National Instruments Workstations Help Manual

National Instruments Workstation Help Manual
What are the National Instrument Workstations?

The National Instrument workstations are essentially computers with the equivalent of
PCI cards that function as different lab equipment. These machines run on Windows XP
and function exactly like a traditional computer. However, because of the cards they
have, these machines are able to function as an oscilloscope, function generator, digital
multimeter, or a number of other pieces of lab equipment. The stations we have can
perform the following operations:
1) Digital Oscilloscope
2) Function Generator
3) Digital DMM
4) Power Supply
5) Analog/Digital Input/Output
6) Logic Analyzer
7) Image Acquisition
8) Servo-motor Testing
Each of these functions can be controlled either through a software application specific to
the function, or through LabVIEW. The power of having these functions controlled
through LabVIEW is that you can generate signals, output them to your circuitry, then
collect and analyze the data that is gathered.
The remainder of this document deals with how to use the specific software applications
specific to each function and how to use the functions with LabVIEW. There are also a
few programs that will be useful for a number of functions that will be discussed after all
of the functions have been dealt with.
NI-Scope Digital Oscilloscope (PXI-5112)

The Digital Oscilloscope is basically the same as any oscilloscope you would find at a lab
bench. The benefit of this oscilloscope though, is that it is completely controlled through
the computer, and takes up a fraction of the space that a full oscilloscope unit would.
There are two ways to control the digital oscilloscope. The first, and probably the easiest,
way is through the GUI (graphical user interface). The second is using the NI-Scope
Express VI in LabVIEW.
To use the GUI, either go to

“start\programs\National Instruments\NI-
Scope\Scope soft front panel” or click on the
shortcut icon on the quick launch toolbar.
This will bring up the following window
(Figure 1). Simply click ok. The window
shown below will now pop up. This is the
actual control window for the oscilloscope
(Figure 2).
Figure 1
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This is a more compact form of what you
would find on a traditional oscilloscope. It
has all the same functionalities, but in an
easier to use package. You have two
channels to use, as well as a trigger. The
graphical display is located in the upper left
section of the window and the controls are
located around it. Along the right side of
the window are the controls for the
horizontal and vertical divisions for the
graphical display as well as the selection of
the channel. Along the bottom are the
controls for the trigger. Measurements can Figure 2
be added by going to the Window menu and clicking on Measurements. You can also
print the window being displayed by going to the File menu and going to Print Window.
To control the oscilloscope using LabVIEW, you will need to use the NI-Scope Express
VI. This is located under the inputs menu of the functions palette. The screen you will
need to find is located below in figure 3. This might seem counter-intuitive, since you
usually connect the oscilloscope to the output of your circuit, but since LabVIEW is
reading in the data through the oscilloscope, it is considered an input. You can modify
most, if not all, of the properties available in the GUI, but using LabVIEW allows you the
added benefit of recording data and performing signal processing on the output of your
circuit. The actual VI is also pictured below in figure 4.
To use the NI-SCOPE Express VI, you will need

to know a few things. First of all, this VI must be
placed inside of the execution loop of your
program. You should also wire the stop button to
the Close (T) input of the NI-SCOPE Express VI
so that the computer is not holding onto those
resources. This will also allow you to go back
and forth from using GUI and your program.
However, you cannot have the GUI open and use
the NI-SCOPE Express VI at the same time. The Figure 3
other thing that you must be aware of is the sampling rate of the
oscilloscope. The physical card only has a limited memory, so this
will need to be accounted for when setting up the Express VI to read
in the data. You should set up the Express VI so that it has a Sample
rate of 5M, a read length of anything less then 5M, and to
continuously acquire. If you need the sampling rate higher then
5 Msamples/sec, you will need to find the best settings for your Figure 4
application, but for most applications, the previous settings should suffice.
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NI-FGen Function Generator (PXI-5401)

The function generator again functions just like most standard waveform generators. It
has the added benefits of being controlled completely through the computer as well as
taking up substantially less space. This function, like the oscilloscope, can be accessed
by either the GUI or through LabVIEW.
To open the GUI, either go to

