LabVIEW Instrument Control course outline

Day 1
Instrument Control Basics
This lesson describes the basic components that make up an instrumentation system. It defines the history of instrumentation and the concept of virtual instrumentation. Next, it describes the hardware and software system components. After completing this lesson, you should be able to identify the components of a LabVIEW-based instrumentation system, verify that each part is correctly connected, and use configuration utilities to communicate
with each instrument. Topics include:
• The concept of virtual instrumentation and components of a modern instrumentation system
• Overview of desktop instruments
• Choosing your hardware components
• Understanding the software architecture of a virtual instrumentation system

Controlling Instruments Programmatically
This lesson describes various methods of controlling instruments programmatically. In this lesson you will learn to control an instrument through the Virtual Instrument
Software Architecture (VISA) library and how those functions are used within LabVIEW instrument drivers. The second section describes how to build and parse strings.
In addition, you will learn how to use the Instrument I/O Assistant to collect and parse data. Topics include:
• VISA and how to use the VISA functions in an instrument driver
• Developing a virtual instrument with VISA
• Using VISA properties and resources
• Using VISA events for notification
• Programming a remote VISA application
• Manipulating the strings returned from your instrument
• Collecting data with the Instrument I/O Assistant
• Manipulating data with the Instrument I/O Assistant

Day 2
Using LabVIEW Plug & Play Instrument Drivers
This lesson describes LabVIEW Plug & Play instrument drivers and how you use them in instrument control applications. You will use these drivers to communicate
with the following desktop instruments: an oscilloscope, a digital multimeter, and a function generator. Topics include:
• Understanding what a LabVIEW Plug & Play instrument driver is and how to install them
• Understanding the hierarchy of an instrument driver
• Combining the functions of an instrument driver to control an instrument
• Controlling multiple instruments in one VI

Enhancing LabVIEW Plug & Play Instrument Driver Performance
This lesson describes how to improve LabVIEW Plug & Play instrument driver performance and describes the common problems associated with Plug & Play instrument drivers and their solutions. This lesson gives you the foundation to build you own LabVIEW Plug & Play instrument driver. Topics include:
• Troubleshooting techniques for instrumentation systems
• Optimizing performance of instrument drivers
• Adding functionality to existing instrument drivers
• Finding resources for developing instrument drivers

Using IVI Instrument Drivers
Through the efforts of industry groups, like the VXIplug&play Systems Alliance, instrument manufacturers have joined together to agree on fundamental issues
regarding instrument drivers, such as standard frameworks, file formats, common structures for drivers, and installation standards. IVI incorporates the additional requirements of test system developers into the existing VXIplug&play instrument driver model, without introducing additional complexity or performance overhead. This lesson describes how you can use Interchangeable Virtual Instrument (IVI) drivers in your LabVIEW applications. Topics include:
• History, Objectives, and Architecture of IVI
• Understanding and using IVI instrument-specific drivers
• Understanding and using IVI class drivers