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27 Kudos
Dan_K

USB Counter Device

Status: New Submitted by Active Participant on 04-08-2010 11:52 AM Comment
It would be great if NI offered a simple 4 Counter bus-powered USB device, like a USB-6601, but with the counter capabilities of the new X Series DAQ devices. This would give people who only need to perform counter operations a low-cost alternative to the bus-powered M Series, with double the counters.
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181 Kudos
manu.NET

Interactive DaqMx simulation interface ... (Popup panels for simulated hardware) ... Or better, DaqMx Simulation API for process simulation ...

Status: New Submitted by Active Participant on 03-31-2010 10:37 AM 18 Comment

Hello,

 

How often you have build Labview applications using simulated DaqMx boards ...

And how often you were limited by the default behaviour of simulated boards ... ( Sinewave for analogic inputs, Counter square signal for digital inputs ... )

 

It would be nice to integrate in DaqMx simulated boards, the abilty to modify the default behaviour of simulated inputs ... thru dedicated popups

 

It would be nice, for each task linked to a simulated daqMx board, to launch a popup window ...

 

  • For digital input, give the abilty to modify for each configured channel , the current binary value.
  • For analog input, give the ability to choose between a fixed value, a sine wave, a square signal ... white noise ...
  • For digital output, give the ability to view the current setted values
  • For analog output, give the ability to view the current simulated output value on a waveform chart ...

 

A more powerfull tool could also integrate a simulated channels switching mechanism ... A simulated output could be linked to a simulated input 

 

This feature could be a good way to create an application which could simulate a complete process ... this application could be used to validate a complete system

(such a kind of SIL architecture)

 

Other idea .... A complete daqMx simulation API ...

 

  • Creation of an API which could instanciate a simulated daqMx board (Wich could be seen via MAX)
    • Takes place of the actual limited daqMx simulated board
  • This device could then be accessed by other application thru daqMx
  • This API could have access to all channels of this simulated device.
  • This API could force, programmatically, the value of the simulated input channels according to a realistic process model

 

Something like this ...

 

 

 DaqMxSimulatedAPI.PNG

 

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2 Kudos
Dennis_Knutson

H-Def Video Frame Grabber

Status: New Submitted by Knight of NI on 03-18-2010 04:54 PM Comment
It matters less to me right now because I am about to change jobs but instead of a frame grabber to connect to cameras, we could use frame grabbers that acquire both Hi-Def and standard-def video. We've found some that usually work but get a bit flaky when we are using two simultaneously. Having robust LabVIEW drivers from NI instead of writing our own would save a lot of time.
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10 Kudos
Kevin_Price

Hardware-Triggered Count Reset

Status: Implemented Submitted by Proven Zealot on 03-16-2010 03:13 PM 3 Comment

To save a bunch of typing, the following is copied verbatim from a post I made years ago: 

While the thread is fresh and FWIW, I'd like to add my own additions to a counter/timer wishlist:

1.  Hardware-reload of count register based on signal edge.  Currently, the only feature that's fairly close is the "Z-index reload" feature for encoder position measurement.  There are many limitations and at least one quirk as presently implemented.

 

A. It only works in "position measurement" (a.k.a. "encoder") mode.   At minimum, it should also be supported in edge-counting mode provided the other limitations/quirks are addressed.  I've done a lot of measurements with an encoder mounted to a step-and-dir stepper motor.  The step-and-dir motor must be measured as an edge-counting task with hw-controlled direction.  The encoder's z-index pulse CAN'T be used to hw-reload the count of the edge-counting task in sync with the encoder task.  It'd be GREAT if it could.  Hw-reload of count could also be useful in other counter tasks, especially pulse(train) generation.  I can imagine some clever tricks in the other modes (such as period measurement) as well.

 

B. It must be programmed to be "active" only during a specific 1 of the 4 possible states of encoder channels A & B -- LL, LH, HL, HH.  This works out fine for real-life encoders that supply their own z-index signal.   However, I've had numerous occasions where I would have logically preferred to reset the count value based on some other system pulse signal (can you say "Limit switch"?).   I'd have liked to say, "perform hw-reload on rising edge of Z-index signal regardless of A&B state".  But no such designation exists.  I'd rather have the choices {Low, High, Either} for both A & B config.

 

C. The Z-index signal must be hard-wired to the counter's default GATE pin on the 6602 board.  I *think* but haven't verified that it's user-selectable on the M-series.  Dunno if it supports just PFI inputs or also RTSI signals.  I would like to see a next-generation Counter/Timer allow user-programmable inputs for Z-index as well as encoder A & B channels.

 

D. At least on the 6602, the Z-index behavior is STATE-driven rather than EDGE-driven.  Z-index reload happens whenever A&B are in the programmed state and Z is High.  I tested by hard-wiring the Z-index signal to +5V and my X4 quadrature task counted 0,1,2,3,0,1,2,3,0,1...   I don't recall this being spelled out clearly in the documentation -- I remember expecting it to be sensitive to a rising edge rather than a high state.  I would very much like the option of making the hw-reload sensitive to an EDGE -- ideally {Rising, Falling, Either}.

Note: wishlist item "1C" has been fulfilled in M-series counters and probably also in X-series which I haven't yet tried.

 

-Kevin P