Automating Box Measurements Using LabVIEW

LabVIEW helps you acquire data from any stand-alone instrument over any bus and provides extensive libraries for signal processing and data visualization. With this guide, learn how to automate box measurements using LabVIEW. Step-by-step instructions help you acquire simulated box measurements (if you want to evaluate without a physical instrument) and instrument-specific box measurements (if you already have box instruments).

Please see the relevant section below, depending on if you are evaluating LabVIEW with or without a box instrument. 

Are You Evaluating LabVIEW Without Box Instruments?

Automate simulated box measurement data using simulated instrument drivers.

*Note: To complete this tutorial, you should have simulated instrument drivers installed.

1. Open LabVIEW.
2. Launch the Instrument Driver Finder by selecting Help»Find Instrument Drivers.

3. You will see a list of installed instrument drivers.

 

4. Double-click Simulated FGen to open the shipping examples.

 

5. Double-click Simulated FGen Standard Waveform.vi to open the shipping example.

 

6. You should now see a LabVIEW application for the simulated function generator.

 

7. Return to the Instrument Driver Finder window and select Back.

 

8. Double-click Simulated Scope to open the shipping examples.

 

9. Double-click Simulated Scope Acquire Waveform Continuously.vi to open the shipping example.

 

10. You should now see a LabVIEW application for the simulated scope.

 

11. Select Close in the Instrument Driver Development window.

 

12. Go to the Simulated FGen Standard Waveform.vi shipping example to configure the simulated function generator.
    1. You can leave the VISA Resource blank since this is a simulated device.

2. Select Sine as the Waveform function.
3. Leave the Amplitude, Frequency, and DC Offset values in their default states.

 

13. Select the Run button on the Simulated FGen Standard Waveform.vi shipping example to run the simulated function generator.

 

14. You should see a simulated function generator appear with a sine wave pulse on the screen.

 

15. Go to the Simulated Scope Acquire Waveform Continuously.vi shipping example and configure the simulated scope.

1. You can leave the VISA Resource blank since this is a simulated device.

2. Leave the Max Time and Probe Attenuation values in their default states.

 

16. Select the Run button on the Simulated Scope Acquire Waveform Continuously.vi shipping example to run the simulated scope.

 

17. You should see a simulated scope appear with the acquired sine wave pulse on the screen.

 

18. Also notice that there is a LabVIEW application that is running to control the simulated scope. The data being shown on the LabVIEW graph is identical to what is running on the simulated scope.

 

19. Change the signal type of the simulated function generator to Square (using the Simulated FGen Standard Waveform.vi).

 

20. Notice that the signal display updates on the simulated function generator.

 

21. Additionally, the simulated scope and the LabVIEW Simulated Scope Acquire Waveform Continuously.vi also update with the square wave data.

 

Are You Evaluating LabVIEW With Existing Box Instruments?

Automate instrument-specific box measurement data using your own instruments and certified instrument drivers.

*Note: To complete this tutorial, you should already have your instrument-specific drivers installed. 

1. Open LabVIEW.
2. Launch the Instrument Driver Finder by selecting Help»Find Instrument Drivers.

 

3. You will see a list of installed instrument drivers.

 

4. Double-click your instrument-specific driver to open the shipping examples.
5. Double-click any shipping example to open a prebuilt application. Note: Only certified instrument drivers are guaranteed to include shipping examples.
6. You should now see a LabVIEW application for your instrument.
7. Select the Run button to run the instrument driver shipping example.