JCB 30304

DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM

CHAPTER 6

WAVEFORMS
CHAPTER 6 WAVEFORMS

Waveform Dynamic
types data

Signal
Generation /
Processing
4Fourier
analysis

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action” ~Herbert Spencer
INTRODUCTION

• Graphical display of data is an important aspect of programming in

LabVIEW.
• A good knowledge of arrays and clusters is important for graphical
operations.
• VIs with graph usually collects the data in an array and then plots the data
to the graph to obtain a waveform.
• Two-dimensional X-Y displays are required in most situations.
• Charts and graphs let you display plots of data in a graphical form.
• Charts interactively plot data, appending new data to old so that you can
see the current value in the context of previous data, as the new data
become available.
• Graphs plot pre-generated arrays of values in a more traditional fashion
without retaining previously-generated data.
Waveform Types

Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction

TYPES OF WAVEFORMS

• Waveform graphs and charts: Display data

typically acquired at a constant rate.
• XY Graphs: Display data acquired at a non-
constant rate and data for multivalued functions.
• Intensity graphs and charts: Display 3D data on a
2D plot by using color to display the values of the
third dimension.
• Digital waveform graphs: Display data as pulses
or groups of digital lines.
• Windows 3D Graphs: Display 3D data on a 3D
plot in an ActiveX object on the front panel.
Waveform Charts
Selected from the Controls»Graphs and Charts palette

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Wiring to Charts

Single-Plot Chart

Multiple-Plot Chart

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Modifying Chart Properties
• Change the
appearance
• Set the format and
precision of the axis
• Choose the plot type
• Edit the scales
• Document the chart

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Customizing Charts and Graphs
Right-click and select Visible Items to view the following
items:
• Plot Legend Graph Palette

• Digital Display
• Scrollbar Zoom
Subpalette
• X and Y Scale
• Graph Palette
• Scale Legend Scale Legend

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 Graphs
• Selected from the Graph subpalette
• Waveform Graph – Plot an array of numbers against their indices
• XY Graph – Plot one array against another

Plot Legend
(point and line
styles)

Graph Palette
Scale Legend

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 Single-Plot Waveform Graphs
Uniform X axis
Initial X = 0.0
Delta X = 1.0

Uniform X axis
you specify point
spacing

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 Multiple-Plot Waveform Graphs
Each row is a
separate plot:
Initial X = 0
Delta X = 1

Each row is a
separate plot:
Bundle specifies
point spacing of
the X axis

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 XY Graphs
• Non-uniform X axis
• Separate X and Y arrays
define data points

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Chart and Graph Use Summary
Use the Context Help window with charts and graphs

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 Summary
• The waveform chart is a special numeric indicator that displays one
or more plots. The waveform chart has the following three update
modes:
–A strip chart shows running data continuously scrolling from left to
right across the chart.
–A scope chart shows one item of data, such as a pulse or wave,
scrolling partway across the chart from left to the right.
–A sweep works similarly to a scope except it shows the old data on
the right and the new data on the left separated by a vertical line.
• Waveform graphs and XY graphs display data from arrays.
• Right-click a waveform chart or graph or its components to set
attributes of the chart and its plots.

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Exercise

1. Problem 7.1 Page 153

2. Problem 7.2 Page 153
3. Problem 7.3 page 154
4. Problem 7.4 Page 155
Signal Generation /
Processing

Read the Qur’an It will show u how simple life can be.
Signal Generation

• The generation of signals is an important part of

any test or measurement system.
• The following applications are examples of uses
for signal generation:
– Simulate signals to test your algorithm when real-
world signals are not available, for example, when you
do not have a DAQ device for obtaining real-world
signals or when access to real-world signals is not
possible.
– Generate signals to apply to a digital-to-analog (D/A)
converter.
Dynamic Data

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” — Albert Einstein

Dynamic Data

• Most Express VIs accept and/or return the dynamic data

type, which appears as a dark blue terminal.
• Using the Convert to Dynamic Data and Convert from
Dynamic Data VIs, you can convert floating-point numeric
or Boolean data of the following data types :
■ 1D array of waveforms
■ 1D array of scalars
■ 1D array of scalars – most recent value
■ 1D array of scalars – single channel
■ 2D array of scalars – columns are channels
■ 2D array of scalars – rows are channels
■ Single scalar
■ Single waveform
Dynamic Data

