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ME 365 EXPERIMENT 8
FREQUENCY ANALYSIS

Objectives:
There are two goals in this laboratory exercise. The first is to reinforce the Fourier series
analysis you have done in the lecture portion of this course. The second is to improve your
LabVIEW programming skills. These goals are to be met with the students completion of a
Fourier-based LabVIEW program.

After completing this lab, you should be able to:
Find the Fourier coefficients for a periodic signal.
Reconstruct a periodic signal using a combination of sinusoids
Decompose a periodic signal into its Fourier series and understand why this is useful.


About the program:
The VI that you will construct today is modeled after the Sine-only form of the Fourier
series, given with:
o n n
n 1
2 nt
y(t) M / 2 M sin( )
T


where
k
is the phase term. From the pre-lab exercise you should be comfortable converting
between the
k
A and
k
B in the Sine and Cosine Fourier expression and the related coefficients
in the Sine-only Fourier expression.

Now load Fourier.vi from the 365 library. As a starting block, you are given the front
panel shown below in figure 1. Your work will occur on the associated wiring diagram.

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Figure 1: The Front Panel
(Location: vi... /DESKTOP /ME365 /ME365.LLB /Fourier.vi)

This is the completed front panel. You should recognize that all of the numeric constants
are controllers, or inputs to the VI. The outputs are the Front Panels graphical display as well
as a continuously generated voltage corresponding to the waveform. This continuous waveform
will come out of DAC0 port on the data acquisition interface. It is your task to correctly
complete a VI which will take the VIs inputs, generate the function y(t), graph it, and send it to
the D/A output port. What follows is an outline of the steps you will need to take.

Procedure:
Based on the form of the Sine only Fourier series an algorithm can be developed:

1. Collection and organization of the inputs
Before you do any wiring you should be comfortable with what the inputs are. Each row
of amplitude, phase, and frequency multiplier will provide information for the generation of one
sinusoid. Therefore you must be careful to keep the sets together. The inputs of fundamental
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frequency and sampling frequency are used several times. For example, they will be used in the
generation of each sinusoid. Locate each of these inputs in the Wiring Diagram and make an
effort to keep organized.

2. Generation of sinusoids
As the Fourier series is a collection of sinusoids, you will need a method of sine wave
generation. To do this we will use an existing Sine Pattern VI. It is located by expanding the
tools menu, selecting Signal Processing, then Signal Generation, then Sine Pattern.VI. Its
wiring diagram and location are shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: Sine Pattern

This VI has four inputs: number of points (samples), amplitude, phase and cycles. It is
important to note that the vi expects phase in degrees, not radians. The number of points to be
used in the generation is equal to the sampling frequency divided by the fundamental frequency
(take a minute to verify this). The fundamental frequency multiplier corresponds to the Fourier
summation counter k. For clarity, when k=1 we will generate the fundamental sinusoidal
component. Its period, given by T
0
=1/ f
0
, is the period of the function y(t). When k=2 we will
generate a sinusoidal component that goes through two of full oscillations in T
0
seconds.
NOTE: The cycles input can only be positive integers.
Sine Pattern.vi outputs the generated sinewave. Although it is not necessary, it will be easiest
to use a separate Sine Pattern.vi for each of the six input sets; you can use cut and paste to save
time.
NOTE: You may create a DC term by using a Numerical Control labeled as DC
OFFSET.
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3. Collection of sinusoids
Once all the appropriate sinusoids are generated they must be summed together. For this
task you may use BigSum.vi shown in figure 3.
array inputs output array

Figure 3: BigSum.vi
(Location: Select a VI... / ME365 /ME365_support.LLB /BigSum.vi)

This VI was built for this exercise and replaces multiple summing blocks. It takes up to six
arrays as inputs and sums them term by term to generate one array as its output. Use this to
simplify the wiring in your Wiring Diagram.

4. Graphing and outputting
To view the function we will need to send it to the Front Panels Time History plot. Call
up Scope.vi and follow its wiring directions as shown in figure 4.
inputs:
fundamental freq
sampling freq
array
loop counter "i"
output bundle

Figure 4: Scope.vi
(Location: Select a VI... /ME365 /ME365_support.LLB /Scope.vi)

This VI was also designed for this specific laboratory. Scope.vi provides two major services: It
creates the appropriate time axis for the Time History on the Front Panel youve been given. It
also automatically sends the generated waveform to the DAC0 port which can be viewed on the
oscilloscope.
NOTE: In order to create a continuous signal from a waveform of finite length you
must incorporate a loop. That is to say, everything youve done in your Wiring Diagram
now needs to be encased in one giant While Loop. In fact, the counter (i) from the loop is
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one of Scope.vis required inputs. To make the loop run continuously you will also need
to add a logic constant, set on true. Wire this to the loops small green continuation
arrow. Looping your code like this will allow you to observe the contribution of each
sinusoidal component as it is entered into the Front Panel.

The other inputs are the sample frequency, the fundamental frequency, and the array
coming out of BigSum.vi. The output from Scope.vi is a cluster containing the waveform and
corresponding time information. It must be sent to the Front Panels Time History plot. With
this connected, you are ready to test your VI.

VI implementation
Use your VI to generate the signals listed below. Display the generated signal on
your oscilloscope and then measure it using the Simple Spectrum Analyzer VI, described on
pages 6 and 7. Use the continuous run mode of the VI in order to see how the various waves are
formed as individual sinusoids are added one by one.

1. Square-wave: The ratios of the coefficients for a square wave with odd symmetry will
have only odd number terms. Calculate the coefficients and generate the wave.

2. Sawtooth-wave: The ratios of the coefficients of an odd symmetry sawtooth will have
both even and odd numbered term. Calculate the coefficients and generate the wave.

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Simple Spectrum Analyzer.vi

Simple Spectrum Analyzer.vi acquires and analyzes a waveform. The VI breaks the signal up
into its individual frequency components and displays their magnitudes. The front panel is
shown in figure 5. You need not fully understand all of the inner workings of this VI. Just the
same, brief descriptions of each user option are given below and on the next page.


Figure 5: Simple Spectrum Analyzer.vi
(Location: vi... /DESKTOP /ME365 /ME365.LLB / Simple Spectrum Analyzer.vi)

Input channel number is Ch 3 for this VI.

number of samples: This is the total number of points used in the Fourier analysis. For
quickest results, this should be a power of 2. The more points you use, the finer the resolution
(more data points) on the spectral plot.

sample rate: This is the frequency at which the data is sampled. Watch out for aliasing!

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Window: Remember that Fourier analysis is based on the fundamental assumption that the
signal being analyzed is periodic. As most experimental data is not truly periodic, windows are
used to force periodicity. Basically, they multiply the input by zero at its start and end, and by a
non-zero value everywhere else. This pinches the sampled signal to zero at its ends and ensures
that it has the same starting and ending value. Windows themselves come in a variety of
shapes, each with their own benefits to the spectral plots. You should experiment briefly with
this option to see if a particular window works best for your data. None and Hanning are
the most commonly used.

Display Unit: Here you can select the amplitude units for the spectral plot. Choosing Vpk will
give you the Fourier coefficients. Choosing Vrms allows you to view the spectral power.

Log/Linear: Viewing the spectrum on a log scale can give you details which the linear plot
might miss. It is important, however, to keep clear what the relative spectral magnitudes are.
The log plot can be misleading in this regard.