Getting Started with the LabVIEW Hobbyist Toolkit

Updated Sep 28, 2026

Environment

Software

  • LabVIEW
  • Third Party Add-Ons
  • Package Manager
  • LabVIEW Hobbyist Toolkit

Other

  • Arduino
  • Raspberry Pi
  • BeagleBone Black

Overview

If you are developing an application in LabVIEW and want to communicate with a third-party embedded platform such as an Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or BeagleBone Black, the LabVIEW Hobbyist Toolkit provides an easy way to get started. This free toolkit simplifies embedded application development by including VIs for more than 30 common embedded sensors, along with hardware-independent APIs for digital I/O, analog I/O, PWM, I2C, SPI, and UART communication.

 

Starting with LabVIEW 2021, the LabVIEW Hobbyist Toolkit became the recommended option to communicate with hobbyist hardware like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and BeagleBone Black. The LINX by Digilent Toolkit is the deprecated alternative option for LabVIEW 2011 up to LabVIEW 2020. For more details, consult the Using Raspberry Pi or Arduino with LabVIEW article.

 

The toolkit is included with LabVIEW Community Edition and does not need to be downloaded or installed separately.

Installation

  1. Download the LabVIEW Hobbyist Toolkit that matches your LabVIEW version (2021 or later). The toolkit can also be found directly in NI Package Manager.
  2. Complete the installation by reviewing and accepting the license agreements.
  3. After installation, verify that the Hobbyist Functions palette and associated menu items are available in LabVIEW.

Hobbyist Functions Palette

 

Hardware Setup

  1. Connect your Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, or other supported device to your PC.

  2. Open the Firmware Wizard from the Tools » Hobbyist menu.

  3. Select the appropriate Device Family, Device Type and Firmware Upload Method.

Firmware Wizard

 

  1. Select the COM port associated with the device.

Firmware Wizard COM

 

  1. Install the firmware and select Finish when the process completes.

 

Running an Example

  1. Open the NI Example Finder.

  2. Search for LINX or MakerHub examples.

MakerHub NI Example Finder

 

  1. Open an example such as LINX - Digital Write N Channels.vi.

  2. Follow the instructions included with the example and run the VI.

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