how to run a stepper motor and read strain gauges measurements?

[fmh]

Hi. I'm currently working on a project that associates with the control of a stepper motor. My device consists of a rod which needs to move linearly for it to take readings. I initially need to trigger a relay, read the strain measurements and record data into excel. there will be two strain gauges attached to a rod (this is what I have to move by a stepper motor). say for every 10mm displacement, a relay is triggered and take strain measurements. Some guidelines on how to start working on the block diagram would be great! this is my very first time using labVIEW. many thanks!

[Liam_A]

Hello there!

There are lots of online resources available at www.ni.com that will be able to help you, as well as the available resources in LabVIEW such as the LabVIEW Help and the Find Examples options under the Help tab.

Obviously, none of these will do the whole project, but will be relevent for different parts of it.

The link to the online LabVIEW manual is here and the part most relevant to yourslf when starting a block diagram is here.

As a guideline, the examples are a very very useful guide on good-practice programming as well as problem solving and introducing you to the different functions available.

Another very useful link is the NI Developer Zone, from where you will be able to access Tutorials on thousands of features.

I hope this helps!

[fmh]

cool. that really helps! thanks. just a quick question, which icon from the functions pallette should I use for triggering a relay (in my case to fire a solonoid)? Is the trigger/gate icon required? thanks in advance!

[Liam_A]

No problem!

A good example on switching a relay canbe found here http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-12512

Triggering can be done in different ways depending on the source and other factors. It really is a case of finding the one that suits your application the best!

Thanks!

[fmh]

hey there!

Just another quick question. I'm now recording strain gauge data on LabVIEW. It gives me a graph of amplitude(m) vs time(s). How do you actually convert these data into strain measurements? I'm using a wheatstone bridge configuration (quarter bridge) on each strain gauge (there are 4 strain gauges) connected to usb-6211. please help! many thanks! 

[fmh]

hi there!

I seem to be getting this error message everytime I try to run LabVIEW. what may have caused this? I haven't changed the program a bit. USB 6211 I've been working on seems to be still working. the only thing I've changed is the the power supply to where my device is connected to but it's working perfectly the same as the power supply I've been using for the past few weeks.

Error- 201003 occured at DAQmx. Create channel (DO- Digital Output). vi:16