Build Your Own I/O for LabVIEW FPGA - National Instruments

The Worldwide Publication for Measurement and Automation | Fourth Quarter 2008

NewsletterInstrumentation6 Eight Rules for Prototyping

8 Understanding the Global Climatewith Measurements and Data

10 Reduce FPGA Compile Time with New Simulation Capabilities

11 Increase System Performance andReliability with New PXI Offerings

12 Implementing BasebandTechniques for Signal Intelligence

14 LabVIEW Graphical SystemDesign – From Kindergartento Rocket Science

15 Did You Know LabVIEW CouldMake Your Sensors Wireless?

16 Special Focus:Five Medical Device Start-UpsReceive NI Grant Funding

18 New Smart Cameras DeliverFaster Processing, HigherResolution

24 Using Advanced Techniquesfor Industrial Control

28 NI Announces 2008 GraphicalSystem Design AchievementAwards Winners

ni.com

Build Your Own I/Ofor LabVIEW FPGA

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Volume 20, Number 4 Fourth Quarter 2008Instrumentation Newsletter

Executive Editor John GraffEditor in Chief Jennifer DawkinsManaging Editor Andria Balman Senior Editor Jenn Giles Associate Editors Jennifer King, Jontel MoranContributing Editors Johanna Gilmore, Katey Gunn

Creative Manager Joe SilvaArt Director Adam HampshireDesign Manager Megan WaddingtonProject Manager Pamela MapuaDesigner and Illustrator Brent BurdenPrint Production Art Manager Laura Thompson

Production Artist Pam NaltyPhoto Editors Nicole Kinbarovsky, Allie VerlanderImage Coordinator Kathy BrownProduction Specialists Judy Pinckard, Robert BurnetteCirculation Coordinator Marzena Szostak

©2008 National Instruments. All rights reserved. ActiveMath, AudioMASTER, AutoCode, BioBench, BridgeVIEW, Citadel, CompactRIO, Crashbase, CVI, DAQCard, DAQ Designer, DAQPad, DAQ-STC, DASYLab, DIAdem, DIAdem CLIP, DIAdem-INSIGHT,DocumentIt!, Electronics Workbench, FieldPoint, Flex ADC, FlexDMM, FlexFrame, FlexMotion, HiQ, HS488, IMAQ, Instrumentation Newsletter, Instrupedia, LabVIEW, LabVIEW Player, Lookout, MANTIS, MATRIXx, Measure, Measurement Ready,Measurement Studio, microLEX, MITE, Multisim, MXI, NAT4882, NAT7210, NAT9914, National Instruments, National Instruments Alliance Partner, NI, NI-488, ni.com, NI CompactDAQ, NI Developer Suite, NI FlexRIO, NI-Motion, NI Motion Assistant, NI SoftMotion, NI TestStand, NIWeek, RIDE, RTSI, SCXI, Sensors Plug&Play, SignalExpress, SystemBuild, The Software is the Instrument, The Virtual Instrumentation Company, TNT4882, TNT4882C, Turbo488, Ultiboard, VAB, VideoMASTER, VirtualBench,VXIpc, and Xmath are trademarks of National Instruments. The mark LabWindows is used under a license from Microsoft Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. LEGO, the LEGOlogo, and WEDO are trademarks of the LEGO Group. Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

A National Instruments Alliance Partner is a business entity independent from National Instruments and has no agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship with National Instruments.

Instrumentation Newsletter is published quarterly by National Instruments Corporation, 11500 N Mopac Expwy, Austin, TX 78759-3504 USA.

Inside NI

Doubling Our Technical Sales TeamWe use this page each quarter in Instrumentation Newsletter to give you an inside perspective on National Instruments beyond the technicaltrends and product and application information that make up most of thenewsletter. Along those lines, I want to give you an update on a significantinvestment NI is currently undertaking to help deliver more customersuccess – doubling our technical sales force by the end of 2010.

Starting with Products and PlatformsFor more than 30 years, NI has aggressively invested in R&D, and today we enjoy a reputation for producing a high volume of innovative new products. That investment continues to expand every year, and theresulting new products are truly the engine that drives our companygrowth. Over the last 10 years, the products that have seen the mostsignificant growth and success are our platform-based products, such asthe PXI modular instrumentation and CompactRIO industrial/embeddedplatforms. Both platforms use a modular approach, so you have theflexibility to address a wide range of unique application challenges.

Ensuring System-Level SuccessThe modularity and flexibility of platforms like PXI and CompactRIO have led to rapid growth of larger, system-level business for NationalInstruments. Instead of using NI products as small components of a larger design, control, or test system, customers are increasingly using our platforms at the heart of many large and sophisticated systems, from cell phone production test systems to embedded control systems in new medical devices.

Acting as a Trusted AdviserThe NI direct sales model dates back more than 20 years, and today we haveoffices in more than 40 countries. With our products and platforms playing amore significant role in your systems, the function of our technical sales teamhas become increasingly important as our employees spend more time with you consulting and advising on your individual system needs. One example is our work with CERN and the Large Hadron Collider. Our technical sales team has spent significant time with CERN engineers specifying, prototyping, and deploying an advanced control system that met the demandingrequirements of CERN.

Investing in Customer SuccessAs NI continues to heavily devote resources to new products, we also are increasing our investment in our technical sales team to help drive the continued success of these large system-level opportunities. Thisinvestment offers continued growth for both NI and our customers. We believe accelerating our technical sales investment is also anacceleration in our investment in you, our customers.

– John Graff [email protected]

John Graff has been with National Instrumentssince 1987 and is the vice president of marketingand customer operations. He received a bachelor‘s degree in electrical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

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Cover

Build Your Own I/O for LabVIEW FPGA

From the early days of virtual instrumentation withcustom buttons, knobs, and user interfaces tocomplete system modeling with graphical systemdesign, the balance of power has clearly shifted away from a vendor-defined view of the world to a user-defined view. Recently, this flexibility hasextended from software down to silicon, with field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) offering greatercustomization from data acquisition applications to complex, dynamic test systems.

National Instruments tools have been at the forefront of this progression toward user-programmable instrumentation. The latest version of the NI LabVIEW FPGAModule features enhanced fixed-point intellectual property (IP) support,additional IP including windowing and rational resampling, and more efficientdevelopment and debugging tools. On the hardware side, new Xilinx Virtex-5R Series modules from NI feature the latest FPGA technology to providefaster code execution and increased LabVIEW code capacity. However,these advances do not always meet the specific I/O requirements for the most demanding or niche applications.

The latest leap in technology is NI FlexRIO hardware for PXI, whichcombines the same powerful LabVIEW FPGA technology found in other NIhardware targets and an open, user-customizable front end. By offering thehost communication infrastructure of PXI and a large, programmable targetfor code deployment in the NI FlexRIO FPGA module, this new platform helpsengineers customize their data acquisition or test application to meet thenecessary requirements, including digital, analog, RF, or any other I/O type.

NI FlexRIO Building Blocks The most differentiating aspect of NI FlexRIO is what sits in front of theFPGA – nothing. With direct access to the physical FPGA pins, engineers candecide which type of signals they want to add to the LabVIEW FPGA target.

To make this possible, all NI FlexRIO implementations require two distincthardware pieces: an adapter module and a PXI FPGA module.

Like other NI FPGA-based hardware devices, NI FlexRIO FPGA moduleshave a Virtex-5 FPGA that engineers can program using LabVIEW (see Table 1).NI R Series data acquisition (DAQ) devices integrate the FPGA with analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters as well as digital buffers to offer a standard set of I/O capabilities on a device. On an NI FlexRIO FPGA module, however, the FPGA pins go directly to the front connector; there is no additional circuitry specified for the engineer. For this reason, the NI FlexRIO FPGA module specifications are those of the FPGA itself: 66differential lines at up to 1 Gb/s per pair or 132 single-ended lines at up to400 Mb/s. In addition, an NI FlexRIO FPGA module features deep onboardmemory and the ability to use external clocks, both of which offer significantadvantages for high-performance test applications.

Each front-end adapter module defines the specific I/O capabilities of anNI FlexRIO system. NI, third parties, or end users, themselves, can developadapter modules. Users with PCB layout experience can specify the exactfront end needed for a test or design application and build an adaptermodule out of circuit components. Because the NI FlexRIO FPGA modulefor PXI handles complex data movement, memory interfacing, and

Figure 1. NI FlexRIO systems, consisting of an adapter module and a PXI FPGA module, offerengineers a new level of customization to LabVIEW FPGA applications.

The most powerful trend in test and measurement during the last30 years has been customization.

NI FlexRIO FPGA Modules FPGA General-Purpose I/OOnboard Memory

(DRAM) List Price1

PXI-7951R Virtex-5 LX30 66 Differential or 132 Single-Ended 0 MB $2,999 USD; €2,649; ¥378,000




Table 1. NI FlexRIO FPGA modules provide Virtex-5 FPGAs and up to 128 MB of onboard memory for demanding application requirements. 1All prices are subject to change without notice.

(continued on page 4)

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software, the adapter module can be designed to manage only theapplication-specific interfacing requirements. With this in mind, users can ultimately customize each NI FlexRIO implementation to the exactconverter, buffer, clock, or even I/O connector needed for the test system.

For example, one NI FlexRIO adapter module, the NI 6581, is a 100 MHz single-ended digital I/O adapter module with a hardware designsimilar to other high-speed digital I/O devices (without any fixed softwareprogramming interface outside LabVIEW FPGA). With 54 digital I/O pins,selectable voltage levels, and the ability to provide an external VOH/VIH

reference, the NI 6581 offers functionality and flexibility for demanding, high-performance test applications. Engineers can implement algorithmicpattern generation, protocol-aware test, or other complex digital techniques in silicon with LabVIEW. While this high-speed I/O device lacks the ease of use or out-of-box capability of a fixed-functionality driver API (found on NI modular instruments), it offers extreme flexibility and processing power.

NI FlexRIO Custom Adapter ModulesThe goal of NI FlexRIO is to provide the best integration betweencommercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and custom I/O front ends.Within the semiconductor industry, for example, many applications require specialized I/O. High-speed digital signals can range from 1 Gb/s to 10 Gb/s, often involving multiple digital standards (LVDS, ECL, XAUI, and more) and multigigabit transceivers (MGTs). Commercially availableanalog-to-digital converters can sample at several gigasamples per second

with high bandwidth. Both cases require specialized front-end components,matched trace impedances, and different power considerations. Even specificmechanical pieces of the system become more important, from connector typeto cable length. As test requirements become specialized, engineers have an increasingly difficult time building high-performance test systems with off-the-shelf hardware; while they seldom prefer custom development, thisimplementation is often necessary to achieve the specific system requirements.

