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LabVIEW™SignalExpress™HelpJune2008,371268J-01LabVIEWSignalExpressisaninteractivemeasurementprogramyoucanusetoquicklyacquire,analyze,andpresentdatafromhundredsofdataacquisitiondevicesandinstruments,withnoprogrammingrequired.UseLabVIEWSignalExpresstocreateprojectsthatacquire,analyze,create,generate,anddisplaysignals.Youcanacquiresignalsfromhardwaredevicesinstalledonyourcomputer,analyzethesignals,andthensendtheresultingsignalstohardwaredevices.ThestepsyouusetocreateprojectsdependontheLabVIEWSignalExpressassistantsyouhaveinstalled.Refertothedocumentationforanassistanttolearnmoreaboutcreatingprojectswithassistant-specificsteps.YoucanuseLabVIEWSignalExpressstepsthatcommunicatewithNIhardwaredevices,oryoucanimportLabVIEWVIstocommunicatewithhardwaredevices.Youalsocanuseasweepoperationtorepeatedlymeasureasignalwithdifferentparametervalues.
SoundandVibrationAssistantHelpUsetheSoundandVibrationstepstobuildsoundandvibrationapplicationsinteractively.TheSoundandVibrationAssistantisanextensionoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentandincludesallLabVIEWSignalExpressfunctionality.TheSoundandVibrationAssistantoffersacustomizedviewintheAddStepmenutohelpyouaccessthemostcommonsoundandvibrationmeasurements.SoundandVibrationAssistantStepscontainsfurtherinformationonusingSoundandVibrationAssistant.Tonavigatethishelpfile,usetheContents,Index,andSearchtabstotheleftofthiswindow.Formoreinformationaboutthishelpfile,refertothefollowingtopics:UsingHelpRelatedDocumentationImportantInformationTechnicalSupportandProfessionalServices©2004–2008NationalInstrumentsCorporation.Allrightsreserved.
What'sNewinLabVIEWSignalExpress3.0LabVIEWSignalExpress3.0includesthefollowingchangesfromLabVIEWSignalExpress2.5.
EnvironmentEnhancementsLabVIEWSignalExpress3.0includesthefollowingenvironmentenhancements.GeneralEnvironmentEnhancementsTheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentincludesthefollowinggeneralenhancements:
Drag-and-droplayoutarrangement—Youcanusedrag-and-dropfunctionalitytocustomizetheappearanceofLabVIEWSignalExpressbymovingviews,includingtheProjectView,ChannelView,contexthelp,andtabs.Autohidefunctionality—Youcanspecifytohideviewswhenyoumovethecursoroutoftheview.
DataViewTabEnhancementsTheDataViewtabincludesthefollowingenhancements:
Displayproperties—YoucanusetheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxtoconfigurepropertiesforalltypesofdisplays.ThisdialogboxreplacestheWaveformGraphPropertiesdialogboxinLabVIEWSignalExpress2.5andearlier.Thedisplaypropertiesyoucanconfiguredependontheformatofthedisplayandcanincludetitles,formatandprecision,plots,scales,cursors,signalorder,andadvancedsettings.ClickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.Displaytitles—Displaysappearwithtitlesbydefault.YoucanusetheTitlepageoftheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxtoeditorhidedisplaytitles.Graphpalette—Thegraphpalettereplacesthezoombuttonsongraphdisplays.ThegraphpalettealsoappearswithgraphsyouaddtotheProjectDocumentationtab.Cursorenhancements—Youcanlinkcursorsonthesamedisplayorbetweendisplays,exportmeasurementvaluesfromthecursorlegendtotheProjectViewsoyoucanusethevalueasastepinput,andbindcursormeasurementvaluestostepparameterssotheparametertowhichyoubindacursormeasurementupdatestousethatvalue.Youalsocandefineapeakthreshold
andwidthforeachcursoronadisplay.UsetheCursorspageoftheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxtoconfigurecursors.
ProjectViewEnhancementsInLabVIEWSignalExpress3.0,theProjectViewdisplaysstepsenclosedinexecutionloops.Anexecutionloopenclosesthestepsinanexecutiongroup,whichisagroupofstepsthatsendsignalstoandreceivesignalsfromeachother.Ifyouaddastepthatdoesnotreceiveasignalfromprevioussteps,thenewstepappearsenclosedinanewexecutionloop.Stepsinseparateexecutiongroupsdonotsendsignalstoorreceivesignalsfromeachotherwhenyouruntheproject.ExecutionloopsreplacetheexecutionseparatorsthatappearinLabVIEWSignalExpress2.5andearlier.ChannelViewEnhancementsTheChannelViewincludesthefollowingenhancements:
SharedVariablesmode—YoucanusetheChannelViewtoviewsharedvariablesonthelocalmachineorthelocalnetwork.SelectSharedVariablesfromtheViewpull-downmenuatthetopoftheChannelViewtodisplaytheavailablesharedvariables.WhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckboxforasharedvariable,LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyconfiguresaReadSharedVariablesstepandaddsthesteptotheProjectView.ImportChannelViewfromExcel—IfyouexportthecontentsoftheChannelViewtoMicrosoftExcel,youcanimportthecontentsoftheMicrosoftExcelspreadsheetbackintotheChannelView.UsethisfeaturetoshareChannelViewconfigurationsacrossprojectsortoupdatetheChannelViewifyoumodifytheinformationintheMicrosoftExcelspreadsheet.
ProjectDocumentationTabEnhancementsTheProjectDocumentationtabincludesthefollowingenhancements:
Thefollowingtoolbarbuttonsappearonthetab:PrintDocumentation,SelectFont,Left,Centered,andRight.Usethesebuttonstoprintthecontentsofthetab,configurefontsettings,andsetparagraphalignment.YoucanundoorredooperationsonthetabusingtheEditmenuorkeyboardshortcuts.
Objectsyouplaceonthetabappearwithhandlesyoucanusetoresizetheobject.YoucanselecttoviewthecontentsofthetabastheyappearonaprintedpageoraWebpageusingtheDocumentationmenu.
RunModeEnhancementsYoucanconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstorunaprojectforanumberofiterationsyouspecifyorforanamountoftimeyouspecify.Bydefault,LabVIEWSignalExpressrunsprojectscontinuouslywhenyouclicktheRunbutton.ClickthedownarrowontheRunbuttonandselectRunContinuously,RunOnce,orConfigureRuntospecifytherunmodeyouwanttouse.YoualsocanaccessrunmodeconfigurationoptionsfromtheOperatemenu.WhenyouselectConfigureRun,theConfigureRundialogboxappears.Usethisdialogboxtospecifyanumberofiterationsoratimeinsecondsforwhichyouwanttoruntheproject.Youalsocanspecifywhethertocreateasnapshotofallthesignalsintheprojectwhentheprojectfinishesrunning.Whenyousaveaproject,LabVIEWSignalExpressalsosavestherunmodeconfiguration.
NoteInaPlaybackworkarea,youonlycanrunprojectscontinuously.
LoggingEnhancementsLabVIEWSignalExpress3.0includesthefollowingdataloggingenhancements.EventDetectionUsetheEventspageoftheRecordingOptionstabtoconfigureeventsthatyouwantLabVIEWSignalExpresstoacknowledgeduringlogging.Youcanconfigurekeystrokeeventsorsignal-basedevents.LabVIEWSignalExpresssaveseventsinthelogfile,andyoucanspecifyanannotationtoappearwheretheeventoccursonthegraphoftheloggedsignal.Youalsocanspecifytoprompttheusertoenteranannotationwhenakeystrokeeventoccurs.Right-clickasignalintheLoggedDatawindowandselectShowAlarmsandEventsfromtheshortcutmenutodisplayarecordofalltheeventsandalarmsthatoccurredduringlogging.StartandStopConditionEnhancementsUsetheStartConditionsandStopConditionspagesoftheRecordingOptionstabtoconfigurestartandstopconditions.TheStartConditionsandStopConditionspagesincludethefollowingneworenhancedoptions:
Conditiontype—YoucanspecifySoftwaretriggerasastartorstopcondition.Conditionlogic—Ifyouspecifymultiplestartorstopconditions,youalsocanspecifythelogicLabVIEWSignalExpressusestoprocesstheconditions.Youcanacknowledgethestartorstopconditionswhenallconditionsoccur,whenoneconditionoccurs,orwhenalltheconditionsoccurinaspecificorder.Count—YoucanspecifythenumberoftimesastartorstopconditionmustoccurbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressacknowledgesthestartorstopcondition.Schedulestarttime—YoucanconfigurerepeatingDate/Timestartconditions.YoucanscheduleLabVIEWSignalExpresstostartloggingweekly,daily,hourly,insmallertimeincrements,oronacustomscheduleyouspecify.Restartbehavior—YoucanconfigurehowmanytimesLabVIEWSignalExpressrestartsloggingafterstartandstopconditions
occur.Youcanconfigureloggingtorestartanumberoftimesyouspecifyoruntilatimeanddateyouspecify.Youalsocanspecifywhethertosaveloggeddatainthesamelogfileorinanewfileafterarestartoccurs.Holdoff—YoucanspecifyanamountoftimethatLabVIEWSignalExpresswaitsafterastartorstopconditionoccursbeforeacknowledginganewstartorstopcondition.Post-stopconditionduration—Youcanspecifyanumberofsecondsofdatatoincludeinalogfileafterastopconditionoccurs.
AlarmEnhancementsUsetheAlarmspageoftheRecordingOptionstabtoconfigurealarms.Inadditiontoactionssuchasdisplayingamessageorproducingasoundwhenanalarmoccurs,younowcangenerateasoftwaretrigger,createasnapshot,orrunaprogram.LoggingFrequency-DomainSignalsYoucanlogthelastknownvalueofafrequency-domainsignalandviewthelogontheDataViewtab.Thelastknownvalueofthesignalisthevalueofthesignalwhentheprojectstopsrunning.IntheProjectView,right-clickafrequency-domainoutputsignalandselectRecordlastvaluefromtheshortcutmenutologthelastknownvalueofthesignal.LabVIEWSignalExpresssaveslogsoffrequency-domainsignalsinthe.tdmsfileformattothedefaultlocationyouspecifyontheLoggingpageoftheOptionsdialogbox.
NoteBecauseLabVIEWSignalExpressrecordsafrequency-domainsignalasasinglevalue,youcannotplaybackalogofafrequency-domainsignal.
OperatorModeOperatormodeprovidesawaytodisableeditingcapabilitiesforLabVIEWSignalExpressprojects.Disablingeditingcapabilitiescanbeusefulifyouwanttodistributeaprojecttootherusers.Forexample,ifyoucreateaprojectthatgeneratesasignal,youcanconfiguretheprojectsothatinoperatormodeauseronlycanadjustthefrequencyofthesignal.Youalsocansetapasswordonaprojectsothatausermustenterthepasswordtodisableoperatormode.Ifyousaveaprojectinoperatormode,theprojectalwaysopensinoperatormodeunlessyousavetheprojectagainwithoperatormodedisabled.UsetheOperatorInterfaceviewandtheToolboxandPropertieswindowstoconfigurethecontrolsausercanaccesswhenaprojectisinoperatormode.UsetheOperatemenuorthetoolbarbuttonsontheOperatorInterfaceviewtoenableordisableoperatormodeandtosetapasswordonaproject.
SharedVariablesYoucanwritesignalstosharedvariables,whichareapplication-independentsoftwareitemsthatenableyoutosenddataacrossprojectsoracrossanetwork.Right-clickastepinputoroutputsignalandselectWritetoSharedVariablefromtheshortcutmenutowritethesignaltoasharedvariable.YoualsocanusetheChannelViewtoseethesharedvariablesthatexistonthelocalmachineorthelocalnetwork.
ExportingProjectSettingsYoucanexporttheconfigurationsettingsofaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoanXMLfile.YoucanusetheXMLfileasarecordoftheprojectconfigurationatthetimeyouexportthesettings.TheXMLfiledisplaysallthestepsintheproject,thevaluesofeveryparameterinthosesteps,andlistsanyenvironmentelements,suchastabs,workareas,andactivelogs,thatLabVIEWSignalExpresshasloadedatthetimeyouexporttheprojectsettings.UsetheFilemenutoexportprojectsettingstoXML.YoucanviewthefileinanytextorXMLeditor.
NoteTheXMLfileisforrecord-keepingpurposesonly.YoucannotusetheXMLfiletoimportprojectsettingstoLabVIEWSignalExpress.
NewStepThefollowingnewstepappearsinLabVIEWSignalExpress3.0:
Sequencestep—Pausesandresumesexecutionofstepsinaprojectbasedontheconfigurationyouspecify.TheSequencestepcanpausetheexecutionofastepwithoutstoppingtheexecutionoftheentireproject.BecausetheSequencestepcanpausetheexecutionofothersteps,youcanusetheSequencesteptoallowmultiplestepsinthesameprojecttousethesamehardware.
What'sNewinLabVIEWSignalExpress2.5LabVIEWSignalExpress2.5includesthefollowingchangesfromLabVIEWSignalExpress2.0.
ProjectAnalyzerTheProjectAnalyzerisatoolthatanalyzesyourLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectandreturnsanyerrors,warnings,incompatibilities,orotherissuesintheErrorListwindow.TheProjectAnalyzerdeterminesthetaskyouwanttocompleteandreturnspotentialissueswiththecurrentLabVIEWSignalExpressconfigurationthatcanpreventtheprojectfromexecutingproperly.
StepChangesLabVIEWSignalExpressincludesthefollowingchangestoexistingsteps:
CreateSignal—TheCreateSignalstepisnowcalledtheCreateAnalogSignalstep.SoftwareTrigger—TheSoftwareTriggerstepisnowcalledtheTriggerstep.
What'sNewinLabVIEWSignalExpress2.0LabVIEWSignalExpress2.0includedthefollowingchangesfromLabVIEWSignalExpress1.1.
DataLoggingUsetheintegrateddataloggingtooltorecord,save,andanalyzeyourmeasurements.Youcanrecordanystepoutput.Youalsocananalyzeandprocessloggeddatabyplayingitthroughanalysissteps.
StepImprovementsLabVIEWSignalExpressincludesthefollowingchangestoexistingsteps:
TimeAveraging—TheTimeAveragingstepnowacceptsscalardataasaninput.Histogram—TheHistogramstepnowacceptsscalardataasaninput.Userstep—TheUserstepisnowcalledtheRunLabVIEWVIstep.TheRunLabVIEWVIstepnowsupportsLabVIEW7.1andlater.Formula(Scalar)—TheFormula(Scalar)stepisnowcalledtheFormulastep.TheFormulastepnowacceptswaveformdataasaninput.LimitTest—YounowcanperformactionsonLabVIEWSignalExpressdatadependingontheresultoftheLimitTeststep.NavigatetotheActionstaboftheLimitTestconfigurationviewtoconfigurewhichactionsLabVIEWSignalExpresstakeswhenasignalfailsorpassesalimittest.
StepRemovalsLabVIEWSignalExpressnolongercontainsthefollowingsteps:
NI-DAQmxAcquireNI-DAQmxGenerate
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpressstillsupportsthesestepsforprojectfilessavedinapreviousversionofLabVIEWSignalExpress.InstalltheDAQAssistantandusetheDAQmxAcquireandDAQmxGeneratestepstoacquireandgeneratesignalsfromDAQdevices.
ChannelViewTheChannelViewprovidesanintegratedenvironmentforviewingandconfiguringhardwarechannelinformation.
DAQAssistantIntegrationLabVIEWSignalExpressnowsupportsfullDAQAssistantintegration.TheDAQAssistantdialogboxesarefullyintegratedintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.WhenyouinstalltheDAQAssistant,usetheDAQmxAcquireandDAQmxGeneratestepstoacquireandgeneratesignalsfromDAQdevices.
NewDataViewersSeveralnewdataviewersareavailableforviewingscalarandtime-domaindata.Right-clicktheDataViewandselectViewAstochoosethedisplaytouseforyourdata.LabVIEWSignalExpressonlydisplaysthedataviewersavailableforthespecifieddatatype.
ProjectDocumentationTabYoucancreateprojectdescriptions,displayacquireddata,ordocumentyourmeasurementresultsintheProjectDocumentationtab.
OptionsDialogBoxSelectTools»OptionstodisplaytheOptionsdialogbox.UsetheOptionsdialogboxtoconfigurevariousLabVIEWSignalExpressoptions.
ActivatingYourSoftwareHowdoIactivatemysoftware?UsetheNIActivationWizardtoobtainanactivationcodeforyoursoftware.YoucanlaunchtheNIActivationWizardtwoways:
Launchtheproductandchoosetoactivateyoursoftwarefromthelistofoptionspresented.LaunchNILicenseManagerbyselectingStart»AllPrograms»NationalInstruments»NILicenseManager.ClicktheActivatebuttoninthetoolbar.
NoteIfyoursoftwareisapartofaVolumeLicenseAgreement(VLA),contactyourVLAadministratorforinstallationandactivationinstructions.
Whatisactivation?Activationistheprocessofobtaininganactivationcodetoenableyoursoftwaretorunonyourcomputer.Anactivationcodeisanalphanumericstringthatverifiesthesoftware,version,andcomputerIDtoenablefeaturesonyourcomputer.Activationcodesareuniqueandarevalidononlyonecomputer.WhatistheNIActivationWizard?TheNIActivationWizardisapartofNILicenseManagerthatstepsyouthroughtheprocessofenablingsoftwaretorunonyourmachine.WhatinformationdoIneedtoactivate?Youneedyourproductserialnumber,username,andorganization.TheNIActivationWizarddeterminestherestoftheinformation.Certainactivationmethodsmayrequireadditionalinformationfordelivery.Thisinformationisusedonlytoactivateyourproduct.CompletedisclosureofNationalInstrumentslicensingprivacypolicyisavailableatni.com/activate/privacy.Ifyouoptionallychoosetoregisteryoursoftware,yourinformationisprotectedundertheNationalInstrumentsprivacypolicy,availableatni.com/privacy.HowdoIfindmyproductserialnumber?YourserialnumberuniquelyidentifiesyourpurchaseofNIsoftware.YoucanfindyourserialnumberontheCertificateofOwnershipincludedin
yoursoftwarekit.IfyoursoftwarekitdoesnotincludeaCertificateofOwnership,youcanfindyourserialnumberontheproductpackingsliporontheshippinglabel.Ifyouhaveinstalledapreviousversionusingyourserialnumber,youcanfindtheserialnumberbyselectingtheHelp»AboutmenuitemwithintheapplicationorbyselectingyourproductwithinNILicenseManager(Start»AllPrograms»NationalInstruments»NILicenseManager).YoucanalsocontactyourlocalNationalInstrumentsbranch.WhatisaComputerID?ThecomputerIDcontainsuniqueinformationaboutyourcomputer.NationalInstrumentsrequiresthisinformationtoenableyoursoftware.YoucanfindyourcomputerIDthroughtheNIActivationWizardorbyusingNILicenseManager,asfollows:
1. LaunchNILicenseManagerbyselectingStart»AllPrograms»NationalInstruments»NILicenseManager.
2. ClicktheDisplayComputerInformationbuttoninthetoolbar.Formoreinformationaboutproductactivationandlicensingrefertoni.com/activate.
RelatedDocumentationTheGettingStartedwithLabVIEWSignalExpressmanualisaPortableDocumentFormat(PDF)file.YoumusthaveAdobeReader6.0.1orlaterinstalledtoviewthePDF.RefertotheAdobeSystemsIncorporatedWebsitetodownloadAdobeReader.RefertotheNationalInstrumentsProductManualsLibraryforupdateddocumentationresources.DependingontheLabVIEWSignalExpresssupportedapplicationsyouhaveinstalled,theHelpmenucontainslinkstotheusermanualforeachapplication.ThefollowingdocumentscontaininformationthatyoumightfindhelpfulasyouuseLabVIEWSignalExpress:
NI-DAQmxHelp—Thishelpfilecontainsinformationabouttasks,channels,andotherNI-DAQmxconcepts.LabVIEWHelp—ThishelpfilecontainsinformationaboutLabVIEWpalettes,menus,tools,VIs,andfunctions.Thishelpfilealsoincludesstep-by-stepinstructionsforusingLabVIEWfeatures.
LabVIEWSignalExpressLELabVIEWSignalExpressLEisafree,limitedversionofLabVIEWSignalExpressthatdoesnotincludeallofthestepsorfeaturesavailableintheFullEdition.WhenyouinstallLabVIEWSignalExpress,youhavea30-daytrialoftheFullEditionofLabVIEWSignalExpress.Afterthatperiod,youmustactivateLabVIEWSignalExpressLEorpurchasetheFullEdition.IfyouactivateLabVIEWSignalExpressLEbeforethe30-daytrialoftheFullEditioniscomplete,youstillcanusethefullfeaturesfortheremainderofthe30-daytrial.
LabVIEWSignalExpressLEFeaturesBydefault,LabVIEWSignalExpressLEdisplaysallsteps,includingstepsthatareonlyavailableintheFullEdition.YoucanconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpressnottodisplaystepsavailableintheFullEdition.SelectTools»OptionstodisplaytheOptionsdialogbox.OntheGeneralpage,selectNofromtheShowunlicensedstepsoption.ThefollowingtabledisplaysthefeaturesavailableinLabVIEWSignalExpressLEandLabVIEWSignalExpressFullEdition:
LabVIEWSignal
ExpressLE
LabVIEWSignalExpressFullEdition
InstrumentSupportOver300commonstandaloneinstrumentsVisualizationandDocumentationCustomizablegraphingInteractivecursorsSavesignalstofilePrintandexportgraphsDraganddropdataintoMicrosoftExcel,Word,andWordPadOperatormodewithlimiteduser-editingSignalProcessingSoftwarefiltersScalarandwaveformmathAnaloganddigitalconversionInteractivesignalcomparisonsLoadsimulationdatafromPSPICE,Multisim,andotherSPICEpackagesTimeandFrequencyMeasurements
AmplitudeandlevelTimingandtransitionPowerspectrumFrequencyresponseDistortionmeasurementsToneextractionDataLoggingLimiteddatalogging(onelogperproject)UnlimiteddataloggingLoggingalarmsandeventsLoggingwithstartandstopconditionsMeasurementAutomationParametersweepingLimittestingSoftwaretriggeringSequencingRemoteDataAccessRead/Writesharedvariables
HowdoIgethelp?LabVIEWSignalExpressincludesadynamiccontexthelpwindowthatdisplaysstep,tab,andparameter-levelhelp.Movethecursoroveranobjecttodisplaycontexthelpforthatobject.YoualsocanselectHelp»LabVIEWSignalExpressHelptoaccesstheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelp.
ConventionsThishelpfileusesthefollowingformattingandtypographicalconventions:
<> Anglebracketsthatcontainnumbersseparatedbyanellipsisrepresentarangeofvaluesassociatedwithabitorsignalname—forexample,AO<0..3>.
[] Squarebracketsencloseoptionalitems—forexample,[response].
» The»symbolleadsyouthroughnestedmenuitemsanddialogboxoptionstoafinalaction.ThesequenceFile»PageSetup»OptionsdirectsyoutopulldowntheFilemenu,selectthePageSetupitem,andselectOptionsfromthelastdialogbox.Thisicondenotesatip,whichalertsyoutoadvisoryinformation.Thisicondenotesanote,whichalertsyoutoimportantinformation.
blue Textinthiscolordenotesaspecificplatformandindicatesthatthetextfollowingitappliesonlytothatplatform.
bold Boldtextdenotesitemsthatyoumustselectorclickinthesoftware,suchasmenuitemsanddialogboxoptions.Boldtextalsodenotesparameternames.
green Underlinedtextinthiscolordenotesalinktoahelptopic,helpfile,orWebaddress.
italic Italictextdenotesvariables,emphasis,cross-references,oranintroductiontoakeyconcept.Italictextalsodenotestextthatisaplaceholderforawordorvaluethatyoumustsupply.
monospace Textinthisfontdenotestextorcharactersthatyoushouldenterfromthekeyboard,sectionsofcode,programmingexamples,andsyntaxexamples.Thisfontisalsousedforthepropernamesofdiskdrives,paths,directories,programs,subprograms,subroutines,devicenames,functions,operations,variables,filenames,andextensions.
monospacebold
Boldtextinthisfontdenotesthemessagesandresponsesthatthecomputerautomaticallyprintstothescreen.Thisfontalsoemphasizeslinesofcodethataredifferentfromtheotherexamples.
monospaceitalic
Italictextinthisfontdenotestextthatisaplaceholderforawordorvaluethatyoumustsupply.
NavigatingHelpTonavigatethishelpfile,usetheContents,Index,andSearchtabstotheleftofthiswindoworusethefollowingtoolbarbuttonslocatedabovethetabs:
Hide—Hidesthenavigationpanefromview.Locate—LocatesthecurrentlydisplayedtopicintheContentstab,allowingyoutoviewrelatedtopics.Back—Displaysthepreviouslyviewedtopic.Forward—DisplaysthetopicyouviewedbeforeclickingtheBackbutton.Options—Displaysalistofcommandsandviewingoptionsforthehelpfile.
SearchingHelpUsetheSearchtabtotheleftofthiswindowtolocatecontentinthishelpfile.Ifyouwanttosearchforwordsinacertainorder,suchas"relateddocumentation,"addquotationmarksaroundthesearchwordsasshownintheexample.SearchingfortermsontheSearchtaballowsyoutoquicklylocatespecificinformationandinformationintopicsthatarenotincludedontheContentstab.
WildcardsYoualsocansearchusingasterisk(*)orquestionmark(?)wildcards.Usetheasteriskwildcardtoreturntopicsthatcontainacertainstring.Forexample,asearchfor"prog*"liststopicsthatcontainthewords"program,""programmatically,""progress,"andsoon.Usethequestionmarkwildcardasasubstituteforasinglecharacterinasearchterm.Forexample,"?ext"liststopicsthatcontainthewords"next,""text,"andsoon.
NoteWildcardsearchingwillnotworkonSimplifiedChinese,TraditionalChinese,Japanese,andKoreansystems.
NestedExpressionsUsenestedexpressionstocombinesearchestofurtherrefineasearch.YoucanuseBooleanexpressionsandwildcardsinanestedexpression.Forexample,"exampleAND(programORVI)"liststopicsthatcontain"exampleprogram"or"exampleVI."Youcannotnestexpressionsmorethanfivelevels.
BooleanExpressionsClickthe buttontoaddBooleanexpressionstoasearch.ThefollowingBooleanoperatorsareavailable:
AND(default)—Returnstopicsthatcontainbothsearchterms.Youdonotneedtospecifythisoperatorunlessyouareusingnestedexpressions.OR—Returnstopicsthatcontaineitherthefirstorsecondterm.NOT—Returnstopicsthatcontainthefirsttermwithoutthesecondterm.NEAR—Returnstopicsthatcontainbothtermswithineightwordsofeachother.
SearchOptions
UsethefollowingcheckboxesontheSearchtabtocustomizeasearch:Searchpreviousresults—Narrowstheresultsfromasearchthatreturnedtoomanytopics.Youmustremovethecheckmarkfromthischeckboxtosearchalltopics.Matchsimilarwords—Broadensasearchtoreturntopicsthatcontainwordssimilartothesearchterms.Forexample,asearchfor"program"liststopicsthatincludethewords"programs,""programming,"andsoon.Searchtitlesonly—Searchesonlyinthetitlesoftopics.
PrintingHelpFileTopicsCompletethefollowingstepstoprintanentirebookfromtheContentstab:
1. Right-clickthebook.2. SelectPrintfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaythePrintTopics
dialogbox.3. SelectthePrinttheselectedheadingandallsubtopicsoption.
NoteSelectPrinttheselectedtopicifyouwanttoprintthesingletopicyouhaveselectedintheContentstab.
4. ClicktheOKbutton.
PrintingPDFDocumentsThishelpfilemaycontainlinkstoPDFdocuments.ToprintPDFdocuments,clicktheprintbuttonlocatedontheAdobeAcrobatViewertoolbar.
NavigatingtheLabVIEWSignalExpressEnvironmentTheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentconsistsofviewsthatdisplayvarioustypesofinformation.Theprimaryviewappearsinthemiddleoftheapplicationwindowandcontainstabsinthedefaultlayout.Eachtabhasauniquefunctionality,suchasdisplayingdata,configuringsteps,ordocumentingprojects.Theprimaryviewissurroundedbysupplementaryviewsthat,unlessyouclosetheviews,arealwaysvisible.SupplementaryviewsincludetheProjectView,whichyouusetobuildprojects,theContextHelpwindow,whichdisplaysinformationabouttabsandsteps,andtheChannelView,whichdisplaysconfigurableitemssuchashardwaredevicesandsharedvariables.TheToolboxandPropertieswindowsalsoaresupplementaryviews.
NoteWhenyoufirstlaunchLabVIEWSignalExpress,theDataViewtabappearsintheprimaryview,andtheProjectViewandtheContextHelpwindowappearassupplementaryviews.IfLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectshardwaredevicesorsharedvariables,theChannelViewalsoappears.However,youcancustomizetheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmenttodisplayanyviewinanylocation.
MenusandtoolbarbuttonsappearacrossthetopoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.Usethemenusandtoolbarbuttonstomanagefiles,accesssteps,runprojects,recordlogs,modifytheenvironment,andaccesshelp.Forexample,youcanusetheViewmenutodisplayviewsinLabVIEWSignalExpress.
ViewsTheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentconsistsofviewsthatdisplayvarioustypesofinformation.Theprimaryviewappearsinthemiddleoftheapplicationwindowandisusuallythelargestview.Inthedefaultlayout,theprimaryviewcontainstabs,suchastheDataViewtab.Supplementaryviewssurroundtheprimaryviewandappearwithindividualtitlebars.Forexample,theProjectViewisasupplementaryview.YoucancustomizetheappearanceoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentbyselectingwhichviewstodisplay,specifyinghowLabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaystheviews,andarrangingtheviewsintheapplicationwindow.
ViewDisplayOptionsTodisplayaview,selecttheviewfromtheViewmenu.Afteryoudisplayaview,youcanchooseoneofthefollowingmethodsfordisplayingtheview:
Floating—Displaystheviewinaseparate,floatingwindow.Hiding—Hidestheviewwhenyoumovethecursoroutoftheview.LabVIEWSignalExpressplacesbuttonsontheedgeoftheapplicationwindowtoindicateahiddenview.Movethecursoroverthebuttontodisplaythehiddenview.Docking—Dockstheviewinafixedlocation.
DisplayingViewsYoucancustomizetheappearanceoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentbyselectingviewstodisplay,specifyinghowLabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaystheviews,andarrangingtheviewsintheapplicationwindow.SelectaviewfromtheViewmenutodisplaytheview.
Floating,Hiding,andClosingViewsThemethodyouusetofloat,hide,dock,orcloseaviewdependsonwhethertheviewappearsasaprimaryvieworasupplementaryview.
NoteWiththeexceptionoftheDataViewtab,closedviewsretainanyinformationyouenterpriortoclosingtheview.Forexample,closingtheProjectViewdoesnotremovethestepsintheproject.
Ifaviewappearsasatabintheprimaryviewarea,youcanright-clickthenameofthetabtodisplayashortcutmenuofdisplayoptions.SelectFloattomakethetabafloatingvieworClosetoclosethetab.YoualsocanclicktheX,orClosebutton,intheprimaryviewtocloseatab.Afteryoumakeatabafloatingview,youcandragtheviewoverthedockingiconstodocktheview.Ifaviewappearsasasupplementaryviewwithatitlebar,youcanclickthedownarrowonthetitlebartodisplayadrop-downmenuofdisplayoptions.TheFloatandCloseoptionsworkinthesamewayforprimaryandsupplementaryviews.SupplementaryviewsalsoincludeanAutoHideoption,whichyoucanusetohidetheviewwhenyoumovethecursoroutoftheview.YoualsocanusetheAutoHideandX,orClosebuttonsonthetitlebarofasupplementaryviewtohideorclosetheview.
DraggingandDockingViewsYoucandragafloatingvieworaviewwithatitlebaroveradockingicontodocktheviewinanewlocation.Thefollowingillustrationshowsthedockingiconsthatappearnearthemiddleoftheapplicationwindowwhenyoubegindraggingaview.
Dragaviewoveradockingicontoseewheretheviewappearsifyoudroptheview.Ifyoudragaviewoverthemiddle,tabbedicon,theviewappearstabbedwhenyoudroptheview.
ResettingtheEnvironmentLayoutSelectView»ResetLayouttoresettheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmenttothedefaultlayout.
NoteResettingthelayoutclosesanyviewsthatdonotappearinthedefaultlayout.WiththeexceptionoftheDataViewtab,closedviewsretainanyinformationyouenterpriortoresettingthelayout.
ProjectViewTheProjectViewdisplaysthefunctionalstepsofaLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.YoucreateprojectsbyaddingstepstotheProjectView.
StepsStepsarefunctionsyoucanconfiguretoacquire,analyze,save,orloadsignalsintheproject.Eachstepconsistsofinputsignalsand/oroutputsignals.
Stepinputsignalsaresignalsyoupassintoastepthatyouwanttoanalyze,process,generate,orsave.Stepinputsignalsappearasredarrowsonastep.
Stepoutputsignalsaresignalsastepcreates,acquires,analyzes,processes,orimportsandreturns.Youcanusestepoutputsignalsasinputstosubsequentsteps.Stepoutputsignalsappearasbluearrowsonastep.YoucandraganoutputsignaltotheDataVieworuseaprobetoviewthedatatheoutputsignalholds.
YoumustaddstepstotheProjectViewinalogicalexecutionsequence.Ifasteprequiresaninputsignalfromanotherstep,thestepprovidingtheinputmustappearbeforethestepthatrequirestheinput.Ifyouaddastepthatcannotfindaninputitneedsorthatcannotprocessthedataaprecedingsteporstepsreturn,anerrormessageappearsthatexplainswheretheerroroccurredandsuggestswaystofixtheerror.
ExecutionLoopsExecutionloopsareblueloopsthatshowtheexecutionofstepsintheProjectView.Anexecutionloopenclosesthestepsinanexecutiongroup,whichisagroupofstepsthatsendsignalstoandreceivesignalsfromeachother.Ifyouaddastepthatdoesnotreceiveasignalfromprevioussteps,thenewstepispartofanewexecutiongroupandappearsenclosedinanewexecutionloop.Stepsinseparateexecutiongroupsdonotsendsignalstoorreceivesignalsfromeachotherwhenyouruntheproject.LabVIEWSignalExpressdeterminesexecutiongroupsautomaticallybasedontheorderinwhichstepsappearintheProjectView.Stepsthatprovideoutputsignalsmustappearabovestepsthatrequirethosesignalsasinputs.Becausestepsinoneexecutiongroupdonothavedependenciesonstepsinotherexecutiongroups,separateexecutiongroupsexecuteindependentlyofeachother.IfyouaddasteptotheProjectViewordragasteptoapositionwherethestepcanreceivesignalsfromsomeprecedingstepsbutnotothers,thestepappearsenclosedinanewexecutionloop,andlettersappearinthebottomrightcornerofeachexecutionloopintheproject.Thelettersindicatewhichstepsareinthesameexecutiongroup.Thefollowingillustrationshowsexecutionloopswithletters.TheexecutionloopsthatshowtheletterAcontainstepsthatexecuteaspartofthesamegroupwhenyouruntheproject.TheexecutionloopthatshowstheletterBexecutesindependently.
Ifanexecutionloopbecomesdividedintotwoloops,youcancombinetheloopsbydraggingstepsbetweenthesectionsoftheexecutionloop.ThefollowingillustrationshowsthesameprojectafteryoudragthestepfromthesecondAlooptothefirstAloop.LettersappearonexecutionloopsonlywhenthenumberofexecutionloopsintheProjectViewexceedstheactualnumberofexecutiongroups.
LabVIEWSignalExpressalwaysdrawsanewexecutionloopifyoudragastepthatrequiresaninputsignaltoalocationwhereitnolongercandeterminewhichinputsignaltouse.Whenyouspecifytheinputsignal
ConfiguringtheProjectViewYoucanusetheOptionsdialogboxtoconfiguretheProjectViewtoshoworhidethestatusbar,showorhideinputsandoutputsofsteps,anddisplaylargeorsmalliconsinsteps.
TabsTabsappearintheprimaryviewinthedefaultLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentlayout.Usethetabstodisplaydata,configurestepsandoperations,documentprojects,andviewerrors,warningsandnotifications.Eachtabhasaspecificfunctionality,andyoudonotneedtouseeverytabforeveryproject.SelectatabfromtheViewmenutodisplaythetab.ClicktheX,orClosebutton,orright-clickatabandselectClosefromtheshortcutmenutocloseatab.
NoteWiththeexceptionoftheDataViewtab,closedtabsretainanyinformationyouenterpriortoclosingthetab.Forexample,closingtheProjectDocumentationtabdoesnoterasethedocumentationyouenteronthetab.
LabVIEWSignalExpressincludesthefollowingtabs:EventLog—Displayseventssuchaserrors,warnings,andalarmsthatoccurinLabVIEWSignalExpress.Foreachevent,theEventLogtabdisplaystheseverityoftheeventandthetimetheeventoccurred,aswellasthesourceandtitleoftheevent,ifknown.DataView—Displayssignalsanddatafromstepsingraphs,charts,andotherdisplayformats.RecordingOptions—Configuresloggingoperations.ProjectDocumentation—Displaysdocumentationthatyoucreateforthecurrentproject.Youcanentertext,importimages,anddragsignalsfromtheProjectViewtotheProjectDocumentationtab.StepSetup—Configuresstepsintheproject.
NoteSomeprograms,suchasNI-DAQmx,installadditionaltabs.
ContextHelpTheContextHelpwindowdisplaysinformationaboutviewsandstepsandappearsontherightsideoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressapplicationwindowinthedefaultlayout.TheContextHelpwindowissplitintotwosections.ThetopsectiondisplaysbasicinformationaboutavieworstepwhenyoumovethecursorintotheviewortheStepSetuptab.Thebottomsectiondisplaysparameter-specificinformationwhenyoumovethecursoroveraparameterontheStepSetuptabforastep.IftheContextHelpwindowisnotvisible,selectHelp»ContextHelptodisplaytheContextHelpwindow.
AddStepPaletteTheAddSteppalettecontainsthestepsyouusetobuildLabVIEWSignalExpressprojects.Thestepsappearinsubpalettesbasedonthefunctionalityofthestep.ClicktheAddStepbuttontodisplaytheAddSteppalette.Atemporaryversionofthepaletteappears.IfyouclickoutsideoftheAddSteppalette,thepalettedisappears.Clickthethumbtackintheupperleftcornerofthepalettetopinthepalettesoitisnolongertemporary.TheorderofstepsintheAddSteppaletteisidenticaltotheorderofstepsintheAddStepmenu.Youcanuseeitherthepaletteorthemenutoaddstepstoaproject.
UsingProjectsLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectsarecollectionsofstepsthatcanacquire,analyze,create,generate,display,andlogsignals.Thefunctionalityofaprojectdependsonthestepsyouusetobuildtheproject.Forexample,youcanusetheIVIScopeAcquirestepandtheFiltersteptocreateaprojectthatacquiresasignalfromanoscilloscopeandfiltersthesignal.SelectFile»NewProjecttocreateanew,emptyproject.YouthencanbuildtheprojectbyaddingstepstotheProjectView.YoualsocancreatemultipleworkareastoperformmultipleLabVIEWSignalExpressoperationsfromwithinthesameproject.Whenyousavetheproject,LabVIEWSignalExpresssavesalltheworkareasintheproject.LabVIEWSignalExpresssavesprojectswitha.seprojfileextension.LabVIEWSignalExpressalsosavestheenvironmentlayoutforaproject.Forexample,ifyousaveaprojectwithonlytheDataViewandEventLogtabsvisible,theDataViewandEventLogappearbydefaultthenexttimeyouopentheproject.However,youcanmodifytheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentatanytime.
StepsStepsarefunctionsyoucanconfiguretoacquire,analyze,save,orloadsignalsinaproject.Eachstepconsistsofinputsignalsand/oroutputsignals,andhasaspecificfunctionality.Forexample,theFilterstepfiltersasignalusinganinfiniteimpulseresponse(IIR)orfiniteimpulseresponse(FIR)filter,andtheTimeAveragingstepaveragesatimesignalorscalarinput.ThefollowingimageshowstheCreateAnalogSignalstepasitappearsintheProjectView.
Thearrowsthatappearonastepindicatewhetherthestepprocessesinputsignals,generatesoutputsignals,ordoesboth.ThebluearrowinthepreviousimageindicatesthattheCreateAnalogSignalstepgeneratesanoutputsignal.
Stepinputsignalsaresignalsyoupassintoastepthatyouwanttoanalyze,process,generate,orsave.InputsignalsappearasredarrowsonastepintheProjectView.
Stepoutputsignalsaresignalsastepcreates,acquires,analyzes,processes,orimportsandreturns.Youcanuseoutputsignalsasinputstosubsequentsteps.OutputsignalsappearasbluearrowsonastepintheProjectView.YoucandraganoutputsignaltotheDataVieworuseaprobetoviewthedatatheoutputsignalholds.
DataTypeiconsdenotethesignaltypeofstepinputsignalsandstepoutputsignals.UsetheAddSteppaletteortheAddStepmenutoaddstepstoaproject.
ConfiguringStepsEveryLabVIEWSignalExpressstephasabasicfunctionality,butyoucanconfigurethesteptospecifytheinputsignalsitprocesses,theoutputsignalsitcreates,orthewayinwhichitperformsaspecificaction.Forexample,youmustspecifythetypeoffilteryouwanttheFiltersteptouse.UsetheStepSetuptabtoconfigureastep.TheStepSetuptabappearsautomaticallywhenyouaddasteptotheProjectView.
ResettingorRestartingStepsSomestepsperformprocessesthatdependonmultipleiterations.ThesestepsmustruninRunContinuousmodetoprovideaccurateresults.Forexample,theFiltersteprequiressomesettlingtimetoacquireenoughdatatofilterasignalcorrectly.Theamountoftimethesestepsmustruntoprovideaccurateresultsdependsontheinputsignalofthestep.StepsthatrequiremultipleiterationstoproduceaccurateresultsappearwithaResetorRestartbuttoninthetoolbaroftheStepSetuptab.ClickingtheResetorRestartbuttonresetsthesteptoitsinitialstateandrestartstheprocessesofthestep.
AddingandDeletingStepsClicktheAddStepbuttononthetoolbarandselectastepfromtheAddSteppalettetoaddasteptotheProjectView.Youalsocanright-clicktheProjectViewandselectastepfromtheshortcutmenuorselectastepfromtheAddStepmenu.AfteryouaddasteptotheProjectView,youcanright-clickthestepandselectInsertBeforeorInsertAfterfromtheshortcutmenutoaddanothersteptotheProjectView.YoualsocanaddasteptotheProjectViewbyright-clickinganoutputsignalonastepandselectingSendTofromtheshortcutmenu.Theshortcutmenudisplaysalistofstepsthatcanhandletheoutputsignal.Whenyouselectastepfortheoutputsignal,LabVIEWSignalExpressplacesthestepintheProjectViewbelowthestepyouoriginallyright-clicked.ToremoveastepfromtheProjectView,selectthestepandpressthe<Delete>keyorright-clickthestepandselectDeletefromtheshortcutmenu.
StepExecutionGroupsInaproject,stepsthatsendsignalstoandreceivesignalsfromeachotherexecutetogetherasanexecutiongroup.Thetimingoftheexecutionofindividualstepsinanexecutiongroupdependsonfactorssuchassignalinheritanceandhardwareconfiguration.Forexample,astepthatanalyzesasignalcannotexecuteuntilitreceivesthesignalfromaprevioussteporaninstrument.StepsinanexecutiongroupappearenclosedinablueexecutionloopintheProjectView.Youcancreateprojectswheretwoormoregroupsofstepsexecuteindependentlyofeachother.Stepsinoneexecutiongroupdonotreceivesignalsfromstepsinotherexecutiongroups.Forexample,ifyouaddtwoCreateAnalogSignalstepstotheProjectView,thestepsappearinseparateexecutionloops,asshowninthefollowingimage,becausethesecondCreateAnalogSignalstepdoesnotreceiveasignalfromthefirstCreateAnalogSignalstep.
Whenyouruntheproject,bothCreateAnalogSignalstepsexecuteconcurrentlybecauseonestepdoesnotneedtowaitontheotherstep.LabVIEWSignalExpressdetermineswhetherstepscanexecuteinthesamegroupautomatically.Forexample,ifyoumodifythepreviousexampletoaddanArithmeticstepafterthesecondCreateAnalogSignalstep,allthreestepsappearinoneloop,asshowninthefollowingillustration,becausetheArithmeticstepreceivesdatafrombothCreateAnalogSignalsteps.
Whenyouruntheproject,bothCreateAnalogSignalstepsexecute,thentheArithmeticstepexecutes.IfyouaddtwomoreCreateAnalogSignalstepsandanotherArithmeticstepafterthefirstArithmeticstep,thenewstepsappearinaseparateexecutionloopbecausethesecondgroupdoesnotreceivedatafromthefirstgroup.Thetwogroupsexecuteindependentlywhenyouruntheproject.Commonusesformultipleexecutiongroupsinthesameprojectincludecreatingmulti-rateapplicationsandsimultaneouslysendingtwodifferentsignalstotwodifferenthardwaredevicesrunningattwodifferentspeeds.Youalsocancreateprojectswheresomestepsrunindependentlyofothersinthesameexecutiongroup.Forexample,ifyouaddaCreateAnalogSignalstep,aFilterstep,andaScalingandConversionsteptotheProjectViewandconfigureboththeFilterstepandtheScalingandConversionsteptousetheoutputsignaloftheCreateAnalogSignalstepasaninput,theFilterstepandtheScalingandConversionstepexecuteconcurrently.TheScalingandConversionstepdoesnothavetowaitfortheFiltersteptofinishexecuting.BothstepsexecuteimmediatelyaftertheCreateAnalogSignalstepexecutes.Ifyouconfigureanindependentlyexecutingstepincorrectly,anerroroccursatthatstep,andthestepstopsexecutinganddoesnotreturnasignal.However,otherstepsthatarenotdependentonthatstepforasignalcontinuetoexecute.
AcquiringSignalsMostprojectsyoucreateusingLabVIEWSignalExpressanalyzeorlogsignalsyouacquirefromadataacquisitiondeviceormodularinstrument.LabVIEWSignalExpressprovidesthefollowingmethodsforacquiringsignals:
AcquiringSignalsUsingUSBPlug-and-Play—IfyouuseLabVIEWSignalExpresswithanNIUSBdevice,suchasNICompactDAQ,theNIDeviceMonitorthatinstallswithNI-DAQmxsoftwaredetectswhenyouconnectthedevicetothePC.UseUSBplug-and-playfunctionalityifyouwantLabVIEWSignalExpresstoconfiguredataacquisitionandbeginacquiringsignalsautomatically.AcquiringSignalsUsingtheChannelView—IfyouuseLabVIEWSignalExpresswithNI-DAQmxorNI-DMMdevicesorNISwitchmodules,theChannelViewdisplaysallanaloginput(AI)channelsavailableforthedeviceormodule.YoucanusetheChannelViewtoacquiresignalsfromthesupporteddevices.
NoteYoucaninstallNI-DAQmx,NI-DMM,orNISwitchsoftwarefromtheNationalInstrumentsDeviceDriverDVD,oryoucandownloadthelatestversionofNI-DAQmx,NI-DMM,orNISwitchsoftwarefromni.com/downloads.AcquiringSignalsUsingSteps—YoucanusetheAcquireSignalsstepstoacquiresignalsfromahardwaredevice.YoucanusetheIVIstepstoacquiresignalsfromhardwareofthespecifiedIVIclass.SomeNImodularinstruments,suchasNI-DMM,NI-SCOPE,andNI-HSDIOalsoinstallinstrument-specificAcquireSignalssteps.
AcquiringSignalsUsingUSBPlug-and-PlayIfyouuseLabVIEWSignalExpresswithanNIUSBdevice,suchasNICompactDAQ,theNIDeviceMonitordetectswhenyouconnectthedevicetothePC.LabVIEWSignalExpressthencansetupaprojectautomaticallyandbeginacquiringsignalsfromthedevicewithminimaluserinput.
NoteTheNIDeviceMonitorinstallswithNI-DAQmx.YoucaninstallNI-DAQmxsoftwarefromtheNationalInstrumentsDeviceDriverDVD,oryoucandownloadthelatestversionofNI-DAQmxsoftwarefromni.com/downloads.AfteryouinstallNI-DAQmx,refertotheNI-DAQmxHelpformoreinformationaboutusingNI-DAQmx.
CompletethefollowingstepstoacquiresignalsfromanNIUSBdeviceusingLabVIEWSignalExpress.
1. UseaUSBcabletoconnectthedevicetothePC.2. Turnonthedevice.3. (Optional)Ifyouhavenotalreadydoneso,installanynecessary
softwareforthedevice.WindowsVistainstallsdevice-specificsoftwareautomaticallywhenitdetectsanewdevice.OnWindowsXPandearlier,theFoundNewHardwarewizardpromptsyoutoinstallthesoftware.
4. IntheNewDataAcquisitionDevicedialogboxthatappears,selectBeginaMeasurementwithThisDeviceUsingNILabVIEWSignalExpressandclicktheOKbutton.ALabVIEWSignalExpresswindowwithanimageofthedeviceappears.
Youcanaddmodulestothedeviceatthistimeandtheimageautomaticallyupdatestodisplaythenewmodules.Refertothedevicedocumentationformoreinformationaboutthemodulesyoucanusewithaspecificdevice.
5. SelectthemodulesfromwhichtoacquiresignalsandclicktheOKbutton.LabVIEWSignalExpresslaunchesandrunsaprojectthatacquiressignalsfromthemodulesyouselected.
NoteIfyouselectmodulesthatgeneratesignals,suchasanalogoutput(AO)modules,LabVIEWSignalExpresspromptsyoufor
AcquiringSignalsUsingtheChannelViewIfyouuseLabVIEWSignalExpresswithinstalledorsimulatedNI-DAQmxdevicesorwithanNI-DMMdeviceorNISwitchmodule,youcanusetheChannelViewtoacquiresignalsfromallanaloginput(AI)channelsavailableforthedevicesormodules.LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallydetectsallthedevicestheChannelViewsupportsanddisplaysthemintheChannelView.YoucaninstallNI-DAQmx,NI-DMM,orNISwitchsoftwarefromtheNationalInstrumentsDeviceDriverDVD,oryoucandownloadthelatestversionofNI-DAQmx,NI-DMM,orNISwitchsoftwarefromni.com/downloads.
NoteTheChannelViewdoesnotdisplayanalogoutput(AO)channels.
CompletethefollowingstepstoacquiresignalsfromasupporteddeviceormoduleusingtheChannelView.
1. InstallthedeviceandconnectittothePC,oruseMeasurementandAutomationExplorer(MAX)tocreateasimulateddevice.Refertothedevicedocumentationformoreinformationaboutinstallingadevice.
NoteMAXinstallswithmostNationalInstrumentssoftwareapplications.RefertotheMeasurement&AutomationExplorerHelpformoreinformationaboutcreatingNI-DAQmxsimulateddevices.
2. InLabVIEWSignalExpress,selectView»ChannelViewtodisplaytheChannelView.LabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysthedevicesitdetectsinthePhysicalChannelcolumn.Ifyoudonotseethedeviceyouwanttouse,clicktheRefreshbuttontoupdatetheChannelView.
3. Clicktheexpandsymbolforthedevicefromwhichyouwanttoacquiresignalstodisplaythedevicechannels.
4. PlaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckboxforeachchannelfromwhichyouwanttoacquireasignal.Ifyouwanttoacquiresignalsfromallchannels,placeacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckboxforthedeviceitself.
WhenyouplaceacheckmarkinanAcquirecheckbox,additional
measurementconfigurationoptionsappearintheChannelViewtable,andLabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyplacesadataacquisitionstepintheProjectView.Themeasurementconfigurationoptionsthatappeardependonthedeviceyouuse.
5. (Optional)Usethemeasurementconfigurationoptionstoconfiguresettingsfortheacquisition.Forexample,formostdevicesyoucanspecifytheMeasurementTypeandScaledUnitstouseforthemeasurement.YoualsocanusethePropertieswindowtoconfiguremultiplechannelssimultaneously.
6. DragtheoutputsofthedataacquisitionsteptotheDataViewandclicktheRunbuttontoruntheproject.LabVIEWSignalExpressacquiressignalsfromthedeviceanddisplaysthesignalsintheDataView.
AcquiringandGeneratingSignalsUsingStepsYoucanusetheAcquireSignalsstepsandtheGenerateSignalsstepstoacquireorgeneratesignalsfromahardwaredevice.YoucanusetheIVIstepstoacquireorgeneratesignalsfromhardwareofthespecifiedIVIclass.SomeNImodularinstruments,suchasNI-DMM,NI-SCOPE,andNI-HSDIOalsoinstallinstrument-specificAcquireSignalsandGenerateSignalssteps.UsestepstoacquiresignalswhenyouareusingadevicethatdoesnotsupportUSBplug-and-playsignalacquisitionorthatLabVIEWSignalExpresscannotdetectautomaticallyusingtheChannelView.Youalsocanusestepswhenyouwanttouseadevicetogenerateasignal.Forexample,ifyouwanttogenerateasignalfromananalogoutput(AO)devicethatdoesnotsupportUSBplug-and-playfunctionality,youcanusetheGenerateSignalsstepstoconfigurethedevice.Completethefollowingstepstoacquireorgenerateasignalusingsteps.
1. InstallthedeviceandconnectittothePC,oruseMeasurementandAutomationExplorer(MAX)tocreateasimulateddevice.Refertothedevicedocumentationformoreinformationaboutinstallingadevice.
NoteMAXinstallswithmostNationalInstrumentssoftwareapplications.RefertotheMeasurement&AutomationExplorerHelpformoreinformationaboutcreatingNI-DAQmxsimulateddevices.
2. SelecttheappropriatestepfromtheAddSteppaletteortheAddStepmenutoaddthesteptotheProjectView.
3. UsetheStepSetuptabtoconfiguretheAcquireSignalsorGenerateSignalsstep.
4. (Optional)IfyouselectaGenerateSignalsstep,addasteptotheProjectViewbeforetheGenerateSignalssteptoprovidetheformofthesignalyouwanttogenerate.Forexample,youcanusetheCreateAnalogSignalsteptogenerateasimplesinewaveorothersignal.
5. ClicktheRunbuttontoruntheprojectandbeginacquiringorgeneratingthesignal.
RunningandStoppingProjectsWhenyourunaproject,LabVIEWSignalExpressexecutesallthestepsthattheprojectcontainsuntilyoustoporaborttheproject.
RunningProjectsClicktheRunbuttontorunaLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.LabVIEWSignalExpresspromptsyoutoconfiguretherunmodeforaprojectthefirsttimeyouclicktheRunbuttonafterlaunchingLabVIEWSignalExpress.Bydefault,LabVIEWSignalExpressrunsprojectscontinuouslywhenyouclicktheRunbutton.However,youcanconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstorunaprojectonce,foranumberofiterationsyouspecify,orforanamountoftimeyouspecify.Afteryouconfiguretherunmode,theiconontheRunbuttonupdatestoreflecttheconfiguration.
StoppingProjectsWhenaprojectisrunning,theStopbuttonreplacestheRunbutton.ClicktheStopbuttontostoptheproject.WhenyouclicktheStopbutton,theprojectstopswhenthecurrentiterationoftheprojectcompletes.Projectsyouconfiguretorunonce,runforaspecificnumberofiterations,orrunforaspecificamountoftimestopautomaticallywhenthestopconditionoccurs.
AbortingProjectsInsomecasesyoucannotstopaproject,suchaswhenahardwarestepwaitsonatriggerthatdoesnotoccur.Inthiscaseyoumustaborttheprojecttostopexecution.YoucanclickthedownarrowontheStopbuttonandselectAbortfromtheshortcutmenutohalttheexecutionofaprojectimmediately.Becauseabortingaprojectdoesnotwaitforthefinaliterationoftheprojecttocomplete,selectingtheAbortoptionmightcauseLabVIEWSignalExpresstodisplayincompletedata.
NoteYoualsocanusetheoptionsintheOperatemenutorun,stop,orabortaproject.
DocumentingProjectsUsetheProjectDocumentationtabtocreatedocumentationforaLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.Youcanentertextonthetab,importimages(GIF,JPG,BMP,PNG,orEMF)fromotherlocationsordragsignalsfromtheProjectViewtotheProjectDocumentationtab.
DisplayingSignalGraphsWhenyoudragasignalfromtheProjectViewtotheProjectDocumentationtab,thesignalappearsinagraphthatissimilartoagraphontheDataViewtab.Right-clickagraphontheProjectDocumentationtabtoseethesameshortcutmenuoptionsthatappearforgraphsontheDataViewtab.Forexample,youcanusetheshortcutmenutoadddisplays,setvisibleitems,selectsignals,andchangegraphproperties.UsetheresizinghandlestoresizethegraphontheProjectDocumentationtab.Youalsocanusethezoombuttonstochangetheportionofthesignalthegraphdisplays.LiketheDataViewtab,theProjectDocumentationtabdisplaysthePreviewGraphwhenyouzoominonasignal.UsethePreviewGraphtoselecttheportionofthesignaltodisplay.Youcanright-clickthesignalgraphandselectVisibleItems»PreviewGraphfromtheshortcutmenutoshoworhidethePreviewGraph,oryoucanright-clickthePreviewGraphandselectHidePreviewfromtheshortcutmenutohidethePreviewGraph.Whenyouruntheproject,thesignalsontheProjectDocumentationtabupdatetodisplaythecurrentvaluesofthesignalswhiletheprojectruns.Whenyouprintprojectdocumentation,LabVIEWSignalExpressprintsthemostrecentvalueofthesignal.UsetheoptionsintheDocumentationmenuorthetoolbarbuttonsontheProjectDocumentationtabtoconfiguredisplayoptionsandfontsettings,alignparagraphs,insertimages,orsetthesizeofobjectsontheProjectDocumentationtab.
PrintingandExportingDocumentationYoucanprintLabVIEWSignalExpressdocumentationthatyoucreateontheProjectDocumentationtaborexportthedocumentationtoHTML.Toprintdocumentation,clickthePrintDocumentationtoolbarbuttonontheProjectDocumentationtab,orselectFile»Print»PrintDocumentation.IftheProjectDocumentationtabincludesgraphsofsignals,LabVIEWSignalExpressprintsthemostrecentvalueofthesignal.ToexportdocumentationtoHTML,selectFile»Export»ExportDocumentationtoHTML,specifythefilenamefortheHTMLfileyouwanttocreate,andclicktheSavebutton.
ExportingProjectSettingstoXMLYoucanexporttheconfigurationsettingsofaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoanXMLfile.YoucanusetheXMLfileasarecordoftheprojectconfigurationatthetimeyouexportthesettings.SelectFile»Export»ExportProjectSettingsToXMLtoexportthecurrentconfigurationsettingsofaprojecttoanXMLfile.YoucanviewtheXMLfileinanytextorXMLeditor.TheXMLfiledisplaysallthestepsintheproject,thevaluesofeveryparameterinthosesteps,andlistsanyenvironmentelements,suchastabs,workareas,andactivelogs,thatLabVIEWSignalExpresshasloadedatthetimeyouexporttheprojectsettings.LabVIEWSignalExpressformatsthedataintheXMLfilesoyoueasilycanidentifythevalue(s),name(s),andtype(s)ofthedatafromthetagsthatdescribethedata.TheXMLfileisforrecord-keepingpurposesonly.YoucannotusetheXMLfiletoimportprojectsettingstoLabVIEWSignalExpress.
NoteTheXMLfiledisplaysvaluesforeveryparameterofeverystepintheproject,includingparametersthatyouarenotusingorthatarenotcurrentlyvisible.Forexample,someparametersappearontheStepSetuptabonlywhenyouconfigureastepinaparticularway.However,theXMLfilestillrecordsvaluesfortheseparameters.Ifyouhavenotspecifiedavalueforaparameter,theXMLfiledisplaysthedefaultvalue.
WhenyouexportprojectsettingstoXML,theXMLfiledoesnotincludesignaldatasuchasstepoutputvalues.YoucanuseshortcutmenuoptionsortheSavetoASCII/LVMsteptosaveoutputorloggeddatatoafile.
UsingNationalInstrumentsHardwarewithLabVIEWSignalExpressWithLabVIEWSignalExpress,youcancontrolNIdataacquisitionboardsandmodularinstrumentsusingthestepsintheAcquireSignalsstepmenu.YoucanperformthefollowinghardwareoperationsusingLabVIEWSignalExpresssteps:
Configurethebasicacquisitionorgenerationoptions,suchaschannelselection,acquisitionrate,numberofpoints,inputrange,andsoon.Usetriggeringcapabilitiesofthedevice.Synchronizemultipleboardsbysharingclockand/ortriggersignalsbetweenboards.
CommunicatingwithInstrumentsUsingIVILabVIEWSignalExpressprovidesasetofIVIstepsthatcommunicatewithinstrumentsinthefollowingIVIClasses:
DigitalMultimeterOscilloscopeDCPowerSupplyArbitraryWaveform/FunctionGenerator
Tocommunicatewithaninstrument,youneedtoinstalltheinstrument-specificIVIdriverandcreateasessionnamefortheinstrument.
