Read data from serial port and log it

[janek81]

Hi there!

I have no experience dealing with Signalexpress

Im trying to read data from serial port COM2.

I would like to colect data and log it with signal express. 

Here you told me that I can do so if it is IVI.

Well my instrument is multipoint measuring unit HBM UPM60 

I was looking for drivers here and I saw for HBM DMC, MGC and MGC Plus. but not for mine. 

My goal is to colect data from that amplifier by serial port.  

Thanks in advance

[sendia]

Hello janek81,

First of all, to use SignalExpress with a 3rd party instrument it is necessary to have the IVI-C driver properly installed in your computer. IVI-COM drivers are not accepted:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/D60A2DAF68E1FCAE862572A400058DC3?OpenDocument

After that, you will see your device in MAX and you only need to insert a IVI Step in SignalExpress and follow steps you can find in this link:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/589469164F1FCC0F86256FFF007368AD?OpenDocument

Regards.

[SOERJ]

LabView SignalExpress 2013 (LVSE13) can run IVI-C only if the instrument is either a DMM or SCOPE.  So, a DMM that is connected via serial port and has a IVI-C published specific to that DMM should run in LVSE13.  However, no IVI-C for the serial port "instrument" alone can run in LVSE13 since such an instrument is neither a DMM nor SCOPE.  It matters not that an IVI-C for serial com port is available for LV, or VISA, or any other NI platform.

Conceptually, an IVI-C is a VI less the connection panel and visual interface to create a GUI.  Since LVSE13 is a visual programming platform, and an IVI-C does not provide the GUI, then LVSE13 must provide that GUI on its own.  It is fortunate that NI provided in LVSE13 two pre-programmed generic IVI-C GUI panels for a DMM and a SCOPE instrument.  It is unfortunate that LVSE13 has no other IVI-C instrument GUI for something as fundamental as a serial port, nor sensor, nor balance, nor etc.

BTW, the only other method of connecting LVSE to a serial instrument is with a LV VI that is packaged as a LLB.  LV LLB can be run by LVSE via the "Run LabVIEW 20xx (32-bit) VI" steps.  Of course, this step is a misnomer since LVSE cannot run a LV VI.  From the LVSE13 on-line help "Note  VIs you use in your Run LabVIEW VI step must be reentrant and must be in LLBs or development distributions."

I am always frustrated when others state that LVSE can run any LV VI for some instrument, which is not accurate.  LVSE13 can only run an instrument that has a LLB, and of the correct configuration in terms of LV run-time version and Plug And Play (not "project style"), and etc.  A simple serial com port LLB was made available way back in LV version 7, but with major revisions then that LV7 LLB no longer functions in LVSE13.  I have not found a serial com port LLB that LVSE13 can run.

Please stop talking about VI and LVSE in the same breath.  LVSE cannot run LV VI.  LVSE can run only LLB.

[ZSC100]

Hello, I have no clue if this is the right place to be posting this question so please forgive me.  I see the last response is like 5yrs after the last question???

I just downloaded SignalExpress and am playing with it for the first time.  I want to plot voltage from a USB-6009 and a value from a standad serial port on the computer.  The serial port on the computer is hooked to a USB strain guage from Omega, it's a very simple serial interace, you send it a character and it sends you back a value.  I can write a virtual serial port program to format the serial port data however I want.  So, it could just be sending the values continusouly if I wanted.

Is this something that is possible with SignalExpress?

Thanks,

Zach

[SOERJ]

I do not believe that LVSE (LabView SignalExpress) can perform this task.  LVSE is supposed to be like a simple set of strip recorders just reading via API the instrument voltages in a PXI chassis.  Communicating with an instrument via some message protocol is nothing like reading sampled voltages.  A custom LabView virtual instrument (VI) that converts the protocol messages back into a voltage-like reading would be needed, and that VI would also need to be embedded into a LLB for LVSE to run within its limitations.  However, there are USB instruments sold by NI which are supposed to be LVSE compatible, but I have no direct knowledge.

You mentioned the ability to write code from scratch to communicate with the USB instrument, so do that and have it run as a separate thread with timestamps on the messages while also running LVSE to record other PXI instruments.  After the data are collected then post-process to collate the two data streams.  I perform a similar procedure with LVSE TDMS files and Python codes (pyTDMS) to permit advanced plotting and analysis with SciPy and Gnuplot.

Do these suggestions help you?