“start\programs\National
Instruments\NI-FGen\FGen
soft front panel” or click on the
shortcut on the quick launch
toolbar. The following window
will appear (Figure 5). This is
the control interface for the
waveform generator.
Here you will find all the

controls that you would find on
a traditional waveform
generator. You can pick from
4 modes: standard, frequency
sweep, frequency shift keying, Figure 5
and frequency list generation. The first two are the ones that will probably be most
useful to you. You can also choose from a number of different waveforms: sinusoidal,
square, triangular, sawtooth waveform with either positive or negative slope, DC voltage,
random noise, or you can generate your own waveform. You can then change the
properties (amplitude, frequency, DC-offset,etc.) of the waveform using the knob and
drop down menu located at the far right of the window. Either turn the knob to change
the value or you can type in a specific value. To output the waveform, press the play
button located just above the graph of your waveform.
The other way to control the function generator

is using the NI-FGEN (Standard Functions)
Express VI located in the outputs menu of the
functions palette. The image of the window you
will need is located to the right in figure 6.
Again, this may seem a little backwards, since
the signal will most likely be the input to a
circuit, but since it is leaving the computer, it is
considered an output. When you use the NI-
FGEN Express VI, you are only allowed to use
the standard functions (sine, square, triangle, Figure 6
ramp up, ramp down, and DC). However, you can still control all the attributes of these
waveforms. Controlling the function generator in this matter doesn’t really gain you a
lot, except that it will minimize the number of windows you will need to have open since
the only thing the NI-FGEN Express VI does is output the waveform through the
hardware. The actual VI is located below in figure 7.
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To use the NI-FGEN Express VI is a little tricky. First of all, you
need to have two placed on the block diagram for it to function
correctly. In the one, you will need to check the box marked “Start
generation.” You can then change the settings for the function
generator. You will then need to place a second NI-FGEN Express
VI on the block diagram and in this one, check the box that says
“Stop generation.” If this is not placed on the block diagram, the Figure 7
function generator will not stop generating and you may end up hurting your circuit or
yourself. These two blocks should also not be placed inside the loop for your main
program. You don’t want to have the function generator initialized every iteration of the
loop, simply to start generating when you start the program and stop generating when you
end the program. To do this, use the Case Structure Express VI from the Execution
Control menu and place the NI-FGEN Express VI with the “Stop Generation” box
checked inside the Structure for the true condition. If you then wire the stop button to the
input of the Case Structure Express VI, whenever the stop button is pressed, the function
generator will turn off. Below is an example of what your setup should look like (Figure
8).
Figure 8
NI-DMM 6 ½ -Digit Flex Digital Multimeter (PXI-4072)

The digital multimeter (DMM) is the same as any traditional DMM. The DMM, like the
Function Generator and the Oscilloscope, can be accessed though LabVIEW or through
the GUI provided, however using LabVIEW to control it can be somewhat difficult.
To open the GUI, either go to “start\programs\National Instruments\NI-DMM\DMM soft

front panel” or click on the shortcut on the quick launch toolbar. The following window
will appear (Figure 9). This is the control interface for the DMM.
-4-
This DMM is equipped with
many of the traditional
functions available on a
standard DMM, such as AC
and DC currents and voltages,
resistance, and diode tests.
However, this DMM also has
the ability to measure
frequency, capacitance and
inductance. It also allows the
user to quickly change the
range and resolution using the
drop down menus as well as allowing for Figure 9
scaling and some basic calculations. Having all this power at the click of a mouse
definitely makes this much more user friendly then a traditional hand unit.
PXI Programmable DC Power Supply (52192)

<not yet available>
NI-DAQ Multifunction I/O (PXI-6251/PXI-6070E)

The Multifunction I/O serves as a digital and analog input and output. This functionality
can only be used through LabVIEW, using the DAQ Assistant Express VI. This is
located in both the Input and Output menus of the functions palette when in the block
diagram window. By using this function, you can send out an analog signal, read in an
analog signal, input or output over a single digital line, and input or output over an 8-bit
port.
I/O Connector Pinout