The NI FlexRIO Adapter Module Development Kit (MDK) provides fulldocumentation on electrical and mechanical design details, including CADfiles and generic metal enclosures. Engineers can use these guidelineswhen developing the circuit schematic and choose from almost any brandof CAD software to design the PCB. Once engineers fabricate the PCB,they can populate components and add the exact mechanical connectorsto make system connectivity as easy as possible.

NI FlexRIO for Component or Custom Circuit ValidationBeyond adding application-specific circuitry for I/O, engineers can useNI FlexRIO to evaluate cutting-edge electrical components and validatecircuit designs within the adapter module itself. The NI FlexRIO FPGAmodule front connector provides 132 high-speed digital lines that canprobe, control, communicate, and measure the various digital signals of an electrical design. With the LabVIEW FPGA Module, engineers canuse high-level design tools to implement protocol-aware test bencheswith hardware-timed decision making and nanosecond response rates.

Figure 2. The NI FlexRIO Adapter MDK provides step-by-step information for creating custom adapter modules – from layout, to module development, to final product.

Module Development

Layout Adapter Module

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They can then adapt the same test platform for a completely differentcircuit or evaluation chip by simply changing the adapter module. The fast pace of technology requires flexibility and adaptability from a testsystem, and NI FlexRIO can keep up with low-level specifications andminimize the time and expense of custom hardware designs.

Creating Custom I/O Nodes in LabVIEW FPGAUsing NI FlexRIO, engineers can take full advantage of the newComponent-Level IP (CLIP) Node feature introduced with the LabVIEWFPGA Module 8.6. The CLIP Node provides enhanced integration of VHDL or any hardware description language (HDL) with the LabVIEW blockdiagram. This new feature helps users run HDL code asynchronously with LabVIEW graphical programming to take advantage of third-party IP cores.

NI FlexRIO FPGA modules use a special version of the CLIP Node called a socketed CLIP that gives HDL code access to the physical I/O pins on theFPGA chip, bringing the custom inputs and outputs of the adapter modulesinto the LabVIEW FPGA block diagram. The HDL code in a socketed CLIPNode can be simple pass-through logic or a complex state machine todecode a data stream. An XML file is created to add LabVIEW FPGA I/Onodes to the LabVIEW Project and expose signals in the CLIP Node asstandard LabVIEW data types. Once the CLIP Node defines the I/O, theprogramming experience of NI FlexRIO follows that of NI CompactRIO, R Series, or any other LabVIEW FPGA target.

Virtual Instrumentation EvolvedNI FlexRIO is a powerful next step in the trend toward user-defined test systems first generated by virtual instrumentation decades ago. With interchangeable adapter modules, engineers can create solutionsthat meet their exact I/O needs. Combined with the powerful back-endinfrastructure of LabVIEW FPGA and Virtex-5 FPGA targets, NI FlexRIOhardware offers the flexibility of graphical system design for even themost complex design and test applications.

– Vineet Aggarwal [email protected]

Vineet Aggarwal is a data acquisition product manager at National Instruments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University.

– Luke Schreier [email protected]

Luke Schreier is the modular instruments group manager at National Instruments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

For more information on NI FlexRIO adapter modules and the NI FlexRIO Adapter MDK, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8401.

UserCLIP

UserCLIP

UserCLIP

Socketed CLIPSocketed CLIP

DRAMDRAM

LabVIEW FPGA VI

NI FlexRIO FPGA

Socketed CLIP AdapterModule

PXIBus

Figure 3. The FPGA within the NI FlexRIO targets uses the CLIP Node to integrate third-party IP cores and communicate with the adapter module.

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Don’t worry. There is a path to success. If you can demonstrate or, better yet, put a prototype into the customer’s hands and get real feedback on the value of your innovation, the probability of business success greatly increases. If you want to be an entrepreneur and move your ideaout of your head, develop a prototype and keep the following eight rules in mind.

1Recognize That Ideas Are Cheap – Given the connected, Internet-savvy world in which we live, ideas have become cheapand they will probably become cheaper with time. The expense liesin testing and verifying what has economic value. A great prototypeis often the best way to start a dialogue with potential customersand test your idea’s value.

2Start with a Paper Design – You may be eager to start coding or designing the electronics too quickly. Fight the urge. Writing code without real consideration for several design factors leads to heartache and a lot of rework. Start with a simple paper design. For a user interface or Web software prototype, a paper design isefficient and effective for quickly working through the functionality.You can get peers and, hopefully, customers to give feedback on where images, text, buttons, graphs, menus, or pull-downselections are located. Paper designs are inexpensive and morevaluable than words.

3Put in Just Enough Work – Know your objectives and stick to them. There are two good reasons to prototype: the first is to test thefeasibility of a hardware or software architecture, and the second is to create a demonstration and gain customer feedback so you can priceand put a value on your innovation. Keep these objectives in mind and be careful not to fall in love with the process. Prototyping is funand innovators love to tinker, but you want to invest just enough time and work to meet the objectives.

4Anticipate for Multiple Options – Design your prototype withmodularity in mind. Great prototypes are often modular, which means you can quickly adapt them to meet customers’ unforeseenneeds. Customers ultimately decide how to use your product, not you. Design in options for expansion, performance, packaging, and lower cost.

5Design for Reuse in the Final Product – The ideal situation is to design a prototype you can produce and distribute in high volume.Not many prototyping tools can deliver on this promise. Typically you give up performance for design flexibility. Look for prototypingtools that make it possible for you to scale your prototype from lab to market (see Figure 1).

6Avoid Focusing on Cost Too Early – For hardware designs, a potential time sink and pitfall is getting caught up in endless cost optimization analysis during the early stages of your prototype design. Cost is always important, but your goal with a prototype is to be within striking distance of a profitable design. Initially, focus on proving the value of your innovation, and design withmodularity in mind. While frustrating, your design may follow manypaths that do not ultimately lead to value. Focus on securing your first set of customers and then work on cost optimization.

7Fight “Reversion to the Mean” – When prototyping, the tendencyis to develop something easy rather than develop something that has a “wow” factor. Stay true to your vision and make sure yourprototype captures the original thought of your innovation.

8Ensure You Can Demonstrate Your Prototype – Your prototypeshould be easy to demonstrate. With customers, venture capitalists(VCs), and potential employees, you want to start strong and show the most amazing capabilities first. Do not build up to a crescendo. Most people’s attention spans are limited to less than 60 seconds. In presentations, whether they are for a new employee or a VC, get to the demonstration as fast as possible. If the demonstration is amazing, all else falls into place.

Eight Rules for Prototyping

Feature

As an engineer or scientist, you may be dreaming up product ideas that you think have market value; yet, you may be concerned that you lack the training or skills to fully develop your idea.

DeployPrototype

Figure 1. Having a prototype that comes close to matching the final product is ideal.

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Take Advantage of NI Prototyping ToolsThe flexibility and productivity of NI tools have proven useful in getting aprototype working quickly – from medical devices to industrial machinery toautomated test systems. Figures 2 and 3 show examples of NI customersusing NI LabVIEW software and the NI CompactRIO embedded hardwaresystem to prototype their ideas. Figure 2 shows a prototype, developed bySanarus Medical, of a medical device used to treat patients with breasttumors in a less invasive and nearly painless procedure. With NI tools, amechanical engineer with little embedded experience quickly developed this full-functioning prototype.

Figure 3 features a prototype, developed by engineers at BostonEngineering, of a photo kiosk that instantly prints digital images. Engineers previously used custom hardware to develop prototypes. With LabVIEWFPGA technology and NI off-the-shelf hardware tools, they were able todevelop prototypes quicker.

The NI graphical system design platform, including LabVIEW and flexibleoff-the-shelf hardware, provides one of the quickest paths to a working

prototype for any engineer, scientist, or academician. Consider using fast prototyping tools from NI to transform your idea into reality. The quicker you develop your prototype, the better.

– John Hanks [email protected]

John Hanks is the vice president of product marketing for dataacquisition and industrial control at National Instruments. He holdsbachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Texas A&MUniversity and The University of Texas at Austin, respectively.

– Todd Dobberstein [email protected]

Todd Dobberstein is a group manager of industrial and embeddedtechnologies at National Instruments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University.

To download the NI prototyping e-kit, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8402.

Figure 3. Boston Engineering chose LabVIEW and CompactRIO to quicklyprototype its printer kiosk design.

Figure 2. Engineers at Sanarus Medical prototyped and deployed their owndesign using LabVIEW and CompactRIO.

‘‘NI played a fundamental part in achieving our goals.Our product design, prototype, and eventualdeployment timelines were met because of thegraphical system design platform from NI.’’

– Jeff Stevens, Engineer, formerly of Sanarus Medical

‘‘With the open, productive graphical system designplatform of LabVIEW, we saved a tremendous amount of time from design to prototype to deployment.’’

– Erik Goethert, Program Manager, Boston Engineering

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Feature

Understanding the Global Climatewith Measurements and Data

The undertaking to better understand this challenge and explore the potentialsolutions is massive and requires the coordinated efforts of engineers andscientists across the globe. These efforts heavily depend on the availability of unprecedented amounts of trusted, accurate data delivered by tens ofthousands of reliable measurement systems.

Greenhouse Gases and the EnvironmentThe 2007 assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) states that global warming is “unequivocal” with evidence ofupward trends in global air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting ofsnow and ice, and rising sea levels. It is generally agreed that a major factor in climate warming is the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

To balance incoming energy from the sun, the earth must radiate the sameamount of energy back to space. Because the earth is colder than the sun, it radiates at much longer wavelengths, primarily in the infrared part of thespectrum. The earth’s atmosphere absorbs much of this thermal energy andreradiates it back down to the earth. This is called the greenhouse effect, and it is necessary to keep the earth warm enough to sustain life. However,human activities, primarily burning fossil fuels and clearing forests, havegreatly increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,thereby increasing the absorption and retention of the sun’s energy, amplifying the natural greenhouse effect, and leading to global warming.

