

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Wires and Data Types


Transfer data between block diagram objects through wires Wires are different colors, styles, and thicknesses, depending on their data types A broken wire appears as a dashed black line with a red X in the middle
DBL Numeric
Scalar 1D Array 2D Array

Integer Numeric

String

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Data is passed between functions on the Block Diagram by wires. Wires represent different data types, and both color and wire thickness are used to help differentiate the type of data a wire carries. A single wire can serve as an input for multiple functions across and application. Wires will appear broken if you connect a wire of one type to a function input of another type. The LabVIEW compiler processes each action you take while you code and alerts you of any errors with a broken run arrow. You can press the broken run arrow at any time to display a list of errors. Double click on any error and its location in your application will be highlighted.

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Execution Control Structures


While Loop Run until stop condition met For Loop

Run N times

Allow same piece of code to run multiple times Exit conditions different for each

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Use While or For loops to enable sections of your LabVIEW code to run repeatedly. A While loop will continue to execute until a stop condition is specified. The stop condition can be a simple button press, or a series of specific logical conditions. The For loop will execute a predetermined number of times as specified by the number of iterations you wire to the N input. You may also connect an array wire to the edge of a for loop and leave the N input unwired. The For loops number of iterations will be determined by the array size that is wired at its edge. This is called Auto indexing. To find the While and For loops, as well as other control structures, leftclick on any empty space on the block diagram and navigate to Programming>>Structures.

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Exercise 2: Simulate Signal to Graph

Simulate various signals Write to Graph


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Exercise 2: Simulate a Signal and Output to a Chart


This exercise will review the LabVIEW environment basics you have learned so far. You will create an application that simulates a signal inside of LabVIEW and display that signal to a chart. 1. Open a blank VI from the Intro to LabVIEW-DAQ Hands-on Project Explorer by right-clicking the Exercises folder and selecting New VI.

2. Save this VI by selecting File>>Save and name it 2-Simulate Signal to Graph.vi 3. Add a While Loop to the block diagram. Right-click on any empty space on the block diagram to bring up the Functions palette, and then navigate to Programming Structures While Loop. Left-click the While loop and it will be automatically placed on your cursor.

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Click and then drag diagonally to form the While loop to the area you desire. You can resize the While loop by dragging any of the resizing boxes that appear when your cursor hovers above the loops edges. 4. You can also create a While loop by pressing <Ctrl + Space Bar> to bring up the Quick Drop dialog. Begin typing While Loop and it will appear in the list of possible objects. Doubleclick its name and it will appear on your cursor for use on the block diagram. Since youve already placed the while loop, release the while loop you found using Quick Drop by rightclicking.

5. While loops have two terminals in their bottom left and right corners.

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The most important of the two is the loop condition . The conditional terminal is on the lower right side. Since while loops run until told to stop, we must provide some kind of stop command so that the loop wont run indefinitely. Notice the broken run arrow in the upper left of the screen. LabVIEW cannot execute an application that contains a while loop with an un-wired conditional terminal. For our application, we need to create a stop button that the user will press to halt the while loop and exit the program. 6. On the front panel, right click on any empty space to bring up the Controls palette and navigate to Modern Boolean Stop Button. Left click on the stop button and it will be automatically placed on your cursor.

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Left-click where you would like to place it on the front panel. Enlarge the Stop button by moving your cursor to one of the buttons edges and dragging the resizing boxes. 7. Look again at the block diagram. Notice that a terminal for the stop button has appeared. This terminal acts as the connector from the front panel to the functionality of the block diagram. Click the stop terminal and drag it next to the loop condition terminal in the While loop. 8. Move your cursor to the right edge of the stop terminal and notice that the edge of the terminal is blinking and the cursor now looks like a spool. This is the wiring tool that lets you draw wires between different objects on the block diagram. Left-click the edge of the stop terminal and drag the cursor until you are hovering over the left edge of the While loops condition terminal, and then release. The wire is now connected between the stop terminal and the conditional terminal.

or

(both diagrams indicate the same)

With the While loop now having a way to exit, the broken Run arrow is replaced with a Run arrow and your application is ready to run, but youll need to add more code to accomplish the tasks of this exercise. 9. The other terminal in the while loop, the loop iteration counter , outputs the number of times the While loop has iterated. That information may be useful depending on your application, but we will not be using it today, it is not required that we do anything with it in order to run our program. 10. Create a simulated signal. Press <Ctrl + Space Bar> to bring up the Quick Drop dialog and begin to type Simulate Signal. Double-Click Simulate Signal once you see it in the box below where you are typing and the Simulate Signal Express VI will automatically appear on your cursor.

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11. Double-click to place the Simulate Signal Express VI inside the While loop and its configuration dialog will appear.

12. Change the Signal Type, Amplitude, Frequency, Offset and Phase values in the Signal portion of the dialog and see the changes in the Results Preview portion. Deselect the Use signal type name box in the Signal Name section and enter Simulated Signal as the name. Once you have chosen the signal you want to display, press OK. The Simulate Signal Express VI has now been customized based on the settings you provided. 13. Connect the simulated signal to a chart by moving to the front panel and bring up the Quick Drop dialog and type the word chart. Place the Waveform Chart on the front panel at the location you prefer. 14. Return to the block diagram and move the charts icon into the While loop, to the right of the Simulate Signal Express VI. Connect the output of the Simulate Signal Express VI (Simulated Signal) to the chart terminal. Notice that the chart terminal changed colors to reflect the data type it received.

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15. Return to the front panel and Run the VI. The simulated signal you created in the Express VI is now displayed on the chart. Press the Stop button when you are ready to move on. 16. Add controls to adjust signal frequency and amplitude while the program is running. Rightclick on an empty space on the front panel to bring up the Controls palette, find the knob control (Modern Numeric Knob) and place it on the front panel. Double-click on the knobs label and change it to Amplitude. 17. Repeat step #13 to make another knob for frequency. Change its label to Frequency. Doubleclick the maximum value on Frequencys scale and change it to 50.

Front Panel

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Block Diagram 18. On the block diagram, move the Amplitude and Frequency controls inside of the while loop and connect them to the associated inputs of the Simulate Signal Express VI. Once both terminals are inside the while loop, on the left side of the Simulate Signal Express VI, hover your cursor over the right side of each terminal until the wiring tool appears on the cursor. Left-click and drag the connection to the identically named input on the Express VI. Your block diagram should look like the image above. 19. Run the VI. Press the Run arrow, manipulate Amplitude and Frequency and notice the chart display changes accordingly. The Charts y-axis auto-scales to maximize the signals size on the display. To disable that feature, right click the chart and deselect AutoScale Y.