The following list describes the pin layout for the multifunction I/O. For descriptions of
the functionality of the signals, read the I/O Connector Signal Description.
Pin Pin
Number PXI-6070E PXI-6251 Number PXI-6070E PXI-6251
1 Freq Out PFI 14/P2.6 35 D GND D GND
2 CTR 0 Out PFI 12/P2.4 36 D GND D GND
3 PFI 9/CTR 0 Gate PFI 9/P2.1 37 PFI 8/CTR 0 Src PFI 8/P2.0
4 D GND D GND 38 PFI 7/AI Samp Clk PFI 7/P1.7
PFI 6/AO Start
5 Trig PFI 6/P1.6 39 D GND PFI 15/P2.7
PFI 5/AO Samp
6 Clk PFI 5/P1.5 40 CTR 1 Out PFI 13/P2.5
7 D GND D GND 41 PFI 4/CTR 1 Gate PFI 4/P1.4
8 +5 V +5 V 42 PFI 3/CTR 1 Src PFI 3/P1.3
9 D GND D GND 43 PFI 2/AI Conv Clk PFI 2/P1.2
10 PFI 1/AI Ref Trig PFI 1/P1.1 44 D GND D GND
11 PFI 0/AI Start Trig PFI 0/P1.0 45 Ext Strobe PFI 10/P2.2
12 D GND D GND 46 AI Hold Comp PFI 11/P2.3
13 D GND D GND 47 P0.3 P0.3
-5-
14 +5 V +5 V 48 P0.7 P0.7
15 D GND D GND 49 P0.2 P0.2
16 P0.6 P0.6 50 D GND D GND
17 P0.1 P0.1 51 P0.5 P0.5
18 D GND D GND 52 P0.0 P0.0
19 P0.4 P0.4 53 D GND D GND
20 AO Ext Ref APFI 0 54 AO GND AO GND
21 AO 1 AO 1 55 AO GND AO GND
22 AO 0 AO 0 56 AI GND AI GND
23 AI 15 AI 15 57 AI 7 AI 7
24 AI GND AI GND 58 AI 14 AI 14
25 AI 6 AI 6 59 AI GND AI GND
26 AI 13 AI 13 60 AI 5 AI 5
28 AI 4 AI 4 62 AI SENSE AI SENSE
31 AI 10 AI 10 65 AI 2 AI 2
34 AI 8 AI 8 68 AI 0 AI 0
I/O Connector Signal Descriptions

The following table describes the signals found on the I/O connectors. For a summary of
the I/O signals by device family, refer to the I/O Terminal Summary table in the
specifications for the device.
Signal
Ref Direction Description
Name
AI Ground—These pins are the reference point for single-
ended AI measurements in RSE mode and the bias current
AI GND — — return point for DIFF measurements. All three ground
references—AI GND, AO GND, and D GND—are
connected on the device.
AI Channels 0 through 15—You can configure each
AI
AI <0..15> Input channel pair, AI <i, i+8> (i = 0..7), as either one differential
GND
input or two single-ended inputs.
AI Channels 16 through 63 (NI PCI-
AI AI 6031E/6033E/6071E only)—Each channel pair, AI <i , i
Input
<16..63> GND +8> (i = 16..23, 32..39, 48..55), can be configured as either
one differential input or two single-ended inputs.
AI Sense—This pin is the reference node for AI <0..15> in
AI SENSE — Input
NRSE mode.
AI SENSE — Input AI Sense 2—This pin is the reference node for AI <16..63>
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2 in NRSE mode.
AO Analog Channel 0 Output—This pin supplies the voltage
AO 0 Output
GND output of AO channel 0.
AO Analog Channel 1 Output—This pin supplies the voltage
AO 1 Output
GND output of AO channel 1.
AO Ground—The AO voltages are referenced to these
AO GND — — pins. All three ground references—AI GND, AO GND, and
D GND—are connected on the device.
Digital Ground—These pins supply the reference for the
digital signals at the I/O connector as well as the +5 VDC
D GND — —
supply. All three ground references—AI GND, AO GND,
and D GND—are connected on the device.
Digital I/O Signals—You can individually configure each
D Input or
P0.<0..7> signal as an input or output. P0.6 and 7 can also control the
GND Output
up/down signal of Counters 0 and 1, respectively.
AO EXT AO External Reference—This is the external reference input
Input
REF GND for the AO circuitry.
NI 6025E only—Port 1 bidirectional digital data lines for
D Input or the 82C55A programmable peripheral interface. P1.7 is the
P1.<0..7>
GND Output most significant bit (MSB). P1.0 is the least significant bit
(LSB).
D Input or
P2.<0..7> the 82C55A programmable peripheral interface. P2.7 is the
GND Output
MSB. P2.0 is the LSB.
D Input or
P3.<0..7> the 82C55A programmable peripheral interface. P3.7 is the
GND Output
MSB. P3.0 is the LSB.
D
+5 V Output +5 V Power Source—These pins provide +5 V power.
GND
AI Hold Complete Event Signal—When enabled, this
signal pulses once for each A/D conversion in sampling
AI HOLD D
Output mode. The low-to-high edge indicates when the input
COMP GND
signal can be removed from the input or switched to
another signal.
External Strobe Signal—You can toggle this output with
software controls to latch signals or trigger events on
external devices. This functionality is not available in
EXT D
Output LabVIEW or NI-DAQ. EXT STROBE is used for
STROBE GND
controlling SCXI chassis, and it is not a general-purpose
signal. If you want to use or control this signal, you must
perform register-level programming.
PFI 0/AI D PFI 0—As an input, this pin is a programmable function
Input
START GND interface (PFI).
-7-
TRIG AI Start Trigger Signal—As an output, this pin is the

