Lesson 9

Data Acquisition and Waveforms

TOPICS
Plug-in DAQ devices
Data Acquisition in LabVIEW
Analog Input
Data Logging
Analog Output
Counters
Digital I/O

Overview and Configuration

Fundamental task of a DAQ system is to
measure or generate real-world physical signals
DAQ system consists of:
Transducers
Signal Conditioning
Plug-in DAQ device
Driver
Software

Measurement
Software
Framework
NI-DAQ contains:
Traditional NI-DAQ
NI-DAQmx

DAQ Hardware Configuration

Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)

Channels and Tasks

Channel names
Signals

ai 0
ai 1
ai 2

Sine Wave 1
Sine Wave 2
Sine Wave 3

Tasks
Timing and Triggering

The DAQ Signal Accessory

NI-DAQmx versus Traditional NI-DAQ

Feature

Productivity
Performance
Accuracy
Quality
Compatibility

NI-DAQmx

Traditional NI-DAQ

Test Panels

DAQ Assistant with code generation

no

On-line diagnostics

Scaling to voltage and physical units

50 kS/s with single point I/O

Measurement multithreading

Instant calibration

Automatic selection of optimal gains

Guaranteed lossless data

650 Alliance members

Integration with LabVIEW

Developer Exchange discussion forum

Compatible with Legacy ISA Boards

no

Best
Good
Fair

Data Acquisition in LabVIEW

Traditional NI-DAQ
Specific VIs for
performing:
Analog Input
Analog Output
Digital I/O
Counter operations

NI-DAQmx
Next generation driver:
VIs for performing a
task
One set of VIs for all
measurement types

NI-DAQmx Data Acquisition

Single set of VIs used to perform analog
I/O, digital I/O, and counter operations
DAQ Assistant Express VI
Quickly and easily program the DAQ device
Creates a local task
Most applications can use the DAQ
Assistant Express VI

NI-DAQmx Data Acquisition Task Types

Measurement type
can be:
Analog Input
Analog Output
Counter Input
Counter Output
Digital I/O

Analog Input

Analog Input task

is specific to the
measurement

Analog Input Task Timing and Triggering

Configures the number of
samples and sample rate for
the task

Configures the start and

reference triggers for the task

Data Logging
It is often necessary to permanently store data that is acquired
from the DAQ device
LabVIEW includes the ability to read and write a LabVIEW
Measurement File
LabVIEW Measurement File is an ASCII text file

Analog Output

Analog Output task

is specific to the
generation type

Analog Output Task Timing and Triggering

Configures the number of
samples and sample rate for
the task

Configures the start and

reference triggers for the task

Counters
A counter is a digital timing device
Typical uses of a counter:
Gate
Output
Event counting
Frequency measurement
Count Register
Period measurement
Source
Position measurement
Pulse generation
Count register Stores the current count of the counter
Source Input that causes the counter to increment each time it toggles
Gate Input that is used to enable or disable the function of the counter
Output Signal that generates pulses or a series of pulses

Digital Input and Output

Digital I/O can
read from or write
to a line or an
entire digital port
A digital port is a
collection of digital
lines

Summary
MAX is the primary configuration and testing utility that is
available for the DAQ device.
The DAQ Assistant is used to configure the DAQ device and
perform data acquisition.
Most application can use the DAQ Assistant. For applications
that require advanced timing and synchronization use the VIs
that come with NI-DAQmx.
The DAQ Assistant can perform Analog Input, Analog Output,
Digital I/O, and Counter operations.

Lesson 10
Instrument Control
TOPICS
Instrument Control Overview
GPIB Communication and Configuration
Instrument I/O Assistant
Virtual Instrument Software Architecture (VISA)
Instrument Drivers
Serial Port Communication
Waveform Transfers

Instrument Control Overview

Control any instrument if you know the following:
Type of connector on the instrument
Electrical properties involved
Software drivers available
Instruments

Type of cables needed

Communication protocols used

Computer

GPIB Communication
GPIB Interface

GPIB Instruments

GPIB
Cable

Standards Introduction
1965

HP designs HP-IB (Hewlett Packard Interface Bus)

1975

HP-IB becomes IEEE 488

1987

IEEE 488.2 adopted

IEEE 488 becomes IEEE 488.1

1990

SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable

Instruments) added to IEEE 488.2

1992

IEEE 488.2 revised

1993

HS488 proposed

1999

HS488 approved

GPIB Hardware Specifications

DIO1
DIO2
DIO3
DIO4
EOI
DAV
NRFD
NDAC
IFC
SRQ
ATN
SHIELD

13

12 24

DIO5
DIO6
DIO7
DIO8
REN
GND (TW PAIR W/DAV)
GND (TW PAIR W/NRFD)
GND (TW PAIR W/NDAC)
GND (TW PAIR W/IFC)
GND (TW PAIR W/SRQ)
GND (TW PAIR W/ATN)
SIGNAL GROUND

Max cable length between

devices = 4 m (2 m average)
Max cable length = 20 m
Max number of devices =
15 (2/3 powered on)

GPIB Software Architecture Windows

Diagnostics Tools:
GPIB Diagnostic Tool
NI-Spy

Interface Board
(GPIB, PXI,
VXI, computer
based, etc.)

Driver
Software
(*.DLL)

NI-VISA

Instrument
Driver VIs
LabVIEW

Configuration Tools:
Measurement &
Automation Explorer

Configuring GPIB Board and Instruments

Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)

What is the Instrument I/O Assistant?