You can now change the upper and lower ranges of the Y-axis by clicking on the numbers along the axis and typing in new values. 20. Stop the VI by pressing the stop button.

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Helpful tips LabVIEW provides several tools that can help you develop your applications. The next few steps will show how to use some of the most important programming assistance tools. Block Diagram Cleanup 21. Use Block Diagram Cleanup to organize your block diagram. As you program, and especially as you learn how to program in LabVIEW, you are not always thinking about layout and readability. This can result in a poorly organized block diagram. LabVIEW Block Diagram Cleanup is a built-in tool that organizes your code, making it easier for you and others to understand how your program functions. Press the Block Diagram Cleanup icon found on the menu bar.

Your block diagram should now be organized, with cleaner wires and an even distribution of code elements. To customize how the Block Diagram Cleanup tool organizes your code, navigate to the Options menu at Tools Options and scroll to the Block Diagram Cleanup section.

This menu lets you customize how far wires, structures, functions and terminals will be spaced from each other and from the edges of your block diagram. Click OK when you are ready to move on.

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Highlight Execution 22. Use Highlight Execution to observe how your application runs. Press the Highlight Execution button on the menu bar. Notice that the light bulb icon now appears to be on.

23. Run your application with Highlight Execution turned on. Press the Run arrow and watch as your code executes step-by-step. While not always necessary for simple applications, the Highlight Execution tool is a powerful resource for trouble shooting complex programs and determining if your code performs as expected. Context Help 24. Use Context Help to identify object details while programming. Press the Context Help button in the upper right portion of the block diagram.

25. With the Context Help active, hover your cursor over different objects on the block diagram and front panel of Simulate Signal to Graph.vi. As you do so, the Context Help Window provides details including descriptions and wiring diagrams.

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26. Right-click on the block diagram and navigate around the palettes. Notice that the Context Help window provides details on the objects while they are in the palettes. Also notice that for some objects, the Context Help window provides a link for Detailed Help This link will open the LV Help and give you more information. 27. Save 2-Simulate Signal to Graph.vi and close. End of Exercise #2

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Built-in Programming Assistance

Highlight Execution

Block Diagram Cleanup


Context Help
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Highlight Execution Use the Highlight Execution tool to see how your code executes. This tool will slow down execution speed and allow you to see the input and output values of the different VIs in your application and compare them to what you expect. This feature can be turned on or off while an application runs. You can also place break points in your code so that it begins step by step processing at certain points of interest. Block Diagram Cleanup The Block Diagram Cleanup tool organizes terminals and functions in an orderly way that you can customize, allowing you to spend more time on improving your application and less time worrying about arranging objects in an orderly way. To customize the Cleanup tools algorithm go to the Block Diagram: Cleanup sections in the Options Menu found at Tools>>Options. Context Help The Context Help window provides information on any front panel and block diagram object. Hover over any object and a brief description will appear. If available, the window will also provide a link to more information in the LabVIEW Help (Help>>Search the LabVIEW Help).

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Data Acquisition with LabVIEW

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NI DAQ Platforms
One application, multiple targets

Wireless / Ethernet

USB

PCI / PCIe

CompactDAQ Modular USB


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PXI / PXIe

LabVIEW uses a single driver, NI DAQmx, to integrate with all NI DAQ platforms. Your code will execute the same on different DAQ systems, leaving channel selection and hardware bandwidth as the only variables. This means that you can distribute the same application you developed on your desktop to various other form-factors and buses depending on your application requirements. Note: you may want to reference the WSN modules too, although this uses a slighlty different api.

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Todays DAQ System


Hi-Speed USB 2.0

Mix and Match over 50 modules Built-in Signal Conditioning

Hot-swappable modules

Direct sensor connectivity

NI CompactDAQ
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NI CompactDAQ is a new data acquisition system that leverages USB 2.0, new semiconductor technologies, is a scalable, modular platform, and best of all it uses the same industry standard software, NI LabVIEW and NIDAQmx. The convenience of USB has driven its widespread adoption. The technology advances in USB 2.0 have introduced the performance needed for modern DAQ systems. The current specification for USB 2.0 delivers 40X the data transfer rates of its predecessor. A modular architecture is important for a data acquisition system, because application requirements may change over time and the same system can be used in multiple applications. NI CompactDAQ offers many different modules and connectivity options. Every module has integrated signal connectivity and allows you to connect your sensors directly to the module. Additionally, these modules are hotswappable, allowing you to plug or unplug the modules while the system is powered-on, allowing changes to the system during testing.

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Exercise 3: Taking a Basic Measurement

Acquire temperature signal Write to graph


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Exercise 3: Take a Basic Measurement with CompactDAQ


The purpose of this exercise is to use LabVIEW and NI CompactDAQ to quickly set up a program to acquire temperature data. Set up the Hardware 1. Make sure that the NI CompactDAQ chassis (cDAQ-9172 or cDAQ-9178) is powered on.

(note: actual acquisition modules used may differ slightly)

2. Connect the chassis to the PC using the USB cable. 3. The NI-DAQmx driver installed on the PC automatically detects the chassis and brings up the following window.

4. Click Configure and Test This Device Using NI Measurement & Automation Explorer. Note: NI Measurement & Automation Explorer is a configuration utility for all National Instruments hardware. 5. The Devices and Interfaces section under My System shows all the National Instruments devices installed and configured on your PC. The NI-DAQmx Devices folder shows all the NI-

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DAQmx compatible devices. By default, the NI CompactDAQ chassis NI cDAQ-9172/9178 shows up with the name cDAQ1. 6. This section of MAX also shows the installed modules as well as empty slots in the CompactDAQ chassis. 7. Right-click on NI cDAQ-9172/9178 and click on Self-Test.

8. The device passes the self test, which means it has initialized properly and is ready to be used in your LabVIEW application. Program LabVIEW Application 9. Create a new VI from the Project Explorer. Right click the Exercises folder and select New VI. Once opened, Save the VI in the Exercise folder under the name 3-Basic Measurement.vi. 10. Press <Ctrl +T> to tile front panel and block diagram windows. 11. Pull up the Functions Palette by right-clicking the white space on the LabVIEW block diagram window. 12. Move your mouse over the Express Input palette, and click the DAQ Assistant Express VI. Left-click the empty space to place it on the block diagram.

13. The Create New Express Task window then appears:

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14. To configure a temperature measurement application with a thermocouple, click Acquire Signals DAQmx Acquire Analog Input Temperature Thermocouple. Click the + sign next to the cDAQ1Mod1 (NI 9211 or NI 9219), highlight channel ai0, and click Finish. This adds a physical channel to your measurement task.

