Data Acquisition in LabVIEW

1e|emark Un|vers|ty Co||ege
ueparLmenL of LlecLrlcal Lnglneerlng, lnformaLlon 1echnology and CyberneLlcs

Faculty of Technology, Postboks 203, Kjlnes ring 56, N-3901 Porsgrunn, Norway. Tel: +47 35 57 50 00 Fax: +47 35 57 54 01

Data Acquisition in LabVIEW
PAnS-L11L8 PALvC8SLn, 2013.08.16

2

Preface
1hls LuLorlal explalns Lhe baslc concepLs of a uaLa AcqulslLlon ln LabvlLW.
?ou flnd Lhls documenL and addlLlonal resources onllne aL:
hLLp://home.hlL.no/~hansha/?LuLorlal=daq

?ou should have some baslc knowledge abouL LabvlLW, e.g., Lhe lnLroducLlon Lo LabvlLW" LuLorlal.
1hls documenL ls avallable for download aL hLLp://home.hlL.no/~hansha/.
lor more lnformaLlon abouL LabvlLW, vlslL: hLLp://home.hlL.no/~hansha/?page=labvlew.
ln addlLlon Lo LabvlLW, you wlll need Lo lnsLall Lhe drlver NI-DAmx.

lll

Table of Contents
reface .................................................................................................................................................... 2
1able of ConLenLs ................................................................................................................................... lll
1 lnLroducLlon Lo LabvlLW .................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 uaLaflow programmlng ............................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Craphlcal programmlng ............................................................................................................ 1
1.3 8eneflLs ..................................................................................................................................... 2
2 lnLroducLlon Lo uaLa AcqulslLlon ...................................................................................................... 3
2.1 lnLroducLlon Lo uAC - uaLa AcqulslLlon .................................................................................... 3
2.1.1 hyslcal lnpuL/ouLpuL slgnals ............................................................................................. 4
2.1.2 uAC devlce/hardware ....................................................................................................... 4
2.1.3 urlver sofLware .................................................................................................................. 3
2.1.4 ?our sofLware appllcaLlon (AppllcaLlon sofLware) ............................................................. 6
2.2 MAx - MeasuremenL and AuLomaLlon Lxplorer ....................................................................... 6
2.3 nl-uACmx ................................................................................................................................. 7
2.3.1 uAC AsslsLanL .................................................................................................................... 8
2.4 nl uS8-6008 .............................................................................................................................. 8
3 hyslcal lnpuL/ouLpuL slgnals ......................................................................................................... 10
3.1 1ransducers ............................................................................................................................. 10
3.2 Slgnals ..................................................................................................................................... 11
3.2.1 Analog Slgnals .................................................................................................................. 11
3.3 ulglLal Slgnals .......................................................................................................................... 13
4 MAx ................................................................................................................................................ 13
3 nl-uACmx ....................................................................................................................................... 17
lv 1able of ConLenLs
Tutorial: Data Acquisition in LabVIEW

3.1.1 uAC AsslsLanL .................................................................................................................. 18
3.2 SlmulaLlng a uAC uevlce ......................................................................................................... 18
6 uAC uevlces ................................................................................................................................... 20
6.1 erformlng Analog-Lo-ulglLal Converslon ............................................................................... 21
6.2 erformlng ulglLal-Lo-Analog Converslon ............................................................................... 21
6.3 uslng CounLers ........................................................................................................................ 21
6.4 uslng ulglLal l/C ...................................................................................................................... 21
7 nl uS8-6008 .................................................................................................................................... 23
7.1 ConnecL nl uS8-6008 Lo Lhe C .............................................................................................. 23
7.1.1 1esLlng Lhe uS8-6008 ln MAx .......................................................................................... 24
7.2 uslng nl uS8-6008 ln LabvlLW ............................................................................................... 30
7.3 uAC AsslsLanL .......................................................................................................................... 31
7.3.1 Analog lnpuL ..................................................................................................................... 31
7.3.2 Analog CuLpuL .................................................................................................................. 38
8 Logglng Lo llle ................................................................................................................................. 43
8.1 WrlLlng Lo MeasuremenL llle .................................................................................................. 43
8.2 8ead from MeasuremenL llle ................................................................................................. 46

1

1 Introduction to
LabVIEW
LabvlLW (shorL for LaboraLory VlrLual InsLrumenLaLlon Lnglneerlng Workbench) ls a plaLform and
developmenL envlronmenL for a vlsual programmlng language from naLlonal lnsLrumenLs. 1he
graphlcal language ls named "C". Crlglnally released for Lhe Apple MaclnLosh ln 1986, LabvlLW ls
commonly used for daLa acqulslLlon, lnsLrumenL conLrol, and lndusLrlal auLomaLlon on a varleLy of
plaLforms lncludlng MlcrosofL Wlndows, varlous flavors of unlx, Llnux, and Mac CS x. vlslL naLlonal
lnsLrumenLs aL www.nl.com.
1he code flles have Lhe exLenslon .vl", whlch ls an abbrevlaLlon for vlrLual lnsLrumenL". LabvlLW
offers loLs of addlLlonal Add-Cns and 1oolklLs.
1.1 Dataflow programming
1he programmlng language used ln LabvlLW, also referred Lo as C, ls a daLaflow programmlng
language. LxecuLlon ls deLermlned by Lhe sLrucLure of a graphlcal block dlagram (Lhe Lv-source code)
on whlch Lhe programmer connecLs dlfferenL funcLlon-nodes by drawlng wlres. 1hese wlres
propagaLe varlables and any node can execuLe as soon as all lLs lnpuL daLa become avallable. Slnce
Lhls mlghL be Lhe case for mulLlple nodes slmulLaneously, C ls lnherenLly capable of parallel
execuLlon. MulLl-processlng and mulLl-Lhreadlng hardware ls auLomaLlcally explolLed by Lhe bullL-ln
scheduler, whlch mulLlplexes mulLlple CS Lhreads over Lhe nodes ready for execuLlon.
1.2 Graphical programming
LabvlLW Lles Lhe creaLlon of user lnLerfaces (called fronL panels) lnLo Lhe developmenL cycle.
LabvlLW programs/subrouLlnes are called vlrLual lnsLrumenLs (vls). Lach vl has Lhree componenLs: a
block dlagram, a fronL panel, and a connecLor panel. 1he lasL ls used Lo represenL Lhe vl ln Lhe block
dlagrams of oLher, calllng vls. ConLrols and lndlcaLors on Lhe fronL panel allow an operaLor Lo lnpuL
daLa lnLo or exLracL daLa from a runnlng vlrLual lnsLrumenL. Powever, Lhe fronL panel can also serve
as a programmaLlc lnLerface. 1hus a vlrLual lnsLrumenL can elLher be run as a program, wlLh Lhe fronL
panel servlng as a user lnLerface, or, when dropped as a node onLo Lhe block dlagram, Lhe fronL panel
deflnes Lhe lnpuLs and ouLpuLs for Lhe glven node Lhrough Lhe connecLor pane. 1hls lmplles each vl
can be easlly LesLed before belng embedded as a subrouLlne lnLo a larger program.