ai/StartTrigger signal. In post-triggered DAQ sequences, a
low-to-high transition indicates the initiation of the
Output
acquisition sequence. In pre-triggered applications, a low-
to-high transition indicates the initiation of the pre-
triggered conversions.
Input PFI 1—As an input, this pin is a PFI.
AI Reference Trigger Signal—As an output, this pin is
PFI 1/AI D the ai/ReferenceTrigger signal. In pre-triggered
REF TRIG GND Output applications, a low-to-high transition indicates the initiation
of the post-triggered conversions. AI REF TRIG is not used
in post-triggered applications.
PFI 2/AI
D AI Convert Clock Signal—As an output, this pin is the
CONV
GND Output ai/ConvertClock signal. A high-to-low edge on AI CONV
CLK
indicates that an A/D conversion is occurring.
PFI 3/CTR D Counter 1 Source Signal—As an output, this pin is the
1 SRC GND Output Ctr1Source signal. This signal reflects the actual source
connected to the general-purpose Counter 1.

PFI 4/CTR D Counter 1 Gate Signal—As an output, this pin is the
1 GATE GND Output Ctr1Gate signal. This signal reflects the actual gate signal
Counter 1 Output Signal—As an input, this pin can be
CTR 1 D Input
used to route signals directly to the RTSI bus.
OUT GND
Output As an output, this pin emits the Ctr1InternalOutput signal.
PFI 5/AO
D AO Sample Clock Signal—As an output, this pin is the
SAMP
GND Output ao/SampleClock signal. A high-to-low edge on AO SAMP
CLK
indicates that the AO primary group is being updated.
PFI 6/AO AO Start Trigger Signal—As an output, this pin is the
D
START ao/StartTrigger signal. In timed AO sequences, a low-to-
GND Output
TRIG high transition indicates the initiation of the waveform
generation.
PFI 7/AI
D AI Sample Clock Signal—As an output, this pin is the
SAMP
GND Output ai/SampleClock signal. This pin pulses once at the start of
CLK
each AI sample in the interval sample. A low-to-high
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transition indicates the start of the sample.

PFI 8/CTR D Counter 0 Source Signal—As an output, this pin is the
0 SRC GND Output Ctr0Source signal. This signal reflects the actual source
Input PFI 9—As an input, this pin is one of the PFIs.
PFI 9/CTR D Counter 0 Gate Signal—As an output, this pin is the
0 GATE GND Output Ctr0Gate signal. This signal reflects the actual gate signal
Counter 0 Output Signal—As an input, this pin can be
CTR 0 D Input
used to route signals directly to the RTSI bus.
OUT GND
Output As an output, this pin emits the Ctr0InternalOutput signal.
FREQ D Frequency Output Signal—This output is from the
Output
OUT GND frequency generator.
User <1..2>—On BNC devices, these signals connect
directly from a screw terminal to a BNC. For example, if
USER D
I/O you connect CTR 0 OUT to the USER 1 screw terminal
<1..2> GND
with a wire, the Ctr0Out signal also is driven to the User 1
BNC.
*This table was taken from E Series Help, July 2004 Edition, part number 370503D-01
published by National Instruments Corporation.
NI 100 MHz Digital I/O (PXI-6542)

The 100 MHz Digital I/O has capability to input and output digital waveforms over 32
different channels. This ability makes this piece of hardware ideal for a logic analyzer.
Like the two DAQ devices, this device can only be accessed using LabVIEW. It does
come with a script editor though, that allows the user to generate unique waveforms that
can be used within LabVIEW.
The LabVIEW controls for this hardware device are pretty hard to get to. From the
Block Diagram, go to the All Functions button, then NI Measurements button, and finally
the NI-HSDIO button. Located at the bottom of the window will be the NI-HSDIO
Acquire and Generate Express VI’s. The Acquire VI will read in digital data while the
Generate will output digital data.
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Functions NI-HSDIO
NI Measurements
All Functions
To display the data read in from the Acquire VI, you will need to use a Digital Waveform
Graph, which is also somewhat hard to locate. To find this, from the Front Panel, go to
the All Controls button, then the Graph button. You should find the Digital Waveform
Graph there.
Controls
Graph
All Controls
I/O Connector Signal Description