DownloadingandInstallingtheInstrument-SpecificIVIDriverCompletethefollowingstepstodownloadanIVI-specificdriverforaninstrument.
1. LaunchtheInstrumentDriverNetwork.2. UsetheInstrumentTypelistontheleftsideofthepagetofinda
driverfortheinstrument,orclicktheBrowseDriverslinkandusetheSearchwithinresultsfieldtosearchfortheinstrumentyouareusing.
3. Whenyoufindadriveryouwanttodownload,clicktheModelnametoopenthedescriptionofthedriver.
4. ConfirmthatIVIappearsintheDriverTypedescription.5. Downloadandinstallthedriver.
CreatinganIVISessionNameEachLabVIEWSignalExpressIVIstepcontainsanIVIsessionnamecontrolthatallowsyoutoselectthesessionnamethatyouwanttoassociatewiththestep.Thesessionnameidentifiesthedriverandtheinstrumentthatyouwanttousewiththestep.FromtheIVIsessionnamecontrol,youcanselectapreviouslycreatedsessionnameorcreateanewlocalsessionnamefromthestep.CompletethefollowingstepstocreateanIVIlogicalnamefromthestep.
1. SelectCreateNewfromtheIVIsessionname.2. EnteranameandselecttheResourcedescriptorassociatedwith
theinstrumentthatyouwanttocontrol,orenterthedescriptorifitdoesnotappearintheResourcedescriptorcontrol.
3. SelecttheappropriateInstrumentDriverandclicktheOKbutton.NoteYoucansimulateyourhardwarebyplacingacheckmarkintheEnablesimulationdatacheckbox.
DeploymentTheIVIstepsinLabVIEWSignalExpresscommunicatetoaninstrumentthroughanIVISession.TheIVISessionisstoredintheIVIConfigurationStore,notinyourLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.Therefore,theIVISessionisnottransferablebetweencomputers.DeployingaLabVIEWSignalExpressProjectTobringyourLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoacomputerthathasLabVIEWSignalExpressinstalled,youcaneitherreconfiguretheIVIstepstouseexistingIVISessions,orifnoappropriateIVISessionsexist,createnewIVISessionsfromwithinLabVIEWSignalExpress.
1. SelectCreateNewfromtheIVIsessionname.2. EnteranameandselecttheResourcedescriptorassociatedwith
theinstrumentthatyouwanttocontrol,orenterthedescriptorifitdoesnotappearintheResourcedescriptorcontrol.
3. SelecttheappropriateInstrumentDriverandclicktheOKbutton.NoteYoucansimulateyourhardwarebyplacingacheckmarkintheEnablesimulationdatacheckbox.
DeployingLabVIEWCodeConvertedfromaLabVIEWSignalExpressProjectConvertedcodefromaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectusesthesameIVISessionthatwasconfiguredinLabVIEWSignalExpress.Ifyoudeployyourgeneratedcodetoanewmachine,youmustrecreatetheIVISessiononthatmachine.IfLabVIEWSignalExpressisinstalledonthemachine,refertoDistributingLabVIEWBlockDiagramsforExecution.IfLabVIEWSignalExpressisnotinstalled,youcancreatetheIVISessionusingNationalInstrumentsMeasurement&AutomationExplorer(MAX).
1. LaunchMAX.2. ExpandtheIVIDrivers.3. FollowtheinstructionsintheMAXcategoryhelp.
YoualsocanrefertotheNIDeveloperZoneformoreinformationaboutusingMAXtoconfigureanIVIsystem.
ResourceDescriptorAresourcedescriptorisastring,suchasaVISAresourcedescriptor,thatspecifiestheinterfaceandtheaddressofthehardwaretoassociatewiththestep.Thefollowinglistsexamplesofvalidresourcedescriptors.
GPIB::22::INSTRGPIB1::22::5::INSTRVXI::64::INSTRASRL2::INSTRGPIB::22::INSTRDAQ::1::INSTRPXI1Slot2
NoteTheresourcedescriptorisnotnecessaryifyouplaceacheckmarkintheEnablesimulationdatacheckbox.
InstrumentDriverThedriverlistcontainsthelistofalldriversessionstowhichthestepcanrefer.Byselectingadriverfromthelist,youareassociatingthesessionnamewithaparticularsetofpropertiesthedrivercanuse.
EnablesimulationdataIfyouplaceacheckmarkintheEnablesimulationdatacheckbox,thespecificdriverfunctionssimulateinstrumentI/O.Ifyouremovethecheckmark,thespecificdriverfunctionsdonotreturnrandomsimulatedvaluesforoutputparametersthatrepresentinstrumentdata.
HardwareTimingandSoftwareTimingYoucanusehardwaretimingorsoftwaretimingtocontrolwhencertainactions,suchasadeviceacquiringorgeneratingasignal,occurinLabVIEWSignalExpress.Withhardwaretiming,adigitalsignal,suchasaclockonadevice,controlstherateoftimedactions.Withsoftwaretiming,LabVIEWSignalExpressdeterminestherateoftimedactionsusingtheoperatingsystemtimer.Hardwaretimingusuallyismoreaccuratethansoftwaretiming.
NoteSomedevicesdonotsupporthardwaretiming.Refertothedevicedocumentationtodetermineifadevicesupportshardwaretiming.
LabVIEWSignalExpressalsosupportshardwaretimingoptions,suchassampleclocksharing,thatyoucanusetosynchronizedevices.TimingconfigurationoptionsappearontheStepSetuptabofmostAcquireSignalsandGenerateSignalssteps.
SynchronizingDevicesInadditiontotheautomaticsynchronizationofdevicesofferedbyNI-DAQmxfordevicessuchasDSAorSMIO,youcansynchronizedevicesbysharingtriggerandsampleclocksignalsandbysharingamastertimebaseorareferenceclock.RefertotheSynchronizedAnalogInput(ShareTriggerandTimebase)examplelocatedintheSignalExpress\Examples\DAQmxdirectoryforanexampleofsynchronizingtwodevices.
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpressdoesnotsupporttrigger,clock,timebase,orreferenceclocksharingacrossPXITriggerbusesontheNIPXI-1006andNIPXI-1045chassis.
TriggerSharingYoucansynchronizedevicesbysharingtriggersignals.Forexample,ifyouconfigurethestarttriggerofaDAQmxAcquirestepwiththeTriggertypesettoDigital,youcanselectanyavailabletriggersignalprovidedbytheotherdevicescurrentlyintheprojectintheTriggersourcepull-downmenu.Whenyouselectoneofthesetriggersignals,LabVIEWSignalExpressroutesthetriggersignalbetweenthemasterandtheslaveandcontrolsthemasterandslaveexecution.LabVIEWSignalExpressinitializestheslavedevicebeforethemasterdevicesotheslavedevicecanreceivethetriggersignal.
SampleClockSharingYoucansynchronizedevicesbysharingsampleclocksignals.YoucanconfigureaDAQmxAcquirestepbyclickingtheSampleclocktypepull-downmenuandselectingExternalontheAdvancedtimingtab.Theclocksourcepull-downmenuletsyouselectanysampleclocksignalprovidedbytheotherdevicescurrentlyintheproject.Asfortriggers,LabVIEWSignalExpresshandlesthesampleclockroutingandtheexecutioncontrol.
AcquiringandGeneratingAnalogSignalsSimultaneouslyLabVIEWSignalExpresscanexecutestepsinprojectssimultaneously.Forexample,ifyouhavetwoDAQmxAcquirestepsinaproject,eachsteprunsatitsownrateandindependentlyoftheotherwhenyouruntheproject.Youcanusetriggersoryoucansharedatabetweenstepstocontroltheorderinwhichstepsexecuteinaproject.Forexample,whenyouuseLabVIEWSignalExpresstogenerateastimulussignalandthenmeasuretheresponsefromaunitundertest,youmustmakesurethattheacquisitiondoesnotoccuruntilaftertheDAQmxGeneratestepgeneratesthestimulussignal.Thefollowingsectiondescribesdifferentoptionsforcontrollingtheexecutionrelationshipbetweenhardwarestepstoensuremeasurementsoperateappropriately.
ExecutionDependenciesinHardwareStepsIfaprojectcontainstwoDAQmxAcquirestepsandyouconfigurethestepstosharethesamestarttrigger,LabVIEWSignalExpressexecutesbothstepssimultaneouslywhenyouruntheproject.Thestepshaveatriggerdependency.IfaprojectcontainsaDAQmxGeneratestepandaCreateAnalogSignalstep,andtheDAQmxGeneratestepisgeneratingthesignaltheCreateAnalogsignalstepcreates,LabVIEWSignalExpressexecutestheCreateAnalogSignalstepbeforetheDAQmxGeneratestepbecausethestepshaveadatadependency.ThegeneratestepcannotexecuteuntiltheCreateAnalogSignalstepspassesitanoutputsignal.YoucanusetriggersharingortheconfigurationoptionsontheStepSetuptabofasteptoconfigureexecutiondependenciesforcommonhardwaresystems,suchasastimulus/responsesystem.
AcquiringandGeneratingSignalswithInstrumentsYoucanacquireandgeneratesignalsusingstand-aloneinstrumentsorNationalInstrumentsmodularinstruments.Refertothedocumentationforthesestepsformoreinformationaboutacquiringandgeneratingsignalswithinstruments.
UsingStepExecutionDependenciesinaStimulus/ResponseSystemIfyouwanttocreateaprojectthatmeasurestheresponseofasystemtoastimulus,useaDAQmxGeneratesteptostimulatethesystemandaDAQmxAcquiresteptoacquiretheresponseofthesystemtothestimulus.Togetavalidmeasurement,executetheDAQmxAcquirestepatthesametimeoraftertheDAQmxGeneratestepstartsthegeneration.Ifyouwanttostartthegenerationandtheacquisitionatthesametime,youcanestablishatriggerdependencybetweentheDAQmxGenerateandtheDAQmxAcquirestepsbysharingatriggerbetweenthesteps.Ifyouwanttostartthegenerationbeforetheacquisition,placeacheckmarkintheStartthisstepaftercheckboxontheExecutioncontrolpageoftheStepSetuptaboftheacquisitionstep.Whenyouruntheproject,theacquisitionstepdoesnotexecuteuntilafterthegenerationstepbeginsexecuting.Ifyouwanttheacquisitionsteptowaitonastepotherthanthepreviousgenerationstep,selectthestepyouwanttowaitforintheSteptowaitforpull-downmenu.Ifyouwanttoaccountforsettlingtimesbetweentheexecutionofdependentsteps,youcanusethepre-executiondelayfieldontheExecutioncontrolpageoftheStepSetuptabtospecifyaminimumamountoftimetowaitbetweentheexecutionofthesteps.
CircularExecutionDependencyErrorsWhenyousynchronizemultipledevicestogether,LabVIEWSignalExpressstartsthedevicesinaspecificordertoensurecorrectsynchronization.Forexample,ifyouconfigureadevicetostartonadigitalstarttriggerandselectthestarttriggersignalofanotherdeviceasthetriggersource,LabVIEWSignalExpressstartsthedevicereceivingthetriggerbeforestartingthedevicesendingthetriggertoensurethatthereceiverisreadyforthetriggerbeforeitissent.Similarly,ifyouconfigureasteptostartafteranotherstepbyplacingacheckmarkintheStartthisstepaftercheckboxandspecifyingastepintheSteptowaitforoptionlocatedontheExecutionControltaboftheDAQmxAcquireandDAQmxGeneratesteps,LabVIEWSignalExpressstartsthestepsbasedontheorderyouspecifyintheSteptowaitforoption.Ifyouconfigureyourstepstostartinthewrongorder,youcancauseacirculardependencyerror.Thefollowingexamplesillustratehowyoucancauseacirculardependencyerror:
Youconfiguretwostepstostartafteroneanother,oryouconfiguretwostepstosharetriggerswitheachother.Youconfigureasteptostartonadigitalstarttriggerwiththestarttriggersignalofanotherstepasthetriggersource,andyouconfigurethesteptostartafterthestepthatproducesthetrigger.
Toresolvethecircularexecutiondependencyerror,modifytheorderofoneormoresteps.LabVIEWSignalExpressliststhestepsresponsiblefortheerrorandliststheoptionsyoucanchangetoresolvetheerror.
NoteSomestepscontainaSampleclocksourceoptionusedwhenyouconfigurethedevicetouseanexternalclock.LabVIEWSignalExpressusesthevalueinthisoptiontoensurethedevicegeneratingtheclocksignalgeneratesthesignalbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressprogramsthedevicetoreceivethesignal.TheSampleclocksourceoptionalsocanberesponsibleforcircularexecutiondependencyerrors.
AcquiringDatawiththeDAQmxAcquireStepWiththeDAQmxAcquirestep,youcanacquireanalogsignalsusinganyNI-DAQmxcompatibledeviceinyoursystem.
ConfiguringtheDAQmxAcquireStepFromthestepconfiguration,youcanaccessthedeviceconfigurationparameters,suchastheinputchannels,thesamplerateatwhichtoacquiredata,andthenumberofsamplestoacquireateachiteration.Youalsocanconfiguremoreadvancedparameters,suchasthestarttrigger,thereferencetrigger,andclock.Finally,youcansynchronizetheDAQmxAcquirestepwithotherhardwarestepsbyconfiguringadigitaltriggerandusingatriggersignalfromanotherdeviceasthetriggersource.Youalsocansynchronizemultipledevicesbysharingclockandmastertimebasesignals.
AcquisitionTimingToacquiresignalswiththeDAQmxAcquirestep,youmustunderstandtherelationshipbetweentheacquisitiontimingmodesandtheLabVIEWSignalExpressrunmodes.ThefollowingtableshowshowtheNSamples,1Sample(OnDemand),andContinuousSamplesacquisitionmodesworkinrelationtotheRunOnceandRunContinuouslymodes.
1Sample(On
Demand)NSamples ContinuousSamples
RunOnce Thedeviceacquiresonesampleandstops.
ThedeviceacquiresNsamplesandstops.Thedevicegeneratesastarttriggeratthebeginningoftheacquisition.
ThedeviceacquiresNsamplesandstops.Thedevicegeneratesastarttriggeratthebeginningoftheacquisition.
RunContinuously
Thedeviceacquiresonesamplerepeatedlyuntilyoustoptheexecution.
ThedeviceacquiresNsamplesrepeatedlyuntilyoustoptheexecution.Thedevicegeneratesastarttriggerateachiteration.
ThedeviceacquirestimecontiguousblocksofNsamplesuntilyoustoptheexecution.Thedevicegeneratesastarttriggeratthebeginningofthefirstiteration.
PerformanceConsiderationsWhenyouconfiguretheDAQmxAcquirestepincontinuousmode,LabVIEWSignalExpressmustsustainaminimumloopratetoensurethecontinuityoftheacquireddata.Thelooprateisequaltothenumberofsamplestoacquiredividedbythesamplerate.Thatis,thesoftwaremustexecutefastenoughtoacquirethesignalcontinuouslywithoutlosinganydatabetweeneachbuffertransfer.Ifyoudisplaytheacquireddataonthedataviewerorleaveanyconfigurationviewsopen,youcanreducetheexecutionspeedofLabVIEWSignalExpressandpossiblylosedata.Ifyoulosedatabetweenbuffertransfers,thedevicereturnsanoverwriteerrorandbreaksthecontinuityoftheacquireddata.Ifthedevicereturnsoverwriteerrors,youcanreducethesamplerateorincreasethenumberofpointsinthebuffer,closeanyconfigurationviews,removetheacquiredsignalfromtheDataView,orde-selecttheUpdateSignalViewswhileRunningoptionintheViewmenu.
NoteRefertotheNI-DAQmxHelpformoreinformationaboutdataacquisition.
GeneratingDatawithanNI-DAQmxDeviceYoucangenerateanytimedomainsignalintheLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectwithanyNI-DAQmx-supportedanalogoutputdeviceinstalledonyoursystemusingtheDAQmxGeneratestep.BeforeyoucangenerateasignalusingaDAQmxdevice,youmustfirstcreateorimportthesignalintoLabVIEWSignalExpressandthenpassthesignaltotheDAQmxGeneratestep.YoucancreatethetimedomainsignalusingtheCreateAnalogSignalsteporyoucanimportitintoyourprojectusingasnapshot,datalog,ortheLoadfromASCII,LoadfromLVM,orLoadfromSPICEsteps.
ConfiguringtheDAQmxGenerateStepFromtheDAQmxGenerateconfigurationview,youcanaccessmostofthedeviceconfigurationparameters,suchastheoutputchannel,theoutputrange,andtheupdaterate.Bydefault,theupdaterateatwhichthedeviceisconfiguredmatchesthesamplerateoftheinputsignaldefinedintheCreateAnalogSignal,LoadfromASCII,LoadfromLVM,orLoadfromSPICEsteps.YoucanoverwritetheupdateratewithanyvaluebyremovingthecheckmarkfromtheWTcheckboxandenteringavalueforRate(Hz).Youcansynchronizemultipleboardstousethesametriggersignalbysettingupadigitalstarttriggerandspecifyingthetriggersignalofanotherdeviceasthetriggersource.Youalsocanshareclockandmastertimebasesignalstosynchronizemultipledevices.
GenerateContinuouslyVersusGenerateNSamplesTosuccessfullygeneratesignalswiththeDAQmxGeneratestep,youmustunderstandtherelationshipbetweenthegenerationtimingmodesandtheLabVIEWSignalExpressrunmodes.ThefollowingtabledescribeshowtheGenerateContinuouslyandGenerateNsamplestimingmodesworkinrelationtotheRunOnceandRunContinuouslymodes.
ContinuousSamples NSamples 1Sample(onDemand)
RunOnce Thedevicestartsgeneratingthesignalcontinuouslyandstops.Thereisnoguaranteethattheentiresignalisgenerated.NationalInstrumentsdoesnotrecommendyouusetheGeneratecontinuouslytimingmodewiththeRunOncerunmode.Thedevicegeneratesastarttriggeratthebeginningofthegeneration.
Thedevicegeneratesthesignalonceandstops.Thedevicegeneratesastarttriggeratthebeginningofthegeneration.
Thedevicegeneratesthesignalonceandstops.
RunContinuously
Thedevicegeneratesthesignalcontinuouslyuntiltheuserstopstheexecution.Iftheinputsignalchangeswhiletheprojectisrunning,thisstepreloadstheinputsignalintotheoutputbufferofthedevicewithout
Thedevicegeneratestheinputsignaldiscontinuouslyuntilyoustoptheexecution.Iftheinputsignalchangeswhiletheprojectisrunning,thisstepreloads
Thedevicegeneratestheinputsignalcontinuouslyuntilyoustoptheexecution.Iftheinputsignalchangeswhiletheprojectis
stoppingthedevice.Thedeviceonlygeneratesonestarttriggeratthebeginningofthegeneration.
theinputsignalintotheoutputbufferofthedevice.Thedevicegeneratesastarttriggerateachiteration.
running,thisstepreloadstheinputsignalintotheoutputbufferofthedevice.
GeneratingaNon-repetitiveNoiseSignalorPhaseContinuousSignalNI-DAQmx-supporteddevicescanupdatetheiroutputbufferwhilerunningandgeneratephasecontinuousornon-repetitivenoisesignals.Completethefollowingstepstogenerateanon-repetitivenoisesignal.
1. PlacetheCreateAnalogSignalstepintheProjectView.2. IntheSignaltypepull-downmenu,selectNoiseSignal.3. Enter10kintheSampleratefield.4. MakesurethereisnocheckmarkintheRepeatedsignal
checkbox.5. ClicktheAddStepbuttonandselectGenerate
Signals»DAQmxGenerate»AnalogOutputandselectVoltageorCurrent.
6. OntheConfigurationpageoftheStepSetuptabfortheDAQmxGeneratestep,selectContinuousSamplesfromtheGenerationModepull-downmenu.
7. RunLabVIEWSignalExpresscontinuously.TheCreateAnalogSignalstepproducesanewnoisepatternateachiterationandpassesthepatterntotheDAQmxGeneratestepthatloadsitintotheanalogoutputdevice,resultinginanon-repetitivenoisegeneration.
YoucanusetheCreateAnalogSignalandtheDAQmxGeneratestepstogenerateaphasecontinuoussignalofanyarbitraryfrequency.Completethefollowingstepstogenerateaphasecontinuousnoisesignal.
1. PlacetheCreateAnalogSignalstepintheProjectView.2. IntheSignaltypepull-downmenu,selectaSineWaveand
specifyanarbitraryFrequency.3. RemovethecheckmarkfromtheRepeatedsignalcheckboxso
thateachiterationofthesignaliscontiguoustothepreviousiteration.
4. RunLabVIEWSignalExpresscontinuously.TheCreateAnalogSignalstepproducesacontinuoussignalwithincreasingtimestampandphasecontinuity.
Tomaintainphasecontinuityofageneratedsignal,LabVIEW
SignalExpressmustsustainaminimumlooprate.Theminimumlooprateisequaltothesampleratedividedbythenumberofsamplesinthesignal.IfLabVIEWSignalExpresscannotsustaintheminimumlooprate,removeanyunnecessarygraphdisplayplotsintheDataViewandcloseanyconfigurationviews.Ifthesoftwarestillcannotsustaintheminimumlooprate,decreasethesamplerateorincreasethebuffersizetodecreasethelooprate.RefertotheContinuousNoiseGenerationandFiniteAcquisition(NonRegeneration)examplelocatedintheSignalExpress\examples\DAQmxdirectoryforanexampleofgeneratingatruenoisesignal.
GeneratingaRepetitiveSignalwithanNI-DAQmxDeviceYoucanuseLabVIEWSignalExpresstogeneratearepetitivesignalcontinuously.Witharepetitivesignal,thesignaliscreatedandloadedintothedeviceonlyonce,whichmeansthattherearenominimumloopratesrequired.Youcanperformthistypeofrepetitivesignalgenerationwithamuchhighersampleratethananon-repetitivenoiseorphasecontinuoussignalgeneration.Whengeneratingarepetitivesignal,youcangenerateusingthemaximumsampleratethedeviceallows.Completethefollowingstepstoperformarepetitivesignalgeneration.
1. CreatetherepetitivesignalbyimportingthesignalfromafileusingtheLoadfromASCII,LoadfromLVM,orLoadfromSPICEsteps.YoualsocanusetheCreateAnalogSignalstep.IfyouusetheCreateAnalogSignalstep,placeacheckmarkintheRepeatedsignalcheckbox.
2. PassthesignaltotheDAQmxGeneratestep,whichloadsdatatotheoutputbufferofthedeviceonlywhenthedatachanges.BecausethefileimportstepsandtheCreateAnalogSignalstepproducetheiroutputsignalonlyatthefirstiteration,theDAQmxGeneratesteploadsthesignalintothedeviceatthefirstiterationandrepetitivelygeneratesthesignaluntilyoupresstheStopbutton.
RefertotheContinuousToneGenerationandFiniteAcquisition(Regeneration)examplelocatedintheSignalExpress\Examples\DAQmxdirectoryforanexampleofgeneratingarepetitivesignal.
GeneratingaDCSignalwithNI-DAQmxDevicesIntheDAQmxGeneratestep,select1Sample(OnDemand)intheGenerationModepull-downmenu.Youcanselectaprogrammaticinputtogenerate,oryoucanremovethecheckmarkfromtheUseProgrammaticInputcheckboxandspecifyavaluetogenerateintheValuetoWritefield.
NoteRefertotheNI-DAQmxHelpformoreinformationaboutgeneratingdata.
MasterTimebaseandReferenceClockSharingCertaintypesofNI-DAQmx-supporteddevicessupportmastertimebaseorreferenceclocksharingbetweenmultipledevices,whichissimilartotriggerandsampleclocksharing.Forexample,Eseriesdevicescansharemastertimebases,andMseriesdevicescansharereferenceclocksignals.TimebasesettingsappearontheAdvancedTimingpageoftheStepSetuptabforDAQmxAcquireandDAQmxGeneratesteps.Toshareamastertimebaseorreferenceclockbetweentwodevices,navigatetotheStepSetuptabfortheDAQmxAcquireorDAQmxGeneratestepforoneofthedevicesandselectExternalfromtheMasterTimebaseorReferenceClockpull-downmenu.SelectthedeviceyouwanttouseasthesourcefromtheMasterTimebaseSourceorReferenceClockSourcepull-downmenu.Ifyouaresharingatimebaseorreferenceclockamongmorethantwodevices,besuretoalwayspickthesamedeviceasthetimebaseorclocksource.
DisplaysAprojectcancontainmultipleDataViewtabs,andoneDataViewtabcancontainmultipledisplays.AdisplayisasectionofaDataViewtabonwhichyoucanviewsignalsintheproject.Dependingonthedatatypeofthesignalyouaddtoadisplay,youcanselectfrommultipledisplayformats,suchasgraphs,charts,andvariousnumericrepresentations.LabVIEWSignalExpressdisplayssignalsofthesametypeinthesamedisplaybydefault,butyoucanaddadditionaldisplaysbyclickingtheAddDisplaybuttonorbyright-clickinganexistingdisplayandselectingoneoftheDataView»AddDisplayoptionsfromtheshortcutmenu.Toremoveadisplay,right-clickthedisplayandselectDataView»RemoveDisplayfromtheshortcutmenu.
AddingandRemovingSignalsToaddsignalstoadisplay,dragasignalfromtheProjectViewtothedisplayorright-clickthedisplay,selectSignals»AddSignalfromtheshortcutmenu,andselectthesignalyouwanttoadd.Toremovesignalsfromadisplay,right-clickthedisplay,selectSignals»RemoveSignalfromtheshortcutmenu,andselectthesignalyouwanttoremove.Youalsocanright-clickasignalintheProjectViewandselectDisplay»ExistingDataVieworDisplay»NewDataViewtoaddthesignaltoanewdisplayontheactiveDataViewtabortoanewdisplayonanewDataViewtab.
ConfiguringDisplayPropertiesYoucanusetheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxtoconfigurepropertiesforalltypesofdisplays.Thedisplaypropertiesyoucanconfiguredependontheformatofthedisplayandcanincludetitles,formatandprecision,plots,scales,cursors,andsignalorder.ClickthePropertiesbuttonorright-clickadisplayontheDataViewtabandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.
AdditionalDisplayOptionsYoucanusetheshortcutmenuforagraphdisplaytodisplayapreviewgraph,agraphlegend,cursors,aneventviewer,oralarms.Right-clickagraphandselectVisibleItemsfromtheshortcutmenutoselecttheseoptions.
DisplayFormatsYoucanselectfrommultipleformatoptionsfordisplayingdataontheDataViewtab.Tochangetheformatofadisplay,right-clickthedisplayandselectoneoftheViewAsoptionsfromtheshortcutmenu.Thenumberofoptionsavailabledependsonthedatatypeofthesignal.
NoteTheViewAsoptiononlyappearsintheshortcutmenuofadisplayifthedisplaycontainsdatathatyoucanviewinadifferentdisplayformat.
GraphsGraphsarethemostcommontypeofdisplayinLabVIEWSignalExpress.Time-domain,frequency-domain,andxysignalsalwaysappearongraphsontheDataViewtab.Onegraphcandisplaymultiplesignalsonlyifthesignalsareofthesametype.Forexample,ifyoutrytoaddafrequency-domainsignaltoagraphthatdisplaysatime-domainsignal,anewgraphappearstoplotthefrequency-domainsignalbecausethesignalsaredifferentsignaltypes.AdditionalDisplayFormatOptionsInadditiontographs,youcanchoosefromthefollowingformatstodisplaydataontheDataViewtab:
DisplayFormat
SupportedDataTypes
Description
NumericDisplay
Scalar(integersonly)
Displaysthenumericvalueofanintegerscalar.
VerticalLED Boolean DisplaysanLEDthatindicatesthevalueofaBooleansignal.
ChartDisplay Boolean,Scalar
DisplaysaplotofaBooleanorscalarsignalandalegendthatincludesthenameandcurrentvalueofthesignal.Thechartdisplayupdatesperiodicallyandmaintainsahistoryofthesignaldatapreviouslystored.Right-clicktheplotandselectHistoryLengthfromtheshortcutmenutospecifythenumberof
samplestostoreinacharthistory.ThenumberofsamplesisthenumberofdatapointsLabVIEWSignalExpressusestoplotthesignal.Youalsocanspecifyhowachartdisplayupdatestheplotteddatabyright-clickingtheplotandselectingoneofthefollowingUpdateModeoptionsfromtheshortcutmenu:
StripChart—Showsdatacontinuouslyscrollingfromlefttoright.ScopeChart—Showsoneitemofdatascrollingpartwayacrosstheplotfromlefttoright.Whenthedatareachestherightborder,LabVIEWSignalExpresserasestheplotandbeginsplottingagainfromtheleftborder.SweepChart—SimilartoascopechartexceptthatwhenLabVIEWSignalExpressbeginsplottingagainfromtheleftbordertheplotshowsboththeolddataandthenewdataseparatedbyaverticalline.
Slider Scalar Displaysaverticalslidefilledtothevalueofthesignal.
TableDisplay Boolean,Scalar
Displaysatablethatincludesthenameandcurrentvalueofthesignal.
Tank Scalar Displaysatankfilledtothevalueofthesignal.
Thermometer Scalar Displaysathermometerfilledtothevalueofthesignal.
Gauge Scalar Displaysagaugewithaneedlethatindicatesthevalueofthesignal.
LargeDisplay
Boolean,Scalar
Displaysthevalueandunitsofthesignalinlargetext.
(double-precisiononly),String
Meter Scalar Displaysameterwithaneedlethatindicatesthevalueofthesignal.
ViewingandAnalyzingaLoggedSignalAfteryoulogasignal,youcanswitchtothePlaybackworkareatoplaybackandanalyzetheloggedsignal.ThePlaybackworkareaissimilartotheMonitor/RecordworkareaexceptthattheDataViewtabappearswithatimebarandvariousbuttonsyoucanusetonavigatealoggedsignal,andyoucanuseloggedsignalsasstepinputs.CompletethefollowingstepstoviewaloggedsignalinthePlaybackworkareaandruntheloggedsignalthroughaProcessingorAnalysisstep.
1. IntheMonitor/Recordworkarea,logasignal.2. SelectPlaybackorthenameofthelogyouwanttoplayback
fromthepull-downmenuthatappearsabovetheProjectViewtoswitchtothePlaybackworkarea.YoualsocanselectView»WorkAreas»PlaybacktoswitchtothePlaybackworkarea.
NoteIfyouselectaspecificlogfromthepull-downmenuabovetheProjectView,LabVIEWSignalExpressmakesthatlogtheactivelogwhenyouswitchtothePlaybackworkarea.
2. DragaloggedsignalfromtheLoggedDatawindowtotheDataViewtab.
3. ClicktheRunbutton.LabVIEWSignalExpressplaysbacktheloggedsignalatthespeedatwhichyourecordedthesignal.
4. (Optional)Usethebuttonsandthepull-downmenuonthetimebartoadjusthowLabVIEWSignalExpressplaysbacktheloggedsignal.Youcanchangetheplaybackspeed,playbackthesignalrepeatedly,playbackthesignalfromaspecificpointintime,orrunoneiteration(block)oftheloggedsignalatatime.Youalsocanmovethepointeronthetimebartonavigatethroughtheloggedsignalmanually.
5. Addastepthatrequiresaninputsignal,suchastheFilterstep,totheProjectView.LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyselectstheactivelogasthestepinput.
6. DragtheoutputofthesteptotheDataViewtabandclicktheRunbutton.LabVIEWSignalExpressrunstheloggedsignalthroughthestepblockbyblockanddisplaystheresultsontheDataViewtab.
YoucanusethePlaybackOptionstabtoconfigureadvancedplaybackoptions.Forexample,youcanusethePlaybackOptionstabtoselectsubsetsofloggedsignalstoplaybackandanalyze,changetheblocksizeofloggedsignals,andtoconfigureoverlapofblocksofsignaldata.
ChangingPlotOrderonGraphsWhenyouaddasignaltoagraph,LabVIEWSignalExpressassignsthesignalacolorandapositionintheplotorder.SelectVisibleItems»Legendtodisplaythegraphlegendandseetheplotorderofthesignals.Bydefault,thelastsignalyouaddtothegraphisthelastsignalintheplotorderinthelegend.TheorderinwhichyouaddthesignaldictatesthecolorLabVIEWSignalExpressassignstotheplot.Completethefollowingstepstochangetheplotorderonagraph.
1. Right-clickagraphdisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.
2. OntheSignalOrderpage,clicktheMoveForwardbuttontomovethesignaluponespotintheplotorder.ClicktheMoveBackwardbuttontomovethesignaldownonespotintheplotorder.ClicktheMoveToFrontbuttontomovethesignaltothetopoftheplotorder.ClicktheMoveToBackbuttontomovethesignaltotheendoftheplotorder.
3. ClicktheOKbuttontoclosethedialogboxandapplythechanges.
Whenyoumovesignalsintheplotorder,thesignalschangecolorsothatthefirstsignalisalwayswhite,thesecondsignalisalwaysred,etc.Youcanchangethecolorofasignalbyclickingthecolornexttothesignalinthegraphlegendandselectingacolorfromthepalettethatappears.
AligningSignalsSignalsfromdifferentsources,suchasdifferenthardwaredevicesorfiles,varyinamplitudeandtimingandmightnotalignonagraphinausefulwayforcomparingthesignals.Youcanalignsignalsbyconfiguringtimestampsonagraph,oryoucanusetheInteractiveAlignmentstep.
AligningSignalsUsingtheInteractiveAlignmentStepCompletethefollowingstepstoaligntwotime-domainsignalsonagraphusingtheInteractiveAlignmentstep.
1. AddtheInteractiveAlignmentsteptotheProjectView.Thestepselectsthetwomostrecentsignalsintheprojectasinputs,anddisplaysthemontheInputSignalsgraphintheConfigurationView.
NoteTheInteractiveAlignmentstepcanoperateonlyontime-domainwaveformsignals.
2. IntheConfigurationView,configurethecomparisonusingoneofthefollowingmethods:
Configurethecomparisonmanually.IntheInputSignalsgraph,selectthetestsignal,plottedinred,anddragittothepositionyouwantinthegraphforthecomparison.Youcanexpandthetestplotmanuallyinbothdirectionsbyholdingthe<Alt>keywhileyoudragtheplot.Thestepcomputesthex-offset,y-offset,x-gain,andy-gainasyoumovetheplot.Configurethecomparisonbasedonabuilt-inalgorithm.SelectoneoftheautomodesfromtheModepull-downmenu.
3. SwitchtotheDataViewanddragthecomparisonsignaloutputtoaviewtoseetheresultsofthecomparison.
CursorsWhenyoudisplaysignalsingraphorchartdisplaysontheDataViewtab,youcanusecursorstodeterminespecificvalueswithinthesignals.Right-clickagraphandselectVisibleItems»Cursorsfromtheshortcutmenutoaddcursorstothegraphanddisplayacursorlegendbelowthegraph.Thecursorlegenddisplaysthex-andy-valuesofthesignalatthepointwhereeachcursorintersectsthesignal,theslopebetweenthex-andy-values,andtheinverseandderivativevaluesoftheslope.Cursorsappearasperpendicularlinesthatintersectatapointontheplotofasignal.Whenyouaddcursorstoagraph,LabVIEWSignalExpressalwaysdisplaystwocursors,andthecursorsalwaysarelinkedtoaplotonthegraphsothatthecursorremainsalignedwiththesignalwhenyoumovethecursor.Ifthegraphcontainsmultiplesignals,LabVIEWSignalExpresslinksthecursorstotheplotofthefirstsignalinthesignalorderbydefault.
ChangingCursorPositionWhenyouaddcursorstoagraph,LabVIEWSignalExpressenablestheCursorMovementToolonthegraphpaletteautomatically.WiththeCursorMovementToolenabled,youcandragcursorstodifferentpositionsontheplotofasignal.Youalsocanright-clickthegraphandselectCursorName»SetPositiontomovetheverticalcrosshairofthecursortothelocationwhereyouright-clickthegraph.FindingPeakValuesYoucanusecursorstofindpeakvaluesofasignal.Right-clickthegraphandselectCursorName»NextPeakorCursorName»PreviousPeaktomovethecursortothecorrespondingpeakvalue.UsetheCursorspageoftheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxtodefinethepeakthresholdandpeakwidththatacursorusestorecognizepeakvalues.
ChangingLinkedPlotsIfagraphcontainsmultiplesignals,youcanchangethesignalplottowhichacursorislinked.Tochangethelinkedplotofacursor,clickthesignalnameinthecursorlegendandselectasignalfromtheshortcutmenu,right-clickacursorinthecursorlegendandselectLinkToPlot»Plotnamefromtheshortcutmenu,orright-clickthegraphandselectCursorName»LinkToPlot»Plotnamefromtheshortcutmenu.YoualsocanusetheLinkedtoplotpull-downmenuontheCursorspageoftheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxtochangethelinkedplotofacursor.
CustomizingCursorsAfteryouaddcursorstoagraph,youcanusetheCursorspageoftheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxtocustomizethestyle,appearance,orientation,andbehaviorofthecursors.YoualsocanusethispagetospecifyvaluesasignalmustcrossbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressrecognizespeakvalues,exportmeasurementvaluesfromthecursorlegendtouseasstepinputs,andbindexportedcursormeasurementstostepparameterssotheparametertowhichyoubindacursormeasurementupdatestousethevalueofthemeasurement.TodisplaytheCursorspage,right-clickacursorinthecursorlegendandselectCursorPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenuorright-clickthegraphandselectCursorName»Propertiesfromtheshortcutmenu.
NoteYoualsocanclickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox,thennavigatetotheCursorspage.
BindingCursorMeasurementValuestoStepParametersWhenyoudisplaycursorsonagraphofasignal,youcanexportthemeasurementvaluesthatappearinthecursorlegendtouseasstepinputs,andyoucanbindthosevaluestostepparameters.Bindingcursormeasurementstostepparameterscanbeusefulwhenyouwanttouseaveryspecificvaluefortheparameter.Forexample,youmightwanttousetheSubsetandResamplesteptocreateasubsetofasignal.Ifyouwantthesubsettobeginataspecificpointintheinputsignal,youcanbindthex-valueofacursorontheinputsignaltotheStartpositionparameterofthestep.Completethefollowingstepstobindacursorlegendvaluetoastepparameter.
1. AddasignaltoagraphdisplayontheDataViewtab,right-clickthedisplay,andselectVisibleItems»Cursorsfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaycursorsandthecursorlegend.
2. Right-clickacursorinthecursorlegendandselectCursorPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheCursorspageoftheDisplayOptionsdialogbox.
3. OntheCursorspage,selecttheMeasurementstab.4. IntheCursorMeasurementstable,findthemeasurementyou
wanttobindtothestepparameterandclickthebuttonthatappearsintheBindcolumntodisplaytheBindingSelectiondialogbox.Thisdialogboxdisplaysallthestepparameterstowhichyoucanbindcursormeasurements.
5. Placeacheckmarkinthecheckboxnexttotheparameter(s)towhichyouwanttobindthecursormeasurement.
6. ClicktheOKbuttontoclosetheBindingSelectiondialogboxandbindthecursormeasurementtotheparameter.LabVIEWSignalExpressplacesacheckmarkintheExportcheckboxforthemeasurementintheCursorMeasurementstable.
NoteWhenyoubindacursormeasurementtoastepparameter,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthecursormeasurementautomatically.
7. ClicktheOKbuttontoclosetheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.
Toundobindingacursormeasurementtoastepparameter,followtheprecedingstepsuntilyoudisplaytheBindingSelectiondialogbox.RemovethecheckmarkfromthecheckboxnexttoaparameterandclicktheOKbuttontoundobindingthecursormeasurementtotheparameter.
DataGroupingYoucananalyzemultipledatachannelsatthesametime.DragagroupofchannelsfromtheProjectViewintotheDataViewtoviewallsignalsfromthegrouponthesamedisplay.Youalsocansendgroupsofdatathroughanalysissteps.Whenselectinganinputsignalforastep,selecttheAllElementsoption.Thestepoutputsresultsforeverychannelwithinthedatagroup.
CreatingSubgroupsYoucancreateauser-definedsubgroupofdata.Right-clickastepoutputandselectDefineSubgroupstodisplaytheDefineSubgroupsdialogbox.ClicktheCreateanewsubgroupbuttontocreateanewsubgroupandspecifyanameforthesubgroup.SelectasignalfromtheSignalscolumnandclicktheCopysignalsintotheselectedsubgroupbuttontoaddtheselectedsignalsintotheselectedsubgroup.
ManagingHardwarewiththeChannelViewTheChannelViewisacentrallocationforviewingandconfiguringhardwareandsharedvariables.YoucanusetheChannelViewtomanageandconfigurehardwaredevicesandchannelsandtoacquiresignalsinLabVIEWSignalExpress.InthePhysicalChannelcolumnoftheChannelView,clicktheplussignnexttoadevicenametoviewthephysicalchannelsofthedevice.EachchannelanddeviceappearwithacheckboxintheAcquirecolumn.UsetheAcquirecheckboxtospecifywhethertoacquiredatafromthechannelordevice.WhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckbox,additionalcolumnsofmeasurementconfigurationoptionsappearintheChannelView,andLabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyplacesadataacquisitionstepintheProjectView.LabVIEWSignalExpressconfiguresthesteptomatchtheoptionsyouspecifyintheChannelView.
NoteYoualsocanusethePropertieswindowtoconfigurechannelsordevices.
ManagingSharedVariableswiththeChannelViewTheChannelViewisacentrallocationforviewingandconfiguringhardwareandsharedvariables.YoucanusetheChannelViewtoviewandreadthevaluesofsharedvariablesonthelocalmachineorlocalnetwork.TheChannelViewdisplayshardwaredevicesbydefault.SelectSharedVariablesfromtheViewpull-downmenuatthetopoftheChannelViewtodisplayallthesharedvariablesthatexistonthelocalmachineorlocalnetwork.IntheSharedVariableNamecolumn,expandLocalhosttodisplaysharedvariablesthatareavailableonthelocalmachine.ExpandNetworkNeighborhoodtodisplaymachinesonthelocalnetwork.YoualsocanclicktheAddMachinebuttonandenteramachinenameorIPaddresstoaddamachinetotheChannelView.Networks,machines,andsharedvariablesappearwithcheckboxesinanAcquirecolumn.UsetheAcquirecheckboxtospecifywhethertoreadthevaluesofsharedvariables.WhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckbox,aSamplePeriod(s)columnappears,andLabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyplacesaReadSharedVariablesstepintheProjectView.LabVIEWSignalExpressconfiguresthesteptomatchtheoptionsyouspecifyintheChannelView.
NoteYoualsocanusethePropertieswindowtoquicklyconfiguremultiplesharedvariables.
PlaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckboxforamachinetoreadthevaluesofalltheavailablesharedvariablesonthatmachine.Ifyouselectmultiplesharedvariables,LabVIEWSignalExpressusesoneReadSharedVariablessteptoreadthevaluesofanysharedvariablesthathavethesamesampleperiod.
ImportingandExportingChannelViewDataYoucanexportdatafromtheChannelViewtoaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheetandimportthedatabackintothesameprojectorintoanewproject.YoucanusethisfeaturetoshareChannelViewconfigurationsamongmultipleprojectsortoeditconfigurationsettingsfromMicrosoftExcel,whichcanbeusefulwhentheChannelViewcontainsalargenumberofitems.SelectFile»Export»ChannelViewtoExcelorright-clickintheChannelViewandselectExportTo»MicrosoftExceltoexportdatafromtheChannelViewtoMicrosoftExcel.
NoteIfyouintendtoimportdatafromtheMicrosoftExcelspreadsheetbackintoLabVIEWSignalExpress,youmustnoteditthetop-levelheaderoranyofthecolumnheadersinthespreadsheet.LabVIEWSignalExpressusestheheaderstopopulatetheChannelViewcorrectly.Youcaneditanyothervaluesinthespreadsheet.
SelectFile»Import»ChannelViewfromExcelorright-clickintheChannelViewandselectImportFrom»MicrosoftExceltoimportChannelViewdatafromaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheet.WhenyouimportdatafromaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheet,anImportingExcelDatawindowappearsanddisplaysapreviewoftheChannelView.AnyvaluesthatLabVIEWSignalExpresscannotimportsuccessfullyappearwitherroriconsintheImportingExcelDatawindow.Movethecursoroveranerroricontodisplaymoreinformationabouttheerror.
ImportingSignalsfromFilesUsethestepsintheLoad/SaveSignalsmenutoimportfilesintoLabVIEWSignalExpress.YoucanimportsignalsfromASCIItext,.lvm,SPICE,PSpice,andMultisimfiles.Afteryouimportdata,youcanusethedataasaninputsignalforothersteps.
SavingDatatoFilesYoucansaveorexportasignalorvaluetoafileinLabVIEWSignalExpressinthefollowingways:
Right-clickanoutputonastepandselectSaveValuefromtheshortcutmenutosavethesignalorvaluetoatextfile.Right-clickanoutputonastepandselectCopyValuefromtheshortcutmenutocopythedatatotheclipboard.YoucanpastethedataintootherapplicationssuchasMicrosoftExcelandNotepad.OpenMicrosoftExcelanddragthestepoutputtoanExcelworksheet.UsetheSavetoASCII/LVMsteptowritesignalsorvaluestoatextfileafterasteporseriesofstepscompletesexecution.UseLabVIEWSignalExpressdataloggingfeaturestocreatelogsofyoursignalsinthe.tdmsfileformat.Right-clickaloggedsignalintheLoggedDatawindowandselecttheConverttoASCIIoptiontosaveloggeddataintheASCIIformat.
WhenyouusetheSavetoASCII/LVMstep,LabVIEWSignalExpresssavessignalsandvaluesintheLabVIEWmeasurementdatafileformat,whichisatab-delimitedtextfileyoucanopenwithaspreadsheetapplicationoratext-editingapplication.RefertotheSpecificationfortheLabVIEWMeasurementFile(.lvm)applicationnoteformoreinformationaboutthisfileformat.
SnapshotsSnapshotsallowyoutosavearecordofthecurrentvaluesofanysignalinyourproject.YoucanviewsnapshotvaluesontheDataViewtab.Youalsocansavethesevaluestofileorrunthemthroughanalysissteps.Youcanusesnapshotstocomparedatawithinthesameproject.Forexample,youcanacquiredataandcreateasnapshotofthedatawhentheacquisitiontaskiscomplete.Completeanewacquisitiontaskwithdifferentsettingsandcreateanothersnapshotofthedataafteryoucompletetheacquisitiontask.DrageachofthesnapshotstotheDataViewtabtoviewandcomparethedata.SelectOperate»CreateSnapshottoopentheCreateSnapshotdialogbox.Usethisdialogboxtoselectthesignalstoincludeinthesnapshot,andclicktheOKbuttontoclosethedialogboxandcreateasnapshotofthesignalsyouselect.ThesnapshotappearsintheLoggedDatawindow.IntheLoggedDatawindow,expandthesnapshotandright-clickasignalinthesnapshottodisplayashortcutmenuwithvariousoptions,suchassavingthesnapshotofthatsignaltoatextfileand/orsendingthesignalsnapshotdatatoananalysisstep.LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallysavessnapshotdataintheprojectfile.Youalsocanimportsnapshotsfromanotherproject.SelectFile»Import»SnapshotsFromAnotherProjecttoselecttheprojectfilefromwhichyouwanttoimportsnapshots.
DefiningDataValuesYoucanusetheDefineSignaldialogboxtodefineadatavalueforalimittest.TodefineacornerDataPoint,clicktheInsertbuttonbelowthetableorentertheXandYvaluesinthetable.Thenewpointappearsonthegraph.Youcanchangethepositionofapointbyclickingthepointonthegraphandmovingit.Ifyoumoveanypointpastanotherdatapoint,thetableautomaticallyreordersandincreasestheXcolumnvalues.YoucanrescaletheentirelimitsignalbyenteringnewvaluesintheNewmin.andNewmax.fieldsintheRescalelimitsection.YoucansavethedatapointsthatdefinethelimittoafileusingtheSaveDatabutton.YoualsocanloaddatapointsfromafileusingtheLoadDatabutton.LabVIEWSignalExpressusestheLabVIEWmeasurement.lvmformat.ThefollowinggraphicisanexampleofusingtheDefineSignaldialogboxtodefinetheupperlimitofatime-domainsignal.
ThefollowinggraphicisanexampleofusingtheDefineSignaldialogboxtodefinetheupperlimitofafrequency-domainsignalusing
TimestampsinLabVIEWSignalExpressTime-domainsignalsuseatimestamp,whichisavaluethatprovidesinformationaboutwhenthesignalbegan.Dependingonthesourceofthesignalandtheactualprocessingstepsyouaddedtotheproject,thetimestampofthesignalcanbeanabsoluteorrelativetimestamp,orLabVIEWSignalExpresscanignorethetimestamp.Anabsolutetimestampvaluerepresentsanactualdateandtime,suchas12:37p.m.,April6.Somedataacquisitionboards,suchastheE-Seriesacquisitionboard,canreturnabsolutetimestamps,whichyoucanuseforaccuratedatalogging.Arelativetimestamprepresentsatimevaluethatisrelativetoaknownreferenceevent,suchasthestartofanacquisitionorthetriggerpoint.Forexample,acontinuousacquisitionofasignalmighthaveatimestampvaluerelativetothetriggerpointofthesignal.Timestampsalsocanberelativetoothertimestamps.Forexample,youcanextractasubsetofasignalstartingatatimethatisrelativetothebeginningofthatsignal.Ifyouignorethetimestamp,youcanperformoperationslikeadditionorsubtractiononthetwosignalsindependentlyoftheactualtimestampvalues.Forexample,youcanaddthesignalsasiftheywerealignedperfectly,whichisusefulifyouwanttocompareatriggeredsignaltoamodelthatoriginatesfromafile.Severalprocessingstepsworkoncontinuoussignalsandassumethatthedataarecontiguous.Forexample,theFilterstepresetsthefilterhistorywhenyoucallitthefirsttime,buttheninsubsequentcalls,thestepfilterstheincomingtimesignalsegmentsusingthehistoryinformationoftheprevioussegmentaslongasthetimestampsarecontiguous.IftheFilterstepdetectsatimediscontinuity,suchasamissingsegmentoraninconsistencyintimestamps,theFilterstepresetsitselfandreturnsawarning.Usingrelativetimestampsinacontinuousacquisitiondoesnotconflictwiththetimestampcontinuityrequirements.NationalInstrumentsrecommendsusingrelativetimestampsasthedefaultmodeforallstepsthatcandeliveracontinuoussignal,suchasstepsthatacquireorcreatesignals.Useabsolutetimestampsonlywhenyourequireabsolutedateandclockinformation.Avoidignoringtimestampswhenpossible.
SharedVariablesSharedvariablesareapplication-independentconfiguredsoftwareitemsthatenableyoutosenddataacrossprojectsoracrossanetwork.
ViewingSharedVariablesYoucanusetheChannelViewtodisplayandmanagesharedvariablesthatexistonthelocalmachineorlocalnetwork.IntheChannelView,selectSharedVariablesfromtheViewpull-downmenu.ExpandLocalhosttodisplaysharedvariablesthatareavailableonthelocalmachine.ExpandNetworkNeighborhoodtodisplaymachinesonthelocalnetwork.LabVIEWSignalExpressrecognizessharedvariablescreatedinLabVIEWSignalExpressandLabVIEW,aswellasdatapublishedusingDataSockettechnologyordatathatmeetsOPCspecifications.
NoteInthishelptopic,thetermsharedvariablealsoappliestodatapublishedusingDataSockettechnologyordatathatmeetsOPCspecifications.Refertoni.comformoreinformationaboutDataSockettechnology.RefertotheOPCFoundationWebsiteformoreinformationaboutOPCspecifications.
ReadingSharedVariablesUsetheReadSharedVariablessteptoreadsharedvariablesinLabVIEWSignalExpress.TheReadSharedVariablesstepreadsthevalueofasharedvariableandreturnsthevalueasanoutputyoucansendtoothersteps.YoualsocanusetheChannelViewtoreadthevalueofasharedvariable.PlaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckboxforasharedvariabletoreadthevalueofthevariable.LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyconfiguresaReadSharedVariablesstepandaddsthesteptotheProjectView.PlaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckboxforamachinetoreadthevaluesofalltheavailablesharedvariablesonthemachine.LabVIEWSignalExpressusesoneReadSharedVariablessteptoreadthevaluesofallthesharedvariables.
NoteYoucanusetheSamplePeriod(s)columnoftheChannelViewortheSampleperiod(s)parameteroftheReadSharedVariablessteptospecifyhowfrequentlyLabVIEWSignalExpressreadsthevalueofthesharedvariable.
WritingtoSharedVariablesYoucanwritesignalsinaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttosharedvariablessothatotherprojectscanusethevalueofthesignal.Right-clickastepinputoroutputsignalandselectWritetoSharedVariablefromtheshortcutmenutowritethevalueofthesignaltoasharedvariable.Thenameofthesignalappearswithaglobeicon( )thatindicatesitisasharedvariable.Youalsocanright-clickasharedvariableinputoroutputandselectWritetoSharedVariablefromtheshortcutmenutostopsharingthevalueofthesignal.LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallysharesanysharedvariablesyoucreateonthelocalnetwork.Thesharedvariableappearsatthepath\\hostname\NI_SIGX_projectname,wherehostnameisthenameofthemachineonwhichyoucreatethevariableandprojectnameisthenameoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectinwhichyoucreatethevariable.
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpressremovessharedvariablesfromthelocalnetworkwhenyouclosetheprojectthatcreatesthesharedvariable(s).
AcquireSpecifieswhethertoacquire,orreadthevalueof,thesharedvariable.LabVIEWSignalExpressusestheReadSharedVariablessteptoacquirethevalueofthesharedvariable.
ControllingtheExecutionofaProjectWhenyouexecute,orrun,aLabVIEWSignalExpressproject,LabVIEWSignalExpressexecutesallthestepsthattheprojectcontainsatleastonce.YoucancontroltheexecutionofaprojectbyorderingstepsintheProjectViewtocreateexecutiondependencies,configuringtherunmodeofaproject,usingExecutionControlsteps,orusinghardware.
ControllingProjectExecutionbyOrderingStepsTheorderinwhichstepsexecutepartiallydependsontheorderinwhichtheyappearintheProjectView.Stepsthatinheritsignalsfromotherstepsexecutesequentially.Forexample,stepsthatprovideoutputsignalsmustappearintheProjectViewbeforestepsthatrequirethosesignalsasinputs.Astepthatreceivesasignalhasanexecutiondependencyonthestepthatsendsthesignal.LabVIEWSignalExpressdrawsblueexecutionloopsaroundgroupsofstepswithmutualexecutiondependencies.
ControllingProjectExecutionbyConfiguringRunModesYoucanconfigurehowmanytimesanentireprojectrunsbyconfiguringtherunmodefortheproject.YoucanconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstorunaprojectonce,foranumberofiterationsyouspecify,orforanamountoftimeyouspecify.
ControllingExecutionwithStepsYoucanusethefollowingExecutionControlstepstocontroltheexecutionofsomeorallstepsinaproject:
Sweep—Iteratesasetofstepsthenumberoftimesyouspecify.ConditionalRepeat—Iteratesasetofstepsuntilaspecifiedconditionoccurs.Trigger—Setsatriggerconditionandreturnsasectionofacontinuoussignalwhentheconditionoccurs.Sequence—Pausesandresumesexecutionofstepsinaprojectbasedontheconfigurationyouspecify.TheSequencestepcanpausetheexecutionofastepwithoutstoppingtheexecutionoftheentireproject.BecausetheSequencestepcanpausetheexecutionofothersteps,youcanusetheSequencesteptoallowmultiplestepsinthesameprojecttousethesamehardware.
ControllingExecutionwithHardwareYoucanusethetriggeringfunctionalityofvariousinstrumentstocontroltheexecutionofstepsoraproject.UsetheAcquireSignalsorGenerateSignalsstepstoconfiguretriggerswhenyouusehardwarewithLabVIEWSignalExpress.
RunModesBydefault,LabVIEWSignalExpressrunsprojectscontinuouslywhenyouclicktheRunbutton.However,youcanconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstorunaprojectonce,foranumberofiterationsyouspecify,orforanamountoftimeyouspecify.Ifyourunaprojectonce,theprojectisinRunOncemode.Ifyourunaprojectcontinuously,theprojectisinRunContinuousmode.Ifyourunaprojectforanumberofiterationsoranamountoftimeyouspecify,theprojectisinRunContinuousmodeuntilthestopconditionoccurs.UseRunOncemodeifyouwantthestepsinaprojecttoexecuteonlyonce.Forexample,ifyouuseaSweepsteptocontroltheexecutionofstepsinaproject,youmightnotwanttheSweepsteptocontinuerunningafterititeratesthroughthevaluesyouspecifywhenyouconfiguretheSweepstep.UseRunContinuousmodeifaprojectcontainsstepsthatoperateonsignalsiteratively,suchasstepsthatfilteroraveragesignals.Forexample,ifyouusethePowerSpectrumsteptoaveragedatainaproject,thestepaveragesthedataovertimewitheachiterationoftheproject.Ifyoudonotruntheprojectcontinuously,youcannotaveragethedatabecauseLabVIEWSignalExpressresetsthePowerSpectrumstepeachtimeyouruntheprojectinRunOncemode.Ifyouconfigureaprojecttorunforaspecifiednumberofiterationsoraspecifiedtimeinseconds,theprojectrunsinRunContinuousmodeuntilthestopconditionoccurs.Forexample,ifyouconfigureaprojecttorunfor30seconds,theprojectexecutesasifyousettheprojecttoruncontinuously,clickedtheRunbutton,andthenclickedtheStopbutton30secondslater.
NoteIfyouconfigureaprojecttorunforaspecificamountoftime,LabVIEWSignalExpressusessoftwaretimingtodeterminehowlongtheprojectruns.Youcannotusehardwaretimingtocontrolhowlongaprojectruns.
ConfiguringRunModesClickthedownarrowontheRunbuttonandselectRunContinuously,RunOnce,orConfigureRuntospecifytherunmodeyouwanttouse.YoualsocanaccessrunmodeconfigurationoptionsfromtheOperatemenu.WhenyouselectConfigureRun,theConfigureRundialogboxappears.Youcanusethisdialogboxtospecifyanumberofiterationsoranamountoftimeinsecondsforwhichyouwanttheprojecttorun.Youalsocancreateasnapshotofallthesignalsintheprojectwhentheprojectfinishesrunning.Afteryouconfiguretherunmode,theiconontheRunbuttonupdatestoreflecttheconfiguration.Youconfigurerunmodesonaper-projectbasis.Whenyousaveaproject,LabVIEWSignalExpressalsosavestheconfigurationoftheRunbutton.
ConversionstoandfromLabVIEWVIsWhenyouconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoaLabVIEWblockdiagram,thegeneratedVIrunsinthemodeyouconfiguredfortheprojectunlessyouedittheVItochangehowtheVIruns.IfyouimportaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectfromLabVIEW,youcanconfiguretherunmodethroughthepull-downmenuontheRunbuttonortheOperatemenu.
NoteIfaprojectincludesaRunLabVIEWVIstep,therunmodeyouconfiguredoesnotoverridetheexecutionofelementsoftheLabVIEWVI,suchasloops.
ResettingaProjectWhenyourunaproject,youcanresetallstepstotheirinitialstatebyclickingtheResetAllbutton.Resettingrestartstheprocessforthesteps.Forexample,ifyouhaveastepthataveragesaseriesofnumbers,clickingtheResetAllbuttonrestartstheaveragingfromthebeginning.
NoteResettingdoesnotresetparameterstotheirdefaultvalues.
YoualsocanrevertaprojecttoitslastsavedstatebyselectingFile»RevertProject.
SweepingTheSweepstepcontrolstheexecutionofotherstepsinaproject.UsetheSweepsteptoiterateasetofmeasurementstepsthenumberoftimesyouspecify.Eachiterationmodifiesoneormoreparametersofoneormorestepsinthemeasurement.MoststepsinLabVIEWSignalExpresshavesweepableparameters.WhenyouaddaSweepsteptotheProjectView,thestepappearsasaloop.PlacestepsinsidetheloopoftheSweepsteptocontroltheexecutionofthosestepsusingtheSweepstep.ThefollowingillustrationshowsaSweepstepthatiscontrollingtheexecutionofaCreateAnalogSignalstep.
YoucanusetheStepSetuptabfortheSweepsteptoconfigurearangeofvaluestosendtothestepstheSweepstepcontrols.YoualsocandefineoutputsfortheSweepstepandconfigureparallelandnestedsweepoperations.RefertoChapter5,PerformingSweepMeasurements,intheGettingStartedwithLabVIEWSignalExpressmanualformoreinformationaboutsweeping.