Efforts to control and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases continue to evolve. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol laid out a blueprint for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions back down to below 1990 levels by 2012. The six greenhouse gases targeted in the KyotoProtocol, and recognized by the IPCC, are listed below:

� Carbon dioxide (CO2) � Methane (CH4)� Nitrous oxide (N2O) � Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)� Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) � Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)

The ability to accurately track and monitor actual GHG emissions iscentral to the Kyoto Protocol as it is to similar regional and nationalgovernmental plans and programs that put a market value, or cost, oncarbon activity. When directly measuring actual GHG emissions is notpossible, proxy measurements and calculations based on activities such as energy consumption are helpful. In both cases, the availability andreliability of real, measured data from all available point sources isbecoming increasingly important as more regulations and financialconsequences are put in place.

Understanding the Climate and CarbonWhile governments and industry strive to slow the rate of GHG emissions,the scientific community continues to try to more fully understand and model the complexities of the world climate, carbon exchange mechanisms,ecological interactions, and the impact of global warming. Complex, chaoticsystems such as these require intricate models and simulations, massiveamounts of supercomputer resources, and as much accurate baseline dataas possible.

For example, researchers at the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing(CENS) are using the NI CompactRIO hardware platform to study the dynamicsof carbon exchange in a variety of ecosystems. One of the properties of CO2

that contributes to the greenhouse effect is its ability to absorb light in theinfrared (IR) region. This property can be exploited by spectroscopic sensorsthat include an IR source, optical filter, and IR detector. By tuning the filter to the IR wavelength absorbed by CO2, the IR detector output becomesproportional to the concentration of CO2. Researchers can then easilyconnect the analog output of such a sensor to the voltage or 4 to 20 mAinputs of a data acquisition system such as CompactRIO. Alternatively, many environmental sensors such as CO2 detectors implement an SDI-12serial data interface, which can also be connected to CompactRIO using asimple adapter for the serial port. (To learn more about LabVIEW SDI-12Application Programming Interface software, see page 26.) By combiningthis CO2 concentration data with measurements of gas flow velocity,

As global warming intensifies, the worldwide population faces what isarguably the most important scientific and societal challenge of all time.

A key part of the National Instruments missionstatement is to “improve everyday life.” In August,NI introduced a new service that offers customersan opportunity to help meet this goal. Through itsproduct takeback program, NI covers the costs of customersreturning its products for recycling, preventing hazardousmaterials from entering the environment and reducing the impact on landfills and other disposal sites.

For more information about the product takeback program, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8404.

National InstrumentsProduct Takeback Program

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researchers can calculate actual CO2 flux within and above the forestcanopy. Additional CompactRIO systems measure the CO2 concentration and moisture at multiple points below the soil surface to identify thesources of CO2. The grouping of CompactRIO systems uses a wirelessnetwork to simultaneously acquire and log data from multiple sample pointsto characterize an area under study, transmitting data periodically over acellular or Wi-Fi link to a central online data repository (see Figure 2).

Managing Environmental DataThis CompactRIO monitoring system was developed as a prototypeinstrumentation system for a test bed site for the National EcologicalObservatory Network (NEON), a continental-scale research platform supportedby the National Science Foundation (NSF). NEON stations across the continentwill be instrumented to measure CO2 and other gas exchanges between theforest, soil, and atmosphere as well as physical, chemical, and microbialproperties of vegetation, soil, and bodies of water. Data will be transmittedelectronically to a central processing center and shared with scientists acrossthe world. Currently, the CompactRIO monitoring systems are operating

continuously at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica, forming amultiuser ecological portal where scientists may combine CompactRIOunits and sensors to construct and rapidly deploy experimental systems in the rain forest. The CompactRIO systems are also deployed at theJames San Jacinto and the Stunt Ranch Santa Monica MountainsReserves in California.

The Bavarian Department of Forestry (LWF) is another example in which scientists are collecting large amounts of environmental data such as water content, precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, and CO2

loss. LWF scientists take the measurements from a number of different test stations using different file formats, thereby preventing effective data control and quality management. However, using NI DIAdem and NI DataFinder data management software, they can combine andeffectively manage all the measurement data from the different teststations for postprocessing and model calculations. In the quest to study,understand, and prevent further global warming, proven data managementtools such as DIAdem are essential for quickly managing, trending, andprocessing environmental data to make faster, more informed decisions.

– David Potter [email protected]

David Potter is a market development manager atNational Instruments. He holds bachelor’s and master’sdegrees in electrical engineering from VanderbiltUniversity and the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology, respectively.

– Caroline Bright [email protected]

Caroline Bright is the DIAdem and data managementproduct manager at National Instruments. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering fromVanderbilt University.

For more information on making CO2 and other keyenvironmental measurements, visit ni.com/infoand enter nsi8403.

CO2 ProbesSoil Moisture Probe

0 to 10 V4 to 20 mA

SDI-12

CompactRIO

MultiparameterWeather Transmitter

NI WAP-3701Wireless Bridge

IEEE 802.11

Figure 2. CENS researchers use CompactRIO and a wireless network to simultaneously acquire and log datafrom multiple points and calculate carbon flux in the Costa Rican rain forest.

Figure 1. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are three of six greenhouse gases targeted by the Kyoto Protocol and recognized by the IPCC as gases to control and reduce.

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Product In-Depth

Reduce FPGA Compile Time withNew Simulation CapabilitiesThe NI LabVIEW FPGA Module has beendelivering field-programmable gate array (FPGA)technology to LabVIEW programmers for almost a decade. During that time, LabVIEW FPGA has been a key part of the NI strategy to run“LabVIEW everywhere,” from PCs and real-timesystems to an FPGA chip. Inevitably, FPGAprogrammers, using LabVIEW or not, know that it is difficult to overcome the processor-intensivetask of synthesizing, placing, and routing anFPGA design. In fact, the time it takes for anFPGA program to compile and run on the FPGAchip can take anywhere from a few minutes to afew hours – depending on the design complexity and the “fullness” of the chip. For LabVIEW programmers, this compile time is commonlycompared to the immediate “code and run” interaction you get on a PC or real-time system.

A technique for mitigating compilation time is to take advantage of FPGA simulation during development and debugging. When simulating, thecode runs on the development computer, so you can add code and debugapplications without waiting for a new compile to test every change. Theprogram runs immediately and makes typical debugging features, such assingle stepping, execution highlighting, and wire probing, accessible. Withthis type of simulation, you can validate logical behavior before compiling,which, is the most common reason for a recompile. Logical simulation doesnot reduce the time it takes for an individual compile but instead reducesthe overall number of compiles needed to get a working FPGA application.

In LabVIEW, the most important feature for FPGA simulation is the ability to run LabVIEW code in either the FPGA or the “My Computer”context. With this feature, you can test LabVIEW graphical (G) code on thePC thereby simulating the FPGA logic. Additionally, LabVIEW 8.6 includesnew features for FPGA functional simulation, listed in the next column.

� User-Generated Simulated I/O – The I/O nodes in your FPGA codenormally interface to real-world I/O when the program is running on thechip. However, with the LabVIEW 8.6 simulation mode, you can create a VI test bench that supplies the input nodes with user-defined data and captures the output from the logic for analysis. You can also usethis feature to create a simulated environment for your FPGA logic bycreating a model of the real world to put your FPGA logic “in the loop.”

� Simulation alongside Host VI – Typically, a system with an FPGA also requires a LabVIEW host program running on the host PC or a real-time processor. With new features in LabVIEW 8.6, you can run the host program and the simulated FPGA code at the same time,testing the FPGA interface through simulated register access, interrupts, and DMA channels.

To read a white paper on efficient development and debugging with LabVIEW FPGA, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8405.

+

LabVIEW Test Bench

Analyze OutputsFPGA CodeAssert Inputs

LabVIEWFPGA Host

Registers

DMA

Development Computer

Reduce with more RAMand processor speed on

compile computer

Number of Compiles

x Reduce with more behavioralsimulation to test FPGA

functionality before compilation

Time for One Compile

=Total Compile Time

Figure 2. Total time spent compiling is based on the time it takes for one compile multiplied by the number of times you have to compile to get the application working, but more behavioral simulation reduces the number of compiles.

Figure 1. This figure shows the aspects of FPGA logical simulation, depicting the FPGA code with a LabVIEW test bench and a working host interface, all running on the development computer.

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Product In-Depth

The new NI PXI-8108, the industry’s fastest PXI embedded controller, and two new PXI system accessories, a 32 GB solid-state hard drive and the NI PXI-8250 system monitoring module, provide increased systemperformance and reliability to help you achieve faster process execution,lower test times, and longer system life.

The PXI-8108 embedded controller is designed for high-performance PXI and CompactPCI systems with a dual-core Intel 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo T9400 processor and 800 MHz DDR2 memory. It offers a 25 percent performance improvement from its dual-core predecessor, the NI PXI-8106 controller, and a two times performance improvement over the single-core NI PXI-8196 controller. With NI LabVIEW 8.6 software, you can take full advantage of the latest multicore controllers, such as the new PXI-8108, and simplify multithreaded application development to achieve increased performance without requiring major changes toexisting LabVIEW code. The PXI-8108 also works with the LabVIEW Real-Timeand NI LabWindows™/CVI Real-Time modules to deliver a flexible anddeterministic platform for real-time measurement and control.

“By leveraging the multicore technology in LabVIEW and the latest NI multicore PXI embedded controller, we were able to increase our testthroughput by one additional workday per week,” said Alejandro Torres,

senior manufacturing test engineer at Sanmina-SCI. “Best of all, we achievedthis throughput increase by simply upgrading from a previous-generation PXIsingle-core embedded controller to the latest NI PXI multicore embeddedcontroller with only minimal changes to our code.”

For maximum performance and reliability, you can upgrade the PXI-8108 controller to include a 32 GB PXI solid-state hard drive instead of the standard rotating magnetic disk drive. The PXI-8108, paired with the 32 GB solid-state hard drive, offers increased reliability and speed when reading and writing to files as well as increased durability whenexposed to shock and vibration due to stationary parts.

To maximize efficiency and overall PXI system life, NI offers the PXI-8250 system monitoring module. Now you can monitor system intake,temperatures, fan speeds, processor and memory utilization, and powersupply voltage levels programmatically. Front-panel LEDs on the PXI-8250indicate if parameters are within their appropriate operating ranges, and a relay on the front panel provides connectivity to external devices such as status lights or alarms.

To learn more about the new PXI-8108 controller and accessories,visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8406.

Figure 2. The new PXI-8250 system monitor module maximizes the efficiency and availability of a PXI system.