Signal Signal
Pins Signal Description
Name Type
DDC CLK Output terminal for the
33 Control
OUT exported Sample clock.
Terminal for the external
67 STROBE Control Sample clock source which can
be used for pattern acquisition
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, DIO<0..31> Data Bidirectional digital I/O data
- 10 -
19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, channels 0 through 31

35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47,
49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61,
63, 65
Input terminals to the NI 6542
for external triggers, or output
26, 30, 64 PFI <1..3> Control
terminals from the NI 6542 for
events.
2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18,
20, 22, 24, 28, 32, 34, 36,
D GND Ground Ground reference for signals
38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50,
54, 56, 58, 62, 66
These terminals are reserved
8, 52, 60 RESERVED N/A for future use. Do not connect
to these pins.
I/O Connector Pinout

Pin Number PXI-6542 Pin Number PXI-6542
1 DIO 31 35 DIO 30
2 D GND 36 D GND
3 DIO 29 37 DIO 28
4 D GND 38 D GND
5 DIO 27 39 DIO 26
6 D GND 40 D GND
7 DIO 25 41 DIO 24
8 RESERVED 42 D GND
9 DIO 23 43 DIO 22
10 D GND 44 D GND
11 DIO 21 45 DIO 20
12 D GND 46 D GND
13 DIO 19 47 DIO 18
14 D GND 48 D GND
15 DIO 17 49 DIO 16
16 D GND 50 D GND
17 DIO 15 51 DIO 14
18 D GND 52 RESERVED
19 DIO 13 53 DIO 12
20 D GND 54 D GND
21 DIO 11 55 DIO 10
22 D GND 56 D GND
23 DIO 9 57 DIO 8
24 D GND 58 D GND
25 DIO 7 59 DIO 6
26 PFI 1 60 RESERVED
27 DIO 5 61 DIO 4
28 D GND 62 D GND
- 11 -
29 DIO 3 63 DIO 2
30 PFI 3 64 PFI 2
31 DIO 1 65 DIO 0
32 D GND 66 D GND
33 DDC CLK OUT 67 STROBE
34 D GND 68 D GND
NI Digital I/O (PXI-6533)

This Digital I/O card is similar to the previous card, with the exception that it is not
supported by the NSDIO Express VI’s. It is also not supported under DAQmx, only
under the traditional DAQ. To locate the VI’s necessary to use this card, follow the steps
below.
Functions NI Measurements NI-DAQ

Digital I/O
All Functions
The VI’s that will be most useful will be the “read from digital line,” “read from digital
port,” “write to digital line,” and “write to digital port” VI’s. These four VI’s will give
you all the functionality you should need to write data out to the lines or read data in.
More complex functionality is available through the Advanced Digital I/O menu located
at the bottom right of the Digital I/O screen.
For help on how to set up programs to read and write to this card, in LabVIEW go to
Help->Find Examples. This should bring up a new window (figure 10). Double click on
“Hardware Input and Output,” followed by “Traditional DAQ,” “Digital Input and
Output,” and “653x.” There should then be a number of different already constructed
VI’s that you can open and use, or simply find inspiration from.
- 12 -
Figure 10
NI-IMAQ Image Acquisition (PXI-1409)

The NI IMAQ Image Acquisition system is a computer vision and still motion capture
processing unit. The card can be hooked up to a digital camera that has a BNC or an
RCA connector output. You can use this hardware to capture images and then perform
automated image processing on the acquired image.
There are two ways to access this functionality. The first way is to use LabVIEW. This
is not always the easiest thing to do, especially if you’re not very experienced with
LabVIEW programming. If you want to try to control the Image Acquisition card
through LabVIEW, follow the steps below to locate the Vision VI’s.
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Functions NI-Vision
NI Measurements
All Functions
The second, and much easier, way to control this card is through a piece of software
called Vision Assistant. To access this program, go to “start\programs\National
Instruments\Vision Assistant 7.1\Vision Assistant 7.1” or click on the shortcut in the
quick launch toolbar. The following screen will appear (figure 11).
Figure 11
From this screen, you can either open a previously acquired image, acquire a new one if
there is a camera hooked up to the PXI-1409 card, or search through the “Solution
Wizard” to see if there is already a program written to accomplish your task. Which ever
option you choose, you will be taken through the steps to open an image, acquire an
image, or look through the already created solutions. Once you’ve finished that process
you will reach the following screen (figure 12).
- 14 -
Figure 12
This is the main window for the program. As you can see, the window is broken up into
four sections. The large section in the upper right shows the image that you’re working
on and the results of any processing steps you add. Below it is the script window. This is
where the steps that you add will appear. The order that you place the steps in this
window is the order that they will be executed if you run the script. The lower left
section is the Processing Function window, which lists all the functions available. These
functions are also available in the drop down menus over top of the first section. Finally,
the window at the upper left is the image browser. You can store images that you’ve
created here or open/acquire multiple images and use this area to select which images to
work on. There is also a second tab at the top which accesses a help menu.
To add steps to the script, simply select the function you want to use on the image, either
from the Processing Function window or the drop down menus. A screen specific to that
function will then appear, which allows you to change certain properties of the function.
Once you’ve finished modifying the properties, click ok and the step is added to the script
window and the image is updated with the resulting image.
Once you’ve finished creating your script, you can save the final image by going to “Save
Image As…” and you can save the script by going to “Save Script As…,” both of which
are located under the file menu. You can also export this script to as either a LabVIEW
program or C-code. To do this, select either “Create LabVIEW VI” or “Create C Code”
under the “Tools” menu.
NI Motion Controller (PXI-7350)

