can LabView talk to USB devices by PC USB?

[philC]

We have USB hardware that connects to the PC via the USB port which I would control by LV.
Does a pll is exiting for this type of application?

[John_Howard]

I am far from being quaified to answer this, but I can tell you this much.

Due to the low level nature of USB, LabVIEW has no way of talking to a generic USB device. If the devices is one of the standard classes (Human Interface Device for example), then there are Win32 functions you can call - although I have no clue where these are located. If not, you almost always need drivers for the device which provide custom DLLs. If you do not have this then you might be able to write your own with the MS DDK and C/C++ etc.

Sorry I do not have better information. USB is very complicated, which makes a standard interface almost impossible to provide.

Good luck!

[Liz F]

Hello,

John is correct. LabVIEW has no capability to provide generic communication with the USB bus. Please visit the following site for more information:
Can I Use Third-Party USB or IEEE 1394 (FireWire) Devices with LabVIEW?

If you have a device driver for your instrument to communicate with LabVIEW, you will be able to interface with your USB device, but there are no generic VIs for USB communication.

Hope this helps!

Liz Fausak

Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[Al_S]

What about using VISA and LabView 7 functions like VISA USB Control In, VISA USB Control In, VISA USB Get Interrupt Data?
The knowledgebase article you referenced was written for LabView 5 five years ago. Is it still current?

[Dennis_Knutson]

Though I don't have any USB instruments yet, I believe that the new functions are only for instruments that comply with the USBTMC (USB Test & Measurement Class) and are not generic USB drivers. See the news release here. I would think that the information in the article would still apply to all other USB devices.

[Liz F]

Hello Al,

You're right. I had overlooked the new VISA USB VIs. These can be used similar to the other VISA functions, providing a direct link to the USB port instead of having to go through a GPIB or similar interface.

I'll work on updating and expanding on our documentation. Thanks!

Liz Fausak

Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[CB]

Dear Liz, I am developing a USB oriented product and radio comms circuit to control biped robots and capture leg movements. I am very keen to find more info on integrating my "third party" product with labview via USB. Any help greatly appreciated

Regards Chris

[Dennis_Knutson]

A co-worker of mine just started a project with a custom USB interface. He started with the information here.