2 lnLroducLlon Lo LabvlLW

1he graphlcal approach also allows non-programmers Lo bulld programs slmply by dragglng and
dropplng vlrLual represenLaLlons of lab equlpmenL wlLh whlch Lhey are already famlllar. 1he LabvlLW
programmlng envlronmenL, wlLh Lhe lncluded examples and Lhe documenLaLlon, makes lL slmple Lo
creaLe small appllcaLlons. 1hls ls a beneflL on one slde, buL Lhere ls also a cerLaln danger of
underesLlmaLlng Lhe experLlse needed for good quallLy "C" programmlng. lor complex algorlLhms or
large-scale code, lL ls lmporLanL LhaL Lhe programmer possess an exLenslve knowledge of Lhe speclal
LabvlLW synLax and Lhe Lopology of lLs memory managemenL. 1he mosL advanced LabvlLW
developmenL sysLems offer Lhe posslblllLy of bulldlng sLand-alone appllcaLlons. lurLhermore, lL ls
posslble Lo creaLe dlsLrlbuLed appllcaLlons, whlch communlcaLe by a cllenL/server scheme, and are
Lherefore easler Lo lmplemenL due Lo Lhe lnherenLly parallel naLure of C-code.
1.3 Benefits
Cne beneflL of LabvlLW over oLher developmenL envlronmenLs ls Lhe exLenslve supporL for accesslng
lnsLrumenLaLlon hardware. urlvers and absLracLlon layers for many dlfferenL Lypes of lnsLrumenLs
and buses are lncluded or are avallable for lncluslon. 1hese presenL Lhemselves as graphlcal nodes.
1he absLracLlon layers offer sLandard sofLware lnLerfaces Lo communlcaLe wlLh hardware devlces.
1he provlded drlver lnLerfaces save program developmenL Llme. 1he sales plLch of naLlonal
lnsLrumenLs ls, Lherefore, LhaL even people wlLh llmlLed codlng experlence can wrlLe programs and
deploy LesL soluLlons ln a reduced Llme frame when compared Lo more convenLlonal or compeLlng
sysLems. A new hardware drlver Lopology (uACmx8ase), whlch conslsLs malnly of C-coded
componenLs wlLh only a few reglsLer calls Lhrough nl MeasuremenL Pardware uuk (urlver
uevelopmenL klL) funcLlons, provldes plaLform lndependenL hardware access Lo numerous daLa
acqulslLlon and lnsLrumenLaLlon devlces. 1he uACmx8ase drlver ls avallable for LabvlLW on
Wlndows, Mac CS x and Llnux plaLforms.

3

2 Introduction to
Data Acquisition
1hls chapLer explalns Lhe baslc concepLs of uslng uAC ln LabvlLW.
1oplcs:
lnLroducLlon Lo uAC - uaLa AcqulslLlon
MAx - MeasuremenL and AuLomaLlon Lxplorer
nl-uACmx
LabvlLW ls very powerful when lL comes Lo creaLlng uAC appllcaLlons. LabvlLW lncludes a seL of vls
LhaL leL you conflgure, acqulre daLa from, and send daLa Lo uAC devlces. CfLen, one devlce can
perform a varleLy of funcLlons, such as analog-Lo-dlglLal (A/u) converslon, dlglLal-Lo-analog (u/A)
converslon, dlglLal l/C, and counLer/Llmer operaLlons. Lach devlce supporLs dlfferenL uAC and slgnal
generaLlon speeds. Also, each uAC devlce ls deslgned for speclflc hardware, plaLforms and operaLlng
sysLems.
naLlonal lnsLrumenLs, Lhe lnvenLor of LabvlLW, also make uAC devlces, so Lhe lnLegraLlon wlLh Lhe
uAC devlces from nl and Lhe LabvlLW sofLware ls seamless and makes lL easy Lo do l/C operaLlons
from Lhe LabvlLW envlronmenL.
2.1 Introduction to DAQ - Data
Acquisition
1he purpose of daLa acqulslLlon ls Lo measure an elecLrlcal or physlcal phenomenon such as volLage,
currenL, LemperaLure, pressure, or sound. C-based daLa acqulslLlon uses a comblnaLlon of modular
hardware, appllcaLlon sofLware, and a compuLer Lo Lake measuremenLs. Whlle each daLa acqulslLlon
sysLem ls deflned by lLs appllcaLlon requlremenLs, every sysLem shares a common goal of acqulrlng,
analyzlng, and presenLlng lnformaLlon. uaLa acqulslLlon sysLems lncorporaLe slgnals, sensors,
acLuaLors, slgnal condlLlonlng, daLa acqulslLlon devlces, and appllcaLlon sofLware.
So summlng up, uaLa AcqulslLlon ls Lhe process of:
Acqulrlng slgnals from real-world phenomena
ulglLlzlng Lhe slgnals
Analyzlng, presenLlng and savlng Lhe daLa
4 lnLroducLlon Lo uaLa AcqulslLlon

1he uAC sysLem has Lhe followlng parLs lnvolved, see llgure:

