Data Acquistion and Instrument Control for a Beginner

[ap8888]

Hello everyone, 

I've done some work in the past with LabVIEW and instrument control with GPIB. Unfortunately I no longer have access to GPIB equipment or anything of the sort.

Anyways, I would like to learn and get involved in instrument control / data acquisition, but I don't have the money to buy expensive NI hardware. Recently I fell under the impression that one can get receive webcam video in labview via USB, but then found that additional hardware is needed for that also (e.g. NI-IMAQ).

My question is:

How can I begin to control instruments and learn the basics of data acquisition in LabVIEW without having to purchase expensive hardware? It seems to me (and I hope that I am wrong) that the core LabVIEW software alone is only really useful for creating virtual programs and control schemes.

Thanks! 

Message Edited by ap8888 on 06-14-2009 09:37 PM

[Wayne.C]

ap8888,

I agree that hardware is a necessary part of learning instrument control.  I would suggest looking for a used benchtop multimeter from Fluke or HP that has a communications port.  Very useful to have, documentation readily available from manufacturer and most will have an instrument lib available for LV.