LabVIEW
Analog output
Solved!
Hi vicky,
when there is no analog output on Arduino (I'm not familiar with them, but I guess there should be an AO), you could use several DOs to create your own DAC circuit. Or you use a PWM output with an RC filter as "semi-analog" output…
In the end you can use LabVIEW to drive those outputs, but you need some real hardware (PCB, R & C, maybe OpAmps) for your AO too!
So there isn't an analog output on most Arduino boards. There are a few Arduino compatible boards with analog outs and my favorite is the Teensy microcontroller. It is a tiny ARM based micro that basically is an Arduino but many times more powerful with a bunch more features. The LINX toolkit says it is compatible with Teensy 3.1, and 3.0, both of which have a real analog output (DAC), and the LINX firmware has a write analog function on the palette, I'm just unsure if it is implemented in the LINX firmware for Teensy. It is likely you can download the same firmware to newer Teensy's too but I've never done it.
That being said there are some I2C, or SPI chips too which you can command an analog output to be generated via SPI, of which all Arduinos can communicate over using LINX, or even the older LIFA toolkit. This might take some time to develop the wrappers around how to make a voltage output based on the SPI command but would be possible.
Or if you are a student and just want something to work out of the box, for $200 you get a USB device that is basically a cheap DMM, scope, DIO, AIO hardware. It can do some simple tasks like reading buffered analogs, read voltage, current, resistance, and has 3.5mm headphone jack in and out so you can do audio processing. This is a fun little device to just have in my drawer if I need to take or generate some simple signal before we get actual industrial grade hardware.