1he parLs are:
hyslcal lnpuL/ouLpuL slgnals
uAC devlce/hardware
urlver sofLware
?our sofLware appllcaLlon (AppllcaLlon sofLware)
lor an lnLroducLlon Lo uaLa AcqulslLlon, see Lhls webcasL:
hLLp://zone.nl.com/wv/app/doc/p/ld/wv-169
2.1.1 Physical input/output signals
A physlcal lnpuL/ouLpuL slgnal ls Lyplcally a volLage or currenL slgnal.
A volLage slgnal can Lyplcally be a 0-3v slgnal, whlle a currenL slgnal can Lyplcally be a 4-20mA slgnal.
2.1.2 DAQ device/hardware
uAC hardware acLs as Lhe lnLerface beLween Lhe compuLer and Lhe ouLslde world. lL prlmarlly
funcLlons as a devlce LhaL dlglLlzes lncomlng analog slgnals so LhaL Lhe compuLer can lnLerpreL Lhem
A uAC devlce (uaLa AcqulslLlon Pardware) usually has Lhese funcLlons:
Analog lnpuL
Analog ouLpuL
ulglLal l/C
CounLer/Llmers
We have dlfferenL uAC devlces, such as:
Desktop uAC devlces" where you need Lo plug a Cl uAC board lnLo your compuLer. 1he
sofLware ls runnlng on a compuLer.

ortab|e uAC devlces" for connecLlon Lo Lhe uS8 porL, Wl-ll connecLlons, eLc. 1he sofLware
ls runnlng on a compuLer
D|str|buted uAC devlces" where Lhe sofLware ls developed on your compuLer and Lhen
laLer downloaded Lo Lhe dlsLrlbuLed uAC devlce.

2.1.3 Driver software
urlver sofLware ls Lhe layer of sofLware for easlly communlcaLlng wlLh Lhe hardware. lL forms Lhe
mlddle layer beLween Lhe appllcaLlon sofLware and Lhe hardware. urlver sofLware also prevenLs a
programmer from havlng Lo do reglsLer-level programmlng or compllcaLed commands ln order Lo
access Lhe hardware funcLlons.
urlver sofLware from naLlonal lnsLrumenLs:
nl-uACmx
nl-uACmx 8ase
1he DA Ass|stant, lncluded wlLh nl-uACmx, ls a graphlcal, lnLeracLlve gulde for conflgurlng, LesLlng,
and acqulrlng measuremenL daLa. WlLh a slngle cllck, you can even generaLe code based on your
conflguraLlon, maklng lL easler and fasLer Lo develop complex operaLlons. 8ecause uAC AsslsLanL ls
compleLely menu-drlven, you wlll make fewer programmlng errors and drasLlcally decrease Lhe Llme
from seLLlng up your uAC sysLem Lo Laklng your flrsL measuremenL.
nl-uACmx 8ase offers a subseL of nl-uACmx funcLlonallLy on Wlndows and Llnux, Mac CS x,
Wlndows Moblle and Wlndows CL.

2.1.4 Your software application
(Application software)
AppllcaLlon sofLware adds analysls and presenLaLlon capablllLles Lo Lhe drlver sofLware. ?our
sofLware appllcaLlon normally does such Lasks as:
8eal-Llme monlLorlng
uaLa analysls
uaLa logglng
ConLrol algorlLhms
Puman machlne lnLerface (PMl)
ln order Lo creaLe your uAC appllcaLlon you need a programmlng developmenL Lool, such as
LabvlLW.
2.2 MAX Measurement and
Automation Explorer
MeasuremenL & AuLomaLlon Lxplorer (MAx) provldes access Lo your naLlonal lnsLrumenLs devlces
and sysLems.
WlLh MAx, you can:
Conflgure your naLlonal lnsLrumenLs hardware and sofLware
CreaLe and edlL channels, Lasks, lnLerfaces, scales, and vlrLual lnsLrumenLs
LxecuLe sysLem dlagnosLlcs
vlew devlces and lnsLrumenLs connecLed Lo your sysLem
updaLe your naLlonal lnsLrumenLs sofLware
ln addlLlon Lo Lhe sLandard Lools, MAx can expose lLem-speclflc Lools you can use Lo conflgure,
dlagnose, or LesL your sysLem, dependlng on whlch nl producLs you lnsLall. As you navlgaLe Lhrough
MAx, Lhe conLenLs of Lhe appllcaLlon menu and Loolbar change Lo reflecL Lhese new Lools.

2.3 NI-DAQmx
1he nl-uACmx urlver sofLware ls Lhe layer of sofLware for easlly communlcaLlng wlLh Lhe hardware.
lL forms Lhe mlddle layer beLween Lhe appllcaLlon sofLware and Lhe hardware. urlver sofLware also
prevenLs a programmer from havlng Lo do reglsLer-level programmlng or compllcaLed commands ln
order Lo access Lhe hardware funcLlons.
1he uACmx paleLLe ln LabvlLW:

1he uAC AsslsLanL" ls an easy way Lo sLarL uslng Lhe uAC feaLures ln LabvlLW. We wlll learn more
abouL Lhe uAC AsslsLanL" ln a laLer chapLer.
2.3.1 DAQ Assistant
2.4 NI USB-6008
nl uS8-6008 ls a slmple and low-cosL mulLlfuncLlon l/C devlce from naLlonal lnsLrumenLs.


1he devlce has Lhe followlng speclflcaLlons:
8 analog lnpuLs (12-blL, 10 kS/s)
2 analog ouLpuLs (12-blL, 130 S/s)
12 dlglLal l/C
uS8 connecLlon, no exLra power-supply neeeded
CompaLlble wlLh LabvlLW, LabWlndows/Cvl, and MeasuremenL SLudlo for vlsual SLudlo .nL1
nl-uACmx drlver sofLware
1he nl uS8-6008 ls well sulLed for educaLlon purposes due Lo lLs small slze and easy uS8 connecLlon.