ConfiguringaSweepRangeTheSweepstepcontrolstheexecutionofotherstepsinaproject.YoucanusetheSweepsteptoconfigurearangeofvaluestosendtothestepsitcontrols.Forexample,youcanusetheSweepsteptochangethefrequencyvalueofasignalyoucreatewiththeCreateAnalogSignalstep.OntheStepSetuptabfortheSweepstep,addFrequency(Hz)totheSweepableparameterslist.ThenusetheConfigurationoptionstoselectthetypeofsweepyouwanttoperformanddefinetherangeofvaluesyouwanttouseforthesweep.Youcandefinetherangeasalinearrange,anexponentialrange,alistofpoints,aformula,orbyusingafilethatcontainsalistofvalues.Whenyouruntheproject,theSweepstepusestheConfigurationsettingsyouspecifytochangethefrequencyvalueoftheCreateAnalogSignalstepwitheachiterationofthesweep.WhenyouconfiguretheSweepstep,theProjectViewupdatessothattheSweepstepenclosesthestepsitcontrols.Inthepreviousexample,theSweepstepenclosestheCreateAnalogSignalstep.Whenyourunaprojectwithasweep,theSweepstepgenerateseachvalueinthesweeprangeandpassesthevaluestothestepsitcontrolstodefinenewvaluesforeachiteration.Youalsocandefinetheoutputsofasweepoperation.YoucanusetheSweepsteptoperformaparallelsweepthatsetsvaluesonmultipleparametersandmultiplestepssimultaneously.YoualsocanperformanestedsweepbyenclosingaSweepstepwithinanotherSweepstep.
DefiningSweepOperationOutputsYoucanspecifyoutputsofasweepoperationtotrackhowtheparametersyousweepaffectothervaluesintheproject.Forexample,ifyousweepthefrequencyofastimulussignal,youmightwanttotracktheRMSvoltagelevelduringthesweepoperationtoseehowtheRMSlevelchangesinresponsetothechangingfrequency.YouthencanviewagraphoftheRMSlevelversusfrequencyontheDataViewtab.Completethefollowingstepstodefineoutputsforasweepoperation.
1. ConfiguretheSweepstepusingtheSweepConfigurationpageoftheStepSetuptabforthestep.Todefineasweepoperationoutput,youmustspecifyatleastoneparameterintheSweepableparametersfield.
2. SwitchtotheSweepOutputpageoftheStepSetuptabfortheSweepstep.
3. ClicktheAddbuttontodisplaytheEditSweepOutputdialogbox.TheOutput(Y-Axis)fielddisplaysoutputsofstepsinthesweepoperation.TheInput(X-Axis)fielddisplaysthesweepableparametersyouspecifiedontheSweepConfigurationpage.
4. SelectanoutputfromtheOutput(Y-Axis)field.Whenyougraphthesweepoperationoutput,thisvalueappearsontheY-axisofthegraph.Thisisthevaluethatyouexpecttochangeasaresultofthechangingvalueoftheparameteryousweep.
5. SelectasweepableparameterfromtheInput(X-Axis)field.Whenyougraphthesweepoperationoutput,thisvalueappearsontheX-axisofthegraph.Thisistheparameterthatchangesvaluewitheachiterationofthesweep.
6. ClicktheOKbutton.ThesweepoperationoutputappearsasanoutputoftheSweepstepintheProjectView.
NoteIfyouspecifiedtwoscalarvaluesfortheInput(X-Axis)andOutput(Y-Axis),theoutputisasingleXYwaveform.ThenumberofdatapointsinthewaveformmatchestheNumberofpointsyouspecifyontheSweepConfigurationpageoftheStepSetuptab.
IfyouspecifiedawaveformfortheInput(X-Axis)orOutput(Y-Axis),theoutputisanexpandablegroupofwaveforms.Eachwaveforminthegroupisthevalueofthewaveformduringan
iterationofthesweep.ThetotalnumberofwaveformsmatchestheNumberofpointsyouspecifyontheSweepConfigurationpageoftheStepSetuptab.
7. DragthesweepoperationoutputtotheDataViewtabtoplottheoutputonagraph.Forgroups,youcanplotanelementofthegrouportheentiregroup.
Youalsocandefineadvancedsweepoperationoutputsthatcomparetheoutputsofstepsaffectedbythesweepoperationinsteadofcomparingonestepoutputandonesweepableparameter.
DefiningAdvancedSweepOperationOutputsAdvancedsweepoperationoutputscomparetheoutputsofstepsaffectedbyasweepoperationinsteadofcomparingonestepoutputandonesweepableparameter.Completethefollowingstepstodefineadvancedsweepoperationoutputs.
1. ConfiguretheSweepstepusingtheSweepConfigurationpageoftheStepSetuptabforthestep.Todefineasweepoperationoutput,youmustspecifyatleastoneparameterintheSweepableparametersfield.
2. SwitchtotheSweepOutputpageoftheStepSetuptabfortheSweepstep.
3. ClicktheAddbuttontodisplaytheEditSweepOutputdialogbox.4. PlaceacheckmarkintheAdvancedcheckbox.TheOutput(Y-
Axis)andInputX-Axis(Advanced)fieldsdisplayoutputsofstepsinthesweepoperation.
NoteTheInputX-Axis(Advanced)fielddisplaysscalaroutputsonly.Youcannotdefineasweepoperationoutputthatcomparestwowaveforms.
5. SelectanoutputfromtheOutput(Y-Axis)field.Whenyougraphthesweepoperationoutput,thisvalueappearsontheY-axisofthegraph.
6. SelectanoutputfromtheInputX-Axis(Advanced)field.Whenyougraphthesweepoperationoutput,thisvalueappearsontheX-axisofthegraph.
7. ClicktheOKbutton.ThesweepoperationoutputappearsasanoutputoftheSweepstepintheProjectView.
8. DragthesweepoperationoutputtotheDataViewtabtoplottheoutputonagraph.Iftheoutputisagroupofdata,youcanplotanelementofthegrouportheentiregroup.
ParallelandNestedSweepOperationsYoucanusetheSweepsteptoperformaparallelsweepoperationthatsetsvaluesonmultiplestepparametersandmultiplestepssimultaneously.YoualsocanperformanestedsweepoperationbyenclosingaSweepstepwithinanotherSweepstep.
ParallelSweepsSweepingtwoormorestepparameterssimultaneouslyiscalledaparallelsweep.Forexample,ifyouwanttovarytheamplitudeofastimulussignal,youcanmaximizetheprecisionoftheacquisitionbyalsovaryingtheinputrangeofthedigitizerorMIOboardthatprovidesthesignal.Asthesignallevelgetshigher,youcanincreasetheinputrangeofthemeasurementdevicetoensureyouusetheentireresolutionforthemeasurement.Toconfigureaparallelsweep,navigatetotheStepSetuptabfortheSweepstepandaddtheparametersyouwanttosweeptotheSweepableparameterslistontheSweepConfigurationpage.
NestedSweepsYoucanperformnestedsweepstoiteratethroughonerangeofvalueswhileyouvaryanotherrangeofvalues.Forexample,youmightwanttosweepthroughfrequenciesofastimulussignalatdifferentamplitudes.Usinganestedsweep,youcansettheamplitudetolevel1andsweepthroughthefrequencies,thensettheamplitudetolevel2andsweepthroughthefrequencies,andsoon.Tocreateanestedsweep,right-clickaSweepstepintheProjectViewandselectAddnestedsweepfromtheshortcutmenu.AnewSweepstepappearsandenclosestheexistingSweepstep.ConfigurethenewSweepsteptosweeptheparameteryouwanttochangeeachtimetheoriginalSweepstepcompletesasweepoperation.
NoteYoucancontrolastepparameterwithonlyoneSweepstepatatime.IfaparameterissweptbyoneSweepstep,thesameoranotherSweepstepcannotsweepthatparameteragainineitheraparallelornestedsweep.
SweepableParametersThefollowingtableliststheparametersyoucanincludeinasweepoperationforeachstep.
StepName Parameter ConditionsCreateAnalogSignal Frequency OnlyifSignaltypeisSineWave,
SquareWave,TriangleWave,SawtoothWave,orFormula
Phase OnlyifSignaltypeisSineWave,SquareWave,TriangleWave,orSawtoothWave
Amplitude AllsignaltypesexceptDCSignalOffset AllsignaltypesDutycycle OnlyifSignaltypeisSquareWaveSamplerate AlwayssweepableBlocksize AlwayssweepableStartfreq. OnlyifSignaltypeisMulti-toneStopfreq. OnlyifSignaltypeisMulti-toneStepfreq. OnlyifSignaltypeisMulti-tone
CreateDigitalSignal Blocksize AlwayssweepableSamplerate Alwayssweepable
DAQmxAcquire Samplestoread
Alwayssweepable
Samplerate AlwayssweepableInputrangemaxvalue(perchannel)
Alwayssweepable
Inputrangeminvalue(perchannel)
Alwayssweepable
NI-SCOPEAcquire SampleRate AlwayssweepableRecordLength
Alwayssweepable
Channeli-Range
Onlyifchanneliisenabled
Channeli-Offset
Onlyifchanneliisenabled
TriggerDelay OnlyiftriggerTypeisnotImmediate
TriggerLevel OnlyiftriggerTypeisEdgeorHysteresis
VideoTriggerLineNumber
OnlyiftriggerTypeisVideo
NI-FGENStandardFunction
Frequency AlwayssweepableDutyCycle OnlyiffunctionTypeisSquareAmplitude AlwayssweepableOffset AlwayssweepablePhase Alwayssweepable
NI-FGENArbitraryWaveform
SampleRate OnlyifExtractfromwaveformisnotselected
Gain OnlyifExtractfromwaveformisnotselected
Offset OnlyifExtractfromwaveformisnotselected
Filter Cutoff OnlyifTypeisLowpassorHighpass
Lowcutoff OnlywhenTypeisBandpassorBandstop
Highcutoff OnlywhenTypeisBandpassorBandstop
Order OnlywhenModeisIIRFilterNumberoftaps
OnlywhenModeisFIRFilter
ScalingandConversion(TimeDomain)
Pre-gainoffset
Alwayssweepable
Gain AlwayssweepablePost-gainoffset
Alwayssweepable
ScalingandConversion(FrequencyDomain–Magnitude)
Gain Alwayssweepable
ScalingandConversion(FrequencyDomain–Phase)
Correctiondelay
Alwayssweepable
SubsetandResample
Startposition OnlywhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheExtractsubsetcheckbox
Length OnlywhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheExtractsubsetcheckbox
dt OnlywhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheResamplecheckbox
InteractiveAlignment x-offset OnlywhenModeisManualandyouplaceacheckmarkintheAllowx-offsetcheckbox
y-offset OnlywhenModeisManualandyouplaceacheckmarkintheAllowy-offsetcheckbox
x-gain OnlywhenModeisManualandyouplaceacheckmarkintheAllowx-gaincheckbox
y-gain OnlywhenModeisManualandyouplaceacheckmarkintheAllowy-gaincheckbox
PowerSpectrum Numberofavg.
Alwayssweepable
FrequencyResponse Numberofavg.
Alwayssweepable
Distortion Highestharm.
Alwayssweepable
Approx.fund.freq.
Alwayssweepable
ToneExtraction Approx.freq. AlwayssweepableLimitTest Upper
constantOnlywhenLimitssourceisUserDefinedConstants
Lowerconstant
OnlywhenLimitssourceisUserDefinedConstants
Uppergain OnlywhenLimitswindowbasedonisSingleLimit&Range
Upperoffset OnlywhenLimitswindowbasedonisSingleLimit&Range
Lowergain OnlywhenLimitswindowbasedonisSingleLimit&Range
Loweroffset OnlywhenLimitswindowbasedonisSingleLimit&Range
Limitconstant
OnlywhenLimitswindowbasedonisSingleLimit&Range
Thefollowingstepsdonotcontainparametersyoucanincludeinasweepoperation:
LoadfromASCIILoadfromLVMLoadfromSPICESavetoASCII/LVMTimeAveragingWindowArithmeticFormula(Scalar)AmplitudeandLevelsHistogramTimingandTransition
NoteSweepingNI-FGENStandardFunctionparametersdoesnotcausetheStartTriggertoberesentforeachiteration.Thedevicemayresetoneachiteration,dependingonwhichparametersyou
aresweeping.Duringthisdevicereset,theRTSIlinesmaybereset,resultinginwhatlookslikeafalsetrigger.Thisfalsetriggerdoesnotcorrelatewiththetimingofthestartofthegeneration.IfyouaretriggeringanNI-SCOPEAcquireorDAQmxAcquirestep,considermakingtheNI-SCOPEAcquireorDAQmxAcquirestepexecuteaftertheNI-FGENStandardFunctionstepbyplacingacheckmarkintheStartthisstepaftercheckboxontheExecutionControltab,andselectingtheNI-FGENStandardFunctionstepasthesteponwhichtowait.
SequencingStepstoReuseHardwareWhenyouconfigureasteptouseahardwaredevice,thestepreservesthedevicesothatnoothersteporotherapplicationcanusethedevice.However,youmightwanttoreusethesamedeviceinoneproject.YoucanuseaSequencesteptopausetheexecutionofotherstepsintheprojectwhileonestepusesthedevice,therebyallowingmultiplestepsinthesameprojecttousethesamehardware.Forexample,ifyouareusingadataacquisitiondeviceandyouwanttoacquiresignalsfromdifferentchannelsatdifferentrates,youcanusetheSequencesteptoacquireasignalfromonechannelatonerateandthenpausethatacquisitionwhileyouacquireasignalfromanotherchannelatanotherrate.IfyoutrytosetupthesameprojectwithoutaSequencestep,LabVIEWSignalExpressreturnsanerrorbecauseonlyoneexecutingstepcanuseasinglehardwaredeviceatatime.
NoteWhenyouusetheSequencesteptoreusehardware,youcannotperformacontinuoussignalacquisitionbecauseLabVIEWSignalExpressstopsandstartsthehardwaredevice.
Completethefollowingstepstoallowmultiplestepstousethesamehardware.
1. Installthehardwaredevice,connectittothePC,andconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstobeginacquiringsignalsfromthehardwaredevice.
2. AddaSequencesteptotheProjectViewaftertheAcquireSignalsstep.
3. OntheStepSetuptabfortheSequencestep,selectRunprecedingstepsbeforefollowingstepsandplaceacheckmarkintheAllowhardwarereusecheckbox.
4. AddanotherAcquireSignalssteptotheProjectView.5. ConfigurethesecondAcquireSignalssteptoacquireasignal
fromthesamehardwaredeviceasthefirstAcquireSignalsstep.6. ClicktheRunbuttontoruntheproject.Foreachiterationofthe
project,LabVIEWSignalExpressrunsthefirstAcquireSignalssteponce,pausestheexecutionofthatstepandreconfiguresthehardwaredeviceforthesecondacquisition,runsthesecondAcquireSignalssteponce,thenpausestheexecutionofthatstep
DataLoggingYoucanlogtimewaveform,scalar,orBooleansignalsyoucreateoracquireinLabVIEWSignalExpress,andyoucanusestepstoanalyzeandprocessloggedsignals.Usedataloggingtosave,review,andanalyzemeasurementsyoutakeinLabVIEWSignalExpress.
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpressalsosupportslimitedloggingoffrequency-domainsignals.
LoggingaSignalIfaprojectincludesstepswithvalidoutputsignals,youcanbeginloggingimmediatelybyclickingtheRecordbuttonandselectingasignalfromtheLoggingSignalsSelectiondialogbox.LabVIEWSignalExpressrunstheprojectandlogsthesignalcontinuouslyuntilyouclicktheStopbutton,andthelogappearsintheLoggedDatawindowatthebottomoftheProjectView.LabVIEWSignalExpresslogssignalsinblocksthatareequivalenttotheblocksize,ornumberofsamples,oftheacquiredsignal.Youconfiguretheblocksizeofasignalinthestepyouusetocreateoracquirethesignal.Likeastepoutput,youcandragaloggedsignalfromtheLoggedDatawindowtotheDataViewtabtodisplaythedata.Youcanscrollthroughtheloggedsignalandviewanyalarmsoreventsassociatedwiththelog.YoualsocanswitchtothePlaybackworkareatoplaybackandanalyzeloggedsignals.
NoteYoumustbeintheMonitor/Recordworkareatologasignal.
LabVIEWSignalExpresssavesloggeddatainthe.tdmsfileformattothedirectoryyouspecifyontheLoggingpageoftheOptionsdialogbox.The.tdmsfileisabinaryfilethatcontainswaveformdataandstoreswaveformproperties.Youalsocanimportloggeddatafrom.tdmsfilesyoupreviouslycreatedwithLabVIEWSignalExpress.LoggingWhileRunningIfyouwanttologasignaleverytimeyourunaproject,youcanspecifythesignal(s)torecordinoneofthefollowingways:
IntheProjectView,right-clickastepoutputandselectEnableRecordingfromtheshortcutmenutoenabledataloggingfortheoutput.SelectView»RecordingOptionstodisplaytheRecordingOptionstabandselectasignalorsignalsontheSignalSelectionpage.
NoteTheRecordingOptionstabalsoincludespagesyoucanusetoconfigureadvancedloggingoptions,suchasstartandstopconditions,alarms,andevents.
Whenyouuseoneofthepreviousmethodstoselectasignalorsignals
torecord,theRecordWhileRunningbuttonappearsinthetoolbar.EnsurethattheRecordWhileRunningbuttonisenabled,andclicktheRunbuttontobeginloggingthesignalsyouselected.LoggingFrequency-DomainSignalsYoucanlogthelastknownvalueofafrequency-domainsignalandviewthelogontheDataViewtab.Thelastknownvalueofthesignalisthevalueofthesignalwhentheprojectstopsrunning.IntheProjectView,right-clickafrequency-domainoutputsignalandselectRecordlastvaluefromtheshortcutmenutologthelastknownvalueofthesignal.LabVIEWSignalExpresssaveslogsoffrequency-domainsignalsinthe.tdmsfileformattothedefaultlocationyouspecifyontheLoggingpageoftheOptionsdialogbox.
NoteBecauseLabVIEWSignalExpressrecordsafrequency-domainsignalasasinglevalue,youcannotplaybackalogofafrequency-domainsignal.
ManagingMultipleDataLogsWhenyourecordmultiplelogs,themostrecentlogbecomestheactivelog.Ifyouareviewingthesignal(s)youareloggingontheDataViewtab,thedisplayupdatestodisplaythenewactivelog.ThenameoftheactivelogalsoappearsinboldintheLoggedDatawindow.IfyouareinthePlaybackworkarea,anystepsthatareusingtheloggedsignalasaninputupdatetousethenewactivelogastheinput.Youcanchangetheactivelogatanytimebyright-clickingthenameofalogintheLoggedDatawindowandselectingMakeActiveLogfromtheshortcutmenu.
LoggingaSignalCompletethefollowingstepstocreatealogofaspecifiedsignal.
1. PlacetheCreateAnalogSignalstepintheProjectView.2. IntheSignaltypepull-downmenu,selectNoiseSignal.3. IftheRecordingOptionstabisnotvisible,select
View»RecordingOptionstodisplaythetabandthedataloggingconfigurationoptions.
4. SelecttheSignalSelectionoptionintheCategorylisttodisplaytheSignalselectionpage.TheSignalselectionpagedisplaysthesignalsthatareavailabletolog.PlaceacheckmarkinthecheckboxnexttothewhiteGaussiannoisesignal.
Whenyouselecttorecordthesignal,theRecordbuttononthetoolbarchangestotheRecordWhileRunningbutton.WhentheRecordWhileRunningbuttonispressed,youcanpresstheRunbuttontologtheselectedsignal.
5. SelecttheLogSummaryoptionintheCategorylisttodisplaytheLogSummarypage.SpecifythenameofthelogintheLogtitletextboxandprovideadescriptionofthelogintheLogdescriptiontextbox.
6. ClicktheRunbuttononthetoolbartobeginloggingthesignal.NoteChangingtheconfigurationofaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectduringadataloggingoperationstopsthecurrentdataloggingoperation.
7. Whenyouarereadytostoploggingthesignal,clicktheStopbuttononthetoolbar.
NoteYoualsocanconfigureloggingtostartandstopaccordingtouser-definedconditions.UsetheStartConditionspagetoconfigureloggingstartconditionsandtheStopConditionspagetoconfigureloggingstopconditions.
TheloggedsignalappearsintheLoggedDatawindow.Toviewaloggedsignal,dragtheloggedsignaltotheDataView.YoualsocananalyzetheloggedsignalusinganalysisstepsbyswitchingtothePlaybackworkareatoprocessaspecificlog.
AlarmsandEventsYoucanusetheAlarmsandEventspagesoftheRecordingOptionstabtospecifyconditionsunderwhichLabVIEWSignalExpressrecordsanalarmoraneventinaloggedsignal.
AlarmsAnalarmisanotificationofasignalstate.Youcanconfigurealarmstoactivatewhenasignalisgreaterthanaspecifiedvalue,lessthanaspecifiedvalue,orwithinoroutsideofaspecifiedrangeofvalues.ForBooleansignals,youcanconfigureanalarmtoactivatewhenthesignalbecomesTRUEorFALSE.LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyrecordschangesinthealarmstate,orwhenanalarmactivatesordeactivates,inthelogfile.WhenyoudragaloggedsignaltotheDataViewtab,thegraphdisplaysmarkersatthelocationswherethealarmstatechangesduringtheloggingoperation.YoualsocanconfigureactionsforLabVIEWSignalExpresstotakewhenanalarmstatechanges.Forexample,youcangenerateasound,displayamessagetotheuser,generateasoftwaretrigger,createasnapshot,orexecuteacommandtorunaprogram.
EventsAneventisanoccurrenceataspecificpointintime.YoucanconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstoacknowledgekeystrokeorsignal-basedevents.Forkeystrokeevents,LabVIEWSignalExpressrecordsaneventinthelogwhenauserpressesthekeyorcombinationofkeysyouspecify.Forsignal-basedevents,LabVIEWSignalExpressrecordsaneventinthelogwhenasourcesignalshowsarisingslope,afallingslope,orwhenthesignalentersorleavesawindowofvaluesyouspecify.Useeventswhenyouwanttonoteanoccurrenceduringlogging.Forexample,ifyouareloggingsoundpressureinanareawithoutsidenoise,youcanconfigureakeystrokeeventsothatausercanpressthekeyeachtimeanoiseoccursthatisnotrelevanttothesignalyouarerecording.LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyrecordseventsinthelogfile,andyoucanspecifyanannotationtodisplayonthegraphontheDataViewtabwhentheeventoccurs.Youalsocanprompttheusertoenteranannotationatthetimeakeystrokeeventoccurs.
ViewingAlarmsandEventsLabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysalarmstatechangesandeventsonthegraphofaloggedsignal,butalarmstatechangesandeventsmightbedifficulttolocateinlonglogs.YoucanusetheEventViewertonavigatetoandzoominonalarmstatechangesandevents.Right-clickagraphontheDataViewtabandselectVisibleItems»EventViewerfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheEventViewer.TheEventViewerdisplayssimilarinformationtotheEventLogtab,andlistseachalarmstatechangeandeventthatoccurred,aswellaserrors,warning,datalossnotifications,andinformationalmessages.Double-clickanalarmstatechangeoreventintheEventViewertozoominontheportionofthegraphwherethealarmstatechangeoreventoccurred.YoualsocanusethePreviewgraphtozoominonaportionofaloggedsignalandviewaspecificalarmstatechangeorevent.Ifyouwanttoseealistofalarmstatechangesandeventsthatyoucanexporttoatextfile,right-clickaloggedsignalintheLoggedDatawindowandselectShowAlarmsandEventsfromtheshortcutmenu.ClicktheExportbuttoninthewindowthatappearstosavethelistasatextfile.
ImportingLoggedDataYoucanimportloggedsignalsintoaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectfromanotherLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectorfroma.tdmsfileyoupreviouslycreatedinLabVIEWSignalExpress.SelectFile»Import»LoggedSignalsFromAnotherProjecttoselectaprojectfilefromwhichtoimportloggeddata.LabVIEWSignalExpressaddsalltheloggedsignalsfromtheprojectyouselecttotheLoggedDatawindowofthecurrentproject.SelectFile»Import»LoggedSignalsfromSignalExpressTDMSFilestoselecta.tdmsfilefromwhichtoimportloggeddata.LabVIEWSignalExpressaddsthelogassociatedwiththe.tdmsfiletotheLoggedDatawindowofthecurrentproject.
NoteYoucanselectanindividual.tdmsfileorafolderthatcontainsthe.tdmsfiletoimporttheloggeddata.LabVIEWSignalExpressimportsalltheinformationassociatedwiththeloggeddataregardlessofwhetheryouselectthefileorafolderthatcontainsthefile.
ConvertingLogstoASCIIFilesYoucanconvertloggedsignalsinLabVIEWSignalExpresstoanASCIIformattextfile.TheASCIIfileincludesthedate,starttime,andnameofthelogandliststhevaluesofeverydatapointloggedforeverysignalinthelog.ToconvertalogtoanASCIIfile,right-clickasignalorgroupofsignalsintheLoggedDatawindowandselectConverttoASCIIfromtheshortcutmenu.LabVIEWSignalExpresspromptsyouforanameandlocationtousetosavethetextfile.
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpresssupportsimportingASCIIfilesaslivedataonly.YoucannotimportdatainanASCIIfilebackintoLabVIEWSignalExpressasalog.IfyouwanttoimportloggeddataintoLabVIEWSignalExpress,youmustimportthedatafromanotherLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectorfroma.tdmsfile.
ExportingLogstoMicrosoftExcelYoucanexportloggedsignalsfromLabVIEWSignalExpresstoMicrosoftExcel.LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthedate,starttime,andnameofthelog,andliststhevaluesofeverydatapointloggedforeverysignalinthelog.ToexportalogtoMicrosoftExcel,right-clickasignalorgroupofsignalsintheLoggedDatawindowandselectExporttoMicrosoftExcelfromtheshortcutmenu.
NoteWhenyouexportdatatoMicrosoftExcel,LabVIEWSignalExpresscopiesdatasamplestoaclipboardforexport.UsetheMaximumClipboardDataExportSizeoptionontheDatapageoftheOptionsdialogboxtoincreasethenumberofdatasamplestheclipboardcancontain.Dependingontheamountofmemoryonamachine,largelogfilesmightnotexportsuccessfully.
IfMicrosoftExcelisnotrunningwhenyouexportalogfile,LabVIEWSignalExpressopensMicrosoftExcelanddisplaystheexporteddatainanewbookfile.IfMicrosoftExcelisrunningwhenyouexportalogfile,LabVIEWSignalExpressaddsworksheetscontainingtheexporteddatatotheactivebookfile.Ifalogcontainsmultiplesignals,eachsignalappearsonaseparateworksheet.
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpresssupportsimportingloggeddatafrom.tdmsfilesorotherLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectsonly.YoucannotimportloggeddatafromMicrosoftExcel.
LabVIEWSignalExpressdoesnotsavetheMicrosoftExcelfile.YoumustsavetheexportedfilemanuallyinMicrosoftExcel.
RunningProjectsinOperatorModeOperatormodeprovidesawaytodisableeditingcapabilitiesforLabVIEWSignalExpressprojects.Disablingeditingcapabilitiescanbeusefulifyouwanttodistributeaprojecttootherusers.Forexample,ifyoucreateaprojectthatgeneratesasignal,youcanconfiguretheprojectsothatinoperatormodeauseronlycanadjustthefrequencyofthesignal.Youalsocanuseoperatormodetocreateaninterfacewithalimitedsetofcontrolsthatiseasytouseandlearn.Youcansetapasswordonaprojectsothatausermustenterthepasswordtodisableoperatormode.Ifyousaveaprojectinoperatormode,theprojectalwaysopensinoperatormodeunlessyousavetheprojectagainwithoperatormodedisabled.Ifyouwanttoallowausertochangesignalvaluesonaprojectinoperatormode,youmustcreateanoperatorinterface.Anoperatorinterfacecontainscontrolsthatyoubindtospecificstepparameterssothatinoperatormode,changingthevalueofthecontrolchangesthevalueofthestepparameter.UsetheOperatorInterfaceviewandtheToolboxandPropertieswindowstocreateanoperatorinterface.
NoteIfyousaveaprojectinoperatormode,LabVIEWSignalExpresssavestheprojectwithitsinitialsignalvalues,regardlessofwhetheryouchangethevaluewithacontrol.
Afteryouconfigureaprojectwithanoperatorinterface,selectOperate»OperatorMode»OperatorModeEnabledorclicktheOperatorModeEnabledbuttonontheOperatorInterfaceviewtoenableoperatormode.Whenaprojectisinoperatormode,onlytheRunandRecordbuttonsappearinthetoolbar,andalimitedsetofmenusandmenuoptionsareavailable.Youcannotdisplayanyadditionaltabsorviewswhenaprojectisinoperatormode,andyoucannotadd,delete,orconfiguresteps.ConfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstodisplayallthetabs,views,andstepsyouneedbeforeyouenableoperatormode.Ifaprojectisinoperatormode,selectingOperate»OperatorMode»OperatorModeEnabledorclickingtheOperatorModeEnabledbuttonontheOperatorInterfaceviewdisablesoperatormode.
SettinganOperatorModePasswordBeforeyouenableoperatormode,youcanspecifyapasswordthatausermustentertodisableoperatormode.SelectOperate»OperatorMode»SetOperatorModePasswordorclicktheSetOperatorModePasswordbuttonontheOperatorInterfaceviewtosetanoperatormodepassword.Whenyousavetheproject,LabVIEWSignalExpresssavesthepasswordwiththeproject.
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpressdoesnotencryptoperatormodepasswords.Useoperatormodepasswordsforsimpleaccesscontrol.
CreatinganOperatorInterfaceWhenaprojectisinoperatormode,LabVIEWSignalExpressallowslimitedinteractionwiththeproject.Forexample,youcannotchangeconfigurationoptionsontheStepSetuptabwhenaprojectisinoperatormode.However,ifyoudistributeaprojectsavedinoperatormodetootherusers,youmightwanttoallowtheuserstomodifycertainstepconfigurationsettings.Youcanallowlimitededitingbyconfiguringanoperatorinterfacewithcontrolsboundtovariousstepparametersbeforeyouenableoperatormode.
NoteYoucannotconfigureanoperatorinterfacewhenaprojectisinoperatormode.
Completethefollowingstepstoconfigureanoperatorinterface.1. IftheOperatorInterfaceviewisnotvisible,select
View»OperatorInterfacetodisplaytheOperatorInterfaceview.2. IftheToolboxwindowisnotvisible,selectView»Toolboxor
right-clickintheOperatorInterfaceviewandselectToolboxfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheToolboxwindow.TheToolboxwindowdisplaysalistofcontrolsyoucanaddtotheOperatorInterfaceview.
3. SelectacontrolintheToolboxwindowanddragthecontroltotheOperatorInterfaceview.Thecontrolappearswithresizinghandlesandasmallarrowicon( ).
4. ClickthesmallarrowicontodisplayaTaskswindowyoucanusetoconfigurebasicpropertiesofthecontrol,suchasacaption,initialvalue,andrangeofselectablevalues.
5. IntheTaskswindow,clicktheEditBoundParameterslinktobindthecontroltoparametersofstepsintheproject.
6. (Optional)SelectView»Propertiesorright-clickacontrolandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaythePropertieswindow.UsethePropertieswindowandconfigureadditionalpropertiesofacontrol.Forexample,thePropertieswindowdisplaysadditionalappearanceandbehaviorconfigurationproperties.
7. ClicktheOperatorModeEnabledbuttonontheOperatorInterfacevieworselectOperate»OperatorMode»Operator
ModeEnabledtoenableoperatormode.Noticethatalimitedsetoftoolbarbuttonsandmenuitemsappearinoperatormode.
8. IntheProjectView,findastepthatcontainsaboundparameter,dragtheoutputofthesteptotheDataViewtab,andruntheproject.
9. Whiletheprojectisrunning,usethecontroltoseehowchangingthevalueoftheboundparameterchangesthevalueofthesignal.
10. Savetheproject.
BindingOperatorInterfaceControlstoStepParametersWhenyouenableoperatormode,LabVIEWSignalExpresslimitstheamountofinteractionuserscanhavewithaproject.However,youcancreateanoperatorinterfacethatallowsausertoadjustthevaluesofcertainstepparameterswhenoperatormodeisenabled.YoucreateanoperatorinterfacebyaddingcontrolstotheOperatorInterfaceview,andyouenablethosecontrolstoadjuststepparametervaluesbybindingthecontrolstoaspecificparameterorsetofparameters.
NoteYoucannotbindtextorlabelcontrolstostepparameters.Youcanbindasingleringcontroltooneparameteronly.
Completethefollowingstepstobindanoperatorinterfacecontroltoastepparameter.
1. Selectacontrolontheoperatorinterface.Resizinghandlesandasmallarrowicon( )appear.
2. ClickthesmallarrowicontodisplaytheTaskswindow.3. IntheTaskswindow,clicktheEditBoundParameterslinkto
displaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.Thisdialogboxbindsthecontroltoparametersofstepsintheproject.
NoteYoualsocandisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogboxfromthePropertieswindow.DisplaythePropertieswindow,selectacontrolontheoperatorinterface,andselecttheBoundParameterspropertythatappearsunderParameterBindinginthePropertieswindow.ClickthebuttonthatappearsnexttothevalueofBoundParameterstodisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.
4. IntheBoundParametersListdialogbox,clicktheAddbuttonundertheMemberslisttodisplaytheBoundParameterEditorwindow,whichdisplaysalistofallthestepsintheproject.
5. IntheBoundParameterEditorwindow,clicktheexpandiconnexttoasteptodisplaytheparametersofthesteptowhichyoucanbindthecontrol.
6. SelectaparameterandclicktheOKbutton.TheparameterappearsintheMemberslistoftheBoundParametersList
dialogbox.ThePropertieslistalsoupdatestodisplaypropertiesoftheparameteryouselect.ExpandapropertyinthePropertieslisttoedittheproperty.YoualsocanusetheScaleoptiontospecifyhowchangingthevalueofthecontrolchangesthevalueoftheproperty.Forexample,ifyouspecifyaMultiplierof2,incrementingthecontrolvalueby1actuallyincrementsthepropertyvalueby2.
7. (Optional)Repeatsteps4through6tobindthecontroltoadditionalparameters.
8. ClicktheOKbuttontoclosetheBoundParametersListdialogboxandbindthecontroltotheparameter(s).
KnobPropertiesYoucanusethefollowingpropertiestoconfigureKnobcontrolsonanoperatorinterface.
Property DescriptionBackgroundColor
Specifiesthecolortouseforthebackgroundofthecontrol.Details
Border Specifiesthetypeofbordertouseforthecontrol.DetailsBoundParameters
Specifiesthestepparametersthatareboundtothecontrol.ClickthebuttonthatappearswhenyouselectthevalueofthispropertytodisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.Details
CoercionInterval
Specifiestheintervaltousetocoercethevalueofthecontrol.Details
CoercionMode
Specifiesthemodetousetocoercethevalueofthecontrol.Details
DialColor Specifiesthecolortouseforthedialofaknobcontrol.Details
ForegroundColor
Specifiesthecolortousefortheforegroundofthecontrol.Details
InitialValue Specifiestheinitialvalueofthecontrol.DetailsInteractionMode
Specifiesthetypesofinteractionstheusercanhavewiththecontrolwhenyouruntheprojectinoperatormode.Details
KnobStyle Specifiesthestyleoftheknobcontrol.DetailsPointerColor
Specifiesthecolortouseforthepointerofthecontrol.Details
Range Specifiestheminimumandmaximumvaluesofthecontrol.Details
Range:Maximum
Specifiesthemaximumvalueofthecontrol.Details
Range:Minimum
Specifiestheminimumvalueofthecontrol.Details
ScaleArc Specifiesthearconwhichthescaleisdrawn.Details
ScaleBaseLineColor
Specifiesthecolorofthelinethatconnectsthetickmarksonthescale.YoumustsettheScaleBaseLineVisiblepropertytoTrueforthebaselinetoappear.Details
ScaleBaseLineVisible
Specifieswhetherthelinethatconnectsthetickmarksonthescaleisvisible.Details
ScaleType Specifiesthetypeofthescale.DetailsScaleVisible
Specifieswhetherthescaleofthecontrolisvisible.Details
BackgroundColor[Controltypes:Knob,Numeric,Slide,Switch,Ring,Text,Label]Specifiesthecolortouseforthebackgroundofthecontrol.
BoundParameters[Controltypes:Knob,Numeric,Slide,Switch]Specifiesthestepparametersthatareboundtothecontrol.ClickthebuttonthatappearswhenyouselectthevalueofthispropertytodisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.
CoercionInterval[Controltypes:Knob,Numeric,Slide]Specifiestheintervaltousetocoercethevalueofthecontrol.
ForegroundColor[Controltypes:Knob,Numeric,Slide,Switch,Ring,Text,Label]Specifiesthecolortousefortheforegroundofthecontrol.
InteractionMode[Controltypes:Knob,Numeric,Slide,Switch]Specifiesthetypesofinteractionstheusercanhavewiththecontrolwhenyouruntheprojectinoperatormode.
ScaleBaseLineColor[Controltypes:Knob,Slide]Specifiesthecolorofthelinethatconnectsthetickmarksonthescale.YoumustsettheScaleBaseLineVisiblepropertytoTrueforthebaselinetoappear.
ScaleBaseLineVisible[Controltypes:Knob,Slide]Specifieswhetherthelinethatconnectsthetickmarksonthescaleisvisible.
LabelPropertiesYoucanusethefollowingpropertiestoconfigureLabelcontrolsonanoperatorinterface.
Property DescriptionBackgroundColor
Specifiesthecolortouseforthebackgroundofthecontrol.Details
BorderStyle Specifiesthestyleoftheborderofthecontrol.DetailsFont Specifiesthefonttouseforthetextinthe
control.DetailsFont:Bold Specifieswhetherthetextinthecontrolappears
bolded.DetailsFont:GdiCharSet
SpecifiestheGDI(GraphicsDeviceInterface)charactersetthatthefontofthetextinthecontroluses.Details
Font:GdiVerticalFont
SpecifieswhetherthefontofthetextinthecontrolisderivedfromaGDI(GraphicsDeviceInterface)verticalfont.Details
Font:Italic Specifieswhetherthetextinthecontrolappearsitalicized.Details
Font:Name Specifiesthenameofthefonttouseforthetextinthecontrol.Details
Font:Size Specifiesthesizeofthefonttouseinthecontrol.Details
Font:Strikeout Specifieswhetherahorizontallineappearsthroughthetextinthecontrol.Details
Font:Underline Specifieswhetherthetextinthecontrolappearsunderlined.Details
Font:Unit Specifiestheunitofmeasureforthesizeofthefontyouuseinthecontrol.Details
ForegroundColor
Specifiesthecolortousefortheforegroundofthecontrol.Details
Text Specifiesthetextthatappearsinthecontrol.Details
Font:GdiCharSet[Controltypes:Text,Label]SpecifiestheGDI(GraphicsDeviceInterface)charactersetthatthefontofthetextinthecontroluses.
Font:GdiVerticalFont[Controltypes:Text,Label]SpecifieswhetherthefontofthetextinthecontrolisderivedfromaGDI(GraphicsDeviceInterface)verticalfont.
Font:Strikeout[Controltypes:Text,Label]Specifieswhetherahorizontallineappearsthroughthetextinthecontrol.
NumericPropertiesYoucanusethefollowingpropertiestoconfigureNumericcontrolsonanoperatorinterface.
Property DescriptionBackgroundColor
Specifiesthecolortouseforthebackgroundofthecontrol.Details
BorderStyle
Specifiesthestyleoftheborderofthecontrol.Details
BoundParameters
Specifiesthestepparametersthatareboundtothecontrol.ClickthebuttonthatappearswhenyouselectthevalueofthispropertytodisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.Details
CoercionInterval
Specifiestheintervaltousetocoercethevalueofthecontrol.Details
CoercionMode
Specifiesthemodetousetocoercethevalueofthecontrol.Details
ForegroundColor
Specifiesthecolortousefortheforegroundofthecontrol.Details
FormatMode
Specifiesthenumericformattouseforthevalueofthecontrol.Details
InitialValue Specifiestheinitialvalueofthecontrol.DetailsInteractionMode
Specifiesthetypesofinteractionstheusercanhavewiththecontrolwhenyouruntheprojectinoperatormode.Details
Range Specifiestheminimumandmaximumvaluesofthecontrol.Details
Range:Maximum
Specifiesthemaximumvalueofthecontrol.Details
Range:Minimum
Specifiestheminimumvalueofthecontrol.Details
TextAlignment
Specifiesthealignmentoftextwithinanumericcontrol.Details
Up/Down Specifiesthealignmentoftheupanddownarrowsinthe
Up/DownAlignment[Controltypes:Numeric]Specifiesthealignmentoftheupanddownarrowsinthecontrolrelativetothetextbox.
RingPropertiesYoucanusethefollowingpropertiestoconfigureRingcontrolsonanoperatorinterface.
Property DescriptionBackgroundColor
Specifiesthecolortouseforthebackgroundofthecontrol.Details
BoundParameter
Specifiesthestepparametersthatareboundtothecontrol.ClickthebuttonthatappearswhenyouselectthevalueofthispropertytodisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.Details
ForegroundColor
Specifiesthecolortousefortheforegroundofthecontrol.Details
BoundParameter[Controltypes:Ring]Specifiesthestepparameterthatisboundtothecontrol.ClickthebuttonthatappearswhenyouselectthevalueofthispropertytodisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.
SlidePropertiesYoucanusethefollowingpropertiestoconfigureSlidecontrolsonanoperatorinterface.
Property DescriptionBackgroundColor
Specifiesthecolortouseforthebackgroundofthecontrol.Details
Border Specifiesthetypeofbordertouseforthecontrol.DetailsBoundParameters
Specifiesthestepparametersthatareboundtothecontrol.ClickthebuttonthatappearswhenyouselectthevalueofthispropertytodisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.Details
CoercionInterval
Specifiestheintervaltousetocoercethevalueofthecontrol.Details
CoercionMode
Specifiesthemodetousetocoercethevalueofthecontrol.Details
FillBackgroundColor
Specifiesthecoloroftheunfilledportionofthefillareaofaslidecontrol.Details
FillBaseValue
Specifiesthevalueatwhichthefillbegins.YoumustspecifyabasevalueifyousettheFillModepropertytoToBaseValue.Details
FillColor Specifiesthecolorofthefilledportionofthefillareaofaslidecontrol.Details
ForegroundColor
Specifiesthecolortousefortheforegroundofthecontrol.Details
InitialValue Specifiestheinitialvalueofthecontrol.DetailsInteractionMode
Specifiesthetypesofinteractionstheusercanhavewiththecontrolwhenyouruntheprojectinoperatormode.Details
InvertedScale
Specifieswhethertoinvertthescaleofthecontrol.Details
Range Specifiestheminimumandmaximumvaluesofthecontrol.Details
Range:Maximum
Specifiesthemaximumvalueofthecontrol.Details
Range:Minimum
Specifiestheminimumvalueofthecontrol.Details
ScaleBaseLineColor
Specifiesthecolorofthelinethatconnectsthetickmarksonthescale.YoumustsettheScaleBaseLineVisiblepropertytoTrueforthebaselinetoappear.Details
ScaleBaseLineVisible
Specifieswhetherthelinethatconnectsthetickmarksonthescaleisvisible.Details
ScaleType Specifiesthetypeofthescale.DetailsScaleVisible
Specifieswhetherthescaleofthecontrolisvisible.Details
SlideStyle Specifiesthestyleoftheslidecontrol.Details
FillBackgroundColor[Controltypes:Slide]Specifiesthecoloroftheunfilledportionofthefillareaofaslidecontrol.
FillBaseValue[Controltypes:Slide]Specifiesthevalueatwhichthefillbegins.YoumustspecifyabasevalueifyousettheFillModepropertytoToBaseValue.
FillMode[Controltypes:Slide]Specifiesthedirectioninwhichthecontrolfills.Controlsfillfromtheminimumvaluetotheslidervaluebydefault.
SwitchPropertiesYoucanusethefollowingpropertiestoconfigureSwitchcontrolsonanoperatorinterface.
Property DescriptionBackgroundColor
Specifiesthecolortouseforthebackgroundofthecontrol.Details
BoundParameters
Specifiesthestepparametersthatareboundtothecontrol.ClickthebuttonthatappearswhenyouselectthevalueofthispropertytodisplaytheBoundParametersListdialogbox.Details
ForegroundColor
Specifiesthecolortousefortheforegroundofthecontrol.Details
InitialValue Specifiestheinitialvalueofthecontrol.DetailsInteractionMode
Specifiesthetypesofinteractionstheusercanhavewiththecontrolwhenyouruntheprojectinoperatormode.Details
OffColor SpecifiesthecolorofaswitchcontrolwhentheswitchisintheofforFALSEposition.Details
OnColor SpecifiesthecolorofaswitchcontrolwhentheswitchisintheonorTRUEposition.Details
SwitchStyle
Specifiesthestyleofaswitchcontrol.Details
OffColor[Controltypes:Switch]SpecifiesthecolorofaswitchcontrolwhentheswitchisintheofforFALSEposition.
TextPropertiesYoucanusethefollowingpropertiestoconfigureTextcontrolsonanoperatorinterface.
Property DescriptionBackgroundColor
Specifiesthecolortouseforthebackgroundofthecontrol.Details
BorderStyle Specifiesthestyleoftheborderofthecontrol.DetailsFont Specifiesthefonttouseforthetextinthe
control.DetailsFont:Bold Specifieswhetherthetextinthecontrolappears
bolded.DetailsFont:GdiCharSet
SpecifiestheGDI(GraphicsDeviceInterface)charactersetthatthefontofthetextinthecontroluses.Details
Font:GdiVerticalFont
SpecifieswhetherthefontofthetextinthecontrolisderivedfromaGDI(GraphicsDeviceInterface)verticalfont.Details
Font:Italic Specifieswhetherthetextinthecontrolappearsitalicized.Details
Font:Name Specifiesthenameofthefonttouseforthetextinthecontrol.Details
Font:Size Specifiesthesizeofthefonttouseinthecontrol.Details
Font:Strikeout Specifieswhetherahorizontallineappearsthroughthetextinthecontrol.Details
Font:Underline Specifieswhetherthetextinthecontrolappearsunderlined.Details
Font:Unit Specifiestheunitofmeasureforthesizeofthefontyouuseinthecontrol.Details
ForegroundColor
Specifiesthecolortousefortheforegroundofthecontrol.Details
ReadOnly Specifieswhetheryoucaneditthetextthatappearsinthecontrol.Details
Text Specifiesthetextthatappearsinthecontrol.Details
PerformingCommonTasksinLabVIEWSignalExpressThisbookcontainsexampleproceduresthatguideyouthroughsomecommontasksinLabVIEWSignalExpress.TheexamplesinthisbookassumeyouhaveNI-DAQmxinstalled,andthatyouhaveconfiguredaninstalledorsimulatedNI-DAQmxdevice.
NoteYoucaninstallNI-DAQmxsoftwarefromtheNationalInstrumentsDeviceDriverDVD,oryoucandownloadthelatestversionofNI-DAQmxsoftwarefromni.com/downloads.
Thisbookincludesthefollowingexamples:Acquiring,Logging,andAnalyzingaTemperatureSignal
Acquiring,Logging,andAnalyzingaTemperatureSignalTheexamplesinthisbookdescribehowtoacquire,log,andanalyzeatemperaturesignalfromanNI-DAQmxdevice.Theexamplesbuildoneachother,soyoumuststartwiththefirstexampleinordertobuildtheprojectcorrectly.TheexamplesinthisbookassumeyouhaveNI-DAQmxinstalled,andthatyouhaveconfiguredaninstalledorsimulatedNI-DAQmxdevice.
NoteYoucaninstallNI-DAQmxsoftwarefromtheNationalInstrumentsDeviceDriverDVD,oryoucandownloadthelatestversionofNI-DAQmxsoftwarefromni.com/downloads.
Whiletheexamplesinthisbookarespecifictoacquiringatemperaturesignal,youcanapplytheconceptsfromtheseprocedurestoanysignalyouacquire,log,and/oranalyzeinLabVIEWSignalExpress.Thisbookcontainsthefollowingexampleprocedures:
Example1:LoggingaTemperatureSignalExample2:LoggingaTemperatureSignalwithStartandStopConditionsExample3:DisplayingAlarmswhenaTemperatureSignalMeetsaSpecifiedValueExample4:AnalyzingaLoggedTemperatureSignal
Example1:LoggingaTemperatureSignalYoucanuseLabVIEWSignalExpresstologsignalsyouacquirefromvariousdevicesandinstruments.ThefollowingproceduredescribeshowtologatemperaturesignalfromanNI-DAQmxdevice.Thisexampleassumesyouhaveathermocoupletemperaturesensorconnectedtophysicalchannelai0ofanNI-DAQmxdevice.
NoteYoucaninstallNI-DAQmxsoftwarefromtheNationalInstrumentsDeviceDriverDVD,oryoucandownloadthelatestversionofNI-DAQmxsoftwarefromni.com/downloads.
CompletethefollowingstepstouseLabVIEWSignalExpresstoacquireatemperaturesignalfromthedevice:
1. LaunchLabVIEWSignalExpressandselectFile»NewProjecttoopenanewLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.
2. SelectAddStep»AcquireSignals»DAQmxAcquire»AnalogInput»Temperature»ThermocoupletoaddtheDAQmxAcquiresteptotheProjectView.TheAddChannelsToTaskdialogboxappears.
3. IntheAddChannelsToTaskdialogbox,selectai0underDev1(DeviceName)andclicktheOKbutton.TheStepSetuptabupdatestodisplayDev1_ai0inthelistofchannels,andThermocoupleSetupconfigurationoptionsappeartotherightofthelistofchannels.
4. UsetheThermocoupleSetupoptionstoconfigurethestep.SelecttheThermocoupleTypeyouareusing,andselectdegFfromtheScaledUnitspull-downmenutospecifytomeasurethetemperatureindegreesFahrenheit.
5. Afteryouconfigurethestep,clicktheRecordtoolbarbutton.TheLoggingSignalsSelectiondialogboxappears.
6. IntheLoggingSignalsSelectiondialogbox,expandThermocoupleintheSignalstoincludetreeandplaceacheckmarkintheDev1_ai0checkbox.
7. ClicktheOKbuttontoclosethedialogboxandbeginrecordingthesignal.AnewlogappearsintheLoggedDatawindow.
8. SwitchtotheDataViewtabanddragthelogfromtheLoggedDatawindowtotheDataViewtabtoviewtheprogressofthe
log.NoteYoualsocandragtheThermocoupleoutputoftheDAQmxAcquiresteptotheDataViewtabtodisplaythecurrentvalueofthesignal.
9. ClicktheRecordortheStopbuttontostoploggingthesignal.10. SelectFile»SaveProjecttosavetheproject.NoteWhenyousaveaprojectthatcontainslogs,LabVIEWSignalExpresssavesthelogswiththeproject.LabVIEWSignalExpressalsosaveslogfilesinthe.tdmsfileformattoalocationyouspecifyontheLoggingpageoftheOptionsdialogbox.
Thisexampledescribeshowtostartandstoploggingbyclickingabutton.However,youmightwanttostartandstoploggingbasedonwhenasignalmeetscertainconditions.Example2:LoggingaTemperatureSignalwithStartandStopConditionsdescribeshowtoconfigureloggingwithstartandstopconditionsinLabVIEWSignalExpress.
Example2:LoggingaTemperatureSignalwithStartandStopConditionsThefollowingproceduredescribeshowtologatemperaturesignalfromanNI-DAQmxdevice.ThisexampleusestheprojectyoucreatedinExample1:LoggingaTemperatureSignal.CompletethefollowingstepstoconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstobeginloggingthetemperaturesignalwhenthesignalrisesabove75degreesFahrenheitandtostoploggingthesignalwhenthesignalfallsbackbelow75degreesFahrenheit.
1. OpentheprojectyousavedinExample1:LoggingaTemperatureSignal.
2. SelectView»RecordingOptionstodisplaytheRecordingOptionstab.TheCategorylistdisplaysthepagesofthetabyoucanusetoconfigureloggingoperations.TheSignalSelectionpageisselectedbydefaultbecauseyoumustselectasignaltologbeforeyoucanconfigurelogging.
3. TheSignalselectionlistontheSignalSelectionpagedisplaysthesignalsintheprojectthatyoucanlog.IntheChannelNamecolumn,expandThermocoupleandplaceacheckmarkintheRecordcheckboxforchannelDev1/ai0.TheRecordWhileRunningbuttonreplacestheRecordbuttoninthetoolbar.
4. IntheCategorylist,selectStartConditionstodisplaytheStartConditionspage.
5. ClicktheAddbuttontoaddanewstartconditiontotheStartconditionlistanddisplayadditionalconfigurationoptions.
6. VerifythatSignaltriggerappearsintheConditiontypepull-downmenu,Thermocouple-Dev1_ai0appearsintheSignalpull-downmenu,andRisingslopeappearsintheTriggertypepull-downmenu.
7. Enter75intheTriggervaluefieldtospecifyforloggingtostartwhenthesignalfromthethermocouplecrosses75witharisingslope,orexceeds75degreesFahrenheit.
8. IntheCategorylist,selectStopConditionstodisplaytheStopConditionspage.
9. ClicktheAddbuttontoaddanewstopconditiontotheStop
conditionlistanddisplayadditionalconfigurationoptions.10. SelectSignaltriggerfromtheConditiontypepull-downmenu.11. VerifythatThermocouple-Dev1_ai0appearsintheSignalpull-
downmenuandselectFallingslopefromtheTriggertypepull-downmenu.
12. Enter75intheTriggervaluefieldtospecifyforloggingtostopwhenthesignalfromthethermocouplecrosses75withafallingslope,orfallsbelow75degreesFahrenheit.
13. SwitchtotheDataViewtabandclicktheRunbuttontoruntheprojectcontinuously.ThestatusindicatorbelowtheProjectViewdisplaysWaitingforstartconditionsuntilLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectsthatthetemperaturesignalisabove75degreesFahrenheit.
14. Afterthestartconditionismet,thestatusindicatorupdatestodisplayRecording.IftheloggedsignaldoesnotappearontheDataViewtab,dragthesignalfromtheLoggedDatawindowtotheDataViewtabtoviewtheprogressofthelog.
15. TheprojectrunsandLabVIEWSignalExpresslogsthesignaluntilthetemperaturefallsbelow75degreesFahrenheitandthestopconditionismet.Afterthestopconditionismet,LabVIEWSignalExpressstopsrecordingthesignalandstopsrunningtheproject.SelectFile»SaveProjecttosavetheproject.
Inadditiontostartandstopconditions,youcanusetheRecordingOptionstabtoconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstorecordalarmsandeventsthatoccurduringlogging.Example3:DisplayingAlarmswhenaTemperatureSignalMeetsaSpecifiedValuedescribeshowtoconfigurealarmsinLabVIEWSignalExpress.
Example3:DisplayingAlarmswhenaTemperatureSignalMeetsaSpecifiedValueThefollowingproceduredescribeshowtodisplayanalarmwhenatemperaturesignalyouareloggingexceedsatemperatureyouspecify.ThisexampleusestheprojectyoucreatedinExample1:LoggingaTemperatureSignalandmodifiedinExample2:LoggingaTemperatureSignalwithStartandStopConditions.CompletethefollowingstepstoconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstodisplayanalarmwhenthetemperaturesignalrisesabove85degreesFahrenheit.
1. OpentheprojectyousavedinExample2:LoggingaTemperatureSignalwithStartandStopConditions.
2. SelectView»RecordingOptionstodisplaytheRecordingOptionstab.
3. IntheCategorylist,selectAlarmstodisplaytheAlarmspage.4. ClicktheAddbuttontoaddanewalarmtotheAlarmlistand
displayadditionalconfigurationoptions.5. VerifythatThermocouple-Dev1_ai0appearsintheSignalpull-
downmenuandAboveappearsintheConditionpull-downmenu.
6. Enter85intheValuefieldtospecifythatLabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysanalarmwhenthesignalfromthethermocouplerisesabove85degreesFahrenheit.
7. SwitchtotheDataViewtabandclicktheRunbuttontoruntheprojectcontinuously.ThestatusindicatorbelowtheProjectViewdisplaysWaitingforstartconditionsuntilLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectsthestartconditionyouconfiguredinExample2:LoggingaTemperatureSignalwithStartandStopConditions.
8. Afterthestartconditionismet,thestatusindicatorupdatestodisplayRecording.IftheloggedsignaldoesnotappearontheDataViewtab,dragthesignalfromtheLoggedDatawindowtotheDataViewtabtoviewtheprogressofthelog.
9. Whenthetemperaturesignalexceeds85degreesFahrenheit,aredalarmindicatorappearsonthegraphofthelog.Thealarm
remainsactiveuntilthetemperaturefallsbelow85degrees.10. TheprojectrunsandLabVIEWSignalExpresslogsthesignal
untilthestopconditionismet.Afterthestopconditionismet,expandthelogintheLoggedDatawindow,right-clickThermocouple,andselectShowAlarmsandEventsfromtheshortcutmenutodisplayadialogboxthatlistthealarmsandeventsthatoccurredduringtheloggingoperation.YoucanclicktheExportbuttononthisdialogboxtosavethelisttoatextfile.
11. ClicktheOKbuttontoclosethedialogboxandselectFile»SaveProjecttosavetheproject.
Thisexampleandthetwothatprecedeitdescribedifferentwaystoconfigureloggingoperations.Afteraloggingoperationiscomplete,youcanuseLabVIEWSignalExpresstoviewandanalyzetheloggedsignal.Example4:AnalyzingaLoggedTemperatureSignaldescribeshowtoanalyzetheloggedtemperaturesignalinLabVIEWSignalExpress.
Example4:AnalyzingaLoggedTemperatureSignalThefollowingproceduredescribeshowtoanalyzealoggedtemperaturesignaltodeterminethemaximum,minimum,andmeanvaluesofthesignal.ThisexampleusestheprojectyoucreatedinExample1:LoggingaTemperatureSignalandmodifiedinExample2:LoggingaTemperatureSignalwithStartandStopConditionsandExample3:DisplayingAlarmswhenaTemperatureSignalMeetsaSpecifiedValue.Completethefollowingstepstoanalyzetheloggedtemperaturesignalanddeterminethemaximum,minimum,andmeanvaluesofthesignal.
1. OpentheprojectyousavedinExample3:DisplayingAlarmswhenaTemperatureSignalMeetsaSpecifiedValue.
2. Intheworkareaspull-downmenuthatappearsabovetheProjectView,selectPlaybacktoswitchtoaPlaybackworkarea.ThePlaybackworkareaissimilartotheMonitor/RecordworkareainwhichyouloggedthesignalexceptthattheDataViewtabappearswithatimebarandvariousbuttonsyoucanusetonavigatealoggedsignal.YoualsocanuseloggedsignalsasstepinputsinaPlaybackworkarea.
3. IntheLoggedDatawindow,right-clickthelastlogyoucreatedandselectMakeActiveLogfromtheshortcutmenu.Thenameoftheactivelogappearsinbold.
4. DragthelogfromtheLoggedDatawindowtotheDataViewtab.5. ClicktheRunbuttontoplaybackthelog.Youalsocandragthe
sliderinthetimebartonavigatethelog,oryoucanusethebuttonsandthepull-downmenuonthetimebartoadjusthowLabVIEWSignalExpressplaysbacktheloggedsignal.Forexample,youcanadjusttheplaybackspeed.
6. SelectAddStep»Analysis»Time-DomainMeasurements»StatisticstoaddtheStatisticssteptotheProjectView.TheStepSetuptabfortheStatisticsstepappears,andLabVIEWSignalExpressselectstheloggedsignalasthestepinputsignalautomatically.
7. OntheConfigurationAndResultspageoftheStepSetuptab,placecheckmarksintheMax,Min,andMeancheckboxestospecifythatthestepreturnsthemaximum,minimum,andmean
valuesofthetemperaturesignalasoutputs.8. DragthenewstepoutputstotheDataViewtabandclickthe
Runbuttontoruntheprojectanddisplaythemaximum,minimum,andmeanvaluesofthetemperaturesignalontheDataViewtab.
9. SelectFile»SaveProjecttosavetheproject.
BuildingVIsforRunLabVIEWVIStepsYoucanbuildaRunLabVIEWVIstepfromanexistingVIoryoucanstartfromatemplate.
BuildingRunLabVIEWVIStepsfromExistingVIsYoucancallmostVIsfromLabVIEWSignalExpress.CompletethefollowingstepstobuildaVIyoucanuseinaRunLabVIEWVIstep.
NoteYoumustuseLabVIEW7.1orlatertocreateaVIyoucanrunfromtheRunLabVIEWVIstep.YoucannotrunaVIthatwassavedforapreviousversionofLabVIEWusingtheRunLabVIEWVIstep.YoumustsavetheVIintheactualversionofLabVIEWyouwanttorun.
1. OpenanexistingVItouseasaRunLabVIEWVIstep.YoualsocanuseatemplatetobuildaRunLabVIEWVIstep.
2. ConnectallinputsandoutputsnecessaryfortheoperationoftheVItotheconnectorpaneoftheVI.WhenyoucallaVIfromLabVIEWSignalExpress,itreadstheconnectorpaneoftheVItodeterminetheinputsandoutputs.Ifyoudonotwiretheinputsandoutputstotheconnectorpane,LabVIEWSignalExpresscannotpassdataintooroutoftheVI.ConnectingtheinputsandoutputstotheconnectorpanealsoenablesLabVIEWSignalExpresstoproperlyconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoaLabVIEWblockdiagram.MakesureLabVIEWSignalExpresssupportsthedatatypesofthecontrolsandindicators.
