Switching Over to FieldPoint?

[jmpugh]

Hello!

I got assigned a new project today and had some questions revolving around FieldPoint. Right now several of our test systems are running on Windows 2000/XP systems that are crudely underpowered. Our IT department is pretty "aggressive" with system updates and some of the computers just can't take all the constant updating and virus scanning while running a test. If we switch over to fieldpoint, it would keep these from being a factor since they do not deal with Windows CE.

So my first question is, how easy is it to switch over to using a fieldpoint system? I've been involved with LabVIEW for a little over 6 months and have no experience with FieldPoint to date. Can you just program the same way or are there other requirements involved? I remember hearing something like shared variables don't work on fieldpoint systems.

And lastly, it looks like we are going to need a massive matrix switch for this project. We need it to be able to handle 300 volts AC/DC (heh) and 2 amps current for extended periods of time.  Has anyone out there ever built their own matrix switch? Still trying to figure it all out but we very may well be looking at a 50 x 50 matrix here and don't really want to spend the gross national income of a small country on several matrix switchers to expand them to support a matrix of that size.

Thanks again for your help all!

-- Jase

[ClintM]

Hello Jase,

I would need to know more about your test application to know if Fieldpoint would work well for you, but I can give you a few of the main features.

FieldPoint is designed to be rugged and reliable and is used very frequently in the industrial controls field.  It runs the LabVIEW Real-Time operating system, which is where the reliability and determinism come into play as it does not use interrupts like the Windows operating systems.  The controllers or network module can be distributed throughout a large area and communicate via Ethernet to the main controller running the embedded application or to a host PC.  The channel count is virtually unlimited.  Shared variables do work on Fieldpoint and are used quite often for data transfer.

Programming with FieldPoint is somewhat different than DAQ or Compact RIO.  FieldPoint does not have any onboard timers or buffers.  Data is simply aquired by the modules and then is sent point by point to the application.  It is software timed, so the program just polls the channel for data and updates as the new data comes in.  Therefore, when programming with FieldPoint, you mainly use just Read and Write.  You would not create channels and set up timing or triggering parameters.  Since Fieldpoint banks do not have timers or buffers, the sample rate is much slower than Multifunction DAQ.

If you are currently using Multifunction DAQ, you may want to go with one of our PXI Real-Time controllers.  This would allow you to run the reliable and deterministic Real-Time operating system while still programming in DAQmx and using the same hardware.

Regards,

Clint M
National Instruments

[jmpugh]

Thank you very much Clint! A few more questions if I might!

So to go over to FieldPoint we would have to invest in LabVIEW RT to do the actual coding?

I was thinking that fieldpoint systems mostly ran on Windows CE. Am I thinking of something else or am I just plain wrong?

And lastly, our application is we have a power supply that we control with labVIEW to set voltages and run the voltages to different points on our system. It currently uses a PCI-DIO-96 card and a PCI-MIO-16E-4 card to achieve this. We recently had some of our test parts change and as a result, have quite a bit more points to test. Our power supply only has 3 outputs and we have around 50 different places on the unit to run the voltage to, hence the need for a matrix to switch the voltage from our 3 outputs to the different points.

Thanks again for your help! I considered placing this thread over in the FieldPoint board and probably should have, but I wanted to get a viewpoint from somebody on this side on the coin. I'm getting to be a skilled amateur at LabVIEW, but I'm completely ignorant when it comes to fieldpoint.  

[jmpugh]

Also would the jump mean that the PCI-DIO-96 and the PCI-MIO-16E-4 cards now won't work and will have to be replaced with something FieldPoint compatible? Thanks again for any help!

-- Jase

[ClintM]

Hello Jase,

Fieldpoint does not run on Windows CE.  It runs on our Real-Time operating system, which would be completely independent and not susceptible to updates, virus scanning, etc.  The stand-alone FieldPoint system would consist of a controller (basically a small computer) and the modules for aquiring data and controlling hardware.

The FieldPoint controller would come with the Real-Time operating system on it, but you do not need the LabVIEW Real-Time module unless you want to program the application to actually use all of the benefits of Real-Time.

I think a PXI system would be more appropriate for your application so that you can continue using DAQmx and you could even use a Switch in the PXI chassis.  PXI would also be a full computer system and would consist of a chassis, a controller (computer - you could get a Real-Time controller that would run our Real-Time operating system instead of running Windows), PXI DAQ cards, and PXI Switches.

Either way, you would not be using your current DAQ cards because those are for use in your PC on which you are currently running Windows.

You might want to speak with your local NI Sales Engineer to determine the best hardware for your application.

Regards,

Clint M
National Instruments