10

3 Physical
input/output
signals
uaLa acqulslLlon lnvolves gaLherlng slgnals from measuremenL sources and dlglLlzlng Lhe slgnal for
sLorage, analysls, and presenLaLlon on a C. uaLa acqulslLlon (uAC) sysLems come ln many dlfferenL
C Lechnology forms for greaL flexlblllLy when chooslng your sysLem. SclenLlsLs and englneers can
choose from Cl, xl, Cl Lxpress, xl Lxpress, CMClA, uS8, Wlreless and LLherneL daLa acqulslLlon
for LesL, measuremenL, and auLomaLlon appllcaLlons. 1here are flve componenLs Lo be consldered
when bulldlng a baslc uAC sysLem
1ransducers and sensors
Slgnals
Slgnal condlLlonlng
uAC hardware
urlver and appllcaLlon sofLware
ln Lhls chapLer we focus on 1ransducers, sensors and Slgnals.
3.1 Transducers
uaLa acqulslLlon beglns wlLh Lhe physlcal phenomenon Lo be measured. 1hls physlcal phenomenon
could be he LemperaLure of a room, Lhe lnLenslLy of a llghL source, Lhe pressure lnslde a chamber, Lhe
force applled Lo an ob[ecL, or many oLher Lhlngs. An effecLlve uAC sysLem can measure all of Lhese
dlfferenL phenomena.

A Lransducer ls a devlce LhaL converLs a physlcal phenomenon lnLo a measurable elecLrlcal slgnal,
such as volLage or currenL. 1he ablllLy of a uAC sysLem Lo measure dlfferenL phenomena depends on
Lhe Lransducers Lo converL Lhe physlcal phenomena lnLo slgnals measurable by Lhe uAC hardware.
1ransducers are synonymous wlLh sensors ln uAC sysLems. 1here are speclflc Lransducers for many
dlfferenL appllcaLlons, such as measurlng LemperaLure, pressure, or fluld flow. 8elow we see some
common phenomena and Lhe Lransducers used Lo measure Lhem.
henomenon 1ransducer
1emperaLure 1hermocouple, 81u, 1hermlsLor
11 hyslcal lnpuL/ouLpuL slgnals

LlghL hoLo Sensor
Sound Mlcrophone
lorce and ressure SLraln Cage, lezoelecLrlc 1ransducer
oslLlon and
ulsplacemenL
oLenLlomeLer, Lvu1, CpLlcal Lncoder
AcceleraLlon AcceleromeLer
pP pP LlecLrode

ulfferenL Lransducers have dlfferenL requlremenLs for converLlng phenomena lnLo a measurable
slgnal. Some Lransducers may requlre exclLaLlon ln Lhe form of volLage or currenL. CLher Lransducers
may requlre addlLlonal componenLs and even reslsLlve neLworks Lo produce a slgnal.
8efer Lo nl.com/sensors for more lnformaLlon on Lransducers.
3.2 Signals
1he approprlaLe Lransducers converL physlcal phenomena lnLo measurable slgnals. Powever,
dlfferenL slgnals need Lo be measured ln dlfferenL ways. lor Lhls reason, lL ls lmporLanL Lo undersLand
Lhe dlfferenL Lypes of slgnals and Lhelr correspondlng aLLrlbuLes. Slgnals can be caLegorlzed lnLo Lwo
groups:
Analog
ulglLal
3.2.1 Analog Signals
Analog lnpuL ls Lhe process of measurlng an analog slgnal and Lransferrlng Lhe measuremenL Lo a
compuLer for analysls, dlsplay, or sLorage. An analog slgnal ls a slgnal LhaL varles conLlnuously. Analog
lnpuL ls mosL commonly used Lo measure volLage or currenL. ?ou can use many Lypes of devlces Lo
perform analog lnpuL, such as mulLlfuncLlon uAC (MlC) devlces, hlgh-speed dlglLlzers, dlglLal
mulLlmeLers, and uynamlc Slgnal AcqulslLlon (uSA) devlces.

An analog slgnal can be aL any value wlLh respecL Lo Llme. A few examples of analog slgnals lnclude
volLage, LemperaLure, pressure, sound, and load. 1he Lhree prlmary characLerlsLlcs of an analog
slgnal ls:
Level
Shape
lrequency

Leve|
8ecause analog slgnals can Lake on any value, Lhe level glves vlLal lnformaLlon abouL Lhe measured
analog slgnal. 1he lnLenslLy of a llghL source, Lhe LemperaLure ln a room, and Lhe pressure lnslde a
chamber are all examples LhaL demonsLraLe Lhe lmporLance of Lhe level of a slgnal. When measurlng
Lhe level of a slgnal, Lhe slgnal generally does noL change qulckly wlLh respecL Lo Llme. 1he accuracy
of Lhe measuremenL, however, ls very lmporLanL. A uAC sysLem LhaL ylelds maxlmum accuracy
should be chosen Lo ald ln analog level measuremenLs.


Shape
Some slgnals are named afLer Lhelr speclflc shape - slne, square, sawLooLh, and Lrlangle. 1he shape of
an analog slgnal can be as lmporLanL as Lhe level, because by measurlng Lhe shape of an analog
slgnal, you can furLher analyze Lhe slgnal, lncludlng peak values, uC values, and slope. Slgnals where
shape ls of lnLeresL generally change rapldly wlLh respecL Lo Llme, buL sysLem accuracy ls sLlll
lmporLanL. 1he analysls of hearLbeaLs, vldeo slgnals, sounds, vlbraLlons, and clrculL responses are
some appllcaLlons lnvolvlng shape measuremenLs.
Irequency
All analog slgnals can be caLegorlzed by Lhelr frequency. unllke Lhe level or shape of Lhe slgnal,
frequency cannoL be dlrecLly measured. 1he slgnal musL be analyzed uslng sofLware Lo deLermlne Lhe
frequency lnformaLlon. 1hls analysls ls usually done uslng an algorlLhm known as Lhe lourler
Lransform.