3. SelectFile»VIProperties,selectExecutionfromtheCategorypull-downmenu,andplaceacheckmarkintheReentrantexecutioncheckbox.ReentrantVIscreateauniquedataspaceforeachinstanceofaVIwhenitiscalled.BecauseyoucanuseasingleVImultipletimesinaLabVIEWSignalExpressproject,youmustsavetheVIasreentranttoavoiddataspaceclashing.
4. LabVIEW7.1:SavetheVIasanLLBwithallofitssubVIsincludedbyselectingFile»SavewithOptionsandclickingtheApplicationDistributionoptioninLabVIEW.WhenyoucombineallsubVIsintoanLLB,youensurethatallofthecomponentsnecessarytoexecutetheVIarepresentonthesystem.RefertotheLabVIEWHelpformoreinformationaboutcreatinglinked
librariesinLabVIEW.
LabVIEW8.0:SavetheVIasansourcedistributionwithallofitssubVIsincludedbycreatinganewprojectlibrarywhichincludestheVIs.Right-clicktheBuildSpecificationsoptionintheProjectExplorerwindowandselectNew»SourceDistribution.IntheSourceDistributionPropertiesdialogbox,removethecheckmarksfromtheExcludevi.lib,Excludeinstr.lib,andExcludeuser.liboptions.ClicktheBuildbuttontobuildthesourcedistribution.RefertotheLabVIEWHelpformoreinformationaboutcreatingprojectlibrariesandsourcedistributionsinLabVIEW.
LabVIEW8.2andlater:SavetheVIasansourcedistributionwithallofitssubVIsincludedbycreatinganewprojectlibrarywhichincludestheVIs.Right-clicktheBuildSpecificationsoptionintheProjectExplorerwindowandselectNew»SourceDistribution.OntheAdditionalExclusionspageoftheSourceDistributionPropertiesdialogbox,removethecheckmarksfromtheExcludefilesfromvi.lib,Excludefilesfrominstr.lib,andExcludefilesfromuser.liboptions.ClicktheBuildbuttontobuildthesourcedistribution.RefertotheLabVIEWHelpformoreinformationaboutcreatingprojectlibrariesandsourcedistributionsinLabVIEW.
5. Beforeyouusethenewlycreatedlinkedlibrary,closethelibraryandLabVIEWtoensuretheVIdoesnotremaininthesystemmemory.
NoteAnytimeaRunLabVIEWVIstepusesadynamiclinklibrary(DLL),youmustmaintainthepathtotheDLL.IfyoumovetheDLLorputthefilesonadifferentcomputer,youmustopentheRunLabVIEWVIstepinLabVIEWandrelinktheVItotheDLL.
BuildingRunLabVIEWVIStepsfromaTemplateNoteYoumustuseLabVIEW7.1orlatertocreateaVIyoucanrunfromtheRunLabVIEWVIstep.YoucannotrunaVIthatwassavedforapreviousversionofLabVIEWusingtheRunLabVIEWVIstep.YoumustsavetheVIintheactualversionofLabVIEWyouwanttorun.
TheLabVIEWSignalExpressstepshavefourexecutionstates.InLabVIEW,openUserDefinedStepTemplate.viintheSignalExpress\UserStepTemplatesdirectory.TheUserDefinedStepTemplateVIcontainsaCasestructurewithfourcases.Eachcaserepresentsoneofthefourexecutionstates.Thefollowinglistdescribeseachcase:
Configure—ExecutesonceasthefirstcaseeachtimeyouclicktheRunbuttoninLabVIEWSignalExpress.Reconfigure—ExecuteswhenyouchangeparametervaluesonaRunLabVIEWVIstepwhiletheprojectisrunning.Run—ExecutesrepeatedlyoronceaftertheConfigurecaseexecutes,dependingontherunmodeyouusetoruntheproject.Placeindicatorsfordatayouacquireinthiscase.Stop—ExecutesonceafteryouclicktheStopbuttonorselecttheAbortoptioninLabVIEWSignalExpress.
NoteThe_EventenumeratedtypecontrolonthefrontpanelofthetemplateVIisconnectedtotheconnectorpaneandwiredtotheselectorterminaloftheCasestructureontheblockdiagram.RemovingorrenamingthiscontrolbreaksthetemplateVI.
Ifyouneedtosharedatabetweenexecutioncases,useashiftregisterontheWhileLoopthatsurroundstheCasestructure.NoticethataBooleanconstantwiredtotheWhileLoopconditionnodeissettoTRUE.ThisforcescodeintheWhileLooptoexecuteonceeverytimeLabVIEWSignalExpresscallstheRunLabVIEWVIstep.YouonlyneedtouseaWhileLoopifyouuseshiftregisterstosharedatabetweenexecutioncases.
CallingLabVIEWVIsfromLabVIEWSignalExpressCompletethefollowingstepstouseaVIinLabVIEWSignalExpress.
1. ClicktheAddStepbuttonandselecttheRunLabVIEWVIstepfortheversionofLabVIEWinwhichyousavedyourVI.
2. ClickthebrowsebuttonnexttotheSelectVIfieldandnavigatetotheVIyouwanttouseintheLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.
3. ClicktheConnectInputbuttonandselectwhichinputontheVIyouwanttousetopassinasignalfromanotherstepintheproject.LabVIEWSignalExpressreadstheconnectorpaneoftheVItodeterminetheinputstolistintheConnectInputdialogbox.
4. IntheInputsignaldrop-downlist,selectasignalfromapreviousstepyouwanttopassintotheVI.Thisdrop-downlistdisplayssignalsforstepsthatexecutebeforetheRunLabVIEWVIstep.
5. TheRunLabVIEWVIstepreadstheconnectorpaneoftheVIandliststheoutputsintheOutputslist.Foreachoutputsignal,LabVIEWSignalExpressselectstheappropriatesignaltypesootherstepsintheprojectcanusethesignalscorrectly.
AfteryouspecifytheinputandoutputsignalsoftheRunLabVIEWVIstep,youcanrunthesteplikeanyotherstepwithinLabVIEWSignalExpressprojects.YoucanviewthefrontpaneloftheVIandchangetheparametersofthestepwhileitisrunning.
NoteVIsyouuseinyourRunLabVIEWVIstepmustbereentrantandmustbeinLLBsordevelopmentdistributions.
ConvertingaProjecttoaLabVIEWBlockDiagramYoucanuseLabVIEWSignalExpresstobuildautomatedmeasurementprojectsthatgeneratestimulusandacquireresponsesignals,analyzeanddisplaysignals,andsavethesignals.AfteryoucreateandsaveaprojectinLabVIEWSignalExpress,youcanconvertthatprojecttoaLabVIEWblockdiagram.ConvertingaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectintoaLabVIEWblockdiagramhasthefollowingbenefits:
LabVIEWcompilesandexecutesblockdiagramsfasterthanLabVIEWSignalExpressprojects.YoucanexecuteLabVIEWblockdiagramsusingTestStandaspartofanautomatedtestsequence.YoucantakeadvantageofLabVIEWtoextendyourprojectsinthefollowingways:
Creatingacustomuserinterfacewithbuttons,knobs,andmeterstocontroltheexecutionanddisplayofyourmeasurements.ControllingothermeasurementhardwarenotsupportedbyLabVIEWSignalExpress,suchasGPIBinstruments,distributedI/Odevices,suchasFieldPoint,machinevisionboards,andmotioncontrollers.PerformingmoreadvancedanalysisroutinesusingtheLabVIEWanalysislibrariesoradd-ontoolkits.DistributingyourprojecttorunorbecontrolledfrommultiplecomputersoracrosstheWeb.
NoteToconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoaLabVIEWVI,youmusthavetheLabVIEW7.1FullDevelopmentSystemorlaterinstalled.
CompletethefollowingstepstoconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoaLabVIEWblockdiagram.
1. SelectTools»GenerateCode»LabVIEWDiagramtobegintheconversionprocess.
2. SpecifyanamefortheVIyouwanttogenerate,andclicktheOKbutton.
LabVIEWconvertstheactiveworkareaoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoaLabVIEWVI.
NoteIfyouwanttoconvertastepthatcontainsaparametersettoperformasweepoperation,LabVIEWconvertsthatsteptoasubVI,notanExpressVI.LabVIEWconvertsotherstepswithinthesweepoperationtoExpressVIs.
WhenyouconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectwithlogging,LabVIEWSignalExpressgeneratesaLabVIEWblockdiagramwithoneExpressVI.YoucannotconvertthegeneratedExpressVIintoasubVI.Whenyoudouble-clicktheExpressVI,LabVIEWopenstheLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectassociatedwiththeExpressVI.RefertotheKnowledgeBaseformoreinformationabouttheExpressVI.
DistributingLabVIEWBlockDiagramsforExecutionLabVIEWrequirestheLabVIEWSignalExpressexecutionenginetorunLabVIEWSignalExpressstepsconvertedtotheLabVIEWblockdiagram.IfyoudistributetheconvertedVIforuseonothercomputers,makesurethetargetcomputerhasLabVIEWSignalExpressinstalled.IfthetargetcomputerdoesnothaveLabVIEWSignalExpressinstalled,youmustuseasourcedistributiontodistributetheconvertedVI.ThefollowingsectionscontainsguidelinesfordistributingVIs.
DistributingaVItoaComputerthatHasLabVIEWSignalExpressInstalledCopytheVItothetargetcomputer.YouthencanruntheExpressVI,opentheExpressVIandreconfigurethesettings,andconverttheExpressVItosubVIsifnecessary.YoumightneedtoupdatethedevicesettingsforanyhardwarestepsyouareusingtomakesuretheVIcanfindthehardwareonthetargetcomputercorrectly.
DistributingaVItoaComputerthatDoesNotHaveLabVIEWSignalExpressInstalledCompletethefollowingstepstodistributeaVItoacomputerthatdoesnothaveLabVIEWSignalExpressinstalled.
1. InLabVIEW,selectFile»NewProjecttocreateanewLabVIEWproject.
2. IntheProjectExplorerwindow,right-clickMyComputerandselectAdd»FilefromtheshortcutmenutoaddtheconvertedVItotheproject.
3. Savetheproject.4. Right-clickBuildSpecificationsandselectNew»Source
DistributionfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheSourceDistributionPropertiesdialogbox.
5. EnterthelocationforthesourcedistributionintheDestinationdirectorytextbox.YoucanusetheBrowsebuttontonavigatetoandselectalocation.
6. ClicktheBuildbuttonintheSourceDistributionPropertiesdialogboxtobuildthesourcedistribution.
NoteIfLabVIEWreturnsanerror,clicktheRemoveunusedmembersofprojectlibrariesoptionontheAdditionalExclusionspageoftheSourceDistributionPropertiesdialogboxandclicktheBuildbutton.
7. CopytheresultingfolderfromthedestinationdirectorytothetargetcomputerwhereyouwanttoruntheVI.
8. Copythelabview\vi.lib\express\SignalExpress\SupportfolderfromthecomputerthathasLabVIEWSignalExpressinstalledtothelabviewfolderonthetargetcomputer.
9. RuntheVIonthetargetcomputer.IfyoutrytoopentheExpressVIconfigurationviewtoreconfiguretheoperation,LabVIEWdisplaysanerrordialogboxthatindicatesthatyoudonothavetheLabVIEWSignalExpressexecutionengineinstalled.
NoteIfyouneedtomodifytheVI,converttheExpressVIintosubVIsandmodifythesubVIs.
RefertotheLabVIEWHelpformoreinformationaboutbuildingsource
UsingExpressVIsinLabVIEWWhenyouconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoaLabVIEWblockdiagram,yourblockdiagramcontainsLabVIEWExpressVIswiredtogether.Typically,eachstepinLabVIEWSignalExpresscorrespondstoanExpressVIinyourLabVIEWblockdiagram.Whenyoudouble-clicktheseExpressVIs,LabVIEWdisplaysaconfigurationviewthatisidenticaltotheconfigurationviewforthecorrespondingstepinLabVIEWSignalExpress.YoucanreconfiguretheexecutionofyourVIinLabVIEWbyresettingvaluesintheconfigurationview.UnlikeLabVIEWSignalExpresswhereyoucanchangetheconfigurationviewoptionswhileLabVIEWSignalExpressexecutes,youcannotopentheExpressVIconfigurationviewandchangethesettingswhileLabVIEWexecutesyourVI.YoumuststoptheVI,opentheconfigurationview,makeachange,andreruntheVI.
NoteBecausetheLabVIEWSignalExpressexecutionenginemanagestheconfigurationviewsfortheExpressVIsrunninginLabVIEW,youmusthaveLabVIEWSignalExpressinstalledonthesamecomputerthatyouarerunningLabVIEWinorderfortheseExpressVIstofunctionproperly.IfyoudonothaveLabVIEWSignalExpressinstalledonthecomputer,youmustconverttheExpressVIsintosubVIsifyouwanttochangetheirconfigurations.
LikemostExpressVIs,youcanconvertLabVIEWSignalExpressExpressVIstoLabVIEWsubVIs.WhenyouconvertLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectsintoLabVIEWblockdiagrams,youmightneedtomodifythelow-levelVIsratherthanreconfigurethevaluesintheExpressVIs.ToconverttheExpressVIsintosubVIstoaccessthelow-levelVIs,right-clicktheExpressVI,selectOpenFrontPanel,andclicktheConvertbutton.
UsingtheLabVIEWSignalExpressExpressVIswithNativeLabVIEWExpressVIsYoucanbuildVIsusingtheLabVIEWSignalExpresspaletteinLabVIEW.TheseExpressVIsusetheLabVIEWwaveformdatatype,notthedynamicdatatypethenativeLabVIEWExpressVIsuse.Thedynamicdatatyperepresentsanarrayofwaveforms.Insomecases,LabVIEWcannotconverttheLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectintoExpressVIsbecausesomeExpressVIsmightnotsupportthefunctionalityyourprojectuses.ThefollowingexamplesdescribethefunctionalitynotsupportedbyExpressVIs:
Hardwaresynchronization—LabVIEWconvertsanyprojectthatusesthesynchronizationfeaturesofthemeasurementhardware,suchastriggersharing,clocksharing,andsoon,intosubVIsratherthanExpressVIs.ThemeasurementhardwareExpressVIsforNIdigitizers,arbitrarywaveformorfunctiongenerators,andmultifunctionDAQboardsdonotsupportthesesynchronizationfeatures.Inaddition,youcanpreservethedependencybetweenageneratorandameasurementdevicewhenperformingastimulusorresponsemeasurementinasinglesubVIthatcontainscodeforboththegeneratorandthemeasurementdevicetogether.Sweeping—LabVIEWconvertstheSweepstepintoaForLoopinLabVIEW.TheForLoopgeneratesnewvaluesforeachiterationandpassesthesevaluestotheVIsthatacceptthesevaluesasinputs.BecauseExpressVIscannotacceptnewvaluesonawireduringexecution,LabVIEWimplementssweepinginsubVIs.Logging—WhenyouconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectwithlogging,LabVIEWSignalExpressgeneratesaLabVIEWblockdiagramwithoneExpressVI.YoucannotconvertthegeneratedExpressVIintoasubVI.
RunningandModifyingConvertedProjectsinLabVIEWWhenyouconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoaLabVIEWblockdiagram,theresultingLabVIEWblockdiagramrepresentstheexactfunctionalityoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.However,whenyouconvertaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojecttoaLabVIEWblockdiagram,thefrontpaneloftheVIthatyougeneratecontainsonlythecontrolsthatarenecessaryforexecutionandindicatorsthatmatchthedatatypesoftheoutputsignalsfromtheconvertedproject.Anygraph,chart,orotherdisplaysthattheLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectcontainsarenotreplicatedontheLabVIEWfrontpanel.However,youcanuseLabVIEWcontrolsandindicatorstobuildafrontpanelfortheVIanddefineacustomuserinterface.Forexample,youcancreategraphsonwhichtodisplaytheoutputsignals.RefertotheLabVIEWHelpformoreinformationaboutbuildingfrontpanelsinLabVIEW.
LabVIEWSignalExpressStepsUsetheLabVIEWSignalExpressstepstobuildinteractivemeasurementapplications.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
AcquireSignalsUsetheAcquireSignalsstepstoacquiresignalsfromahardwaredevice.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
IVIScopeAcquireAcquiresananalogwaveformfromaninstrumentintheOscilloscopeIVIClass.Defaultvaluesarespecifictothehardwareanddriverspecified.Thedefaultsettingsmightnotbeapplicabletothemeasurementyouaretryingtoperform.TheIVIScopeAcquiretoolbarincludestwobuttonsyoucanusetosetparametervalues.ClicktheInitializebuttontosetIVIScopeAcquiretothedefaultsettings.ClicktheAutosetupbuttontosetparameterstovaluesthatIVIScopeAcquiredeterminesbestfitthesignalyouareacquiring.
NoteClickingtheAutosetupbuttonexecutesIVIScopeAcquire.
Tocommunicatewithaninstrument,youneedtoinstalltheinstrument-specificdriverandcreateasessionnamefortheinstrument.
Parameter DescriptionAutoscaleamplitude
ScalestheamplitudeaxisoftheAcquiredsignalsgraph.Thedefaultistoautoscaletheamplitude.
AcquiredSignals
Displaysthewaveformfromthedevice.Range(V)andOffset(V)setthehardwarelimits.
Configuration Containsthefollowingconfigurationoptions:Device—Containsthefollowingdeviceoptions:
IVIsessionname—Specifiesthesessionnametouseforthisstep.ThisstepretrievespossiblesessionnamesfromNationalInstrumentsMeasurement&AutomationExplorer(MAX).Youalsocancreateanewsessionoredit/deleteanexistingsession.Resourcedescriptor—Specifiestheinterfaceandtheaddressofthehardwaretoassociatewiththestep.Instrumentdriver—Displaysthenameofthedriverinuse.
Vertical—ContainschannelconfigurationoptionsthataffectthedataalongtheVoltage(V)axis.ThesettingsyouconfigurewiththeseoptionsarespecifictothechannelyouselectintheChannelsfield.Verticalcontainsthefollowingoptions:
Channels—Specifiesthephysicalchannelsfromwhichtogeneratedata.Enablechannel—Specifieswhethertoenabledataacquisitionontheselectedchannel.Range(V)—Specifiesthevalueoftheinputrangetheoscilloscopeusesforthechannel.Forexample,toacquireasinewavethatspans-5to5volts,enter10asthevalueofthisparameter.Inputimpedance(Ohms)—Specifiestheinputimpedanceyouwanttouseforthechannel.Probeattenuation—Specifiesthescalingfactorbywhichtheprobeyouattachtothechannelattenuatestheinput.Pass-1toautodetect.Offset(V)—SpecifiesthelocationofthecenteroftherangethatyouspecifywithRange(V).Enterthevaluewithrespecttoground.Forexample,toacquireasinewavethatspans0to10volts,enter5asthevalueofthisparameter.Coupling—Specifieshowyouwanttheoscilloscopetocoupletheinputsignalforthechannel.OptionsincludeAC,DC,andGND.Bandwidth(Hz)—Specifiesthemaximumfrequencyfortheinputsignalyouwanttheinstrumenttoaccommodatewithoutattenuatingthe
signalbymorethan3dB.Horizontal—Containsthefollowingdevice-specificoptionsforconfiguringtheTime(s)axis:
Starttime(s)—Specifiesthelengthoftimefromthetriggereventtothefirstpointinthewaveformrecord.Ifthisvalueispositive,thefirstpointinthewaveformrecordoccursafterthetriggerevent.Ifthisvalueisnegative,thefirstpointinthewaveformrecordoccursbeforethetriggerevent.Timeperrecord(s)—Specifiesthetimeinsecondsthatcorrespondstotherecordlength.Minrecordlength(S)—Specifiestheminimumnumberofpointsyourequireinthewaveformrecordforeachchannel.
Trigger Containsthefollowingtriggeroptions:Type—Specifiesthetypeoftriggeryouwanttheoscilloscopetouse.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Immediate—Configurestheoscilloscopeforimmediatetriggering.Theoscilloscopedoesnotwaitforatriggerofanykinduponinitialization.Edge—Configurestheoscilloscopeforedgetriggering.Anedgetriggeroccurswhenthetriggersignalcrossesthetriggerlevelyouspecifywiththeslopeyouspecify.TV—ConfigurestheoscilloscopeforTVtriggering.Runt—Configurestheoscilloscopeforrunttriggering.Arunttriggeroccurswhenthetriggersignalcrossesoneoftheruntthresholdstwicewithoutcrossingtheotherruntthreshold.
Glitch—Configurestheoscilloscopeforglitchtriggering.Aglitchtriggeroccurswhenthetriggersignalhasapulsewithawidththatislessthantheglitchwidth.Thetriggerdoesnotactuallyoccuruntiltheedgeofthepulsethatcorrespondstotheglitchwidthandpolarityyouspecifycrossesthetriggerlevel.Width—Configurestheoscilloscopeforwidthtriggering.Awidthtriggeroccurswhentheoscilloscopedetectsapositiveornegativepulsewithawidthbetween,oroptionallyoutside,thewidththresholds.Thetriggerdoesnotactuallyoccuruntiltheedgeofapulsethatcorrespondstothewidththresholdsandpolarityyouspecifycrossesthetriggerlevel.ACLine—ConfigurestheoscilloscopeforAClinetriggering.
Source—Specifiesthesourcefortheoscilloscopetomonitorforatrigger.Holdoff(s)—Specifiesthelengthoftimeyouwanttheoscilloscopetowaitafteritdetectsatriggeruntiltheoscilloscopeenablesthetriggersubsystemtodetectanothertrigger.Timeout(s)—Specifiesthemaximumamountoftimetowaitfortheoscilloscopetoacquiredata.Whenatimeoutoccursduringanacquisition,itisnormallyduetoafailuretotrigger.Thedefaultis10.Level(V)—[Type:Edge]Specifiesthevoltageyouwanttheoscilloscopetouseforedgetriggering.TheoscilloscopetriggerswhenthetriggersignalpassesthroughthethresholdyouspecifywiththisparameterandhastheslopeyouspecifywiththeSlopeparameter.
NoteThisparameteraffectsinstrumentbehavioronlywhenyouselectachannelortheexternaltriggerinputasthetriggersource.Youmaynotconfigurethetriggerlevelthattheoscilloscopeusesforothertriggersources,suchasVXITTLtriggerlines.
Slope—[Type:Edge]Specifieswhetheryouwantarisingedgeorafallingedgepassingthroughthetriggerleveltotriggertheoscilloscope.OptionsincludePositiveandNegative.Coupling—[Type:Edge]Specifiesthetriggercoupling.OptionsincludeAC,DC,HFReject,LFReject,andNoiseReject.Polarity—[Type:TV]SpecifiesthepolarityoftheTVsignal.OptionsincludePositiveandNegative.Signalformat—[Type:TV]SpecifiesthetypeofTVsignalonwhichtheoscilloscopetriggers.OptionsincludeNTSC,PAL,andSECAM.Event—[Type:TV]SpecifiestheTVeventonwhichyouwanttheoscilloscopetotrigger.OptionsincludeField1,Field2,AnyField,AnyLine,andLineNumber.Linenumber—[Type:TV]Specifiesthelineinthefieldonwhichyouwanttheoscilloscopetotrigger.Thespecifiedlinenumberisindependentofanyfield.ThismeansthattotriggeronthefirstlineofField2,youmustspecifyalinenumberof263(ifweassumethatField1has262lines).Polarity—[Type:Runt]Specifiesthepolarityoftheruntthatyouwanttotriggertheoscilloscope.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Positive—Triggersonapositiverunt.ApositiveruntoccurswhenarisingedgecrossestheLowthreshold(V)anddoes
notcrosstheHighthreshold(V)beforerecrossingtheLowthreshold(V).Negative—Triggersonanegativerunt.AnegativeruntoccurswhenafallingedgecrossestheHighthreshold(V)anddoesnotcrosstheLowthreshold(V)beforerecrossingtheHighthreshold(V).Either—Triggersoneitherapositiveornegativerunt.
Lowthreshold(V)—[Type:Runt]Specifiesthelowthresholdyouwanttheoscilloscopetouseforrunttriggering.Highthreshold(V)—[Type:Runt]Specifiesthehighthresholdyouwanttheoscilloscopetouseforrunttriggering.Level(V)—[Type:Glitch]Specifiesthevoltagethresholdyouwanttheoscilloscopetouseforglitchtriggering.Theoscilloscopetriggerswhenaglitchcrossesthetriggerthresholdyouspecifywiththisparameter.Polarity—[Type:Glitch]Specifiesthepolarityoftheglitchthatyouwanttotriggertheoscilloscope.OptionsincludePositive,Negative,andEither.Condition—[Type:Glitch]Specifiestheglitchcondition.TheoscilloscopetriggerswhenitdetectsapulsewithawidthlessthanorgreaterthantheWidth(s)value.OptionsincludeLessThanandGreaterThan.Width(s)—[Type:Glitch]Specifiesthelengthoftimeyouwanttheoscilloscopetousefortheglitchwidth.Theoscilloscopetriggerswhenitdetectsapulsewithawidthlessthanorgreaterthanthisvalue,dependingontheConditionparameter.Level(V)—[Type:Width]Specifiesthevoltage
thresholdyouwanttheoscilloscopetouseforwidthtriggering.TheoscilloscopetriggerswhentheedgeofapulsethatcorrespondstotheLowthreshold(V),Highthreshold(V),Condition,andPolaritycrossesthethresholdyouspecifyinthisparameter.Polarity—[Type:Width]Specifiesthepolarityofthepulsethatyouwanttotriggertheoscilloscope.OptionsincludePositiveandNegative.Highthreshold(V)—[Type:Width]Specifiesthehighwidththreshold.Lowthreshold(V)—[Type:Width]Specifiesthelowwidththreshold.Condition—[Type:Width]SpecifieswhetheryouwantapulsethatiswithinoroutsidetheHighthreshold(V)andLowthreshold(V)totriggertheoscilloscope.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Within—TriggersonpulsesthathaveawidththatislessthantheHighthreshold(V)andgreaterthantheLowThreshold(V).Outside—TriggersonpulsesthathaveawidththatiseithergreaterthantheHighthreshold(V)orlessthantheLowthreshold(V).
Slope—[Type:ACLine]Specifieswhetheryouwanttheoscilloscopetotriggeronazerocrossingwithapositive,negative,oreitherslopeofthenetworksupplyvoltage.OptionsincludePositive,Negative,andEither.
Advanced Containsthefollowingoption:AcquisitionSettings—Containsthefollowingoption:
Acquisitiontype—Specifiesthemannerinwhichyouwanttheoscilloscopetoacquiredataandfillthewaveform
record.Containsthefollowingoptions:Normal—Setstheoscilloscopetonormalacquisitionmode.Theoscilloscopeacquiresonesampleforeachpointinthewaveformrecord.Theoscilloscopecanusereal-timeorequivalent-timesampling.PeakDetect—Setstheoscilloscopetothepeak-detectacquisitionmode.Theoscilloscopeoversamplestheinputsignalandkeepstheminimumandmaximumvaluesthatcorrespondtoeachpositioninthewaveformrecord.Theoscilloscopeusesonlyreal-timesampling.HighResolution—Setstheoscilloscopetothehigh-resolutionacquisitionmode.Theoscilloscopeoversamplestheinputsignalandcalculatesanaveragevalueforeachpositioninthewaveformrecord.Theoscilloscopeusesonlyreal-timesampling.Envelope—Setstheoscilloscopetotheenvelopeacquisitionmode.Theoscilloscopeacquiresmultiplewaveformsandkeepstheminimumandmaximumvoltagesitacquiresforeachpointinthewaveformrecord.Theoscilloscopecanusereal-timeorequivalent-timesampling.Average—Setstheoscilloscope
totheaverageacquisitionmode.Theoscilloscopeacquiresmultiplewaveformsandcalculatesanaveragevalueforeachpointinthewaveformrecord.Theoscilloscopecanusereal-timeorequivalent-timesampling.
NoteWhenyousetthisparametertoEnvelopeorPeakDetect,theoscilloscopeacquiresminimumandmaximumwaveforms.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingexecutioncontroloptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhichthisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.
IVIDMMAcquireAcquiresasignalfromaninstrumentintheDigitalMultimeterIVIClass.Defaultvaluesarespecifictothehardwareanddriverspecified.Thedefaultsettingsmaynotbeapplicabletothemeasurementyouaretryingtoperform.ClicktheInitializebutton,locatedonthestep'stoolbar,atanytimetoresetthesteptothedefaultsettings.Tocommunicatewithaninstrument,youneedtoinstalltheinstrument-specificdriverandcreateasessionnamefortheinstrument.
Parameter DescriptionOutputDisplay
Displaysthemeasurement,formattedaccordingtotheMeasurementfunction,Range,andResolution.
Configuration Containsthefollowingconfigurationoptions:Device—Containsthefollowingdeviceoptions:
IVIsessionname—Specifiesthesessionnametouseforthisstep.ThisstepretrievespossiblesessionnamesfromNationalInstrumentsMeasurement&AutomationExplorer(MAX).Youalsocancreateanewsessionoredit/deleteanexistingsession.Resourcedescriptor—Specifiestheinterfaceandtheaddressofthehardwaretoassociatewiththestep.Instrumentdriver—Displaysthenameofthedriverinuse.
BasicParameters—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Measurementfunction—SpecifiesthetypeofmeasurementyouwanttheDMMtoperform.OptionsincludeDCVolts,ACVolts,DCCurrent,ACCurrent,2WireResistance,4WireResistance,AC+DCVolts,AC+DCCurrent,Frequency,andPeriod.Range—SpecifieswhetherAutoRange
isused.Containsthefollowingoptions:AutoRange—SpecifiesthattheDMMautomaticallycalculatestherangebeforeeachmeasurement.SpecifyRange—Allowsyoutospecifytherangeandusesthisvalueforallsubsequentmeasurementsuntilyouchangethemeasurementconfiguration.
Rangevalue(V)—[Measurementfunction:DCVolts,ACVolts,AC+DCVolts]Therangeinvoltsforthecurrentmeasurement.Rangevalue(A)—[Measurementfunction:DCCurrent,ACCurrent,AC+DCCurrent]Therangeinampsforthecurrentmeasurement.Rangevalue(Ohm)—[Measurementfunction:2WireResistance,4WireResistance]Therangeinohmsforthecurrentmeasurement.Rangevalue(Hz)—[Measurementfunction:Frequency]Therangeinhertzforthecurrentmeasurement.Rangevalue(s)—[Measurementfunction:Period]Therangeinsecondsforthecurrentmeasurement.Resolution—Specifiesthedigitalresolutionofthemeasurement.SetRangetoSpecifyRangetoenablethisoption.Sampleperiod(s)—Specifieshowoftentoexecutethestep.
MeasurementSpecificParameters—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Autozero—SpecifiesthattheDMM
internallydisconnectstheinputsignalandtakesazeroreading.TheDMMthensubtractsthezeroreadingfromthemeasurementtopreventoffsetvoltagespresentfromaffectingmeasurementaccuracy.ThisoptiondoesnotappearifyousetMeasurementfunctiontoFrequencyorPeriod.Containsthefollowingoptions:
On—ConfigurestheDMMtotakeazeroreadingforeachmeasurement.TheDMMsubtractsthezeroreadingfromthevalueitmeasures.Off—DisablestheAutozerooption.Once—ConfigurestheDMMtotakeazeroreadingimmediately.TheDMMthensubtractsthiszeroreadingfromallsubsequentvaluesitmeasures.
ACminfrequency(Hz)—[Measurementfunction:ACVolts,ACCurrent,AC+DCVolts,AC+DCCurrent]Specifiestheminimumexpectedfrequencycomponentoftheinputsignalinhertz.ACmaxfrequency(Hz)—[Measurementfunction:ACVolts,ACCurrent,AC+DCVolts,AC+DCCurrent]Specifiesthemaximumexpectedfrequencycomponentoftheinputsignalinhertz.Frequencyvoltagerange—[Measurementfunction:Frequency,Period]SpecifieswhetherthefrequencyvoltageAutoRangeisused.Containsthefollowingoptions:
AutoRange—ConfigurestheDMMtoautomaticallycalculatethevoltagerangebeforeeachfrequencyorperiodmeasurement.SpecifyRange—Disablesautoranging.TheDMMsetsthevoltagerangetotherangespecifiedinFrequencyrange(V).
Frequencyrange(V)—[Measurementfunction:Frequency,Period]Specifiestheexpectedmaximumamplitudeoftheinputsignal.Theminimumpeak-to-peaksignalamplitudethattheDMMcandetectis10%ofthespecifiedvoltagerange.
PowerlineFrequency(Hz)—Specifiesthepowerlinefrequencyinhertz.
Trigger Containsthefollowingtriggeroptions:Type—Specifiesthetriggersourceyouwanttouse.AftertheDMMreceivesthetrigger,theDMMwaitsthelengthoftimeyouspecifyintheDelay(s)parameter.TheDMMthentakesameasurement.ThedefaultisImmediate.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Immediate—Doesnotwaitforatriggerofanykind.External—Waitsforatriggerontheexternalinput.Software—Waitsuntilyoupresstheassociatedtriggerbuttoninthetoolbar.Digital—Waitsforatriggeronadigitalinputspecifiedbythetriggersource.
Delay(s)—SpecifiesthelengthoftimetheDMMwaitsafteritreceivesthetriggerandbeforeittakesameasurement.
Auto—ConfigurestheDMMtoautomaticallycalculatethetriggerdelaybeforeeachmeasurement.Timeout(s)—ConfigurestheamountoftimetowaitwhileretrievingareadingfromtheDMM.Thedefaultis5seconds.Slope—[Type:External]SpecifieswhetheryouwantarisingedgeorafallingedgepassingthroughthetriggerleveltotriggertheDMM.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Positive—Triggersontherisingedgeoftheexternaltrigger.Negative—Triggersonthefallingedgeoftheexternaltrigger.
Softwaretriggersource—[Type:Software]Specifiesthetriggersourcetowhichyouwanttheinstrumenttorespond.Toactivatethetrigger,clicktheassociatedtriggerbuttoninthetoolbar.Executionwaitsuntilyouclicktheassociatedtriggerbuttoninthetoolbar.Containsthefollowingoptions:
TriggerA—(Default)SpecifiesTriggerAasthetriggersource.TriggerB—SpecifiesTriggerBasthetriggersource.TriggerC—SpecifiesTriggerCasthetriggersource.
Source—[Type:Digital]Specifiesthetriggersourceyouwanttouse.Containsthefollowingoptions:
PXITRIG0orVXITTL0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG0line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL0line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG1orVXITTL1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG1line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL1
line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG2orVXITTL2—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG2line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL2line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG3orVXITTL3—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG3line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL3line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG4orVXITTL4—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG4line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL4line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG5orVXITTL5—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG5line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL5line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG6orVXITTL6—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG6line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL6line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG7orVXITTL7—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG7line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL7line(forVXIinstruments).ECL0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggerontheVXIECL0line.ECL1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggerontheVXIECL1line.PXIStar—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXISTARtriggerbus.RTSI0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline0.RTSI1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline1.RTSI2—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline2.
RTSI3—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline3.RTSI4—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline4.RTSI5—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline5.RTSI6—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline6.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingexecutioncontroloptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhichthisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.
ReadSharedVariablesReadsthevaluesofsharedvariablescreatedinLabVIEWSignalExpressandLabVIEW,aswellasdatapublishedusingDataSockettechnologyordatathatmeetsOPCspecifications.Toselectdataorasharedvariabletoread,clicktheBrowsebuttontodisplaytheSelectNetworkItemdialogboxandnavigatetothedataorsharedvariable.YoualsocanaddmachinestothelistthatappearsintheSelectNetworkItemdialogboxtosearchforadditionaldataorsharedvariables.
Parameter DescriptionStepConfiguration
Containsthefollowingoption:Sampleperiod(s)—Specifiestheperiod(inseconds)atwhichtoreaddata.
AddSharedVariable
Containsthefollowingoptions:Networkpath—Specifiesthepathtothedataorsharedvariabletoread.Browse—OpenstheSelectNetworkItemdialogbox,whichallowsyoutobrowsetothenetworklocationofdataorasharedvariable.Add—AddsthedataorsharedvariablespecifiedintheNetworkpathtothestep.
NetworkPaths
DisplaysthenetworkpathsofthedataorsharedvariablesLabVIEWSignalExpressisreading.
Removepath Removestheselecteddataorsharedvariablefromthestep.
GenerateSignalsUsetheGenerateSignalsstepstogeneratesignalstoahardwaredevice.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
IVIFGENStandardFunctionGeneratesananalogstandardfunctionusinganinstrumentintheArbitraryWaveform/FunctionGeneratorIVIclass.Defaultvaluesarespecifictothehardwareanddriverspecified.Thedefaultsettingsmaynotbeapplicabletothemeasurementyouaretryingtoperform.ClicktheInitializebutton,locatedonthestep'stoolbar,atanytimetoresetthesteptothedefaultsettings.Tocommunicatewithaninstrument,youneedtoinstalltheinstrument-specificdriverandcreateasessionnamefortheinstrument.
Parameter DescriptionFunctionPreview
Displaysapreviewofthefunction.TheverticalandhorizontalgraphaxesareformattedaccordingtotheChannelConfigurationsettingsthatareappliedtothesignalgenerator.
Configuration Containsthefollowingconfigurationoptions:Device—Containsthefollowingdeviceoptions:
IVIsessionname—Specifiesthesessionnametouseforthisstep.ThisstepretrievespossiblesessionnamesfromNationalInstrumentsMeasurement&AutomationExplorer(MAX).Youalsocancreateanewsessionoredit/deleteanexistingsession.Resourcedescriptor—Specifiestheinterfaceandtheaddressofthehardwaretoassociatewiththestep.Instrumentdriver—Displaysthenameofthedriverinuse.
ChannelConfiguration—Containsthefollowingchannelconfigurationoptions:
Channels—Specifiesthephysicalchannelsonwhichdataisgenerated.Enablechannel—Specifieswhethertoenabledataacquisitionontheselectedchannel.
Type—Specifiesthestandardwaveformthatyouwantthefunctiongeneratortoproduce.OptionsincludeSine,Square,Triangle,RampUp,RampDown,andDC.Amplitude(Vpp)—Specifiestheamplitudeofthestandardwaveformthatyouwantthefunctiongeneratortoproduce.Thisvalueistheamplitudeattheoutputterminal.Forexample,toproduceawaveformrangingfrom-5to+5volts,settheAmplitude(Vpp)to10volts.Startphase(deg)—Specifiesthehorizontaloffsetofthestandardwaveformyouwantthefunctiongeneratortoproduce.Youspecifythispropertyindegreesofonewaveformcycle.Astartphaseof180degreesmeansoutputgenerationbeginshalfwaythroughthewaveform.Astartphaseof360degreesoffsetstheoutputbyanentirewaveformcycle,whichisidenticaltoastartphaseof0degrees.Frequency(Hz)—Specifiesthefrequencyofthestandardwaveformthatyouwantthefunctiongeneratortoproduce.DCoffset(V)—SpecifiestheDCoffsetofthestandardwaveformthatyouwantthefunctiongeneratortoproduce.ThevalueistheoffsetfromgroundtothecenterofthewaveformyouspecifywiththeTypeparameter.Forexample,toconfigureawaveformwithanamplitudeof10voltstorangefrom0to+10volts,setDCoffset(V)to5volts.Outputimpedance(Ohms)—Specifies
theimpedancevalueyouwantthefunctiongeneratortouse.Avalueof0indicatesthatthefunctiongeneratorisconnectedtoahighimpedanceload.Dutycycle(%)—Specifiesthepercentageoftimeasquarewaveremainshighversusoneentireperiod.Thedefaultis50%.Dutycycle(%)isavailableonlywhenyouselectSquareinType.
GenerationMode—Containsthefollowinggenerationmodeoptions:
Generatecontinuously—Generatestheinputsignalcontinuously.Ifyouruntheprojectcontinuously,thestepgeneratestheinputsignalrepeatedlywithoutdiscontinuities.IfyouruntheprojectinRunOncemode,thestepgeneratestheinputsignalonce.GenerateNwaveforms—GeneratestheinputsignalNtimesinanon-continuousfashion.Ifyouruntheprojectcontinuously,thestepgeneratestheinputsignalrepeatedlybutdiscontinuously.IfyouruntheprojectinRunOncemode,thestepgeneratestheinputsignalonce.Youcanusethisoptionifyouwantthedevicetogenerateastarttriggereverytimethedevicestartsgeneratingthesignal.Numberofwaveforms—Specifiesthenumberoftimestogeneratethewaveform.
Trigger Containsthefollowingtriggeroptions:ChannelTriggering—Containsthefollowingchanneltriggeroptions:
Channels—Specifiesthephysical
channelsthathaveatriggerassociatedwiththem.Eachchannelcanbetriggeredindependently.Type—Specifiesthetriggersourcetowhichyouwantthefunctiongeneratortorespond.ThedefaultisImmediate.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Immediate—Doesnotwaitforatriggerofanykind.Internal—Waitsforatriggerontheinternaltriggerinput.External—Waitsforatriggerontheexternaltriggerinput.Software—WaitsuntilthesoftwaretriggerbuttonspecifiedbytheSoftwaretriggersourceispressedonthetoolbar.Digital—Waitsforatriggeronadigitalinputspecifiedbythetriggersource.
Internaltriggerrate(trig/s)—Specifiestherateatwhichyouwanttheinternaltriggerrateofthefunctiongeneratortogeneratetriggersignals.Internaltriggerrate(trig/s)isavailableonlywhenyouselectInternalinType.Softwaretriggersource—[Type:Software]Specifiesthetriggersourcetowhichyouwanttheinstrumenttorespond.Toactivatethetrigger,clicktheassociatedtriggerbuttoninthetoolbar.Executionwaitsuntilyouclicktheassociatedtriggerbuttoninthetoolbar.Containsthefollowingoptions:
TriggerA—(Default)SpecifiesTriggerAasthetriggersource.TriggerB—SpecifiesTriggerB
asthetriggersource.TriggerC—SpecifiesTriggerCasthetriggersource.
Source—[Type:Digital]Specifiesthetriggersourceyouwanttouse.Containsthefollowingoptions:
PXITRIG0orVXITTL0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG0line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL0line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG1orVXITTL1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG1line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL1line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG2orVXITTL2—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG2line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL2line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG3orVXITTL3—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG3line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL3line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG4orVXITTL4—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG4line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL4line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG5orVXITTL5—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG5line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL5line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG6orVXITTL6—Waits
untilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG6line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL6line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG7orVXITTL7—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG7line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL7line(forVXIinstruments).ECL0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggerontheVXIECL0line.ECL1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggerontheVXIECL1line.PXIStar—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXISTARtriggerbus.RTSI0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline0.RTSI1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline1.RTSI2—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline2.RTSI3—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline3.RTSI4—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline4.RTSI5—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline5.RTSI6—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline6.
Referenceclocksource—Specifiesthereferenceclocksourceyouwantthefunctiongeneratortouse.Thefunctiongeneratorderivesthefrequenciesandsampleratesthatitusestogeneratewaveformsfromthesourceyouspecify.OptionsincludeInternal,External,andRTSIClock.Forexample,whenyouset
ReferenceclocksourcetoExternal,thefunctiongeneratorusesthesignalitreceivesatitsexternalclockterminalasitsreferenceclock.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingexecutioncontroloptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhichthisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.
IVIFGENArbitraryWaveformGeneratesananalogarbitrarysignalusinganinstrumentintheArbitraryWaveform/FunctionGeneratorIVIclass.Defaultvaluesarespecifictothehardwareanddriverspecified.Thedefaultsettingsmaynotbeapplicabletothemeasurementyouaretryingtoperform.ClicktheInitializebutton,locatedonthestep'stoolbar,atanytimetoresetthesteptothedefaultsettings.Tocommunicatewithaninstrument,youneedtoinstalltheinstrument-specificdriverandcreateasessionnamefortheinstrument.
Parameter DescriptionWaveformPreview
Displaysapreviewofthewaveformdownloadedtothefunctiongenerator.TheverticalandhorizontalgraphaxesareformattedaccordingtotheSamplerate(S/s),Gain,andOffset(V)settingsappliedtothefunctiongenerator.
Configuration Containsthefollowingarbitrarywaveformconfigurationoptions:
Device—Containsthefollowingdeviceoptions:IVIsessionname—Specifiesthesessionnametouseforthisstep.ThisstepretrievespossiblesessionnamesfromNationalInstrumentsMeasurement&AutomationExplorer(MAX).Youalsocancreateanewsessionoredit/deleteanexistingsession.Resourcedescriptor—Specifiestheinterfaceandtheaddressofthehardwaretoassociatewiththestep.Instrumentdriver—Displaysthenameofthedriverinuse.
ChannelConfiguration—Containsthefollowingchannelconfigurationoptions:
Channels—Specifiesthephysicalchannelsonwhichdataisgenerated.Enablechannel—Specifieswhetherto
enabledataacquisitionontheselectedchannel.Inputsignal—Selecttheappropriatewaveformtogenerate.GenerationMode—Containsthefollowinggenerationmodeoptions:
Generatecontinuously—Generatestheinputsignalcontinuously.Ifyouruntheprojectcontinuously,thestepgeneratestheinputsignalrepeatedlywithoutdiscontinuities.IfyouruntheprojectinRunOncemode,thestepgeneratestheinputsignalonce.GenerateNwaveforms—GeneratestheinputsignalNtimesinanon-continuousfashion.Ifyouruntheprojectcontinuously,thestepgeneratestheinputsignalrepeatedlybutdiscontinuously.IfyouruntheprojectinRunOncemode,thestepgeneratestheinputsignalonce.Youcanusethisoptionifyouwantthedevicetogenerateastarttriggereverytimethedevicestartsgeneratingthesignal.Numberofwaveforms—NumberoftimestogeneratetheInputSignal.
OutputSignal—Containsthefollowingoutputsignaloptions:
Extractfromwaveform—Specifieswhethersettingsfor
Samplerate(S/s),Gain,andOffset(V)areextractedfromthewaveformorspecifiedmanually.WhenyouremovethecheckmarkfromtheExtractfromwaveformcheckbox,youfirstmustnormalizethedatapointstoarangeof-1to+1.Samplerate(S/s)—Specifiesthesamplerateatwhichyouwantthefunctiongeneratortooutputarbitrarywaveforms.Gain—Specifiesthefactorbywhichthefunctiongeneratorscalesthearbitrarywaveformdata.Whenyoucreatearbitrarywaveforms,youfirstmustnormalizethedatapointstoarangeof-1to+1.Youusethispropertytoscalethearbitrarywaveformtootherranges.Forexample,toconfiguretheoutputsignaltorangefrom-2to+2volts,setGainto2.Offset(V)—Specifiesthevaluethefunctiongeneratoraddstothearbitrarywaveformdata.Whenyoucreatearbitrarywaveforms,youfirstmustnormalizethedatapointstoarangeof-1to+1.Youusethisparametertoshifttherangeofthearbitrarywaveform.Forexample,toconfiguretheoutputsignaltorangefrom0to2voltsinsteadof-1to1volts,setOffset(V)to1.Impedance(Ohms)—Specifies
theimpedancevalueyouwantthefunctiongeneratortouse.Avalueof0indicatesthatthefunctiongeneratorisconnectedtoahighimpedanceload.Frequency(Hz)—Specifiesthefrequencyatwhichyouwantthefunctiongeneratortoproduceonecycleofanarbitrarywaveform.
Trigger Containsthefollowingtriggeroptions:ChannelTriggering—Containsthefollowingchanneltriggeroptions:
Channels—Specifiesthephysicalchannelsthathaveatriggerassociatedwiththem.Eachchannelcanbetriggeredindependently.Type—Specifiesthetriggersourcetowhichyouwantthefunctiongeneratortorespond.ThedefaultisImmediate.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Immediate—Doesnotwaitforatriggerofanykind.Internal—Waitsforatriggerontheinternaltriggerinput.External—Waitsforatriggerontheexternaltriggerinput.SoftwareTriggerFunction—WaitsuntilthesoftwaretriggerbuttonspecifiedbytheSoftwaretriggersourceispressedonthetoolbar.Digital—Waitsforatriggeronadigitalinputspecifiedbythetriggersource.
Internaltriggerrate(trig/s)—Specifies
therateatwhichyouwanttheinternaltriggerrateofthefunctiongeneratortogeneratetriggersignals.Internaltriggerrate(trig/s)isavailableonlywhenyouselectInternalinType.Softwaretriggersource—[Type:Software]Specifiesthetriggersourcetowhichyouwanttheinstrumenttorespond.Toactivatethetrigger,clicktheassociatedtriggerbuttoninthetoolbar.Executionwaitsuntilyouclicktheassociatedtriggerbuttoninthetoolbar.Containsthefollowingoptions:
TriggerA—(Default)SpecifiesTriggerAasthetriggersource.TriggerB—SpecifiesTriggerBasthetriggersource.TriggerC—SpecifiesTriggerCasthetriggersource.
Source—[Type:Digital]Specifiesthetriggersourceyouwanttouse.Containsthefollowingoptions:
PXITRIG0orVXITTL0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG0line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL0line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG1orVXITTL1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG1line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL1line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG2orVXITTL2—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG2line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL2line(forVXIinstruments).
PXITRIG3orVXITTL3—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG3line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL3line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG4orVXITTL4—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG4line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL4line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG5orVXITTL5—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG5line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL5line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG6orVXITTL6—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG6line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL6line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG7orVXITTL7—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG7line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL7line(forVXIinstruments).ECL0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggerontheVXIECL0line.ECL1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggerontheVXIECL1line.PXIStar—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXISTARtriggerbus.RTSI0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline0.RTSI1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline1.RTSI2—Waitsuntilitreceivesa
triggeronRTSIline2.RTSI3—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline3.RTSI4—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline4.RTSI5—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline5.RTSI6—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline6.
Referenceclocksource—Specifiesthereferenceclocksourceyouwantthefunctiongeneratortouse.Thefunctiongeneratorderivesthefrequenciesandsampleratesthatitusestogeneratewaveformsfromthesourceyouspecify.OptionsincludeInternal,External,andRTSIClock.Forexample,whenyousetReferenceclocksourcetoExternal,thefunctiongeneratorusesthesignalitreceivesatitsexternalclockterminalasitsreferenceclock.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingexecutioncontroloptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhichthisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranother
step,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.
IVIPowerSupplyGeneratesavoltagelevelusinganinstrumentintheDCPowerSupplyIVIclass.Defaultvaluesarespecifictothehardwareanddriverspecified.Thedefaultsettingsmaynotbeapplicabletothemeasurementyouaretryingtoperform.ClicktheInitializebutton,locatedonthestep'stoolbar,atanytimetoresetthesteptothedefaultsettings.Tocommunicatewithaninstrument,youneedtoinstalltheinstrument-specificdriverandcreateasessionnamefortheinstrument.
Parameter DescriptionQuerydeviceformeasurement
Queriesthepowersupplyfortheactualcurrentandvoltagethedeviceisgenerating.
NoteWhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheQuerydeviceformeasurementcheckbox,theperformanceofthedevicedecreases.
VoltageDisplay
Displaysthevoltage(V)ofthepowersupply.
CurrentDisplay
Displaysthecurrent(A)ofthepowersupply.
Output Containsthefollowingoutputoptions:Exportover-voltagetripped—Exportswhethertheover-voltagewastrippedasaBooleanvalueintheProjectView.Exportover-currenttripped—Exportswhethertheover-currentwastrippedasaBooleanvalueintheProjectView.
Configuration Containsthefollowingpowersupplyconfigurationoptions:
Device—Containsthefollowingdeviceoptions:IVIsessionname—Specifiesthesessionnametouseforthisstep.ThisstepretrievespossiblesessionnamesfromNationalInstrumentsMeasurement&AutomationExplorer(MAX).Youalso
cancreateanewsessionoredit/deleteanexistingsession.Resourcedescriptor—Specifiestheinterfaceandtheaddressofthehardwaretoassociatewiththestep.Instrumentdriver—Displaysthenameofthedriverinuse.
ChannelConfiguration—Containsthefollowingchannelconfigurationoptions:
Channels—Specifiesthephysicalchannelsfromwhichtogeneratedata.Enablechannel—Specifieswhethertoenabledataacquisitionontheselectedchannel.Voltagelevel(V)—SpecifiestheDCvoltageyouwantthepowersupplytoattempttogenerate.OVPenabled—Specifieswhetheryouwanttouseanover-voltageprotectionlimit.PlaceacheckmarkinthischeckboxtoenabletheOVPlimit(V)field.OVPlimit(V)—Specifiestheover-voltageprotectionlimityouwanttouse.Specifyoutputrange—Selectthisoptiontodefineanoutputrangefortheoutputcurrentorvoltage.Rangetype—Specifiesthetypeofrangetoconfigure.Range(A)—Specifiestherangeinamperes.Range(V)—Specifiesthevalueoftheinputrangetheoscilloscopeusesforthechannel.Forexample,toacquireasinewavethatspans-5to5volts,enter10asthevalueofthisparameter.Currentlimitbehavior—Specifiesthe
behavioryouwantthepowersupplytoexhibitwhentheoutputcurrentisgreaterthanorequaltothevalueofCurrentlimit(A).OptionsincludeRegulateandTrip.Currentlimit(A)—Specifiesthecurrentlimityouwanttouse.
Trigger Containsthefollowingtriggeroptions:Triggergeneration—Specifieswhetheranychannelswaitfortriggers.Triggergenerationisdisabledbydefault.IfyoudonotenableTriggergeneration,thepowersupplygeneratesthecurrentandVoltagelevel(V)whenyouclicktheRunbutton.PlaceacheckmarkinthischeckboxtoenabletheChannelTriggeringoptionsandconfiguretriggers.ChannelTriggering—Containsthefollowingchanneltriggeroptions:
Channels—Specifiesthephysicalchannelsthathaveatriggerassociatedwiththem.Eachchannelcanbetriggeredindependently.Type—Specifiesthetriggersourcetowhichyouwantthepowersupplytorespond.ThedefaultisImmediate.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Immediate—Doesnotwaitforatriggerofanykind.External—Waitsforatriggerontheexternaltriggerinput.Software—Waitsuntilthesoftwaretriggerbuttonispressedfromthetoolbar,specifiedbythesoftwaretriggersource.Digital—Waitsforatriggeronadigitalinputspecifiedbythetriggersource.
Triggeredlevel(V)—SpecifiestheDCvoltagelevelyouwantthepowersupplytoattempttogenerateafteritreceivesatrigger.Triggeredcurrentlimit(A)—Specifiesthecurrentlimityouwantthepowersupplytouseafteritreceivesatrigger.Softwaretriggersource—Specifiesthesoftwaretriggersourcetowhichyouwanttheinstrumenttorespond.OptionsincludeTriggerA,TriggerB,andTriggerC.ThedefaultisTriggerA.SoftwaretriggersourceisavailableonlywhenyouselectSoftwareinType.Source—Specifiesthetriggersourceyouwanttouse.SourceisavailableonlywhenyouselectDigitalinType.Containsthefollowingoptions:
PXITRIG0orVXITTL0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG0line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL0line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG1orVXITTL1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG1line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL1line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG2orVXITTL2—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG2line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL2line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG3orVXITTL3—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG3line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL3line
(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG4orVXITTL4—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG4line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL4line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG5orVXITTL5—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG5line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL5line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG6orVXITTL6—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG6line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL6line(forVXIinstruments).PXITRIG7orVXITTL7—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXITRIG7line(forPXIinstruments)ortheVXITTL7line(forVXIinstruments).ECL0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggerontheVXIECL0line.ECL1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggerontheVXIECL1line.PXIStar—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronthePXISTARtriggerbus.RTSI0—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline0.RTSI1—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline1.RTSI2—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline2.RTSI3—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline3.RTSI4—Waitsuntilitreceivesa
triggeronRTSIline4.RTSI5—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline5.RTSI6—WaitsuntilitreceivesatriggeronRTSIline6.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingexecutioncontroloptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhichthisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.
CreateSignalsUsetheCreateSignalsstepstocreatedifferenttypesofstandardperiodicsignals,noise,multi-tone,orDCsignals.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
CreateAnalogSignalCreatesananalogsignal.Youcancreatevariousperiodicwaveformsignalsaswellasnoise,multi-tone,orDCsignals.Youalsocanuseaformulatodefineasignal.UseCreateAnalogSignaltocreatearbitrarysignals.Forexample,youcanuseCreateAnalogSignaltocreateasignaltouseasastimulusforahardwaredevice.CreateAnalogSignalcanrunincontinuoussignalmodeorrepeatedsignalmode,dependingonwhetheryouplaceacheckmarkintheRepeatedsignalcheckbox.Thedefaultiscontinuoussignalmode.Details
Parameter DescriptionOutputSignal Displaysthesignalthestepcreates.Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:
SignalCalculationSetup—Containsoptionsyoucanusetoconfigurehowthestepcalculatesthesignal.TheoptionsthatappearinthissectiondependontheSignaltypeyouspecify.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Signaltype—SpecifiesthetypeofsignalCreateAnalogSignalcreates.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
SineWave—(Default)Createsasinewavewithadefaultamplitudeandfrequencyof1.TriangleWave—Createsatrianglewavewithadefaultamplitudeandfrequencyof1.SquareWave—Createsasquarewavewithadefaultamplitudeandfrequencyof1.SawtoothWave—Createsasawtoothwavewithadefaultamplitudeandfrequencyof1.DCSignal—CreatesaDCsignalwithadefaultoffsetof0V.
NoiseSignal—Createsanoisesignalwithadefaultlevelof1.UsetheNoisetypefieldtospecifyGaussian,rectangular,ortriangularamplitudedistribution.Multi-tone—Createsamulti-tonesignalwithadefaultstartfrequencyandamplitudeof1andadefaultstopfrequencyof2.Multi-tonesignalsallowthefastandefficientstimulusofasystemacrossanarbitrarybandoffrequencies,andyoucanusethemtodeterminethefrequencyresponseofadevice.Formula—CreatesasignalaccordingtotheformulayouenterintheFormulafield.
Frequency(Hz)—[Signaltype:SineWave,TriangleWave,SquareWave,SawtoothWave,Formula]Specifiesthefrequencyofasine,triangle,square,orsawtoothwaveinhertzorthevalueoffifyouselecttheFormulasignaltype.Thedefaultis1.0kHz.Amplitude(V)—[Signaltype:SineWave,TriangleWave,SquareWave,SawtoothWave,Formula]Specifiestheamplitudeofasine,triangle,square,orsawtoothwaveorthevalueofaifyouselecttheFormulasignaltype.Thedefaultis1.0V.Phase(deg.)—[Signaltype:SineWave,TriangleWave,SquareWave,SawtoothWave]Specifiestheinitialphaseofasine,triangle,square,orsawtoothwaveindegrees.Thedefaultis0degrees.Offset(V)—SpecifiestheDCoffsetof
thesignal.Thedefaultis0V.Repeatedsignal—Specifiesifthecreatedsignalisrepeatedorcontinuous.Ifyouplaceacheckmarkinthischeckbox,CreateAnalogSignalcalculatesthesignalonlyduringthefirstiterationofthestepafteryouclicktheRunbuttonortheResetSignalbuttonandeachtimeyouchangeaconfigurationparameter.Thesignalthenrepeatswiththesametimestampandstartphase.Nperiods—[Signaltype:SineWave,TriangleWave,SquareWave,SawtoothWave]Forcesthenumberofperiodsinthesignaltobeaninteger.IfyouselectthisoptionandchangethevaluesofSamplerate(S/s)orBlocksize(samples),CreateAnalogSignalcoercesthevalueofFrequency(Hz)sothatthenumberofperiodsremainsaninteger.Dutycycle(%)—[Signaltype:SquareWave]Specifiesthepercentageofeachperiodasquarewaveremainshigh.Noisetype—[Signaltype:NoiseSignal]Specifiesthetypeofnoisetheprobabilitydensityfunctionrepresents.CreateAnalogSignaldefinestheNoisetypebythedistributionoffrequenciesthatappearonahistogramofthesignal.
White(Gaussian)—(Default)CreatesanoisesignalwithaGaussiandistributionoffrequencies.White(Rectangular)—Createsanoisesignalwitharectangulardistributionoffrequencies.
White(Triangular)—Createsanoisesignalwithatriangulardistributionoffrequencies.
Level(Vrms)—[Signaltype:NoiseSignal]Specifiesthenoiselevel.Thedefaultis1V_rms.ThisoptionisavailableonlywhenyouselectWhite(Gaussian)astheNoisetype.Startfreq.(Hz)—[Signaltype:Multi-tone]Specifiesthestartfrequencyofthemulti-tonesignal.ThisstepcoercesthestartfrequencytobeamultipleofthefrequencyresolutiondefinedbytheratiooftheSamplerate(S/s)dividedbytheBlocksize(samples).Stopfreq.(Hz)—[Signaltype:Multi-tone]Specifiesthestopfrequencyofthemulti-tonesignal.ThisstepcoercesthestopfrequencytoequalStartfreq.(Hz)+n*Stepfreq.(Hz),wherenisanintegernumber.Stepfreq.(Hz)—[Signaltype:Multi-tone]Specifiesthestepfrequencyofthemulti-tonesignal.ThisstepcoercesthestepfrequencytobeamultipleofthefrequencyresolutiondefinedbytheratiooftheSamplerate(S/s)dividedbytheBlocksize(samples).Formula—[Signaltype:Formula]Specifiestheformulastringthatdefinesthesignal.Thedefaultisa*sin(w*t).Youcanusethefollowingdefinedvariablenames:
f—FrequencyequaltotheFrequency(Hz)input.a—AmplitudeequaltotheAmplitude(V)input.
w—2*pi*f.n—Currentnumberofsamplesgenerated.t—Numberofelapsedseconds.fs—SamplingfrequencyequaltotheSamplerate(S/s).
