LabVIEW FPGA Idea Exchange

Idea: New NI FPGA module with:

 

• small FPGA (something which LabVIEW FPGA could already program Spartan 6 ...)
• programmable by LabVIEW FPGA Module
• IOs only
• no CPU
• DIP connector
• One LED
• Reset Button
• Price under $100

Something like Papilio Pro.

 

Reason: As ATE manufacture sometimes we need small FPGA to do something inside ATE or ITA (interface test adaptor). To use sbRIO/myRIO is to big (complexity,price). Because we use TestStand and LabVIEW out knowledge of VHDL is small.

 

We could learn VHDL but after that we could stop to use LabVIEW FPGA! 🙂

I'm bringing back to life this long-lost idea: https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-FPGA-Idea-Exchange/pre-and-post-build-options/idi-p/2364676

as I think there are lots of situations where pre/post build actions could be useful for FPGA.

 

For example, as suggested here: https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/Populate-FPGA-array-with-values/m-p/4145330#M1195362

I have a large array of coefficients that I want to load from a file, then populate an array constant with it. I have a script to do it, now I would like to automatically run it before compiling the bitfile. For context, I want it to be a constant because controls take more resources and do not allow constant folding optimization.

 

I already had another situation where I made a tool to auto-generate code in case structures based on some specifications given by the developer. If however the developer forgets to run it before compiling, the FPGA VI won't work properly as necessary code has not been generated.

 

More generally, I think scripting for FPGA is way underrated. As FPGA code is quite often tedious and redundant to create (because optimization is priorized over readability, and because of the lack of type genericity), scripting has a great potential here. Allowing to run pre/post build actions for FPGA bitfiles would surely take FPGA scripting to the next level !

Working with the NI 5785 our team had a hard time understanding how to use TClk without all of the extra (e.g. streaming) code that comes with the example.

 

Through support we were eventually put in touch with R&D and they told us how to initiate TClk by setting some of the FPGA controls.  This was helpful but not intuitive.

 

TClk helps support beamforming applications shown in the NI Marketing but without this usability it is very difficult (impossible) to develop applications promised.

 

TClk also has other lower level features such as the delay correction.  No info is posted on this either but it is a property we can read.

LabVIEW FPGA gives users the ability to prototype FPGA code before they even have the hardware. This is incredibly useful. However, this requires you to manually add your controller, chassis, fpga, and C series modules. The process of adding C Series modules could be improved. Currently, you only have the option to add one module at a time. This isn't too difficult if you only have a few modules. However, if you have a full chassis of modules and a few ethercat expansion chassis, this process can be extremely time consuming. It would be nice if you could add multiple modules at the same time like you can with compactDAQ.

 

 

 

Current method of adding C Series Modules. It takes a long time to add each module individually.

 

 

 

Current method of adding cdaq modules. You can add all of your modules from one screen.

We can programmatically mass compile VI's and build executables but there is no easy method to compiling FPGA code.  We have a large application that consists of C++ and LabVIEW code.  We have automated our build process but we still have to compile the FPGA code using a procedure.  It would be nice to write a script or a VI that would compile all of our FGPA code.