When frequency ls Lhe mosL lmporLanL plece of lnformaLlon, lL ls lmporLanL Lo conslder lncludlng
boLh accuracy and acqulslLlon speed. AlLhough Lhe acqulslLlon speed for acqulrlng Lhe frequency of a
slgnal ls less Lhan Lhe speed requlred for obLalnlng Lhe shape of a slgnal, Lhe slgnal musL sLlll be
acqulred fasL enough LhaL Lhe perLlnenL lnformaLlon ls noL losL whlle Lhe analog slgnal ls belng
acqulred. 1he condlLlon LhaL sLlpulaLes Lhls speed ls known as Lhe nyqulsL Sampllng 1heorem. Speech
analysls, LelecommunlcaLlon, and earLhquake analysls are some examples of common appllcaLlons
where Lhe frequency of Lhe slgnal musL be known.
3.3 Digital Signals
A dlglLal slgnal cannoL Lake on any value wlLh respecL Lo Llme. lnsLead, a dlglLal slgnal has Lwo posslble
levels: hlgh and low. ulglLal slgnals generally conform Lo cerLaln speclflcaLlons LhaL deflne
characLerlsLlcs of Lhe slgnal. ulglLal slgnals are commonly referred Lo as LranslsLor-Lo-LranslsLor loglc
(11L). 11L speclflcaLlons lndlcaLe a dlglLal slgnal Lo be low when Lhe level falls wlLhln 0 Lo 0.8 v, and
Lhe slgnal ls hlgh beLween 2 Lo 3 v. 1he useful lnformaLlon LhaL can be measured from a dlglLal slgnal
lncludes Lhe sLaLe and Lhe raLe.


State
ulglLal slgnals cannoL Lake on any value wlLh respecL Lo Llme. 1he sLaLe of a dlglLal slgnal ls essenLlally
Lhe level of Lhe slgnal - on or off, hlgh or low. MonlLorlng Lhe sLaLe of a swlLch - open or closed - ls a
common appllcaLlon showlng Lhe lmporLance of knowlng Lhe sLaLe of a dlglLal slgnal.
kate
1he raLe of a dlglLal slgnal deflnes how Lhe dlglLal slgnal changes sLaLe wlLh respecL Lo Llme. An
example of measurlng Lhe raLe of a dlglLal slgnal lncludes deLermlnlng how fasL a moLor shafL splns.
unllke frequency, Lhe raLe of a dlglLal slgnal measures how ofLen a porLlon of a slgnal occurs. A
sofLware algorlLhm ls noL requlred Lo deLermlne Lhe raLe of a slgnal

13

4 MAX
MeasuremenL & AuLomaLlon Lxplorer (MAx) provldes access Lo your naLlonal lnsLrumenLs devlces
and sysLems.
WlLh MAx, you can:
Conflgure your naLlonal lnsLrumenLs hardware and sofLware
CreaLe and edlL channels, Lasks, lnLerfaces, scales, and vlrLual lnsLrumenLs
LxecuLe sysLem dlagnosLlcs
vlew devlces and lnsLrumenLs connecLed Lo your sysLem
updaLe your naLlonal lnsLrumenLs sofLware
ln addlLlon Lo Lhe sLandard Lools, MAx can expose lLem-speclflc Lools you can use Lo conflgure,
dlagnose, or LesL your sysLem, dependlng on whlch nl producLs you lnsLall. As you navlgaLe Lhrough
MAx, Lhe conLenLs of Lhe appllcaLlon menu and Loolbar change Lo reflecL Lhese new Lools.

LabvlLW lnsLalls MAx Lo esLabllsh all devlces and channel conflguraLlon parameLers. MAx reads Lhe
lnformaLlon Lhe uevlce Manager records ln Lhe Wlndows 8eglsLry and asslgns a loglcal devlce
number Lo each uAC devlce.
?ou use Lhe devlce number Lo refer Lo Lhe devlce ln LabvlLW. ?ou can access MAx by selecLlng
1oolsMeasuremenL & AuLomaLlon Lxplorer ln LabvlLW. 1hls dlsplays Lhe prlmary MAx wlndow.

16 MAx

8efore uslng a daLa acqulslLlon board, you musL conflrm LhaL Lhe sofLware can communlcaLe wlLh Lhe
board by conflgurlng Lhe devlces. lor Wlndows, Lhe Wlndows ConflguraLlon Manager keeps Lrack of
all Lhe hardware lnsLalled ln Lhe compuLer, lncludlng naLlonal lnsLrumenLs uAC devlces. 1he
Wlndows ConflguraLlon Manager auLomaLlcally deLecLs and conflgures lug & lay (n) devlces.
Wlndows ConflguraLlon Manager
lf you have a n devlce, such as an L Serles MlC devlce, Lhe Wlndows ConflguraLlon Manager
auLomaLlcally deLecLs and conflgures Lhe devlce. lf you have a non-n devlce, or legacy devlce, you
musL conflgure Lhe devlce manually uslng Lhe Add new Pardware opLlon ln Lhe ConLrol anel. ?ou
can verlfy Lhe Wlndows ConflguraLlon by accesslng Lhe uevlce Manager.

17

5 NI-DAQmx
urlver sofLware ls Lhe layer of sofLware for easlly communlcaLlng wlLh Lhe hardware. lL forms Lhe
mlddle layer beLween Lhe appllcaLlon sofLware and Lhe hardware. urlver sofLware also prevenLs a
programmer from havlng Lo do reglsLer-level programmlng or compllcaLed commands ln order Lo
access Lhe hardware funcLlons.
urlver sofLware from naLlonal lnsLrumenLs:
nl-uACmx
nl-uACmx 8ase
nl-uACmx 8ase offers a subseL of nl-uACmx funcLlonallLy on Wlndows and Llnux, Mac CS x,
Wlndows Moblle and Wlndows CL.