SamplingConditions—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Samplerate(S/s)—Specifiesthesamplingrateofthesignalinsamplespersecond.Thedefaultis100kS/s.Blocksize(samples)—Specifiesthenumberofsamplesinthesignal.Thedefaultis1000samples.
OptionalOutputs—Containsthefollowingoption:
Exportcoercedvalues—Exportscoercedfrequencyvaluesasoutputscalarvalues.CreateAnalogSignalcancoercefrequencyvalueswhenyouselectaperiodicsignaltypeandyouplaceacheckmarkintheNperiodscheckbox,orwhenyouselectamulti-tonesignaltype.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingoption:Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.
CreateAnalogSignalDetailsIncontinuoussignalmode,thesignalthatCreateAnalogSignalcreatesateachiterationiscontiguoustothepreviousiteration.Theresultisasignalwithacontinuouslyincreasingtimestampandphasecontinuity.Youcanusethecontinuoussignalmodetocontinuouslygenerateasignalwitharbitraryfrequencyoranon-repetitivenoisesignalwithananalogoutputdeviceifthedevicesupportsupdatingtheoutputbufferwhilerunning.Inrepeatedsignalmode,thisstepcalculatesthesignalonlyduringthefirstiterationofthestepafteryouclicktheRunbuttonor,inLabVIEWSignalExpress,theResetSignalbuttonandeachtimeyouchangeaconfigurationparameter.Thesignalthenrepeatswiththesametimestampandstartphase.NationalInstrumentsrecommendsthatyouuserepeatedsignalmodeifyougeneratethesignalwithananalogoutputdevicethatdoesnotsupportupdatingtheoutputbufferwhilerunning,suchasthedevicesthatNI-FGENArbitraryWaveformsupports.SignalFrequencyCoercionIfyouselectastandardperiodicsignaltype,youcanplaceacheckmarkintheNperiodscheckboxtocoercethesignalfrequencyyouspecifysothatCreateAnalogSignalcreatesasignalwithanintegernumberofperiods.Theperiodsrepeatwithoutphasediscontinuities.IfyouplaceacheckmarkintheNperiodscheckbox,theactualcoercedvaluesoverwritetheinputvalueyoutype.Whenyouselectamulti-tonesignaltype,CreateAnalogSignalcoercestheStartfreq.(Hz),Stopfreq.(Hz),andStepfreq.(Hz)valuestocreatearepeatablesignal.PlaceacheckmarkintheExportcoercedvaluescheckboxtoexportcoercedfrequencyvaluesasanoutputofCreateAnalogSignal.
CreateDigitalSignalCreatesdifferenttypesofdigitalsignals.DependingontheoptionyouselectintheSignaltypepull-downmenu,thisstepcancreatearamp,marchingvalues,singlevalue,random,ortogglepattern.
Parameter DescriptionOutputSignal Displaysthesignalthestepcreates.Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:
Signaltype—Specifiesthetypeofdigitalwaveformtocreate.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Ramp—Createsadigitalwaveformthatcontainsabinarycount-uppatternthatstartsatzeroandcountsupbyoneuntilitreaches2n–1,wheren=Numberofsignals.MarchingValues—Createsadigitalwaveforminwhichabinaryvalueplacedonthefirstsignalofthefirstsampleislogicallyshiftedtothenextsignaloneachsubsequentsampleofthewaveform.TheHoldvaluefieldspecifiestheinitialvalue,andtheMarchingvaluefieldspecifieshowthevalueshiftsforsubsequentsamples.SingleValue—Createsadigitalwaveforminwhichallbitsaresetto0,1,Z,L,H,X,T,orV,dependingontheValueyouspecify.Random—Createsadigitalwaveformthatcontainsarandomdigitalpatternof0sand1s.Therandompatterngeneratedassumesnomathematicallydeterminablesequenceofvalues.Toggle—Createsadigitalwaveforminwhichtheevennumberedsamples
containbinaryvaluesyoudefineintheTogglevalue1fieldandtheoddnumberedsamplescontainbinaryvaluesyoudefineintheTogglevalue2field.
Holdvalue—Specifiesthebinaryvalueofthegenerateddigitalwaveform.ThisoptionisonlyavailablewhenyouselecttheMarchingValuesoptionfromtheSignaltypepull-downmenu.Marchingvalue—Specifiesthebinaryvaluethatmarchesacrossthesignalsofthegenerateddigitalwaveform.ThisoptionisonlyavailablewhenyouselecttheMarchingValuesoptionfromtheSignaltypepull-downmenu.Value—Specifiesthedigitalbitstateofthegenerateddigitalwaveform.ThisoptionisavailableonlywhenyouselecttheSignalValueoptionfromtheSignaltypepull-downmenu.Togglevalue1—Specifiesthefirstdigitalbitstateofthegenerateddigitalwaveform.ThisoptionisavailablewhenyouselecttheToggleoptionfromtheSignaltypepull-downmenu.Togglevalue2—Specifiestheseconddigitalbitstateofthegenerateddigitalwaveform.ThisoptionisavailablewhenyouselecttheToggleoptionfromtheSignaltypepull-downmenu.Createoneoutputpersignal—Specifieswhethertocreateanoutputgroupthatcontainsaseparatesignalforeachlineinthedigitalwaveform.Numberofsignals—Specifiesthenumberofsignalstoincludeinthegenerateddigitalwaveform.Blocksize(samples)—Specifiesthenumberofsamplesinthesignal.Thedefaultis1000samples.Samplerate(S/s)—Specifiesthesamplingrateofthesignalinsamplespersecond.Thedefault
is100kS/s.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingoption:Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.
SignalNames
Containsthefollowingoptions:Signalnamestable—Specifiescustomnamesforthedigitalsignalsthisstepcreates.Resettodefault—Resetsanymodifieddigitalsignalnamestoitsdefaultname.
Load/SaveSignalsUsetheLoad/SaveSignalsstepstoimportorexportdatafromASCIIandLVMfiles;andimportdatafromSPICEfiles.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
LoadfromASCII(FrequencyDomain)ImportsdatafromanASCIIfile.
Parameter DescriptionImportedSignal
DisplaysthesignalimportedfromanASCIIfile.
ParseFile Containsthefollowingoptions:Importfilepath—Specifiesthenameandlocationofthefileyouwanttoimport.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Filepreview—Displaysapreviewofthecontentsofthefiletohelpyoudeterminehowtoparsetheparameters.Bydefault,Filepreviewdisplaysthefirst50rowsfromthefile.IfyouincreasethevalueinStartrow,Filepreviewdisplays50rowsbeginningwiththerowyouspecifyinStartrow.Youcanresizethecolumnheadertoshowmoreorlessofthecolumn.FileParsingSettings—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Delimiter—Specifiesthedelimitertousetoseparatedata.ThedefaultisTab.ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).CustomDelimiter—Specifiesafiledelimiterotherthanataboracomma.ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).Startrow—Specifiestherowfromwhichtobegindisplayingdata.Thedefaultis1.
Endrow—Specifiesthelastrowtodisplaydata.Thedefaultis–1,whichspecifiestodisplayalldata.Signalnamesprecededatarow—Specifiesthatthefirstrowofthefilecontainsthesignalnames.Decimalpoint—Specifieswhichcharactertouseasthedecimalpoint.Thedefaultis.(dot).Domain—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignal.
ImportSignals
Containsthefollowingoptions:Signals—ListsthesignalsinthefileandspecifieswhichsignaltheImportedSignalgraphdisplays.Import—SpecifieswhethertoimporttheselectedsignalfromthefileyouspecifyinImportfilepath.IfyouplaceacheckmarkinoneoftheImportcheckboxes,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthatsignaltotheProjectView.YoucanthensendthatsignaltoanothersteporplotitontheDataView.ResamplingSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
NoteWhenyouselectaninputchannelasyourXvalueandspecifyyourowndf,LabVIEWSignalExpressresamplesthewaveformaccordingtothenewdfandbasedontheselectedXvalues.Thismaychangethenumberofdatapointsintheoutputwaveform.InputXvalues—SpecifiestheXdatatouseforresampling.OptionsincludeNone(default)orPointIndex.Interpolationmode—Specifiestheinterpolationmethod.OptionsincludeCoerce,Linear,orSpline.ThedefaultisCoerce.Userspecifieddf—Specifiestheinterval
sizethatrepresentsthesamplingstepsizetousetoobtaindata.Usesamedf—SpecifieswhethertousethesamedfforallSignals.Whenyouplaceacheckmarkinthischeckbox,LoadfromASCIIappliesthedfofthecurrentlyselectedsignaltoallSignals.SelectthisoptiontogrouptheimportedSignalsintooneoutput.SignalType—Definesthetypeoffrequencysignal.Optionsinclude:Magnitude-linear,Magnitude-dB,Phase-degrees,orPhase-radians.
LoadfromASCII(TimeDomain)ImportsdatafromanASCIIfile.
Parameter DescriptionImportedSignal
DisplaysthesignalimportedfromanASCIIfile.
ParseFile Containsthefollowingoptions:Importfilepath—Specifiesthenameandlocationofthefileyouwanttoimport.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Filepreview—Displaysapreviewofthecontentsofthefiletohelpyoudeterminehowtoparsetheparameters.Bydefault,Filepreviewdisplaysthefirst50rowsfromthefile.IfyouincreasethevalueinStartrow,Filepreviewdisplays50rowsbeginningwiththerowyouspecifyinStartrow.Youcanresizethecolumnheadertoshowmoreorlessofthecolumn.FileParsingSettings—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Delimiter—Specifiesthedelimitertousetoseparatedata.ThedefaultisTab.ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).CustomDelimiter—Specifiesafiledelimiterotherthanataboracomma.ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).Startrow—Specifiestherowfromwhichtobegindisplayingdata.Thedefaultis1.
Endrow—Specifiesthelastrowtodisplaydata.Thedefaultis–1,whichspecifiestodisplayalldata.Signalnamesprecededatarow—Specifiesthatthefirstrowofthefilecontainsthesignalnames.Decimalpoint—Specifieswhichcharactertouseasthedecimalpoint.Thedefaultis.(dot).Domain—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignal.
ImportSignals
Containsthefollowingoptions:Signals—ListsthesignalsinthefileandspecifieswhichsignaltheImportedSignalgraphdisplays.Import—SpecifieswhethertoimporttheselectedsignalfromthefileyouspecifyinImportfilepath.IfyouplaceacheckmarkinoneoftheImportcheckboxes,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthatsignaltotheProjectView.YoucanthensendthatsignaltoanothersteporplotitontheDataView.ResamplingSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
NoteWhenyouselectaninputchannelasyourXvalueandspecifyyourowndt,LabVIEWSignalExpressresamplesthewaveformaccordingtothenewdtandbasedontheselectedXvalues.Thismaychangethenumberofdatapointsintheoutputwaveform.InputXvalues—SpecifiestheXdatatouseforresampling.OptionsincludeNone(default)orPointIndex.Interpolationmode—Specifiestheinterpolationmethod.OptionsincludeCoerce,Linear,orSpline.ThedefaultisCoerce.Userspecifieddt—Specifiestheinterval
sizethatrepresentsthesamplingstepsizetousetoobtaindata.Usesamedt—IndicateswhethertousethesamedtforallSignals.Whenyouplaceacheckmarkinthischeckbox,LoadfromASCIIappliesthedtofthecurrentlyselectedsignaltoallSignals.SelectthisoptiontogrouptheimportedSignalsintooneoutput.
Yaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.Xaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.
LoadfromLVM(FrequencyDomain)Importsdatafromatext-basedmeasurementfile(.lvm).
Parameter DescriptionImportedSignal
Displaysthesignalimportedfromthe.lvmfile.
FileandSignalSelection
Containsthefollowingoptions:Importfilepath—Specifiesthenameandlocationofthefileyouwanttoimport.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Signals—ListsthesignalsinthefileandspecifieswhichsignaltheImportedSignalgraphdisplays.Import—SpecifieswhethertoimporttheselectedsignalfromthefileyouspecifyinImportfilepath.IfyouplaceacheckmarkinoneoftheImportcheckboxes,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthatsignaltotheProjectView.YoucanthensendthatsignaltoanothersteporplotitontheDataView.FileInformation—Containsthefollowingoptions:
ID—Containsthefollowingoptions:Project—Displaysthenameoftheprojectassociatedwiththisdataset.User—Displaystheidentityoftheuserwhosavedthisdata.Savedate—Indicatesthedatewhenthedatawassaved.Savetime—Indicatesthetimewhenthedatawassaved.
Notes—Specifiesmiscellaneousinformationrelatedtothesaveddata.
UUT—Containsthefollowingoptions:UUTnameordescription—Specifiesthenameand/ordescriptionoftheUnitUnderTest(UUT).Serialnumber—SpecifiestheserialnumberoftheUUT.Modelnumber—SpecifiesthemodelnumberoftheUUT.
Test—Specifiestestinginformationtoaddtotheheader.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Testnameordescription—Specifiesthenameand/ordescriptionofthetest.Series—Specifiesthetestseriesofthisdata.Numbers—Specifiesthenumbersinthetestseriestowhichthisdatacorresponds.
Waveform—Displaysinformationaboutthewaveform.
Waveformname—Specifiesthenameofthechannelyouselect.Waveformnotes—Specifiesmiscellaneousinformationassociatedwiththechannelyouselect.
Domain—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignal.ThedefaultisFrequencyWaveform.SignalType—Definesthetypeoffrequencysignal.Optionsinclude:Magnitude-linear,Magnitude-dB,Phase-degrees,orPhase-radians.
LoadfromLVM(TimeDomain)Importsdatafromatext-basedmeasurementfile(.lvm).
Parameter DescriptionImportedSignal
Displaysthesignalimportedfromthe.lvmfile.
FileandSignalSelection
Containsthefollowingoptions:Importfilepath—Specifiesthenameandlocationofthefileyouwanttoimport.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Signals—ListsthesignalsinthefileandspecifieswhichsignaltheImportedSignalgraphdisplays.Import—SpecifieswhethertoimporttheselectedsignalfromthefileyouspecifyinImportfilepath.IfyouplaceacheckmarkinoneoftheImportcheckboxes,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthatsignaltotheProjectView.YoucanthensendthatsignaltoanothersteporplotitontheDataView.FileInformation—Containsthefollowingoptions:
ID—Containsthefollowingoptions:Project—Displaysthenameoftheprojectassociatedwiththisdataset.User—Displaystheidentityoftheuserwhosavedthisdata.Savedate—Indicatesthedatewhenthedatawassaved.Savetime—Indicatesthetimewhenthedatawassaved.
Notes—Specifiesmiscellaneousinformationrelatedtothesaveddata.
UUT—Containsthefollowingoptions:UUTnameordescription—Specifiesthenameand/ordescriptionoftheUnitUnderTest(UUT).Serialnumber—SpecifiestheserialnumberoftheUUT.Modelnumber—SpecifiesthemodelnumberoftheUUT.
Test—Specifiestestinginformationtoaddtotheheader.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Testnameordescription—Specifiesthenameand/ordescriptionofthetest.Series—Specifiesthetestseriesofthisdata.Numbers—Specifiesthenumbersinthetestseriestowhichthisdatacorresponds.
Waveform—Displaysinformationaboutthewaveform.
Waveformname—Specifiesthenameofthechannelyouselect.Waveformnotes—Specifiesmiscellaneousinformationassociatedwiththechannelyouselect.
Domain—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignal.Yaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.Xaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociate
anyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.
LoadfromSPICE(FrequencyDomainXY)ImportsdatafromaSPICE,PSpice,orMultisimfile.SPICEisageneral-purposecircuitsimulationprogramfornonlinearDC,nonlineartransient,andlinearACanalyses.PSpiceisSPICEforWindowsandispartoftheOrCAD®productlinebyCadenceDesignSystemsInc.MultisimisanintegrateddesktopdesignentryandsimulationsystemfordesignengineerscreatedbyElectronicsWorkbench.
Parameter DescriptionImportedSignal
DisplaysthesignalyouimportedfromaSPICE,PSpice,orMultisimfile.
FileandSignalSelection
Containsthefollowingoptions:Simulationfiletype—Specifiesthetypeoffiletoimport.OptionsincludeSPICE,PSpice,andMultisim.ThedefaultisSPICE.Importfilepath—Specifiesthenameandlocationofthefileyouwanttoimport.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Signalsinfile—ListsthesignalsinthefileandspecifieswhichsignaltheImportedSignalgraphdisplays.Import—SpecifieswhethertoimporttheselectedsignalfromthefileyouspecifyinImportfilepath.IfyouplaceacheckmarkinoneoftheImportcheckboxes,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthatsignaltotheProjectView.YoucanthensendthatsignaltoanothersteporplotitontheDataView.SignalType—Definesthetypeoffrequencysignal.Optionsinclude:Magnitude-linear,Magnitude-dB,
Phase-degrees,orPhase-radians.Domain—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignal.ThedefaultisXYPairs-Frequency.Magnitude—SpecifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignalasLinearordB.Thisoptionisavailableonlywhenthefileyouimportcontainscomplexsignalsthatincluderealandimaginarycomponents.Phase—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignalasdegreesorradians.Thisoptionisavailableonlywhenthefileyouimportcontainscomplexsignalsthatincluderealandimaginarycomponents.
LoadfromSPICE(FrequencyDomain)ImportsdatafromaSPICE,PSpice,orMultisimfile.SPICEisageneral-purposecircuitsimulationprogramfornonlinearDC,nonlineartransient,andlinearACanalyses.PSpiceisSPICEforWindowsandispartoftheOrCAD®productlinebyCadenceDesignSystemsInc.MultisimisanintegrateddesktopdesignentryandsimulationsystemfordesignengineerscreatedbyElectronicsWorkbench.
Parameter DescriptionImportedSignal
DisplaysthesignalyouimportedfromaSPICE,PSpice,orMultisimfile.
FileandSignalSelection
Containsthefollowingoptions:Simulationfiletype—Specifiesthetypeoffiletoimport.OptionsincludeSPICE,PSpice,andMultisim.ThedefaultisSPICE.Importfilepath—Specifiesthenameandlocationofthefileyouwanttoimport.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Signalsinfile—ListsthesignalsinthefileandspecifieswhichsignaltheImportedSignalgraphdisplays.Import—SpecifieswhethertoimporttheselectedsignalfromthefileyouspecifyinImportfilepath.IfyouplaceacheckmarkinoneoftheImportcheckboxes,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthatsignaltotheProjectView.YoucanthensendthatsignaltoanothersteporplotitontheDataView.ResamplingSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Interpolationmode—Specifiesthe
interpolationmethod.OptionsincludeCoerce,Linear,orSpline.ThedefaultisCoerce.df—Specifiesthedf.Thedefaultis1.SignalType—Definesthetypeoffrequencysignal.Optionsinclude:Magnitude-linear,Magnitude-dB,Phase-degrees,orPhase-radians.Magnitude—SpecifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignalasLinearordB.Thisoptionisavailableonlywhenthefileyouimportcontainscomplexsignalsthatincluderealandimaginarycomponents.Phase—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignalasdegreesorradians.Thisoptionisavailableonlywhenthefileyouimportcontainscomplexsignalsthatincluderealandimaginarycomponents.
Domain—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignal.ThedefaultisFrequencyWaveform.
LoadfromSPICE(TimeDomainXY)ImportsdatafromaSPICE,PSpice,orMultisimfile.SPICEisageneral-purposecircuitsimulationprogramfornonlinearDC,nonlineartransient,andlinearACanalyses.PSpiceisSPICEforWindowsandispartoftheOrCAD®productlinebyCadenceDesignSystemsInc.MultisimisanintegrateddesktopdesignentryandsimulationsystemfordesignengineerscreatedbyElectronicsWorkbench.
Parameter DescriptionImportedSignal
DisplaysthesignalyouimportedfromaSPICE,PSpice,orMultisimfile.
FileandSignalSelection
Containsthefollowingoptions:Simulationfiletype—Specifiesthetypeoffiletoimport.OptionsincludeSPICE,PSpice,andMultisim.ThedefaultisSPICE.Importfilepath—Specifiesthenameandlocationofthefileyouwanttoimport.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Signalsinfile—ListsthesignalsinthefileandspecifieswhichsignaltheImportedSignalgraphdisplays.Import—SpecifieswhethertoimporttheselectedsignalfromthefileyouspecifyinImportfilepath.IfyouplaceacheckmarkinoneoftheImportcheckboxes,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthatsignaltotheProjectView.YoucanthensendthatsignaltoanothersteporplotitontheDataView.Domain—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignal.ThedefaultisXYPairs-Time.
Yaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.Xaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.
LoadfromSPICE(TimeDomain)ImportsdatafromaSPICE,PSpice,orMultisimfile.SPICEisageneral-purposecircuitsimulationprogramfornonlinearDC,nonlineartransient,andlinearACanalyses.PSpiceisSPICEforWindowsandispartoftheOrCAD®productlinebyCadenceDesignSystemsInc.MultisimisanintegrateddesktopdesignentryandsimulationsystemfordesignengineerscreatedbyElectronicsWorkbench.
Parameter DescriptionImportedSignal
DisplaysthesignalyouimportedfromaSPICE,PSpice,orMultisimfile.
FileandSignalSelection
Containsthefollowingoptions:Simulationfiletype—Specifiesthetypeoffiletoimport.OptionsincludeSPICE,PSpice,andMultisim.ThedefaultisSPICE.Importfilepath—Specifiesthenameandlocationofthefileyouwanttoimport.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Signalsinfile—ListsthesignalsinthefileandspecifieswhichsignaltheImportedSignalgraphdisplays.Import—SpecifieswhethertoimporttheselectedsignalfromthefileyouspecifyinImportfilepath.IfyouplaceacheckmarkinoneoftheImportcheckboxes,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthatsignaltotheProjectView.YoucanthensendthatsignaltoanothersteporplotitontheDataView.ResamplingSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Interpolationmode—Specifiesthe
interpolationmethod.OptionsincludeCoerce,Linear,orSpline.ThedefaultisCoerce.dt—Specifiesthedt.Thedefaultis1.Y-axis—Specifiestodisplaythey-axisaslinearordB.
Domain—Specifiesthedatatypeoftheoutputsignal.Yaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.Xaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.
SavetoASCII/LVMSavesasignaltoanASCIIfileoratext-basedmeasurementfile(.lvm).Becausethe.lvmfileformatisdesignedtoneveroverwritetheinitialheaderinformation,SavetoASCII/LVMonlywritestheheaderinformationtothe.lvmfilethefirsttimeyourun.Ifyourunagain,SavetoASCII/LVMdoesnotupdatetheheaderinformation,onlythesubheadinformation.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignals
Displaystheinputsignals.
Signals Containsthefollowingoptions:AddInput—Addsthesignalyouwanttowritetofile.Remove—Removesthehighlightedinput.Inputs—ListsthesignalstowritetotheASCIIfileorthetext-basedmeasurementfile(.lvm).InputData—Specifiesthesignalyouwanttosavetothefile.
FileSettings
Containsthefollowingoptions:Exportfilepath—Specifiesthelocationwhereyouwanttosavethefile.Youcanspecifyanabsoluteorrelativepathtothefile.Ifyouspecifyanabsolutepath,thisstepsavesthepathwiththeproject.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyoudonotsavetheproject,thisstepassumesthepathisrelativetotheMyDocumentsfolder.Ifyouspecifyarelativepathandyousavetheproject,thepathisrelativetothelocationwhereyousavetheproject.Iffilealreadyexists—SpecifieshowLabVIEWSignalExpresssavesdatatoanexistingfile.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Overwrite—Replacesdataintheexistingfile.Overwriteonce,thenappendtofile—Overwritesthefileonceandthenappendstoinformationtotheendoftheexistingfile.
Overwriteandbackupprevious—Performsabackupofthefileandreplacesdataintheexistingfile.Appendtofile—Appendsthedatatotheexistingfile.Nextavailablefilename—Appendsthenextsequentialnumbertothefilename.Forexample,iftest.lvmexists,LabVIEWSignalExpresssavesthefileastest1.lvm.
Exportfiletype—Specifiesinwhichfileformattosavethefile.Optionsincludetext-basedmeasurementfile(.lvm)orGenericASCII.Thedefaultistext-basedmeasurementfile(.lvm).IfyouselectGenericASCII,youalsocansaveas.csvor.txt.A.lvmfileformatcontainsheaderinformationandsignaldata.AnASCIIfileformatcontainsonlysignaldata.BothfileformatsareASCII.YoucanusetheLoadfromLVMorLoadfromASCIIstepstoloadthesefilesintoLabVIEWSignalExpress.LVMFileAnnotations—Containsthefollowingoptions:
ID—Containsthefollowingoptions:Project—Displaysthenameoftheprojectassociatedwiththisdataset.User—Displaystheidentityoftheuserwhosavedthisdata.
Notes—Specifiesmiscellaneousinformationassociatedwiththechannelyouselect.UUT—Containsthefollowingoptions:
UUTnameordescription—Specifiesthenameand/ordescriptionoftheUnitUnderTest(UUT).Serialnumber—SpecifiestheserialnumberoftheUUT.Modelnumber—SpecifiesthemodelnumberoftheUUT.
Test—Specifiestestinginformationtoaddtotheheader.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Testnameordescription—Specifiesthenameand/ordescriptionofthetest.Series—Specifiesthetestseriesofthisdata.Numbers—Specifiesthenumbersinthetestseriestowhichthisdatacorresponds.
Waveform—Displaysinformationaboutthewaveform.
Waveformname—Specifiesthenameofthechannelyouselect.Waveformnotes—Specifiesmiscellaneousinformationassociatedwiththechannelyouselect.
Delimiter—Specifiesthedelimitertousetoseparatedata.ThedefaultisTab.ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).CustomDelimiter—Specifiesafiledelimiterotherthanataboracomma.ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).IncludeSignalNames—IncludesthenamesofthesignalsintheASCIIfile.ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).XValueColumns—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Onecolumnperchannel—Createsaseparatecolumnfortimedataeachchannelgenerates.Thisoptionincludesacolumnofvaluesfromthex-axisforeverycolumnofvaluesfromthey-axis.Onecolumnonly—Createsonlyonecolumnforthetimedatathechannelsgenerate.Thisoptionincludesonlyonecolumnofvaluesfromthex-axis.
Emptytimecolumn—Createsanemptycolumnforthetimedataeachchannelgenerates.Thisoptiondoesnotincludethedatafromthex-axis.
ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).TimeAxisPreference—Containsthefollowingoptions:
AbsoluteTime—Displaysthetimeelapsedsince12:00a.m.,Friday,January1,1904,UniversalTime.RelativeTime—Displaysthetimeinmillisecondsstartingfrom0.
ThisoptionappearsonlyifyousetExportfiletypetoGenericASCII(.txt).
ProcessingUsetheProcessingstepstofilter,scale,resample,andaveragesignals;applywindowingandperformarithmeticoperations;and,interactivelyaligntwosignals.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
FilterFiltersatimesignalusinganinfiniteimpulseresponse(IIR)orfiniteimpulseresponse(FIR)filter.Usethissteptoremoveorattenuateunwantedfrequenciesfromasignalusingvariousstandardfiltertypesandtopologies.InLabVIEWSignalExpress,theFilterstepfilterstheinputsignalcontinuously.Thestepresetsthesignaltoitsoriginalvaluethefirsttimethestepruns,ifLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectsadiscontinuityintheinputsignal,orifyoupresstheResetFilterbutton.InLabVIEW,theFilterExpressVIfilterstheinputsignalcontinuously.TheExpressVIresetsthesignaltoitsoriginalvaluethefirsttimetheExpressVIruns,ifLabVIEWdetectsadiscontinuityintheinputsignal,oriftheresetinputreceivesaTRUEvalue.Details
Parameter DescriptionInputSignals Displaystheinputsignaltofilter.Autoscaleamplitude
Autoscalesthepreviewgraphalongthey-axis.Thedefaultistoautoscaletheamplitude.
Displayedsignal
Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
OutputSignals
Displaysthefilteredsignal.
Autoscaleamplitude
Autoscalesthepreviewgraphalongthey-axis.Thedefaultistoautoscaletheamplitude.
Input ThefollowingoptionappliestotheLabVIEWSignalExpressstep:
Inputsignal—Specifiestheinputsignaltofilter.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoption:
FilterSpecifications—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Mode—Specifiesthemodeoffiltertouse.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
IIRfilter—SpecifiesanIIRfilter,whichisarecursivedigitalfilterwithinfiniteimpulseresponse.IIRfiltersoperateoncurrentandpastinputvaluesandcurrentandpastoutputvalues.IIRfilterscanachievethesamelevelofattenuationasFIRfiltersbutwithfewercoefficients.Forthisreason,IIRfilterscanbefasterandmoreefficientthanFIRfilters.FIRfilter—SpecifiesanFIRfilter,whichisadigitalfilterwithfiniteimpulseresponse.FIRfiltersoperateonlyoncurrentandpastinputvalues.BecauseanFIRfilterdoesnotdependonpastoutputs,theimpulseresponsedecaystozeroinafiniteamountoftime.UseFIRfiltersforapplicationsthatrequirelinearphaseresponses.
Type—Specifiesthetypeoffiltertouse.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Lowpass—(Default)Passeslowfrequenciesandattenuateshighfrequencies.Highpass—Passeshighfrequenciesandattenuateslowfrequencies.
Bandpass—Passesacertainbandoffrequencies.UsetheLowcutoff(Hz)andtheHighcutoff(Hz)fieldstospecifytheband.Bandstop—Attenuatesacertainbandoffrequencies.UsetheLowcutoff(Hz)andtheHighcutoff(Hz)fieldstospecifytheband.
Topology—[Mode:IIRFilter]SpecifiesthedesigntypeofanIIRfilter.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Off—Doesnotfilterthesignal.Butterworth—(Default)AppliesaButterworthfiltertothesignal.Butterworthfiltershaveasmooth,monotonicallydecreasingfrequencyresponse.Chebyshev—AppliesaChebyshevfiltertothesignal.ChebyshevfilterscanachieveasharpertransitionbetweenthepassbandandthestopbandwithalowerorderfilterthanButterworthfilters.InverseChebyshev—AppliesanInverseChebyshevfiltertothesignal.InverseChebyshevfiltersaresimilartoChebyshevfilters,buttheydistributetheerroroverthestopbandinsteadofthepassbandandaremaximallyflatinthepassbandinsteadofthestopband.Elliptic—AppliesanEllipticfiltertothesignal.Ellipticfilters
minimizethepeakerrorbydistributingitoverthepassbandandthestopband.Ellipticfiltersprovidethesharpesttransitionbetweenthepassbandandthestopband.Bessel—AppliesaBesselfiltertothesignal.Besselfiltershavemaximallyflatresponseinbothmagnitudeandphase.YoucanuseBesselfilterstoreducenonlinearphasedistortioninherentinallIIRfilters.
Order—[Mode:IIRfilter]DeterminestheorderofanIIRfilter,whichmustbegreaterthanzero.Thedefaultis2.IncreasingthevalueofOrdercausesthetransitionbetweenthepassbandandthestopbandtobecomesteeper.However,asthevalueofOrderincreases,theprocessingspeedbecomesslower,andthenumberofdistortedpointsatthestartofthesignalincreases.Numberoftaps—[Mode:FIRfilter]SpecifiesthetotalnumberofFIRcoefficients,whichmustbegreaterthanzero.Thedefaultis49.Increasingthevalueoftapscausesthetransitionbetweenthepassbandandthestopbandtobecomesteeper.However,asthevalueofNumberoftapsincreases,theprocessingspeedbecomesslower.Cutoff(Hz)—[Type:Lowpass,Highpass]SpecifiesthecutofffrequencyofthefilterwhenyouselectaLowpassorHighpassfiltertype.Thedefaultis100Hz.Lowcutoff(Hz)—[Type:Bandpass,
Bandstop]SpecifiesthelowercutofffrequencywhenyouselectaBandpassorBandstopfiltertype.Thedefaultis100Hz.Highcutoff(Hz)—[Type:Bandpass,Bandstop]SpecifiesthehighercutofffrequencywhenyouselectaBandpassorBandstopfiltertype.Highcutoff(Hz)mustbegreaterthanLowcutoff(Hz)andobservetheNyquistcriterion.Thedefaultis200Hz.FilterMagnitudeResponse(dB)—Displaysthemagnituderesponseofthefilteryouspecify.
FilterDetailsThebestfilterMode,Type,andTopologytousedependsontheanalysisyouwanttoperform.Usethefollowingillustrationasaguidelineforselectingtheappropriatefilterforananalysisproject:
ScalingandConversion(TimeDomain)Performsgainandoffsetscalingonatimesignal,gainscalingonafrequency-domainmagnitudesignal,ortime-delaycorrectiononafrequency-domainphasesignal.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputtimesignaltobescaled.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
ScaledSignal Displaysthescaledtimesignal.Input Containsthefollowingoption:
Inputsignal—Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoption:OperationSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Pre-gainoffset—Specifiestheamountofoffsettoaddtothesignalbeforegain.Thedefaultis0.Gain—Specifiesthemultiplicationfactortoapplytothetimesignal.Thedefaultis1.Post-gainoffset—Specifiestheamountofoffsettoaddtothesignalaftergain.Thedefaultis0.Equivalentdiagram—DisplaystheLabVIEWequivalentblockdiagramofthescalingoperationyouselect.
ScalingandConversion(FrequencyDomain)Performsgainandoffsetscalingonatimesignal,gainscalingonafrequency-domainmagnitudesignal,ortime-delaycorrectiononafrequency-domainphasesignal.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputsignal.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
ScaledSignal Displaysthescaledsignal.Input Containsthefollowingoption:
Inputsignal—Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoption:OperationSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Gain—Specifiesthegaintoapplytothesignal.Gainrepresentation—Specifiesifthegainvalueisrepresentedindecibels.Equivalentdiagram—DisplaystheLabVIEWequivalentblockdiagramofthescalingoperationyouselect.Correctiondelay—Specifiesthedelayvaluetousetocorrectthephasesignal.Outputindegrees—Specifiesifthescaledphasesignalisrepresentedinradianorindegrees.Unwrapphase—Specifiesifthephase
SubsetandResample(FrequencyDomain)ExtractsasubsetofaninputsignalusingtheStartfrequencyandSubsetlengthyouspecifyorresamplesaninputsignalusingthefrequencyinterval(df)youspecify.Ifyouspecifyalargerdf,SubsetandResampledownsamplesthesignal.Ifyouspecifyasmallerdf,SubsetandResampleupsamplesthesignal.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputfrequency-domainsignaltobescaled.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
ProcessedSignal
Displaystheprocessedsignal.
Input Containsthefollowingoption:Inputsignal—Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:SubsetSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Extractsubset—SpecifieswhethertoextractafrequencysubsetofthesignalusingtheStartfrequencyandSubsetlengthyouspecify.Startfrequency—Specifiesthestartfrequencyofthesubsetsignal.Subsetlength—Specifiesthefrequencyspanofthesubsetsignal.
ResamplingSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Resample—Resamplestheentiresignal
orsubsetyouselect.Unwrapphase—Specifiesifthephaseoftheoutputsignalisunwrapped.Openinterval—Specifiesifthesubsetisanopenorclosedinterval.Forexample,ifaninputwaveformcontains3dataelementsatt={0,dt,2dt},anopenintervaldefinesthewaveformasextendingoverthetimeinterval0≤t<2dt,andaclosedintervaldefinesthewaveformasextendingoverthetimeinterval0≤t<3dt.Placeacheckmarkinthischeckboxtospecifyanopeninterval.Interpolationtype—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Coerce—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetoequaltheinputsamplevaluethatisclosesttoitinfrequency.Linear—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetobealinearinterpolationbetweenthetwoinputsamplesthatareclosesttoitinfrequency.Spline—Usesthesplineinterpolationalgorithmtocomputetheresampledvalues.Filterbased—Usesaninterpolationmethodbasedontheconvolutionofthesignalwithafiniteimpulseresponse(FIR)filter.
df—Specifiesthefrequencyresolutionoftheresampledfrequency-domainsignal.Thedefaultis0.
FilterSetup AvailablewhenyouselectFilterbasedfromInterpolationtype.Containsthefollowingoption:
FIRFilterSpecification—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Normalizedbandwidth—Thenormalizedcut-offfrequencyoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis0.4000.Aliasrejection(dB)—TheminimumstopbandattenuationoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis80dB.
SubsetandResample(TimeDomain)ExtractsasubsetofaninputsignalusingtheStartpositionandSubsetlengthyouspecifyorresamplesaninputsignalusingthetimeinterval(dt)youspecify.Ifyouspecifyalargerdt,SubsetandResampledownsamplesthesignal.Ifyouspecifyasmallerdt,SubsetandResampleupsamplesthesignal.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputsignal.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
ProcessedSignal
Displaystheprocessedsignal.
Input/Output Containsthefollowingoptions:Input—Containsthefollowingoption:
Inputsignal—Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
Output—Containsthefollowingoptions:Exportpre-subsetsignal—AddsthesignalthatprecedesthesubsetasanoutputofSubsetandResample.Exportpost-subsetsignal—AddsthesignalthatfollowsthesubsetasanoutputofSubsetandResample.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:SubsetSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Extractsubset—SpecifieswhethertoextractatimesubsetoftheinputsignalusingtheStartpositionandSubset
lengthyouspecify.Relativetime—SpecifiesiftheStartpositionvalueisanabsolutetimestampvalueoratimeoffsetrelativetothefirstsampleoftheinputsignal.Startposition—Specifiesthestartpositionofthesubsetsignal.Subsetlength—Specifiesthetimespanofthesubsetsignal.
ResamplingSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Resample—Resamplestheentiresignalorsubsetyouselect.Optim.forsinglerecord—Optimizestheresamplingoperationforasinglerecord.Ifyouremovethecheckmarkfromthischeckbox,theresamplingprocessassumesthatthesignalsarecontinuousuntilyouresetthesignals.Openinterval—Specifiesifthesubsetisanopenorclosedinterval.Forexample,ifaninputwaveformcontains3dataelementsatt={0,dt,2dt},anopenintervaldefinesthewaveformasextendingoverthetimeinterval0≤t<2dt,andaclosedintervaldefinesthewaveformasextendingoverthetimeinterval0≤t<3dt.Placeacheckmarkinthischeckboxtospecifyanopeninterval.Interpolationtype—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Coerce—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetoequaltheinputsamplevaluethatisclosesttoitintime.Linear—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetobealinear
interpolationbetweenthetwoinputsamplesthatareclosesttoitintime.Spline—Usesthesplineinterpolationalgorithmtocomputetheresampledvalues.Filterbased—Usesaninterpolationmethodbasedontheconvolutionofthesignalwithafiniteimpulseresponse(FIR)filter.
dt—Specifiesthetimeresolutionoftheresampledtime-domainsignal.Thedefaultis0.
FilterSetup AvailablewhenyouselectFilterbasedfromInterpolationtype.Containsthefollowingoption:
FIRFilterSpecification—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Normalizedbandwidth—Thenormalizedcut-offfrequencyoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis0.4000.Aliasrejection(dB)—TheminimumstopbandattenuationoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis80dB.
TimeAveragingPerformstimeaveragingonatimesignalorscalarinput.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputsignal.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
Autoscaleamplitude
Autoscalesthepreviewgraphalongthey-axis.Thedefaultistoautoscaletheamplitude.
AveragedSignal
Displaystheaveragedtimesignal.
Autoscaleamplitude
Autoscaleamplitude—Autoscalesthepreviewgraphalongthey-axis.Thedefaultistoautoscaletheamplitude.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:Inputsignal—Specifiestheinputsignalforthestep.AveragingConfiguration—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Weightingmode—Specifiesalinearorexponentialweightingmodeforthetimeaveragingoperation.ThedefaultisExponential.Numberofavg.—Specifiesthenumberofaveragestousefortimeaveraging.Averagingmode—Setstheaveragingmode.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Runningavg.—Specifiestocalculatearunningaverageofall
inputsignalsforthedurationoftheoperation.
Blockavg.(auto-restart)—RestartstheaveragingprocessassoonasAvg.count.reachesthevalueyouspecifyinNumberofavg.
Status—Containsthefollowingoptions:Dataready—Indicateswhentheaveragingprocessisdoneandtheaverageddataareready.Avg.counter—Displaystheaveragingprogress.
AdvancedMeasurementSetup
Containsthefollowingoption:Onlyreturndatawhenready—SpecifiestoonlyreturnanaveragedsignalwhenLabVIEWSignalExpresshasprocessedthenumberofsignalsspecifiedintheNumberofavg.field.
WindowAppliesthewindowyouselecttothetime-domainsignal.
Parameter DescriptionInputandOutputSignals
Displaystheinputsignalandthewindowedsignal.Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
Inputsignal
Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
WindowSetup
Containsthefollowingoption:Window—Specifiesthewindowtoapplytotheinputsignal.OptionsincludeNone,Hanning,Hamming,Blackman-Harris,ExactBlackman,Blackman,FlatTop,4TermB-Harris,7TermB-Harris,LowSidelobe,andGaussian.ThedefaultisNone.
WindowInformation
Containsthefollowingresults:Coherentgain—Indicatesthecoherentgainofthewindowyouselect.Eq.noisebandwidth—Indicatestheequivalentnoisebandwidthofthewindowyouselect.
Arithmetic(FrequencyDomain)Performsarithmeticoperationsontwosignals.Theavailableoperationschangedependingonthetypeoftheinputsignalsyouselect.Toselectthecorrecttypeofoperation,selectthefirstsignaltoprocessfromtheInputsignal1pull-downmenu.TheInputsignal2pull-downmenudisplaysonlythelistofcompatiblesignals,andthestepdisplaystheavailableoperations.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignals Displaysthetwoinputsignals.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
ResultingSignal
Displaysthesignalthatresultsfromthearithmeticoperation.
Input Containsthefollowingoptions:Inputsignal1—Specifiesthefirstinputsignal.Inputsignal2—Specifiesthesecondinputsignal.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoption:OperationSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Operation—Specifiestoadd,subtract,multiply,ordividethesignalsafteralignment.TheResultingSignalgraphdisplaystheresultoftheoperation.ThedefaultisSubtract.Outputunit—Specifiestorepresenttheresultofamagnitudeoperationindecibelsortorepresenttheresultofa
phaseoperationindegreesorradians.Interpolateifneeded—Resamplesthesignalstoalignthefrequencybins.Interpolationtype—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Coerce—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetoequaltheinputsamplevaluethatisclosesttoitinfrequency.Linear—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetobealinearinterpolationbetweenthetwoinputsamplesthatareclosesttoitinfrequency.Spline—Usesthesplineinterpolationalgorithmtocomputetheresampledvalues.Filterbased—Usesaninterpolationmethodbasedontheconvolutionofthesignalwithafiniteimpulseresponse(FIR)filter.
Resultinginterval—SpecifiesiftheresultingsignalcoverstheCommonorGlobalfrequencyspanofthesignals.ThedefaultisGlobal.
FilterSetup AvailablewhenyouselectFilterbasedfromInterpolationtype.Containsthefollowingoption:
FIRFilterSpecification—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Normalizedbandwidth—Thenormalizedcut-offfrequencyoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis0.4000.Aliasrejection(dB)—TheminimumstopbandattenuationoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis80dB.
Arithmetic(TimeDomain)Performsarithmeticoperationsontwosignals.Theavailableoperationschangedependingonthetypeoftheinputsignalsyouselect.Toselectthecorrecttypeofoperation,selectthefirstsignaltoprocessfromtheInputsignal1pull-downmenu.TheInputsignal2pull-downmenudisplaysonlythelistofcompatiblesignals,andthestepdisplaystheavailableoperations.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignals Displaysthetwoinputsignals.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
ResultingSignal
Displaysthesignalthatresultsfromthearithmeticoperation.
Input Containsthefollowingoptions:Inputsignal1—Specifiesthefirstinputsignal.Inputsignal2—Specifiesthesecondinputsignal.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoption:OperationSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Operation—Specifiestoadd,subtract,multiply,ordividethesignalsorcomputetheRMSsumofthesignals.Thedefaultistoaddthesignals.Ignoretimestamp—Ignoreseventualdifferencesintimestampsbyforcingthesecondsignaltimestamptobeequaltothefirstsignaltimestamp.
Interpolateifneeded—Resamplesthesignalstoalignthesamples.Optimizedforsinglerecord—OptimizestheresamplingoperationforexecutingArithmeticonce.PlaceacheckmarkinthischeckboxtospeedexecutionwhenArithmeticrunsonce.Interpolationtype—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Coerce—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetoequaltheinputsamplevaluethatisclosesttoitintime.Linear—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetobealinearinterpolationbetweenthetwoinputsamplesthatareclosesttoitintime.Spline—Usesthesplineinterpolationalgorithmtocomputetheresampledvalues.Filterbased—Usesaninterpolationmethodbasedontheconvolutionofthesignalwithafiniteimpulseresponse(FIR)filter.
Resultinginterval—SpecifiesiftheresultingsignalcoverstheCommonorGlobaltimeintervalofthesignals.
FilterSetup AvailablewhenyouselectFilterbasedfromInterpolationtype.Containsthefollowingoption:
FIRFilterSpecification—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Normalizedbandwidth—Thenormalizedcut-offfrequencyoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis0.4000.
FormulaPerformsmathoperationsonuptofourinputvariables.Bydefault,Formulaprocessesonlyonevariable,butyoucanplacecheckmarksintheEnablecheckboxestoenablemorevariables.EnteraformulaintheFormulafieldusingthevariablenamesyouspecifyintheAliasfieldstorepresenttheInputvariablevalues.YoucanusetimewaveformorscalarvaluesfortheInputvariablevalues.IfyouapplytheFormulatomultipletimewaveforms,thewaveformsmustbethesamesizeorFormulareturnsanerror.IfalltheInputvariablevaluesaretimewaveforms,Formulareturnsatimewaveform.IfalltheInputvariablevaluesarescalarvalues,Formulareturnsascalarvalue.IftheInputvariablevaluesareamixoftimewaveformsandscalarvalues,Formulareturnsatimewaveform.Details
Parameter DescriptionInputandOutputWaveforms
DisplaysthewaveformsyouspecifyintheInputvariablefieldsandtheprocesseddatathatFormulareturnsafteryouapplytheFormulatothewaveforms.ThisgraphappearsonlywhenyouselectawaveformasanInputvariable.
InputandOutputScalars
DisplaysthescalarvaluesyouspecifyintheInputvariablefieldsandtheprocesseddatathatFormulareturnswhenyouapplytheFormulatothevalues.ThischartappearsonlywhenyouselectascalarvalueasanInputvariable.
Inputvariable0
Specifiesthefirstvariabletouse.
Alias0 Specifiesanaliasnameforthefirstvariable.Enable1 Enablesasecondvariable.Inputvariable1
Selectsthesecondvariabletouse.
Alias1 Specifiesanaliasnameforthesecondvariable.Enable2 Enablesathirdvariable.Input Selectsthethirdvariabletouse.
variable2Alias2 Specifiesanaliasnameforthethirdvariable.Enable3 Enablesafourthvariable.Inputvariable3
Selectsthefourthvariabletouse.
Alias3 Specifiesanaliasnameforthefourthvariable.OperationSetup
Containsthefollowingoptions:Formula—Specifiestheformulaforthecomputation.Valid—Reportsiftheformulaisvalidorinvalid.Ignoretimestamps—Specifiestoignoretimestampsoninputvariablesthataretimewaveforms.PlaceacheckmarkinthischeckboxtousetimewaveformsintheFormulathathavedifferenttimestamps.
FormulaDetailsIfyouspecifymultiplewaveformsfortheInputvariablevalues,LabVIEWSignalExpressappliestheFormulatoeachsampleofthewaveforms,whichiswhymultiplewaveformsmustbethesamesize.IfyouspecifyamixofwaveformsandscalarvaluesfortheInputvariablevalues,LabVIEWSignalExpressappliestheFormulatothescalarvalueandeachsampleofthewaveform.Forexample,ifyouspecifyaFormulathatmultipliesawaveformandascalarvalue,LabVIEWSignalExpressmultiplieseachsampleofthewaveformbythescalarvalue.ThefollowingtabledisplaysthemathfunctionsFormulasupports.
Function Descriptionabs(x) Returnstheabsolutevalueofx.acos(x) Computestheinversecosineofxinradians.acosh(x) Computestheinversehyperboliccosineofx.asin(x) Computestheinversesineofxinradians.asinh(x) Computestheinversehyperbolicsineofx.atan(x) Computestheinversetangentofxinradians.atanh(x) Computestheinversehyperbolictangentofx.ceil(x) Roundsxtothenexthigherinteger(smallestinteger≤x).ci(x) Evaluatesthecosineintegralforanyrealnonnegative
numberx.cos(x) Computesthecosineofx,wherexisinradians.cosh(x) Computesthehyperboliccosineofx.cot(x) Computesthecotangentofx(1/tan(x)),wherexisinradians.csc(x) Computesthecosecantofx(1/sin(x)),wherexisinradians.exp(x) Computesthevalueoferaisedtothexpower.expm1(x) Computesonelessthanthevalueoferaisedtothexpower
((e^x)–1).floor(x) Truncatesxtothenextlowerinteger(largestinteger≤x).getexp(x) Returnstheexponentofx.gamma(x) Evaluatesthegammafunctionorincompletegammafunction
forx.getman(x) Returnsthemantissaofx.int(x) Roundsxtothenearestinteger.intrz(x) Roundsxtothenearestintegerbetweenxandzero.ln(x) Computesthenaturallogarithmofx(tothebaseofe).lnp1(x) Computesthenaturallogarithmof(x+1).log(x) Computesthelogarithmofx(tothebaseof10).log2(x) Computesthelogarithmofx(tothebaseof2).rand() Producesafloating-pointnumberbetween0and1
exclusively.si(x) Evaluatesthesineintegralforanrealnumberx.sec(x) Computesthesecantofx,wherexisinradians(1/cos(x)).sign(x) Returns1ifxisgreaterthan0,returns0ifxisequalto0,
andreturns–1ifxislessthan0.sin(x) Computesthesineofx,wherexisinradians.sinc(x) Computesthesineofxdividedbyx(sin(x)/x),wherexisin
radians.sinh(x) Computesthehyperbolicsinceofx.spike(x) Generatesthespikefunctionforanyrealnumberx.sqrt(x) Computesthesquarerootofx.step(x) Generatesthestepfunctionforanyrealnumberx.tan(x) Computesthetangentofx,wherexisinradians.tanh(x) Computesthehyperbolictangentofx.
InteractiveAlignmentAlignstwoplotssoyoucancomparethem.YoucanaligntheTestsignalinsignalwiththeRef.signalinsignalmanuallybydraggingand/orexpandingtheTestplotonthegraphorbyusingalgorithmstoautomaticallyalignsteps,pulses,orperiodicparameters.Details
Parameter DescriptionInputSignals
Displaysthetwosignalstoalign.
AutoscaleY(x)
Adjuststheverticalscaletoreflectthedatafromtheinputsignals.
ComparisonResultSignal
DisplaysthecomparisonsignalthatresultsfromtheoperationyouspecifiedwithOperationintheResamplingandComparisonSetupsectionoftheResamplingpage.
AutoscaleComparisonSignal
Adjuststheverticalscaletoreflecttheresultoftheoperationonthetwoalignedsignals.
Autoscalex Adjuststhetimescaletoreflectthedatatodisplay.Input/Output Containsthefollowingoptions:
Ref.signalin—Specifiesthereferenceinputsignal.Testsignalin—Specifiesthetestinputsignaltoalignwiththereferencesignal.Exportalignedsignals—ExportstheRef.signalinandTestsignalinsignalstotheProjectView.TheInteractiveAlignmentstepresamplestheTestsignalintomatchtheRef.signalintimingparameters.Exportx-offsetresult—Exportsthex-offsetvaluetheGeometryParameterssectionoftheAlignmentpagedisplaystotheProjectView.Exporty-offsetresult—Exportsthey-offsetvaluetheGeometryParameterssectionofthe
AlignmentpagedisplaystotheProjectView.Exportx-gainresult—Exportsthex-gainvaluetheGeometryParameterssectionoftheAlignmentpagedisplaystotheProjectView.Exporty-gainresult—Exportsthey-gainvaluetheGeometryParameterssectionoftheAlignmentpagedisplaystotheProjectView.
Alignment Containsthefollowingoptions:GeometryParameters—Containsthefollowingoptions:
x-offset—Setsorreturnsthetimeshift(offset)ofthealignmentoperation.y-offset—Setsorreturnstheamplitudeoffsetofthealignmentoperation.x-gain—Setsorreturnsthetimestretch(gain)ofthealignmentoperation.y-gain—Setsorreturnstheamplitudegainofthealignmentoperation.Ignorex0—Forcesthetimestampvalueofthetestsignaltoequalthetimestampvalueofthereferencesignal.Allowx-offset—Allowsmanualtimeshift(offset)ofthetestsignal.Allowy-offset—Allowsmanualamplitudeoffsetofthetestsignal.Allowx-gain—Allowsmanualtimestretch(gain)ofthetestsignal.Allowy-gain—Allowsmanualamplitudegainofthetestsignal.
AlignmentConditions—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Mode—SpecifiesthemodeInteractiveAlignmentusestoalignthesignals.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Manual—Allowsmanualalignmentofthetestsignal.
Auto-Impulse—Selectsanautomaticalignmentalgorithmbasedontheassumptionthatthesignalsincludeapositiveornegativeimpulsepattern.Auto-Step—Selectsanautomaticalignmentalgorithmbasedontheassumptionthatthesignalsincludearisingorfallingsteppattern.Auto-Periodic—Selectsanautomaticalignmentalgorithmbasedontheassumptionthatthesignalsareperiodic.
Invertsignal—Invertstheinputtestsignal.Criterion—Specifiesthefollowingalignmentcriterion:
AlignBaseandPeak—Alignsthetwoimpulsestoalignthebaseandpeaklevelsandtoalignthepeakpositionsintime.Align50-50%—Alignsthetwoimpulsestosuperposetheirrespective50%risingandfallingedgepoints.AlignEdgetoUserLevels—AlignstherisingorthefallingedgeoftheimpulsestosuperposetheLowlevel(%)andHighlevel(%)points.AlignImpulsetoUserLevels—AlignsthetwoimpulsestosuperposethepointstheRisinglevel(%)andFallinglevel(%)specifyonbothplotsrespectively.
Stepcriterion:AlignLow,HighandUser—Alignsthetwostepssothelowlevels(0%)andhighlevels(100%)arealignedandthepointsontheedgesMidlevel(%)specifiesaresuperposed.Align10%and90%—Alignsthetwostepssothe10%and90%pointsontherisingorthefallingedgesaresuperposed.AligntoUserLevels—AlignsthetwostepssothepointsLowlevel(%)andHighlevel(%)specifyontherisingorthefallingedgesaresuperposed.
Periodiccriterion:AlignFreq,Phaseandp-p—Alignsthetwoperiodicsignalssothefundamentaltonesaresuperposed.
Fallingedge—Specifiestoperformtheedgealignmentoperationontherisingorfallingedgeoftheimpulsesorsteps.LevelA—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Lowlevel(%)—Specifiesthelevelofasignalpointtouseasthelowreferenceinanedgealignmentoperation.Theunitisapercentageoftheamplitudeoftheimpulseorthesteptoalign.Thedefaultis10.
Risinglevel(%)—Specifiestheleveloftherisingedgepointstosuperposeinanimpulsealignmentoperation.Thedefaultis
50.Midlevel(%)—Specifiesthelevelofasignalpointtouseasthemediumreferenceinastepalignmentoperation.Theunitisapercentageoftheimpulseorthesteptoalign.Thedefaultis50%.
LevelB—Containsthefollowingoptions:Highlevel(%)—Specifiesthelevelofasignalpointtouseasthehighreferenceinanedgealignmentoperation.Theunitisapercentageoftheamplitudeoftheimpulseorthesteptoalign.Thedefaultis90.Fallinglevel(%)—Specifiesthelevelofthefallingedgepointstosuperposeinanimpulsealignmentoperation.Thedefaultis50.
Resampling Containsthefollowingoptions:ResamplingandComparisonSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Interpolationtype—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Coerce—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetoequaltheinputsamplevaluethatisclosesttoitintime.Linear—Setseachoutputsamplevaluetobealinearinterpolationbetweenthetwoinputsamplesthatareclosesttoitintime.Spline—Usesthesplineinterpolationalgorithmtocompute
theresampledvalues.Filterbased—Usesaninterpolationmethodbasedontheconvolutionofthesignalwithafiniteimpulseresponse(FIR)filter.
Operation—Specifiestoadd,subtract,multiply,ordividethesignalsafteralignment.TheResultingSignalgraphdisplaystheresultoftheoperation.ThedefaultisSubtract.
FIRFilterSpecification—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Normalizedbandwidth—Thenormalizedcut-offfrequencyoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis0.4000.Aliasrejection(dB)—TheminimumstopbandattenuationoftheFIRfiltertouse.Thedefaultis80dB.
InteractiveAlignmentDetailsMovingtheTestplotYoucandragtheTestplottomoveit.Whenyoureleasethemousebutton,thegraphperformsanautoscaleoperationtooptimizetheviewingoftheplotsunlessyouremovethecheckmarksfromtheAutoscalecheckboxes.LabVIEWSignalExpressdoesnotupdatethelowergraphthatdisplaystheComparisonResultSignalwhenyoudragtheTestplot,butitperformsanewcomparisonoperationassoonasyoureleasethemousebutton.AsmallcrossontheuppergraphcalledtheAnchorpointmarksthelocationwhereyoulastreleasedthemouse.TomovetheAnchorpointposition,clickonthenewlocation.
ExpandingtheTestplotYoualsocanexpandtheTestplotinbothdirections,correspondingtoagain/attenuationofthesignalamplitudeintheverticaldirectionandatimeexpansion/compressioninthehorizontaldirection.Toexpandtheplot,pressthe<Alt>key,clickthegraph,anddragit.TheexpansionkeepsthepositionoftheAnchorpointunchanged;andthemousepositionpointintheplaneatthestartoftheexpansionfollowsthemousemove.
LockingMoveorExpansionYoucanpreventunwantedmovesand/orexpansionsinspecificdirectionsbyremovingthecheckmarkfromthecorrespondingAllowx-gain,Allowy-gain,Allowx-offset,orAllowy-offsetcheckbox.NoticethatpreventingcertainmovesorexpansionconflictswiththeactualpositionoftheAnchorpointandresultsinslightlydifferentexpansionbehaviors.
AlignmentEvaluationYoucanevaluatethealignmentonthelowergraphthatdisplaystheComparisonResultSignal.ThissignaldisplaystheresultofanarithmeticoperationyoucanspecifyLabVIEWSignalExpresstoperformonthetwoalignedsignals.ThedefaultisSubtract.
ExportingAlignmentResultsYoucanexportthealignmentinformationusingthefollowingcheckboxesontheInput/Outputpage:
ExportalignedsignalsExportx-offsetresultExporty-offsetresultExportx-gainresultExporty-gainresult
ResamplingtheTestsignalToaligntheTestsignalinwiththeRef.signalin,youmustresamplethesignalsoyoucanperformasamplebysamplearithmeticoperationlikesubtraction.TheresamplingprocessensuresthatLabVIEWSignalExpresssamplesthealignedwaveformsatthesamerateandinphase.YoucanselectdifferentresamplingoptionsontheResamplingpage.
ConvertAnalogtoDigitalConvertsananalogwaveformtoadigitalwaveform.
Parameter DescriptionAnalogsignalpreview
Displaystheanalogwaveformyouwanttoconvertintoadigitalwaveform.
Xscaleslider SelectsthedatadisplayedintheDigitalwaveformpreview.
Signalnamepreview
DisplaysthesignalnamesassociatedwiththesignalsintheDigitalwaveformpreview.
Digitalwaveformpreview
Displaysthedigitalwaveformconvertedfromtheinputanalogwaveform.
DigitalpreviewYscrollbar
ScrollbarthatallowsyoutoscrollthroughtheDigitalwaveformpreview.
Input Containsthefollowingoptions:Inputsignal—Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:Analogfullscale—Thetotalpeak-to-peakrange,orthedifferencebetweentheminimumandmaximum,fortheanalogwaveform.Forexample,ifthemaximumrangeofawaveformis1andtheminimumis-1,thefull-scalerangeforthewaveformis2.Resolution(bits)—Specifiesthenumberofbitsrepresentedinthedigitalwaveform.LabVIEWSignalExpresssupportsamaximumresolutionof32bits.Digitaldataformat—Specifieswhichbinaryrepresentationyouwanttouseforthedigitaldata.
Unsignedbinary—Thedataisconvertedtounsignedbinary.
Offsetbinary—Thelargestnegativevalue(negativefull-scale)isrepresentedbyallzeros,andthelargestpositivevalue(positivefull-scale)isrepresentedbyallones.Zero-scaleisrepresentedbyaone(MSB)followedbyallzeros,forexample,binary1000.2'scomplement—Usestwo'scomplementformat,whichisacommonformatforrepresentingsignedbinaryvalues.ThisformatissimilartoOffsetBinary,buttheMSBisinverted.