Increase System Performance andReliability with New PXI Offerings

The mark LabWindows is used under a license from Microsoft Corporation.Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Figure 1. You can combine the industry’s fastest PXI embedded controller withLabVIEW 8.6 to simplify multithreaded application development.

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Q4 2008

Test Techniques

Implementing Baseband Techniquesfor Signal Intelligence

Signal intelligence is the capture of electronic or electromagnetic signals for analysis of the transmitter. Because these signals typically contain someform of modulated information, vector-based acquisition techniques are morecommon than a simpler swept-frequency approach. Modern vector signalanalyzers downconvert the RF band of interest to either an intermediatefrequency (IF) or all the way down to baseband (adjacent to DC) in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) signals before a digitizer converts the analog informationto digital data. Use the following techniques to acquire IF and I/Q signalswith PXI modular instruments and to process the acquired digital data.

Selecting the Right DigitizerWhen selecting a baseband digitizer, you should consider the type ofdownconversion you are using – either to I/Q or IF. Direct downconversion to I/Q as found in direct-conversion receivers (DCRs) and zero-IF (ZIF)receivers requires two separate analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) – one for the I channel and one for the Q channel. Due to the limitations of this type of downconverter architecture, the two channels of the basebanddigitizer must have very low DC offsets, matched gains, low noise, and precise time alignment. For most I/Q acquisition applications, the NI PXIe-5122 14-bit, 100 MS/s digitizer is optimal because of its high analogperformance, wide bandwidth, and NI-TClk synchronization technology.

Superheterodyne downconverters incorporate downconversion to an IF and then convert only a single analog channel to digital. At this stage, the single digital data stream is not quite ready for demodulation or signalprocessing. A technique called digital downconversion (DDC) transforms the IF signal into its real (I) and imaginary (Q) components through multiplicationwith a numerical oscillator and alias-protected decimation. Some NIdigitizers implement the DDC in an onboard field-programmable gate array (FPGA), while NI LabVIEW provides software DDC with any digitizer.The advantage of a hardware-based DDC is reduced digitizer memoryconsumption and data bus utilization, along with reduced CPU load. The NI PXIe-5622 is a 16-bit, 150 MS/s digitizer capable of acquiring IFsignals from 3 to 250 MHz (up to the third Nyquist zone), then digitallydownconverting at an I/Q rate up to 75 MS/s, or up to 60 MHz of IFbandwidth. This flexibility coupled with its analog specifications makes the PXIe-5622 an ideal digitizer for complex modulated signals. If greater real-time bandwidth is required, the NI PXI-5154 8-bit, 2 GS/sdigitizer can acquire intermediate frequencies anywhere from DC to 1 GHz, up to 1 GHz wide. Software-based DDC to I/Q then allowsspectral measurements and signal detection.

For signal intelligence applications, it is common to continuouslymonitor a very wide frequency span for any unanticipated transmitters.This is possible with the PXI-5154 and its high sample rate and widebandwidth. Then, when a signal of interest is detected and greaterdynamic range is required, you can “zoom in” on this signal with the NI PXIe-5622 (or another high-resolution digitizer) for higher-performance acquisition, demodulation, and signal processing.

Streaming I/Q DataBecause it uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies, PXI helps you create high-performance systems at lower costs than customsystems. Using the PXI platform, you can stream data to and frombaseband instruments using the high-throughput PCI or PCI Express bus. For baseband signal intelligence applications, streaming offers a significant benefit as it retains large, continuous blocks of the frequency spectrum for signal classification or analysis.

With the latest generation of baseband PXI Express modular instrumentsand high-performance redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) storagesolutions such as the NI 8263 and NI 8264 devices, you can attain data ratesof up to 600 MB/s for waveforms up to 3 TB in length. For IF acquisition with the PXIe-5622 and its 75 MS/s I/Q rate (300 MB/s), you can stream60 MHz of IF bandwidth for nearly three hours.

12

Measurement systems for baseband signal intelligence demand high analog performance, continuous signal streaming, and real-time processing.

Figure 1. The PXI-5154 provides 1 GHz of acquisition bandwidth, while the PXIe-5622offers 16 bits of dynamic range over 60 MHz of IF bandwidth. The same signal may beanalyzed with either high bandwidth or high dynamic range.

2008-10086-104-101 Q4 INL 10/28/08 11:47 AM Page 12

With the convergence of RAID, PXI Express, and LabVIEW, basebandstreaming systems can provide significant performance advancements for a variety of applications, usually at a much lower cost.

Performing Real-Time ProcessingIn many signal intelligence applications, communications data processing may need to be performed continuously in real time. In onecommon technique, the terrestrial RF frequency spectrum is monitored for unanticipated transmissions by comparing an acquired RF spectrumagainst an expected frequency mask. The traditional swept-spectrum

approach performs this comparison as frequently as the measurementsystem can acquire and process data,but the processing limitation createsperiods when the RF band of interest is not monitored. Packet-basedcommunication schemes such asGSM or WiMAX can then evadedetection, as there may not be atransmission when the analyzer issweeping their frequency. If you cancontinuously acquire and process RFspectrum data, you can ensure thesesignals are captured and the acquisitionsystem can take appropriate action.

You can perform data processingin real time by streaming basebandI/Q data over the PCI Express busfrom a baseband digitizer back to itshost controller. Modern multicore

processors such as the one on the NI PXI-8108 embedded controller canscale, window, Fourier transform, and compare this data against a frequencymask at 12.5 MS/s, effectively monitoring 10 MHz of RF bandwidth. Forapplications that require greater bandwidths or in which the controller CPUis required for other functions, FPGAs can perform this same processing at ahigher rate. For instance, the NI PXI-7854R intelligent data acquisition (DAQ)module can perform eight simultaneous, complex, 1024-point fast Fouriertransforms (FFTs) at an average rate of more than 50,000 FFTs per second.This is sufficient to continuously monitor 40 MHz of real-time bandwidth.While the PCI Express standard allows peer-to-peer data transfers (forexample, one module to another), most applications do not require this.Streaming from a device to the host and back to another device does notsignificantly tax the bus or CPU and is therefore a viable architecture forbaseband data processing (see Figure 3).

These techniques combined with other PXI features – GPS synchronizationand triggering, integration with other instruments, and its small form factor –make PXI an ideal solution for baseband signal intelligence.

– Ryan Verret [email protected]

Ryan Verret is a product manager for signal generators at National Instruments. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Rice University.

For more information on NI baseband product offerings and specifications, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8407. Perform 50,000 1,024-point

real-time FFTs per secondon the RIO device

Send data toPXI reconfigurable

I/O (RIO) device

Transfer to PXIcontroller memory

Acquire I/Q data fromdigitizer at 50 MS/s

Figure 3. By incorporating FPGAprocessing, you can monitor moredata in real time.

888 279 9833 ni.com 13

Figure 2. With PXI Express modular instruments and high-performance RAID storage solutions, you can perform high-bandwidth acquisitions for hours at a time.

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Q4 200814

National Instruments and LEGO® Education continue their educationalrobotics collaboration with the new LEGO Education WeDo™ concept, alow-cost robotics platform for elementary school students that deliversinteractive, hands-on learning to Intel Classmate and One Laptop per Child(OLPC) XO computers. Powered by NI LabVIEW graphical design software,LEGO Education WeDo includes LEGO bricks; sensors; a USB hub; anddrag-and-drop, icon-based software that students can use to easily buildsimple robotics applications. With WeDo software, students learn basicprogramming skills while designing robots.

Teachers can incorporate the WeDo concept in a broad range of curriculum areas including science, technology, mathematics,language, and literacy. WeDo software operates on the IntelClassmate PC running Windows XP, the OLPC running Linux®, any PC supporting Windows XP or Windows Vista, and any Macrunning Version 10.5.

“LEGO Education is proud to continue our ongoing collaborationwith National Instruments to provide students as young as seven years of age with a robotics product that actively involves them in their ownlearning process and promotes creative thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills – skills that are essential in the workplace of the 21stcentury,” said Lars Nyengaard, director of innovation at LEGO Education.“By combining the intuitive and interactive interface of LEGO EducationWeDo software with the physical experience of building models out

of LEGO bricks, we can bridge the physical and virtual worlds to providethe ultimate hands-on, minds-on learning experience.”

LEGO Education WeDo will be available in the United States in January 2009.

To view a video of an 11-year-old student demonstrating WeDo, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8408.

Electric Circuits, 8th Edition

James Nilsson and Susan RiedelPrentice Hall

Electric Circuits is a leading introductory circuit

textbook emphasizing the relationship between

conceptual understanding and problem solving of circuit analysis concepts.

Take advantage of 60 NI Multisim software circuit files to enhance your

comprehension of circuit theory.

To download Multisim circuit files for Electric Circuits, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8409.

Introduction to Data Acquisitionwith LabVIEW

Robert H. KingMcGraw Hill

King’s textbook teaches NI LabVIEW software

and data acquisition, providing an in-depth

resource for self-study, laboratory, and project courses. The textbook is

bundled with LabVIEW Student Edition software.

To learn more about Introduction to Data Acquisition withLabVIEW, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8410.

Academic Textbooks Incorporate NI Software

LEGO, the LEGO logo, and WEDO are trademarks of the LEGO Group. Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.

NI in Academia

LEGO Education WeDo is a hands-on platform that elementary school students canuse to build simple robotics applications.

LabVIEW Graphical System Design –From Kindergarten to Rocket Science

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15

LabVIEW Everywhere

888 279 9833 ni.com

Did You Know LabVIEW Could MakeYour Sensors Wireless?

Did you know that you can transform your existing analog sensors into newwireless devices with NI LabVIEW software and NI Wi-Fi data acquisition(DAQ) hardware? The typical wireless sensor network consists of severalnodes that communicate with each other to relate individual measurementsback to a central gateway. Each sensor node is capable of a specific type ofmeasurement, combining the transducer, signal conditioning, and wirelessradio into a single package. This convenience can simplify installation, but italso limits the wireless sensor to the specific application for which it wasdesigned. Wireless sensors do not retain the measurement flexibility of atraditional wired sensor system because there is not a wireless equivalentfor every wired sensor.