naLlonal lnsLrumenLs uAC boards have a drlver englne LhaL communlcaLes beLween Lhe board and
Lhe appllcaLlon sofLware. 1here are Lwo drlver englnes, nl-uACmx and 1radlLlonal nl-uAC. ?ou can
also use Lhe uAC AsslsLanL, an Lxpress vl LhaL communlcaLes wlLh nl-uACmx, ln LabvlLW Lo
communlcaLe wlLh Lhe uAC board. ln addlLlon, naLlonal lnsLrumenLs provldes MeasuremenL &
AuLomaLlon Lxplorer (MAx) for conflgurlng uAC boards.
1he nl-uACmx urlver sofLware ls Lhe layer of sofLware for easlly communlcaLlng wlLh Lhe hardware.
lL forms Lhe mlddle layer beLween Lhe appllcaLlon sofLware and Lhe hardware. urlver sofLware also
prevenLs a programmer from havlng Lo do reglsLer-level programmlng or compllcaLed commands ln
order Lo access Lhe hardware funcLlons.
1he uACmx paleLLe ln LabvlLW:
18 nl-uACmx

5.1.1 DAQ Assistant
Scales
?ou can conflgure cusLom scales for your measuremenLs uslng MAx. 1hls ls very useful when worklng
wlLh sensors. lL allows you Lo brlng a scaled value lnLo your appllcaLlon wlLhouL havlng Lo work
dlrecLly wlLh Lhe raw values. lor example, you can use a LemperaLure sensor LhaL represenLs
LemperaLure wlLh a volLage. 1he converslon equaLlon for Lhe LemperaLure ls, volLage x 100 = Celslus.
AfLer a scale ls seL, you can use lL ln your appllcaLlon program, provldlng Lhe LemperaLure value,
raLher Lhan Lhe volLage.
When performlng analog lnpuL, Lhe Lask can be Llmed Lo:
Acqulre 1 Sample
Acqulre n Samples
Acqulre ConLlnuously
5.2 Simulating a DAQ Device
?ou can creaLe nl-uACmx slmulaLed devlces ln nl-uACmx 7.4 or laLer. uslng nl-uACmx slmulaLed
devlces:
?ou can Lry nl producLs ln your appllcaLlon wlLhouL Lhe hardware.
19 nl-uACmx

LaLer, when you acqulre Lhe hardware, you can lmporL Lhe nl-uACmx slmulaLed devlce conflguraLlon
Lo Lhe physlcal devlce uslng Lhe MAx orLable ConflguraLlon Wlzard.
?ou can work on your appllcaLlons on a porLable sysLem and upon reLurnlng Lo Lhe orlglnal sysLem,
you can easlly lmporL your appllcaLlon work.
CreaLlng nl-uACmx SlmulaLed uevlces
1o creaLe an nl-uACmx slmulaLed devlce, rlghL-cllck uevlces and lnLerfaces and selecL CreaLe new.
1he CreaLe new dlalog box prompLs you Lo selecL a devlce Lo add. SelecL nl-uACmx SlmulaLed uevlce
and cllck llnlsh. ln Lhe Choose uevlce dlalog box, selecL Lhe famlly of devlces for Lhe devlce you wanL
Lo slmulaLe. SelecL Lhe devlce and cllck Ck. lf you selecL a xl devlce, you are prompLed Lo selecL a
chassls number and xl sloL number. lf you selecL an SCxl chassls, Lhe SCxl conflguraLlon panels
open.

20

6 DAQ Devices
uAC hardware acLs as Lhe lnLerface beLween Lhe compuLer and Lhe ouLslde world. lL prlmarlly
funcLlons as a devlce LhaL dlglLlzes lncomlng analog slgnals so LhaL Lhe compuLer can lnLerpreL Lhem
A uAC devlce (uaLa AcqulslLlon Pardware) usually has Lhese funcLlons:
Analog lnpuL
Analog ouLpuL
ulglLal l/C
CounLer/Llmers
We have dlfferenL uAC devlces, such as:
Desktop uAC devlces" where you need Lo plug a Cl uAC board lnLo your compuLer. 1he
sofLware ls runnlng on a compuLer.
ortab|e uAC devlces" for connecLlon Lo Lhe uS8 porL, Wl-ll connecLlons, eLc. 1he sofLware
ls runnlng on a compuLer
D|str|buted uAC devlces" where Lhe sofLware ls developed on your compuLer and Lhen
laLer downloaded Lo Lhe dlsLrlbuLed uAC devlce.

21 uAC uevlces

MosL uAC devlces have four sLandard elemenLs: analog lnpuL, analog ouLpuL, dlglLal l/C, and
counLers. 1he uAC devlce Lransfers Lhe measured slgnals Lo a compuLer Lhrough dlfferenL bus
sLrucLures. lor example, you can plug a uAC devlce lnLo Lhe Cl bus or Lhe uS8 porL of a compuLer or
Lhe ersonal CompuLer Memory Card lnLernaLlonal AssoclaLlon (CMClA) sockeL of a lapLop. ?ou also
can use xl/CompacLCl Lo creaLe a porLable, versaLlle, and rugged measuremenL sysLem.
6.1 Performing
Analog-to-Digital Conversion
Analog-Lo-dlglLal converslon ls a process of acqulrlng and LranslaLlng slgnals lnLo dlglLal daLa so LhaL a
compuLer can process lL. Analog-Lo-dlglLal converLers (AuCs) are clrculL componenLs LhaL converL a
volLage level lnLo a serles of ones and zeroes. AuCs sample Lhe analog slgnal on each rlslng or falllng
edge of a sample clock. ln each cycle, Lhe AuC Lakes a snapshoL of Lhe analog slgnal, measures and
converLs lL lnLo a dlglLal value. 1he AuC obLalns and approxlmaLes Lhe slgnal wlLh flxed preclslon and
converLs lL lnLo a serles of dlglLal values.