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15. Change the CJC Source to Built In and Acquisition Mode to Continuous Samples. Select the correct thermocouple type (J or K) Click the Run button. You will see the temperature readings from the thermocouple in test panel window.

Note: Thermocouple types can often be identified by their lead wire colors: Type + J White Black K White Green

16. Click Stop and then click OK to close the Express block configuration window to return to the LabVIEW block diagram. 17. LabVIEW automatically creates the code for this measurement task. Click Yes to automatically create a While Loop.

18. On the front panel, right-click to bring up the controls palette and add a waveform chart indicator (Express>>Graph Indicators>>Chart). Rename Waveform Chart to Temperature

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19. Notice that a connection is made to the block diagram. Move the Temperature icon inside the while loop. Wire the DAQ Assistant with the Temperature Chart. 20. Your block diagram should now look like the figure below. The while loop automatically adds a stop button to your front panel that allows you to stop the execution of the loop.

21. Save your VI, as Exercise 3.vi. You will re-use this in exercise 4. 22. Run the VI Additional Steps Express VIs make creating basic applications very easy. Their configuration dialogs allow you to set parameter and customize inputs and outputs based on your application requirements. However, to optimize your DAQ applications performance and allow for greater control you should use standard DAQmx driver VIs. Right Click the block diagram and select Functions Measurement I/O Palette NI-DAQmx. 23. Before you generate DAQmx code you need to remove all the code that was automatically created by the Express VI. Right click on the while loop and select Remove While Loop. Then click the Stop button control, and press the <Delete> key to remove the Stop button. Repeat actions for any unconnected wires that may remain. You can press <Ctrl + B> to remove all unconnected wires from a block diagram. You can leave the Temperature Chart on the diagram.

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24. Convert Express VI code to standard VIs. While not all Express VIs can be automatically converted to standard VIs, the DAQ Assistant can. This will allow for greater application control and customization. Right-click on the DAQ Assistant Express VI you created in this exercise and select Generate NI-DAQmx Code.

Your block diagram should now appear something like this:

25. Move the Temperature indicator inside the while loop and connect it to the same wire the data indicator is at. Then delete the data indicator. As you noticed the Express VI has been replaced by four VIs. Well examine their functionality in the following steps. 26. Open Context Help by clicking the Context Help icon on the upper right corner of the block diagram. Hover your cursor over each VI and examine their descriptions and wiring diagram. 27. DAQmx Start Task.vi starts the acquisition based on the parameters it receives from the currently untitled VI on the far left. 28. DAQmx Read.vi reads data from preconfigured FIFO memory location. 29. DAQmx Clear Task.vi stops the current acquisition and releases the resources (memory, configured hardware clocks, etc.). 30. Double-click the untitled VI and open that VIs block diagram (code shown below).

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All the parameters that are wired as inputs to the different DAQmx setup VIs reflect the settings you originally configured in the DAQ Assistant Express VI. Note: By moving these parameter and setup VIs onto the block diagram, you can now programmatically change their values without having to stop your application and open the Express VI configuration dialog. This can save development time and possibly optimizing performance by eliminating unnecessary settings depending on your application. 31. Return to the main VI and run it. 32. Close the VI, do not save any changes. Using the LabVIEW Example Finder The LabVIEW Example Finder provides hundreds of example application to use as reference or as the starting point for your application. 33. Open the LabVIEW Example Finder to find DAQ examples that use DAQmx standard VIs. Go to Help Find Examples to launch the LabVIEW Example Finder. 34. Browse to the DAQmx Analog Measurements folder from the Browse tab at Hardware Input and Output DAQmx Analog Measurements>>Temperature and open Acq Thermocouple Sample.vi..

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35. The following VI will then appear:

36. Set the Thermocouple type and the Physical Channel to match the CompactDAQ chassis channel (cDAQ1Mod1/ai0) and run the application.

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Press the Run button several times while holding and releasing the thermocouple on the CompactDAQ chassis and observe the value change on the front panel. 37. Open the block diagram and examine the code. This VI only uses standard VIs instead of Express VIs, which allows much more customization of inputs and run-time configuration. Acq Thermocouple Sample.vi has no while loop to allow for continuous execution, and the remaining steps of this exercise will focus on adding that functionality. 38. Add a While loop and Stop button to Acq Thermocouple Sample.vi. Right-click the block diagram to bring up the Functions palette. Find the While Loop on the Programming Structures palette and drag a while loop over the DAQmx Read.vi. You may need to spread the VIs across the block diagram so that there is room. You can create additional space by holding the <Ctrl> key and dragging a box on the block diagram or front panel.

39. Right click the While Loops Conditional terminal and select Create Control. This automatically wires a Stop button to the terminal.

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Notice that the Stop button has appeared on the front panel. 40. Run the VI. Acq Thermocouple Sample.vi now runs continuously. 41. Stop the VI. 42. Save the customized example VI to the Project. Go to File Save As, select Copy Substitute Copy for Original and name the VI Thermocouple Customized Example.vi. Save this VI in the same folder as the rest of your project files. This allows for further development without overwriting the original LabVIEW example. Note: Compare the modified example to the VI you build earlier in this exercise. What are the differences? Discuss the difference with the other attendees and the instructor. What are the benefits of the each method? End of Exercise 3

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Analysis and Signal Processing

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LabVIEW Signal Processing, Analysis and Math


Signal Processing & Analysis
Waveform Generation Waveform Conditioning Waveform Monitoring Waveform Measurements Signal Generation Signal Operations Windows Digital Filters Spectral Analysis Transforms Point-by-Point

Mathematics
Numeric Elementary and Special Functions BLAS/LAPAC-based Linear Algebra Curve Fitting Interpolation / Extrapolation Probability and Statistics Optimization Ordinary Differential Equations Geometry Polynomial Formula Parsing 1D & 2D Evaluation Calculus

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Often, raw data is not the only information sought after in a measurement application. LabVIEW provides more than 450 built-in comprehensive tools designed specifically for analyzing measurements and processing signals. Incorporate LabVIEW functions into your applications in order to perform in-line analysis and to add decision-making capabilities to your applications. Available functions include mathematics libraries, with linear algebra functions based on the industry-standard LAPACK/BLAS algorithms, advanced signal processing tools, and measurement analysis functions, such as FFT and power spectrum, signal generation, digital filters, and curve fitting. There are 12 Analysis Express VIs for even more ease of use in your analysis needs. In this seminar we will not cover these analysis functions in depth. For more information, visit ni.com/analysis. In addition, National Instruments offers a series of toolsets that extend the analysis capabilities of LabVIEW for more specialized applications, such as sound and vibration analysis, order analysis, and digital signal processing. By building analysis capabilities directly into your application, you eliminate the need for performing post-acquisition analysis and obtain results quickly. LabVIEW Full / Pro offers general-purpose signal processing, analysis, and math tools to simplify development for a broad variety of applications.

