Eurotherm 3208 - Labview integration

[Daniel K 12]

Hello everyone

First of all, forgive me if this is an obvious question. Until two weeks ago I had never used LabVIEW before or worked on any control system so I am a complete Newbie.

I have picked up this project at work and I am essentially trying to control a cyclic test rig. Each cycle is made up of a 'heat stage' and a 'cool stage' and I have a working state machine to make descisions based on different events.

The LabVIEW state machine seems to be working but now I am trying to integrate a Eurotherm 3208 temperature control unit into the code to control a furnace going up to 1200 deg C. I have downloaded the relevant driver but I don't know where to go from here. How do I link up the 3208 to my computer? How do I get the two to talk to each other? Like I said, I am completely new to this so it would be much appreciated if somebody could give me a 'step-by-step' guide on how to integrate the controller into my code.

Regards,

Daniel

[ShotSimon]

Hi Daniel,

Be patient with the forums and try to break your problem into smaller pieces when posting.

Did you download and look at the Specification & User Documentation at Eurotherm:  3200 Series Driver for LabVIEW Applications?  I would start by going through Example 1 in this document.

When communicating with a new device it's always a good idea to read the manual and to look if anyone has made driver examples for you (In this case Eurotherm has).  I would be very cautious using an oven capable of 1200C, what kind of fun stuff do you do at that temperature?

As far as learning LabVIEW start here:  https://learn.ni.com/learn/article/labview-tutorial  

Regards,

-SS

[Daniel K 12]

Hi Simon,

the examples look like a great starting point, thank you! I didn't know these existed so I'll keep myself busy with these and try and understand the code for the next few days I guess.

I'm doing a cyclic test on gas turbine seal segments and the furnace needs to represent in service condition, hence the high temperatures. We do have proper risk assessment and health and safety procedures in place and the rig will have to be signed off by someone experienced, so we should be alright (touch wood).

Thanks for your help!

Daniel