Laboratory Exercise No.

1000

1. Objective:
The activity aims to explore the use of Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench and
design Virtual instruments,Vis.
2. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs):
The students shall be able to:
2.1 Learn the different controls, functions and indicators available for the Input, Process and Output of
a LabVIEW graphical program called virtual instruments (Vis).
2.2 Build a simple .vi file for the sum and average of three numerical values using numeric controls
(Input), add and divide functions (Process), and numeric indicator (Output).
2.3 Create sub-VIs and use this concept in the development of a more complicated system.
3. Discussion:
The name LabVIEW is a shortened form of its description: Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering
Workbench. LabVIEW is a visual programming language: it is a system-design platform and development
environment that was aimed at enabling all forms of system to be developed.
LabVIEW was developed by National Instruments as a workbench for controlling test instrumentation.
However its applications have spread well beyond just test instrumentation to the whole field of system
design and operation.

4. Resources:
LabVIEW
5. Procedure:
A. Input, process and output of a simple graphical program involving the sum and average of three
numerical values
1. Create a folder with a name Maranan_yourSurnameLabExer09 and place it on the desktop. All
your files must be saved here. Before the end of the period, the contents of this folder must be
sent to your email address and also to your instructor’s email address.
2. Open LabVIEW 15 and the Getting Started appears. Click the Blank VI option. The Block
Diagram and Front Panel windows should appear.
3. Click View of the Front Panel window and choose Controls Palette, Express, Numeric Control.
Click Num Control and drop into the Front Panel window. Observe what happens in the Block
Diagram window. Change its label from numeric to x. Add two (2) more Num Ctrl and label
them as y and z (place them below one another). These x, y and z numeric controls form part
of the Input (these controls have arrow pointing outward indicating that the data they hold serve
as an input to another). Add two numeric indicators ( place them on the right side , one on top
of another) and label them as SUM and AVERAGE. The SUM and AVERAGE numeric
indicators form part of the output (these controls have arrow pointing inward indicating that they
accept data from an input).
4. Click View of the Block Diagram window and choose Function Pallete, each of which performs
a certain function and has input and output connectors. Place an ADD function in between the
input and output controls. Place also a DIVIDE function below the ADD function. Right click
each of these functions and select Visible Items, then checking the Label option. Establish the
flow of data by wiring the x, y and z to the ADD function and then wire the output of the ADD
function to the SUM indicator. Wire the output of the ADD function to the DIVIDE function. Right
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 click the other input of the Divide function and choose Create < Constant. Type the number 3
when the constant node appears. Wire the output of the Divide function to the AVERAGE
indicator. Click Clean Up Diagram icon and observe what happens. Note: While the FP window
is within your view, you may use CTRL E to view BD window.
5. Save the file as yourSurnameProcedureA and place it inside the
Maranan_yourSurnameLabExer09 folder . Provide the values of the x, y and z numeric
controls through Front Panel window and click Run. Show the output of Procedure A in Table
A.
B. Different Controls, Functions and Indicators for the Input, Process, and Output of a LabVIEW
program.
1. Determine the different controls available for the Input of a VI. Show the output of Procedure
B.1 in Table B1. Hint: Place a control in FP window, press CTL H and Hover the control for the
description.
2. Determine the different functions available for the Process of a VI. Show the output of
Procedure B.2 in Table B2. Hint: Place a function in BD window, press CTL H and Hover the
function for the description.
3. Determine the different indicators available for the Output of a VI. Show the output of
Procedure B.3 in Table B3. Hint: Place an indicator in FP window, press CTL H and Hover the
indicator for the description.
C. Creating yourSurnameProcedureA.vi as a VI that is used in higher-level VI ( called subVI)
1. Right click the icon at the top-right corner of the Front Panel window and select Show
connector to display the connector pane. Right click this connector pane and choose Patterns.
Choose the connector pane pattern having three inputs (3 blank rows in the first column) and
two outputs ( 2 blank rows in the second column).
2. To assign the first row first column slot of the connector plane to the numeric control x, click the
slot on the first row first column of the connector pane and click the numeric control with a label
x. To assign the second row first column slot of the connector plane to the numeric control y,
click the slot on the second row first column of the connector pane and click the numeric control
with a label y. To assign the third row first column slot of the connector plane to the numeric
control z, click the slot on the third row first column of the connector pane and click the numeric
control with a label z.
3. To assign the first row second column slot of the connector plane to the numeric indicator SUM,
click the slot on the first row second column of the connector pane and click the numeric
indicator with a label SUM. To assign the second row second column slot of the connector
pane to the numeric indicator AVERAGE, click the slot on the second row second column of the
connector pane and click the numeric indicator with a label AVERAGE.
4. To explicitly identify the subVI icon, double click this icon and Icon Editor window appears. In
Line 1 text, type SUM. In Line 2 text, type & . In Line 3 text, type AVERAGE. Then, click OK.
5. Save the changes you made. Show the Front Panel and Block Diagram windows using Table
C.
D. Creating Vis for Plane and Solid Figures
1. Create a virtual instrument for the computation of area and perimeter of each of the following
plane figures:
a. Square
b. Rectangle
c. Circle
d. Right Triangle
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 e. Regular Pentagon
Show the output in Procedure D1
2. Create a virtual instrument for the computation of volume and surface area of each of the
following:
a. Cube
b. Rectangular Parallelipiped
c. Sphere
d. Cone
e. Right Circular Cylinder

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