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Using Analysis Functions


Programmatic, Low-Level VIs Configuration Based Express VIs

Text-based MathScript Node

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Like other functions in the block diagram, analysis functions are available in standard VIs and Express VIs. Standard VIs will give you greater control over the order, inputs and execution of your applications analysis. Express VIs make adding analysis functionality quick and easy at the expense of some control in your applications execution. In addition to the over 600 analysis VIs in LabVIEW, there is LabVIEW MathScript, which enables you to implement your algorithms textually and incorporate your .m files into your application. This seminar does not include further detail concerning LabVIEW MathScript. For more information visit ni.com/mathscript.

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Exercise 4: Add Analysis and Output

Acquire temperature signal Average and monitor Output based on alarm value
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Exercise 4: Add Analysis and Digital Output to the DAQ Application


Set up Hardware 1. Confirm that the CompactDAQ chassis is powered on and connected to the PC via the USB cable. If not, or if it is not behaving as expected, repeat steps #1-8 from Exercise #3 LabVIEW Application Compare signal to user-defined alarm 2. Exercise 4 is functionally the same as the end result of Exercise 3. You can open Exercise 3 or Exercise 4 to match with the illustrations in this section. Open 4-Analysis and Output.vi from the Exercises folder in the Project explorer. The VI will appear like the image below, with additional space on the block diagram to add functionality:

3. Create an alarm that signals if acquired temperature goes above a user-defined level. Rightclick the front panel to open the Controls palette (Modern Numeric) and place a numeric control on the front panel.

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4. Change the numeric control's name to "Alarm Level." Double-click the control's label and replace the generic text with "Alarm Level" 5. Use the Comparison Express VI to compare the acquired temperature signal with the Alarm Level control. Switch to the block diagram, right-click on an empty space and open the Functions palette. Place the Comparison Express VI (Functions>>Express>>Arithmetic & Comparison>>Comparison) on the block diagram, inside the while loop.

6. Once placed on the block diagram, the Comparison Express VI's configuration dialog will appear.

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Select "> Greater" in the Compare Condition section and "Second signal input" from the Comparison Inputs section then click OK. 7. Connect the acquired temperature data and Alarm Level inputs to the Comparison Express VI. Hover over the output of the DAQ Assistant until the spool icon appears on your cursor, then left-click and drag you mouse to the Operand 1 input on the Comparison Express VI. Perform the same hover, drag and connect to wire the Alarm Level control and the Operand 2 input on the Comparison Express VI. Your block diagram should now look like this:

8. Display the result of the Comparison Express VI on the front panel. On the front panel, right click, open the Controls palette and add a Square LED indicator. The square LED is found at Controls Modern Boolean. Resize the Square LED so that it is easier to see and rename it "Alarm." Your front panel should look like this:

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9. On the block diagram, wire the output of the Comparison Express VI to the input of the Alarm indicator's terminal.

10. Run the application. Press the Run button and then change the Alarm Level control to some level above the current acquired temperature signal. Hold the thermocouple until the temperature exceeds the Alarm Level value. The Alarm LED turns on when the acquired temperature signal goes above the level set on the front panel.

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Output Alarm to CompactDAQ Chassis 11. Use another DAQ Assistant Express VI to output Alarm's status to the CompactDAQ's 9472 module. Open the Functions palette on the block diagram and find the DAQ Assistant Express VI at Functions Express Output.

12. Select Generate Signals Digital Output Line Output from the Create New Express Task window.

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13. Select the physical channel you want to use as output. Expand the + sign next to cDAQ1Mod4 in the following window and select port0/line0, then click Finish.

14. Press OK in the DAQ Assistant window that appears, since all of its default settings are correct for the application. 15. Create an additional wire that connects the Comparison Express VIs Result output to the data input on the new DAQ Assistant Express VI. A Convert from Dynamic Data function appears automatically. LabVIEW will always try to coerce unlike data types when two nodes are wired together. In this case, the output of the Compare Express VI is a Dynamic Data type, and the input of the DAQ Assistant is Boolean. LabVIEW placed the Convert from Dynamic Data node in between the two nodes so they could be connected. You can doubleclick the Convert from Dynamic Data to view its configuration. Your block diagram should now look like this:

16. Run the VI. Press the Run button. Notice that the LED bank on the CompactDAQ 9472 module turns on and off to match Alarm's value on the front panel. 17. Save and close the VI. End of Exercise 4

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Reporting and Data Visualization

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Data Visualization and Communication


Visualization Reporting and Data Storage
Built-in user interface objects File I/O functionality Charting and graphing capabilities HTML reports for the Web Remote application control Microsoft Word and Excel reports

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A fundamental aspect of all programming languages is the ability to create well designed user interfaces to interact with you application. Effective visualization and presentation of results is essential for making decisions, monitoring processes, and sharing information. LabVIEW includes a wide array of visualization tools to display your data. Some of these tools include charting and graphing utilities, and built-in 2D and 3D visualization tools. Attributes of your presentation such as color, font size, and graph type can be reconfigured, and you can even rotate, zoom, and pan your graphs at run-time. LabVIEW also contains functions for storing your data in a variety of ways. You can write data to ASCII and binary files, publish it in standard formats such as HTML or XML, and programmatically create custom reports. LabVIEW offers several reporting options, including documentationgeneration tools, HTML reports, programmatic generation of Microsoft Word and Excel reports, and interactive report generation with NI DIAdem. Finally, we must consider data management and connectivity. NI DIAdem offers data management and offline analysis for large data sets, tools such as the Database Connectivity Toolkit allow you to connect to third-party databases, and standard File I/O to save data. LabVIEW also offers a full range of options for communications and data standards, such as TCP/IP, BlueTooth, OPC, SQL database connectivity, and XML data formats.

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LabVIEW Supported Storage Types


ASCII
Binary HTML XML LVM

TDM(S) *
Excel Word Datalog Databases

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A main part of your applications will include saving data to disk for later analysis and reporting. You have several choices in LabVIEW to save data in a variety of different formats. If you do not want to worry about the details of saving your data, LabVIEW has several options to save data in industry standard formats that are portable to applications such as Excel. If you do need to conform to a particular data format standard, LabVIEW offers all the low level file I/O functions you need to write data out exactly as you need it. File I/O can be a major pain point for companies, especially when multiple people need to share data. To help solve these challenges NI developed a file format called TDM. TDM is designed to help you make your data search ready. To see how you can benefit from TDM, see the additional information included in this manuals appendix.

