National Instruments (NI) recently launched new products including a suite of I/O modules for expanding measurement communication capabilities of its single-board reconfigurable I/O (RIO) embedded control and data acquisition devices. They combine a real-time processor, reconfigurable field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and onboard analog and digital I/O on a single printed circuit board (PCB). Single-board RIO devices are used for applications that require flexibility, high performance, and reliability. You can plug the 15 new C Series modules into single board RIO devices for high-voltage power monitoring, high resolution analog input, strain, and communications to embedded applications.
In addition, a new programming interface is available for C and C++ developers. It allows you to take advantage of the LabVIEW FPGA module and FPGA-based hardware for embedded control and acquisition applications. Using the interface, you can use LabVIEW graphical tools to program the field-programmable gate array within NI hardware and choose either LabVIEW or C/C++ tools to program the processor within the system.
The new product helps you implement FPGAs without having to learn hardware design. You can also reuse existing embedded C code. The interface uses a reconfigurable I/O RIO driver for communication between the processor and FPGA in FPGA-based hardware such as Compact RIO and a single-board RIO. With the new C interface, you can program the real-time processor on FPGA-based hardware using C tools such as LabWindows/CVI, Microsoft Visual Studio, Wind River Workbench, and the interface to the LabViEW FPGA code. You can also program the processor using the real-time module which induces tools for low-level system debugging and precision execution timing for increased flexibility and function of deterministic real-time applications.
National Instruments
www.ni.com
LabView
www.labview.com
Filed Under: I/O modules, CONNECTIVITY • fieldbuses • networks, ENGINEERING SOFTWARE, TEST & MEASUREMENT
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