Ditheringenabled—Specifieswhethertheanalogwaveformcanbedithered.DitheringawaveformaddsGaussiannoisetoananaloginputsignaltoincreaseresolution.
SignalNames
Containsthefollowingoptions:Signalnamestable—Allowsyoutospecifycustomnamesforyoursignals.Resettodefault—SpecifieswhethertheSignalnamesareresettotheirdefaultstates.
ConvertDigitaltoAnalogConvertsaninputdigitalwaveformintoananalogwaveform.
Parameter DescriptionDigitalwaveformpreview
Displaystheinputdigitalwaveform.
DigitalpreviewYscrollbar
ScrollbarthatallowsyoutoscrollthroughtheDigitalwaveformpreview.
Signalnamepreview
DisplaysthesignalnamesassociatedwiththesignalsintheDigitalwaveformpreview.
Analogsignalpreview
Displaysapreviewoftheanalogwaveform.
Xscaleslider SelectsthedatadisplayedintheDigitalwaveformpreview.
Input Containsthefollowingoptions:Inputsignal—Specifiesthedigitalwaveformtoconverttoananalogwaveform.
ConfigurationandResults
Containsthefollowingoptions:Analogfullscale—Thetotalpeak-to-peakrange,orthedifferencebetweentheminimumandmaximum,fortheanalogwaveform.Forexample,ifthemaximumrangeofawaveformis1andtheminimumis-1,thefull-scalerangeforthewaveformis2.Digitaldataformat—Specifieswhichbinaryrepresentationyouwanttouseforthedigitaldata.
Unsignedbinary—Thedataisconvertedtounsignedbinary.Offsetbinary—Thelargestnegativevalue(negativefull-scale)isrepresentedbyallzeros,andthelargestpositivevalue(positivefull-scale)isrepresented
byallones.Zero-scaleisrepresentedbyaone(MSB)followedbyallzeros,forexample,binary1000.2'scomplement—Usestwo'scomplementformat,whichisacommonformatforrepresentingsignedbinaryvalues.ThisformatissimilartoOffsetBinary,buttheMSBisinverted.
Outputsignalunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheoutputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeoutputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheoutputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.Resolution(bits)—Returnsthenumberofbitsintheconverteddigitalwaveform.Exportresolution—ExportstheresolutiontotheProjectView.Yaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.Xaxisunit—Specifiestheunittypefortheinputsignal.SelectingUnitlessspecifiestonotassociateanyunitwiththeinputsignal.SelectingCustomspecifiesthattheinputsignalcontainsanassociatedunitwithinthedata.
AnalysisUsetheAnalysisstepstoanalyzeyourLabVIEWSignalExpressmeasurements.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
Time-DomainMeasurementsUsetheTime-DomainMeasurementsstepstoperformtimedomainanalysis.TheTime-DomainMeasurementsstepsimplementsomeoperationscommonlyusedinsignalprocessing.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
AmplitudeandLevelsMeasuresDC,RMS,positiveandnegativepeak,andpeak-to-peakvaluesofasignal.YoucanmeasureDCandRMSvalueswithlinearorexponentialaveraging.IfyouselectLinear,youcanapplyawindowtothesignal.Youalsocanindividuallyexportthedifferentmeasurementresults.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputsignal.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
Autoscaleamplitude
Autoscalesthepreviewgraphalongthey-axis.Thedefaultistoautoscaletheamplitude.
Input/Output Containsthefollowingoptions:Inputsignal—Specifiestheinputsignaltobemeasured.ExportDCvalue—ExportstheDCvaluetotheProjectView.ExportRMSvalue—ExportstheRMSvaluetotheProjectView.Export+Peakvalue—ExportsthepositivepeakvaluetotheProjectView.Export-Peakvalue—ExportsthenegativepeakvaluetotheProjectView.ExportPeak-Peakvalue—ExportsthedifferencebetweenthepositiveandnegativepeakvaluestotheProjectView.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:
DC-RMSSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:Averagingtype—Setsthetypeofaveragingtolinearorexponential.ThedefaultisLinear.Window—Setsthetypeofwindowwhenyouuselinearaveraging.Windowingcansometimeshelpincreasemeasurementaccuracyforsignalsthataredominatedbyperiodiccomponents
WindowisnotavailableifyouselectExponentialastheaveragingtype.Windowcontainsthefollowingoptions:Rectangular(none),Hanning,andLowsidelobe.ThedefaultisRectangular(none).
PeakSetup—Containsthefollowingoption:Holdpeaks—SpecifiestoholdthepeaklevelsuntilyouclicktheResetAmplitudeandLevelsbuttonortheResetAllbuttonorrestartyourmeasurement.Thedefaultistonotholdthepeaklevels.
DC-RMSResults—Containsthefollowingoptions:
DCvalue—ReturnsthemeasuredDCvalue.RMSvalue—ReturnsthemeasuredRMSvalue.
PeakResults—Containsthefollowingoptions:+Peakvalue—Returnsthepositivepeakvalueoftheinputsignal.-Peakvalue—Returnsthenegativepeakvalueoftheinputsignal.Peak-peakvalue—Returnsthedifferencebetweenthepositiveandnegativepeakvaluesoftheinputsignal.
HistogramCalculatesthediscretehistogramoftheinputsignal.TheHistogramresultrunscontinuouslyandaccumulatesthedatafromallincomingsignalsuntilyouclicktheResetHistogrambuttononthetitlebaroftheHistogramconfigurationvieworyouchangeaconfigurationparameter.Youcancomputetheresultingbinvaluesasanabsolutenumberofoccurrenceorasapercentageofthetotalnumberofoccurrences.Youalsocandisplaytheaccumulatedbinvaluesinalogarithmicscale.ClicktheAuto-configbuttonbelowtheHistogramgraphtodisplaystandardstart-upconfigurationoptions.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputsignal.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
Histogram Displaysthehistogramoftheinputsignal.Auto-config. SetsthevaluesinNumberofbins,Minimumvalue,
andMaximumvaluebasedontheinputsignal.Log.binvalues
Scalesthebinvaluesaxistologarithmicscale.Thedefaultistonotscalethebinvaluesaxistologarithmicscale.
Input Containsthefollowingoption:Inputsignal—Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoption:HistogramSpecifications—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Numberofbins—Specifiesthenumberofbins.Thedefaultis20.
Minimumvalue—Specifiestheminimumvalue.Thedefaultis–1.Maximumvalue—Specifiesthemaximumvalue.Thedefaultis1.Binvalueinpercent—Configuresthehistogramresulttoscalebypercent.Thedefaultistoscaletheresultbypercent.Calculationenabled—Enablescalculationofthehistogram.Thedefaultistoenablethecalculation.
StatisticsPerformsstatisticalcalculationsontime-domain,scalar,orarrayofscalardata.Youcanselectuptosixstatisticalmeasurementstoperformonyourdata,andStatisticscreatesascalaroutputforeachspecifiedmeasurement.Iftheinputsignalisawaveform,bydefaultStatisticsreturnsastatisticalmeasurementonthecurrentinputsignal.Forscalardata,theStatisticsstepreturnsastatisticalmeasurementthatrepresentstheentiresignalhistorysinceyoustartedtheprojectoryouresetthestep.
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputsignal.IfyouwiredatatotheExpress
VIandrunit,InputSignaldisplaysrealdata.IfyoucloseandreopentheExpressVI,InputSignaldisplayssampledatauntilyouruntheExpressVIagain.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
Numberofpointsinthedata—Specifiesthenumberofpointsinthedata.Thedefaultis4400.
Input Containsthefollowingoption:Inputsignal—Specifiestheinputvalue.
ConfigurationAndResults
Containsthefollowingoptions:Max—Specifiestooutputthemaximumvalueofthecurrentinputsignal.Min—Specifiestooutputtheminimumvalueofthecurrentinputsignal.Mean—Specifiestooutputthemeanvalueofthecurrentinputsignal.Nbofsamples—Specifiestooutputthenumber
ofinputsamplestheStatisticsstepperformsstatisticalmeasurementson.Combinechannels—SpecifieswhetherStatisticsreturnssingleoutputsformeasurementsongroupsofinputsignals.Forexample,ifyouconfigureStatisticstomeasurethemaximumvalueofthesignals,placingacheckmarkinthischeckboxreturnsthemaximumvalueofallthesamplesofallthechannels,insteadofonemaximumvalueperchannel.ThisoptionappearsonlywhenInputsignalisagroupofsignals.Standarddeviation—Specifiestooutputthestandarddeviationofthecurrentinputsignal.Variance—Specifiestooutputthevarianceofthecurrentinputsignal.Sum—Specifiestooutputthesumofthecurrentinputsignal.Measurementduration(s)—IndicatesthedurationofeachmeasurementtheStatisticsstepisreturning.Restartmeasurementoneachiteration—Specifiestorestartthestatisticalmeasurementoneachiterationoftheinputsignal.Ifyoudonotselectthisoption,outputstatisticsrepresentthecumulativevaluesoftheentireinputsignal.
TimingandTransitionMeasurestimingandtransitionparametersonsinglepulsesandonrisingandfallingedges.Ifthesignalincludesasinglepositiveornegativepulseorapulsetrain,youcanmeasurethepulsefrequency,period(1/frequency),duration,anddutycycle.Youalsocanusethissteptomeasurethetransitiontime,riseorfalltime,theamountofundershootandovershoot,andtheslewrateonrisingandfallingedges.Youcanselectthepulsepolarityandthepulseand/oredgenumbersontheAdvancedpage.Details
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputsignaltomeasure.Cross-haircursors
indicatethepulseandedgestouseforthemeasurements.Thisstepmarksedgesatthepulseandmid-transitionpointsatitscenterpositionusingthecolorcodeinthethreeresulttables.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
Autoscaleamplitude
ScalestheAmplitude(V)axisoftheAcquiredDatagraph.Thedefaultistoautoscaletheamplitude.
Input Containsthefollowingoption:Inputsignal—Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
ConfigurationandResults
Containsthefollowingoptions:Pulseresults—Containstheresultsofthepulsemeasurements.Ifoneormoremeasurementsyouselectfail,thisstephighlightsthebackgroundcolorofthefailingmeasurementsin
red.Todisablefailingmeasurements,removethecheckmarkfromthecorrespondingcheckboxes.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Exportfrequency—MeasuresthefrequencyofapulsetrainandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.Exportperiod—MeasurestheperiodofapulsetrainandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.Exportduration—MeasuresthedurationofapulseandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.Exportdutycycle—MeasuresthedutycycleofapulseandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.
Risingedgeresults—Containstheresultsoftherisingedgetransitionmeasurements.Ifoneormoremeasurementsyouselectfail,thisstephighlightsthebackgroundcolorofthefailingmeasurementsinred.Todisablefailingmeasurements,removethecheckmarkfromthecorrespondingcheckboxes.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Exportrisetime—Measurestherisingtransitiontime(risetime)ofanedgeandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.Therisetimeisthetimeittakesthesignaltochangefromalowreferencelevel(10%oftheamplitudeofthesignal)toahighreferencelevel(90%oftheamplitudeofthesignal).Exportrisingundershoot—MeasuresthepercentageamountofundershootthatprecedesarisingedgeandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.
Exportrisingovershoot—MeasuresthepercentageamountofovershootthatfollowsarisingedgeandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.Exportrisingslewrate—Measurestheslewrate,ortheratiobetween(90%amplitude–10%amplitude)andtherisetime,ofarisingedgeandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.
Fallingedgeresults—Containstheresultsofthefallingedgetransitionmeasurements.Ifoneormoremeasurementsyouselectfail,thisstephighlightsthebackgroundcolorofthefailingmeasurementsinred.Todisablefailingmeasurements,removethecheckmarkfromthecorrespondingcheckboxes.Containsthefollowingoptions:
Exportfalltime—Measuresthefallingtransitiontime(falltime)ofanedgeandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.Thefalltimeisthetimeittakesthesignaltochangefromahighreferencelevel(90%oftheamplitudeofthesignal)toalowreferencelevel(10%oftheamplitudeofthesignal).Exportfallingundershoot—MeasuresthepercentageamountofundershootthatfollowsafallingedgeandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.Exportfallingovershoot—MeasuresthepercentageamountofovershootthatprecedesafallingedgeandexportsthemeasurementresulttotheProjectView.Exportfallingslewrate—Measurestheslewrate,ortheratiobetween(90%amplitude–10%amplitude)andthefalltime,ofafallingedgeandexportsthe
measurementresulttotheProjectView.
Advanced Containsthefollowingoptions:PulseDefinition—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Pulsepolarity—Specifiesifthepulsetomeasureispositive(HighPulse)polarityornegative(LowPulse)polarity.Pulsenumber—Specifieswhichpulsenumberinapulsetraintouseforthemeasurement.
TransitionDefinition—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Risingedgenumber—Specifieswhichrisingedgetouseforthemeasurement.Fallingedgenumber—Specifieswhichfallingedgetouseforthemeasurement.
TimingandTransitionDetailsThefollowingimageshowsasamplepulse.TimingandTransitionusesahighreferencelevelof90%oftheamplitudeofthesignalandalowreferencelevelof10%oftheamplitudeofthesignal.Inatimingandtransitionmeasurement,overshootistheheightofalocalmaximumprecedingarisingorfallingedge,dependingonthePulsepolarityyouspecify.Undershootistheheightofthelocalminimumprecedingarisingorfallingedge,dependingonthePulsepolarityyouspecify.
Frequency-DomainMeasurementsUsetheFrequency-DomainMeasurementsstepstoperformsignalanalysisthatrequirethedatatobeconvertedintofrequencydomain.TheFrequency-DomainMeasurementsstepsperformfrequencydomaintransformationsandfrequencydomainanalysis.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
PowerSpectrumComputestheaveragedmagnitudespectrum,powerspectrum,orpowerspectraldensityforasingleormultiplechannels.Thisstepcanreturnthespectrainroot-mean-square,peak,andpeak-to-peakunits.
Parameter DescriptionGraph Spectra—Displaysthespectraforallchannels.Usethe
Zoombuttontozoominandoutofthedisplay.
Signals—Displaysthetime-domainsignalsforallchannels.UsetheZoombuttontozoominandoutofthedisplay.
View Specifiesifthegraphdisplaystimedomainsignalsorthecomputedpowerspectra.
Autoscale Automaticallyadjuststhescalesofthegraphtodisplaythedata.
Input Containsthefollowingoption:Inputsignal—Specifiestheanalogwaveformforthestep.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:Window—Specifiesthewindowtoapplytotheinputsignal.Choosefromoneofthefollowingwindowoptions:
NoneHanningHammingBlackman-HarrisExactBlackmanBlackmanFlatTop4TermB-Harris(FourTermBlackman-Harris)7TermB-Harris(SevenTermBlackman-Harris)
LowSidelobeGaussian
Scaling—Specifiesthescalingparameterforthestep.
Spectrumtype—SpecifiesifthespectrumisinunitsofMagnitudeorPower,wherepowerequalsmagnitudesquared.ThedefaultisPower.Magnitudescale—Specifiesifzoompowerisinlinearunitsorindecibels.Thedefaultisdecibels.Peakconversion—Specifiesthepeakscalingoftheconvertedspectrum.YoucanselectRMS(default),Peak,orPeaktoPeak.Spectraldensity—Specifiesifthespectrumisreturnedaspowerspectraldensity(PSD).ThedefaultisOff.
Averaging Specifiestheaveragingparameters.Averagingmode—Specifiestheaveragingmodefromthefollowingoptions:
NoAveraging(Default)VectorAveragingRMSAveragingPeakHold
Weightingmode—SpecifieseitherExponentialorLinearweighting.Exponentialaveragingappliesmoreweighttothemostrecentdata,andlinearaveragingappliesequalweightingtoallthedata.Numberofaverages—SpecifiesthenumberofaveragesusedbytheselectedWeightingmode.Auto-restart—SpecifiesiftheaveragingprocessautomaticallyrestartsoncethestepreachestheNumberofaveragesvalue.Whenyouset
Weightingmodetolinear,useAuto-restarttoconfigureaveragingtoautomaticallyrestartwhenAveragescompletedequalstheNumberofaverages.Averagescompleted—Displaysthenumberofaveragescompleted.Averagingdone—IndicateswhenthenumberofAveragescompletedequalsorexceedstheNumberofaverages.AveragingdoneisalwaysTRUEiftheselectedAveragingmodeisNoaveraging.
DistortionPerformsharmonicdistortionanalysisand/orSINADmeasurementontheinputsignal.Thisstepreturnsthefundamentalfrequency,thepercentageoftotalharmonicdistortion,thetotalharmonicdistortionplusnoisevalue,andtheSINADvalueindecibels.Thisstepalsoreturnsatime-domainwaveformandfrequency-domainpowerspectrumforthedifferentcomponentsofthesignal,suchasfundamentalsignal,residualsignal,orharmonics.
Parameter DescriptionExportedSignal
DisplaysthetimesignalyouselectedwithExportsignalsintheMeasurementSetupsectionontheConfigurationpage.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
ExportedPowerSpectrum
DisplaysthepowerspectrumofthesignaltheExportedSignalgraphdisplays.
Autoscalemagnitude
Scalesthemagnitudeoftheexportedpowerspectrum.Thedefaultistoautoscalethemagnitude.
Input/Output Containsthefollowingoptions:Inputsignal—Specifiestheinputsignaltobemeasured.Exporttimesignal—ExportsthesignaltotheProjectViewasExportSignals(THD)orExportSignals(SINAD)specifies.Exportpowerspectrum—ExportsthepowerspectrumtotheProjectViewasExportSignals
(THD)orExportSignals(SINAD)specifies.Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:
MeasurementSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Distortiontypes—SpecifiesHarmonicOnly,SINADOnly,orHarmonicandSINADdistortion.Highestharm.—Specifiesthehighestharmonictoincludeinthecalculationoftheharmonicdistortion.Thedefaultis19,sotheTHDresultisbasedonharmonics2to19(bothincluded)assumingthattheExcludealiasedharmonicscheckboxdoesnotincludeacheckmark.IfyouplaceacheckmarkintheExcludealiasedharmonicscheckbox,Highestharm.includesonlytheharmonicsbelowtheNyquistfrequency.TheNyquistfrequencyishalfthesamplerateoftheinputsignal.Exportsignals(THD)—SpecifieswhichsignalstodisplayonthetwographsandtoexporttotheProjectView.OptionsincludeInputSignal,FundamentalTone,ResidualSignal,HarmonicsOnly,NoiseandSpursorNone(nosignal).ThedefaultisInputSignal.Exportsignals(SINAD)—SpecifieswhichsignalstodisplayonthetwographsandtoexporttotheProjectView.OptionsincludeInputSignal,FundamentalTone,ResidualSignal,orNone(nosignal).ThedefaultisInputSignal.
MeasurementResults—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Fund.Frequency—Returnsthe
detectedfundamentalfrequencyoftheinputsignal.THD(%)—ReturnsthemeasuredpercentageoftotalharmonicdistortionuptoandincludingthehighestharmonicorlimitedbytheNyquistfrequency.SINAD(dB)—Returnsthemeasuredsineinnoiseanddistortionvalueindecibels.THD+Noise(%)—Returnsthemeasuredtotalharmonicdistortionplusnoise.NoticethatthisresultalwaysincludesallharmonicsandisthereforeindependentofthevalueyouspecifyforHighestharm.
Advanced Containsthefollowingoptions:Approx.fund.freq.(Hz)—Returnsthecenterfrequencytouseinthefrequency-domainsearchforthefundamentaltone.Anegativevaluespecifiestosearchforthetonewiththehighestamplitude.Thedefaultis–1.Excludealiasedharmonics—ExcludealiasedharmonicsshouldbesettoTRUE(default)toincludeonlyfrequencieslessthantheNyquistfrequency,orhalfthesamplingrate,intheharmonicsearch.WhensettoFALSE,thisstepcontinuessearchingthefrequencydomainbeyondNyquistbyassumingthathigherfrequencycomponentshavealiasedaccordingtothefollowingequation.
Aliasedf=Fs–(fmoduloFs)
where
Fs=1/dt=samplingrate.
ToneExtractionFindsthesingletonewiththehighestamplitudeorsearchesafrequencyrangeyouspecifytofindthesingletonewiththehighestamplitudeandreturnsthefrequency,amplitude,andabsolutephaseforthedetectedtone.ThestepalsocanexportExportsignalstotheProjectView.
Parameter DescriptionExportedTimeSignal
DisplaysthetimesignalthatExportsignalsspecifies.Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
ExportedPowerSpectrum
DisplaysthepowerspectrumindecibelsthatExportedTimeSignalspecifies.
Autoscalemagnitude
Scalesthemagnitudescaleofthepowerspectrumresultgraph.Thedefaultistoautoscalethemagnitude.
Input/Output Containsthefollowingoptions:Inputsignal—Specifiesthesignalfromwhichtoextracttonaldata.Exporttimesignal—ExportsthetimesignalthatExportedTimeSignaldisplaystotheProjectView.Exportpowerspectrum—ExportsthepowerspectrumresultthatExportedPowerSpectrumdisplaystotheProjectView.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoption:MeasurementSetupandResults—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Exportsignals—Specifiesthesignaltodisplayonthegraphsandoptionally
exporttotheProjectView.OptionsincludeNone,InputSignal,ExtractedTone,orResidualSignal,whichistheinputsignalminustheextractedsingletone.ThedefaultisInputSignal.Detectedfrequency—Returnsthefrequencyofthedetectedsingletoneinhertz.Detectedamplitude—Returnstheamplitudeofthedetectedsingletone.Detectedphase(deg)—Returnsthephaseofthedetectedsingletoneindegrees.
Advanced Containsthefollowingoption:AdvancedMeasurementSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Approximatefrequency(Hz)—Specifiesthecenterfrequencytouseinthefrequency-domainsearchforthesingletone.Anegativevaluecorrespondstosearchautomaticallyforthetonewiththehighestamplitude.Thedefaultis–1.Searchrange(%ofsamplerate)—Specifiesthefrequencyspanasapercentageofthesamplingrateforthefrequency-domainsearchforthesingletonefrequency.Thedefaultis0.25%.
TestandCompareUsetheTestandComparestepstocompareaninputsignaltouser-specifiedlimits.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
LimitTestTestsaninputsignalorvalueagainstuser-specifiedlimitsandreturnsinformationonwhetherthetestpassedorfailedand,inthecaseofafailure,whereitfailed.LimitTestacceptstime-domainsignals,frequency-domainsignals,andscalarvaluesasinputs.Youcanspecifyeithersignalsorscalarvaluesforthelimits,andyoucandefinethelimitsoruseothersignalsintheprojectasthelimits.Details
Parameter DescriptionView Specifieshowtodisplaytheresultsofthelimittest.You
canselectfromthefollowingoptions:Graph—(Default)Displaystheresultsofthelimittestasagraph.Resultstable—Displaystheresultsofthelimittestasatable.
LimitTest [View:Graph]Displaystheresultofthelimittestoperation.Thefourplotsshowtheoriginalinputsignal,thepointswherethelimittestoperationfailed,andthetwolimitsignals,respectively.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
Limittestresults
[View:Resultstable]Displayseachsignalinthelimittestandwhetherornotthesignalpassedthetest.
Autoscaley-axis
[View:Graph]Specifieswhethertoautoscalethey-axisontheLimitTestgraph.
selectedtest IndicateswhetherthetestofthesignaldisplayedontheLimitTestgraphpassedorfailed.Thisindicatorappearsonlywhenyoutestagroupofsignals.
alltests Indicatesifthetestspassedorfailed.Input ThefollowingoptionsapplyonlytotheLimitTeststepin
LabVIEWSignalExpress:Inputsignal—Specifiestheinputsignalorscalarvalue.Upperlimit—[Limitssource:InputSignals,InputScalars]Specifiestheupperlimitsignalorvalue.
NoteWhenaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectrunscontinuously,LabVIEWSignalExpressreadstheUpperlimitandLowerlimitonlyonthefirstiterationoftheproject.Ifyouselectalimitsignalthatcontinuouslychanges,LabVIEWSignalExpressusesonlythefirstiterationofthesignaltoperformthelimittest.
Lowerlimit—[Limitssource:InputSignals,InputScalars]Specifiesthelowerlimitsignalorvalue.Limit—[Limitssource:InputSignals,InputScalarsANDLimitswindowbasedon:SingleLimit&Range]Specifiesthesinglelimitsignalorvalue.
Inputtype ThefollowingoptionsapplyonlytotheLimitTestExpressVIinLabVIEW:
TimeWaveform—Specifiestoperformlimittestingonatimedomainsignal.FrequencyWaveform—Specifiestoperformlimittestingonafrequencyspectrum.Scalar—Specifiestoperformlimittestingonasinglescalarvalue.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptionsforconfiguringthelimitsforthelimittest:
LimitSetup—Containsthefollowingoptions:Limitssource—Specifiesthesourceofthelimitsforthelimittest.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
InputSignals—UsesoutputsignalsfrompreviousstepsorExpressVIsasthelimits.InputScalars—UsesoutputscalarvaluesfrompreviousstepsorExpressVIsasthelimits.YouspecifythescalarvaluesontheInputpage.UserDefinedSignals—Usessignalsyoudefineforthelimits.IfyousetLimitswindowbasedontoTwoLimits,clicktheDefineupperlimitandDefinelowerlimitbuttonstodisplaytheDefineSignaldialogboxandinteractivelydefinethelimitsignals.IfyousetLimitswindowbasedontoSingleLimit&Range,clicktheDefinesinglelimitbuttontodisplaytheDefineSignaldialogboxandinteractivelydefinethelimitsignal.UserDefinedConstants—(Default)Usesconstantvaluesthatyouspecifyforthelimits.IfyousetLimitswindowbasedontoTwoLimits,usetheUpperconstantandLowerconstantfieldstospecifythelimits.IfyousetLimitswindowbasedontoSingleLimit&Range,usetheLimitconstantfieldtospecifythelimit.
Comparemode—SpecifiesthecomparisonmodeLimitTestusestocomparetheinputsignaltothelimitsyouspecify.Youcanselectfromthefollowing
options:BetweenLimits—(Default)Determineswhethertheinputsignalisbetweenthelimitsyouspecify.OutsideLimits—Determineswhethertheinputsignalisoutsidethelimitsyouspecify.>LowerLimit—Determineswhethertheinputsignalisabovethelowerlimityouspecify.<UpperLimit—Determineswhethertheinputsignalisbelowtheupperlimityouspecify.
Limitswindowbasedon—Specifieshowyoudefinethelimitsusedforthelimittest.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
TwoLimits—Specifiesthatyoudefinetwolimitsforthelimittest.SingleLimit&Range—Specifiesthatyoudefineasinglelimitandarangeofgainandoffsetvaluesforthelimittest.
Upperconstant—[Limitssource:UserDefinedConstantsANDLimitswindowbasedon:TwoLimits]Specifiesthevalueoftheupperlimitconstant.Thedefaultis1.Lowerconstant—[Limitssource:UserDefinedConstantsANDLimitswindowbasedon:TwoLimits]Specifiesthevalueofthelowerlimitconstant.Thedefaultis–1.Limitconstant—[Limitssource:UserDefinedConstantsANDLimitswindowbasedon:SingleLimit&Range]
Specifiesthesingleconstantvaluethat,inconjunctionwiththeRelativeRangeSpecs,definesthelimitvalues.Defineupperlimit—[Limitssource:UserDefinedSignalsANDLimitswindowbasedon:TwoLimits]DisplaystheDefineSignaldialogbox,whichyoucanusetodefinetheupperlimitsignalinteractively.Definelowerlimit—[Limitssource:UserDefinedSignalsANDLimitswindowbaseon:TwoLimits]DisplaystheDefineSignaldialogbox,whichyoucanusetodefinethelowerlimitsignalinteractively.Definesinglelimit—[Limitssource:UserDefinedSignalsANDLimitswindowbaseon:SingleLimit&Range]DisplaystheDefineSignaldialogbox,whichyoucanusetodefinethelimitsignalinteractively.
RelativeRangeSpecs—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Uppergain—[Limitswindowbaseon:SingleLimit&Range]Specifiesthegainvaluetoapplytothesinglelimittocalculatetheupperlimit.Thedefaultis1.1.Lowergain—[Limitswindowbaseon:SingleLimit&Range]Specifiesthegainvaluetoapplytothesinglelimittocalculatethelowerlimit.Thedefaultis900m.Upperoffset—[Limitswindowbaseon:SingleLimit&Range]Specifiestheoffsetvaluetoaddtothesinglelimittocalculatetheupperlimit.Thedefaultis0.Loweroffset—[Limitswindowbaseon:
SingleLimit&Range]Specifiestheoffsetvaluetoaddtothesinglelimittocalculatethelowerlimit.Thedefaultis0.
Advanced Containsthefollowingoptions:LimitsInclusion—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Upperinclusive—Specifieswhetheravaluethatisexactlyonorequaltotheupperlimitpassesthelimittest.Placeacheckmarkinthischeckboxtopassavaluethatisonorequaltotheupperlimit.Lowerinclusive—Specifieswhetheravaluethatisexactlyonorequaltothelowerlimitpassesthelimittest.Placeacheckmarkinthischeckboxtopassavaluethatisonorequaltothelowerlimit.
Timinginformation—Containsthefollowingoptionsfortime-domainandfrequency-domainsignals:
Freq.axisislogarithmic—Setsthedisplaygraphfrequencyaxistologarithmicand,whentheLimitssourceisUserDefinedSignals,computesthelimitvaluesbetweenthedefinitionpointssotheresultingsegmentappearsasastraightlineinalogarithmicfrequencyrepresentation.Forexample,youcanusethistocreateasymptoticlimitsfittingfilterroll-offindecibelsperdecade.Thisparameterappearsonlyiftheinputsignalisafrequency-domainsignal.Ignoretimestamp—Forcesthetimestampoftheinputsignalto0soyoucandefinethelimitsignalsrelativetothebeginningoftheinputsignal.This
parameterappearsonlyiftheinputsignalisatime-domainsignal.
Actions Containsthefollowingoptions:Actiononfailed—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Stopprojectafterfailedoccurs—Specifiestostoprunningtheprojectafterthesignalfailsthelimittestthenumberoftimesyouspecify.times—SpecifiesthenumberoftimesforthesignaltopassorfailthelimittestbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstopstheproject.Actiononfailed—Specifiestheactiontoperformwhenthesignalfailsthelimittestthenumberoftimesyouspecify.
none—Specifiestotakenoadditionalaction.snapshotofinputs—SpecifiestotakeasnapshotofthecurrentinputsoftheLimitTeststep.snapshotofallsignalsinproject—Specifiestotakeasnapshotofallsignalsintheproject.
Actiononpassed—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Stopprojectafterpassedoccurs—Specifiestostoprunningtheprojectafterthesignalpassesthelimittestthenumberoftimesyouspecify.times—SpecifiesthenumberoftimesforthesignaltopassorfailthelimittestbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstopstheproject.Actiononpassed—Specifiestheaction
toperformwhenthesignalpassesthelimittestthenumberoftimesyouspecify.
none—Specifiestotakenoadditionalaction.snapshotofinputs—SpecifiestotakeasnapshotofthecurrentinputsoftheLimitTeststep.snapshotofallsignalsinproject—Specifiestotakeasnapshotofallsignalsintheproject.
LimitTestDetailsOutputSignalTypesLimitTestreturnsagroupofsignalsnamedlimittestresults.Thisgroupofsignalscontainsthefollowingelements:
failedsignal—Theinputsignal(s)orvalue(s).Ifyougraphfailedsignal,thegraphincludestheinputsignal,thelimits,andtheportionsofthesignalthatfailedthelimittest.upperlimit—Theupperlimitusedtoperformthelimittest.lowerlimit—Thelowerlimitusedtoperformthelimittest.
LimitsThetypeoflimitsyoucandefinefortheLimitTestdependontheinputsignaltype.Iftheinputisatime-domainorfrequency-domainsignal,youcanusethefollowingtypesoflimits:
Outputsignalsofthesametypeastheinputsignal—YoucanuseoutputsignalsfromotherLabVIEWSignalExpressstepsorLabVIEWVIsasthelimits.Forexample,youcancompareatime-domainsignaltotwoothertime-domainsignals.Outputscalarvalues—YoucanuseoutputscalarvaluesfromotherLabVIEWSignalExpressstepsorLabVIEWVIsasthelimits.LimitTestcomparestheinputsignaltothescalarvalueselementbyelement.Forexample,youcancompareatime-domainsignaltotwomeasuredDCvalues.User-definedsignalsofthesametypeastheinputsignal—YoucandefinelimitsignalsbyclickingtheDefineUpperLimit,DefineLowerLimit,orDefineSingleLimitbuttons.TheDefineSignaldialogboxappears,andyoucandefinealimitsignalbasedonuser-definedpoints.Usethisdialogboxtocreatealimitsignalmadeupofaseriesoflinesegmentsthatconnectthesepoints.User-definedconstants—Youcandefineconstantvaluesforthelimits.LimitTestcomparestheinputsignaltotheconstantvalueselementbyelement.
Iftheinputisascalarvalue,youcanusethefollowingtypesoflimits:Outputscalarvalues—YoucanuseoutputscalarvaluesfromotherLabVIEWSignalExpressstepsorLabVIEWVIsasthelimits.LimitTestcomparestheinputsignaltothescalarvalueselementbyelement.Forexample,youcancompareatime-domainsignaltotwomeasuredDCvalues.User-definedconstants—Youcandefineconstantvaluesforthelimits.LimitTestcomparestheinputvaluetotheconstantvalues.
CompareModeandLimitsInclusionLimitTesthasfourcomparemodes.Thesemodesindicateifasignalorvalueisbetweenlimits,outsidelimits,greaterthanalowerlimit,orlowerthananupperlimit.Youcanchoosetheexactlimitvaluestoincludeornotincludeinthetest.Theselimitvaluesresultinafailingorpassingtestwheretheinputvalueequalsthelimitvalue.
DefiningaLimitRangefromaSingleLimitYoucandefineasetofupperandlowerlimitsfromasinglelimitusingthegainandoffsetscalingparameters.SelectthelimitsbasedonSingleLimit&Rangetoenabletheuser-definedscalingparameters.
LimitsDefinedinaLogarithmicFrequencyScaleWhenyouuseuser-definedsignalsaslimitsforafrequency-domainsignal,LimitTestdefinesthelimitsasaseriesoflinesegmentsthatconnectuser-definedpoints.Bydefault,LimitTestassumesthefrequencyaxisislinearsoalinearrelationshipexistsbetweenthefrequencyandthemagnitudeorphasevalues.TheFreq.axisislogarithmiccheckboxspecifieswhethertodisplayalogarithmicfrequencyaxisanddefinethelimitsignalssotheconnectionbetweenthepointsappearsasstraightlinesinthelogarithmicfrequencyscale.Youcandefinethelimitsinalogarithmicfrequencyscaleifyouwanttotesttheasymptoticroll-offofafilter,typicallyastraightlineinadecibelversuslogarithmicfrequencyscale.
DigitalCompareComparesareferenceandtestsignaltodeterminethenumberofsampleerrors.
Parameter DescriptionDigitalwaveformpreview
Displaysthetwowaveformstobecompared.
Signalnamepreview
DisplaysthesignalnamesassociatedwiththesignalsintheDigitalwaveformpreview.
DigitalpreviewYscrollbar
ScrollbarthatallowsyoutoscrollthroughtheDigitalwaveformpreview.
Input Containsthefollowingoptions:Referencewaveform—Displaysthesignalthatwillserveasthereferenceforyourcomparison.Sampleerrorsareproducedwhenthetestwaveformdiffersfromthiswaveform.Testwaveform—Displaysthesignalyouwanttocomparetothereferencesignal.Sampleerrorsareproducedwhenthetestwaveformdiffersfromthereferencewaveform.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:ComparisonStartPosition—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Referencewaveformstart—Specifiesthepositionofthesamplewhereyouwanttostartthesignalcomparison.Testwaveformstart—Specifiesthepositionofthesamplewhereyouwanttostartthesignalcomparison.
Comparesubset—Specifieswhetheryouwanttocomparetheentiretestsignaltothereferencesignalorwhetheryouonlywanttocompareasubsetofthesamples.Selectingthischeckbox
meansthatasubsetthatisthenumberofsamplesspecifiedinNumberSampleswillbecompared,startingatthereferencewaveformstartpositionyouspecify.Numberofsamples—SpecifiesthenumberofsamplesinthesubsettheVIcompares.Passed—Displaystheresultofthewaveformcompare.Ifallspecifiedsamplesmatch,thecomparepasses.Otherwise,thecomparefails,andthenumberofsampleerrorsisreturnedinNumberofSampleErrors.NumberofSampleErrors—Returnsthenumberofsampleerrorsinthetestsignal.
ExecutionControlUsetheExecutionControlstepstomanipulatetheexecutionofstepsordevices.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
SweepPerformsasweepoperationonthesignalsorparametersyouselect.Asweepiteratesasetofmeasurementstepsthenumberoftimesyouspecify.Eachiterationmodifiesoneormoreparametersofoneormorestepsofthemeasurement.
Parameter DescriptionSweepConfiguration
Containsthefollowingoptions:Sweepableparameters—Displaystheparameterstosweep.TheParameterNamecolumndisplaysthenameoftheparameter.TheStepNamecolumndisplaysthestepthatusestheparameter.TheAffectedOutputcolumndisplaystheoutputsignals,ifany,thatthesweepoperationaffects.TheAliascolumndisplaysthenametouseintheFormulafieldwhenyoureferencetheparameter.AliasdisplaysanameonlywhenyousetTypetoFormula.Add—AddsaparametertotheSweepableparameters.Remove—RemovestheselectedparameterfromtheSweepableparameters.Configuration—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Type—Specifiesthetypeofsweeptoperform.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Linear—(Default)Incrementstheselectedparameterbyauniformvalueforeachiterationofthesweep.TheincrementalvalueistheuniformdistancebetweenpointsthatmapstheNumberofpointsbetweentheStartandStopvaluesyouspecify.Exponential—Incrementstheselectedparameterbyavaluethatgrowsexponentiallywith
eachiterationofthesweep.ListofPoints—AdjuststhevalueoftheselectedparametertothenextvalueintheDataPointslistwitheachiterationofthesweep.FromFile—Adjuststhevalueoftheselectedparametertothenextvalueinthefilewitheachiterationofthesweep.Formula—IncrementstheselectedparameterusingtheFormulayouspecifyfortheNumberofpointsyouspecify.
Formula—[Type:Formula]Specifiesaformulayoucanusetocontroltheselectedparameter.Validformulaparametersarex,whichfollowsalinearsweepcharacteristicbasedonthevaluesspecifiedbyStartx,StopxandNumberofPoints,andanyaliasx1,x2,andsoonthatisdefinedandvisibleintheAliascolumn.Forexample,ifyousweeptwoparameters,x1andx2,youcandefineasweepformulatocontrolthesweepingvaluesofx2dependingonxandx1.Forexample,intheFormulafield,enter2*x1+3*x^2toachievealineardependencytox1andquadraticdependencytox.TheSweepPointsgraphsdisplaystheresultingsweepingcharacteristic.
NoteAformulacanreferenceonlyanaliasinapreviouslysweptparameter.
Start—[Type:Linear,Exponential]Specifiesthestartvalueoftheselected
Sweepableparameter.Thedefaultis1.Stop—[Type:Linear,Exponential]SpecifiesthestopvalueoftheselectedSweepableparameter.Thedefaultis2.Startx—[Type:Formula]SpecifiesthestartvalueofthexparameterwhenyouusetheFormulasweeptype.LabVIEWSignalExpressalwayssweepsthexparameterlinearly.Stopx—[Type:Formula]SpecifiesthestopvalueofthexparameterwhenyouusetheFormulasweeptype.NumberofPoints—[Type:Linear,Exponential,Formula]Specifiesthenumberofpoints,includingthestartandstoppoint,tousetoperformthesweep.Thedefaultis2.SweepPoints—Displaysapreviewofthecalculatedpoints.ThewayLabVIEWSignalExpresscalculatesthepointsdependsontheTypeyouspecify.
[Type:Linear,Exponential]—CalculatespointsbasedonthevaluesyouspecifyintheStart,Stop,andNumberofPointsfields.[Type:ListofPoints]—CalculatespointsbasedonthevaluesintheDataPointslist.[Type:FromFile]—Calculatespointsbasedonthepointsspecifiedinthefile.[Type:Formula]—CalculatespointsbasedonthevaluesyouspecifyintheStartx,Stopx,andNumberofPointsfields.
DataPoints—[Type:ListofPoints]
Containsvaluesthatdefinethepointsinthesweep.Insert—[Type:ListofPoints]InsertsanewpointintheDataPointslistabovetheselectedpoint.Delete—[Type:ListofPoints]RemovestheselectedpointfromtheDataPointslist.Pathtosweepfile—[Type:FromFile]Specifiesthelocationofthetextfilethatcontainsthesweeppointsyouwanttouse.Thetextfilemustcontainasinglecolumnofvalues.Youcanaddcommentstoeachlineofthefilebyusingasemicolondelimiterbetweenasweeppointandacomment.
SweepOutput
Containsthefollowingoptions:Outputsofthesweep—Displaysthelistofdatatoaccumulatefromeachiterationofthesweep.TheoutputsyouaddtothislistappearasoutputsofthestepintheProjectView.Add—AddsoutputstotheOutputsofthesweeplist.ClickingthisbuttondisplaystheEditSweepOutputdialogbox.Remove—RemovestheselectedoutputfromtheOutputsofthesweeplist.Edit—DisplaystheEditSweepOutputdialogboxfortheselectedsweepoutput.Outputoptions—Containsthefollowingoptions:
Y-AxisLabel(Range)—Specifiesalabelforthey-axisoftheselectedoutput.X-AxisLabel(Domain)—Specifiesalabelforthex-axisoftheselectedoutput.Usedefault—Specifiestowhethertousethedefaultlabelfortheaxis.Removethecheckmarkfromthis
checkboxtospecifyacustomlabel.Exportiterationindex—Specifieswhethertoincludethecurrentiterationindexasanoutputofthestep.
ConditionalRepeatRepeatsthesequenceofstepsinsidetheloopuntiloneormoreconditionsaremet.Toaddacondition,clicktheAddbuttonintheInputConfigurationsectionandselectanappropriateinputvariable.ThevariablecanbeaBooleanorscalarresult.YoucanuseaBooleansignalasanexitconditiondirectly,oryoucancompareascalarvaluetoaconstantvalue.SelectthecomparisoncriteriausingtheCriterionpull-downmenu.YoucancombineseveralconditionsintoasingleexitconditionusingGroupoperation.SelectANDifyouwanttoexittheloopwhenalltheconditionsaretrue.SelectORifyouwanttoexitassoonasatleastoneoftheconditionsismet.YoucaninverttheexitconditionbyremovingthecheckmarkintheExitifTruecheckbox.
Parameter DescriptionInputConfiguration
Containsthefollowingoptions:Add—Addsaninputvariabletotheconditionlist.Remove—Removestheinputvariableyouselectfromtheconditionlist.Loopconditions—DisplaysthecurrentconditionsfortheConditionalRepeatstep.Inputsignal—Specifiestheinputsignal(variable)tobeusedwiththespecifiedconditions.Criterion—Specifiesthecomparisoncriterionfortheselectedinputscalarvariable.Value—Constantvalueusedtocomparewiththeselectedvariable.Invertinput—InvertstheselectedinputBooleanvariable.
ExitCondition
Containsthefollowingoptions:Groupoperation—CombinesseveralconditionsintoanExitcondition.SelectANDifyouwanttoexittheloopwhenalltheconditionsaretrue.SelectORifyouwanttoexitassoonasatleastoneoftheconditionsismet.
TriggerExtractsasectionofacontinuoussignalbasedonaspecifiedtrigger.Thisstepswaitsuntilasignalmeetsatriggerconditionandreturnsasectionofthesignalthatstartsatthetriggerpoint,orbeforethetriggerpointifyouspecifyPre-triggersamples.Thisstepreturnsatriggeredsignalthatalwaysisthesamesizeastheinputsignalbeforethetrigger,sotheinputsignalmustprovideenoughdataafterthetriggeroccursforthesteptoreturnasignalofthatsize.Iftheinputsignaldoesnotprovideenoughdata,thissteptimesout.Details
Parameter DescriptionInputSignal Displaystheinputsignal.
Displayedsignal—Specifiesthesignal(s)todisplayinthepreviewgraph(s).Thisoptionappearsonlywhenyouselectagroupofsignalsfortheinput.
NoteIftheinputsignalsincludescalarvaluesthatdependonthevaluesofinputwaveformsignals,youcannotspecifytodisplayallsignalsinthepreviewgraph(s).
OutputSignal Displaystheoutputsignal.Input Containsthefollowingoption:
Inputsignal—Specifiestheinputvalue.
Configuration Containsthefollowingoptions:Triggermode—SpecifieswhichconditionthespecifiedsignalmustmeetforLabVIEWSignalExpresstobeginextractingthesignal.
PositiveEdge—SpecifiesforthetriggertooccurwhenasignalcrossesthespecifiedLevelwithapositiveslope.NegativeEdge—SpecifiesforthetriggertooccurwhenasignalcrossesthespecifiedLevelwithanegativeslope.EnteringWindow—Specifiesforthe
triggertooccurwhenasignalentersthewindowbetweenthespecifiedHighlevelandLowlevelvalues.LeavingWindow—SpecifiesforthetriggertooccurwhenasignalexitsthewindowbetweenthespecifiedHighlevelandLowlevelvalues.
Level—Specifiesthelevelthatthesignalmustmeettotriggertheinputsignal.Highlevel—Specifiesthehigherlimitoftherangetotriggerthespecifiedsignal.Lowlevel—Specifiesthelowerlimitoftherangetotriggerthespecifiedsignal.Hysteresis—SpecifiestheamountaboveandbelowTriggerlevelthroughwhichthespecifiedsignalmustpassbeforeatriggerlevelcrossingisdetected.Thedefaultis0.Usetriggerhysteresistopreventnoisefromcausingafalsetrigger.Triggersignal—Specifiesthechanneltousetosearchforthetriggerwhentheinputisagroupedsignal.Thedefaultisthefirstchannelinthegroup.Pre-triggersamples—Specifiesthenumberofpre-triggersamplesperchanneltoacquirebeforethereferencetriggerpoint.DevicesthatNI-DAQmxsupportsrequirePre-triggersamplestohaveaminimumvalueof2.Post-triggersamplesequalSamplestoread–Pre-triggersamples.Thedefaultis2.Timeout(s)—Specifiesthehardwaretimeoutvalueinseconds.Thedefaultis10.Triggerfound—ReturnsTRUEifatriggerhasbeenfoundintheinputsignal.ReturnsFALSEifnotriggerisfound.
TriggerDetailsThisstepcanreturnatimeouterrorunderthefollowingconditions:
YouspecifyatriggerLevelthattheinputsignaldoesnotmeet.Atriggeroccursbuttheinputsignaldoesnotprovideenoughdataafterthetriggeroccursforthesteptoreturnasignalofthesamesizeastheinputsignal.
SequenceControlstheexecutionofaprojectbyalternatelyexecutingandpausingsteps.TheSequencestepcanpausetheexecutionofstepsinaprojectwithoutstoppingtheexecutionoftheentireproject.Forexample,youcanusetheSequencesteptopausetheexecutionofastepthatacquiresasignalfromahardwaredevicesothatanotherstepintheprojectcanusethesamehardwaredevice.IfyouselectRunprecedingstepsbeforefollowingsteps,theSequencestepallowsstepsthatprecedetheSequencesteptoexecuteonce,thenpausestheexecutionofthosestepsandallowsthestepsthatfollowtheSequencesteptoexecuteonce,andsoon.IfyouselectStartasequenceorEndasequence,theSequencestepbecomesthebeginningorendofasequenceanddoesnotaffecttheexecutionofanystepsthatappearbeforeorafterthesequenceintheProjectView.UsetheStartasequenceandEndasequenceoptionswhenyouwanttoallowstepsoutsideofthesequencetoruncontinuously,suchasifyouwanttogenerateasignalcontinuously.
NoteWhenyouusetheSequencesteptoreusehardware,youcannotperformacontinuoussignalacquisitionbecauseLabVIEWSignalExpressstopsandstartsthehardwaredevice.
Parameter DescriptionConfiguration Containsthefollowingoptions:
Runprecedingstepsbeforefollowingsteps—SpecifieswhetherSequenceforcesallthestepsthatprecedeitinthesequencetorunbeforeallthestepsthatfollowit.
Allowhardwarereuse—SpecifieswhetherstepsthatfollowtheSequencestepinthecurrentsequencecanusethesamehardwareasstepsthatprecedetheSequencestep.Placeacheckmarkinthischeckboxtoenablehardwarereuse.
Startasequence—SpecifieswhethertheSequencestepstartsanewsequence.Ifyou
selectthisoption,theSequencestepstartsanewsequenceinanewexecutionloop.Endasequence—SpecifieswhethertheSequencestependsasequence.Ifyouselectthisoption,theSequencestependsthecurrentsequenceandclosesthecurrentexecutionloop.Updatesignalviewsaftereachiteration—Updatesthesignalviews,includingdisplaysontheDataViewtabandpreviewgraphsontheStepSetuptab,eachtimetheSequencestepexecutes.IfyouselectDisplaymessageateachiteration,thisoptionenablestheusertoseeupdatedsignalvalueswhenLabVIEWSignalExpresspausestheproject.
Action Containsthefollowingoptions:Displaymessageateachiteration—SpecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpresspausestheexecutionofthesequenceanddisplaysamessagetotheusereachtimetheSequencestepexecutes.Ifyouplaceacheckmarkinthischeckbox,theLabVIEWSignalExpressdialogboxappearsateachiterationtodisplaythemessageandprompttheusertocontinueorstoprunningtheproject.Thisdialogboxalsogivestheusertheoptiontocreateasnapshotofthesignalsintheproject.
MessageText—SpecifiesthetexttodisplayinthemessagethatappearseachtimetheSequencestepexecutes.
Timing Containsthefollowingoptions:Pre-executiondelay—Specifiestheamountoftimeinmillisecondstowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Post-executiondelay—Specifiestheamountoftimeinmillisecondstowaitafterthestepexecutes.
RunLabVIEWVIUsetheRunLabVIEWVIstepstorunaLabVIEWVIintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.
Toviewrelatedtopics,clicktheLocatebutton,shownatleft,inthetoolbaratthetopofthiswindow.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelphighlightsthistopicintheContentstabsoyoucannavigatetherelatedtopics.
RunLabVIEW7.1VIRunsaLabVIEW7.1VIintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Ifthereareinputsavailable,usetheConnectInputbuttontospecifyacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatoyourVI.YoumustusetheversionoftheRunLabVIEWVIstepthatmatchestheversionofLabVIEWyousavedyourVIin.Forexample,ifyousavedaVIinLabVIEW7.1,youmustusetheRunLabVIEW7.1VIstep.IfyouuseaVIthatcontainsaparameterwithanX-Yarraydatatype,theoutputmustbeaclusterindicator,notagraphindicator.Thex-arraymustbethefirstcomponentinthecluster,andthey-arraymustbethesecondcomponentinthecluster.Youmustrepresentbothcomponentsintheclusterasnumericdoubles.LabVIEWSignalExpresscanacceptavarietyofdatatypes.YoucanbuildaRunLabVIEWVIstepfromanexistingVIoryoucanstartfromatemplate.
Parameter DescriptionSettings Containsthefollowingoptions:
SelectVI—SpecifiesthepathtotheVIyouwanttouseasastepintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.Runthisstepautomatically—RunstheVIassoonasyoumakeachangetothefrontpanel.RefreshVI—ReloadstheVIfromdisk,scanstheVIforanychangesmadewhileusingLabVIEWSignalExpress,andupdatestheRunLabVIEWVIstepwithanychanges.IfyouarerunningaprojectinLabVIEWSignalExpress,youmustclicktheStopbuttonbeforeyouclicktheRefreshVIbuttonfortheselectedVItosuccessfullyupdate.Controlname—SpecifieswhichinputsoftheVItodesignateassignalinputsfromtheLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.IfyouwanttopassdatafromadifferentstepoftheprojectintotheVI,usean
inputsignal.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Aninputsignalisavaluethatcomesfromapreviousstep.YoucannoteditthatinputsignalonthefrontpaneloftheVI.ConnectInput—SpecifiesacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatotheVI.DisconnectInput—RemovestheinputfromtheControlNamelistbox.Inputsignal—Listsareferencetoasignalfromapreviousstep.Outputs—ListstherecognizedoutputsoftheVIthatreturndatatotheproject.TheseoutputsmustbeonthefrontpaneloftheVI,matchoneoftheLabVIEWSignalExpresssignaltypes,andbeconnectedtotheVIconnectorpane.Stricttypeofoutputdata—SpecifiesthesignaltypeoftheoutputfromtheVI.Youmustspecifyastrictsignaltypetoguaranteethatotherstepsintheprojectcanacceptthesignalasaninputandproperlyoperateonit.
ConfigureVI
DisplaysthefrontpaneloftheVIyouselectedontheSettingstab.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingoptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhich
thisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.Timingtype—Containsthefollowingoptionsthatspecifyhowtheoutputsignalofthestepistimed:
Untimed—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalisnottimed.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisnotascalarvalueoratime-continuouswaveform.Continuous—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedcontinuously.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisatime-continuouswaveform.Periodic—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedperiodically.SelectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisascalarvalueandyouwanttoforcethesteptorunatarateyouspecifyinSampleperiod(s).Sampleperiod(s)—[Timingtype:Periodic]Specifiesthesampleperiodtouseforaperiodicoutputsignal.SetSampleperiod(s)to0torunthestepasfastaspossible.
RunLabVIEW8.0VIRunsaLabVIEW8.0VIintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Ifthereareinputsavailable,usetheConnectInputbuttontospecifyacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatoyourVI.YoumustusetheversionoftheRunLabVIEWVIstepthatmatchestheversionofLabVIEWyousavedyourVIin.Forexample,ifyousavedaVIinLabVIEW7.1,youmustusetheRunLabVIEW7.1VIstep.IfyouuseaVIthatcontainsaparameterwithanX-Yarraydatatype,theoutputmustbeaclusterindicator,notagraphindicator.Thex-arraymustbethefirstcomponentintheclusterandthey-arraymustbethesecondcomponentinthecluster.Youmustrepresentbothcomponentsintheclusterasnumericdoubles.LabVIEWSignalExpresscanacceptavarietyofdatatypes.YoucanbuildaRunLabVIEWVIstepfromanexistingVIoryoucanstartfromatemplate.
Parameter DescriptionSettings Containsthefollowingoptions:
SelectVI—SpecifiesthepathtotheVIyouwanttouseasastepintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.Runthisstepautomatically—RunstheVIassoonasyoumakeachangetothefrontpanel.RefreshVI—ReloadstheVIfromdisk,scanstheVIforanychangesmadewhileusingLabVIEWSignalExpress,andupdatestheRunLabVIEWVIstepwithanychanges.IfyouarerunningaprojectinLabVIEWSignalExpress,youmustclicktheStopbuttonbeforeyouclicktheRefreshVIbuttonfortheselectedVItosuccessfullyupdate.Controlname—SpecifieswhichinputsoftheVItodesignateassignalinputsfromtheLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.IfyouwanttopassdatafromadifferentstepoftheprojectintotheVI,usean
inputsignal.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Aninputsignalisavaluethatcomesfromapreviousstep.YoucannoteditthatinputsignalonthefrontpaneloftheVI.ConnectInput—SpecifiesacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatotheVI.DisconnectInput—RemovestheinputfromtheControlNamelistbox.Inputsignal—Listsareferencetoasignalfromapreviousstep.Outputs—ListstherecognizedoutputsoftheVIthatreturndatatotheproject.TheseoutputsmustbeonthefrontpaneloftheVI,matchoneoftheLabVIEWSignalExpresssignaltypes,andbeconnectedtotheVIconnectorpane.Stricttypeofoutputdata—SpecifiesthesignaltypeoftheoutputfromtheVI.Youmustspecifyastrictsignaltypetoguaranteethatotherstepsintheprojectcanacceptthesignalasaninputandproperlyoperateonit.
ConfigureVI
DisplaysthefrontpaneloftheVIyouselectedontheSettingstab.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingoptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhich
thisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.Timingtype—Containsthefollowingoptionsthatspecifyhowtheoutputsignalofthestepistimed:
Untimed—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalisnottimed.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisnotascalarvalueoratime-continuouswaveform.Continuous—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedcontinuously.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisatime-continuouswaveform.Periodic—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedperiodically.SelectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisascalarvalueandyouwanttoforcethesteptorunatarateyouspecifyinSampleperiod(s).Sampleperiod(s)—[Timingtype:Periodic]Specifiesthesampleperiodtouseforaperiodicoutputsignal.SetSampleperiod(s)to0torunthestepasfastaspossible.
RunLabVIEW8.2VIRunsaLabVIEW8.2VIintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Ifthereareinputsavailable,usetheConnectInputbuttontospecifyacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatoyourVI.YoumustusetheversionoftheRunLabVIEWVIstepthatmatchestheversionofLabVIEWyousavedyourVIin.Forexample,ifyousavedaVIinLabVIEW7.1,youmustusetheRunLabVIEW7.1VIstep.IfyouuseaVIthatcontainsaparameterwithanX-Yarraydatatype,theoutputmustbeaclusterindicator,notagraphindicator.Thex-arraymustbethefirstcomponentintheclusterandthey-arraymustbethesecondcomponentinthecluster.Youmustrepresentbothcomponentsintheclusterasnumericdoubles.LabVIEWSignalExpresscanacceptavarietyofdatatypes.YoucanbuildaRunLabVIEWVIstepfromanexistingVIoryoucanstartfromatemplate.
Parameter DescriptionSettings Containsthefollowingoptions:
SelectVI—SpecifiesthepathtotheVIyouwanttouseasastepintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.Runthisstepautomatically—RunstheVIassoonasyoumakeachangetothefrontpanel.RefreshVI—ReloadstheVIfromdisk,scanstheVIforanychangesmadewhileusingLabVIEWSignalExpress,andupdatestheRunLabVIEWVIstepwithanychanges.IfyouarerunningaprojectinLabVIEWSignalExpress,youmustclicktheStopbuttonbeforeyouclicktheRefreshVIbuttonfortheselectedVItosuccessfullyupdate.Controlname—SpecifieswhichinputsoftheVItodesignateassignalinputsfromtheLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.IfyouwanttopassdatafromadifferentstepoftheprojectintotheVI,usean
inputsignal.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Aninputsignalisavaluethatcomesfromapreviousstep.YoucannoteditthatinputsignalonthefrontpaneloftheVI.ConnectInput—SpecifiesacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatotheVI.DisconnectInput—RemovestheinputfromtheControlNamelistbox.Inputsignal—Listsareferencetoasignalfromapreviousstep.Outputs—ListstherecognizedoutputsoftheVIthatreturndatatotheproject.TheseoutputsmustbeonthefrontpaneloftheVI,matchoneoftheLabVIEWSignalExpresssignaltypes,andbeconnectedtotheVIconnectorpane.Stricttypeofoutputdata—SpecifiesthesignaltypeoftheoutputfromtheVI.Youmustspecifyastrictsignaltypetoguaranteethatotherstepsintheprojectcanacceptthesignalasaninputandproperlyoperateonit.
ConfigureVI
DisplaysthefrontpaneloftheVIyouselectedontheSettingstab.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingoptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhich
thisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.Timingtype—Containsthefollowingoptionsthatspecifyhowtheoutputsignalofthestepistimed:
Untimed—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalisnottimed.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisnotascalarvalueoratime-continuouswaveform.Continuous—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedcontinuously.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisatime-continuouswaveform.Periodic—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedperiodically.SelectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisascalarvalueandyouwanttoforcethesteptorunatarateyouspecifyinSampleperiod(s).Sampleperiod(s)—[Timingtype:Periodic]Specifiesthesampleperiodtouseforaperiodicoutputsignal.SetSampleperiod(s)to0torunthestepasfastaspossible.
RunLabVIEW8.5VIRunsaLabVIEW8.5VIintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Ifthereareinputsavailable,usetheConnectInputbuttontospecifyacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatoyourVI.YoumustusetheversionoftheRunLabVIEWVIstepthatmatchestheversionofLabVIEWyousavedyourVIin.Forexample,ifyousavedaVIinLabVIEW7.1,youmustusetheRunLabVIEW7.1VIstep.IfyouuseaVIthatcontainsaparameterwithanX-Yarraydatatype,theoutputmustbeaclusterindicator,notagraphindicator.Thex-arraymustbethefirstcomponentintheclusterandthey-arraymustbethesecondcomponentinthecluster.Youmustrepresentbothcomponentsintheclusterasnumericdoubles.LabVIEWSignalExpresscanacceptavarietyofdatatypes.YoucanbuildaRunLabVIEWVIstepfromanexistingVIoryoucanstartfromatemplate.
