Hands on with LabVIEW and Embedded Linux (Part 2)

By Rick Lehrbaum
1997-10-14

Article Rating:

/ 0

Rate This Article:

Add This Article To:

What is LabVIEW?LabVIEW, a graphical, data-flow driven programming language, created by National Instruments and first shipped in 1986, opened the world of computer programming to non-programming scientists and engineers by enabling them to SEE how to program. LabVIEW has functional icons that are connected together using a wiring tool - just like prototyping a circuit on a test bench.

This graphical way of programming has been an eye-opening experience to thousands of people, a recent survey by Test & Measurement World magazine showed LabVIEW as the fourth most popular programming language for data acquisition and/or instrument control, behind Visual Basic, C and C++.

LabVIEW makes the concept of Virtual Instrumentation (VI) a reality. The objective in virtual instrumentation is to use a general purpose computer to mimic real instruments with their dedicated controls and displays, but with the added versatility that comes with software. Instead of buying a strip-chart recorder, an oscilloscope and a spectrum analyzer, you can buy one high-performance analog-to-digital converter and use a computer running LabVIEW to simulate all of these instruments and more. The virtual instrumentation concept is so fundamental to the way that LabVIEW works that the programs you write in LabVIEW are in fact called VIs. You use simple instruments (subVIs) to build more complex instruments just as you use subprograms to build a more complex main program in a conventional programming language.

Figure 1: a spectrum analyzer written in the LabVIEW graphical programming language. When you write a program in LabVIEW you connect functional icons together to form virtual instruments. Virtual instruments use a general purpose computer to mimic real instruments. By embedding virtual instruments into small form-factor PCs you can create an whole new class of physical instruments.

LabVIEW comes with an enormous library of virtual instruments containing analysis routines, DSP functions, functions used for communication and control of external instruments as well as the functions you need to build your own custom virtual instruments. LabVIEW has built in support for tcp/ip networking and even includes its own web server so you can interact with your virtual instruments from the web or from virtual instruments on other computers. LabVIEW is designed to let you easily build networked data acquisition and control systems.

One of the cool things about LabVIEW is that programs written in LabVIEW's "G" graphical language on one platform can be recompiled on another platform without modification as long as they do not call any platform specific functions, i.e. Windows ActiveX components. Currently LabVIEW runs on Windows, Macintosh, Sun, HP-UX and, since 1998, on x86 Linux.

Because LabVIEW is cross-platform there is a large code base that can be leveraged into creating the next generation of instrumentation. The combination of LabVIEW's easy, intuitive graphical language with the stability of the modular Linux operating system makes LabVIEW and Linux the perfect fit for rapidly building sophisticated embedded instrumentation.
--- Continued ---

Story navigation . . .

	Discuss Hands on with LabVIEW and Embedded Linux (Part 2)

	>>> Be the FIRST to comment on this article!



	>>> More Linux For Devices Articles Articles >>> More By Rick Lehrbaum

Email Article To Friend ♦ Print Version Of Article ♦ PDF Version Of Article

FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.

Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.

Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.

Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.

High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.

Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.

Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.

Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.

7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.