How to Mitigate Hardware Obsolescence in Next-Generation Test Systems
PrintOverview
This example program and whitepaper describe how to design and use a user-defined Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL).
The problem with many test systems is that the overall system must be in operation longer than the individual system components are supported. Sometimes the device being tested has an active service life measured in decades, while many test instruments are obsolete and no longer supported after five years or less. Other times, the device being tested has an active service life measured in months. Both of these are examples of life-cycle mismatch.
A life-cycle mismatch creates a need to upgrade obsolete instruments without changing test applications, test fixtures, and devices under test (DUTs) or a need to change the test application software without changing any of the hardware or hardware-specific software. Updating test systems requires new test software development, revalidation, and redocumentation that are costly, resource-intensive, and time-consuming. To minimize the time and costs associated with migrating or upgrading test systems, you can use hardware abstraction layers (HALs) in test systems to separate the test application from the instrument hardware. This paper covers HAL architecture, best practices, features, and benefits as well as outlines an example NI LabVIEW implementation.
Requirements
Filename: hal_example.zip
Software Requirements
Application Software: LabVIEW Base Development System 8.6
Language(s): LabVIEW
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This example program (this "program") was developed by a National Instruments Applications Engineer. National Instruments does not support this code or guarantee its quality in any way. THIS EXAMPLE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND AND SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS AS MORE SPECIFICALLY SET FORTH IN NI.COM'S TERMS OF USE (http://ni.com/legal/termsofuse/unitedstates/us/).