Learning with LabVIEW 8

Table of Contents

1.              LabVIEW Basics

1.1         System Configuration Requirements

1.2 Installing the Student Edition of LabVIEW

1.3 The LabVIEW Environment

1.4 The Getting Started Screen

1.5 Panel and Diagram Windows

          1.5.1 Front Panel Toolbar

          1.5.2 Block Diagram Toolbar

1.6 Short Cut Menus

1.7 Pull-Down Menus

          1.7.1 File Menu

          1.7.2 Edit Menu

          1.7.3 View Menu

          1.7.4 Project Menu

          1.7.5 Operate Menu

          1.7.6 Tools Menu

          1.7.7 Windows Menu

          1.7.8 Help Menu

1.8 Palettes

          1.8.1 Tools Palette

          1.8.2 Controls Palette

          1.8.3 Functions Palette

1.9 Opening, Loading, and Saving VIs

1.10 LabVIEW Help Options

          1.10.1 Context Help Window

          1.10.2 LabVIEW Help

1.11 Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

1.12 Relaxed Reading: Remote Controlled Excavation with LabVIEW

1.13 Summary

          Exercises

          Problems

          Design Problems

2.              Virtual Instruments

2.1         What are Virtual Instruments?

2.2         Several Worked Examples

2.3         The Front Panel

2.3.1                       Numeric Controls and Indicators

2.3.2                       Boolean Controls and Indicators

2.3.3                       Configuring Controls and Indicators

2.4         The Block Diagram

2.4.1. VIs and Express VIs

2.4.2. Nodes

2.4.3. Terminals

2.4.4. Wiring

        2.5   Building Your First VI

        2.6 Data Flow Programming

        2.7 Building a VI Using Express VIs

        2.8 Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

   2.9 Relaxed Reading: LabVIEW Automates Brain Wave Experiments

   2.10 Summary

             Exercises

             Problems

             Design Problems

 

3.              Mathscript

3.1         What is MathScript?

3.2         Accessing the MathScript Interactive Window

3.2.1                       The Command History Window

3.2.2                       Copying Output Window Data

3.2.3                       Viewing Data in a Variety of Formats

3.3         MathScript Help

3.4         Syntax

3.4.1                       Key MathScript Functions

3.5         Defining Functions and Creating Scripts

3.5.1                       User-Defined Functions

3.5.2                       Scripts

3.6         Saving, Loading, and Exporting Data Files

3.6.1                       Saving and Loading Data Files

3.6.2                       Exporting to Microsoft Excel

3.7         MathScript Nodes

3.7.1                       Accessing the MathScript Node

3.7.2                       Entering Scripts into the MathScript Node

3.7.3                       Input and Output Variables

3.7.4                       Saving Scripts from within the MathScript Node

3.8         Applications of MathScript

3.8.1                       Instrument Your Algorithms

3.8.2                       Graphical Signal Processing, Analysis, and Mathematics

3.8.3                       Integrating Measurement Hardware

3.9         Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

3.10    Relaxed Reading: Designing a Production Test System for a New Generation of Gaming

3.11    Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

 

4.              Editing and Debugging Virtual Instruments

4.1         Editing Techniques

4.1.1                       Creating Controls and Indicators on the Block Diagram

4.1.2                       Selecting Objects

4.1.3                       Moving Objects

4.1.4                       Deleting and Duplicating Objects

4.1.5                       Resizing Objects

4.1.6                       Labeling Objects

4.1.7                       Changing Font, Style, and Size of Text

4.1.8                       Selecting and Deleting Wires

4.1.9                       Wire Stretching and Broken Wires

4.1.10                  Aligning, Distributing, and Resizing Objects

4.1.11                  Coloring Objects

4.2         Debugging Techniques

4.2.1                       Finding Errors

4.2.2                       Highlight Execution

4.2.3                       Single Stepping Through a VI and Its Sub VIs

4.2.4                       Breakpoints and Probes

4.3         A Few Shortcuts

4.4         Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

4.5         Relaxed Reading: LabVIEW Helps Fabrication Process of Next Generation Microprocessors

4.6         Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

 

5.              Sub VIs

5.1         What is a SubVI?

5.2         Review of the Basics

5.3         Editing the Icon and Connector

5.3.1                       Icons

5.3.2                       Connectors

5.3.3                       Selecting and Modifying Terminal Patterns

5.3.4                       Assigning Terminals to Controls and Indicators

5.4         The Help Window

5.5         Using a VI as a SubVI

5.6         Creating a SubVI from a Selection

5.7         Saving your SubVI

5.8         The Hierarchy Window

5.9         Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

5.10    Relaxed Reading: LabVIEW Real-Time at Biosphere

5.11    Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

 