NI Wi-Fi DAQ devices modularize the concept of a wireless sensor node by separating the analog sensor, signal conditioning, and wirelessradio. Each NI WLS-9163 wireless C Series carrier provides IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) or Ethernet connectivity back to a host PC or wireless access point.Using the same measurement and control modules as the NI CompactDAQand CompactRIO hardware platforms, WLS-9163 devices can interface with many different types of analog sensors from virtually any sensorvendor. Each NI C Series module provides direct sensor connectivity, such as BNC or spring terminals, and built-in signal conditioning, such as excitation or bridge completion. For example, the NI 9219 universalmodule provides 11 measurement modes for applications ranging fromenvironmental monitoring with RTDs to structural health monitoring with strain gages.

In addition to using the same C Series modules as NI CompactDAQ, Wi-Fi DAQ devices use the same NI-DAQmx driver software as hundreds of other PCI, PXI, and USB DAQ devices. With LabVIEW and NI-DAQmx,there are no code modifications between hardware platforms, making iteasy to incorporate wireless sensor measurements into new or existingsystems. Modular C Series hardware and flexible LabVIEW software areextending PC-based data acquisition to the wireless domain.

To find answers to the most frequently asked questions about Wi-Fi data acquisition, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8411.

NI Wi-Fi DAQ devices provide built-in signal conditioning and IEEE 802.11connectivity to make traditional analog sensors wireless.

Visit the LabVIEW Career Center Web site to browse more than 1,000 NI LabVIEW job openings, post your resume onlinefor employers and recruiters, and learn how to advance yourposition with training and certification. The new LabVIEWCareer Center also offers resources for employers looking to hire skilled LabVIEW programmers.

To find a LabVIEW job opening, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8412.

Find Your Ideal LabVIEW Job

2008-10086-104-101 Q4 INL 10/23/08 2:47 PM Page 15

FIVE MEDICAL DEVICE START-UPSReceive NI Grant Funding

Special Focus

Q4 200816

National Instruments has recently created a grant program to give small,entrepreneurial medical device companies easier access to its advanced embedded design

technology. The following summaries highlight the work of five first-round recipients.

TechMed Inc.TechMed Inc. designed the first instrument to make automated glucosemeasurements during open-heart procedures – a noninvasive imagingoption for diabetic monitoring – which results in diminished infection,faster healing, and increased mental acuity.

Kairos InstrumentsKairos Instruments specializes in tools for live cell imaging with anemphasis on microscope stagetop devices for environmental controland programmed manipulation of individual wells in multiwell plates.

“The use of National Instruments PCMCIA cards and

PCI boards, coupled with LabVIEW software, has

provided faster development and ease of data collection,

manipulation, and display. With the CompactRIO family

of hardware, we expect to enhance our work, bringing a

needed level of automation to our designs.”

“We chose National Instruments for the ease of use to

develop reliable multifunction instrument control devices.

We believe we can provide more differentiated products

for our customers with the NI development platform.”

– Alan J. Leszinske, Founder

– Doug Koebler, Founder

2008-10086-104-101 Q4 INL 10/23/08 2:48 PM Page 16

888 279 9833 ni.com 17

Pranevicius Blood Pressure CompanyThe founders of Pranevicius Blood Pressure Company decided to create a moreaccurate noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurement method and chose NIfor its extensive product offering in process control, data acquisition, and analysis.

Cabochon AestheticsFormed in 2005, Cabochon Aesthetics is the ninth portfolio companyfrom The Foundry, a premier medical device incubator. The companydevelops effective, scientific solutions for aesthetic procedures.

“Cabochon chose to base our breakthrough medical product

design on CompactRIO hardware and LabVIEW software in

large measure because of the proven track record of NI in

significantly decreasing development and verification time with

high-performance, reliable products that are very easy to use.”

“NI produces a versatile hardware and software portfolio:

the user-friendly modular and versatile graphical LabVIEW

software, modular devices, multiplatform capabilities, scalability

to embedded products, and field support. All these elements put

novel medical device development in reach for us – medical

professionals with minimal engineering backgrounds.”

Senior Scientific LLCSenior Scientific LLC develops methods using magnetic sensors for earlydisease detection and cell localization to provide treatment sooner than what is now possible. The company has received funds for research programs in breast and ovarian cancer, transplant rejection, and Alzheimer’s disease.

“NI software and hardware provided a platform that was quick

to implement and provided both instrument control and data

acquisition while minimizing development time.”

To submit your application to the National Instruments Medical Device Grant Program, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8413.

– Mindaugas Pranevicius, MD, Founder

– Tim Proulx, Systems Engineering Group Manager

– Edward R. Flynn, PhD, Founder

2008-10086-104-101 Q4 INL 10/23/08 2:48 PM Page 17

Q4 200818

Product In-Depth

Hardware Comparison NI 1722 NI 1742 NI 1762 NI 1744 NI 1764

Processor Configuration

ProcessorCoprocessor

400 MHz PowerPC–

533 MHz PowerPC–

533 MHz PowerPC720 MHz DSP

533 MHz PowerPC–

533 MHz PowerPC720 MHz DSP

Memory System memoryFirmware and job storage

128 MB128 MB

128 MB128 MB

128 MB128 MB

128 MB128 MB

128 MB128 MB

Image Sensor

ResolutionImage sizePixel depthMono/ColorAcquisition rate(frames per second)Partial image acquisition

680 x 4801⁄3 in. CCD

8-bitMono60 fps

�

680 x 4801⁄3 in. CCD

8-bitMono60 fps

�

680 x 4801⁄3 in. CCD

8-bitMono60 fps

�

1280 x 10241⁄2 in. CCD

8-bitMono13 fps

�

1280 x 10241⁄2 in. CCD

8-bitMono13 fps

�

I/O Options

TTL I/OIsolated digital inputIsolated digital outputEncoder inputI/O breakoutEthernet I/O support

123–�

�

123�

�

�

123�

�

�

123�

�

�

123�

�

�

LightingExternal light controlIntegrated light controland power

�

–�

�

�

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�

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Table 1. The NI Smart Camera product line offers a variety of processor configuration, memory, image sensor, and I/O options.

In late 2007, National Instruments released the first products in a line of smart cameras – machine vision cameras combined with embedded processors that are ideal for industrial machine vision applications. These cameras directly process images and transform them into inspection results.

NI is expanding its product line with three new smart cameras – the NI 1744, NI 1762, and NI 1764. These cameras deliver faster processing speed and higher imageresolution to offer more powerful options for applications such as packaging inspection and assembly verification.

The NI 1744 Smart Camera features a high-resolution image sensor that acquires images up to 1.3 megapixels (1280 x 1024). Industrialengineers and machine builders can use thiscamera to identify smaller defects and makemeasurements with four times the resolution of previous NI Smart Camera models.

For engineers needing higher performance with applications such as pattern matching, optical-character recognition, and code reading,

the NI 1762 Smart Camera uses a 720 MHz TexasInstruments DSP coprocessor alongside the 533 MHzPowerPC, making it possible to run algorithms up to four times faster with no changes to the application

software. The NI 1762 Smart Camera contains the same 640 x 480 resolution image sensorfound in the first models.

The NI 1764 Smart Camera features a combination of upgrades, including the 1.3 megapixel image sensor and the 720 MHzTexas Instruments DSP coprocessor, to offer the highest resolution and performance of the NI Smart Camera family. The NI 1764Smart Camera is ideal for uses including high-speed manufacturing line applications to inspect large objects or locate and identifysmall codes or features.

To view a webcast on NI Smart Camera features, visit ni.com/infoand enter nsi8414.

New Smart Cameras Deliver FasterProcessing, Higher Resolution

Figure 1. Three new NI Smart Cameras provide faster processingspeed and higher resolution for industrial applications.

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888 279 9833 ni.com 19

Product In-Depth

The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System(EPICS) is a software architecture for building distributedcontrol systems to operate devices such as particleaccelerators, telescopes, and other large experiments. These large experiments consist of hundreds – or eventhousands – of computers networked together to providecontrol and feedback, and they require a control system thatis reliable, maintainable, and able to run for months withoutinterruption. Engineers and scientists use the ChannelAccess (CA) network protocol, designed for high-bandwidthand soft real-time applications, to communicate to variouscomputers. The server side of EPICS – commonly referredto as the input/output controller (IOC) – interfaces with I/Oand performs control tasks. The values are then publishedto the client as process variables using the CA protocol.

With the release of NI LabVIEW 8.6 software, you can use the EPICSclient to subscribe to the process variables of an EPICS IOC. You can take advantage of thousands of math and analysis functions in LabVIEW,interface with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, and present thedata. Additionally, NI is collaborating with Cosylab to develop an EPICS IOC for NI hardware platforms such as CompactRIO and PXI modules.

The companies created a pioneer version of EPICS IOC based on VxWorksthat is capable of simultaneously running with LabVIEW Real-Time on CompactRIO.

To download the EPICS client for LabVIEW, visit ni.com/infoand enter nsi8415.

I/OLabVIEW FPGALabVIEW Real-TimeEPICS IOC

VxWorks Operating System

CompactRIO

Network Traffic(Channel Access Protocol)

Any EPICS ClientLabVIEW EPICS Client

You can use COTS hardware with EPICS and LabVIEW software.

LabVIEW Talks the Languageof Particle Accelerators with EPICS

Human machine interfaces (HMIs) have long been apart of the machine and factory floor. As technologyadvances and machines become more complex,operators and developers are demanding moreflexible, powerful, and low-cost HMIs. Windows XPEmbedded delivers a powerful and flexible OS while offering a lower cost and smaller footprint than Windows XP. With the release of the newNI LabVIEW Touch Panel Module 8.6, you now can deploy LabVIEW VIs to touch panel computers(TPCs) based on Windows XP Embedded.

Using LabVIEW to create the HMI and controlapplication greatly reduces development timebecause it offers a single tool for both, resulting inmaximum skill reuse. For example, you can quickly

create a flexible HMI using familiar LabVIEWprogramming structures and analysis functions anddeploy them to the new NI TPC-2512 touch panelcomputer with Windows XP Embedded – all from the LabVIEW Project Explorer. The easiest way tocommunicate between HMIs and NI programmableautomation controllers (PACs) is by using LabVIEWshared variables, but you also can use TCP/IP or UDP protocols. Finally, with NI-DAQmx drivercompatibility, you can use the TPC-2512 with USB-based NI data acquisition (DAQ) devices for your data acquisition needs.

To view a webcast on the LabVIEW Touch PanelModule, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8416.

Deploy to Windows XP EmbeddedHMIs with LabVIEW

The new NI touch panel computer, based onWindows XP Embedded, offers a flexible, powerful, and low-cost HMI option for operators and developers.

