Real-Time Measurement and Control

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

sbrio-9631 noob question

I started doing some volunteer research with a professor of mine after I graduated undergrad, but not a grad student.. yet.. (bad undergrad grades)... We all know how absolutely horrid it is for new grads, let alone starting a career in this economy. Well.... He threw me this sbRIO-9631 board, and told me to learn it. His lab works on some high energy particle detection, and I'm starting from absolute scratch to build up some DAQ for some environmental and position, and etc. sensors to go along with the photomultiplier tubes (coincidence/ADC/data logging) that will eventually come into the mix..

 

I've messed with labview in my undergrad days, and I've done a little bit with old CAMAC controllers with GPIB interfacing. So it isn't total greek to me, but GPIB is incredibly simple at the same time..

 

I'm just trying to get some basic questions answered to get moving, and then fumble through it, then ask more questions, and then repeat. I've looked through the tutorials and they are primitive at best, and are beneath my knowledge level. I've also looked at the classes, and they are astronomical in price. I just graduated college with 52 grand in loans, I don't got 1500 bucks lying around for a labview course, let alone 2 labview courses!

 

The NI Single-board RIO hands on session is so-so, but doesn't really tap much, and the user guide for the 9631 just tells me boat loads of specs. Where is the giant tome of text that will be a guiding reference for the somewhat minimal experience level that I possess????

 

 FYI. I've got the IP address assigned to the board, I've bumbled through kind of making an LED light up using the DIO using the FPGA wizard, but nothing really tapping the potential of this board. The VIs that the wizard build are pretty complex, and not very explanatory about what each component does, and why it is needed, etc, etc. Really, I'd like to build the stupidest, simplest VI that I can to make an LED light up without having multiple nested while loops, and funky boolean operators out the ying. Then I'd like to build my knowledge up from there.. Top down approach to development is the worst, and most confusing.

 

I hope I haven't scared you off yet. I appreciate any help you can provide. 

 

-Kyle Setchel

 

0 Kudos
Message 1 of 16
(5,713 Views)

Kyle,

 

Suggest that you check out the examples that ship with LV.  There is a section dedicated to RIO.

0 Kudos
Message 2 of 16
(5,710 Views)

Kyle,

 

If you want to learn how the RIO works, I wouldn't use the Wizard.  There are usually simpler ways to implement most of the code the Wizard creates, it is just there to get you up and running faster than starting from scratch.  Wayne was right in mentioning the examples, go to help->find examples, and any of the CompactRIO examples will work on the sbRIO(minus scan mode examples)  Your best bet is to just keep playing with it, give yourself some challenges (make a counter, communicate, write files, make LED's blink, etc) and take advantage of the resources available.  Keep in mind you have to learn in a couple directions here, FPGA programming and Real-Time/LabVIEW programming.Here is a great resource to get you up and running to be an FPGA pro - http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/0697A6F4BFC6E152862570FA0072153A?OpenDocument

Rob K
Measurements Mechanical Engineer (C-Series, USB X-Series)
National Instruments
CompactRIO Developers Guide
CompactRIO Out of the Box Video
0 Kudos
Message 3 of 16
(5,680 Views)
The example would be helpful except that DAQmx is not supported by the sbrio 9631 board.  So are there any examples that include using one of the 96xx boards?  Or at least examples that could apply, since the included example rely's directly on the DAQmx and without it the example is null and void.
0 Kudos
Message 4 of 16
(5,624 Views)
I'm not sure what examples you are looking at, but all of the CompactRIO examples(minus scan mode examples) should work on the sbRIO.  None of these use the DAQmx API.
Rob K
Measurements Mechanical Engineer (C-Series, USB X-Series)
National Instruments
CompactRIO Developers Guide
CompactRIO Out of the Box Video
0 Kudos
Message 5 of 16
(5,622 Views)

The example I am looking at is located at Getting Started>>New To LabVIEW?>>Getting Started with LabVIEW which opens up a pdf where I go to Chapter 4 Hardware: Acquiring Data and Communicating with Instruments.  This section also reccomends using the Instrument I/O Assistant Express VI to interface with devices that lack drivers.  I am having a hard time finding the compactRIO examples you are talking about.  Any assistance would definitely be appreciated.

0 Kudos
Message 6 of 16
(5,619 Views)
crio examples.jpg
Rob K
Measurements Mechanical Engineer (C-Series, USB X-Series)
National Instruments
CompactRIO Developers Guide
CompactRIO Out of the Box Video
0 Kudos
Message 7 of 16
(5,617 Views)
NI refers to 'Instruments' as boxed instruments that use either USB, serial, or GPIB to communicate.  Most commonly, the I/O assistant will be used to connect to a scope or digitizer made by another company that has a GPIB interface.  DAQmx is an API/Driver package that allow you to write data acquisition software for most of our data acquisition devices. NI-RIO is a driver package for our cRIO and sbRIO real-time line of products. And finally, FPGA is obviously for our FPGA products, including the FPGA residing on sbRIO and cRIO. Just wanted to clear that up.  The cRIO/sbRIO examples are installed with the NI-RIO driver.
Rob K
Measurements Mechanical Engineer (C-Series, USB X-Series)
National Instruments
CompactRIO Developers Guide
CompactRIO Out of the Box Video
0 Kudos
Message 8 of 16
(5,616 Views)
Thank you!  This is very helpful!
0 Kudos
Message 9 of 16
(5,612 Views)

test1.JPG

Sooo..........            I used a bitfile that was pre-compiled that had the Digital Output for Port0/DIO1 on it. I tried to make this as simple as humanly possible so that I can turn on/off an LED. I'm missing big chunks of understanding (I think). If I put a Boolean true on the read part of the DO (Port0/DIO1) shouldn't that assert a 1, and when the 1 goes to ground (I wired the other part of the LED to GND), it should then light up my LED. (I made sure I wasn't wiring the LED backwards) Should I then be able to change the boolean to False, and it turn the LED off? I'm not seeing either, and not sure why.

 

Insight?

 

Thanks, 

 

-Kyle

0 Kudos
Message 10 of 16
(5,579 Views)