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Exercise 5: Write to File

Acquire temperature signal Average and monitor Output based on alarm value Write to File
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Exercise 5: Writing Data to File with LabVIEW


1. In the Exercise folder in the Project Explorer, open 4-Analysis and Output.vi. We will use the final program from the last exercise as the beginning of this exercise. 2. Right-click the block diagram and select Functions Express Output Write to Measurement File and place it inside the While Loop on the block diagram.

3. A configuration window will appear. Configure the window as shown below, note the file location in the File Name window, and click OK.

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4. Wire the output of the DAQ Assistant Express VI to the input of the Write to Measurement File Express VI. 5. Your block diagram should now resemble the following figure.

6. Save the VI in the project folder by using the File Save As menu, select the Copy Open Additional Copy and name it 5-Write to File.vi. 7. Run the VI momentarily and press Stop to stop the VI. 8. Your file will be created in the folder specified.

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9. Open the file using Microsoft Office Excel or Notepad. Review the header and temperature data saved in the file. 10. Close the data file and the LabVIEW VI. End of Exercise

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Next Steps

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Worldwide LabVIEW User Community


Over 100,000 members on awardwinning NI Discussion Forums NI and LabVIEW user-contributed blogs More than 100 LabVIEW User Groups Third-party community web sites in over 15 languages Hundreds of third-party add-on tools on the LabVIEW Tools Network

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When you buy a copy of LabVIEW, youre also joining a worldwide community of users who work together every day to make one another more successful. The NI Discussion Forums currently have more than 50,000 members who are answering each others questions and sharing best practices. This is an invaluable resource when you are getting started with LabVIEW and also provides an excellent place to work with experts as you become more familiar with the LabVIEW environment. There are also more than 100 LabVIEW User Groups located around the world. These groups of LabVIEW users meet regularly to share their LabVIEW expertise and help their local community of users to improve their skills. This is a very active community who work together to share presentations and best practices for helping their User Groups succeed. To locate a User Group near you, visit LabVIEW Zone for a list of all LabVIEW User Groups. As mentioned earlier, many third-party organizations develop LabVIEW toolkits. Quite often, these toolkits are available from individuals who solved a particular application and want to share their expertise with the entire LabVIEW Community. For a complete listing of available LabVIEW add-ons, visit ni.com/labviewtools. Finally, there are literally thousands of example program, tutorials, and application notes available from LabVIEW Zone. LabVIEW Zone is your portal to the LabVIEW Community and gets you in touch with the worldwide community of users. If you are just starting to use LabVIEW, you will find very helpful tutorials and application notes to help you get started. As you continue to develop your skills, LabVIEW Zone can get you in touch with other users of your skill level.
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Learn More about NI LabVIEW and NI DAQ Systems


Check out additional LabVIEW exercises for Automated Test, Industrial Measurement and Control and Embedded: www.ni.com/labview/whatis View DAQ product specs and demos: www.ni.com/daq

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Software Maintenance and Support

Membership in a National Instruments software maintenance and support program allows you to: Receive software updates and maintenance releases automatically Enjoy direct access to technical support from NI applications engineers Access special online software training modules that highlight features, application uses, and development best practices

Visit ni.com/services to learn more

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Software Maintenance Services for Single-Seat Users Subscribe to a National Instruments software maintenance program and get the most out of your software investment. With a standard or premier membership, you can stay up to date on the latest technology improvements by automatically receiving software updates and maintenance releases. Additionally, you can reduce your application development time with direct access to technical support from NI applications engineers. You also have access to special online, on-demand software training modules and the opportunity to learn more about features, application uses, and development best practices. All customers automatically receive a one-year membership in the Standard Service Program (SSP) with the purchase of most software products and bundles including NI Developer Suite . Volume Licensing for Account Level Services Simplify your software license management while purchasing National Instruments software at a discounted rate with the NI Volume License Program (NI VLP). Benefits for end users include access to feature upgrades and maintenance releases, technical support from NI engineers, and on-demand training. Benefits for companies include flexible purchasing and licensing with a single PO, volume-based discounts, and simplified license management with NI Volume License Manager (VLM). The NI VLP is available to organizations with five or more licenses of the same software package.

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Training and Certification

Together, the National Instruments training and certification programs deliver the fastest, most certain route to increased proficiency and productivity using NI software and hardware. NI Training: Build Your Knowledge NI training helps you build the skills to more efficiently develop robust, maintainable applications. We provide several training options including classroom, self-paced, online, or on-site training at your facility. NI Certification: Validate Your Expertise NI certification confirms your technical growth and skill. This professional certification is ideal for differentiating yourself from the competition and making your own informed hiring and outsourcing decisions.

Visit ni.com/training to learn more

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Types of Training Classes Classroom Training in Your Area Classroom training is considered the most effective form of learning. Attending a class requires an investment of time and effort, but the rewards are significant. The classroom environment removes you from the distractions of everyday work so you can focus on improving your development skills. You have the opportunity to interact with an experienced certified instructor and discuss ideas and problems with your peers and colleagues. Online Courses via the Internet By combining interactive learning technology over the Internet with live instruction, NI online courses deliver many classroom course benefits. They also reduce your training and development costs by eliminating travel, teleconferencing, and time away from work. Simulated classroom environments with certified instructors, comprehensive hands-on training with interactive teaching tools, easy access to courses and recordings for review via the Internet, and customized training module availability offer you a variety of instructor-led training options at the lowest prices. On-Site Training at Your Facility If your organization has several employees who need to develop the skills to effectively use National Instruments products, on-site training is a costeffective solution. On-site courses bring the classroom learning experience to your company's facilities. They not only eliminate travel and hotel

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expenses but also give you the opportunity to modify the courses for your company's specific needs. Self-Paced Courses National Instruments understands that you may not have the time or the resources to participate in an instructor-led training program. To accommodate your unique needs, we offer a variety of instructional packages and tools designed to educate you on our products and technologies - on your own and at your own pace. Accreditation All NI courses are accredited by the National Society of Professional Engineers. You are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs) after satisfactorily completing any NI courses.

