Example laboratory test application

[pgaastra]

Hi,

I am told I write LabVIEW like people did 5 or more years ago,  I've used LabVIEW since about 1991.

I want to write a simple LabVIEW application which gathers data from various devices from a series of fruit.  The user takes the fruit out of the box and subjects it to various indignities (analog measuring devices).

So the user interface will have fruit number and graphs of acquired data.  The user would like to be able to press a button to start the measurement sequence, do replicates,repeat fruit, skip fruit, and that's about it.  I feel there should be example applications out there using state machines or something that handles the idiosycncracies of the experimenter. 

Any pointers, examples etc?

[Cory_K]

Well, from your first post, all I can tell you is that you should probably stick with State Machine architecture.

Beyone that, I cant help you out too much, because you havent provided any information about your project.

What are you graphing?
What data are you aquiring?

How are you connecting these 'analog measuring devices' to your computer?

Please provide some specs about your setup/equipment/LabVIEW version so we can help you out.

[pgaastra]

I don't have any worries about acquiring the data or the graphs.  Just about program design.  Logistics of being half way through a fruit's readings and the users sees that the data wasn't good so wants to go back etc.  I can do it all but I feel like I am reinventing the wheel and the wheel I usually end up with is not what a software engineer would produce.

I can't find any similar examples in the examples provided with LabVIEW.

My version is LabVIEW version 8.6.1

I am using a USB6251 with AI channels attached to devices being: a Polytec PDV 100 (analog signal out),  an Aweta fruit firmness device and a Sinclair fruit firmness device, but I have sorted out getting the data from them.

[AdnanZ]

I did the same recently but instead of using a fruit, I was using a heater. My architecture was completely based on state machines with event structures being used to take care of user interface. There were some other processes I was running in parallel for which I mainly used the Master/Slave design. Pointers would be to make your code parallel for any other process since your system design is really going to be sequential. And, be sure to manage errors from the beginning otherwise it could become a hassle if trying to do at the very end. You could look at the templates provided in LabVIEW (File -> New..) if you need an idea of the design patterns.

[pgaastra]

Thanks for that Adnan.  I didn't know about the File->New... templates.  I'll take a look.