2008-10086-104-101 Q4 INL 10/23/08 2:48 PM Page 19

Adding distributed I/O into a real-time control system requires a high-speed,deterministic communication protocol. The ideal solution should providehigh I/O counts while optimizing system throughput and jitter-free timing.National Instruments now offers a scalable expansion method for itsprogrammable automation controller (PAC) platform. Additionally, thepower of NI LabVIEW software presents a simple, uniform API between the controller and distributed I/O.

With the new NI 9144 chassis, you can easily add synchronized, distributedI/O to PAC systems. This 8-slot rugged chassis for NI C Series modules usesstandard CAT 5 Ethernet cabling to communicate deterministically with a real-time controller. Any NI CompactRIO or real-time PXI system with two Ethernetports can serve as the master controller. You can daisy chain multiple NI 9144slave chassis from the controller to expand time-critical applications to

high channel counts while maintaining hard determinism with minimalprocessor resources.

You can use this new technology with more than 30 NI C Series analog and digital I/O modules to achieve direct connectivity with a wide variety of sensors and reusability with other NI hardware platforms. Additionally,the out-of-box experience minimizes configuration for the NI 9144 chassis by automatically recognizing all connected slaves and their modules with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module 8.6. With this program, you have easyaccess to the physical channels using the click-and-drag I/O variable, live test panels, and I/O forcing for troubleshooting.

To watch a webcast on implementing deterministic distributed I/O,visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8417.

Q4 200820

Product In-Depth

Deterministic Distributed I/O for NI PACs

The NI 9144 chassis offers easy deterministic expansion I/O for the CompactRIO platform and NI PACs.

1All prices are subject to change without notice.

Low-Cost CompactRIO System Offers Larger FPGA, Easier Programming

The new NI cRIO-9073 CompactRIO system with an integrated controllerand chassis is the lowest-priced target in the CompactRIO line thatsupports the new CompactRIO Scan Mode, introduced with NI LabVIEW 8.6.The scan mode is a programming paradigm for CompactRIO that takesadvantage of the power and reliability of the CompactRIO FPGAhardware without any additional field-programmable gate array (FPGA)programming. The cRIO-9073 features a 266 MHz PowerPC processor, 64 MB of DRAM, 128 MB of nonvolatile storage, and a 2M gate FPGA –all for $1,999 USD; €1,699; ¥231,000.1

To view specifications on the NI cRIO-9073, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8418.

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888 279 9833 ni.com 21

Product In-Depth

The NI VXIpc-882 is a high-performance, 2-slot embeddedcontroller for VXI. It features a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 DuoT7400 dual-core processor and several high-performanceperipheral I/O ports includingan ExpressCard/34 slot, four Hi-Speed USB ports, gigabit

Ethernet, GPIB, RS232, and an IEEE 1284 ECP/EPP parallel port.

To view the NI VXIpc-882 specifications and pricing, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8420.

National Instruments is further expanding its collection of more than 50 C Series modules by introducing the NI 9225 300 Vrms measurementmodule as well as the NI 9235 and NI 9236 quarter-bridge strain gagemodules. The NI 9225 is well-suited for power monitoring and power quality applications with 24-bit resolution and a sampling rate of 50 kS/s per channel. With the NI 9225 and some basic NI LabVIEWsoftware functions, engineers can easily create a system to test for flicker, harmonics, power factor, and RMS.

NI 9235/36 modules enhance the bridge-based measurement offerings of the NI 9237 and NI 9219 by providing higher-density quarter-bridge straingage measurements. With eight simultaneously sampled 24-bit channels per module, you can build 64-channel strain measurement systems witheither NI CompactDAQ or CompactRIO hardware. And with a sampling rate of 10 kS/s per channel, the modules are well-suited for both staticand dynamic mechanical and structural strain tests.

NI also recently announced new board-only C Series modules for NI Single-Board RIO. These modules are based on previously released NI CompactRIO C Series modules but do not include a metalshell, so you can easily embed them withincustom enclosures. All NI Single-Board RIO devices have connectors available for up to three board-only C Series modules.

To view specifications on these and other C Series modules, visitni.com/info and enter nsi8419.

New C Series Modules Add 300 V,Strain, and Board-Only Options

New NI C Series I/O modules offer new measurement types, channel densities, and form factors.

New Dual-Core VXIEmbedded Controller

New High-Speed Digitizers Optimized for Automated Test

NI 5153 dual-channel500 MHz digitizers/oscilloscopes areoptimized for automatedtest with up to a 2 GS/sreal-time sample rateand 256 MB deepmemory per channel.PXI and PCI versions of the NI 515x family – NI 5152 (300 MHz), NI 5153 (500 MHz), and NI 5154 (1 GHz) – are now available.

To discover how NI high-speed digitizers are optimized forautomated test, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8421.

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Q4 200822

Product In-Depth

NI LabWindows/CVI software continues to deliver reliable test and measurementsolutions for engineers programming in ANSIC. The new version represents the mostsignificant improvements to the compiler inmore than eight years and introduces a newtool to help address the biggest challenge inANSI C programming – memory management.

Speed Test Development and ThroughputDue to built-in compiler enhancements,LabWindows/CVI engineers developing largeprojects can expect to automatically see onaverage a 20 to 50 percent improvement in application compile times, and they could see greater improvements using precompiled headers. After debugging, engineers can increase application execution speed andthroughput by using the latest external optimized compilers to compile code within the LabWindows/CVI environment.

Ensure Application ReliabilityFor more than a decade, LabWindows/CVIhas provided automatic array bounds-checking to catch memory errors that cancause unexpected behavior. Building on thehistory of delivering advanced user protectionfeatures not commonly available in ANSI C,LabWindows/CVI now includes an integratedtool to locate potential resource leaks thatcan decrease system performance over time. Moreover, mission-critical applicationsrequire additional reliability found only onreal-time systems. With the LabWindows/CVI

Real-Time Module, new compatibility for watchdog timers, and the Reliance file system, engineers can design applications that deterministically respond to failures and preserve valuable test data.

To view a webcast on new features in LabWindows/CVI 9.0, visitni.com/info and enter nsi8422.

The mark LabWindows is used under a license from Microsoft Corporation.Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

NI Measurement Studio 8.6 software continues to add test and measurementfunctionality to the latest Microsoft development environment with theindustry’s first complete set of .NET and C++ class libraries, tools, and NI dataacquisition driver support for Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, MCF 9.0, and the .NET Framework 3.5. Because the environment is no longer tied to aspecific version of the .NET framework, you now can reduce deploymentcosts by adding functionality to existing projects without upgrading to a new .NET framework on deployed systems.

Web-Enabled Remote Monitoring and High-Speed Data Streaming Measurement Studio 8.5 introduced ASP.NET AJAX-compatible userinterface controls and advanced network variable communicationfunctions that help accelerate the development and execution of remote monitoring and control applications. In addition, withMeasurement Studio 8.6, .NET developers have the added advantage of the Technical Data Management Streaming (TDMS) .NET API thatprovides an efficient method to describe and store measurement dataoptimized for high-speed data streaming and postprocessing.

To evaluate Measurement Studio 8.6 online in minutes, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8423.

Measurement Studio 8.6 OffersComplete Support for Visual Studio 2008

Engineers can preserve valuable test data with the latest version of LabWindows/CVI.

Develop Reliable Applications Fasterwith LabWindows™/CVI 9.0

Measurement Studio 8.6 adds the industry’s first complete set of .NETand C++ tools to the latest Microsoft development environment.

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Increase your application development skills using NIhardware and software with the National InstrumentsTraining and Certification Membership Program.Traditionally, training courses have been designedaround instructors in a classroom environment, but now NI is offering six live instructor-led classes in a new online format. These classes feature moreflexible training options to better accommodate a tight schedule and eliminate the need for travel.

You can take online training anywhere with anInternet connection. Online courses are offered in half-day sessions, providing you the flexibility to attendtraining without having to leave your desk for a full day.The total number of sessions you take depends on the length of the equivalent classroom-based course.Homework exercises are included in the lesson plans and should be completed away from class.

With access to an online hardware laboratory, you have all the hardware and software you need tocomplete the course. Communicate with the instructorand other students through online chat or, if using a

microphone and headset, Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP). All coursesare currently taught in English.

If there is additional material associated with the course you wish toattend, your local NI office will ship the corresponding course kit to you.

For more information on courses and instructor-led online training,visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8424.

888 279 9833 ni.com 23

Services and Support

New Training Modules for NI Software Service Members

View these new training modules in the Services Resource Center:

� Best Practices for Upgrading LabVIEW Applications� Control Design Basics I� Control Design Basics II� LabVIEW Simulation Basics I

To access on-demand training for these and other courses, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8425.

Train from home with the new instructor-led courses delivered in an online format.

Online Courses Offer MoreFlexible Training Options

Six Online Courses Now Available

The following courses are now available on ni.com:� LabVIEW Basics I� LabVIEW Basics II� LabVIEW Intermediate I � LabVIEW Intermediate II� LabVIEW Real-Time Application Development� LabVIEW Machine Vision and Image Processing

NI will add four more courses to the online schedule by spring 2009:

� Modular Instruments: Digital Multimeters� Modular Instruments: Dynamic Signal Acquisition� Multisim Basics� Ultiboard Basics

E-mail [email protected] if you do not see the course you wish to take.

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Developer’s View

Using Advanced Techniquesfor Industrial Control

Q4 200824

You can attribute the popularity of PID controllers to their effectiveness in a wide range of operating conditions, their functional simplicity, theirstraightforward implementation, and their ease of use with currenttechnology. However, in certain situations, classic PID is not the best option. Consider the following four techniques that you can use to augment the PID algorithm or replace it with a more precise algorithm.

1. Tweak Your PID: Gain Scheduling, Feedforward, and More –One of the most common problems that control engineers face is that the entity they are controlling reacts differently in varying environments and over different operating ranges. For example, a car acceleratesdifferently to the same gas pedal input depending on current speed. If you were to design a PID-based cruise control system, you could use a different set of PID gains, depending on the speed of the car, to obtain better performance. This technique is called gain scheduling.