NI Certifications Align with Training


Developer Senior Developer Software Architect / Project Manager
Managing Software Engineering in LabVIEW Certified LabVIEW Architect Exam Advanced Architectures for LabVIEW

LabVIEW Core 1

LabVIEW Core 2

LabVIEW Core 3 Certified LabVIEW Developer Exam

Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer Exam

"Certification is an absolute must for anyone serious about calling himself a LabVIEW expert... At our organization, we require that every LabVIEW developer be on a professional path to become a Certified LabVIEW Architect." - President, JKI Software, Inc.
Visit ni.com/training to learn more

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There is a close link between training and certification. Certification is a quantifiable way of ensuring individuals have developed the skills need to create applications. NI also offers certifications for LabWindows/CVI and TestStand

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A Highly Productive Graphical Development Environment for Engineers and Scientists

Hardware APIs

Analysis Libraries

Custom User Interfaces

Deployment Targets

Technology Abstractions

Programming Approaches

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LabVIEW is a development environment that has been built specifically for engineers and scientists with the intent of making them more productive and ensuring that they have all the tools they need to prototype, design and build their applications. How can we claim that LabVIEW makes you more productive? LabVIEW makes users more productive because it provides all the tools engineers need in a single environment and ensures that they all work and can be used together. The key is guaranteed compatibility between engineering tools. Technology Abstractions? LabVIEWs compiler abstracts complex technological problems like multicore, virtualization, memory allocation and network communication. Hardware APIs? Over 8000 drivers for instruments and a wide-range of USB, PCI, and PXI instruments make it easy to real-world signals into software. G Programming Language G is a complete programming language, capable of solving the most complex and advanced problems today. There are a variety of other programming approaches in LabVIEW, but G is the language that ties them together

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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LabVIEW Modules and Toolkits

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LabVIEW Real-Time Module


Rapidly develop deterministic applications with graphical programming Easily architect distributed control and monitoring systems Eliminate time spent integrating diverse I/O

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LabVIEW Real-Time extends LabVIEW graphical programming to create applications with deterministic, real-time performance. You can develop and debug your application using familiar LabVIEW graphical programming on a Windows PC, and then download that time-critical code to run embedded on RT Series hardware. Through LabVIEW Real-Time, National Instruments is extending the simplicity of LabVIEW graphical programming for widespread development and deployment of real-time applications without requiring indepth knowledge of real-time techniques.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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LabVIEW FPGA Module


Define custom FPGA I/O without VHDL programming Achieve hardware deterministic response within 25ns Execute tasks with true parallelism

R Series Intelligent DAQ NI CompactRIO

The National Instruments LabVIEW FPGA Module extends LabVIEW graphical development to reconfigurable FPGAs on NI reconfigurable I/O (RIO) hardware. With the NI LabVIEW FPGA Module, you can create custom I/O measurement and control hardware without low-level hardware description languages or hardware board-level design. You can use this custom hardware for unique timing and triggering routines, ultrahigh-speed control, and interfacing to digital protocols.
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LabVIEW Embedded Module for ARM Microcontrollers


Over 260 supported processors Integrated drivers for analog, digital, and communications Desktop Simulation support for software development
The LabVIEW Embeddded Module allows developers to Target over 260 different ARM processors. LabVIEW provides integrated solutions for device drivers to access analog and digital hardware. Depending on the hardware target LabVIEW can provide for ethernet ,analog and digital I/O, Pulse Width Modulation, SPI/I2C, LCD, Power Management. Additionally, a interrupt manager allows LabVIEW code to handle hardware interrupts.
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LabVIEW also provides a cycle accurate ARM simulator for running ARM targeted application on a development system.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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LabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control Module


Graphical development for distributed monitoring and control systems Trend real-time and historical data Log data from any networked I/O to a historical database Monitor and log alarms and events Network LabVIEW Real-Time targets and OPC devices Add security to LabVIEW user interfaces

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The National Instruments LabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control (DSC) Module is the ideal LabVIEW add-on for developing your HMI/SCADA or high-channel-count datalogging applications. With the NI LabVIEW DSC Module, you can interactively develop a distributed monitoring and control system with tags ranging from a few dozen to tens of thousands. It includes tools for logging data to a networked historical database, real-time and historical trending, managing alarms and events, networking LabVIEW Real-Time targets and OPC devices into one complete system, and adding security to user interfaces.

NI Platform for Control


LabVIEW Development Environment

Control Design and Simulation Module


PID and Fuzzy Logic Toolkit

System ID Toolkit Simulation Interface Toolkit


LabVIEW FPGA Targets

StateChart Module

NI Motion Control

LabVIEW Real-Time

LV Microprocessor SDK

PXI

cRIO, cFP

RIO/DAQ Devices

32-Bit mp

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Before we dive into each area of the control design process, wanted to first introduce some of the main LabVIEW software and hardware tools for controls. Well be using several of these tools today to explain capabilities throughout the design process.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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LabVIEW Mobile Module


Wireless communication with shared

variable
Portable low-cost USB DAQ

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The National Instruments LabVIEW Mobile Module extends the LabVIEW graphical development environment to handheld devices, so you can easily create custom applications to run on Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC devices. The NI LabVIEW Mobile Module is compatible with several NI data acquisition devices, including the USB-6008, USB-6009, CF-6004, DAQCard-6062E, DAQCard-6024E, and the DAQCard-6036E. Using these hardware devices, you can build handheld measurement systems for applications ranging from automotive service to field diagnostics to physiological monitoring. In addition, the LabVIEW Mobile Module works with the NI PCMCIA-4050 digital multimeter (DMM), so you can build a customized DMM on your PDA. Using the LabVIEW Mobile Module and an NI PCMCIA-CAN card, you can construct portable Controller Area Network communication devices. With the LabVIEW Mobile Module you can: Create custom handheld applications for Windows Mobile, Pocket PC, and select Windows CE OS devices. Acquire data using NI CompactFlash DAQ and PCMCIA DAQCards, DMMs, and CAN devices. Communicate using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (802.11), SMS text messaging, e-mail, IrDA, and serial protocols. Target standard and industrial PDAs, PDAs with phone capabilities, and touch-panel displays.

