Programm sbRIO-9651 without LabView

[alex_streb]

Hello,

Is there a way to programm the sbRIO-9651 SOM without LabView or the LabView FPGA Module?
So basically one can write a bitfile in for example Vivado and upload it via Eclipse to the FPGA of the sbRIO-9651?

I am searching for an open source solution to program the sbRIO-9651.

Thanks,

Alex

[ahovhann]

Hi,

according to the following article Getting Started with the sbRIO-9651 in LabVIEW, I think no.

[rolfk · Accepted solution]

I would not say categorically that it can't be made but I think the trouble you would have to go through are not worth it. Of course you can create a bitfile with Vivado that would work on the FPGA, but what then? It is in itself not useful at all as you also need some application to interact with it. Are you going to develop that in C or Python? While it is possible and there are actually Python bindings for the NI-RIO driver, this driver expects the registers, FIFOs, and all the rest to be organized in a specific way. So do you want to create your own version of NI-RIO to interface to your own version of hardware interfaces on the FPGA?

By the time you have done that you could have evaluated and tested probably half a dozen other FPGA boards that have actually support for such a workflow with C and/or Python bindings.

It's definitely a rare request. Most people look for the opposite, to use a "cheap" 3rd-party FPGA board with LabVIEW. And that is equally complicated but in addition encumbered with license trouble as you can't get currently a license from NI to run their LabVIEW runtime on non-NI embedded hardware.

What is your reason to want to use an sbRIO-9651 instead of some other Zync7000 based FPGA module, when you don't want to use LabVIEW anyhow?

[santo_13]

Are you trying to reduce costs by not having to purchase LabVIEW and LabVIEW FPGA module?

If you want to shy away from LabVIEW you can even find other open-source alternative FPGA SBC boards too instead of sbRIO.

I don't think it is possible. It is like purchasing a MacBook Pro and searching the market to find a Linux version free of cost that can run on the MacBook. There are reasons why certain HW can work only with certain SW.