The addition of feedforward control to the PID algorithm improves the performance by considering more signals. Using Figure 1, imagine the slope of the road on which a car travels. Because PID control canwork only with one input (car speed) and one output (gas pedal), you can use feedforward to add an actuation based on the perturbation(slope). There are still more challenges to address such as sensor delaytrajectories known in advance and so on. You can meet these challengesif you replace the PID control algorithm with a more advanced techniquesuch as model predictive control (MPC), where you construct controllersthat can adjust the action based on future setpoints that are known in

advance. With this predictive ability, combined with traditional feedbackoperation, a controller can make adjustments that are smoother andcloser to the optimal control action values, leading to better and moreefficient operations.

2. Use FPGAs to Increase Control Loop Rates – Faster control loopsexhibit better performance. Until now, you had to either use off-the-shelfprogrammable logic controllers (PLCs) or design your own controlhardware for your most common systems. Typical PLCs offer manydesirable features such as ruggedness and flexibility, but the controlalgorithm you need to implement has maximum loop rates on the order of tens of hertz. If you use custom hardware, you generally need to haveknowledge of embedded programming and electronic system integrationto build your own custom boards based on digital signal processors(DSPs) or microprocessors. While this allows for higher loop rates,customization, and more advanced control algorithms, it requiresembedded design expertise. This, in turn, implies longer and more costlydesign cycles, and the final hardware requires an extra enclosure towithstand the tough demands of industrial environments.

With field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-enabled programmableautomation controllers (PACs) such as NI CompactRIO, you now have the best of both worlds at your disposal. The overall architectureprovides flexibility and reliability, while you have the capability to run PID or custom FPGA algorithms. This helps you achieve loop rates up to 1 MHz using off-the-shelf, industrial-grade solutions.

3. Optimize Hierarchical Controllers – Another benefit of FPGA-basedPAC architectures is that they provide a top-notch platform to designcontrollers using a cascade configuration. For example, you canimplement PID control on the FPGA and combine it with high-level

Figure 1. An MPC controller tracks a temperature profile. The controller can increase the temperature before the setpoint change arrives.

I/O

PID Control

PID Control

PID Control

Advanced Control(MPC)

SignalsFPGA FabricReal-Time Controller

Figure 2. Hierarchical control can further extend PID performance.

Proportional integral derivative (PID) control is the most commonly used control algorithm in industry today.

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The new 2008 LabVIEW Champions have been finalized, and NI is excited to induct the following members into the program: Buddy Haun, president of VirtEx LLC; Mike Porter, architect at DSA Automation; and NormKirchner, senior automation software engineer at Texas Instruments. These outstanding developers are sharingtheir expertise and passion for NI LabVIEW software with the entire LabVIEW community.

To learn more about the LabVIEW Champions program and its members, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8427.

Figure 3. You can implement PID with adaptive tuning. The recursive system identification changes controller gains as the plant changes over time.

888 279 9833 ni.com 25

NI Welcomes Three New LabVIEW Champions

optimal controllers such as the previously mentioned MPC. With thesecascade configurations, called hierarchical controllers, you benefit fromthe ability to use high-level algorithms and simpler, easier-to-designcontrollers such as PID. High-level algorithms, such as the aforementionedMPC, run on a real-time OS and can address the more complex challengesthat PID controllers cannot, such as nonlinearities and multiple inputs and outputs. Hierarchical controllers do not always require the use ofadvanced controllers. In many instances, both controllers in use are PID,which is typical in motion control systems.

4. Implement Adaptive Controllers – To further extend PID performancein systems that change over time, you can use another advancedvariant of PID controllers – adaptive controllers – to change gainsdepending on the dynamics of the system or environment. The differenceis that, while gain scheduling works only with the plant output to definethe operating range, adaptive PID considers both inputs and outputs tofind the gains. Figure 3 shows an example of adaptive PID running inLabVIEW, where the LabVIEW PID Control and LabVIEW SystemIdentification toolkits are combined to provide the adaptive algorithm.

Meet PID Challenges with New TechniquesAlthough PID control algorithms are widely used and offer many benefitsincluding ease of use, new techniques can help you implement other PID controller variants and deliver advanced control to common industryapplications. Now you can improve system performance when replacingcurrent PID controllers with other advanced algorithms, either based onPID or on the dynamics of the system.

– Javier Gutierrez [email protected]

Javier Gutierrez is the product manager for LabVIEW simulation and control design tools at National Instruments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in controls from the University of Malaga, Spain.

For more resources on designing control systems, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8426.

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Q4 200826

Instrument Drivers

The National Instruments Virtual Instrument Software Architecture (NI-VISA)driver provides industry-leading support for communicating with your testand measurement instruments on any bus by removing some of the complexsteps involved in setting up LXI-based instruments.

The LXI 1.3 specification changes how software detects LXI instruments.NI-VISA 4.4 supports this new standard by automatically detecting LXI devicesthat implement the newly required multicast DNS (mDNS) and DNS-basedservice discovery (DNS-SD) technologies, commonly referred to as ZeroConfiguration Networking or Zeroconf.

The mDNS protocol helps devices on smaller ad hoc networks, such asthose typically found in test and measurement, to automatically choose adomain name in the “.local” namespace and announce it to the rest of the

network using a special multicast IP address. NI-VISA then uses DNS-SD to determine that the newly networked device is an LXIinstrument. After discovery, the new LXI resource immediatelybecomes available for programming in development environments,such as NI LabVIEW, and for optional additional configuration anddebugging in NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX).Currently, NI-VISA is the only Virtual Instrument Software Architecture(VISA) implementation to expand these new LXI features.

To view a demonstration on using NI software to simplifyand speed LXI system development, visit ni.com/info andenter nsi8428.

LXI Autodiscovery in NI-VISASimplifies LXI Configuration

Standard environmental monitoring applicationsinclude climate change tracking, water collection and testing, ecological research, soil monitoring,agriculture, and weather analysis. Systems for theseapplications usually consist of multiple sensorsconnected to a data acquisition device, data logger,or programmable automation controller (PAC) suchas NI CompactRIO or Compact FieldPoint. Thesensors can be any combination of analog, digital,serial, or even Serial Data Interface at 1200 baud(SDI-12) devices.

NI recently released the LabVIEW SDI-12 Application ProgrammingInterface (API) to connect with thousands of environmental monitoringsensors that communicate via the SDI-12 protocol. SDI-12 sensors useintegrated microprocessors to take measurements, perform computations,convert readings to engineering units, and transmit data back to the recording device.

The LabVIEW SDI-12 API operates on all LabVIEW platforms, includingembedded systems that run LabVIEW Real-Time, so you can create a flexible,user-defined environmental monitoring system.

To download the free LabVIEW SDI-12 API from the NI Instrument Driver Network, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8429.

Up to 10Sensors/DevicesPower

Ground

Data

12 V PSU

ConverterPC or PAC withan RS232 Port

With the new LabVIEW SDI-12 API, you can easily use LabVIEW to acquire, analyze, and present data from thousandsof different SDI-12 environmental sensors.

Connecting LabVIEW toEnvironmental Sensors

NI-VISA automatically discovers compatibleLXI instruments, which LabVIEW can thenimmediately control.

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National Instruments is improving your experience on ni.com by providingcomprehensive support systems, called reference architectures, for thosewanting to create a domain-specific application. The interactive referencearchitectures combine high-level application and system information, detailedtechnical documents, and a purchasing mechanism that bundles the entiresystem in just a few clicks. Now you can more easily find relevant content onthe Web to simplify your test and measurement process, from informationsearch to system setup.

A system-level diagram illustrates the process and products needed tocreate a particular application. This interactive illustration serves as yourblueprint and provides an advanced starting point for building applications. You can also find in-depth technical documents, including example code, inthe architecture details. The reference architecture links to NI Developer Zone(ni.com/zone), which provides application-specific details such as tutorials andexplanations for the system hardware and software components.

Case studies and other product applications are also easily accessible.Using domain-specific language, case studies prove that your applicationcan be created with National Instruments products. Discover the flexibilityof NI hardware and software on the other product application pages.

If you decide to purchase a system, you can access a preconfigured product bundle in just a few clicks, guaranteeing that you receive exactly what you need for your application. In the cart, you can actually see what the system looks like and virtually move your modules into different chassisslots. By combining products, services, and solutions, NI referencearchitectures provide a simpler way for you to find all of the resources you need for an industry-specific test or measurement application. To view featured reference architectures for automated test,

visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8430.

Web Connections

System-level diagrams and in-depth technical documents in the architecture detailsprovide an advanced starting point for building applications.

Try LabVIEW 8.6 Today

Build a Complete System withNI Reference Architectures

1. What’s New in LabVIEW 8.6

2. Five Trends in Automated Test

3. Introduction to ARM Microcontrollers

4. Simplify Remote Monitoring with NI LabVIEW and Wi-Fi Data Acquisition

5. Introduction to Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) Technology

To view these and other webcasts, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8431.

Top Five ni.com Webcasts

It is now easier than ever to evaluate the latest version of the NI LabVIEW graphical programming environment. Choose fromthree easy ways to try LabVIEW 8.6: instantly launch the softwareplatform online, download and install a 30-day trial on yourcomputer, or request to receive a DVD set through the mail. No matter how you choose to evaluate LabVIEW, now you canexplore fully functional trials of more than 20 products from theLabVIEW family, along with NI device drivers, in just a few clicks.

To evaluate LabVIEW 8.6, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8432.

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Case Studies

NI Announces 2008 Graphical SystemDesign Achievement Awards WinnersEDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD

Our team began developing a six-legged robotic spider to support rescue operations in harsh environments. We designed a highly mobilewalking scheme consisting of six independent legs that moved the robotomnidirectionally, even on terrain where robotic movement normally is not possible or too risky.

The leg mechanics and motion control are part of the key features of thespider robot. Twenty four smart DC brush motors drive the legs and function asintegral joints of the walking mechanics. This leads to a sturdy yet lightweightconstruction, reducing power consumption and improving motion dynamics.

With the advanced embedded computing power of the Analog DevicesBlackfin Processor and the deterministic real-time services from SchmidEngineering, the spider’s low-level motion looks dynamic and smooth. We used the NI LabVIEW Embedded Module for ADI Blackfin Processorsto continuously and simultaneously run the inverse kinematics algorithmsnecessary to control the 24 joint angles.

The ultralow-power mixed-signal target, ZMobile, is the heart of thespider robot. ZMobile, supplied by the Swiss solution provider SchmidEngineering, integrates sensors, actuators, vision, batteries, and wirelesscommunication in a single platform. The product is great for user-friendlyembedded system engineering, not only for robot designers but for anyonebuilding a mechatronics system, and it is compatible with LabVIEW.