6.2 Performing
Digital-to-Analog Conversion
ulglLal-Lo-analog converslon ls Lhe opposlLe of analog-Lo-dlglLal converslon. ln dlglLal-Lo-analog
converslon, Lhe compuLer generaLes Lhe daLa.
6.3 Using Counters
A counLer ls a dlglLal Llmlng devlce. ?ou Lyplcally use counLers for evenL counLlng, frequency
measuremenL, perlod measuremenL, poslLlon measuremenL, and pulse generaLlon.
6.4 Using Digital I/O
22 uAC uevlces

ulglLal slgnals are elecLrlcal slgnals LhaL Lransfer dlglLal daLa over a wlre. 1hese slgnals Lyplcally have
only Lwo sLaLes: on and off, also known as hlgh and low, or 1 and 0. When sendlng a dlglLal slgnal
across a wlre, Lhe sender applles a volLage Lo Lhe wlre and Lhe recelver uses Lhe volLage level Lo
deLermlne Lhe value belng senL. 1he volLage ranges for each dlglLal value depend on Lhe volLage level
sLandard belng used.

ulglLal slgnals have many users:
ulglLal slgnals conLrol or measure dlglLal devlces such as swlLches or LLus

23

7 NI USB-6008
nl uS8-6008 ls a slmple and low-cosL mulLlfuncLlon l/C devlce from naLlonal lnsLrumenLs.

1he devlce has Lhe followlng speclflcaLlons:
8 analog lnpuLs (12-blL, 10 kS/s)
2 analog ouLpuLs (12-blL, 130 S/s)
12 dlglLal l/C
uS8 connecLlon, no exLra power-supply needed
CompaLlble wlLh LabvlLW, LabWlndows/Cvl, and MeasuremenL SLudlo for vlsual SLudlo .nL1
nl-uACmx drlver sofLware
1he nl uS8-6008 ls well sulLed for educaLlon purposes due Lo lLs small slze and easy uS8 connecLlon.
7.1 Connect NI USB-6008 to the PC
Conflgurlng and LesLlng: uS8-6008 can be conflgured and LesLed uslng MAx (MeasuremenL and
AuLomaLlon Lxplorer), whlch ls lnsLalled wlLh Lhe nl-uACmx urlver SofLware.
1he flrsL Llme you connecL Lhe uS8-6008 Lo Lhe C, Lhe Wlndows Pardware lnsLaller Wlzard wlll
open.
1he wlzard searches Lhe C for Lhe necessary drlver sofLware for Lhe uS8-6008. 1hls drlver sofLware
was lnsLalled along wlLh Lhe lnsLallaLlon of Lhe nl-uAC sofLware. When Lhe wlzard has flnlshed Lhe
lnsLallaLlon of Lhe drlver sofLware, Lhe uS8-6008 ls ready for use.
24 nl uS8-6008

7.1.1 Testing the USB-6008 in MAX
8efore you sLarL Lo use Lhe uS8-6008 ln an appllcaLlon, you should LesL Lhe devlce ln Lhe
MeasuremenL and AuLomaLlon Lxplorer (MAk).

ln Lhe MAx wlndow, expand Lhe uevlces and lnLerfaces" node and Lhen nl uACmx uevlces".
8lghL-cllck on Lhe nl uS8-6008 devlce and selecL Self-1esL".

23 nl uS8-6008

Popefully Lhe self-LesL passes wlLhouL errors. 1hen, you should LesL Lhe lndlvldual channels of Lhe
uS8-6008 Lo check LhaL Lhe lnpuL slgnals are deLecLed correcLly by Lhe uS8-6008, and LhaL Lhe ouLpuL
slgnals generaLed by Lhe uS8-6009 have correcL values. 1hls l/C can be LesLed ln several ways,
dependlng on whlch channels you acLually wanL Lo LesL.
We wlll perform a slmple loopback LesL:
Pere, leL us LesL analog ouLpuL channel 0 (AC0) and Lhe analog lnpuL channel 0 (Al0) Lo see lf Lhey
work correcLly. We wlll perform a very slmple LesL, whlch ls sufflclenL lf we are Lo check LhaL boLh
AC0 and Al0 work correcLly. 1he LesL procedure, whlch ls denoLed !""#$%&', ls Lo connecL Lhe Al0
channel Lo Lhe AC0 channel. 1hen we generaLe some legal volLage aL AC0. lf Al0 deLecLs Lhe same
volLage, we know LhaL boLh AC0 and Al0 work. (We may Lhen repeaL Lhls procedure for oLher
channels.) lf for some reason Al0 deLecLs some oLher volLage Lhan Lhe value we seL for AC0, Lhen
Lhere ls an error ln elLher Lhe Al0 channel or ln Lhe Lhe AC0 channel, and furLher lnvesLlgaLlons are
necessary.
1o prepare for Lhe loopback LesL, we wlre LogeLher Al0 and AC0. 1o see Lhe Lermlnals of Lhe
uS8-6000, selecL uevlce lnouLs" from Lhe rlghL-cllck menu.

26 nl uS8-6008

1he llgure shows Lhe Al0 and AC0 channels wlred LogeLher.

1o acLually perform Lhe loopback LesL, rlghL-cllck on Lhe nl uS8-6008 devlce ln MAx, and Lhen selecL
1esL anels.." ln order Lo open Lhe 1esL anels. ln Lhe 1esL anels wlndow, selecL Lhe Analog CuLpuL
Lab.
27 nl uS8-6008

ln Lhe Analog CuLpuL Lab, selecL any volLage beLween 0v and 3v.
nexL, cllck Lhe Analog lnpuL Lab ln Lhe 1esL anels wlndow.
28 nl uS8-6008

1he Analog lnpuL Lab should lndlcaLe Lhe same (or almosL Lhe same) volLage as ls seL ouL on AC0.
1here may be a small dlfference beLween Lhe values due Lo Lhe llmlLed resoluLlon ln Lhe
uA-converLer (dlglLal-Lo-analog) and ln Lhe Au-converLer (analog-Lo-dlglLal).

29 nl uS8-6008

?ou should also always use a mu|t|-meter Lo check lf Lhe volLage levels on Lhe ouLpuL and lnpuL
channels are correcL accordlng Lo your seLLlngs.

