LabVIEW embedded - target without OS

[Thomas N]

Hi,

has anybody tried to generate code for a microcontroller running without operating system?

I found only examples (and header files) for targets with OS.

I'm new in that area so I'll be happy about any information.

Also everything about porting a VI to a microcontroller...

Thanks,

Thomas

[Dennis_Knutson]

What's going to run your LabVIEW program if you don't have an OS? Can you run LabVIEW on your pc without an OS (windows, mac, linux)?

[Ray.R]

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@Thomas nickel wrote:

has anybody tried to generate code for a microcontroller running without operating system?  ===> YES

I'm new in that area so I'll be happy about any information.

Also everything about porting a VI to a microcontroller...             ===> Wow..  You mean a vi but no OS and in a 

                                                                                             ===> microcontroller??  Hummm..  I haven't seen this. 

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Message Edited by JoeLabView on 06-08-2006 01:04 PM

[Thomas N]

See LabVIEW Embedded Development Modul

http://www.ni.com/labview/embedded_dev_module.htm 

You can develop a regular VI - on a PC with OS ;o)

And download it to an embedded device. The embedded device can have an OS...

[Dennis_Knutson]

The embedded device has to have an OS not can have an OS.

[Bob_Y.]

What are you trying to do?  If you are trying to get around paying for an OS or are there space issues that you are running across, or what?

If you need to have a processor running without an OS, you would have to code up everything that the OS does.  And since it has already been done, debugged and is supported by a commercial vendor, why would you want to try?

One thing that comes to mind is that you could create something similar to a microporcessor with an FPGA and create all of the OS task handling yourself.  I have read about some applications that are similar to this but have never tried it myself.

Let us know more about your reasoning and perhaps we could come up with better suggestions.

Hope that this helps,
Bob Young

[Thomas N]

I have to use a specific microcontroller. At the moment we don't have an OS for it.
We already have many VIs on a Windows system and my job is to prove weather it's possible to port these VIs to a microcontroller or not.
On the micro a simple main() with an endless loop should be enough.

I got am eMail from the NI support. They tell me if I don't use threads, scheduler, ... then I can use a micro without OS.

So, now I have two different answer...

I'll let you know if I have solved the issue.

Thanks,
Thomas

[Bob_Y.]

What microprocessor are you looking at?

Bob Young

[Thomas N]

I's a NEC V850 FJx

Thomas

[rolfk]

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@Thomas nickel wrote:

I have to use a specific microcontroller. At the moment we don't have an OS for it.
We already have many VIs on a Windows system and my job is to prove weather it's possible to port these VIs to a microcontroller or not.
On the micro a simple main() with an endless loop should be enough.

I got am eMail from the NI support. They tell me if I don't use threads, scheduler, ... then I can use a micro without OS.

So, now I have two different answer...

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Yes and both are somehow correct. Indeed if you do not use any kind of scheduler, threading, TCP/IP, serial etc you could get away without any official OS but will have to write some serious basic functions yourself that initialize, bootstrap and setup your CPU, memory controller and other peripheral devices yourself.

However once you start to write VIs that actually do any sort of useful work the LabVIEW generated code will soon start to require additional functionality such as timer functions, scheduling and eventually threading and providing that in any meaningful way on your own is a major undertaking that should not be thought to be achievable in a few days on your own.

Personally I think it would be easier to take an existing OpenSource OS such as eCos (where you can already get the LabVIEW embedded plugins for) or similar and port it to your CPU architecture than trying to develop your own minimalisticOS that provides enough for a LabVIEW embedded project to really do useful work. This of course assumes that you have at least a GNU toolchain already ported to your CPU architecture. Without that your only hope might be to get the C toolchain for your CPU from somewhere (probably commercial) and really do some serious proting work.

Rolf Kalbermatter