LabVIEW for more embedded targets?

[elyness]

NI wants to bring LabVIEW down to the embedded world but I don't think it goes as far as I would like. I would like to write labview applications that runs on a PDA using Linux and the Intel PXA-255 processor. As far as I can tell, the PDA has to have an x86 based CPU. Does anyone know if they have or plan to have support for the intel PXA-255 processor? It uses the ARM instruction set.

[Jim Kring]

Hey, Eric. I hope all is well

I've seen stuff at NI Week (a couple years ago) showing LabVIEW running on ARM. There is no productized solution at the moment for Linux running on ARM (only Linux on x86). LabVIEW PDA will only run on PocketPC. So, the answer is, "call NI and ask." Send me a private message and I'll send you some names of people who you might want to talk to.

Regards,

-Jim

[jeffwass]

LabVIEW PDA will only run on PocketPC.  So, the answer is, "call NI and ask."  Send me a private message and I'll send you some names of people who you might want to talk to.

Jim, I was under the impression that LabVIEW PDA will run on any device with PalmOS 3.5 or higher, as NI's PDA Page seems to indicate.

[aledain]

Jim, I was under the impression that LabVIEW PDA will run on any device with PalmOS 3.5 or higher, as NI's PDA Page seems to indicate.

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That's correct, LabVIEW applications can be built to download to Palm and PocketPC. I am not sure, however, whether you need two separate licenses for the two different platforms :question:

cheers, Alex.

[Michael Aivaliotis]

A quick search on the NI site came up with this:

Will My Palm OS 5.2 Running an ARM Processor Work with the LabVIEW PDA Module?

Problem: Will my Palm OS 5.2 running on an ARM processor work with the LabVIEW PDA (LVPDA) Module and why is the ARM processor grayed out?

Solution: Yes, if you are using a Palm OS 5.2 running on an ARM processor it will work if you run it using the Motorola 68K processor. The LVPDA module was developed before the Palm was supported by ARM and therefore is not an option. The only reason that the ARM appears as a grayed out option is that it is the default processor for Pocket PC and both modules use the same dialog box.

[Jim Kring]

Jim, I was under the impression that LabVIEW PDA will run on any device with PalmOS 3.5 or higher, as NI's PDA Page seems to indicate.

3712[/snapback]

Yes you are right. I guess what I meant to say was that the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine has not been ported to Linux for the ARM processor. LabVIEW for Linux only runs on x86 and there is no compiler or cross-compiler for ARM. Also, LabVIEW PDA isn't really "LabVIEW" running on the PDA, but rather the LabVIEW code is translated into C and then compiled by a third-party compiler (automagically). The only platforms where LabVIEW is supporting this scheme is PocketPC and PalmOS.

[elyness]

LabVIEW for Linux only runs on x86 and there is no compiler or cross-compiler for ARM. 

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I hate it when a customer says, "Can't you just..." but -- it seems like it wouldn't be a big leap to automagically compile the C code output from LabVIEW to an ARM processor that is already running Linux. It would really open up the embedded world to LabVIEW programmers like us.

[chenqinghua]

sir .

i have buy a lpc2378(arm 7) and sucess to run a sample demo .but i also have no ideal about microprocess SDK modual. NI said,bi that modual,they can run LV in any 32 processor. i think is is seem to be impossible.

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

sir .

i have buy a lpc2378(arm 7) and sucess to run a sample demo .but i also have no ideal about microprocess SDK modual. NI said,bi that modual,they can run LV in any 32 processor. i think is is seem to be impossible.

What sample demo did you run? A LabVIEW one? Without already owning the Microprocessor SDK Module?

With the LabVIEW Microprocessor SDK Module it is not impossible, but it may be a lot of work if the hardware target you are using is not one of the supported ones. That is because you would have to create the interface logic between the Microprocessor SDK Module and your specific C toolchain and most likely also write some elemental IO blocks.

[chenqinghua]

What sample demo did you run? A LabVIEW one? Without already owning the Microprocessor SDK Module?

With the LabVIEW Microprocessor SDK Module it is not impossible, but it may be a lot of work if the hardware target you are using is not one of the supported ones. That is because you would have to create the interface logic between the Microprocessor SDK Module and your specific C toolchain and most likely also write some elemental IO blocks.

yes,i use the embbed modele for arm 1.1 mould ,and run a labview demo(just a easy demo).as you said,although NI said the mould can suppurt most of lPC23XX ,we have a long way to run a easy vi on a chip which not exist in list 。 if you do it ,please tell me .

chenqinghua_0329@126.com

i hope we can applly labview in more emmbed target.not only run on few expensive targets

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

yes,i use the embbed modele for arm 1.1 mould ,and run a labview demo(just a easy demo).as you said,although NI said the mould can suppurt most of lPC23XX ,we have a long way to run a easy vi on a chip which not exist in list 。 if you do it ,please tell me .

chenqinghua_0329@126.com

i hope we can applly labview in more emmbed target.not only run on few expensive targets

As mentioned earlier you can adapt LabVIEW Embedded SDK to just about any 32 Bit platform but it will in most cases not just be an install and run experience. New supported targets are of course always nice but someone has to do them, and NI can't do them all nor will they do any if they do not see some potential market.

But there is a catch 22 problem here. The cheap targets are usually used for mass production and there hardware components matter down to the penny. LabVIEW generated code is not exactly lightweight so you do need some minimal amount of memory to even be able to download a simple solution. Those targets supporting more memory are usually not the low cost hardware systems. Also low cost is used for high volume hardware usually and those developing for such a market may often exchange the ease of development with LabVIEW with the memory efficiency of a native C program to save a few more pennies in hardware costs. If they go for an expensive development system they usually go for one of the specific commercial embedded development systems and the hobbiest will go with a gcc based toolchain anyhow.