6.              Structures

6.1         The For Loop

6.1.1                       Numeric Conversions

6.2         The White Loop

6.3         Shift Registers and Feedback Nodes

6.3.1                       Shift Registers

6.3.2                       Using Shift Registers to Remember Data Values from Previous Loop Iterations

6.3.3                       Initializing Shift Registers

6.3.4                       Feedback Nodes

6.4         Case Structures

6.4.1                       Adding and Deleting Cases

6.4.2                       Wiring Inputs and Outputs

6.5         Flat Sequence Structures

6.5.1                       Evaluate and Control Timing in a Sequence Structure

6.5.2                       Avoid the Overuse of Sequence Structures

6.6         The Formula Node

6.6.1                       The Formula Node Input and Output Variables

6.6.2                       Formula Statements

6.7         Some Common Problems in Wiring Structures

6.7.1                       Failing to Wire a Tunnel in All Cases of a Case Structure

6.7.2                       Overlapping Tunnels

6.7.3                       Wiring Underneath Rather Than Through a Structure

6.8         Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulations

6.9         Relaxed Reading: Investigating Global Warming with LabVIEW

6.10    Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

 

7.              Arrays and Clusters

7.1         Arrays

7.1.1                       Creating Array Controls and Indicators

7.1.2                       Multidimensional Arrays

7.2         Creating Arrays with Loops

7.2.1                       Creating Two-Dimensional Arrays

7.3         Array Functions

7.3.1                       Array Size

7.3.2                       Initialize Array

7.3.3                       Build Array

7.3.4                       Array Subset

7.3.5                       Index Arrays

7.4         Polymorphism

7.5         Clusters

7.6         Creating Cluster Controls and Indicators

7.6.1                       Cluster Order

7.6.2                       Using Clusters to Pass Data to and From Sub VIs

7.7         Cluster Functions

7.7.1                       The Bundle Function

7.7.2                       The Unbundle Function

7.7.3                       Creating Clusters Constants on the Block Diagram

7.7.4                       Using Polymorphism with Clusters

7.8         Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

7.9         Relaxed Reading: LabVIEW Monitors Medieval Bell Tower

7.10    Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

 

8.              Charts and Graphs

8.1         Waveform Charts

8.2         Waveform Graphs

8.3         XY Graphs

8.4         Customizing Charts and Graphs

8.4.1                       Axes Scaling

8.4.2                       The Legend

8.4.3                       The Graph Palette and Scale Legend

8.4.4                       Special Chart-Customizing Features

8.4.5                       Special Graph-Customizing Features: Cursor Legend

8.4.6                       Using Graph Annotations

8.4.7                       Exploring Images of Graph, Charts and Tables

8.4.8                       Using Context Help

8.5         Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

8.6         Relaxed Reading: Spacecraft Attitude Determination on the Web

8.7         Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

 

9.              Data Acquisition

9.1         Components of DAQ System

9.2         Types of Signals

9.2.1                       Digital Signals

9.2.2                       Analog DC Signals

9.2.3                       Analog AC Signals

9.2.4                       Analog Frequency-Domain Signals

9.2.5                       One Signal—Five Measurement Perspectives

9.3         Common Transducers and Signal Conditioning

9.4         Signal Grounding and Measurements

9.4.1                       Signal Source Reference Configuration

9.4.2                       Measurement System

9.5         Analog to Digital Conversions

9.6         DAQ VI Organization

9.7         Choosing Your Data Acquisition Device

9.7.1                       M-Series Data Acquisition Device

9.7.2                       Low Cost Data Acquisition for Students

9.7.3                       Simulated Data Acquisition

9.7.4                       Macintosh, Linux, Palm OS, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, and Select Windows CE OS Devices

9.8         DAQ Hardware Configuration

9.8.1                       Windows

9.8.2                       Channels and Tasks

9.9         Using the DAQ Assistant

9.9.1                       DAQmx Task Name Constant

9.10    Analog Input

9.10.1                  Task Timing

9.10.2                  Task Triggering

9.11    Analog Output

9.11.1                  Task Timing

9.11.2                  Task Triggering

9.12    Digital Input and Output

9.13    Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

9.14    Relaxed Reading: Fuel Cell Catalyst Research

9.15    Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

 

10.         Strings and File I/O

10.1    Strings

10.1.1                  Converting Numeric Values to Strings with the Build Text Express VI

10.2    File I/O

10.2.1                  Writing Data to a File

10.2.2                  Reading Data from a File

10.2.3                  Manipulating Spreadsheet Files

10.2.4                  File I/O Express VIs

10.3    Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

10.4    Relaxed Reading: Using LabVIEW in Drive-by-Wire Testing

10.5    Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

 

11.         Analysis

11.1    Linear Algebra

11.1.1                  Review of Matrices

11.1.2                  System of Algebraic Equations

11.1.3                  Linear System VIs

11.2    Statistics and Curve Fitting

11.2.1                  Curve Fits Based on Least Squares Methods

11.2.2                  Fitting a Curve to Data with Normal Distributions

11.2.3                  The Curve Fitting Express VI

11.3    Differential Equations

11.4    Finding Zeroes of Functions

11.5    Integration and Differentiation

11.6    Signal Generation

11.6.1                  Normalized Frequency

11.6.2                  Wave and Pattern VIs

11.6.3                  The Simulate Signal Express VI

11.7    Signal Processing

11.7.1                  The Fourier Transform

11.7.2                  Smoothing Windows

11.7.3                  The Spectral Measurements Express VI

11.7.4                  Filtering

11.7.5                  The Filter Express VI

11.8    Building Blocks: Pulse Width Modulation

11.9    Relaxed Reading: Motorcycle Brake Testing

11.10                       Summary

Exercises

Problems

Design Problems

     Appendix A: Instrument Control

     Appendix B: Other LabVIEW Applications