The NI Motion Controller is a servo and stepper motor control unit. The Controller
consists of two portions: the interface card (which is located in the PXI chassis) and the
actual control unit (MID-7652). This system has the ability to control 2 axes, which
makes it ideal for use with moving platform applications.
- 15 -
As with some of the other functions, there are several ways to interact with this device.
As with all of the functions, this device can be accessed through LabVIEW using the
motion functions available. However, this is a very complicated task. The diagram
below shows how to access the motion VI’s in LabVIEW.
Functions Palette
NI Measurements
All Functions
The other way to access this function is to use the Motion Assistant. This is a program
that uses a GUI to help generate motion scripts. To open this program, either go to
“start\programs\National Instruments\Motion Assistant\Motion Assistant” or click on the
shortcut in the quick launch toolbar. This will bring up the following screen (figure 13).
Figure 13
- 16 -
From this start up screen, you can go through a number of tutorials and help content that
will make using the Motion Assistant much easier. If you do not want to look through
any of the help content, simply start adding steps to your motion script. Do this by
clicking on the “Add Step” button located at the left side of the main window in the script
window. For almost all applications, you will want your first step to be a reference
move. Once you’ve added a step, the window should now look like this (figure 14).
Figure 14
This window has four main parts. On the far right is the help window. You can either
show or hide this help window by clicking the button right above it. In the middle of the
screen are the graph window on the top and the “Step Setup” window at the bottom.
Finally, to the far left is the script window, which shows the order of the motion steps
that have been added.
The graph window shows you the speed and acceleration curves of the move, the 2-D
path that will be taken, and the 3-D path that will be taken. Since the equipment
available can only handle two axes, the 3-D path will not be very useful.
The “Step Setup” window has three tabs that allow you to modify many of the properties
for the current step. You can access more properties by going to “Properties” under the
“Edit” menu. You can also view the current state of the step by going to the “Step
Status” tab located next to the “Step Setup” tab at the very bottom of the screen (figure
15).
- 17 -
Figure 15
Once you have finished your script, you can run it using this program as well. To run
your script, click the “Run” button . Assuming everything is connected properly,
this will start your script running. If you need to stop your script at any point, there are
three options available. First of all, pressing the “Decelerate” button will
slow the motors down to a stop but leave them powered. Pressing the “Run” button
while the script is executing will also do this. This is the preferred option, since it will
put the least stress on the motors. The second option is to press the “Halt” button .
This button will immediately stop the motors from moving, but will still leave them
powered. The last option is to press the “Kill” button . This button will
immediately stop the motors from running as well as cut off all power to them. This is
the least desirable option, since it will put the most strain on the motors.
Once you have created and debugged your script, you have a number of different options.
You can simply save the script to be opened up using the Motion Assistant by going to
“Save” in the “File” menu. You can also export the script to either LabVIEW or as C-
code. To export the script as a LabVIEW program, go to “Generate Code” under the
“Tools” menu and select “LabVIEW Diagram.” This will then create a LabVIEW block
diagram that will perform the same actions as the script. To export the script as C-code,
again go to “Generate Code” in the “Tools” menu and select “CVI Code.” This will
create a file that can compiled using a C compiler that will generate C-code to perform
the actions in the script. Finally, by selecting “Code Recipe” under “Generate Code,”
you will be taken through a step by step process for generating Visual Basic code for the
script.
Measurement and Automation Explorer

The Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) is a quick and easy way to access the
cards as well as to ensure that you have the desired connections (figure 16). All the cards
- 18 -
connected to the system will show up under the “Devices and Interfaces” heading of the
“Configuration” window. Most of the devices will show up either under “Traditional NI-
DAQ Devices” or “NI-DAQmx Devices.” Some unique devices will show up under their
own headings (ex. The PXI-1409 Image Acquisition card will show up under “IMAQ
Devices”). If you right click on the desired device, then select “Test Panels…” from the
menu that pops up, a window should pop up that will allow you to access the device.
These windows have minimal functionality, but they do allow you some control of the
device. This would be useful if you wanted to check to make sure you had to correct
connections before trying to run a program in LabVIEW, or if you just wanted to make a
quick measurement.
Figure 16
SignalExpress
If you don’t want to deal with programming in LabVIEW, SignalExpress is the next best
thing. SignalExpress provides you with most of the signal processing functionality in
LabVIEW, but in a more user friendly form. SignalExpress also has the capability of
interacting with the NI hardware in the PXI-1042 chassis, which makes this program
almost as powerful as LabVIEW itself.
To open this program, either go to “start\programs\National

Instruments\SignalExpress\SignalExpress” or click on the shortcut in the quick launch
- 19 -
toolbar. This will bring up the following windows. Figure 17 is the main SignalExpress
window while figure 18 is a startup window that will appear.
Figure 18
Figure 17
From the start up window (figure 18), you can access and number of tutorials and help
menus. If you don’t wish to access any of this information, simply click “close.” The
main window is broken up into three parts. On the far left of the window is where the
steps in your program will be listed. The center of the window is where all the data will
be displayed. On the far right of the window is the help menu. You can close and open
this by clicking on the icon directly above it.
There are several ways you can add steps to your

program. You can add steps by clicking the “Add Step”
button , going to the “Add Step” menu, or
right clicking in the window where the steps will be
displayed. Steps are what will actually be doing the
generating and processing. If you click on the “Add
Step” button, the window to the right will appear
(figure 19).
Figure 19
As you can see, there are several different areas you can access. These are signal
generation or acquisition types. You can generate a signal by using the “Create Signals”
option under the “Analog” menu. All of the actual processing functions are located under
the “Analog” menu. In both the “Analog” and “Digital” menus, you can choose to
generate or acquire signals from the hardware.
Adding signals to the display can also be done in a number of ways. The easiest way is
to click and drag the desired signal over to the graph. You can also add signals by right
clicking on the graph and selecting the desired signal from the “Add Signal” menu.
You can also add additional displays, and like the previous actions, there are several ways
to do this. You can either click the “Add Display” button or right click on
the graph and clicking on “Add Display.” When you click the “Add Display” button, the
- 20 -
program will automatically add a graph at the bottom of the display window. If you go to
the “Add Display” menu after right clicking on a graph, you will have a number of
options as to where to add the new graph (above, below, left, or right). The display sizes
can be changed by clicking and dragging the borders of the displays.
Once you have all the steps and graphs set up, you can run the program by clicking on the
“Run” button . This will cause the program to execute and collect any real time
data from the hardware. The following figure (figure 20) is an example of what your
final program might look like. This simple program starts out with a sine wave, adds
noise to it, then filters out the noise.
Figure 20
When you’ve finished creating your program, you can save it by going to “Save as…”
under the file menu. You will save the file as an Express Workbench file. What’s great
about this is that you can then open that file up in LabVIEW and LabVIEW will create a
block diagram that will do the same thing as the SignalExpress program. To do this, go
to “Express Workbench” under the “Tools” menu and select “Convert Express
Workbench Project…” This will bring up a window that allows you to select the file you
just saved and specify a file location for LabVIEW to create your new program.
Analog Waveform Editor

The analog waveform editor allows you to generate highly customized and unique
waveforms. You can generate waveforms then save them to be used with either the
Function Generator or read into LabVIEW. This program allows you to specify exactly
what you want in your waveform.
To open the program, either go to “start\programs\National Instruments\Analog

