TheBoss

Why don't you make a dynamic-dispatch thermal chamber controller system?  Make it so I you can drop it in existing programs, tell it what kind of controller it needs to talk to (or, better yet, have it figure that out by itself) and make it just work.  That way, I you can move my your ATE to whatever thermal chamber is available without having to hard-code the commands for each controller type.  Make it a plug-in architecture so we you don't have to upgrade the core software whenever we you extend the controller software.  I'm thinking that Watlow F4, Cincinnati Sub-Zero and Thermotron (4800, 8800) would be a good place to start.

 

Post it here when you're done so we can see your work. 

Right away sir, i'll get right on it

If you are interested in undertaking something larger than just PC based, I believe the new MyRIO, built around the new Zynq chip, will be available within the next month.  That would give you more options to use LabVIEW to interact with the real world and develop a broader set of useful skills around LabVIEW.  Not sure about the price point of the device though. 

Sounds good, i've used the compact rio about 2 years ago. So could be worth a look

Have you looked into CLD or CLA sample exams? We use CLD sample exams as training exercises for new employees. 

 

https://lumen.ni.com/nicif/us/ekitcldexmprp/content.xhtml

https://lumen.ni.com/nicif/us/infoclaexmprp/content.xhtml

I've had a look at the CLA exams but not the CLD. Forgot about them, thanks

Hi, 2 years ago i decided to learn new/diversify my skills e.g. Learn PLC's, ladder logic, structured text etc. I did this to hopefully make me a better software engineer and fill in some gaps in Knowledge base of control software. But i have decided to get back into Labview (i did concider giving up on Labview and just focus on PLC's but felt this would be a mistake to loose this skill).

As i've decided now to get back into Labview i need new a project that could show off my skills to potential employers. Anyone got any ideas of a project that could show off well rounded labview skills. The other reason why i want to do a project is that i need the practice

TB

Even better than second-hand - http://www.sparkfun.com/products/11225

Nice, i think thats worth a purchase

Hi, ive recently left a job that i did labview at. Now i dont happy a copy to practice on, i want to progress further with labview by myself (see my other posts) but feel if i cant get a copy my skill level go down and it might be worth giving up with labview. I'am considering doing visual basic now as they supply a free version of there software. Anyone know where i could get a copy from and not the trial version.

Your question is far too broad. It's a bit like asking, "I need flexible transportation. Should I get a skateboard?" There are dozens of additional details we need to know before we can help you decide if a skateboard is a good solution for you. It could be a great solution for a teenager living in suburbia. It's a much less desirable solution if you need to do grocery shopping or had a leg amputated.

In the same way there are dozens of additional details about your specific application we'd need to know about before we can suggest an architecture. 0_o listed some of them. You say you want "reusable code that can be modified for different projects." How different will the projects be? What elements will stay the same and what elements will change? Are you working in a lab environment where each project is a temporary setup and tweaking code is part of the discovery process, or a production environment where code needs to be extremely stable and software releases are significant events?

The nature of your question leads me to believe you don't have a lot of experience designing software. (I see you've used Labview off and on since 98, but writing code is not the same as designing software.) I suggest your first step to creating modular (and reusable) software is to learn how to separate the user interface from the business logic. Write your application so you could replace the entire UI without breaking any of the business logic. You can use the lessons learned from that exercise to modularize the rest of your application.

To answer your question more directly (but less usefully,) I would say using a standard state machine template is best if it's the best solution for your requirements. Perhaps slightly more useful advice is this: use the state machine template only if you are designing your application (or that part of your application) as a state machine.

As an aside, I wouldn't consider any of the bundled templates an "architecture." They are implementation templates, not architectural templates. An architectural template would be a LV Project prepopulated with tens or hundreds of vis implementing the architecture of choice.

Thanks for your answer, much appreciated. I have designed software for several different projects and used modular re-useable code within my project. Seems the best way to me.

Think i was looking to create a "swiss army Knife" of projects.

So i will take each project as it comes and evaluate each project on its own merits.

Hi, im looking for opinions/advice on best way to create a re-useable code for e.g test program, Automated machine programs. That can be modified for different projects, would you say using a standard State machine template would be best?? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Stu

??? There not really the either/or. I use LVOOP objects that contain queues of other LVOOP objects all the time. You need to understand queues.

Yup, i realised this when i read a LVOOP presentation

Hi everyone, thanks for the responses. I think what i need to do is to choose a style i like and what works best for. I have to make a decision and stick with it. Think i may have a look at the LVOOP as i'm not a fan of queues.

Stu

Hi, ive been using labview since 1998. Not constantly but long periods of writing code then not writing code. About a year since i last wrote some code. What i'm wanting to do is become more professional about my approach to writing code. As i've been using Labview since 1998 i used L 5.1. My idea and approaches of writing code may be a lot different to others. The latest version i have used is Labview 10. Labview 10 is quite different from 5.1 apart from the fundamentals. What i'm wanting to do is to be able to write my own code proffessionally with a good architecture and a better understanding of the techniques used today. Is there any books, courses etc. I can do myself, as i will be doing this off my own back

Stu

LabVIEW has a 30-day eval, might buy you some time to use it?

Don't think you can build exe with it tho.

Good idea

This is what I have been told by my employer, it may not be 100% (and best to hear it from the horse's mouth) but it is my current understanding...

So I have been told NI have loosened up the license restriction from years ago. Currently, for a standard purchase of LabVIEW you are allowed 3 installs with the notion that you will require the following (or similar setup):

• 1x Development Machine
• 1x Running System (for debugging) Machine
• 1x Home Machine

I think that's pretty fair, although some my argue differently, as there is also this Idea out there: Noncommercial Hobby/Home license for LabVIEW which has really blown up in votes since I last saw it!

But I am probably biased as we ran a VLM at my last job and this one we are a Certified Alliance Partner with a Dev Suite - so T&C are different.

My problem at the moment is i've got a new job which starts tomorrow. But they may not necessarily buy Labview immediately, thats one of the reasons why i'm looking into my own license.

Hi, i was wondering how much it would be to buy the Labview license for myself. Then noticed the price , so is there any discount out there or do you just use your companys version of the Labview??

Thanks for replies guys been using Labview for 12 years now, tried Visual Basic, C++. But don't find them as interesting as G code.

Hi, if Labview went bankrupt. What other alternatives are there to use?? What other languages do you use??