Parameter DescriptionSettings Containsthefollowingoptions:
SelectVI—SpecifiesthepathtotheVIyouwanttouseasastepintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.Runthisstepautomatically—RunstheVIassoonasyoumakeachangetothefrontpanel.RefreshVI—ReloadstheVIfromdisk,scanstheVIforanychangesmadewhileusingLabVIEWSignalExpress,andupdatestheRunLabVIEWVIstepwithanychanges.IfyouarerunningaprojectinLabVIEWSignalExpress,youmustclicktheStopbuttonbeforeyouclicktheRefreshVIbuttonfortheselectedVItosuccessfullyupdate.Controlname—SpecifieswhichinputsoftheVItodesignateassignalinputsfromtheLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.IfyouwanttopassdatafromadifferentstepoftheprojectintotheVI,usean
inputsignal.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Aninputsignalisavaluethatcomesfromapreviousstep.YoucannoteditthatinputsignalonthefrontpaneloftheVI.ConnectInput—SpecifiesacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatotheVI.DisconnectInput—RemovestheinputfromtheControlNamelistbox.Inputsignal—Listsareferencetoasignalfromapreviousstep.Outputs—ListstherecognizedoutputsoftheVIthatreturndatatotheproject.TheseoutputsmustbeonthefrontpaneloftheVI,matchoneoftheLabVIEWSignalExpresssignaltypes,andbeconnectedtotheVIconnectorpane.Stricttypeofoutputdata—SpecifiesthesignaltypeoftheoutputfromtheVI.Youmustspecifyastrictsignaltypetoguaranteethatotherstepsintheprojectcanacceptthesignalasaninputandproperlyoperateonit.
ConfigureVI
DisplaysthefrontpaneloftheVIyouselectedontheSettingstab.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingoptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhich
thisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.Timingtype—Containsthefollowingoptionsthatspecifyhowtheoutputsignalofthestepistimed:
Untimed—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalisnottimed.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisnotascalarvalueoratime-continuouswaveform.Continuous—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedcontinuously.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisatime-continuouswaveform.Periodic—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedperiodically.SelectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisascalarvalueandyouwanttoforcethesteptorunatarateyouspecifyinSampleperiod(s).Sampleperiod(s)—[Timingtype:Periodic]Specifiesthesampleperiodtouseforaperiodicoutputsignal.SetSampleperiod(s)to0torunthestepasfastaspossible.
RunLabVIEW8.6VIRunsaLabVIEW8.6VIintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Ifthereareinputsavailable,usetheConnectInputbuttontospecifyacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatoyourVI.YoumustusetheversionoftheRunLabVIEWVIstepthatmatchestheversionofLabVIEWyousavedyourVIin.Forexample,ifyousavedaVIinLabVIEW7.1,youmustusetheRunLabVIEW7.1VIstep.IfyouuseaVIthatcontainsaparameterwithanX-Yarraydatatype,theoutputmustbeaclusterindicator,notagraphindicator.Thex-arraymustbethefirstcomponentintheclusterandthey-arraymustbethesecondcomponentinthecluster.Youmustrepresentbothcomponentsintheclusterasnumericdoubles.LabVIEWSignalExpresscanacceptavarietyofdatatypes.YoucanbuildaRunLabVIEWVIstepfromanexistingVIoryoucanstartfromatemplate.
Parameter DescriptionSettings Containsthefollowingoptions:
SelectVI—SpecifiesthepathtotheVIyouwanttouseasastepintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.Runthisstepautomatically—RunstheVIassoonasyoumakeachangetothefrontpanel.RefreshVI—ReloadstheVIfromdisk,scanstheVIforanychangesmadewhileusingLabVIEWSignalExpress,andupdatestheRunLabVIEWVIstepwithanychanges.IfyouarerunningaprojectinLabVIEWSignalExpress,youmustclicktheStopbuttonbeforeyouclicktheRefreshVIbuttonfortheselectedVItosuccessfullyupdate.Controlname—SpecifieswhichinputsoftheVItodesignateassignalinputsfromtheLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.IfyouwanttopassdatafromadifferentstepoftheprojectintotheVI,usean
inputsignal.LabVIEWSignalExpressassumesallcontrolsontheconnectorpaneoftheVIyouspecifyareparameters.Aninputsignalisavaluethatcomesfromapreviousstep.YoucannoteditthatinputsignalonthefrontpaneloftheVI.ConnectInput—SpecifiesacontrolLabVIEWSignalExpresscanusetopassdatatotheVI.DisconnectInput—RemovestheinputfromtheControlNamelistbox.Inputsignal—Listsareferencetoasignalfromapreviousstep.Outputs—ListstherecognizedoutputsoftheVIthatreturndatatotheproject.TheseoutputsmustbeonthefrontpaneloftheVI,matchoneoftheLabVIEWSignalExpresssignaltypes,andbeconnectedtotheVIconnectorpane.Stricttypeofoutputdata—SpecifiesthesignaltypeoftheoutputfromtheVI.Youmustspecifyastrictsignaltypetoguaranteethatotherstepsintheprojectcanacceptthesignalasaninputandproperlyoperateonit.
ConfigureVI
DisplaysthefrontpaneloftheVIyouselectedontheSettingstab.
ExecutionControl
Containsthefollowingoptions:Startthisstepafter—Makesthestepwaituntilanotherstephasstartedbeforeexecuting.Youcanmakethestepwaitonanyotherhardwarestepintheprojectbyselectingthesteptowaitonfromthepull-downmenu.
Youcanusethisoptiontoforceanacquisitiondevicetostartafteragenerationdevicestarts.Youalsocanusethisoptiontoensurethatadevicegeneratingatriggersignalstartsafterthedevicereceivingthesignal,whichavoidssendingthesignalbeforethereceiverisready.Steptowaitfor—Liststhepossiblestepsforwhich
thisstepcanwait.Pre-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitbeforethestepexecutes.Ifyouconfigurethesteptostartafteranotherstep,thedelayrepresentstheamountoftimetowaitafterthespecifiedstepstarts.Post-executiondelay(ms)—Specifiestheamountoftimetowaitafterthestepexecutes.Timingtype—Containsthefollowingoptionsthatspecifyhowtheoutputsignalofthestepistimed:
Untimed—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalisnottimed.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisnotascalarvalueoratime-continuouswaveform.Continuous—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedcontinuously.Selectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisatime-continuouswaveform.Periodic—Specifiesthattheoutputsignalistimedperiodically.SelectthisoptioniftheoutputsignalisascalarvalueandyouwanttoforcethesteptorunatarateyouspecifyinSampleperiod(s).Sampleperiod(s)—[Timingtype:Periodic]Specifiesthesampleperiodtouseforaperiodicoutputsignal.SetSampleperiod(s)to0torunthestepasfastaspossible.
LabVIEWSignalExpressEnvironmentTheprojectsyoucreateintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentincludethestepsyouselectfromtheAddStepmenu.Youdisplaytheresultsofthemeasurementsingraphsandtables.Youcaneditprojectswhiletheprojectruns,andtheresultsupdate.IfyouinstalledNationalInstrumentsLabVIEW,youcanconvertprojectsintoVIsorusetheRunLabVIEWVIsteptoimportVIsforuseinLabVIEWSignalExpressprojects.
NoteYoumustuseLabVIEW7.1orlatertocreateaRunLabVIEWVIstep.YoucannotrunaVIthatwassavedforanearlierversionofLabVIEWusingtheRunLabVIEWVIstep.YoumustsaveyourVIintheactualversionofLabVIEWyouwanttorun.
ChannelViewTheChannelViewisacentrallocationforviewingandconfiguringhardwareandsharedvariables.WhenyoulaunchLabVIEWSignalExpress,theapplicationautomaticallydetectsinstalledorsimulatedNI-DAQmxdevices,NI-DMMdevices,andNIswitchmodulesanddisplaysthedevicesintheChannelView.YoualsocanimportandexportChannelViewdatafromMicrosoftExcelspreadsheets.TheChannelViewdoesnotdisplayanalogoutput(AO)modules.Inthedefaultlayout,theChannelViewisasupplementaryviewthatappearsbelowtheprimaryviewasatablewithtwocolumns:PhysicalChannelandAcquire.LabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysthedevicesitdetectsinthePhysicalChannelcolumn.
NoteIfLabVIEWSignalExpressdoesnotdetectanyinstalledorsimulatedNI-DAQmxdevices,NI-DMMdevices,orNIswitchmodules,theChannelViewdoesnotappearinthedefaultlayout.IfyoudisplaytheChannelViewwithnosupportedhardwarepresent,theChannelViewappearsempty.
UsetheViewpull-downmenuatthetopoftheChannelViewtospecifywhethertodisplayhardwareorsharedvariables.IfyouselectSharedVariablesfromtheViewpull-downmenu,theSharedVariableNameandtheSamplePeriod(s)columnsappear.TheAcquirecolumncontainscheckboxesthatspecifywhethertoacquiresignalsfromhardwareorreadthevaluesofsharedvariables.WhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckboxforahardwareitem,LabVIEWSignalExpressaddsanAcquireSignalssteptotheProjectViewandadditionalcolumnsappearwithitem-specificconfigurationoptions.WhenyouplaceacheckmarkintheAcquirecheckboxforasharedvariable,LabVIEWSignalExpressaddsaReadSharedVariablessteptotheProjectViewor,ifaReadSharedVariablesStepalreadyexists,addsthevalueofthesharedvariableasanoutputoftheexistingstep.IftheChannelViewisnotvisible,selectView»ChannelViewtodisplaytheChannelView.
ConfiguringItemsfromthePropertiesWindowYoucanusethePropertieswindowtoconfigurechannels,devices,orsharedvariables.ThePropertieswindowdisplaystheconfigurationoptionsforthedevice(s),channel(s),orsharedvariable(s)youselectintheChannelView.Ifyouselectmultipleitems,thePropertieswindowdisplaysalltheconfigurationoptionstheitemssharesoyouquicklycanupdatevaluesforalltheitems.Forexample,iftheChannelViewshowsthatyouaremeasuringvoltageon10channelsandyouwanttomeasureresistanceonthose10channels,youcanselectall10channelsandusethePropertieswindowtoupdatethemeasurementtypeonceinsteadofoneachindividualchannel.IfthePropertieswindowisnotvisible,selectView»PropertiestodisplaythePropertieswindow.Forhardwaredevices,asyoumakechangesinthePropertieswindow,theChannelViewtabledisplaysnewcolumnswiththeappropriateconfigurableoptionsfortheselectedmeasurement.
LoggedDataWindowTheLoggedDatawindowappearsbelowtheProjectViewinLabVIEWSignalExpressanddisplaysalistofallloggeddataandsnapshotsfromthecurrentprojectsortedbythetimeatwhichyourecordedthelogortookthesnapshot.YoucanusetheLoggedDatawindowtoview,export,andmanageloggeddataandsnapshots.Whenyoucreateanewdatalogorsnapshot,thenameofthenewdatalogorsnapshotautomaticallyappearsintheLoggedDatawindow.Expandthenametodisplaythesignalsthatthedatalogorsnapshotcontains.
ManagingLoggedDataEachdataloghasatop-level,user-definedname.Thedefaultnameisthetimestamp,butyoucanright-clickthetimestampandselectRenamefromtheshortcutmenutorenamealog.
NoteYoualsocanusetheRecordingOptionstabtonamealogbeforeyourecordthelog.
ThenameoftheactivelogappearsinboldintheLoggedDatawindow.Right-clickthenameofadatalogandselectMakeActiveLogtomakethatlogtheactivelog.IfyouareviewingalogontheDataViewtab,thedisplayupdatestodisplaytheactivelog.WhenyouexpandadatalogintheLoggedDatawindow,youcanright-clickasignalwithinthedatalogandselectfromthefollowingshortcutmenuoptionstomanagetheloggedsignal:
Properties—Displaysasummaryofthepropertiesoftheloggedsignal.ShowAlarmsandEvents—Displaysalistofallthealarmsandeventsintheloggedsignal.OpenFolder—Navigatestothelocationoftheloggedsignalondisk.ConverttoASCII—ConvertstheloggedsignaltoanASCIIfile.ExporttoMicrosoftExcel—ExportstheloggeddatatoMicrosoftExcel.Thisoptionexportseverysampleinthelog.
NoteWhenyouexportdatatoMicrosoftExcel,LabVIEWSignalExpresscopiesdatasamplestoaclipboardforexport.UsetheMaximumClipboardDataExportSizeoptionontheDatapageoftheOptionsdialogboxtoincreasethenumberofdatasamplestheclipboardcancontain.OpeninDIAdem—OpenstheloggedsignalinDIAdem.MakeLogViewable—SpecifiesforLabVIEWSignalExpresstoprocessthelogsoyoucanviewthelogonareasonablescaleinadisplayontheDataViewtab.SelectthisoptionifyousetPreparelogdataforviewingtoNeverontheLoggingpageoftheOptionsdialogbox.
ManagingSnapshotsEachsnapshothasatop-level,user-definedname.Thedefaultnameisthetimestamp,butyoucanright-clickthetimestampandselectRenamefromtheshortcutmenutorenameasnapshot.
NoteYoualsocanusetheCreateSnapshotdialogboxtonameasnapshotbeforeyoucreatethesnapshot.
WhenyouexpandasnapshotintheLoggedDatawindow,youcanright-clickasignalwithinthesnapshotandselectfromthefollowingshortcutmenuoptionstomanagethesignal:
SendTo—Sendsthesignaltoananalysisstep.Probe—DisplaysaDataProbewindowwithdetailedinformationaboutthesignal.CopyValue—Copiesthesignalvalueastextthatyoucanpasteintoatextfile.SaveValue—Savesthesnapshotasatextfile.Delete—Deletesthesignalfromthesnapshot.Rename—Renamesthesignal.
OperatorInterfaceUsetheOperatorInterfaceviewtocreateanoperatorinterfacecontainingcontrolsthatyoucanusetomodifystepparameters.Whenyourunaprojectinoperatormode,theonlyvaluesyoucanchangearevaluesofstepparametersthatyoubindtocontrolsontheoperatorinterface.SelectView»OperatorInterfacetodisplaytheOperatorInterfaceview.TheToolboxwindowcontainsthecontrolsyoucanaddtotheoperatorinterface.DragacontrolfromtheToolboxwindowtotheOperatorInterfaceviewtoaddthecontroltotheoperatorinterface.Youcanclickthearrowicon( )thatappearsonanoperatorinterfacecontroltoconfigurebasicpropertiesofthecontrol,oryoucanusethePropertieswindowtoviewandconfigureallthepropertiesofanoperatorinterfacecontrol.
NoteYoucannoteditthecontrolsonanoperatorinterfacewhenaprojectisinoperatormode.
YoucannotaddindicatorstotheOperatorInterfaceview.UsedisplaysontheDataViewtabtoseehowchangingthevalueofanoperatorinterfacecontroleffectssignalsintheproject.
ConfiguringtheProjectViewYoucanusetheOptionsdialogboxtoconfigurehowthestepsintheProjectViewappear.SelectTools»OptionstodisplaytheOptionsdialogbox.OntheGeneralpage,navigatetotheProjectViewsection.TheShowinputandoutputsignalsforallstepsoptiondisplaysallsignalsforallstepsorallsignalsfortheselectedstep.TheShowlargeiconsintheprojectviewoptiondisplaysallstepswithlargeiconsortheselectedstepwithalargeicon.
CopyingandPastingStepsWhenyoucopyandinsertastep,LabVIEWSignalExpressupdatesthestepandsubsequentstepsthatinheritfromthecopiedsteptoprocessthecorrectsignals.Completethefollowingstepstocopyandinsertastep.
1. IntheProjectView,right-clickthestepyouwanttocopyandselectCopyfromtheshortcutmenu.
2. Right-clickastepintheProjectViewandselectPasteBeforeSelectedSteporPasteAfterSelectedStepfromtheshortcutmenutoinsertthecopiedstepbeforeorafterthestepyouselected.
SignalTypesinLabVIEWSignalExpressLabVIEWSignalExpresscategorizessignalsbasedontheirtype,suchastime-domainsignals,frequency-domainsignals,scalarvalues,orBooleanvalues.Time-domainsignalsappearonagraphwhereasignalvalue(suchasamplitude)correspondstoatime.Frequency-domainsignalsappearonagraphwherethelevelofasignalcorrespondstoafrequencyvalue.Scalarvaluesappearintablesassinglevaluesoracollectionofsinglevalues,suchastheresultofaDCmeasurementoratone-frequencymeasurement.BooleanvaluesappearasverticalorhorizontalLEDs.LabVIEWSignalExpresscanmanagethedifferentsignaltypesinthefollowingways:
Youcanprocessonlysignalsthatmakesenseforaspecificstep.Forexample,youonlycanperformapowerspectrumoperationonatime-domainsignal.Youcannotmixsignaltypesthatareincompatible.Forexample,youcannotaddtime-domainsignalvaluestotheresultingvaluesofapowerspectrum.Youcanaddaphasesignalrepresentedindegreestoaphasesignalrepresentedinradians.LabVIEWSignalExpressconvertsthedifferentsignaltypes.Youcannotdisplayincompatiblesignalsonthesamegraph.Forexample,youcannotdisplayatimesignalandtheresultofapowerspectrumonthesamegraph.
StepsCanProcessDifferentSignalTypesSomestepscanprocessmorethanonesignaltype.Forexample,theScalingandConversionstepcanscaleatime-domainsignal(applyinggainandoffsetvalues)orcanscaleafrequency-domainsignal.Theavailablescalingoperationsdependonthetypeandunitofthesignal.Iftheinputsignalisafrequency-domainmagnitudesignal,youcanapplyagaintothemagnitudesignal.Iftheinputsignalisafrequency-domainphasesignal,youcanapplyadelaycorrectionvalue.
LabVIEWSignalExpressDataTypesThefollowingtableliststhemostcommondatatypesLabVIEWSignalExpressuses.
Graphic DescriptionTimeWaveform,RealTimeWaveform,Real,1DArrayTime-XYWaveform,RealTimeDigitalWaveform,FrequencySpectrum,MagnitudeFrequencySpectrum,PhaseFrequencySpectrum,CoherenceFrequency-XYWaveform,PowerLinearFrequency-XYWaveform,Power(dB)Frequency-XYWaveform,MagnitudeFrequency-XYWaveform,Magnitude(dB)Frequency-XYWaveform,Phase(rad.)Frequency-XYWaveform,Phase(deg.)FrequencyWaveform,RatioHistogram,GenericHistogram,Generic(%)Scalar,U32Scalar,DoubleScalar,Double,Array1DBooleanString
PropertiesWindowThePropertieswindowdisplayseditableattributesofdevices,channels,oroperatorinterfacecontrols.YoucanusethePropertieswindowtoconfiguremultipledevicesorchannelsthatyouselectintheChannelViewortoconfigurecontrolsyouaddtotheOperatorInterfaceview.IfyouselectanitemineithertheChannelViewortheOperatorInterfaceview,thePropertieswindowdisplaysthenameandattributesoftheitemyouselect.Ifyouselectmultipleitems,thePropertieswindowdisplaystheattributesthatarecommontoalltheselecteditems.Youcannotchangethevaluesofattributesthatappeardisabled,orgrayedout.SelectView»PropertiestodisplaythePropertieswindow.
ConfiguringDeviceChannelsUsingthePropertiesWindowYoucanusethePropertieswindowtoconfiguredevicesanddevicechannelswhenyouacquiresignalsusingtheChannelView.UsethePropertieswindowtoquicklyconfiguremultiplechannelswhenyouperformmulti-channelsignalacquisitions.Completethefollowingstepstoconfiguremultipledevicechannelssimultaneously.
1. IftheChannelViewisnotvisible,selectView»ChannelViewtodisplaytheChannelView.
2. SelectView»PropertiesorclickthePropertiestabthatappearsinthebottomleftcorneroftheapplicationwindowtodisplaythePropertieswindow.
3. IntheChannelView,clicktheexpandsymbolforthedevicefromwhichyouwanttoacquiresignalstodisplaythechannelsofthedevice.
4. Selectthechannelsfromwhichyouwanttoacquiresignals.Holddownthe<Ctrl>keyasyouselectthechannelsyouwanttoconfiguretoselectmultiplechannels.Youalsocanselectachannel,holddownthe<Shift>key,andselectanotherchanneltoselectallthechannelsbetweenthetwoyouclick,inclusive.
TheattributesyoucanconfigurefortheselectedchannelsappearenabledinthePropertieswindow.Settingsthatyoucannotconfigureforallselectedchannelsappeargrayedout.Grayedoutattributesusuallyareattributesthatyouconfiguredatthedevicelevelandthatyoucannotchangeforindividualchannels.
5. InthePropertieswindow,settheenabledsettingstothevaluesyouwanttouse.LabVIEWSignalExpressupdatesalltheselectedchannelswiththevaluesyouspecify.
ToolboxWindowTheToolboxwindowcontainsalistofcontrolsyoucanaddtoanoperatorinterface.Controlsincludeknobs,slides,switches,rings,textcontrols,andlabels.Operatorinterfacecontrolsresemblethecontrolsthatappearonthefrontpanelofaninstrument.Anoperatorinterfaceallowsausertochangestepparameterswhenaprojectisinoperatormode.UsetheToolboxwindowwiththeOperatorInterfaceviewtocreateanoperatorinterface.SelectacontrolintheToolboxwindowanddragthecontroltotheOperatorInterfaceviewtoaddthecontroltotheoperatorinterface.SelectView»ToolboxtodisplaytheToolboxwindow.
DataViewTheDataViewtabdisplaysdatainLabVIEWSignalExpress.YoucandragasignaldirectlyfromastepintheProjectViewtotheDataViewtabtodisplaythevalueofthesignal.TheDataViewtabcandisplaysignalsinseveralformats,includinggraphs,charts,andvariousnumericrepresentations.WhenyoudragasignaltotheDataViewtab,thesignalappearsinaneworexistingdisplaydependingonwhetheradisplayshowingthattypeofdataalreadyexists.Bydefault,theDataViewtabappearswithagraphdisplay,butLabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyupdatesthetypeofthedisplaytofitthedatatypeofthesignalyouadd.AprojectcancontainmultipleDataViewtabs,andoneDataViewtabcancontainmultipledisplays.Right-clickadisplayandselectDataView»NewDataViewfromtheshortcutmenutocreateanewDataViewtab.ToremoveaDataViewtab,eitherclosethetaborright-clickadisplayonthetabandselectDataView»RemoveDataViewfromtheshortcutmenu.YoualsocanusetheDataViewmenutoadd,remove,ormodifytheappearanceoftheDataViewtab.IftheDataViewtabisnotvisible,selectView»DataViewtodisplaythetab.
ViewingDatainaPlaybackWorkAreaInaPlaybackworkarea,theDataViewtabappearswithaplaybacktoolbaryoucanusetonavigateloggeddata.DragalogfromtheLoggedDatawindowtoadisplayontheDataViewtabtoviewtheloggeddata.Youthencanusethebuttonsontheplaybacktoolbartoplaybackthelog,playbackthelogrepeatedly,orupdatethedisplaytoshowthenextorpreviousiterationofthelog.Youcanusethedownarrowtosetthespeedofplayback.Theplaybacktoolbaralsoincludesatimelineyoucanusetoscrolltoaspecificpointinalog.
EventViewerWhenyoudisplayloggedsignalsongraphdisplaysontheDataViewtab,youcanusetheEventViewertodisplayeventssuchaserrors,warnings,andalarmsthatoccurredduringthelog.Right-clickthegraphofaloggedsignalandselectVisibleItems»EventViewertodisplaytheEventViewer.Foreachevent,theEventViewerdisplaysthetypeoftheevent,thetimetheeventoccurred,andabriefdescriptionoftheevent.Double-clickaneventintheEventViewertozoominonthesignalwheretheeventoccurred.
GraphLegendRight-clickagraphintheDataViewandselectVisibleItems»Legendtoopenthegraphlegend.Thegraphlegendlistseverysignaldisplayedinthegraphandthecorrespondingplotcolor.Toremoveasignalfromthegraph,removethecheckmarkfromthecheckboxnexttothesignalname.Clicktheplotcolornexttoasignaltochangethecolorofthesignal.Theorderinwhichthegraphlegendlistssignalsistheplotorderofthegraph.YoucanusetheSignalOrderpageoftheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxtochangetheplotorderofagraph.
GraphPaletteThegraphpaletteappearsbelowandtotheleftofagraphonagraphorchartdisplayorontheProjectDocumentationtab.Usethegraphpalette,shownasfollows,tospecifyhowyouinteractwithagraph.
Withthegraphpalette,youcanmovecursors,zoom,andpanthedisplay.Thegraphpaletteappearswiththefollowingbuttons,inorderfromlefttoright:
Zoom—Zoomsinandoutofthedisplay.Usethepull-downmenuthatappearswhenyouclickthisbuttontoselectazoommethod.CursorMovementTool—Movescursorsonthedisplay.PanningTool—Picksuptheplotandmovesitaroundonthedisplay.
Clickabuttononthegraphpalettetoenablezooming,movingcursors,orpanning.
GraphTimestampTime-domaingraphsinLabVIEWSignalExpresshavethreetimestampoptionsfordisplayingsignals.LabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysgraphsoftime-domainsignalswithtimestampsthatprovidetheclearestviewofthesignalorsignalsbydefault.Youcanchangethetimestampofagraphbyright-clickingthegraph,selectingTimeStampfromtheshortcutmenu,andselectingoneofthefollowingtimestampoptions:
Ignore—Alltheplotsonthegraphstartatzeroregardlessoftheactualtimestampoftheplottedsignals.Selectthisoptiontodisplaymultipleplotswithunrelatedtimestamps,suchasdisplayinganacquisitionresultandasimulationsignalloadedfromafile.Absolute—Alltheplotsonthegraphdisplaysignalsthatshowtheactualtimestampofeachwaveform.Thisisthedefaultsettingforgraphsofloggeddata.Usethisoptionifyouwanttodisplayawaveformacquiredusingatriggereddigitizerwherethetimestampreference(zero)islinkedtothetriggerpoint.Relative—Allplotsonthegraphdisplaysignalsrelativetothestarttimeofthereferencesignalyouselect.Thereferencesignalstartsatzero.Forexample,ifyouplottwowaveformstime-stampedat15and13andselectthefirstwaveformasthereference,thetwoplotsstartat0and–2.Thisisthedefaultsettingforgraphsofonlyonesignal.UsethisoptionifyouwanttodisplaymultiplechannelsthatamultiplexedMIOboardacquiresanddisplaythetimingrelationshipbetweenthedifferentchannelstocorrectfortheinterchanneldelays.
PreviewGraphThePreviewGraphprovidesamethodforpanningthroughandzoominginandoutondataintheDataView.ThePreviewGraphappearsintheDataViewbydefaultwhenyouviewloggeddata.Whenviewingliveornon-loggeddata,right-clickadisplayintheDataViewandselectVisibleItems»PreviewtodisplaythePreviewGraph.IftheDataViewcontainsmultipledisplays,youcandisplayaseparatePreviewGraphwitheachdisplay.TheblueareainthePreviewGraph,whichappearsbetweentwoyellowcursors,indicatesthesectionofthesignalcurrentlyvisibleinthedisplay.Bydefault,thePreviewGraphdisplaysallavailabledata.Youcandragthecursorstodisplayasubsetofthedata,orusetheZoomInandZoomOutbuttonstochangethesectionofdatacurrentlydisplayed.Youalsocandragthecursorsorclicktotheleftorrightofthecursorstomovethecursors.Ifyouclicktotheleftorrightofthecursor,thecursormovestothespotyouclicked.UsethescrollbarbeneaththePreviewGraphtoscrollthroughthedata.
EventLogTheEventLogtabrecordseventssuchaserrors,warnings,andalarmsthatoccurinLabVIEWSignalExpress.Foreachevent,theEventLogtabdisplaystheseverityoftheeventandthetimetheeventoccurred,aswellasthesourceandtitleoftheevent,ifknown.Double-clickaneventorright-clicktheeventandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplayanEventPropertieswindowthatcontainsmoreinformationabouttheevent.Foreventscausedbysteps,suchaserrorsandwarnings,youcanright-clicktheeventandselectViewEventSourcefromtheshortcutmenutodisplaythestepthatcausedtheevent.TocleartheEventLogtab,copyevents,orviewonlyspecifictypesofevents,right-clickanywhereonthetabandselecttheappropriateoptionfromtheshortcutmenu.IftheEventLogtabisnotvisible,selectView»EventLogtodisplaytheEventLogtab.
StepSetupTheStepSetuptabdisplaysconfigurationoptionsforsteps.TheStepSetuptabcandisplayconfigurationoptionsforonlyonestepatatime,andthecontentsofthetabarespecifictothestepyouselect.UsetheStepSetuptabtoselecttheinputsignalsastepprocessesandtosetthestepparameters.Insomecases,thetabalsoincludesgraphsthatplotthesignalsthestepreceivesasinputsandreturnsasoutputs.ClickthePreviewbuttonthatappearsontheStepSetuptabforthesestepstoshoworhidethegraphs.WhenyouselectastepintheProjectVieworaddanewsteptoaproject,LabVIEWSignalExpressautomaticallyupdatestheStepSetuptabtodisplayconfigurationoptionsforthenewstep.IfyouwanttheStepSetuptabtoalwaysshowconfigurationoptionsforthecurrentlyselectedstep,clicktheLocktoStepbuttononthetab.IfyoulocktheStepSetuptabtoastep,LabVIEWSignalExpressopensanewStepSetuptabwhenyouaddorselectanewstep.
ProjectDocumentationUsetheProjectDocumentationtabtodocumentprojects.Forexample,youcancreateprojectdescriptions,displayacquireddata,insertimages,anddocumentmeasurementresults.YoucandragsignalsfromtheProjectViewtotheProjectDocumentationtabtodisplayagraphthatissimilartoagraphontheDataViewtab.Youalsocanprintorexportdocumentationthatyoucreateforaproject.SelectView»ProjectDocumentationtodisplaytheProjectDocumentationtab.UsethetoolbarbuttonsthatappearonthistabandtheoptionsintheDocumentationmenutoformattextandobjectsonthetab.YoucanundoorredooperationsonthetabusingtheEditmenuorkeyboardshortcuts.
RecordingOptionsUsetheRecordingOptionstabtoconfiguredataloggingoperationsinLabVIEWSignalExpress.Ifaprojectincludesstepswithvalidoutputsignals,youcanbeginloggingimmediatelybyclickingtheRecordbuttonandselectingasignalfromtheLoggingSignalsSelectiondialogbox.However,theRecordingOptionstabenablesyoutoconfiguremoreadvancedloggingoptions,suchasstartandstopconditions,alarms,andevents.TheRecordingOptionstabincludesthefollowingpages:
SignalSelection—Specifiesthesignal(s)tolog.LogSummary—Specifiesthename,author,anddescriptionofalogandthefolderinwhichtosavethelogfile.StartConditions—SpecifiesconditionsthatmustoccurforLabVIEWSignalExpresstostartloggingthesignal(s).StopConditions—SpecifiesconditionsthatmustoccurforLabVIEWSignalExpresstostoploggingthesignal(s).Alarms—SpecifiesconditionsunderwhichLabVIEWSignalExpressrecordsanalarminthelog.Events—SpecifiesoccurrencesthatLabVIEWSignalExpressrecordsaseventsinthelog.
TheRecordingOptionstabalsoincludesaRecordingstatusfieldthatdisplaysthefollowinginformationaboutlogsyouarecurrentlyrecordingandavailablediskspace:
Recording—IndicateswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpressiscurrentlyloggingasignal.DiskInformation—Indicateshowmuchdiskspaceisavailableonthemachine.Currentestimatedlogsize—Displaystheestimatedsizeofthecurrentloginmegabytes.Recordingtimeleft—Indicateshowlongyoucancontinuerecordingthecurrentlogbeforeyourunoutofmemoryondisk.Currentlogstartedon—Indicatesthestartdateandtimeofthecurrentlog.
SignalSelectionPageUsethispageoftheRecordingOptionstabtospecifywhichsignalstologwhenyouperformadataloggingoperation.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Signalselection—Displayssignalsyoucanselectforlogging.Theprojectmustcontainatleastonestepwithavalidoutputsignalforasignaltoappearinthislist.Containsthefollowingcomponents:
ChannelName—Displaysthenamesofthesignalsthatyoucanrecord.
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpressdoesnotsupportloggingoffrequencydomainsignalsortimeddigitalsignals.
Record—Specifiestorecordthesignal.NoteYoucannotusethispagetoselectfrequency-domainsignals.Tologafrequency-domainsignal,right-clicktheoutputsignalintheProjectViewandselectRecordlastvaluefromtheshortcutmenu.
LogSummaryPageUsethispageoftheRecordingOptionstabtocreateasummarythatdescribesalogyoucreatewhenyouperformadataloggingoperation.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Summary—Containsthefollowingcomponentsyoucanusetoidentifythelog:
Logtitle—Specifiesthetitleofthelog.Enter<DATE&TIME>tonamethelogautomaticallybasedonthecurrentdateandtime,orenter<TIME>toautomaticallynamethelogbasedonthecurrenttime.Author—Specifiesthenameoftheauthorofthelog.Logdescription—Specifiesadescriptionofthelog.Promptfortitle/descriptionwhenlogiscreated—Specifiestoprompttheuserforatitleanddescriptionofthelogatthebeginningofadataloggingoperation.
Logfolder—Containsthefollowingcomponent:Logdestinationfolder—SpecifiesthefolderinwhichLabVIEWSignalExpresssavesthelogfile.YoualsocanusetheDefaultstoragedirectoryfieldontheLoggingpageoftheOptionsdialogboxtospecifyadefaultlogdestinationfolderforallLabVIEWSignalExpressprojects.
StartConditionsPageUsethispageoftheRecordingOptionstabtospecifywhichconditionsmustbemetfordataloggingtostart.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Startconditionlist—Liststhesource,type,andstatusofeachstartconditionyouconfigure.Usetheupanddownarrowstochangetheorderofthestartconditions.Containsthefollowingcomponents:
Source—Indicatesthesourceofthestartcondition.ThisfielddisplaystheConditiontypeyouspecifyor,ifyousetConditiontypetoSignaltrigger,thenameoftheSignalyouspecify.Conditions—IndicatesthebehavioroftheSourcethattriggersastartcondition.ThiscolumnappearsemptyforDate/Timestartconditions.Met?—Indicateswhetherthestartconditionismet.
Add—AddsastartconditiontotheStartconditionlist.Remove—RemovestheselectedstartconditionfromtheStartconditionlist.Conditionlogic—SpecifiesthelogicLabVIEWSignalExpressusestoprocessthestartconditions.YoumustaddmorethanonestartconditiontotheStartconditionlisttodisplaythispull-downmenu.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
AND—Specifiestostartloggingonlywhenallstartconditionsaremet.OR—Specifiestostartloggingwhenanystartconditionismet.Sequence—SpecifiestostartloggingwhenallstartconditionsaremetintheorderinwhichtheyappearintheStartconditionlist.Exceptforthefirststartcondition,LabVIEWSignalExpressignoresstartconditionsuntiltheprecedingstartcondition(s)ismet.UsetheupanddownarrowsnexttotheStartconditionlisttochangetheorderofstartconditions.
Conditiontype—Specifiesthetypeoftheselectedstart
condition.Youcanselectfromthefollowingconditiontypes:Signaltrigger—(Default)SpecifiestostartloggingwhenatriggeroccursontheSignalyouspecify.UsetheTriggertypefieldtoconfigureatrigger.Softwaretrigger—SpecifiestostartloggingwhenauserpressesthebuttonfortheSoftwaretriggeryouspecify.SoftwaretriggerbuttonsappearintheLabVIEWSignalExpresstoolbarwhenyouspecifysoftwaretriggers.Date/Time—Specifiestostartloggingatthedateandtimeyouspecify.
Signal—[Conditiontype:Signaltrigger]Specifiesthesignaltousetotriggerthestartcondition.Triggertype—[Conditiontype:Signaltrigger]SpecifiesthebehavioroftheSignalthattriggersLabVIEWSignalExpresstostartlogging.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Risingslope—(Default)StartsloggingwhenthesignalcrossesthevalueyouspecifyintheTriggervaluefieldwithapositiveslope.Fallingslope—StartsloggingwhenthesignalcrossesthevalueyouspecifyintheTriggervaluefieldwithanegativeslope.Enteringwindow—StartsloggingwhenthesignalentersthewindowbetweenthevaluesyouspecifyintheHighervalueandLowervaluefields.Leavingwindow—StartsloggingwhenthesignalleavesthewindowbetweenthevaluesyouspecifyintheHighervalueandLowervaluefields.
Triggervalue—[Triggertype:Risingslope,Fallingslope]Specifiesthevaluethesignalmustcrosstostartlogging.Hysteresis—[Triggertype:Risingslope,Fallingslope]SpecifiestheamountaboveorbelowtheTriggervaluethroughwhichthesignalmustpassbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstartslogging.YoucanuseHysteresistopreventnoisefromcausingafalsestartcondition.ForaRisingslopecondition,thesignalmustpassbelowTriggervalue–HysteresisbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstartslogging.ForaFallingslopecondition,the
signalmustpassaboveTriggervalue+HysteresisbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstartslogging.Highervalue—[Triggertype:Enteringwindow,Leavingwindow]Specifiesthehighlimitoftherangeinwhichthesignalmustenterorleavethewindowtostartlogging.Lowervalue—[Triggertype:Enteringwindow,Leavingwindow]Specifiesthelowlimitoftherangeinwhichthesignalmustenterorleavethewindowtostartlogging.Count—[Conditiontype:Signaltrigger]SpecifiesthenumberoftimestheSignalmustmeetthestartconditionbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressbeginslogging.Softwaretrigger—[Conditiontype:Softwaretrigger]Specifiesasoftwaretriggertouseforthestartcondition.Youcanspecifyuptothreeseparatesoftwaretriggers.Whenyouselectasoftwaretrigger,atoolbarbuttonwiththetriggernameappears.Clickthetoolbarbuttontotriggerthestartcondition.Schedulestarttime—[Conditiontype:Date/Time]SpecifieshowfrequentlyaDate/Timestartconditionoccurs.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Once—(Default)Specifiesforthestartconditiontooccurataspecifictime.Hourly—Specifiesforthestartconditiontooccurhourlyorinanincrementofhours,minutes,andsecondsthatyouspecify.Daily—Specifiesforthestartconditiontooccurdailyoreverynumberofdaysyouspecify.Weekly—Specifiesforthestartconditiontooccurweeklyoreverynumberofweeksyouspecifyonthedayordaysyouspecify.Custom—Specifiesforthestartconditiontooccuronacustomschedulethatyouspecify.
NoteIfyousetSchedulestarttimetoHourly,Daily,orWeekly,youmustconfigurestopconditionsthatstoploggingthesignalbetweenthescheduledstarttimes.
Startdate—[Schedulestarttime:Once]Specifiesthedateandtimetostartloggingthespecifiedsignal.
hours—[Schedulestarttime:Hourly]Specifiesthenumberofhoursbetweeneachoccurrenceofthestartcondition.Ifyouspecifyminutesandseconds,LabVIEWSignalExpresswaitsthecombinedtotalofhours,minutes,andsecondsbetweeneachstartcondition.minutes—[Schedulestarttime:Hourly]Specifiesthenumberofminutesbetweeneachoccurrenceofthestartcondition.Ifyouspecifyhoursandseconds,LabVIEWSignalExpresswaitsthecombinedtotalofhours,minutes,andsecondsbetweeneachstartcondition.seconds—[Schedulestarttime:Hourly]Specifiesthenumberofsecondsbetweeneachoccurrenceofthestartcondition.Ifyouspecifyhoursandminutes,LabVIEWSignalExpresswaitsthecombinedtotalofhours,minutes,andsecondsbetweeneachstartcondition.Everyxdays—[Schedulestarttime:Daily]Specifiesthenumberofdaysbetweeneachoccurrenceofthestartcondition.Everyxweek(s)—[Schedulestarttime:Weekly]Specifiesthenumberofweeksbetweeneachoccurrenceofthestartcondition.PlaceacheckmarkinthecheckboxthatcorrespondstothedayordaysonwhichyouwantLabVIEWSignalExpresstostartlogging.CustomSchedule—[Schedulestarttime:Custom]Displaysalistofdatesandtimesatwhichtostartlogging.ClicktheAddbuttontoaddadateandtimetothelist.Add—[Schedulestarttime:Custom]DisplaystheSetTimeandDatedialogbox,whichyoucanusetoaddadateandtimetotheCustomSchedule.Remove—[Schedulestarttime:Custom]RemovestheselecteddateandtimefromtheCustomSchedule.Startlogging—[Schedulestarttime:Hourly,Daily,Weekly]SpecifieswhenLabVIEWSignalExpressstartsloggingforthefirsttime.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Immediately—(Default)Specifiestostartloggingforthefirsttimewhenyouruntheproject.Ondate—Specifiestostartloggingforthefirsttimeatthetimeanddateyouspecify.
Startfrom—[Schedulestarttime:Hourly,Daily,Weekly]Specifiesatimefromwhichtostartlogging.SelectOndatefromtheStartloggingpull-downmenutoenablethiscontrol.Advancedtiming—Containsthefollowingcomponents:
Pre-startconditionduration(s)—Specifiesthenumberofsecondsofdatabeforethestartconditionismettoincludeinthedatalog.Startconditionholdoff(s)—SpecifiesatimeinsecondstowaitafterLabVIEWSignalExpressbeginsacquiringasignalorafterastopconditionoccursbeforeacknowledgingstartconditions.
Restartbehavior—ContainscomponentsforconfiguringwhetherandhowLabVIEWSignalExpressrestartsloggingafterasetofstartandstopconditionsoccur.Forthesecomponentstoappear,youmustconfigureatleastonestopcondition.ThesecomponentsdonotappearifyouconfigureaDate/Timestartconditionthatonlyoccursonce.Containsthefollowingcomponents:
Repeatstart/stopcycle—Containsthefollowingoptions:xtimes—(Default)Specifiesanumberoftimestorestartlogging.Until—SpecifiesadateafterwhichLabVIEWSignalExpressnolongerrestartslogging.
Restartstart/stopcyclein—Specifieswheretosaveloggeddataafterarestartoccurs.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
currentlog—(Default)Specifiestosaveloggeddatainthesamelogfileafterarestartoccurs.newlog—Specifiestosaveloggeddatainanewlogfileafterarestartoccurs.
StopConditionsPageUsethispageoftheRecordingOptionstabtospecifywhichconditionsmustbemetfordataloggingtostop.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Stopconditionlist—Liststhesource,type,andstatusofeachstopconditionyouconfigure.Usetheupanddownarrowstochangetheorderofthestopconditions.
Source—Indicatesthesourceofthestopcondition.ThisfielddisplaystheConditiontypeyouspecifyor,ifyousetConditiontypetoSignaltrigger,thenameoftheSignalyouspecify.Conditions—IndicatesthebehavioroftheSourcethattriggersastopcondition.Met?—Indicateswhetherthestopconditionismet.
Add—AddsastopconditiontotheStopconditionlist.Remove—RemovestheselectedstopconditionfromtheStopconditionlist.Conditionlogic—SpecifiesthelogicLabVIEWSignalExpressusestoprocessthestopconditions.YoumustaddmorethanonestopconditiontotheStopconditionlisttodisplaythispull-downmenu.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
AND—Specifiestostoploggingonlywhenallstopconditionsaremet.OR—Specifiestostoploggingwhenanystopconditionismet.Sequence—SpecifiestostoploggingwhenallstopconditionsaremetintheorderinwhichtheyappearintheStopconditionlist.Exceptforthefirststopcondition,LabVIEWSignalExpressignoresstopconditionsuntiltheprecedingstopcondition(s)ismet.UsetheupanddownarrowsnexttotheStopconditionlisttochangetheorderofstopconditions.
Conditiontype—Specifiesthetypeoftheselectedstopcondition.Youcanselectfromthefollowingconditiontypes:
Duration—Specifiestostoploggingafteranamountof
timeyouspecify.Date/Time—Specifiestostoploggingatthedateandtimeyouspecify.Signaltrigger—SpecifiestostoploggingwhenatriggeroccursontheSignalyouspecify.UsetheTriggertypefieldtoconfigureatrigger.Softwaretrigger—SpecifiestostoploggingwhentheSoftwaretriggeryouspecifyoccurs.
Duration(s)—[Conditiontype:Duration]Specifiesthenumberofsecondstologdatabeforethestopconditionismet.Time—[Conditiontype:Date/Time]Specifiesthedateandtimetostoplogging.Signal—[Conditiontype:Signaltrigger]Specifiesthesignaltousetotriggerthestopcondition.Triggertype—[Conditiontype:Signaltrigger]SpecifiesthebehavioroftheSignalthattriggersLabVIEWSignalExpresstostoplogging.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Risingslope—(Default)StopsloggingwhenthesignalcrossesthevalueyouspecifyintheTriggervaluefieldwithapositiveslope.Fallingslope—StopsloggingwhenthesignalcrossesthevalueyouspecifyintheTriggervaluefieldwithanegativeslope.Enteringwindow—StopsloggingwhenthesignalentersthewindowbetweenthevaluesyouspecifyintheHighervalueandLowervaluefields.Leavingwindow—StopsloggingwhenthesignalleavesthewindowbetweenthevaluesyouspecifyintheHighervalueandLowervaluefields.
Triggervalue—[Triggertype:Risingslope,Fallingslope]Specifiesthevaluethesignalmustcrosstostoplogging.Hysteresis—[Triggertype:Risingslope,Fallingslope]SpecifiestheamountaboveorbelowtheTriggervaluethroughwhichthesignalmustpassbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstopslogging.YoucanuseHysteresistopreventnoisefromcausingafalsestopcondition.ForaRisingslopecondition,thesignalmust
passbelowTriggervalueHysteresisbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstopslogging.ForaFallingslopecondition,thesignalmustpassaboveTriggervalue+HysteresisbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstopslogging.Highervalue—[Triggertype:Enteringwindow,Leavingwindow]Specifiesthehighlimitoftherangeinwhichthesignalmustenterorleavethewindowtostoplogging.Lowervalue—[Triggertype:Enteringwindow,Leavingwindow]Specifiesthelowlimitoftherangeinwhichthesignalmustenterorleavethewindowtostoplogging.Count—[Conditiontype:Signaltrigger]SpecifiesthenumberoftimestheSignalmustmeetthestopconditionbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressstopslogging.Softwaretrigger—[Conditiontype:Softwaretrigger]Specifiesasoftwaretriggertouseforthestopcondition.Youcanspecifyuptothreeseparatesoftwaretriggers.Whenyouselectasoftwaretrigger,atoolbarbuttonwiththetriggernameappears.Clickthetoolbarbuttontotriggerthestopcondition.Advancedtiming—Containsthefollowingcomponents:
Post-stopconditionduration(s)—Specifiesthenumberofsecondsofdataafterthestopconditionismettoincludeinthedatalog.Stopconditionholdoff(s)—Specifiesatimeinsecondstowaitafterastartconditionoccursbeforeacknowledgingstopconditions.
AlarmsPageUsethispageoftheRecordingOptionstabtospecifyalarmconditionsforadataloggingoperation.Ifyouspecifymultiplealarmconditions,analarmactivateseachtimethesignalmeetsanyofthealarmconditions.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Alarmlist—Liststhesource,type,andstatusofeachalarmconditionyouconfigure.Add—AddsanalarmconditiontotheAlarmlist.Remove—RemovestheselectedalarmconditionfromtheAlarmlist.Signal—Specifiesthesignaltomonitorforalarmconditions.Condition—SpecifiesthealarmconditiontypethatSignalmustmeetforanalarmtooccur.
Above—SpecifiesthatanalarmoccursifSignalisabovetheValueyouspecify.Below—SpecifiesthatanalarmoccursifSignalisbelowtheValueyouspecify.InsideRange—SpecifiesthatanalarmoccursifSignalisbetweentheHighervalueandLowervalueyouspecify.OutsideRange—SpecifiesthatanalarmoccursifSignalisabovetheHighervalueorbelowtheLowervalueyouspecify.
Value—[Condition:Above,Below]SpecifiesthevalueSignalmustmeetforanalarmtooccur.Highervalue—[Condition:InsideRange,OutsideRange]SpecifiesthehighlimitoftherangeofvaluesSignalmustmeetforanalarmtooccur.Lowervalue—[Condition:InsideRange,OutsideRange]SpecifiesthelowerlimitoftherangeofvaluesSignalmustmeetforanalarmtooccur.Deadband—Specifiesthedeadbandvalueforthealarmcondition.TheDeadbandbehaviordependsontheConditionyouselect.
Condition DeadbandbehaviorAbove ThealarmstaysactiveuntilSignalfallsbelowValue
–Deadband.Below ThealarmstaysactiveuntilSignalrisesabove
Value+Deadband.InsideRange
ThealarmstaysactiveuntilSignalfallsbelowHighervalue–DeadbandorrisesaboveLowervalue+Deadband.
OutsideRange
ThealarmstaysactiveuntilSignalrisesaboveHigherValue+DeadbandorfallsbelowLowervalue–Deadband.
Rearmtime—Specifiesanamountoftimethatmustpassbetweensubsequentalarms.Action—Specifiestheactiontotakewhenanalarmoccurs.
None—Specifiestotakenoadditionalactionwhenanalarmoccurs.Beep—Specifiestoemitasystembeepbasedonthealarmstate.DisplayMessage—Specifiestodisplayauser-definedmessagebasedonthealarmstate.SetDigitalLine—SpecifiestosetthestateofadigitallineonaDAQmxdevicebasedonthealarmstate.SetAnalogLevel—SpecifiestochangethelevelofaDAQmxdeviceanalogoutputchannelbasedonthealarmstate.GenerateSoftwareTrigger—Specifiestogenerateasoftwaretriggerbasedonthealarmstate.Youcanusethesoftwaretriggertotriggeradevicetogenerateasignal.CreateSnapshot—Specifiestocreateasnapshotbasedonthealarmstate.RunProgram—Specifiestoexecutecommandsbasedonthealarmstate.Forexample,youcanusethisfieldtoopenaversionofLabVIEWandrunaVI.
BeepwhenalarmturnsON—[Action:Beep]Specifiestoemita
systembeepwhenthealarmturnson.BeepwhenalarmturnsOFF—[Action:Beep]Specifiestoemitasystembeepwhenthealarmturnsoff.Beeptype—[Action:Beep]Specifiesthetypeofbeeptoemit.TheoperatingsystemdefinesthesoundassociatedwitheachBeeptype.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
DefaultBeep—EmitstheOSdefaultbeep.AsteriskBeep—EmitstheOSasteriskbeep.ExclamationBeep—EmitstheOSexclamationbeep.HandBeep—EmitstheOShandbeep.QuestionBeep—EmitstheOSquestionbeep.OKBeep—EmitstheOSOKbeep.
Message-AlarmON—[Action:DisplayMessage]Specifiesamessagetodisplaywhenthealarmturnson.Message-AlarmOFF—[Action:DisplayMessage]Specifiesamessagetodisplaywhenthealarmturnsoff.DAQmxdigitalline—[Action:SetDigitalLine]SpecifiestheDAQmxlinetotoggle.Action—[Action:SetDigitalLine]SpecifieshowtosettheDAQmxlineinresponsetothealarm.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Toggleline—SetstheDAQmxlinetothesamestateasthealarmwhilethealarmisactive.Forexample,aninactivelinebecomesactivewhenthealarmassertsandreturnstotheinactivestatewhenthealarmdeasserts.Toggleline(inverse)—SetstheDAQmxlinetotheoppositestateofthealarmwhilethealarmisactive.Forexample,anactivelinebecomesinactivewhenthealarmassertsandreturnstotheactivestatewhenthealarmdeasserts.HIGHwhenAlarmturnsON—SetstheDAQmxlinetoHIGHlogicwhenthealarmasserts.Forexample,aninactivelinebecomesactivewhenthealarmassertsandremainsinthatstatewhenthealarmdeasserts.LOWwhenAlarmturnsON—SetstheDAQmxlinetoLOWlogicwhenthealarmasserts.Forexample,an
activelinebecomesinactivewhenthealarmassertsandremainsinthatstatewhenthealarmdeasserts.
Alarm/Linepreview—DisplaysapreviewofhowtheActionyouspecifyeffectstheDAQmxdigitalline.DAQmxanalogoutputchannel—[Action:SetAnalogLevel]Specifiestheanalogoutputchannelofwhichtochangethelevelbasedonthealarmstate.Initiallevel—[Action:SetAnalogLevel]Specifiestheinitialanalogchannellevel.LabVIEWSignalExpresssetstheinitialchannellevelwhentheprojectbeginsrunning.AlarmON-level—[Action:SetAnalogLevel]Specifiestheanaloglevelwhenthealarmison.AlarmOFF-level—[Action:SetAnalogLevel]Specifiestheanaloglevelwhenthealarmisoff.GeneratetriggerwhenalarmturnsON—[Action:GenerateSoftwareTrigger]Specifiestogenerateasoftwaretriggerwhenthealarmturnson.Trigger(ON)—[Action:GenerateSoftwareTrigger]Specifiesthesoftwaretriggertogeneratewhenthealarmturnson.GeneratetriggerwhenalarmturnsOFF—[Action:GenerateSoftwareTrigger]Specifiestogenerateasoftwaretriggerwhenthealarmturnsoff.Trigger(OFF)—[Action:GenerateSoftwareTrigger]Specifiesthesoftwaretriggertogeneratewhenthealarmturnsoff.CreatesnapshotwhenalarmturnsON—[Action:CreateSnapshot]Specifiestocreateasnapshotwhenthealarmturnson.Snapshot(ON)—[Action:CreateSnapshot]Specifiesthesignalstoincludeinthesnapshot.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Alarmedsignal—(Default)Createsasnapshotofthesignalthatcausesthealarm.Allsignalsinproject—Createsasnapshotofallthesignalsintheproject.
CreatesnapshotwhenalarmturnsOFF—[Action:CreateSnapshot]Specifiestocreateasnapshotwhenthealarmturns
off.Snapshot(OFF)—[Action:CreateSnapshot]Specifiesthesignalstoincludeinthesnapshot.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Alarmedsignal—(Default)Createsasnapshotofthesignalthatcausesthealarm.Allsignalsinproject—Createsasnapshotofallthesignalsintheproject.
AlarmONCommand—[Action:RunProgram]Specifiesacommandtoexecutewhenthealarmturnson.ThisfieldissimilartotheCommandPromptinWindows.Youcanentersystemcommandsandpathstoexecutableprograms.AlarmONCommandrecognizesthefollowingtagsthatyoucanpassasargumentstoanexecutableprogram:
<ALARM_SIGNAL>—Specifiesthenameofthesignalthatgeneratesthealarm.<ALARM_DESCRIPTION>—Specifiesthedescriptionofthealarm.<ALARM_TIMESTAMP>—Specifiesthetimestampatwhichthealarmoccurs.
AlarmOFFCommand—[Action:RunProgram]Specifiesacommandtoexecutewhenthealarmturnsoff.ThisfieldissimilartotheCommandPromptinWindows.Youcanentersystemcommandsandpathstoexecutableprograms.AlarmOFFCommandrecognizesthefollowingtagsthatyoucanpassasargumentstoanexecutableprogram:
<ALARM_SIGNAL>—Specifiesthenameofthesignalthatgeneratesthealarm.<ALARM_DESCRIPTION>—Specifiesthedescriptionofthealarm.<ALARM_TIMESTAMP>—Specifiesthetimestampatwhichthealarmoccurs.
EventsPageUsethispageoftheRecordingOptionstabtoconfigureactionsthatLabVIEWSignalExpressrecognizesaseventsduringadataloggingoperation.YoucanconfigureLabVIEWSignalExpresstorecognizekeystrokeorsignal-basedevents.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Eventlist—Liststhesourceandtypeofeventsyouconfigure.Add—AddsaneweventtotheEventlist.Remove—RemovestheselectedeventfromtheEventlist.Conditiontype—Specifiesthetypeoftheselectedevent.YoumustaddaneventtotheEventslisttodisplaythispull-downmenu.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Signaltrigger—TriggersaneventwhenatriggeroccursontheSignalyouspecify.UsetheTriggertypefieldtoconfigureatrigger.Keystroke—Triggersaneventwhentheuserpressesthekeyorcombinationofkeysyouspecify.
Signal—[Conditiontype:Signaltrigger]Specifiesthesignaltousetotriggertheevent.Triggertype—[Conditiontype:Signaltrigger]SpecifiesthebehavioroftheSignalthattriggersanevent.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Risingslope—TriggersaneventwhenthesignalcrossesthevalueyouspecifyintheTriggervaluefieldwithapositiveslope.Fallingslope—TriggersaneventwhenthesignalcrossesthevalueyouspecifyintheTriggervaluefieldwithanegativeslope.Enteringwindow—TriggersaneventwhenthesignalentersthewindowbetweenthevaluesyouspecifyintheHighervalueandLowervaluefields.Leavingwindow—TriggersaneventwhenthesignalleavesthewindowbetweenthevaluesyouspecifyintheHighervalueandLowervaluefields.
Triggervalue—[Triggertype:Risingslope,Fallingslope]
Specifiesthevaluethesignalmustcrosstotriggeranevent.Hysteresis—[Triggertype:Risingslope,Fallingslope]SpecifiestheamountaboveorbelowtheTriggervaluethroughwhichthesignalmustpassbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectstheevent.YoucanuseHysteresistopreventnoisefromcausingafalseeventtrigger.ForaRisingslopecondition,thesignalmustpassbelowTriggervalue–HysteresisbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectstheevent.ForaFallingslopecondition,thesignalmustpassaboveTriggervalue+HysteresisbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectstheevent.Highervalue—[Triggertype:Enteringwindow,Leavingwindow]Specifiesthehighlimitoftherangeinwhichthesignalmustenterorleavethewindowtotriggeranevent.Lowervalue—[Triggertype:Enteringwindow,Leavingwindow]Specifiesthelowlimitoftherangeinwhichthesignalmustenterorleavethewindowtotriggeranevent.Key—[Conditiontype:Keystroke]Specifiesthekeytheusermustpresstotriggertheevent.Modifierkeys—[Conditiontype:Keystroke]SpecifiesakeyorkeysthattheusermustpressinconjunctionwithKeytotriggertheevent.Youcanselectanyorallofthefollowingoptions:
Alt—Specifiesthe<Alt>keyasamodifier.Ctrl—Specifiesthe<Ctrl>keyasamodifier.Shift—Specifiesthe<Shift>keyasamodifier.Windows—Specifiesthe<Windows>keyasamodifier.
Annotation—Specifiesanannotationtoassociatewiththeevent.TheannotationappearsonthegraphofthesignalontheDataViewtab.Promptforannotationtext—[Conditiontype:Keystroke]Specifiestoprompttheusertoenteranannotationatthetimeaneventoccurs.
PlaybackOptionsNavigatetoaPlaybackworkareaandselectView»PlaybackOptionstodisplaythePlaybackOptionstab.UsethePlaybackOptionstabtoconfigureplaybackoptionsforloggeddata.Afteryouconfigureplaybackoptions,dragtheloggeddatatotheDataViewtabandclicktheRunbuttontoplaybacktheportionofloggeddatayouspecifyonthePlaybackOptionstab.
NoteWhenrunningloggeddatathroughanalysissteps,LabVIEWSignalExpressonlyprocessestheportionoftheloggeddatayouspecifyonthePlaybackOptionstab.Ifyoudonotconfigureplaybackoptions,LabVIEWSignalExpressprocessestheentirelogbydefault.Loggedsignal—Displaysalltheloggedsignalsintheproject.SelectasignalfromtheLoggedsignallisttoconfigureplaybackoptionsforthatsignal.Start/Stopplaybacktime—Displaysagraphofthedatatoplayback.Youcanmovethestartandstopcursorstolimitthedatayouwanttoplayback.
Zoom—Zoomsinonasectionofthegraphofdatatoplayback.Holdthemousebuttondownanddragthecursoracrossthegraphtoselectthesectionofdataonwhichtozoomin.
NoteZoominginonasectionofdatadoesnotchangethestartandstoptimeforplayback.UsetheCursorMovementToolortheStarttime(s)andStoptime(s)fieldstochangethestartandstoptime.
CursorMovementTool—Enablesyoutograbandmovethestartandendcursorsonthegraphtochangethestartandendtimeforplayingbackdata.Youalsocanright-clickthegraphandselectStartfromhereorEndherefromtheshortcutmenutomovethestartandendcursors.PanningTool—Enablesyoutograbtheplotandmoveitaroundinthegraphdisplay.
AutoscaleXAxis—Autoscalesthegraphalongthex-axis.IfyouzoominonasectionofdataorusethePanningTooltomovetheplotinthedisplay,youcanusethisbuttontoreturnthegraphtoitsoriginalappearance.Youalsocanright-clickthegraphandselectAutoscaleXaxisfromtheshortcutmenutoautoscalethegraphalongthex-axis.
NoteYoualsocanright-clickthegraphandselectAutoscaleYaxisfromtheshortcutmenutoautoscalethegraphalongthey-axis.
Starttime(s)—WhenyouselectRelativetologstarttimeintheTimeformatpull-downmenu,specifiesthetimeinsecondsafterthestartoftheloggedsignaltobeginplayingbacktheloggeddata.
WhenyouselectAbsoluteintheTimeformatpull-downmenu,specifiesanactualtimestampfromthelogfromwhichtobeginplayingbacktheloggeddata.Stoptime(s)—WhenyouselectRelativetologstarttimeintheTimeformatpull-downmenu,specifiesthetimeinsecondsafterthestartoftheloggedsignaltostopplayingbacktheloggeddata.
