LabVIEW FPGA Idea Exchange

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I have several FPGA projects that require significant compile time (up to 1.5 hours), and for that I am thankful to have my compile server running on a separate computer.

The issue comes with the seven Pre-Compile steps that occurs before LabVIEW sends to the code to the compiler. On one particular project this action alone can take up to 35 minutes during which time I can do nothing on that machine.

I would like to see much of this precompile time moved from the development environment to the compile server. There already exists a mechanism for updating the user with the compile status so those precompile errors could be annunciated in a similar fashion.

Get the development system back online as quickly as possible.

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Writeable inputs to FPGA I/O nodes can be left disconnected without any warning (or broken VI indication) from the VI in which the I/O node is used. This can cause some vigorous head-scratching if the missing connection is not immediately obvious as in the screen shot below. For obvious reasons, FPGA controls have no connector assignment or "Recommended, Required, Optional" attribute. In that case, and to avoid playing "Where's Waldo" on the block diagram, I suggest making FPGA I/O node input connections implictly "required", and if not, the VI would be broken. This would be the same behaviour as seen with cluster nodes.

RT Node

The first thing you hear about programming FPGAs with LabVIEW is: use single-cycle loops. But if you build a state machine (while-loop + enum + case structure), in many cases you cannot make the outer while loop in a single cycle-loop, because not every state fits into a single-cycle loop. Therefore you have to place the single cycle-loop into every case, which has to run in one cycle, which takes up block diagramm space and is cumbersome. Therefore my idea to create a single-cycle case structure: it uses the same compiling mechanism of the single-cycle loop on every case, which is capable of running inside a single cycle. It would be nice, if this behaviour is configurable, meaning I can decide from case to case, if it is a single-cycle case or not. Some kind of right-click menu options like these: "make this case single-cycle", "make every possible case single-cycle", etc. Of course the mode of the case (single-cycle or not) should somehow be displayed.

Regards,

Marc

LabVIEW FPGA Idea Exchange

Minimize Pre-Compile actions on the local computer when compiling FPGA code

"Break" VI when FPGA I/O input node is not connected

RT Node

Configurable single-cycle case structure