What is your actual job?

[Thoric]

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@Gregory wrote:

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@Thoric wrote:

[...] plus I'm getting known for my User Interface work. [...]

Do you work with a custom set of controls? I always like getting new UI ideas, have you considered publishing to the tools network?

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I always work with custom controls - there's no other approach that comes close to creating the kind of UX I demand. But I haven't published these as a toolset.

[RTSLVU]

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@Thoric wrote:

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@Gregory wrote:

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@Thoric wrote:

[...] plus I'm getting known for my User Interface work. [...]

Do you work with a custom set of controls? I always like getting new UI ideas, have you considered publishing to the tools network?

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I always work with custom controls - there's no other approach that comes close to creating the kind of UX I demand. But I haven't published these as a toolset.

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I would PAY for a good tool set as I have tried and tried to create my own set of custom controls.

But since I do not have an artistic bone in my body they always look this bad or worse.

So I stick to the default gages and UI elements. 

[ChrisK88]

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@RTSLVU wrote:

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@Thoric wrote:

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@Gregory wrote:

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@Thoric wrote:

[...] plus I'm getting known for my User Interface work. [...]

Do you work with a custom set of controls? I always like getting new UI ideas, have you considered publishing to the tools network?

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I always work with custom controls - there's no other approach that comes close to creating the kind of UX I demand. But I haven't published these as a toolset.

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I would PAY for a good tool set as I have tried and tried to create my own set of custom controls.

But since I do not have an artistic bone in my body they always look this bad or worse.

 

So I stick to the default gages and UI elements. 

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Reminds me of an Iron Man theme 

[Hooovahh]

You probably have already seen, but there is a pretty decent set of already made things from places like the UI Community:

https://decibel.ni.com/content/groups/ui

And you'll find useful nuggests of code all around NI's site for good UI development, like checkbox item selection for listboxes and trees.

https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-42155

Or dropdown items in tables.

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/array-of-cluster/m-p/1822451#M625032

Having a good UI in LabVIEW can be difficult, having a good UX in LabVIEW can be even more challenging, but there are tools and tricks to help make things a bit easier.

[caleyjag]

I have a MSci in Physics and PhD in applied optics.

I picked up LabVIEW by myself during my PhD, using it to automate all my lab equipment. That journey began 13 years ago.

Currently I work for a large pharmaceutical/biotechnology company (Amgen) where I'm part of an internal Skunk Works-type engineering group where we solve various engineering and scientific challenges. I work primarily in imaging and machine vision.

So far, I have felt no need whatsoever for LabVIEW certification.

[Stuart.Parkinson]

BSc in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Aston (Birmingham, UK) in '89
Worked mostly in electronic test, designing test systems and programming in a variety of languages. First used LabVIEW 4 in the early 90s but only for a short stint. Spent 16 years at a subcon electronics manufacturer producing test systems for a huge variety of pcbs and end products, mostly in C#. Then turned to contracting and picked up LabVIEW again. Paid for my own courses and certifications over the last few years and never looked back.

[DavidBoyd]

I have an incomplete BSEE transcript back in Philadelphia (Drexel U), if it's still chiseled on a cave wall (from the late 70's-early 80's).  Started at RCA in Camden NJ, 1980, working wih test equipment, and became a test engineer soon after - doing a LOT of ATE programming (racks full of HP, Tektronix, etc driven by IEEE-488) using HP "Rocky Mountain" Basic.  Also a fair stint doing bed-of-nails in-circuit testing of printed circuit assemblies (Fairchild/Factron, later GenRad).

Around 1990, moved on to Draeger Medical, anesthesia and vital signs equipment, though there I was mostly writing in C.  A very eager Jeff Steele brought us a LabVIEW demo in '93 I think, but we all dismissed it as "cartoon" programming - my greatest professional regret.

Fast forward to 1997, back in Camden (that facility has been RCA->GE->Martin Marietta->Lockheed-Martin->L3 Communications over the years), and I got handed a box of floppies (LV4.0), a three-day Basics I class reservation, and a real project.  Was lucky to have some outside consultancy help.

Have been using LabVIEW daily since 1998, doing test engineering work (whatever that really means now) for our manufacturing floor and design lab here at Philips Respironics, in suburban Atlanta.  We design and build home-based oxygen therapy equipment, so it's all about flow/pressure measurement/control, gas analysis, serial device diagnostics and bootloading. Lots of database work too.

Took the CLD in Austin during NI Week 2004 and have maintained it since (unless I'm lapsed... guess I need to check now).  Tried taking the CLA in Austin in 2007 (last time I visited), but ran out of time and didn't pass.

Thanks for starting this thread - it's been a pleasure to read other's stories and retrace my own.

[JW-JnJ]

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@Hooovahh wrote:

Having a good UI in LabVIEW can be difficult, having a good UX in LabVIEW can be even more challenging.....

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Not to derail a topic in Breakpoint  , but I don't completely agree with this. UX in LabVIEW is much easier than other languages (I'm looking at you Matlab). I do spend a lot of time on it because I love when people just know how to use my software. Less people bugging me in the long run. I've found that UX, agnostic of language, is difficult to keep in mind when you're in the "get it done mode".

Anyway, back on "topic".

I'm an electrical engineer by degree and hobby, and a test engineer by trade.

Started at the school's research institute as a Ceramics Test Technician while in school. Great student job and got me thoroughly on the test engineer path.

Next came a defense contractor doing missile warning system integration on army helecopters. Mainly used Matlab and did a lot of field testing. Imagine modulating a lightbulb so that, after atmospheric transmission, it looks like a missile to the helicopter. Fun in concept, annoying in travel.

Next was a rocket avionics and satellite electronics supplier doing product support and test set design. Mostly for the Atlas V vehicle. LabVIEW, Test Stand, and circuit board design mainly. A lot of highly automated electronic tests that take hours to finish.

Finally, I'm now at a surgical device R&D lab doing LabVIEW and some circuit design. I now do a lot of small(ish) programs that are intended to be R&D engineer tools. Interfacing with anything from a custom ASIC to our table-top "generator". Having a blast too.

I had my CLD which lapsed recently. Haven't had the gumption to go back and get recerted since I'm happy where I am. I'm itching for a reason to get into LVFPGA or LV on RPi, but haven't found a good use case (read "excuse") yet.

[ChrisK88]

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@JW-JnJ wrote:

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I'm itching for a reason to get into LVFPGA or LV on RPi, but haven't found a good use case (read "excuse") yet. 

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I am so excited that LV can target RPi. I can't wait to also find an excuse to start buying tons of Pi Zeros for $5 

@DavidBoyd wrote:

Thanks for starting this thread - it's been a pleasure to read other's stories and retrace my own.

I am happy this thread jumped to somewhat success. I also enjoy reading everyone's life experience 🙂

[Hooovahh]

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@ChrisK88 wrote:

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I am so excited that LV can target RPi. I can't wait to also find an excuse to start buying tons of Pi Zeros for $5 

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As far as I know the LINX toolkit doesn't support the zero, and the LabVIEW compiler for Pi is still in beta, but I wouldn't know what support it has for the zero.  I think the targeted support at the moment is the Pi 2 or 3.