- What
am I doing here?
LabVIEW is a graphical programming language used to create data
acquisition and control interfaces. In other words, it is used to
enable a computer to control other real-world hardware. As a result
of completing this course, you will be able to create control and
acquisition programs using LabVIEW, you will be able to interface
the LabVIEW computer to external hardware using at least three
protocols.
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Where
can I get a textbook?
- The LabVIEW software comes with
excellent documentation, which we will consult in place of a textbook.
There are also a number of LabVIEW manuals and texts available in Bailey
117 for your use. Please do not remove them from that room. If you want
a book of your own, you might consider one of these:
- Learning With LabVIEW 8
Student Edition, by R. H. Bishop ISBN
0-13-239025-6
- Packed with LabVIEW
8.2.1 (Student edition): ISBN 0-13-199918-4
- LabVIEW for Everyone,
by J. Travis and J. Kring: ISBN 0-13-185672-3
If you choose one
of the first two options, you might buy it directly from National
Instruments, the maker of LabVIEW, at www.ni.com.
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- How
will I be graded? Your grade
will be determined by:
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Weekly
Assignments and quizzes |
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60% |
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Project Stages |
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10% |
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Final Project Submission |
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30% |
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- How
will I submit assignments?
You must
drag/copy the code for your weekly assignments into my inbox:
\\files\Inbox\Physics\Pogo. A link to this address can also be found
on my home page, in the Contact Information section. Or, you can
get there from the RUN… menu on your PC. Assignments must be
titled using your Geneseo email address and the assignment number. For
example, assignment 4 from student abc12@geneseo.edu will be entitled
04-abc12.vi. Sometimes, you may have to add extra files, too. Be
careful: once an assignment has been placed into the inbox, it cannot be
retrieved, deleted, or changed! Emailed assignments will not be
accepted.
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- What is required for the final project?
Final
projects must involve interfacing a computer with external device(s).
The LabVIEW control system must include active feedback: it must make
some measurement(s), and then adjust the timing or nature of the next
measurement based on the result(s). Simple automation of
data-acquisition is not sufficient. State machines are also
unacceptable. Also, some portion of the final output of the system must
be permanent (i.e., stored in a file rather than merely displayed
on-screen). Finals projects should be debugged and “idiot-proof” (i.e.,
they shouldn’t crash if the user makes an input error).
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- What are these
“stages” for the project?
Projects will be
completed and submitted in stages:
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Stage 1: An
abstract of your project’s main idea. It is your
responsibility to find an idea, not mine!
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Stage 2: A
complete written proposal. The project proposal must be a short
professional report describing the scope of your project. It must
include the following sections:
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a.
The finalized abstract.
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b.
A
detailed list of all the hardware you expect to use (including
specifics for simple stuff such as wires and cables!).
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c.
A detailed summary of the intended user input. A sketch or
screen shot of the user interface should be included.
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d.
A detailed summary of the project output. Again, a screen
shot and an example listing from any output text files to be
generated should be included.
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e.
A description of the measurement(s) the system will make,
including their frequency (e.g., twice each minute), and any unit
scales (e.g., 1 volt ↔ 10cm).
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f.
A flowchart diagramming the flow of information in the
system, including an explicit
indication of the necessary feedback.
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Stage 3: A
detailed checklist (see also stage 2b) verifying that all the
equipment has been obtained.
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Stage 4: An
in-class
demonstration that each element of external hardware can, at a
minimum, send or receive data from the computer, as appropriate.
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Stage 5: An
in-class
demonstration of the user interface to operate the hardware.
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If any
of the original sections of the proposal are found to require
modifications, an explanation of the changes and their reason is
required simultaneously with the next stage. Also, any stage may be
completed early.
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Schedule of Assignments
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