LabVIEW Robotics 2009

Academic
Research Teaching

Unmanned Systems
Autonomous Ground Systems Mobile Robot research (medical) Underwater, Aerial, Surface Vehicles

Fixed-Base Industrial
NI Vision Denso Toolkit

Search algorithms Robotics visualization Obstacle avoidance Kinematics

Robotics Examples Sensor drivers Actuator drivers Driver project wizard

RIO hardware wizard Template architectures

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LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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LabVIEW MathScript RT Module


Deploy Your Custom .m Files to Embedded Hardware

Speed and Memory Performance Comparable to G In-Node Context Help for Functions Strict Data Type Propagation Data Type Script Highlighting

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LabVIEW MathScript adds math-oriented, textual programming to LabVIEW through a native compiler for .m files. With over 800 built-in functions for signal processing, analysis, math, and control, MathScript allows developers to reuse many of their existing .m files. MathScript provides two methodologies for using it, an interactive and a programmatic interface. This functionality originally included in LabVIEW Base and Professional Packages, has been reengineered for optimal performance in a Real-Time Operating System. Structural changes to the underlying MathScript engine were made to ensure the most optimized compiled code, resulting in the technology being packaged in the LabVIEW MathScript RT Module for LabVIEW

LabVIEW 2009 for WSN


Distributed Intelligence

Customize node behavior with LabVIEW LabVIEW Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Module
Onboard processing averaging/scaling Increase battery life Increase acquisition performance Interface with wide array of sensors

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LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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NI Vision Development Module


LabVIEW programming libraries for machine vision and image processing Includes Vision Assistant
Prototypes and benchmarks applications Generates complete code for LabVIEW, Visual Basic, and C

Hundreds of tools to:


Enhance images Check for presence Locate features Identify parts Measure objects

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The NI Vision Development Module is a suite of software tools that offers high-level interactive software as well as low-level image processing functions. The Module includes Vision Assistant, an interactive prototyping tool that accelerates your development, and the Vision libraries, a collection of over 200 image processing and analysis functions. These tools work together for fast application development for industrial and scientific imaging applications Vision Assistant is easy-to-use inspection software that does not require programming yet is scalable to programming environments such as LabVIEW, Visual Basic, C, and C++. Vision Assistant is ideal for applications where fast time to market and low cost of ownership is a must. With Vision Assistant software you can quickly setup and benchmark an imaging strategy using over hundreds of image processing and analysis functions. Enhance Images Filter noise, remove distortion, apply real world units. In the image, were measuring the wrench in mm, not pixels Check for Presence Simplest vision inspection. Is everything there? Results in a P/F result. Locate Features Usually with a pattern match. Often to find a fiducial in order to build a coordinate system. Results in a location and rotation angle Identify Parts Reading text, tracking bar codes, classifying objects for sorting. Usually returns text. Measure Objects Distance, radius, size, area. Usually returns a numerical value.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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NI SoftMotion for Distributed Control


CompactRIO

Stepper or Servo Drive Interface Module Deterministic Ethernet NI 9144 expansion chassis for CompactRIO

Deterministic Ethernet

Stepper or Servo Drive Interface Module

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In 2008 National Instruments introduced the Deterministic Ethernet Expansion Chassis. The NI 9144 is an 8-slot rugged chassis for NI C Series modules which you can use to add deterministic, distributed I/O to programmable automation controller (PAC) systems. With standard CAT 5 Ethernet cabling, it communicates deterministically with any NI CompactRIO or real-time PXI system that has two Ethernet ports. You can daisy chain multiple NI 9144 slave chassis from the controller to expand time-critical applications to high-channel counts while maintaining hard determinism with minimal processor resources. Because the new C Series Drive Interface Modules are supported within the 9144 Ethernet expansion chassis, you can create powerfull motion applications that allow you to distribute highly synchronized axis over large distances.

Motion Control with LabVIEW


NI Motion Assistant
Interactive environment with 3D visualization Ready-to-run LabVIEW or C code creation Easy trapezoidal or S-curve velocity profile implementation Teach pendant for easy prototyping

NI SoftMotion Controller for CANopen and IEEE 1394 NI SoftMotion Development Module
Develop custom motion controllers in LabVIEW Real-Time or LabVIEW FPGA

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Additionally, LabVIEW offers you the flexibility of incorporating motion control into your application. To facilitate this process, National Instruments offers a complete selection of motion control software, controllers, and power drives that quickly and seamlessly integrate into your automated test and machine control systems. The reduced development time, easy connectivity, and integrated solutions combine to make you even more successful. The NI Motion Assistant is a flexible and easy-to-use development tool for building and prototyping motion applications. Similar to the Vision Builder, the Motion Assistant can

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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also convert your motion prototype to LabVIEW code. The NI SoftMotion Controller for CANopen and IEEE 1394 enables you to program intelligent drives with LabVIEW for your distributed motion control applications. NI SoftMotion Development Module for LabVIEW is for machine builders and OEMs creating custom motion controllers for better machine performance and for researchers implementing advanced control design algorithms for motion control. The module includes functions for trajectory generation, spline interpolation, position and velocity PID control and encoder implementation. Using the NI SoftMotion development module you can create your custom motion controller in software.

LabVIEW Touch Panel Module


Create custom human-machine interface (HMI) applications for the NI TPC-2006 and other Windows CE devices
NI TPC-2006

Create custom human-machine interface (HMI) applications for the NI TPC-2006 and other Windows CE devices

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With the National Instruments LabVIEW Touch Panel Module, you can develop custom human-machine interface (HMI) monitoring and control applications for select Windows CE touch panel devices, such as the NI TPC-2006. These HMI touch panel applications are useful for communicating with and displaying information from headless devices such as the National Instruments Compact FieldPoint, CompactRIO, and Compact Vision System programmable automation controllers (PACs) or any other LabVIEW Real-Time target. The LabVIEW Touch Panel Module includes built-in features and tools for user interface development, data analysis, and communication.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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LabVIEW Statechart Module


Statecharts provide high-level abstraction for state based applications
Simple semantics represent complex systems Self-documenting design

Integrate statecharts into existing LabVIEW applications Generate code for desktop, Real-time, FPGA, and embedded targets

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Simplify complex state-based applications with the National Instruments LabVIEW Statechart Module. The NI LabVIEW Statechart Module provides a high level of abstraction for designing applications using states, transitions, and events. When combined with LabVIEW Embedded technology, engineers can deploy applications built with statecharts using the LabVIEW Real-Time, LabVIEW FPGA, LabVIEW Code Generation, LabVIEW PDA, and LabVIEW Touch Panel modules.