30 nl uS8-6008

7.2 Using NI USB-6008 in LabVIEW
ln order Lo use Lhe nl uS8-6008 ln LabvlLW you need Lo use Lhe uACmx funcLlons, see llgure below.

uACmx - uaLa AcqulslLlon paleLLe:
31 nl uS8-6008

7.3 DAQ Assistant
1he easlesL ways ls Lo use Lhe uAC AsslsLanL.
7.3.1 Analog Input
When you drag Lhe uAC AsslsLanL lcon on your 8lock ulagram, Lhe followlng wlndow appears:

32 nl uS8-6008

ln Lhls wlndow you need Lo selecL elLher Acqulre Slgnals" (l.e., lnpuL Slgnals) or CeneraLe Slgnals"
(l.e., CuLpuL Slgnals).
SelecL Acqulre Slgnals - Analog lnpuL - volLage.

ln Lhe nexL wlndow you selecL whlch Analog lnpuL you wanL Lo use. SelecL al0 (Analog lnpuL channel
0) and cllck llnlsh.
33 nl uS8-6008

1he followlng wlndow appears:
34 nl uS8-6008

ln Lhe 1|m|ng Sett|ngs SelecL 1 Samp|e (Cn Demand)".
33 nl uS8-6008

1he nexL sLep ls Lo selecL Lhe Slgnal lnpuL 8ange. A common slgnal ls 0-3v.

?ou may also rename Lhe name of Lhe channel (rlghL-cllck on Lhe name):
36 nl uS8-6008

?ou are now flnlshed wlLh Lhe conflguraLlon. Cllck Ck ln Lhe uAC AsslsLanL wlndow 1he uAC
AsslsLanL lcon appears on Lhe 8lock ulagram:

37 nl uS8-6008

Lxamp|e:
Wlre Lhe daLa ouLpuL Lo a numerlc lndlcaLor llke Lhls (and hlL Lhe 8un buLLon):

1hen numerlc lndlcaLor wlll show, e.g., Lhe followlng value:

[Lnd of Lxample]
Lxamp|e:
lf you wanL a conLlnuous" acqulslLlon, puL a Whlle loop around Lhe uAC AsslsLanL llke Lhls:

We can also communlcaLe wlLh Lhe uAC devlce wlLhouL uslng Lhe uAC AsslsLanL:
38 nl uS8-6008

lor more advanced appllcaLlons Lhls approach ls recommended.
[Lnd of Lxample]
7.3.2 Analog Output
Analog CuLpuL ls slmllar.

39 nl uS8-6008

40 nl uS8-6008

Lxamp|e:

Cr lnslde a loop for conLlnuous" wrlLlng Lo Lhe uAC devlce:

Powever you should noL use Lhe uAC AsslsLanL lnslde a loop because of Lhe lack of performance. 1he
followlng ls Lherefore beLLer:

41 nl uS8-6008

ln Lhls example we have used some of Lhe oLher vls ln Lhe uACmx paleLLer as well.
1he lronL anel may loook llke Lhls.

ln Lhls example we assume LhaL we connecL wlres for Analog CuL and Analog ln LogeLher llke Lhls (a
socalled loopback LesL):

42 nl uS8-6008

We can also communlcaLe wlLh Lhe uAC devlce wlLhouL uslng Lhe uAC AsslsLanL:

lor more advanced appllcaLlons Lhls approach ls recommended.
[Lnd of Lxample]

43

8 Logging to File
ln many cases you wanL Lo wrlLe your daLa you geL from Lhe uAC devlce Lo a LexL flle for laLer use. ln
Lhls chapLer we wlll learn how Lo wrlLe Lo a measuremenL flle ln LabvlLW. We wlll also learn how Lo
read Lhe same flle.
?ou can use Lhe WrlLe Lo MeasuremenL llle" funcLlon on Lhe llle l/C paleLLe ln LabvlLW for wrlLlng
daLa Lo LexL flles ?ou can save your daLa ln a Lab separaLed LexL (LvM daLa flle formaL) or as a blnary
(1uMS flle formaL) flle.

lf we use Lhe LvM, lL ls easy Lo open and vlew Lhe daLa ln noLepad.
8.1 Writing to Measurement File
We wlll use Lhe WrlLe Lo MeasuremenL llle" funcLlon ln Lhe llle l/C paleLLe ln LabvlLW for wrlLlng
daLa Lo LexL flles. We wlll also focus on Lhe LvM daLa flle formaL, noL Lhe 1uMS flle formaL whlch glve
blnary flles.
44 Logglng Lo llle

When you drag ln Lhe WrlLe Lo MeasuremenL llle", a conflguraLlon dlalog wlndow wlll auLomaLlcally
pop up.
8ecommended seLLlngs for Lhe WrlLe 1o MeasuremenL llle" ls as follows:

Lxamp|e:
Lxample of LabvlLW rogram LhaL wrlLe daLa Lo a MeasuremenL llle:
lronL anel:
43 Logglng Lo llle

ln Lhls appllcaLlon we log daLa from a process based on a manual conLrol slgnal. 8oLh Lhe lnpuL slgnal
u and Lhe ouLpuL slgnal (LemperaLure) ls saved Lo a MeasuremenL llle.
8lock ulagram:

1he LvM flle may look someLhlng llke Lhls:
46 Logglng Lo llle

1he flrsL column ls Lhe Llme, Lhe second column ls Lhe lnpuL slgnal, and Lhe Lhlrd column ls Lhe ouLpuL
slgnal.
[Lnd of Lxample]
8.2 Read from Measurement File

When you drag ln Lhe 8ead from MeasuremenL llle", a conflguraLlon dlalog wlndow wlll
auLomaLlcally pop up.
8ecommended seLLlngs for Lhe kead Irom Measurement I||e":
47 Logglng Lo llle

Lxamp|e:
Lxample of LabvlLW rogram LhaL read daLa from a MeasuremenL llle:

1hls appllcaLlon reads Lhe daLa and ploLs lL ln 2 dlfferenL graphs.
48 Logglng Lo llle

8lock ulagram:

[Lnd of Lxample]

Iacu|ty of 1echno|ogy
k[|nes k|ng S6
N-3918 orsgrunn, Norway
www.h|t.no

nans-etter na|vorsen, M.Sc.
Iacu|ty of 1echno|ogy
Department of L|ectr|ca| Lng|neer|ng, Informat|on 1echno|ogy and Cybernet|cs

L-ma||: hans.p.ha|vorsenQh|t.no
8|og: http:]]home.h|t.no]~hansha]
koom: 8-237a

Data Acquisition in LabVIEW

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