Accessed through a LabVIEW
Express VI
Sets up device
communication and data
parsing step by step through
a configuration interface

Communicating with an Instrument

Virtual Instrument Software Architecture

VISA

Serial

GPIB

Platform independent
VISA is the backbone of the
IVI and Plug & Play
Instrument Drivers

VXI

PXI

Interface independent
Must know SCPI command
set to program directly with
VISA

VISA Terminology
ResourceInstrument, Serial Port, or Parallel Port
SessionConnection to a Resource
Instrument DescriptorResource location
Format:
Examples:

Interface Type::Address::INSTR

Instrument Descriptor Syntax

Resource Name contains interface info
VISA Aliases also work
Interface

Resource Name Grammar

Serial

ASRL[board][::INSTR]

GPIB

GPIB[board]::primary address[::INSTR]

VXI

VXI[board]::VXI logical address[::INSTR]

GPIB-VXI

GPIB-VXI[board][::GPIB-VXI primary
address]::VXI logical address[::INSTR]

VISA Resource Name

Exact name and location of the instrument
Use the VISA Resource Name control
You can specify the full resource name of the VISA Alias

Instrument
Drivers
More than 1200 LabVIEW Instrument drivers
Programming simplified to high-level API

Installing and Finding Instrument Drivers

Drivers available at ni.com/idnet
Install the instrument driver VI Library into LabVIEW
7.0\instr.lib directory
Access drivers from FunctionsInputInstrument Drivers
subpalette

IDNET - Instrument Driver Network

Learn about drivers
Get help with developing drivers
Submit your driver to the network
Download drivers

Instrument Driver Model

Instrument Driver VIs

Initialize
Configure
Action/Status
Data
Utility
Close

Instrument Driver Inputs and Outputs

HP34401A Initialize.vi

Instrument Descriptor
VISA Sessions
- A connection or link to a specific instrument
- Created after instrument is initialized
- Used throughout VI whenever you communicate with that specific
instrument

Error cluster

Putting It All Together

Initialize instrument
Do operation(s)
Close instrument
Check error status

Serial Communication
Popular means of communication between computer and
peripheral device
Data sent one bit at a time across the cable
Used for low transfer rates or long distances
Only a cable is needed since most computers have at least
one available serial port
PC Serial
Port
RS-232 Cable
RS-232 Instrument

Serial Hardware
Connection

RS-232

DCE or DTE
configurations
9-pin or 25-pin
RS-422
DCE or DTE
8-pin
RS-485
Multidrop

Pin

DTE DCE

1 DCD
2 RxD
3 TxD
4 DTR
5 Com
6 DSR
7 RTS
8 CTS
9 RI

Input
I
O
O
I
O
I
I

Output
O
I
I
O
I
O
O

Serial Communication

Terminology
Baud rate bits per second
Data bits inverted logic and LSB first
Parity optional error-checking bit
Stop bits 1, 1.5, or 2 inverted bits at data end
Flow control hardware and software handshaking options

Using the Instrument I/O Assistant with Serial

Select COMX as
the instrument
address
Use the I/O
Assistant as done
with GPIB

Summary
LabVIEW can communicate with any instrument that connects to
your computer if you know the interface type
Use the Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) to detect,
configure, and test your GPIB interface and instruments
Use the Instrument I/O Assistant for easy and fast GPIB and serial
programming.
An instrument driver eliminates the need for your to have detailed
knowledge of the specific strings used by an instrument
Instrument Library more than 2000 instruments supported
Instrument driver VIs share a common hierarchy and come with an
example to help you get started

Lesson 11
VI Customization

TOPICS
Configuring Appearance of Front Panel
SubVI Front Panels
Keyboard Shortcuts
VI Properties
Customizing Palettes

Customizing VI Properties
Access VI Properties by right-clicking the icon pane or selecting
it from the File menu
Affects every instance of that VI in all applications

Window Appearance
Only affects VI panel while VI is running

Window Size
Set minimum and current panel size
Adjust size of panel relative to the monitor
Scale objects on
panel as window
resizes

Creating Pop-Up Panels Every Instance

Use Top-Level Application Window or Dialog appearance types
Create custom window appearance

Creating Pop-Up Panels Single Instance

Access SubVI Node Setup by right-clicking on subVI icon on
calling VIs diagram

Key Navigation
Assigns keyboard strokes to
front panel controls

Preventing Editing of a VI
Opens, runs, and closes LabVIEW without user
intervention
Remove menus, Abort button, etc
Save with Options

Summary
Use VI Properties to set VI execution, window, and documentation
options
Use SubVI Node Setup to set execution options for a single
instance of a subVI
Use the Key Navigation option to assign front panel controls to a
keyboard key combination
Use the Save with Options from the file menu to make backups of
your VIs
You can often edit VIs by aborting them from the diagram of
another VI

Technical Support Resources

Award-Winning Website www.ni.com/support
Drivers & Updates
Product Manuals
KnowledgeBases
Example Code
Tutorials
Application Notes
Discussion Forums

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LabVIEW Publications
LabVIEW Technical Resource quarterly newsletter by LTR Publishing
LabVIEW Graphical Programming and LabVIEW Power
Programming by Gary W. Johnson, McGraw-Hill
LabVIEW for Everyone by Lisa K. Wells and Jeffrey Travis, PrenticeHall
LabVIEW Signal Processing by Mahesh Chugani, Abhay Samant,
and Michael Cerna, Prentice-Hall
LabVIEW Applications and Solutions by Rahman Jamal and Herbert
Pichlik, Prentice-Hall