Measurement capabilities can be expanded in LabWindows/CVI, Microsoft Visual Basic, and Visual C++ with National Instruments latest release of Measurement Studio, a set of fully integrated measurement tools that complements the text-based languages that programmers use most. Measurement Studio 6.0 provides all the tools engineers need to create a variety of integrated test, measurement, and control applications in the programming language of their choice.

Measurement Studio 6.0, with new features, such as powerful hardware integration capabilities, improved visualization and analysis tools, and superior Internet connectivity, robust measurement systems can be built more efficiently than ever before.

Solutions

Engineers can integrate vision and motion hardware into their measurement application through new intuitive, task-oriented software. With this hardware compatibility, engineers can create mission-critical, multifunction applications, such as an automated system that includes motion capabilities, data acquisition, and visual inspection to package and test electrical signals, check for missing parts, and scan the packaging for correct labels.

IVI

Through ActiveX controls for Visual Basic and C++ Classes for Visual C++, engineers now have complete interchangeable virtual instrumentation (IVI) class compatibility. LabWindows/CVI programmers use the included instrument driver wizard to create and use IVI instrument drivers. With IVI drivers, engineers can interchange instrument hardware without ever recompiling software.

Measurement

Using ActiveX, component object model (COM), and dynamic link libraries (DLL), engineers can integrate applications to extend the capabilities of their measurement system or share applications across different languages to save valuable development time and prevent costly duplication. LabWindows/CVI users now can incorporate ActiveX controls from other software programs or add capabilities, such as streaming video or voice control, to their Measurement Studio application without having to develop technology in-house to support the new feature.

With the new version's enhanced visualization tools, engineers can quickly display their data on real-time 3D or 2D graphs and charts that would take hours to build without Measurement Studio. To make visual displays more descriptive, engineers can supplement those graphs with annotations to label or explain significant dips or spikes in the data and use cursors to determine exact coordinates on a 3D graph. The graphs, buttons, sliders, and LEDs use 3D hardware acceleration to speed applications while providing a professional interface.

It is possible to share these graphs and other data with colleagues via DataSocket, a high-level publish/subscribe technology that provides simplified URL addressing and low network overhead.

Architecture

With this improved networking architecture in Measurement Studio, engineers can view real-time data from a test that is occurring in another part of the office or across the world, without spending hours recreating a networking architecture.

Measurement Studio also has tools for an array of advanced functions for signal analysis. Engineers can easily compute statistics, discover the decay rate of a particular signal through curve fitting, and dissect frequency signals with frequency and time domain analysis routines. By conducting frequency analysis, engineers can pinpoint a particular part of a machine that is failing, calculate the RPMs of an internal object, or determine the exact tone of a test signal.

October.2001