Front panel communication method of RT host vi and FPGA

[suni]

Hi

I have FPGA vi and RT host vi in my application. i am displaying front panel RT host vi in windows pc. ( I think this is called front panel communication method). I can also see front panel of the FPGA VI in windows PC too. Windows PC and CRIO 9014 is communicating using netwrok connection (Ethernet). What are minimum amount of software i need to install in windows pc in order to do this? I am using labview 8.6. I think i need FPGA and Realtime modules and NI RIO software right. My windows pc have limited resources.

[MikeS81]

Hi suni,

if you wanna see the FP of the RT and the FPGA, then i think you need the development environment and as you said the additional toolkits FPGA and realtime.

Mike

[Hillman]

Hi Suni,

Thanks for the post and I hope your well today.

You need FPGA/Real Time Modules for LabVIEW to program the cRIO. Regarding the final communication you have a few options. 

1. You could create a Windows EXE (so your deployment machine doesn't require  LabVIEW) which could receive/publish data using either Shared Variables or your own implementation of TCP/IP. Good for large amounts of data. 

2. Remote Front Panels, would allow you to view the Real Time Host Front Panel in a Web Browser. Generally it is advised to have a fairly simple front panel otherwise the communication method could slow down. 

In terms of the minimum software on the deployment machine just NI RIO and then if your using the EXE method (Variables) then the LabVIEW Run Time Engine and Shared Variable Engine. The Remote Front Panels just needs a browser. 

I hope this helps, 

[suni]

Hi James,

Thanks for the reply.

 In my application I have closed loop control system in FPGA VI. Right now I am transffering data using DMA FIFO to RT host vi to display PSD graph and calculate rms value of signal coming in. This way I can monitor the system. I also have some boolean controls (buttons) in RT host vi that controls a amplifier which uses to amplify control signal. It is critical that i have determinism with these bollean controls.(As soon as I click the boolean I should have output at the  digital output module). Is sheared variable good method to use in this situation?   

[Andrew_E]

Hi,

I would suggest shared variables are the best way to go here. You will not get determinism either from using shared variables or having the front panel open for your RT vi , but using shared variables (and having your front panel vi for your RT closed) will make the crio run headlessly (it will not have to send data about all the front panel objects back to the host computer). Having the front panel or the RT vi should be mainly used as a debugging tool. To get true determinism, you would have to get a physical switch that inputs into a module.

[suni]

Thanks very much for the reply.

You mean to use physical switch to control external amplifier without using c series digital I/O modules to control the external amplifier. If i use shared variables to transfer data from RT VI to windows pc VI how do i  transfer cluster of three elements data? Thanks.

[Andrew_E]

Hi,

 When I mentioned the switch I meant that you could input a switch from a 5 volt source to the digital input of one of your C series modules. Heres the information you requested about using clusters with shared variables.

Regards,

Message Edited by Andrew_E. on 02-11-2009 05:30 PM