Building a powerful and superior robot has been successful, and we greatlyreduced development time by using the graphical programming environmentoffered by the LabVIEW Embedded Module for Blackfin Processors and thehigh processing performance of the Blackfin Processor. We plan to reuse themodular hardware and software system in future mobile, autonomous robots.

– Pom Yuan Lam, Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore

THE CHALLENGEDesigning a robot that operates with a high degree of freedom for good mobility in harsh environments to support critical, life-saving operations.

THE SOLUTIONCombining graphical programming with high-processingperformance and an ultralow energy scheme to create a six-legged,highly functional robotic spider for use on rescue missions.

Using “creeping,” one of its many motion patterns, the robot squeezes through tight spaces.

Additional Resources

Embedded Graphical System Design Powers Life-Saving Robots

To learn more about the 2009 awards and submit your application, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8433.

To read the Customer Application of the Year award winner, featured in the Q3 issue of IInnssttrruummeennttaattiioonn NNeewwsslleetttteerr, visit ni.com/infoand enter nsi8434.

Q4 200828

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At Sanarus, a medicaldevice start-up company,we developed plans for aproduct that could helpdoctors treat patients with benign breast tumors. To satisfy the productrelease schedule, we weretasked with developing aworking prototype of theVisica2 Treatment System(V2) within four months.

We realized that CompactRIO was a viable solution because of its mix of programmability and integrated I/O development. With this platform, we

could revise our code with minimal effort and meet new feature requestswithout causing delays in the development schedule, reducing developmenttime from months to weeks.

The final V2 system consists of a panel PC that runs LabVIEW for Windows,operating the GUI and sending commands to a CompactRIO system usingLabVIEW shared variables. We used the LabVIEW Real-Time Module toimplement a state machine on the CompactRIO real-time controller and on theproportional integral derivative (PID) controller, and we used LabVIEW FPGA to manage interfacing to the I/O signals necessary to control these devices.

With the V2, doctors can freeze and kill tumors in an almost painlessoutpatient procedure. With LabVIEW, we designed and coded our controllerin house, then prototyped and deployed machines much quicker than expected.

– Jeff Stevens, formerly of Sanarus Medical

THE CHALLENGEDesigning, prototyping, and deploying the user interface and controlsystem for an FDA-approved, Class II medical device used to treatbreast tumors in a less invasive and nearly painless procedure.

THE SOLUTIONUsing the NI CompactRIO platform and the NI LabVIEW Real-Time andLabVIEW FPGA modules to develop a graphical user interface (GUI) and control system under extreme time-to-market pressure.

THE CHALLENGEDesigning a flexible, reliable automotive test system for measuringand charting the flow rate of diesel engine fuel injection nozzles.

THE SOLUTIONUsing NI LabVIEW and CompactRIO to design, prototype, and deploy adata acquisition, management, processing, and reporting program.

At Loccioni Group, we developed an innovative, nozzle-specific measurementsystem, the Mexus project, to measure the flow rate of diesel engine nozzleswith detailed quantification of single-fuel injections.

The instrument provides the measurement of the fuel quantity injected in each single-shot event up to a maximum of 10 events per revolution (alsoknown as multi-injection). By simulating the engine operation at 3,000 rpm, the system can easily detect readout value injections for each revolution in real time.

We modeled the injection chamber and its control system with the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module. The control program uses LabVIEW to manage data acquisition, processing, and reporting. With CompactRIO, we quickly shifted from prototyping to deployment, met the sampling rate requirements, and achieved real-time deterministiccontrol of the process.

The Mexus project produced an instrument now used worldwide byinjector manufacturers for end-of-line production tests, delivering excellenttest standards with nomachine downtime and aneasy-to-use interface.

– Alessandro De Grassi,Francesco Siano, and Carmine Ungaro,Loccioni Group

HUMANITARIAN APPLICATION OF THE YEAR AWARDLabVIEW, CompactRIO Help Remove Benign Breast Tumors

GREEN ENGINEERING APPLICATION OF THE YEAR AWARDDeveloping a Measurement Sensor for Automotive Test Systems

Using the off-the-shelf CompactRIO platform, Sanarusengineers quickly developed a working prototype.

The injection chamber and its control system were modeledusing the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module.

888 279 9833 ni.com 29

2008-10086-104-101 Q4 INL 10/23/08 2:49 PM Page 29

Q4 200830

Product Network

Speed Your Development with the LabVIEW Tools NetworkThe need for quality NI LabVIEW add-ons continues to grow as engineers and scientists expand the platform into new industries and applications.The LabVIEW Tools Network (ni.com/labviewtools) is a central repositoryfor companies to list and market their products to potential customers.Currently, there are nearly 450 tools listed, and several thousandcustomers visit the site each month.

To help you find the best tools to meet your application requirements,National Instruments has introduced the Compatible with LabVIEW Program.Add-ons accepted to this program have been identified as reaching a highstandard of function, style, documentation, and fit with LabVIEW and aredesignated as members on the LabVIEW Tools Network.

Anyone can list a product on the LabVIEW Tools Network and reach out to the LabVIEW community.

To explore nearly 450 LabVIEWadd-ons or include your product, visit ni.com/infoand enter nsi8435.

Add your product to the Compatible with LabVIEWProgram. The program offersmany benefits: � Priority listing on the

LabVIEW Tools Network� Use of the Compatible

with LabVIEW logo� Development resources� Comarketing opportunities

To learn more about joining the program, visit ni.com/infoand enter nsi8436.

You can automate testing for digital television technologies with the DAQTron Trident Suite, just one of the many tools available inthe LabVIEW Tools Network.

1. VI Package Manager – JKI Software

2. CarSim – Mechanical Simulation

3. TOMVIEW – Tomlab Optimization

4. Yaskawa Electric Drivers for LabVIEW – Yaskawa Electric

5. Origin 8 – Origin Lab

To learn more about these and other LabVIEW add-ons, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8437.

Join theCompatible with LabVIEW Program

Five LabVIEW Add-Onsin the Spotlight

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888 279 9833 ni.com 31

Events

NIWeek 2008 Breaks Attendance RecordsThe 14th annual worldwide graphical system design conference, NIWeek 2008, became the largest user conference ever held by National Instruments. Nearly 3,000 registrants spent three days engaged in 230 interactive technical sessions and four industry-leadingsummits on robotics, vision, sound and vibration, and RF and wireless communications.

NIWeek, held annually in Austin, Texas, brings together a community ofengineers, scientists, and educators worldwide for networking, discussionsessions, and in-depth training at all levels. In 2008, sessions highlightedinnovative approaches to virtual instrumentation and graphical systemdesign. Additionally, the guest keynote speaker, Andrew Hargadon,examined the process of innovation. Select keynote videos and sessioncontent are now available online.

National Instruments thanks everyone who participated in NIWeek 2008.Registration is now under way for NIWeek 2009. Visit ni.com/niweek to take advantage of the following special discounts:

� Early-bird registration – Register by May 31 to receive early-bird pricing

� Volume discount – Register three full-conference attendees and receive a complimentary full-conference registration

� Educator discount – Receive two-thirds off any registration fee if you are a full-time faculty member or graduate student at an accredited college or university

To view keynote videos and explore session content from NIWeek 2008, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8438.

Attend NIDays and join thousands of industry experts and NIemployees worldwide to learn about the latest technologies and trends in design, test, and control. Hear about recent software upgrades including NI LabVIEW 8.6, emerging hardwareplatforms, and industry applications. Also learn how you canimprove performance, and find out how solutions based on NIproducts can save you time and money without sacrificingflexibility and longevity.

Each NIDays conference features a keynote presentation,technical sessions, and hands-on training. With events scheduledin more than 30 countries, you have several opportunities to attend an NIDays event near you. The event series continuesthrough May 2009.

For specific NIDays event dates and locations, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8439.

Get Hands-On Technical Trainingat an NIDays Event Near You

Speakers discuss an NI CompactRIO chassis during a keynote in Munich, Germany.

Attendees examine the NI Smart Camera roller skate demonstration in the VisionNeighborhood at NIWeek 2008.

2008-10086-104-101 Q4 INL 10/23/08 2:49 PM Page 31

11500 N Mopac ExpwyAustin, TX 78759-3504

Address Service Requested

� To view recent newsletters in PDF format, newsletter archives, and other resources, visit ni.com/newsletter.� For inquiries, subscription changes, requests for permission, or changes of address, e-mail the managing editor at [email protected].� For product updates and development resources, subscribe to the semimonthly NI e-mail newsletter, NI News, at ni.com/ninews.

Newsletter Information and Resources Buy Online

ni.com/products

2008-10086-104-101-D 351201R-01

Technology Outlook

Providing a hands-on learning environment is essential for training futureengineers; however, the resources necessary to create, coordinate, andmaintain this experiential, lab-based learning are not uniformly available atuniversities worldwide. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) are helping to bridge this resource gap with iLabs – a framework fordelivering Web-accessible physical labs using computer-based technology.To use iLabs, lab coordinators design a computer-controlled experiment anduser interface that help a student to configure, run, or interact with the

experimental setup. This user interface is then “plugged” into the iLabsframework, making it accessible to students locally or globally. Duringdevelopment, however, the iLabs team discovered the majority of effort wasspent developing the software connection to the physical experiment and userinterface. Faculty members and researchers were familiar with NI LabVIEWsoftware, so it has quickly become a popular technology for developing iLabsexperiments, providing a quick, easy way to create an effective pedagogicalinterface to the experiment.

Developer collaboration is also an important aspect of maximizing theimpact of iLabs. Researchers realized the original electrical engineering iLabs – based on delivering access to expensive research equipment at MIT –actually posed a barrier to full collaboration between universities because the equipment was rarely available at other institutions. Instead, by using thelow-cost National Instruments Educational Laboratory Virtual InstrumentationSuite (NI ELVIS), these universities now can create experiments using identicalsystems, fostering an environment where ideas and development leadershippass freely between teams.

Both LabVIEW software and the NI ELVIS platform are playing a vitalrole in the impact iLabs is having on engineering education worldwide.

For more information on the NI ELVIS platform, visit ni.com/info and enter nsi8440.

Engineering students at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria perform experiments using NI ELVIS and LabVIEW.

MIT Remotely Connects FutureEngineers Worldwide with LabVIEW

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Documents

Build Your Own I/O for LabVIEW FPGA - National Instruments