WhenyouselectAbsoluteintheTimeformatpull-downmenu,specifiesanactualtimestampfromthelogatwhichtostopplayingbacktheloggeddata.Timeformat—Specifiesthetimeformattousewhenconfiguringstartandstoptimesfortheplaybackoftheloggeddata.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Relativetologstarttime—ConfigurestheStarttimeandStoptimefieldstospecifythestartandstoptimeofplaybackinsecondsrelativetothestarttimeoftheloggedsignal.Absolute—ConfigurestheStarttimeandStoptimefieldstospecifyactualtimestampsfromthelogforthestartandstoptimeofplayback.
Playbackblockconfiguration—Containsoptionstoconfigure
theblocksofdatainaloggedsignal.Ablockisasectionofasignalthatcontainsaspecifiednumberofsamples.Playbackblockconfigurationcontainsthefollowingoptions:
Blocksize(samples)—Specifiesthesizeinnumberofsamplesofeachblockofdataduringtheplaybackoperation.Overlap(%)—Specifiesthepercentageofoverlapbetweenblockswhenplayingbackdata.Ignorelastiterationifpartial—Specifiestoignorethelastiterationifitcontainsapartialblock.Numberofiterations—IndicatesthenumberofiterationsLabVIEWSignalExpressplaysback.Samplerate—Indicatesthesamplerateoftheloggedsignal.Playbackpreview—DisplaysapreviewoftheplaybackdatabasedontheBlocksize(samples)andOverlap(%).
MenusandToolbarsUsemenuitemsandtoolbarbuttonstoconfigureandrunLabVIEWSignalExpressprojects,modifytheenvironment,andaccesshelp.
MenusThemenusatthetopoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressapplicationwindowcontainitemscommontootherapplications,suchasOpenProject,SaveProject,Copy,andPaste,andotheritemsspecifictoLabVIEWSignalExpress.Somemenuitemsalsolistkeyboardshortcuts.Mosttoolbarbuttonshavecorrespondingmenuitemsthatperformthesameaction.ShortcutMenusSomeLabVIEWSignalExpressobjects,includingsteps,graphs,andlogs,haveassociatedshortcutmenus.Shortcutmenuscontainmoreobject-specificoptionsthantheLabVIEWSignalExpressmenus.Forexample,youcanusetheshortcutmenufortheDataViewtochangethevisibleitemsontheDataViewtab.Toaccesstheshortcutmenuforanobject,right-clicktheobject.
ToolbarsThetoolbaratthetopoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressapplicationwindowincludesbuttonsthatperformactionsontheproject-level,suchasrunningtheprojectordisplayingtheAddSteppalette.Sometabsalsohavetoolbarsthatperformactionsonthetab-level,suchasaddingadisplaytotheDataViewtabandchangingthefontontheProjectDocumentationtab.
FileMenuTheFilemenucontainsthefollowingitemsyoucanuseforbasicfileoperations,suchasopening,closing,andsavingfiles:
NewProjectcreatesanewproject.OpenProjectdisplaysastandardfiledialogboxyoucanusetonavigatetoandopenaproject.CloseProjectclosesthecurrentproject.Aconfirmationdialogboxpromptsyoutosaveanychangesyouhavemadetotheproject.RevertProjectrevertsthecurrentprojectbacktoitslastsavedstate.Youcannotundoaprojectreversion.SaveProjectsavesthecurrentproject.Ifyouaresavinganewprojectforthefirsttime,adialogboxpromptsyoutonametheprojectanddetermineitslocation.SaveProjectAssavesthecurrentprojectwithadifferentname,withadifferentfiletype,ortoadifferentlocation.Importincludesthefollowingoptions:
SnapshotsFromAnotherProjectimportssnapshotssavedinLabVIEWSignalExpressproject(.seproj)files.LoggedSignalsFromAnotherProjectimportsloggedsignalssavedinLabVIEWSignalExpress(.seproj)files.LoggedSignalsfromSignalExpressTDMSFilesimportsloggedsignalssavedin.tdmsfiles.ChannelViewfromExcelimportsdatatotheChannelViewfromaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheet.
Exportincludesthefollowingoptions:ExportProjectSettingstoXMLexportsthecurrentprojectconfigurationsettingstoanXMLfile.CopyDataViewImagecopiesthecontentsoftheactiveDataViewtabtotheclipboard.Youthencanpastetheimageintootherapplications.ThisoptionappearsonlywhentheactivetabistheDataViewtab.ChannelViewtoExcelexportsdatafromtheChannelViewtoaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheet.ExportDocumentationtoHTMLexportsdocumentation
fromtheProjectDocumentationtabofthecurrentprojecttoanHTMLfile.ThisoptionappearsonlywhentheactivetabistheProjectDocumentationtab.
PageSetupdisplaysaPageSetupdialogboxyoucanusetosetprintoptionsfortheapplication.PrintappearsonlywhentheactivetabistheDataViewtabortheProjectDocumentationtab.Printincludesthefollowingoptions:
PrintDataViewprintsthecontentoftheDataViewtab.ThisoptionappearsonlywhentheactivetabistheDataViewtab.PrintDocumentationprintsthecontentoftheProjectDocumentationtab.ThisoptionappearsonlywhentheactivetabistheProjectDocumentationtab.
RecentProjectsdisplaysthemostrecentlyopenedprojects.Exitquitstheapplication.Adialogboxpromptsyoutosaveanychangesyoumadetoanyopenfilesbeforetheapplicationterminates.
EditMenuTheEditmenucontainsthefollowingitemsthatyoucanusetomodifyprojectsandprojectcomponents:
Cutcontainsthefollowingoptions:CutSelectedStepremovesthestepyouselectandsavesittotheclipboard.CutTextremovesthetextyouselectandsavesittotheclipboard.ThisoptionappearsonlywhenyoudisplaytheProjectDocumentationtab.
Copycontainsthefollowingoptions:CopySelectedStepcopiesthestepyouselectandsavesittotheclipboard.CopyTextcopiesthetextyouselectandsavesittotheclipboard.ThisoptionappearsonlywhenyoudisplaytheProjectDocumentationtab.
Pastecontainsthefollowingoptions:PasteBeforeSelectedStepaddsthestepontheclipboardtotheProjectViewbeforetheselectedstep.PasteAfterSelectedStepaddsthestepontheclipboardtotheProjectViewaftertheselectedstep.PasteTextplacesthetextontheclipboardontheProjectDocumentationtab.ThisoptionappearsonlywhenyoudisplaytheProjectDocumentationtab.
DeleteSelectedStepdeletestheselectedstep.Undocancelsthelastactionyouperformed.RedocancelsthelastUndoactionyouperformed.
ViewMenuTheViewmenucontainsthefollowingitemsyoucanusetoconfiguretheappearanceoftheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment:
ResetLayoutresetstheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmenttothedefaultlayout.WorkAreascontainsthefollowingoptions:
Monitor/RecorddisplaystheMonitor/Recordworkarea.PlaybackdisplaysthePlaybackworkarea.ManageWorkAreasdisplaystheManageWorkAreasdialogbox,whichyoucanusetocreatenewworkareasoreditordeletecurrentworkareas.
ChannelViewdisplaystheChannelViewtab.EventLogdisplaystheEventLogtab.OperatorInterfacedisplaystheOperatorInterfacetab.PropertiesdisplaysthePropertieswindow.ToolboxdisplaystheToolboxwindow.DataViewdisplaystheDataViewtab.RecordingOptionsdisplaystheRecordingOptionstab.ProjectDocumentationdisplaystheProjectDocumentationtab.StepSetupdisplaystheStepSetuptab,whichcontainstheConfigurationView.ShowProjectViewdisplaystheProjectView,whichappearsontheleftsideoftheapplicationwindow.
NoteAdditionaloptionsmightappearinthismenuafteryouinstallcertainapplications,suchasNI-DAQmx.
ToolsMenuTheToolsmenucontainsitemsthatyoucanusetoconfigureprojectsorinstruments.Thetoolsthatappearinthismenudependontheassistantsyouhaveinstalled.
GenerateCodeconvertsthecurrentprojecttoaLabVIEWblockdiagram.AnalyzeProjectrunstheProjectAnalyzer,whichreturnsanyerrors,warnings,incompatibilities,orotherissuesinthecurrentproject.CreateNI-DAQmxGlobalChannellaunchestheDAQAssistanttohelpyoucreateanNI-DAQmxglobalchannel.Measurement&AutomationExplorerlaunchestheMeasurement&AutomationExplorer.UsetheMeasurement&AutomationExplorertoconfigurehardware.RefreshAvailableNIDevicesrefreshesthelistofdevicesyoucanuseinhardwaresteps.LabVIEWSignalExpresscanrefreshonlydevicesthatdonotrequireyoutorestartthecomputerinordertobedetected.OptionsdisplaystheOptionsdialogbox.
DocumentationMenuTheDocumentationmenucontainsitemsthatyoucanusetoedittextandobjectsontheProjectDocumentationtab.TheDocumentationmenuappearsonlywhentheactivetabistheProjectDocumentationtab.
SelectFontdisplaystheFontdialogbox,whichyoucanusetoconfigurethefont,style,size,color,andeffectsfortextintheProjectDocumentationtab.AlignParagraphspecifiesthehorizontalalignmentoftextandobjectsontheProjectDocumentationtab.
Left—AlignstextandobjectswiththeleftmarginoftheProjectDocumentationtab.Centered—AlignstextandobjectsinthecenteroftheProjectDocumentationtab.Right—AlignstextandobjectswiththerightmarginoftheProjectDocumentationtab.
ClearProjectDocumentationclearstheProjectDocumentationtab.InsertImageaddsanimagefile(GIF,JPG,BMP,PNG,orEMF)totheProjectDocumentationtab.SetObjectSizespecifiesthesizeoftheselectedobject.ViewAscontainsthefollowingoptions:
PageViewdisplaysthecontentontheProjectDocumentationtabasthecontentappearsonaprintedpage.WebViewdisplaysthecontentontheProjectDocumentationtabasthecontentappearsonaWebpage.
AddStepMenuTheAddStepmenuincludesthestepsyoucanusetocreateprojects.Thestepsarearrangedinmenus,suchastheGenerateSignalsandCreateSignalsmenus.SelectastepfromtheAddStepmenutoaddittotheproject.Thestepsthatappearinthemenudependontheassistantsyouhaveinstalled.Refertothestepdescriptionsinthishelpfileformoreinformationaboutthestepsthatappearinthismenu.TheAddStepmenualsoappearswhenyouright-clicktheProjectView.YoucandisplaytheAddStepmenuasafloatingwindowbyclickingtheAddStepbutton.
OperateMenuTheOperatemenucontainsthefollowingitemsthatyoucanusetoconfiguretheexecutionofaproject:
Runrunstheprojectusingthecurrentrunmodeconfiguration.Stopstopstheprojectwhenthecurrentiterationcompletes.ConfigureRundisplaystheConfigureRundialogbox.ResetAllstopsandrestartstheprojectandresetsallstepsintheprojecttotheirinitialstates.RunContinuouslyrunstheprojectcontinuously.RunOncerunstheprojectforoneiteration.Abortstopstheprojectimmediately,withoutwaitingforthecurrentiterationtocomplete.
NoteBecauseabortingaprojectdoesnotwaitforthefinaliterationoftheprojecttocomplete,selectingtheAbortoptionmightcauseLabVIEWSignalExpresstodisplayincompletedata.UpdateSignalsWhileRunningcontainsthefollowingoptions:
UpdateAllViewsupdatesallsignalviews,includingtheDataViewandpreviewsontheStepSetuptab,whenyouruntheproject.UpdateNoneupdatesnoneofthesignalviewswhenyouruntheproject.DoNotUpdateStepSetupTabsupdatestheDataViewbutnotthepreviewthatappearsontheStepSetuptabwhenyouruntheproject.SetDisplayUpdateRatedisplaysadialogboxyoucanusetospecifytherateinmillisecondsatwhichviewsofasignalupdatewhenyourunaproject.
CreateSnapshotdisplaystheCreateSnapshotdialogbox.RepeatLastSnapshottakesasnapshotusingtheconfigurationofthelastsnapshotyoutook.Thisoptioncreatesanewsnapshotanddoesnotoverwriteanexistingsnapshot.OperatorModecontainsthefollowingoptions:
OperatorModeEnabledenablesordisablesoperatormode.
SetOperatorModePassworddisplaystheSetOperatorPassworddialogbox,whichyoucanusetosetapasswordthatausermustentertodisableoperatormode.
DataViewMenuTheDataViewmenucontainsitemsyoucanusetomodifytheappearanceoftheDataViewtab,createsnapshotsofsignalsdisplayedontheDataViewtab,orexportvaluesofsignalsontheDataViewtabtoMicrosoftExcel.
NoteTheDataViewmenuappearsonlywhentheactivetabistheDataViewtab.
Thismenucontainsthefollowingitems:AddDisplayaddsadisplaytotheactiveDataViewtab.RenamedisplaysadialogboxyoucanusetorenametheactiveDataViewtab.NewDataViewcreatesanewDataViewtab.RemoveDataViewremovestheactiveDataViewtab.ThisoptionisenabledonlywhentheprojectincludesmorethanoneDataViewtab.Signalscontainsthefollowingoption:
CreateSnapshotscreatessnapshotsofallthesignalsdisplayedontheactiveDataViewtab.
ExportTocontainsthefollowingoption:MicrosoftExcelexportsthevaluesofeverydatapointineverysignaldisplayedontheactiveDataViewtabtoaMicrosoftExcelbookfile.IftheDataViewtabincludesmultiplesignals,eachsignalappearsonaseparateworksheetinthebookfile.
NoteLabVIEWSignalExpressdoesnotsaveMicrosoftExcelfilestowhichyouexportsignals.YoumustmanuallysavetheexportedfileinMicrosoftExcel.
WindowMenuTheWindowmenucontainsthefollowingitemsthatyoucanusetoarrangetheprojectwindowsandtonavigateamongtheprojectwindows:
ArrangeAllstacksallopenprojectwindows.NextWindowbringstothefrontthenextprojectwindowyouopen.PreviousWindowbringstothefrontthepreviousprojectwindowyouopened.
TheWindowmenualsodisplaysallopenprojectsintheapplication.Selectaprojectnametobringthatprojecttothefront.
HelpMenuTheHelpmenucontainsitemstoexplainanddefinefeaturesofLabVIEWSignalExpressandinstalledassistantsandtoaccessNationalInstrumentsTechnicalSupport.
LabVIEWSignalExpressHelpdisplaystheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelp.UsethishelpfileasareferenceforinformationabouttheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelpalsoincludesstep-by-stepinstructionsforusingLabVIEWSignalExpressfeatures.TheLabVIEWSignalExpressHelpalsoincludesdocumentationforanyassistantsyouinstall.GettingStartedwithcontainsapull-rightmenuthatlistsaportabledocumentformat(PDF)oftheGettingStartedwithLabVIEWSignalExpressmanualandgettingstartedguidesforanyotherLabVIEWSignalExpresssupportedapplicationsyouhaveinstalled.OpenExampledisplaysafiledialogboxthatopenstotheSignalExpress/Examplesdirectory.UsethisoptiontonavigatetoLabVIEWSignalExpressexamplefilesandprojects.ShowWelcomeDialogdisplaystheWelcomedialogboxthatappearswhenyoufirstlaunchtheapplication.PatentsdisplaysallsoftwareandhardwarepatentsrelatedtoNationalInstruments.AboutLabVIEWSignalExpressaccessesgeneralinformationaboutthecurrentinstallationofLabVIEWSignalExpress,includingversionnumberandserialnumber.
ToolbarButtonsTheLabVIEWSignalExpresstoolbarcontainsthefollowingbuttonsyoucanusetorunandeditaprojectormodifytheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment:
AddStepdisplaystheAddStepmenu,whereyouselectstepstoaddtotheproject.Runrunstheprojectusingthecurrentrunmodeconfiguration.Whenyourunaproject,theRunbuttonbecomesaStopbutton.Stopstopsexecutionafterthecurrentiteration.Thisbuttonappearsonlywhenyourunaproject.Abortimmediatelystopsexecutionwithoutfinishingthecurrentiteration.
NoteInsomecases,youcannotstopaproject,forexamplewhenahardwarestepwaitsonatriggerthatdoesnotoccur.Inthiscase,clicktheAbortbuttontostopexecution.
RecordopenstheLoggingSignalsSelectiondialogbox.RecordWhileRunningspecifiestorecordthestepoutputsyouconfiguretorecordwhenyouclicktheRunbutton.ThisbuttonreplacestheRecordbuttonwhenyouselectsignalstorecordfromtheSignalSelectionpageoftheRecordingOptionstab.ResetAllsimultaneouslyresetsallstepstotheirinitialstatesandrestartstheprocessesofthesteps.Forexample,ifyouhaveastepthataveragesaseriesofnumbers,clickingtheResetAllbuttonrestartstheaveragingat0.ResetAlldoesnotresetparameterstotheirdefaultvalues.ErrorListdisplaystheerrorlist.
ProbesUseprobestoseethedataastepreturnswithouthavingtoplacethedatainagraphortableintheDataView.Touseprobes,right-clickaninputoroutputsignalintheProjectViewandselectProbefromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDataProbewindow.TheDataProbewindowdisplaysinformationaboutthesignal.ThecontentsoftheDataProbewindowdependonthetypeofsignalyouprobe,andyoucanprobemultiplesignalsatonce.EachprobeyousetdisplaysdatainaseparateDataProbewindow.
WorkAreasUseworkareastoperformmultipleLabVIEWSignalExpressoperationsfromwithinthesameproject.Youcanacquiredata,processsignals,logdata,andperformmeasurementsonloggeddatawithoutopeninganewproject.Whenyousaveaproject,LabVIEWSignalExpresssaveseveryworkareawithintheprojectinthesameprojectfile.
SelectingWorkAreasLabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysthecurrentworkareainapull-downmenuabovetheProjectView.Youcanusethispull-downmenutonavigatebetweenworkareas.ClicktheiconnexttothemenutoopentheManageWorkAreasdialogbox.
YoualsocanselectView»WorkAreastoselectworkareasandopentheManageWorkAreasdialogbox.
AnalyzingLiveandLoggedDatainWorkAreasEachworkareacontainsauniqueProjectViewandDataView.Usedataloggingtoanalyzedatayouacquireinmultipleworkareas.IntheManageWorkAreasdialogbox,selecttheworkareainwhichyouwanttoperformoperationsonloggeddata,andplaceacheckmarkintheEnableplaybackoflogscheckbox.InworkareaswiththeEnableplaybackoflogsoptionenabled,youcaninteractivelyscrollthroughdataintheDataVieworprocessloggeddatabyplayingitthroughanalysissteps.
CreatingNewWorkAreasCompletethefollowingstepstoaddanewworkareatoaproject.
1. SelectView»WorkAreas»ManageWorkAreas.TheManageWorkAreasdialogboxappears.Twodefaultworkareas,Monitor/RecordandPlayback,appearintheWorkAreaslist.Youcandeleteorchangethenamesandpropertiesoftheseworkareas,oraddnewworkareas.
2. Toaddanewworkarea,clicktheNewbutton.3. EditthenameoftheworkareaintheNamefield.4. EditthedescriptionoftheworkareaintheDescriptionfield.5. Ifyouareloggingdatainanotherworkareaandyouwantto
performoperationsonloggeddatainthenewworkarea,placeacheckmarkintheEnableplaybackoflogscheckbox.UsetheMoveUpandMoveDownbuttonstochangetheorderofyourworkareas.SelectaworkareaandclicktheDeletebuttontodeleteaworkarea.
6. ClicktheOKbuttontoapplythechangesandcreatethenewworkarea.
ErrorIndicatorTheerrorindicatorappearsatthebottomoftheconfigurationviewifastepencountersanerrororwarning.Theindicatordisplaysanerrororwarningiconwithashortdescriptionoftheerrororwarning.ClicktheDetailsbuttonnexttotheshortdescriptiontodisplaythefulldescriptionoftheerrororwarning.AniconalsoappearsintheProjectViewnexttothestepthatencounteredtheerrororwarning.YoucanmovethecursorovertheicontoviewthesamefulldescriptionthatappearswhenyouclicktheDetailsbutton.
ProjectAnalyzerSelectTools»AnalyzeProjecttoexecutetheProjectAnalyzer.TheProjectAnalyzerisatoolthatanalyzesaLabVIEWSignalExpressprojectandreturnsanyerrors,warnings,incompatibilities,orotherissuesintheErrorListwindow.TheProjectAnalyzerdeterminesthetaskyouwanttocompleteandreturnspotentialissueswiththecurrentLabVIEWSignalExpressconfigurationthatcanpreventtheprojectfromexecutingproperly.Bydefault,LabVIEWSignalExpressexecutestheProjectAnalyzereachtimeyoumakeachangeinLabVIEWSignalExpress.TodisabletheProjectAnalyzerfromexecutingeachtimeyoumakeachange,selectTools»OptionstodisplaytheOptionsdialogbox.OntheExecutionpage,selectNofromtheAnalyzeProjectaftereverychangeoption.
HandlingErrorsandWarningsIfastepencountersanerror,itstopsexecutingandallstepsthatprocessoutputsignalsfromthatstepalsostopexecuting.Ifyouchangetheconfigurationofthestepstocorrecttheerrororifthestateoftheprojectchangesinsuchawaythattheerrorcorrectsitselfautomatically,thestepthatreturnedtheerrorstartsexecutingagainandclearsitserror.Subsequentstepsthatinheritdatafromthestepalsostartexecutingagain.Warningshavenoeffectontheexecutionoftheproject.Whenastepreturnsawarning,thestepcontinuestoexecuteandprovidesignalstosubsequentsteps.
KeyboardShortcutsThefollowingtablelistskeyboardshortcutsintheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment.
KeyboardShortcut Description
FileOperationsCtrl-N Opensanew,emptyproject.Ctrl-O Opensanexistingproject.Ctrl-F4 Closesthecurrentproject.Ctrl-S Savesthecurrentproject.Ctrl-Shift-S Displaysafiledialogboxandsavesthecurrentproject
usingthenameyouspecifyinthedialogbox.BasicEditingCtrl-X Cutstheselectedobjectortext.Ctrl-C Copiestheselectedobjectortext.Ctrl-V Pastestheobjectortext.Forsteps,pastesthecopiedstep
aftertheselectedstep.Ctrl-Shift-V Pastesastepbeforetheselectedstep.Ctrl-Z Undoesthelastaction.Ctrl-Y Redoesthelastaction.ProjectExecutionCtrl-R Runstheprojectusingthecurrentrunmodeconfiguration.Ctrl-E Runstheprojectcontinuously.Ctrl-Shift-R Runstheprojectonce.Ctrl-Delete,Ctrl-.
Stopsarunningprojectwhenthecurrentiterationcompletes.
Ctrl-A Abortsarunningprojectimmediately.Ctrl-Shift-T Createsasnapshot.Ctrl-T Repeatsthelastsnapshot.
WarrantyThemediaonwhichyoureceiveNationalInstrumentssoftwarearewarrantednottofailtoexecuteprogramminginstructions,duetodefectsinmaterialsandworkmanship,foraperiodof90daysfromdateofshipment,asevidencedbyreceiptsorotherdocumentation.NationalInstrumentswill,atitsoption,repairorreplacesoftwaremediathatdonotexecuteprogramminginstructionsifNationalInstrumentsreceivesnoticeofsuchdefectsduringthewarrantyperiod.NationalInstrumentsdoesnotwarrantthattheoperationofthesoftwareshallbeuninterruptedorerrorfree.AReturnMaterialAuthorization(RMA)numbermustbeobtainedfromthefactoryandclearlymarkedontheoutsideofthepackagebeforeanyequipmentwillbeacceptedforwarrantywork.NationalInstrumentswillpaytheshippingcostsofreturningtotheownerpartswhicharecoveredbywarranty.NationalInstrumentsbelievesthattheinformationinthisdocumentisaccurate.Thedocumenthasbeencarefullyreviewedfortechnicalaccuracy.Intheeventthattechnicalortypographicalerrorsexist,NationalInstrumentsreservestherighttomakechangestosubsequenteditionsofthisdocumentwithoutpriornoticetoholdersofthisedition.ThereadershouldconsultNationalInstrumentsiferrorsaresuspected.InnoeventshallNationalInstrumentsbeliableforanydamagesarisingoutoforrelatedtothisdocumentortheinformationcontainedinit.EXCEPTASSPECIFIEDHEREIN,NATIONALINSTRUMENTSMAKESNOWARRANTIES,EXPRESSORIMPLIED,ANDSPECIFICALLYDISCLAIMSANYWARRANTYOFMERCHANTABILITYORFITNESSFORAPARTICULARPURPOSE.CUSTOMER'SRIGHTTORECOVERDAMAGESCAUSEDBYFAULTORNEGLIGENCEONTHEPARTOFNATIONALINSTRUMENTSSHALLBELIMITEDTOTHEAMOUNTTHERETOFOREPAIDBYTHECUSTOMER.NATIONALINSTRUMENTSWILLNOTBELIABLEFORDAMAGESRESULTINGFROMLOSSOFDATA,PROFITS,USEOFPRODUCTS,ORINCIDENTALORCONSEQUENTIALDAMAGES,EVENIFADVISEDOFTHEPOSSIBILITYTHEREOF.ThislimitationoftheliabilityofNationalInstrumentswillapplyregardlessoftheformofaction,whetherincontractortort,includingnegligence.AnyactionagainstNationalInstrumentsmustbebroughtwithinoneyearafterthecauseofaction
accrues.NationalInstrumentsshallnotbeliableforanydelayinperformanceduetocausesbeyonditsreasonablecontrol.Thewarrantyprovidedhereindoesnotcoverdamages,defects,malfunctions,orservicefailurescausedbyowner'sfailuretofollowtheNationalInstrumentsinstallation,operation,ormaintenanceinstructions;owner'smodificationoftheproduct;owner'sabuse,misuse,ornegligentacts;andpowerfailureorsurges,fire,flood,accident,actionsofthirdparties,orothereventsoutsidereasonablecontrol.
CopyrightUnderthecopyrightlaws,thispublicationmaynotbereproducedortransmittedinanyform,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,storinginaninformationretrievalsystem,ortranslating,inwholeorinpart,withoutthepriorwrittenconsentofNationalInstrumentsCorporation.NationalInstrumentsrespectstheintellectualpropertyofothers,andweaskouruserstodothesame.NIsoftwareisprotectedbycopyrightandotherintellectualpropertylaws.WhereNIsoftwaremaybeusedtoreproducesoftwareorothermaterialsbelongingtoothers,youmayuseNIsoftwareonlytoreproducematerialsthatyoumayreproduceinaccordancewiththetermsofanyapplicablelicenseorotherlegalrestriction.
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WARNINGREGARDINGUSEOFNATIONALINSTRUMENTSPRODUCTS(1)NATIONALINSTRUMENTSPRODUCTSARENOTDESIGNEDWITHCOMPONENTSANDTESTINGFORALEVELOFRELIABILITYSUITABLEFORUSEINORINCONNECTIONWITHSURGICALIMPLANTSORASCRITICALCOMPONENTSINANYLIFESUPPORTSYSTEMSWHOSEFAILURETOPERFORMCANREASONABLYBEEXPECTEDTOCAUSESIGNIFICANTINJURYTOAHUMAN.(2)INANYAPPLICATION,INCLUDINGTHEABOVE,RELIABILITYOFOPERATIONOFTHESOFTWAREPRODUCTSCANBEIMPAIREDBYADVERSEFACTORS,INCLUDINGBUTNOTLIMITEDTOFLUCTUATIONSINELECTRICALPOWERSUPPLY,COMPUTERHARDWAREMALFUNCTIONS,COMPUTEROPERATINGSYSTEMSOFTWAREFITNESS,FITNESSOFCOMPILERSANDDEVELOPMENTSOFTWAREUSEDTODEVELOPANAPPLICATION,INSTALLATIONERRORS,SOFTWAREANDHARDWARECOMPATIBILITYPROBLEMS,MALFUNCTIONSORFAILURESOFELECTRONICMONITORINGORCONTROLDEVICES,TRANSIENTFAILURESOFELECTRONICSYSTEMS(HARDWAREAND/ORSOFTWARE),UNANTICIPATEDUSESORMISUSES,ORERRORSONTHEPARTOFTHEUSERORAPPLICATIONSDESIGNER(ADVERSEFACTORSSUCHASTHESEAREHEREAFTERCOLLECTIVELYTERMED"SYSTEMFAILURES").ANYAPPLICATIONWHEREASYSTEMFAILUREWOULDCREATEARISKOFHARMTOPROPERTYORPERSONS(INCLUDINGTHERISKOFBODILYINJURYANDDEATH)SHOULDNOTBERELIANTSOLELYUPONONEFORMOFELECTRONICSYSTEMDUETOTHERISKOFSYSTEMFAILURE.TOAVOIDDAMAGE,INJURY,ORDEATH,THEUSERORAPPLICATIONDESIGNERMUSTTAKEREASONABLYPRUDENTSTEPSTOPROTECTAGAINSTSYSTEMFAILURES,INCLUDINGBUTNOTLIMITEDTOBACK-UPORSHUTDOWNMECHANISMS.BECAUSEEACHEND-USERSYSTEMISCUSTOMIZEDANDDIFFERSFROMNATIONALINSTRUMENTS'TESTINGPLATFORMSANDBECAUSEAUSERORAPPLICATIONDESIGNERMAYUSENATIONALINSTRUMENTSPRODUCTSINCOMBINATIONWITHOTHERPRODUCTSINAMANNERNOTEVALUATEDORCONTEMPLATEDBYNATIONALINSTRUMENTS,THEUSEROR
APPLICATIONDESIGNERISULTIMATELYRESPONSIBLEFORVERIFYINGANDVALIDATINGTHESUITABILITYOFNATIONALINSTRUMENTSPRODUCTSWHENEVERNATIONALINSTRUMENTSPRODUCTSAREINCORPORATEDINASYSTEMORAPPLICATION,INCLUDING,WITHOUTLIMITATION,THEAPPROPRIATEDESIGN,PROCESSANDSAFETYLEVELOFSUCHSYSTEMORAPPLICATION.
TechnicalSupportandProfessionalServicesVisitthefollowingsectionsoftheaward-winningNationalInstrumentsWebsiteatni.comfortechnicalsupportandprofessionalservices:
Support—Technicalsupportresourcesatni.com/supportincludethefollowing:
Self-HelpResources—Foranswersandsolutions,visitni.com/supportforsoftwaredriversandupdates,asearchableKnowledgeBase,productmanuals,step-by-steptroubleshootingwizards,thousandsofexampleprograms,tutorials,applicationnotes,instrumentdrivers,andsoon.RegisteredusersalsoreceiveaccesstotheNIDiscussionForumsatni.com/forums.NIApplicationsEngineersmakesureeveryquestionsubmittedonlinereceivesananswer.StandardServiceProgramMembership—ThisprogramentitlesmemberstodirectaccesstoNIApplicationsEngineersviaphoneandemailforone-to-onetechnicalsupport,aswellasexclusiveaccesstoondemandtrainingmodulesviatheServicesResourceCenter.NIofferscomplementarymembershipforafullyearafterpurchase,afterwhichyoumayrenewtocontinueyourbenefits.Forinformationaboutothertechnicalsupportoptionsinyourarea,visitni.com/servicesorcontactyourlocalofficeatni.com/contact.
TrainingandCertification—Visitni.com/trainingforself-pacedtraining,eLearningvirtualclassrooms,interactiveCDs,andCertificationprograminformation.Youalsocanregisterforinstructor-led,hands-oncoursesatlocationsaroundtheworld.SystemIntegration—Ifyouhavetimeconstraints,limitedin-housetechnicalresources,orotherprojectchallenges,NationalInstrumentsAlliancePartnermemberscanhelp.Tolearnmore,callyourlocalNIofficeorvisitni.com/alliance.DeclarationofConformity(DoC)—ADoCisourclaimofcompliancewiththeCounciloftheEuropeanCommunitiesusingthemanufacturersdeclarationofconformity.Thissystemaffords
theuserprotectionforelectromagneticcompatibility(EMC)andproductsafety.YoucanobtaintheDoCforyourproductbyvisitingni.com/certification.CalibrationCertificate—Ifyourproductsupportscalibration,youcanobtainthecalibrationcertificateforyourproductatni.com/calibration.
Ifyousearchedni.comandcouldnotfindtheanswersyouneed,contactyourlocalofficeorNIcorporateheadquarters.YoualsocanvisittheWorldwideOfficessectionofni.com/niglobaltoaccessthebranchofficeWebsites,whichprovideup-to-datecontactinformation,supportphonenumbers,emailaddresses,andcurrentevents.
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DisplayPropertiesDialogBoxRight-clickadisplayontheDataViewtabandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaythisdialogbox.Usethepagesofthisdialogboxtoconfiguretheappearanceandbehaviorofthedisplay.Thepagesthatappeardependontheformatofthedisplayyouareconfiguring.Thisdialogboxcancontainthefollowingpages:
Title—SetsthetitleoftheselecteddisplayandspecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpressshowsdisplaytitles.FormatandPrecision—Setstheformatandprecisionofnumericcomponentsofadisplay,suchastheunitsofascaleonagraphaxis.Plots—Setstheappearanceofplotsonagraphorchartdisplay.Scales—Setstheappearanceofscalesandgridsongraphandchartdisplays.Cursors—Setstheappearanceandbehaviorofcursorsonagraphorchartdisplay.SignalOrder—Setstheorderofsignalsonagraphorchartdisplay.Advanced—SetstheappearanceofBooleanindicatorsonanLEDdisplay.
TitlePage(DisplayPropertiesDialogBox)ClickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.SelecttheTitletabtodisplaythispage.UsethispagetosetthetitleoftheselecteddisplayandtospecifywhetherLabVIEWSignalExpressshowsdisplaytitlesonthecurrentDataViewtab.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
DisplayTitle—Specifiesthetitleoftheselecteddisplay.DataView—Containsthefollowingcomponents:
DataViewTitle—SpecifiesthetitleofthecurrentDataViewtab.ShowDisplayTitles—SpecifieswhetherdisplaysonthecurrentDataViewtabappearwithdisplaytitles.Removethecheckmarkfromthischeckboxtohidedisplaytitles.
FormatandPrecisionPage(DisplayPropertiesDialogBox)ClickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.SelecttheFormatandPrecisiontabtodisplaythispage.Usethispagetoconfiguretheformatandprecisionofanumericdisplayorthenumericcomponentsofotherdisplays,suchastheunitsofascaleonagraphaxis.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Component—Specifiesthenumericcomponent,suchastheaxisofagraph,forwhichyouareconfiguringtheformatandprecision.Thiscomponentappearsonlyfordisplaysthathavemultiplenumericcomponents.Formattype—Typeofthenumericcomponent.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Floatingpoint—Displaysthenumericcomponentinfloating-pointnotation.Scientific—Displaysthenumericcomponentinscientificnotation.Forexample,60infloating-pointnotationequals6E+1inscientific,whereErepresentsthepowerof10exponent.Automaticformatting—DisplaysthenumericcomponentintheformatthatLabVIEWSignalExpressdeterminesisappropriateforthedata.LabVIEWSignalExpresschooseseitherscientificnotationorfloating-pointnotationbasedonthenumbertoformat.SInotation—DisplaysthenumericcomponentinSystemInternational(SI)notation,inwhichtheunitofmeasurementappearsafterthevalue.Forexample,6000infloating-pointnotationequals6kinSInotation.Decimal—Displaysthenumericcomponentinbase-10decimalformat.Hexadecimal—Displaysthenumericcomponentinbase-16format.Validdigitsare0toF.Forexample,60in
floating-pointnotationequals3cinhexadecimal.Octal—Displaysthenumericcomponentinbase-8format.Validdigitsare0to7.Forexample,60infloating-pointnotationequals74inoctal.Binary—Displaysthenumericcomponentinbase-2format.Validdigitsare0and1.Forexample,60infloating-pointnotationequals111100inbinary.Absolutetime—Displaysthenumericcomponentintermsoftimeelapsedsince12:00a.m.,January1,1904,UniversalTime.Relativetime—Displaysthenumericcomponentintermsofhours,minutes,andsecondsstartingfromzero.Forexample,100infloating-pointnotationequals1:40inrelativetime.
Digits—[Formattype:Floatingpoint,Scientific,Automaticformatting,SInotation]IfPrecisionTypeisDigitsofprecision,thisfieldcontainsthenumberofdigitstodisplayafterthedecimalpoint.IfPrecisionTypeisSignificantdigits,thisfieldcontainsthenumberofsignificantdigitstodisplay.PrecisionType—[Formattype:Floatingpoint,Scientific,Automaticformatting,SInotation]Specifieswhethertodisplaydigitsofprecisionorsignificantdigits.SelectDigitsofprecisionifyouwanttheDigitsfieldtoindicatethenumberofdigitstodisplayafterthedecimalpoint.SelectSignificantdigitsifyouwanttheDigitsfieldtoindicatethenumberofsignificantdigitstodisplay.Hidetrailingzeros—[Formattype:Floatingpoint,Scientific,Automaticformatting,SInotation]Removeszerosattheendofthenumber.Ifthenumberhasnofractionalpart,thisoptionalsoremovesthedescriptionpart.Exponentinmultiplesof3—[Formattype:Scientific,Automaticformatting]Formatsthenumberinengineeringnotation,wheretheexponentisalwaysamultipleofthree.Useminimumfieldwidth—[Formattype:Floatingpoint,Scientific,Automaticformatting,SInotation,Hexadecimal,Octal,Binary]Padsanyexcessspacetotheleftorrightofthenumberwithzerosorspacestoreachtheminimumwidthyouenterin
Minimumfieldwidth.PlaceacheckmarkinthischeckboxtosettheMinimumfieldwidthandPadding.
Minimumfieldwidth—Widthtowhichyouwanttopadthenumber.Padding—Setswhethertopadwithspacesontheleftorrightortopadwithzerosontheleft.
TimeType—[Formattype:Absolutetime,Relativetime]Setstheformatofthetimedisplayedinthenumericcomponent.Customtimeformatusestheformatyouconfigureinthisdialogboxusingthefollowingcomponents.Systemtimeformatusestheformatoftheoperatingsystem.SelectTimeunusedifyoudonotwanttodisplaythetimeinthenumericcomponent.
AM/PMtype—Specifiesthetypeofclocktousetoformatthetime.Youcanselectoneofthefollowingoptions:
AM/PM—Specifiestousea12-hourclock.24-hour—Specifiestousea24-hourclock.
HMStype—Setswhethertodisplayhoursandminutesorhours,minutes,andseconds.Youcanselectoneofthefollowingoptions:
HH:MM—Specifiestodisplaythetimeinhoursandminutes.HH:MM:SS—Specifiestodisplaythetimeinhours,minutes,andseconds.
Digits—Specifiesanumberofdigitstousetodisplayfractionsofseconds.
DateType—[Formattype:Absolutetime,Relativetime]Setstheformatofthedatedisplayedinthenumericcomponent.Customdateformatusestheformatyouconfigureinthisdialogboxusingthefollowingcomponents.Systemdateformatusestheformatoftheoperatingsystem.SelectDateunusedifyoudonotwanttodisplaythedateinthenumericcomponent.
MDYtype—Specifiestheorderinwhichtodisplaythemonth,day,andyear.Youcanselectoneofthefollowingoptions:
M/D/Y—Specifiestodisplaythedateinthefollowingorder:month/day/year.
D/M/Y—Specifiestodisplaythedateinthefollowingorder:day/month/year.Y/M/D—Specifiestodisplaythedateinthefollowingorder:year/month/day.
Yeartype—Setswhethertodisplaytheyearandwhethertodisplayitas2or4digits.Youcanselectoneofthefollowingoptions:
Donotshowyear—Specifiesnottodisplaytheyear.2-digityear—Specifiestodisplaytheyearas2digits.4-digityear—Specifiestodisplaytheyearas4digits.
PlotsPage(DisplayPropertiesDialogBox)ClickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.SelectthePlotstabtodisplaythispage.Usethispagetoconfiguretheappearanceofplotsonagraphorchartdisplay.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Plot—Specifiestheplotyouwanttoconfigure.LineStyle—Specifiesthelinestyleoftheplot.LineWidth—Specifiesthelinewidthoftheplot.PointStyle—Specifiesthepointstyleoftheplot.PlotInterpolation—Specifiestheinterpolationoftheplot.Colors—Specifiesthecolorandstyleoftheplotline.Containsthefollowingcomponents:
Line—Specifiesthecoloroftheplotline.Point/fill—Specifiesthecolorofthepointandfills.Fillto—Specifiesthebaselineofthefill.
Showplot—Specifieswhethertodisplaytheplotonthegraph.Removethecheckmarkfromthischeckboxtohidetheplot.Thisoptionissimilartothecheckboxthatappearsnexttoasignalnameonthegraphlegend.Y-scale—Specifiesthey-scaletoassociatewiththeplot.
ScalesPage(DisplayPropertiesDialogBox)ClickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.SelecttheScalestabtodisplaythispage.Usethispagetoformatscalesandgridsongraphandchartdisplays.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Scale—Specifiesthescaleyouwanttoconfigure.Name—Specifiesthenameofthescale.Showscalelabel—Specifieswhethertodisplaythenameofthescale,Name,onthegraphorchartdisplay.Showscale—Specifieswhethertodisplaythescaleonthegraphorchartdisplay.Log—Specifieswhethertomapthescalelogarithmically.Removethecheckmarkfromthischeckboxtomapthescalelinearly.TimestampType—Specifiesthetypeoftimestamptoassociatewiththeplot.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Ignore—Specifiestonotassociateanytimestampwiththeplot.LabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysallsignalsstartingattime0,regardlessofwhenyoubeginacquiringthesignal.Absolute—Specifiestoassociatetheabsolutetimewiththeplot.LabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysallsignalsstartingattheabsolutetimeatwhichyoubeginacquiringthesignal.RelativeTo:signal—Specifiestoplotsignalstartingattime0andtoplottheothersignal(s)relativetothatsignal.Forexample,ifyoubeginacquiringtheothersignal(s)10secondsafteryoubeginacquiringsignal,LabVIEWSignalExpressdisplayssignalstartingattime0andtheothersignal(s)startingattime10.
X-AxisSignal—Specifesthesignaltouseforthex-axis.Thisoptionappearsonlyifthedisplayyouareconfiguringisanxygraphdisplay.Autoscale—SpecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpresssetsthe
scaleautomaticallybasedonthedatainthegraph.Removethecheckmarkfromthischeckboxifyouwanttospecifyarangeforthescale.
Minimum—Specifiestheminimumvalueofthescale.RemovethecheckmarkfromtheAutoscalecheckboxtoenablethiscomponent.Maximum—Specifiesthemaximumvalueofthescale.RemovethecheckmarkfromtheAutoscalecheckboxtoenablethiscomponent.
ScalingFactors—Specifythevalueattheoriginoftheplotandadjustthescaleoftheplot.Forexample,toplotatime-domainwaveforminmillisecondsstartingatareferencetime,setOffsettothereferencetimeandMultiplierto0.001,becauseLabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaystimeinsecondsbydefault.
Offset—Specifiestheinitialvalueforscalingdata.IfyouchangeOffset,thescalenolongeruses0astheoriginoftheplot.Multiplier—Specifiesthemultiplier,orinterval,forscalingdata.
ScaleStyleandColors—Specifiestheappearanceofthescale.Clickthebuttontodisplayapull-downmenuofscalestyleoptions.Thissectionalsocontainsthefollowingcomponentsforspecifyingthecolorofthescale:
Majortick—Specifiesthecolorofthemajortickmark.Minortick—Specifiesthecoloroftheminortickmark.Markertext—Specifiesthecolorofthescalemarkertext.
GridStyleandColors—Specifiestheappearanceofthegrid.Clickthebuttontodisplayapull-downmenuofgridstyleoptions.Thissectionalsocontainsthefollowingcomponentsforspecifyingthecolorofthegrid:
Majorgrid—Specifiesthecolorofthemajorgridline.Minorgrid—Specifiesthecoloroftheminorgridline.BGColor—Specifiesthebackgroundcolorofthegraph.
CursorsPage(DisplayPropertiesDialogBox)ClickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.SelecttheCursorstabtodisplaythispage.Usethispagetoconfiguretheappearanceandbehaviorofcursorsonagraphorchartdisplay.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
ShowCursors—Specifieswhethertodisplaycursorsontheselectedgraphdisplay.PlaceacheckmarkinthischeckboxtoenablethecomponentsontheCursorspage.Cursor—Specifiesthecursoryouwanttoconfigure.Settings—Containsthefollowingcomponents:
Linestyle—Specifiesthelinestyleofthecursor.Linewidth—Specifiesthelinewidthofthecursor.Pointstyle—Specifiesthestyleofthepointwherethecrosshairsofthecursorintersect.Crosshairstyle—Specifiesthestyleofthecrosshairsofthecursor.PeakThreshold—SpecifiesthevalueasignalmustcrossbeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressrecognizespeakvalues.PeakWidth—SpecifieshowfarabovethePeakThresholdvalueasignalmustbebeforeLabVIEWSignalExpressrecognizespeakvalues.Cursorcolor—Specifiesthecolorofthecursor.Linkedtoplot—Specifiestheplottowhichtolinkthecursor.LinkCursors—Specifieswhethertolinkthecursorsontheselectedplottoeachother.Ifyouplaceacheckmarkinthischeckbox,movingCursor1movesbothcursorssimultaneously.MovingCursor2movesonlythatcursorandchangesthedistancebetweenthelinkedcursors.
Measurements—Containsthefollowingcomponentsforconfiguringthemeasurementsthatappearinthecursorlegend:
CursorMeasurements—Displaysthemeasurementsyoucandisplayinthecursorlegend,exportasstepinputs,andbindtostepparameters.Thistableincludesthefollowingcolumns:
Name—Displaysthenamesofthecursormeasurements.Show—SpecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpressdisplaysthecursormeasurementsinthecursorlegend.Export—SpecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthecursormeasurements.IfyouplaceacheckmarkintheExportcheckboxforacursormeasurement,youcanusethevalueofthemeasurementasastepinput.Bind—Specifieswhethertobindthevalueofacursormeasurementtoastepparameter.ClickthebuttonintheBindcolumnforacursormeasurementtodisplaytheBindingSelectiondialogbox.UsetheBindingSelectiondialogboxtoselecttheparametertowhichtobindthecursormeasurement.
NoteWhenyoubindacursormeasurementtoastepparameter,LabVIEWSignalExpressexportsthecursormeasurementautomatically.
TrackMinimum—Specifieswhetherthecursortracksthecurrentminimumvalueofthesignalplottowhichyoulinkthecursor.Ifyouplaceacheckmarkinthischeckboxandruntheprojectcontinuously,thecursormoveswhenLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectsanewminimumvalue.TrackMaximum—Specifieswhetherthecursortracksthecurrentmaximumvalueofthesignalplottowhichyoulinkthecursor.Ifyouplaceacheckmarkinthischeckboxandruntheprojectcontinuously,thecursormoveswhenLabVIEWSignalExpressdetectsanewmaximumvalue.
Linking—Containsthefollowingcomponentforconfiguringthelinkingofcursorsondifferentdisplays:
Linking—Listsdisplayswithcursorstowhichyoucan
linkthecursoronthedisplayyouareconfiguring.Placeacheckmarkinthecheckboxnexttoadisplaynametolinkthecursorsonthetwodisplays.Cursorsyoulinkacrossdisplaysmovesimultaneouslywhenyoumoveoneofthecursors.
SignalOrderPage(DisplayPropertiesDialogBox)ClickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.SelecttheSignalOrdertabtodisplaythispage.Usethispagetochangetheorderofsignalsonagraphorchartdisplay.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Signals—Liststhesignalsonthegraphorchartdisplayinorderfromfirsttolast.MoveForward—Movestheselectedsignalforwardintheorder.IntheSignalslist,selectasignalthatisnotthefirstsignaltoenablethisbutton.MoveBackward—Movestheselectedsignalbackintheorder.IntheSignalslist,selectasignalthatisnotthelastsignaltoenablethisbutton.MoveToFront—Makestheselectedsignalfirstinthesignalorder.IntheSignalslist,selectasignalthatisnotthefirstsignaltoenablethisbutton.MoveToBack—Makestheselectedsignallastinthesignalorder.IntheSignalslist,selectasignalthatisnotthelastsignaltoenablethisbutton.
AdvancedPage(DisplayPropertiesDialogBox)ClickthePropertiesbuttonontheDataViewtaborright-clickadisplayandselectPropertiesfromtheshortcutmenutodisplaytheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox.SelecttheAdvancedtabtodisplaythispage.UsethispagetoconfiguretheappearanceofBooleanindicatorsonanLEDdisplay.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Truecolor—SpecifiesthecoloroftheBooleanindicatorintheonorTRUEstate.Falsecolor—SpecifiesthecoloroftheBooleanindicatorintheofforFALSEstate.
ConfigureRunDialogBoxSelectOperate»ConfigureRunorclickthedownarrowontheRunbuttonandselectConfigureRunfromthepull-downmenutodisplaythisdialogbox.UsethisdialogboxtoconfiguretherunmodeforaLabVIEWSignalExpressproject.Thisdialogboxincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Runtheproject—Containsthefollowingoptionsforrunningtheproject:
ForxIteration(s)—SpecifiesthenumberofiterationsforwhichyouwanttheprojecttorunwhenyouclicktheRunbutton.ForxSeconds—SpecifiesthetimeinsecondsforwhichyouwanttheprojecttorunwhenyouclicktheRunbutton.Continuously—SpecifiestoruntheprojectcontinuouslywhenyouclicktheRunbutton.
Createasnapshotofallsignalswhentheprojectfinishesrunning—Specifieswhethertocreateasnapshotofallthesignalsintheprojectwhentheprojectfinishesrunning.
LoggingPage(OptionsDialogBox)SelectTools»OptionstodisplaytheOptionsdialogboxandselectLoggingfromtheCategorylisttodisplaythispage.UsethispagetosetoptionsforloggingdatainLabVIEWSignalExpress.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Miscellaneous—Containsthefollowingmiscellaneousloggingoptions:
AutomaticallyexportlogtoASCIIfile—SpecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpresscreatesanASCIItextfileofloggeddataeverytimeyoucreatealog.Thisoptionissimilartoright-clickingasignalintheLoggedDatawindowandselectingConverttoASCIIfromtheshortcutmenu.Activatenewlogs—Specifieswhetheranewdatalogbecomestheactivelogbydefault.Preparelogdataforviewing—SpecifieswhenandifLabVIEWSignalExpresspreparesloggeddataforviewingontheDataViewtab.Becausemostloggingoperationsacquirenumerouspointsofdata,LabVIEWSignalExpressmustprocessthelogsoyoucanviewitonareasonablescaleinadisplayontheDataViewtab.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Duringlogging—(Default)LabVIEWSignalExpresspreparesloggeddataforviewingasitlogsthedata.Afterloggingcompletes—LabVIEWSignalExpresspreparesloggeddataforviewingafterthelogiscomplete.Thisoptioncanimproveloggingperformanceonlargedatalogs.Never—LabVIEWSignalExpressdoesnotprepareloggeddataforviewing.Thisoptionprovidesmaximumperformancebenefitsifyouarerecordingaverylargelog,suchasifyouareloggingformultipledays.Ifyouwanttoviewthedata,youcanright-clickthelogintheLoggedDatawindowandselectMakeLogViewable
fromtheshortcutmenu.DisableUIupdateswhilelogging—SpecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpressdisablesupdatesofasignalgraphontheDataViewtabwhileyoulogthesignal.DisablingUIupdatescanimproveperformancewhilelogging.Inheritplaybackconfiguration—SpecifieswhetheranewloginheritsthesettingsyouspecifyonthePlaybackOptionstabforthepreviouslog.Bydefault,LabVIEWSignalExpressresetsplaybackoptionseachtimeyoucreateanewlog.Restartloggingonerror—SpecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpressrestartsaloggingoperationifanerroroccurs.Lognamingconvention—SpecifiesthenamingconventionLabVIEWSignalExpressusesfornewlogs.Youcanselectfromthefollowingoptions:
Date&Time—(Default)LabVIEWSignalExpressnamesnewlogsusingthedateandtimeatwhichyourecordthelog.Time—LabVIEWSignalExpressnamesnewlogsusingthetimeatwhichyourecordthelog.User-definedname—LabVIEWSignalExpressnamesnewlogsusinganamethatyoudefine.
Savecopyofprojectnexttologfiles—SpecifieswhetherLabVIEWSignalExpresssavesacopyoftheprojectyouusetorecordaloginthedirectoryinwhichyousavethelog.Defaultstoragedirectory—SpecifiesthedefaultdirectoryinwhichLabVIEWSignalExpresssaveslogfiles.
NoteIfyousetStorelogfilesnexttoprojectfiletoYes,LabVIEWSignalExpresssaveslogfilesinthedirectorythatcontainstheprojectregardlessoftheDefaultstoragedirectoryyouspecify.
Storelogfilesnexttoprojectfile—Specifieswhether
LabVIEWSignalExpresssaveslogfilesinthedirectorythatcontainstheprojectbydefault.SettingthisoptiontoYesoverridestheDefaultstoragedirectoryyouspecify.
OptionsDialogBoxUsethisdialogboxtosetLabVIEWSignalExpressoptions.YoucancustomizetheLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironmentaswellasdatahandling,execution,andloggingbehavior.UsetheCategorylistattheleftsideofthedialogboxtosetthefollowingoptions:
General—SetsoptionsfortheAddSteppalette,theLabVIEWSignalExpressenvironment,theEventLog,andtheProjectView.Data—SetsoptionsforexportingdatafromLabVIEWSignalExpress.DataView—SetsdisplayoptionsfortheDataView.Execution—Setsprojectexecutionoptions.Logging—Setsdataloggingoptions.
DefineSignalDialogBoxDefinesoreditsalimitsignalfortheLimitTeststep.IntheConfigurationpageoftheLimitTeststep,clicktheDefineUpperLimit,DefineLowerLimit,orDefineSingleLimitbuttonstodisplaythisdialogbox.Youcanspecifythesignalusingaseriesofdatapointsthatrepresentthex,timeorfrequency,andycoordinatesforthecornerpointsofyoursignal.Theresultinglimitsignaliscomposedofaseriesofstraightlinesegmentsthatconnectthesepoints.Thisdialogboxincludesthefollowingcomponents:
DataPoints—Displaysthevaluesyouentertocreatethesignal.YoucanentervaluesdirectlyinthecellsofthetableorusetheoptionsintheRescalelimitsectiontocreateasignal.Insert—AddsanewrowtotheDataPointstable.Delete—RemovesthevaluesintheDataPointstable.Rescalelimit—Containsthefollowingoptionsfordefiningvalues:
Newmin.Time—Specifiestheminimumvalueforthex-axisscale.Newmax.Time—Specifiesthemaximumvalueforthex-axisscale.Newmin.Ampl.—Specifiestheminimumvalueforthey-axisscale.Newmax.Ampl.—Specifiesthemaximumvalueforthey-axisscale.
LoadData—Promptsyoutoselecta.lvmfilethatincludessignaldatayouwanttousetodefineasignal.SaveData—SavesthedatayouconfiguredinDataPointstoa.lvmfile.DefinedLimit—DisplaysthesignalyoudefineandareferencesignalifyouplaceacheckmarkintheShowinputsignalcheckbox.Showinputsignal—DisplaysareferencesignalintheDefinedLimitgraph.Showinterpolatedvalues—EnableslinearaveraginganddisplaystheinterpolatedvaluesontheDefinedUpperLimitor
DefinedLowerLimitgraph.Frequencyaxisislogarithmic—Setsthegraphfrequencyaxistologarithmicand,whentheLimitssourceisUserDefinedSignals,computesthelimitvaluesbetweenthedefinitionpointssotheresultingsegmentappearsasastraightlineinalogarithmicfrequencyrepresentation.Forexample,youcanusethistocreateasymptoticlimitsfittingfilterroll-offindecibelsperdecade.Thisoptionisonlyavailableiftheinputisafrequency-domainsignal.
NoteIftheinputisafrequency-domainsignal,placeacheckmarkintheFrequencyaxisislogarithmiccheckboxtodisplayyoursignalinalogarithmicfrequencyscaleandcreatealimitsignalconnectingthecornerpointssothattheyappearaslinesegmentsinalogarithmicrepresentation.Thisisusefulifyouwanttodefinelimitsthatfollowanasymptoticfrequencyroll-offrepresentedindecibel/decade.
Usethisdialogboxtodefinedatavaluesforalimittest.
EditSweepOutputDialogBoxLabVIEWSignalExpressSpecifiestheY-andX-axisparameterstoaccumulateduringthesweepoperation.Thisdialogboxincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Output(Y-Axis)—Liststhepossibleoutputstoaccumulateduringthesweepoperation.Input(X-Axis)—Liststhepossibleparameterstoaccumulateduringthesweepoperation.Advanced—Liststhesweepoutputsyoucanselecttorepresentthex-scaleofthesweepoperation.
DataPage(OptionsDialogBox)SelectTools»OptionstodisplaytheOptionsdialogboxandselectDatafromtheCategorylisttodisplaythispage.UsethispagetosetoptionsforexportingdatafromLabVIEWSignalExpress.Thispageincludesthefollowingcomponents:
ExportingData—Containsthefollowingoptionforexportingdata:
MaximumClipboardDataExportSize—Specifiesthemaximumnumberofsamplesyoucanplaceontheclipboardtoexport.IncreasethisvalueifyouwanttoexportaloggedsignaltoMicrosoftExcel.
BoundParametersListDialogBoxUsethisdialogboxtobindoperatorinterfacecontrolstostepparameters.SelectacontrolontheOperatorInterfacetab,clickthesmallarrowiconthatappearstodisplaytheTaskswindow,andclicktheEditBoundParametersLinktodisplaythisdialogbox.YoualsocanselectacontrolontheOperatorInterfacetab,displaythePropertieswindow,selecttheBoundParameterspropertythatappearsunderParameterBinding,andclickthebuttonthatappearsnexttothevalueofBoundParameterstodisplaythisdialogbox.Thisdialogboxincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Members—Liststhestepparametersthatcurrentlyareboundtothecontrol.UsetheupanddownarrowstochangetheorderofparametersintheMemberslist.Add—DisplaystheBoundParameterEditordialogbox,whichyoucanusetoaddparameterstotheMemberslist.Remove—RemovestheselectedparameterfromtheMemberslist.Properties—Listspropertiesofthecurrentlyselectedparameter.YoucaneditthepropertyvaluesdirectlyfromthePropertieslist.ThePropertieslistalsoincludesoptionsforscalingthevaluesofproperties.
CreateSnapshotDialogBoxSelectOperate»CreateSnapshotorpressCtrl-Shift-Ttodisplaythisdialogbox.Usethisdialogboxtoconfigureasnapshotofthecurrentvalue(s)ofasignalorsignalsinaproject.Afteryouconfigurethesnapshot,clicktheOKbuttontocreatethesnapshot.Thisdialogboxincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Signalstoinclude—Displaysallthesignalsintheprojectthatyoucanincludeinthesnapshot.Placeacheckmarkinthecheckboxnexttoasignaltoincludethatsignalinthesnapshot.SelectAll—SelectseverysignalintheSignalstoincludelist.SelectNone—DeselectsallsignalsintheSignalstoincludelist.Name—Specifiesanameforthesnapshot.TheNameyouspecifyappearsintheLoggedDatawindowwhenyoucreatethesnapshot.Description—Specifiesadescriptionofthesnapshot.ThedescriptionappearsinatipstripwhenyoumovethemouseoverthenameofthesnapshotintheLoggedDatawindow.
ManageWorkAreasDialogBoxSelectEdit»WorkAreas»ManageWorkAreastodisplaythisdialogbox.Usethisdialogboxtocreatenewworkareasoreditordeletecurrentworkareas.
WorkAreas—Liststhecurrentworkareas.Monitor/RecordandPlaybackarethetwodefaultworkareas.MoveUp—Movestheselecteditemupinthelist.MoveDown—Movestheselecteditemdowninthelist.WorkAreaInfo—ProvidesinformationfortheworkareaselectedintheWorkAreaslist.
Name—Specifiesthenamefortheselectedworkarea.Description—Specifiesadescriptionoftheworkarea.Enableplaybackoflogs—Specifiesthatyouwanttousetheworkareatoanalyzeloggeddataandprocessloggeddatausinganalysissteps.
New—AddsanewworkareatotheWorkAreaslist.Delete—DeletestheselectedworkareafromtheWorkAreaslist.
ErrorListWindowTheErrorListwindowdisplaysanyerrors,warnings,ormessagesinaproject.ClicktheErrorListbuttontodisplaytheErrorListwindow.TheProjectAnalyzeralsodisplaystheErrorListwindowifaprojectcontainsanyerrors,warnings,ormessages.SelectTools»AnalyzeProjecttoruntheProjectAnalyzer.
NoteIfaprojectdoesnotcontainanyerrors,warnings,ormessages,theErrorListbuttonisdisabledandyoucannotdisplaytheErrorListwindow.
Clickanerror,warning,ormessageinthetopsectionoftheErrorListwindowtodisplayadescriptionand,ifapplicable,asuggestedsolutionfortheerror,warning,ormessage.TheErrorListwindowincludesthefollowingcomponents:
Errors—DisplayserrorsintheErrorListwindow.Warnings—DisplayswarningsintheErrorListwindow.Messages—DisplaysmessagesintheErrorListwindow.ShowError—OpenstheConfigurationViewofthestepthatencounteredtheerror.
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