Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: National Instruments | Subject: LabView 8.20
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 10 August 2006
Graphical dataflow eases embedded design
LabView 8.20 extends the LabView graphical dataflow language with native support for text-based math with MathScript.
LabView 8.20 extends the LabView graphical dataflow language with native support for text-based math with MathScript LabView 8.20 also brings significant improvements in control design and simulation performance and accelerates development of real-time system prototypes using standard PCs, FPGAs or custom designs
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 9 Aug 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Graphical programming aids telecomms design
LabView 8.20 is the 20th anniversary edition of the LabView graphical system design platform for test, control and embedded system design development.
High-precision audio and vibration measurements
For the first time on the PXI platform, engineers can make precision audio and vibration measurements with the National Instruments NI4472.
As system complexity grows, designers are forced to integrate more and more functionality into their products, often requiring design and simulation tools from different domains to work together.
Using MathScript, engineers can integrate their existing m-files created using the Matlab software, or create new scripts with LabView and mix and match graphical and text-based approaches to meet their design application needs and quickly prototype systems.
By combining the interactive front panel GUIs and connectivity to real-world I/O from LabView with algorithms designed in traditional text-based math languages, such as m-files, engineers can more quickly explore, prototype, iterate and complete their designs.
Further reading
Modules condition a range of sensor signals
National Instruments has released new Signal Conditioning Component modules for frequency to voltage conversion, integrated circuit piezoelectric accelerometers and RTDs.
Low-cost data acquisition card runs from a laptop
National Instruments has released its lowest cost E Series data acquisition (DAQ) device for PCMCIA.
Toolset simplifies database connectivity
The LabVIEW Database Connectivity Toolset from National Instruments allows users to connect to local and remote databases from their LabVIEW applications without complex SQL programming.
In addition to general compatibility with Matlab language syntax, LabView 8.20 helps engineers incorporate algorithms from other leading mathematics packages, including Maplesoft Maple, Mathsoft Mathcad and Scilab.
For FPGA-based development, engineers can use new machine monitoring IP libraries and add third-party IP through the VHDL node in the LabView FPGA module.
Third-party IP cores available for LabView FPGA have been validated by Xilinx, Celoxica and Impulse C.
"Over the past 20 years, LabView has revolutionised the way engineers and scientists work through a graphical system design and test approach", said Dr James Truchard, NI President, CEO and cofounder.
"LabView 8.20 combines an open design platform that embraces multiple tools and design approaches with powerful, custom measurement capabilities to streamline product development through an integrated design, prototyping and deployment platform".
LabView 8.20 improves algorithm execution speeds for both simple PID and advanced control systems.
The PID Toolkit has improved performance by up to 14 times and execution speed of the LabView Simulation Module is improved up to nine times.
This makes it possible for engineers to develop and execute high-performance applications from simple PID to complex control systems using the same graphical system design approach.
With LabView 8.20, engineers can integrate control algorithms and plant models developed using third-party platforms directly into the LabView design and prototyping platform.
With the Simulation Interface Toolkit, engineers can use simulation models developed in The MathWorks, Simulink software environment in LabView for real-time control prototyping and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing.
Additionally, with the new External Model Interface in LabView 8.20, engineers can integrate values from third-party plant models in the LabView Simulation Module.
The LabView 8.20 Simulation Module works with third-party models from Dynasim and Plexim.
LabView 8.20 streamlines the prototyping and deployment of real-time embedded designs on NI CompactRIO or PXI hardware platforms, as well as standard desktop computers, FPGAs or custom board designs - all using the same graphical programming approach.
The new LabView FPGA Wizard automatically generates I/O code and timing structures for quickly designing prototype systems directly in FPGA hardware for custom, real-time I/O systems, which include NI PXI, CompactRIO and standard desktop computers.
Engineers can implement these FPGA-based targets on plug-in boards in a standard desktop PC for fast, low-cost system prototyping.
And, with the LabView 8.20 Embedded Development Module, engineers can run their LabView algorithms on 32bit microprocessor-based custom designs.
New embedded targets supported in the LabView 8.20 Embedded Module include TI 6713 and Philips ARM7 229x processors, as well as QNX and MonteVista Linux embedded OSs.
The NI embedded design and prototyping platform combines the LabView graphical development environment with off-the-shelf, FPGA-based measurement and control hardware for design, simulation, rapid prototyping, implementation, validation and verification of embedded systems.
With the intuitive LabView graphical dataflow programming environment, engineers and scientists can rapidly develop and iterate on designs, reducing the time from concept to prototype.
Using LabView with tightly integrated FPGA-based NI PXI or CompactRIO hardware further reduces time to market by eliminating the need for costly integration steps such as board bring-up.
After prototyping and validating the design, domain experts can deploy these custom designs to an extensive range of off-the-shelf NI hardware or deploy to custom hardware using components such as DSPs or custom ASICs. Request a free brochure from National Instruments ...
• National Instruments: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