LabVIEW Sound and Vibration Toolkit


10 Express VIs Fractional Octave Analysis with Weighting Vibration Level with Single or Double Integration Sound Level with A-, B-, C-Weighting Power Spectrum Zoom Power Spectrum Frequency Response Peak Search Power in Band Limit Testing

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The Sound and Vibration Toolset extends the functionality of LabVIEW to handle system calibration, frequency analysis, transient analysis, sound level measurements, and fractional-octave analysis, providing you with a customizable software foundation for your sound and vibration applications. Sound and vibration analysis often begins with signal acquisition using microphones, accelerometers, displacement probes, or tachometers. Following the acquisition, you can associate the incoming signal with characteristics such as sensor sensitivity, an engineering unit, or a dB reference. The built-in fractionaloctave analysis and sound level measurement routines also feature averaging, allowing you to perform fractional-octave analysis with any number of bands at several different bandwidths. Octave and sound level measurement functions offer tools for linear averaging, exponential averaging, and peak hold. Exponential averaged measurements provide arbitrary, standard, slow, fast, and impulse time constants.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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LabVIEW Order Analysis Toolkit


Gabor order tracking algorithm analyzes signals from rotating machinery Resampling order analysis for online condition monitoring Flexible order energy selection in the joint time-frequency domain Plot order versus time or RPM Order extraction tools separate orderspecific signal components Digital and analog tachometer signal processing

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Order analysis is a tool for examining dynamic signals generated by mechanical systems that include rotating or reciprocating components. As with frequency-domain analysis, you can think of order analysis as a signal scalpel that can dissect sound, vibration, and other dynamic signals into components that relate to physical elements of mechanical systems. Unlike the power spectrum and other frequency-domain analysis standards, order analysis works even when the signal source undergoes rotational speed variations. The LabVIEW Order Analysis Toolset gives the power to create applications for order tracking, order extraction, and tachometer signal processing. The toolset employs Gabor Order Tracking, a patent-pending algorithm based on the ideas of Joint Time-Frequency Analysis (JTFA).

PID Control Toolkit


PID Control
Autotuning Gain scheduling

Fuzzy Logic
Control strategies Decision making

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To quickly develop automated control applications, the PID Control Toolset provides sophisticated control algorithms for PID and fuzzy logic control. The PID tools implement a wide range of PID algorithms and feature autotuning and gain scheduling to improve system performance. For nonlinear or highly complex systems, the fuzzy logic tools accelerate development by implementing control strategies through simple linguistic rules. You can also use the tools for decision making, such as pattern recognition or fault diagnosis.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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Report Generation Toolkit for MS Office


Programmatically create and edit reports in Microsoft Word and Excel Populate report templates Manage report layout, format, and appearance E-mail reports and run macros Express VI included

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The LabVIEW Report Generation Toolkit for Microsoft Office is a library of flexible, easyto-use VIs for programmatically creating and editing Microsoft Word and Excel reports from LabVIEW. The Toolkit supplies powerful functions to quickly create professional reports, giving you the flexibility you need to manage every facet of your presentation, from content to layout and appearance. With this toolkit, you can: Create and edit reports containing text, tables, graphs, and pictures Create reports from templates using Word bookmarks or Excel named ranges as placeholders Set report formatting (headers, footers, page numbers, fonts, borders, colors, text alignment, and so on) Sort data in Excel worksheets E-mail reports Run Visual Basic (VBA) macros in reports Create custom report generation functions

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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LabVIEW Advanced Signal Processing Toolkit


Time-Frequency Analysis Time-Series Analysis Wavelet and filter bank design Applications
Automotive Biomedical Seismology Radar/Sonar

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Now that we have seen the vast analysis capabilities built into LabVIEW, lets take a look at some of the specialized analysis you can perform with the LabVIEW Add-on Toolsets. The Signal Processing Toolset provides powerful tools for Joint Time-Frequency Analysis (JTFA), digital filter design, super-resolution spectral analysis, and wavelet/filter bank design. With the JTFA portion of the toolset you can simultaneously examine the time and frequency domain representations of a signal. Quickly design lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and bandstop FIR and IIR filters interactively and output filter coefficients for use in LabVIEW and other applications. Super-resolution spectral analysis provides a model-based alternative to the FFT and delivers estimates of amplitude, phase, damping factor, and frequency of the damped sinusoidal components of a signal. The wavelet and filter bank design component decompose a signal into multiple bands, representing the signal in terms of varying time and scales through a bank of filters. This decomposition facilitates extraction of signal features, noise reduction, and other operations.

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Database Connectivity Toolkit


Insert, select data from OLE DB, ODBC databases
Microsoft Access, SQL Server, Oracle, etc.

Create, drop tables Save records in XML format Execute SQL queries
Immediate, parameterized

Execute stored procedures Accept, reject multiple operations (transactions)

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The LabVIEW Database Connectivity Toolset is a set of high-level tools for accessing local and remote databases from LabVIEW. It incorporates the latest technologies, such as Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) to deliver high-speed performance with low memory overhead. With the Database Connectivity Toolset, you can: Insert and select data from databases Create and drop database tables List the tables and columns in a database Accept or reject multiple database operations (transactions) based on user-defined criteria Execute Structured Query Language (SQL) statements Execute stored procedures in a database Select information in a database and save it to a file in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format The Database Connectivity Toolset readily connects to popular databases such as Microsoft Access, SQL Server, and Oracle. It also can connect to other databases if you install the appropriate ADO-compliant OLE DB provider or ODBC driver from Microsoft or the database vendor. The Database Connectivity Toolset is part of the Enterprise Connectivity Toolset.

LabVIEW DataFinder Toolkit


Develop Custom Data Management Applications

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LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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NI Desktop Execution Trace Toolkit


Perform Dynamic Code Analysis

Profile LabVIEW applications at run time

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LabVIEW Unit Test Framework Toolkit


Automate Unit Testing and Regression Testing

Input Values

Output

VI Under Test

Unit Test Framework

Expected Output

Automated Report Generation

Test vector = Input value(s) + Expected output(s)

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The idea behind unit testing is elegant and simple, but can be expanded to enable sophisticated series of tests for code validation and regression testing. A unit test is strictly something that exercises or runs the code under test. Many developers manually perform unit testing on a regular basis in the course of working on a segment of code. In other words, it can be as simple as I know the code should perform this task when I supply this input; Ill try it and see what happens. If it doesnt behave as expected, the developer would likely modify the code and repeat this iterative process until it works. The problem with doing this manually is that it can easily overlook large ranges of values or different combinations of inputs and it offers no insight into how much of the code was actually executed during testing. Additionally, it does not help us with the important task of proving to someone else that it worked and that it worked correctly. The cost and time required is compounded by the reality that one round of testing is rarely enough; besides fixing bugs, any changes that are made to code later in the development process may require additional investment of time and resources to ensure its working properly. The ability to prove it works requires the creation of documentation or evidence that the software fulfills its intended purpose and meets all other criteria. The LabVIEW Unit Test Framework enables automated generation of documentation in XML (ATML), HTML or ASCII formats. Information included in this report can be configured, but typically includes the time of test, duration of each test, test vector inputs, the results, and aggregated code coverage metrics.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Hands-On Seminar

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