what DAQ product should I buy & what tools exist to simulate sequential

[leblanc]

Hello,

I've used labview at school since 2004/05 but i've always used the daq boards provided by my university.

http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/1173

- Terminial Blocks: BNC Terminal Blocks and Shielded Screw Terminal Blocks

I'll graduate in may so i need a similar system to continue my projects @ home. [want more functionality though.]

Also advice on software because labview might not be the best for some of the tasks i need to accomplish.

There is so many products for both hardware and software I want some advice before I spend $ at

http://www.ni.com/products/

price range < $1500.

Software Applications:

I need labview to be able to function as a function generator and oscilloscope. (all boards should do this but just incase)

I would like a logger, example to examine the usb protocol, I would like to see the actual waveforms on the line.

In the past I've used a "chart" and outputed the data to a file, however I'm ready for something more sophisticated.

NI LabVIEW SignalExpress ?????

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/2805 - picture of waveforms i would like to be able to see.

http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/202480 - another

I'm currently using a usb to uart bridge but would like to be able to implement this in raw form.

In the past for my sequential logic circuits i've used max plus 2 with an Altera EPM7128S PLD.

https://www.altera.com/support/software/dow...dnl-student.jsp

Since the time i created my intial circuits the company created Quartus II to replace maxplus.

I rather consolidate my software rather than have 3 different programs for my circuits:

labview, quartus, and orcad

Does ni provide something to help me design sequential circuits? What do ya use for sequential circuits?

I've searched on google and I only found vi's for flip flops

http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Projects/Labvie...Flops/index.htm

Say i build a sequential circuit using that guys vi how do i get the simulated waveforms.

Also can it peform validation for me instead of examining the wave form myself.

Example: give the values of present state, my new input, and what the expected output should be

And the software tell me if it passed or failed for that condition. Maybe setup a regression tests to test all the possible combinations.[meaning give it my state table and it pass or fail and tell me which conditions failed.]

Is the software and hardware sold seperately or is it one package?

Example can i use a terminal block and be able to use LabVIEW SignalExpress and Measurement Studio for Visual Studio .NET ?

http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/14040

http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/203094

seems like only the more expensive boards are advertised with those software.

Hardware Applications:

Maybe a board that functions with openg.org, however that is not a requirement just a want.

DIO requirements

I'll be mostly programming freescale controllers and testing DACs; so digital I/O >= 8 would be beneficial.

AIO requirements

I'll mostly be testing clipping circuits, triggers, filters, .... and testing ADC on the controller so >= 2 Analog I/O

Reason for greater than is so i don't have to take apart my circuit to test another one, especially for Screw Terminal Blocks.

thanks for any advice on software/hardware and general workbench setup I might need.

Leblanc Meneses

[leblanc]

from post: http://forums.lavag.org/index.php?showtopic=6776

QUOTE(chrisdavis)

Measurement Studio is designed to provide the VS.NET programmer an easier way to interface with the wide range of National Instruments hardware. SignalExpress is designed to help non-programmers interface to data acquisition devices and perform tasks.

Thanks for clarifing the intentions of programmer/non-programmer for each product.

Is this really the main difference? I was hoping the SignalExpress would similate sequential logic and show the waveforms. Maybe log waveforms comming in from several digital/analog lines [protocol analysis].

[Chris Davis]

I can't give you much info on SignalExpress, I have never used it, I've just heard of it, and seen demos. As far as hardware, NI makes a broad range of analog input / digital io hardware ranging from $160 to $3600. The cable/terminal block link you have in your post only provides you with a nice way to connect your signals to your NI board, if it is a PCI/PCIe board. You have to buy a board to connect those terminal blocks too.

It sounds like you are trying to feel out what LabView can do for you, and so your best bet may be to try it out... Contact a local sales representative to discuss hardware to your hearts content.

BTW, you may want to look at purchasing a student copy of LabView before you graduate, there are great discounts for students, in fact you can get a usb daq board with LabView Student Edition included.