Overview

Virtual instrumentation is the foundation for the modern laboratory. A virtual instrument consists of a computer, software, and modular hardware; all combined and configured to emulate the function of traditional hardware instrumentation. It's also what we call a LabVIEW program. Because their functionality is software-defined by the user, virtual instruments are extremely flexible, powerful, and cost-effective. This chapter explains how to communicate with the outside world (e.g., take measurements, "talk" to an instrument, send data to another computer) using LabVIEW. We're only giving you a very brief overview here; you can learn more about acquiring data, controlling instruments, and networking your computer with LabVIEW in the second half of this book. In this chapter, you'll also learn a little about how LabVIEW has changed over the years.

Goals

• Understand the nature of data acquisition and instrument control

• Be able to describe the components of typical DAQ or instrumentation systems

• Learn about your computer's serial, network, and USB ports

• Appreciate the usefulness of analysis functions

• Learn a little about GPIB, PXI, and VXI

• See how LabVIEW can exchange data with other computers and applications

• Learn about some of the toolkits that enhance LabVIEW's capabilities

• Learn about the LabVIEW RT, LabVIEW PDA, and LabVIEW FPGA modules