NO Custom Control in Embedded?

[rales]

Custom Controls do not seem to Download to ARM 7 processor?

A cluster with two boolean controls can be downloaded to toggle LEDS on MBC2300 demo, however make the cluster a strictly typed Custom Control, it doesn't work.  Custom controls is not on the list of unsupported controls for ARM. 

IS this a bug?  IF not what is the work around?

Regards,

Rick

[Kevin_S]

Rick,

Regarding LabVIEW for ARM 2009, custom controls can be used on the front panel and block diagram.  However, I have noted that type def.s and strict type def.s can only be used on the block diagram.  You are correct - this should be noted somewhere in the documentation.  I have reported this to R&D (as CAR #207109).

The manual (Getting Started with the NI LabVIEW Embedded Module for ARM Microcontrollers) states this best , but remember that "ARM applications do not include a user interface, but you can use the front panel window as a debugging interface."

Kevin S.

Applications Engineer

National Instruments

[rales]

So without using custom controls, how do you define cluster entry points in sub vi? See the attached file.  The STOP and START inputs work fine to the bolean but not in the cluster unbundle.  The LEDs in the output cluster, successfully drive the target LEDs.   Some work, some don't!  What's up with this?  I find this very problematic.

[Kevin_S]

Rick,

Correction in what I posted earlier - you can't seem to use Type Def.s and Strict Type Def.s on the Front Panel of the top-level VI (the VI with which the user interacts during a debugging session).  You can use them on the Front Panel of subVIs.

I was unable to run your code as you sent it such that I could access your VI as a subVI.  However, I have included code with which I have tested this functionality.

Kevin S.

Applications Engineer

National Instruments

[Albert.Geven]

Hi

Can somebody explain why we can't use typedefs. One of the important reasons we chose LabVIEW was the good typesystem.

[rales]

Kevin,

Yes, I agree that Desktop.zip works fine.  I was at this point some time a go with the Keil MBC2300 demo target. 

My problem is when I try to cluster my IO to pipe the larger application where I have these structures of inputs and output bundles running through tens of sub VIs.  I used strictly typed custom control to implement these INPUT and OUTPUT clusters in the windows program which works fine.

 I tried to uses these strictly typed custom controls to implement a hardware IO_test.vi  see attached anotated screen shots of that project.  I had NO success using either my custom control INPUT and OUTPUT clusters.    I have had inconsistant success reading and writing to/from basic cluster structures.  Best I can tell, single controls (like in your Desktop example)seemed to work fine, as do simple clusters/controls.  However with these larger clusers, some seem to work some don't.  This is the problem. 

What's going on?

Thanks,

Rick

[Kevin_S]

This matter is currently being investigated.

Kevin S.

Applications Engineer

National Instruments

[rales]

I have come to the conclusion that front panels DO NOT WORK when running LV Embedded in debug mode on a Tier 1 target!

Too bad, would have been a real useful debugging tool.

Rick

[vansick]

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/7064#toc4

JTAG debugging does not support "big" clusters.  A big cluster is a cluster that contains more than 32 bytes of data.  This is why the cluster of booleans (which are 1 byte in LV embedded) works fine, but the other cluster does not.

I also took a look at Kevin's project and this shows that JTAG debugging does not support typedef controls either.  This is not a documented limitation of JTAG debug and is a bug that will be fixed in the future.

You can work around this issue by changing to another type of debugging (TCP or Serial).  Also, be aware that the limitation of JTAG debugging only applies to communication between the host and target.  Thus, even though the probe tells you that the value is not being passed properly, it actually is being passed fine.  The same limitation would apply to any controls that you might use to manipulate data on the target.