Waveform Editor\Analog Waveform Editor” or click on the shortcut on the quick launch
toolbar. The following window will open (figure 21). If you are going to create a brand
new waveform, select “Blank waveform.” If you are going to be editing a previously
created waveform, select “Open and existing waveform.” Once selecting how to
proceed, the following window will appear (figure 22). Here you can change the
sampling rate and some other options. For most applications, the default settings should
- 21 -
suffice. If you need to go back and change the properties from the second window, you
can get to them by going to “Properties” under the “File” menu.
Figure 21
Figure 22
Once all of these preliminary options have been chosen, you will get to the main window
for the program (figure 23). The graph area of this window is where the waveform you
create will show up.
Figure 23
To start creating your waveform, you will need to either click on the “Add components”
button on the toolbar or select “Add components” from the “Edit” menu. Selecting
this will bring up the following window (figure 24). This is where you will add all the
components to your waveform. You can either create single waveforms (sine, square,
triangle, etc) or you can add components together using either the “Insert Primitive before
Current Primitive” or “Insert Primitive after Current Primitive” buttons. By
doing this, you can create more advanced waveforms such as a sine wave with
exponential decay (figure 25).
- 22 -
Figure 24 Figure 25
To view the entire waveform, you may need to zoom out. You can do this by clicking on
the zoom out button then clicking somewhere in the graph window. Once you’ve
finished creating your waveform, you will need to save it. There are two things you will
need to do. First, you should simply save it by going to “Save” under the “File” menu.
This will allow you to come back and edit your waveform as well as read it into the
Function Generator. You can also export the waveform as a LabVIEW Measurement
File (LVM) so you can read it into LabVIEW using the Read LVM Express VI. An
example of the type of waveform you could create is shown below (figure 26).
Figure 26
Digital Waveform Editor

The digital waveform editor allows you to create unique digital signals over a number of
different lines. You can use this to create clocks, counters, signal patterns, or any number
of other signals. This program is best used in conjunction with the HSDIO Express VI in
LabVIEW.
To open the program, either go to “start\programs\National Instruments\Digital

Waveform Editor\Digital Waveform Editor” or click on the shortcut on the quick launch
- 23 -
toolbar. The following window will appear (figure 27). This is the main window for the
digital waveform editor.
Figure 27
You will now need to create a new waveform. Do this by selecting “New Waveform”
from the “File” menu or clicking on the “New Waveform” button on the toolbar. This
will bring up the following window (figure 28). Here you can change the number of
samples as well as the number of signals or channels you will work with. You can
always add more lines using the “Insert Signals” option under the “Edit” menu.
Figure 28
After clicking ok, the graph area in the main window should now have lines for however
many signals you chose to have. If you click on the graph, a blue box will appear. This
is one sample of the line you selected. You can select multiple samples by clicking and
dragging. You can change the bit value of a single sample by using the Toggle Bit
button or you can change the bit value of multiple samples by selecting them and using
the “Fill” option under the “Edit” menu and selecting “All Ones” or “All Zeros”
depending on which way you want to go. There are many other options available under
the “Fill” option. For example, by highlighting multiple rows, you can create a counter
by filling in with either “Count Up” or “Count Down.” You can back to selecting
samples by clicking on the Select button.
Once you’ve finished creating your digital waveform, you will need to save it. There are
two things you will need to do. First, you should simply save it by going to “Save” under
- 24 -
the “File” menu. This will allow you to come back and edit your waveform as well as
read it into the HSDIO Generation Express VI. You can also export the waveform as an
ASCII file so you can read it into LabVIEW using the Read LVM Express VI. An
example of the type of waveform you could create is shown below (figure 29).
Figure 29
- 25 -

National Instruments Workstations Help Manual

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National Instruments Workstation Help Manual

What are the National Instrument Workstations?

NI-Scope Digital Oscilloscope (PXI-5112)

To use the GUI, either go to

To use the NI-SCOPE Express VI, you will need

NI-FGen Function Generator (PXI-5401)

To open the GUI, either go to

Here you will find all the

The other way to control the function generator

NI-DMM 6 ½ -Digit Flex Digital Multimeter (PXI-4072)

To open the GUI, either go to “start\programs\National Instruments\NI-DMM\DMM soft

PXI Programmable DC Power Supply (52192)

NI-DAQ Multifunction I/O (PXI-6251/PXI-6070E)

I/O Connector Pinout

I/O Connector Signal Descriptions

TRIG AI Start Trigger Signal—As an output, this pin is the

Input PFI 4—As an input, this pin is a PFI.

transition indicates the start of the sample.

NI 100 MHz Digital I/O (PXI-6542)

I/O Connector Signal Description

19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, channels 0 through 31

I/O Connector Pinout

NI Digital I/O (PXI-6533)

Functions NI Measurements NI-DAQ

NI-IMAQ Image Acquisition (PXI-1409)

NI Motion Controller (PXI-7350)

Measurement and Automation Explorer

To open this program, either go to “start\programs\National

There are several ways you can add steps to your

Analog Waveform Editor

To open the program, either go to “start\programs\National Instruments\Analog

Digital Waveform Editor

To open the program, either go to “start\programs\National Instruments\Digital

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