Deploying LabVIEW Code to Raspberry Pi

[Filipe Altoe]

Hi Guys;

 

Now that the Arduino Compatible Compiler for LabVIEW has been launched for a few months, it is time to tackle the next challenge; having LabVIEW code deployed to my favorite dessert: Raspberry Pi. 

 

http://www.tsxperts.com/labviewforraspberrypi/

 

My personal favorite thing to do lately has been to watch LabVIEW GUIs running on a Raspberry Pi connected to a small monitor. 

 

We got a cool demo of a Vibration Monitoring and Alarm system using an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi; both programmed in LabVIEW. If you are making to NIWeek this year, make sure to stop by our booth to check it out. Once the NIWeek madness is out of the way I will post a video of it.

 

Cheers

Filipe

[hooovahh]

Wow so I don't own a Pi but this makes me want to get one to see what it can do.  Just like with the Arduino discussion before it was released, can you give any more details on things like the current limitations?  Should we assume similar cost schemes to the Arduino?  You mentioned seeing LabVIEW windows, does that mean the event structure is supported?  Or is this more like the Linux HMI for basic interactions with polling?

[Filipe Altoe]

Hello Hooovahh;

 

You hit a nerve on the event structure.   We are currently looking at the best way to implement it and are not sure yet if it will make it to the first release. That one is the challenge for the front panel stuff. Just like the Arduino Compatible Compiler for LabVIEW, we are interested in getting something in the hands of the community as soon as possible and let the feedback guide the short term feature set. However, since the Pi is MUCH more powerful than Arduinos, there will be less limitations than on the compiler for Arduinos. Just to cite a few, we will have parallel threading right off the bat, so a typical producer consumer is fair game, with queues and multiple loops in parallel. That is how the Vib Monitoring demo I mentioned was implemented and is working.

We probably won't have property/invoke nodes, and the synchronization primitives (notifier, rendevous, etc); and as far as data types, I don't think we will have waveform. But will have clusters/typedefs. Won't support LVOOP. These limitations are for the first release and it is not to say they won't make it later. Other than that, I don't see other big limitations for the first launch. Don't take this as set in stone yet as we are about 4 months away from release, so the final feature set will become clear a little later. In the last couple of weeks, it has been all about NIWeek week prep, but we will hit it hard again once that is past us.

 

As far as pricing, we haven't decided yet, but don't think it will deviate much from what we did for the Arduino one. Still TBD at this time though.

[Filipe Altoe]

Hey guys;

 

We are going Beta on the LabVIEW for Raspberry Pi! We should be releasing it before Christmas. We have a sign up sheet on this link (very archaic process due to an absolute lack of time to do anything more formal as we have been all hands on deck) if you would like to get your hands on the Beta release and have some fun over the Holidays...

 

Cheers

Filipe

Edited December 17, 2015 by Filipe Altoe

[Benoit]

Hello Filipe,

                          Do you have any more news about this compiler? will it include ETH support?

Thanks

 

Benoit

[Filipe Altoe]

@Benoit;

 

 

We are still in the process of defining the final set of primitives that will make to version 1.0. We are looking at releasing the Beta package by this coming weekend (hopefully).

[Benoit]

Is this compiler will be sold in package with the Arduino compiler?

Thanks

Benoit

[Filipe Altoe]

No; it is a totally different product.

[Mauricio V]

Hi Filipe:

Any news about the release date?

Do you guys will support access to the USB hardware on the Raspberry? I'm interested in polling other devices via a FTDI USB Serial Cable.

Also, I want to communicate using UDP packets on the ethernet port. Are those going to be supported by the compiler?

I'm eager to test it!

Thank you,

Mauricio

[Filipe Altoe]

Hi Mauricio

Not a firm date yet. We are wrapping up the beta program in the next couple of weeks. Version 1.0 will include support for the GPIO connector features and Ethernet support but probably not USB.

[viSci]

Here is a pi in the sky question...

 

Will there be any support for acquiring images over the MIPI interface?

[Filipe Altoe]

Pi in the sky indeed.

 

This is in the list of yellow features; which means it is still unclear whether or not they will make it to 1.0. They are on the queue though; which means they will come about either on 1.0 or on a follow on release.

[Dave Button]

Hi I am only just learning now about you Raspberry Pi compler and deployment tool for LabVIEW which does sound exciting.

I have the following questions though, do you know if it will run Network Share Variables? And any work on compatibility with new pi 3?

Cheers,

David

[Filipe Altoe]

Hi David;

 

We are not planning on including support for Shared Variables on the first release of the compiler. This is not to say it may not come on follow one releases as we will always listen to the community on the most wanted features and gradually add support to them based on the ones that are asked for the most.

In regards to the Pi 3; yes, it will run on the Pi 3 just fine.

Filipe

[JKSH]

Hi Filipe,

 

Given that the Raspberry Pi runs embedded Linux, would LabVIEW for Raspberry Pi be capable of producing executables for other Linux-based machines too (desktop or embedded)?

[Filipe Altoe]

Good question.

Even though that is theoretically possible; we have decided not to open that Pandora box. The main reason being that different Linux distros have some subtle differences on how they handle graphics. And, they can actually be different enough to generate run-time problems. Since the RasPi for LV compiler allows front panel deployment, we would be swimming in a pool of support hell if we allowed any Linux distro/target under the sun.

We will not stop on the Pi; but will do a controlled release to other targets as we want to make sure we run some heavy tests on specific distros to make sure things work to some baseline standard before release.

[hooovahh]

Filipe, are you aware of the LINX 3.0 toolkit that was released today which allows to deploy and run LabVIEW code on a Raspberry Pi 2/3 and BeagleBone Black?  Were you in collaboration with NI, or approached by NI, or have any involvement in LINX 3.0 or was this developed independently?

[Filipe Altoe]

Hi Brian

Yes; I knew that was coming. It is still ok as NI's is for non-commercial use only and it only deploys the VI block diagram whereas ours also run the front panel.

[RnDMonkey]

I'm interested in this as well now, for a school project. Any update on 1.0? Also I just signed up for the beta. Cool stuff!

[Sidster2]

I definitely want to be in as well.

[Filipe Altoe]

Hi guys;

As a friendly heads up, the LabVIEW compiler for RasPi has been released (can you hear my sigh of relief through my post?)... The downloads and documentation are available on this Github repo. 

Cheers and hope to see you all at NIWeek 2017. I'm supper excited with the possibility of no longer being on the verge of a heat stroke in Austin every NIWeek... This coming one will be my NIWeek number 17 and it will be a new experience for sure. If I don't catch you at the LAVA BBQ, come to our booth to say What's Up.