Adding instrument drivers on the fly

[mnx]

Hi,

Is there any way to add instrument drivers on the fly in a labview code?..I want to give user an option through which he can work with any oscilloscope model by including its driver on the fly..All suggestions are welcome..

[GerdW]

Hi mnx,

you can load VIs by using VI server functions.

There are examples - and other discussions on this topic as well...

[mnx]

Hi GerdW,

Thanks for replying. Can you please post some more information specific to handling instruments using vi server? 

[GerdW]

Hi mnx,

you have to write your own framework that loads and unloads "device driver VIs" when needed. You will need some additional VIs to transfer data to and from your device drivers.

I didn't work with ActorFramework so far (don't use LV2012 until now), but maybe this will be helpful too...

[Dennis_Knutson]

The only existing architecture for this is IVI. If you use the class drivers, you can use any instrument that has an IVI driver.

If you've ever looked at any other driver, it should be obvious that each has different functions and different controls and indicators. As mentioned you would need wrappers around the standard drivers - OOP.

[crossrulz]

Somewhere in the NI Communities, there is an article on how to make a plugin class uses PPLs.  My link seems to have disappeared.  So I'll have to dig to find it again.

[mnx]

@crossrulz : please go ahead..i am looking forward to it..

[crossrulz]

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@mnx wrote:

@crossrulz : please go ahead..i am looking forward to it..

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Plug-in Architecture using Packed Project Libraries (lvlibp)

[mnx]

any new thoughts in this regard??

[mnx]

Hi crossrulz,

I went through the document present at the link mentioned by you. It basically says that inorder to call one among several plugins in the main vi, one has to first create those plugins.

In my case I just want to load different instrument drivers based on the instrument selected by the user in the application. Now these instruments drivers are exactly those which are available in the ni website.  

So, how can I implement it in such a way that the user doesnt have to create plugins out of the downloaded drivers as he might not have the LV programming knowledge?