• Wire the dynamic data type to an indicator that can best

present the data.
• Indicators include a graph, chart, or numeric, or Boolean
indicator.
• However, because dynamic data undergoes an automatic
conversion to match the indicator to which it is wired,
Express VIs can slow down the block diagram execution
speed.
• The dynamic data type is for use with Express VIs. Most
other VIs and functions that are shipped with LabVIEW do
not accept this data type.
• To use a built-in VI or function to analyze or process the
data the dynamic data type includes, you must convert the
dynamic data type.
Convert to and from Dynamic Data Types
Exersice
 4 STRINGS AND FILE I/O

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” — Earl Nightingale
Strings and File I/O

• How to create string controls and indicators

• How to use several String functions
• About file I/O operations
• How to use the high-level File I/O VIs
• How to use the low-level File I/O VIs
• How to format text files for use in
spreadsheets

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 Strings
• A string is a sequence of displayable or - characters (ASCII)
• Many uses — displaying messages, instrument control, file I/O
• String control/indicator is in the Controls»String subpalette

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String Display Modes
Normal display \ code display

Hex display

Password display

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 String Functions
String Length

Concatenate Strings
(spaces here)

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String Functions
String Subset

Match Pattern

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Converting Numerics to Strings: Build String

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Converting Strings to Numerics:
Scan From String

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Edit Format String
Scan From String Function

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File Input and Output

Four Hierarchy Levels:

High-level File VIs
Intermediate File VIs and Functions
Advanced File Functions subpalette
Express VIs

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 High-level File I/O VIs
• Write to Spreadsheet File
• Read from Spreadsheet File
• Write Characters to File
• Read Characters from File
• Read Lines from File

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File I/O Programming Model -
Intermediate
Open/ Read
Close Check for
Create/ and/or
File Errors
Replace File Write to File

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Write to File Example

• Open/Create/Replace opens the existing file [Link] and

generates refnum and error cluster
• Write File writes the data
• Close File closes the file
• Simple Error Handler checks for errors

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Reading Data from a File
• Open/Create/Replace opens the file
• Read File reads the specified number of bytes from the file
• Close File closes the file
• Simple Error Handler checks for errors

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Formatting a Spreadsheet String
• Spreadsheets are popular tools for data handling and analysis
• There are many formats for spreadsheet data. One of the most
popular is tab-delimited:
– Columns are separated by a tab character
– Rows are separated by an end-of-line
character

A spreadsheet yields:

Tab End of Line

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Creating a Spreadsheet File

Can replace Format Into String and

Write File with Format Into File
in above example

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Write LabVIEW Measurement File

• Includes the open, write, close and error handling

functions
• Handles formatting the string with either a tab or
comma delimiter
• Merge Signals function is used to combine data into
the dynamic data type

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 Summary
• Strings group sequences of ASCII characters. Use the string control
and indicator located on the Controls»String & Path palette to
simulate text entry boxes and labels.
• Use the String functions located on the Functions»String palette to
edit and manipulate strings on the block diagram.
• Use the Format Into String function and the Build String Express VI to
convert a numeric to a string.
• Use the Scan From String function to convert a string to a numeric.
• Right-click the Format Into String or Scan From String function and
select Edit Format String or Edit Scan String from the shortcut menu
to create or edit a format string.

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 Summary, cont.
• Use the File I/O VIs and functions located on the Functions»File I/O
palette to handle all aspects of file I/O.
• When writing to a file, you open, create, or replace a file, write the
data, and close the file. Similarly, when you read from a file, you open
an existing file, read the data, and close the file.
• To access a file through a dialog box, do not wire file path in the
Open/Create/Replace File VI.
• To write data to a spreadsheet file, you must format the string as a
spreadsheet string, which is a string that includes delimiters, such as
tabs. Use the Format Into File function to format string, numeric, path,
and Boolean data as text and write the text to a file

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THANK YOU Message?