Data Acquisition Using LabVIEW by Behzad Ehsani

Key FeaturesCreate your own data acquisition system independently using LabVIEW and build interactive dashboardsCollect data using National Instruments and third-party, open source, affordable hardwareStep-by-step real-world examples using various tools that illustrate the fundamentals of data acquisitionBook DescriptionNI LabVIEWs intuitive graphical interface eliminates the steep learning curve associated with text-based languages such as C or C++. LabVIEW is a proven and powerful integrated development environment to interact with measurement and control hardware, analyze data, publish results, and distribute systems.This hands-on tutorial guide helps you harness the power of LabVIEW for data acquisition. This book begins with a quick introduction to LabVIEW, running through the fundamentals of communication and data collection. Then get to grips with the auto-code generation feature of LabVIEW using its GUI interface. You will learn how to use NI-DAQmax Data acquisition VIs, showing how LabVIEW can be used to appropriate a true physical phenomenon (such as temperature, light, and so on) and convert it to an appropriate data type that can be manipulated and analyzed with a computer. You will also learn how to create Distribution Kit for LabVIEW, acquainting yourself with various debugging techniques offered by LabVIEW to help you in situations where bugs are not letting you run your programs as intended.By the end of the book, you will have a clear idea how to build your own data acquisition system independently and much more.What you will learnCreate a virtual instrument which highlights common functionality of LabVIEWGet familiarized with common buses such as Serial, GPIB, and SCPI commandsStaircase signal acquisition using NI-DAQmxDiscover how to measure light intensity and distanceMaster LabVIEW debugging techniquesBuild a data acquisition application complete with an installer and required driversUtilize open source microcontroller Arduino and a 32-bit Arduino compatible Uno32 using LabVIEW programming environmentAbout the AuthorBehzad Ehsani is a computer engineering graduate who lives in the Silicon Valley in San Jose, California. He was born in Iran and came to the US with no money, planning to finish school in 4 years and go back to Iran as an engineer. That was 35 years ago! He worked night shifts at McDonalds and went to school in the morning. He recalls those years as a foggy dream (Fresno has foggy mornings). For all of those who remember what went on 35 years ago in Iran and the hostage crisis in US, it all may be (and, to an extent, is) the propaganda of one side or the other, but for Behzad, it had an immediate consequence. Being an Iranian was unimaginable during those years of his life, unimaginable in the sense that one would have to be in that position to know what each Iranian in the US, even those who had nothing to do with the events, had to endure. Immediately after the hostage crisis, Behzad had to drop out of university. After being fired from McDonalds for being an Iranian, he worked many blue-collar jobs, from pizza places to Italian restaurants and tutoring in first- and second-grade schools, and came to the conclusion that he should try his skills as a mechanic.This was another turning point for him, since he soon met an American girlfriend in school, and the relationship ended with a citizenship after about 10 years. Behzad went back to his old routine; working at a gas station and going to school part time. He started studying electrical engineering. However, there was another revolution that took place: Sacramento State University was the first university that completely separated computer engineering from electrical engineering. Although it cost Behzad some units, he transferred his major to computer engineering. Connecting a telephone headset and a monitor to a central computer that took up several rooms was the most exciting thing for him. Many years later, personal computers were introduced, and Behzad describes opening a Mac SE with two floppies as one of the most delightful days of his life. Behzad was recruited as an engineer when Packard Bell opened a giant PC manufacturing company. While Behzad was in Sacramento, Silicon Valley was forming, and when he received a call from Apple Computers for a senior position, life became much better for him. Afterward, Behzad left Apple to work at Spectra Physics and, finally, he moved to work for Sentient Energy in Burlingame, by the San Francisco airport.Table of ContentsLabVIEW BasicsMost Common Communication BusesUsing the DAQ Assistant to Automatically Generate LabVIEW CodeDAQ Programming Using LabVIEWDebugging TechniquesReal-World DAQ Programming TechniquesReal-Time IssuesDAQ at a Distance - Network and Distributed SystemsAlternate Software for DAQNon-National Instrument Devices DAQLabVIEW and Simple Microcontrollers