How do connect to data WITHOUT the DAQ Assistant

[satelliteDave]

I am using Mac OS-X Yosemite 10.10.5 right now.  There is no DAQ Assistant support for Mac.  How do I connect an input signal (a voltage input from an NI myDAQ, for example) and output it on a graph WITOUT using the DAQ Assistant?  Any help would be appreciated!

[RavensFan]

You need to install DAQ drivers that are called DAQmx Base.

[satelliteDave]

My lack of knowledge on the topic goes a little deeper.  The DAQ assistant seems to do a bunch of magic that I can't seem to replicate in DAQmx Base.  It would be suuper helpful is someone could explain or provide an example using DAQmx Base of all of the modules that are required to connect a device to an output graph.  I don't even know where to begin, nor can I find any help on it.

I don't even know what to call my search since the only examples that I see use the DAQ Assistant - therefore my search is based on the idea "How do I do the same thing without the DAQ Assistant?".

[Norbert_B]

The DAQ Assistant is an express VI which internally uses templates and VI Scripting in order to create VIs which call the DAQmx API to do what you configure.

With DAQmx Base, there is no Assistant, hence you have to implement everything yourself.

That being said, there should be examples available for the different basic use-cases. Please search for these (e.g. Analog Input). I assume that the LV for Mac OS also has the Example Finder where you can search. Otherwise, you have to look for examples in the DAQmx Base folders.

Norbert

[crossrulz]

This article might also be helpful: Learn 10 Functions in NI-DAQmx and Handle 80 Percent of Your Data Acquisition Applications

[Bob_Schor]

Had Crossrulz not already mentioned the "Learn 10 Functions in DAQmx" article, I would have suggested it to you, and congratulated you for abandoning the Dreaded DAQ Assistant (which is fine for "My First DAQ Exposure", but is too confining for more serious work).

Does the Mac have MAX (Measurement and Automation Explorer)?  A key step in working with DAQmx is defining a DAQ Task, which can be done either in MAX or in a LabVIEW Project (which I assume the Mac supports ...).  This takes a lot of the tedium out of configuring Channels, Timing, Triggering, etc. -- just embed all those details in the Task definition.

Bob Schor

[Nalu116]

I also cannot find a single help forum or video that does NOT use DAQ Assistant. Our professor said he gives zeros if you use DAQ Assistant, so I wish there was more help online for alternate ways for generating LAB VIEW code. 

[GerdW]

Hi Nalu,

when you post in this thread then you already should have read about the "10 DAQmx functions" as mentioned in the previous messages!

This is one of the best articles in NI's knowledge base…