LabVIEW Embedded Targets ARM Microcontrollers
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The LabVIEW Embedded Module for ARM Microcontrollers includes LabVIEW drivers so you can graphically program all components of ARM microcontrollers including the analog and digital I/O.
National Instruments recently introduced the NI LabVIEW Embedded Module for ARM Microcontrollers, an extension of the LabVIEW graphical system design platform that directly targets the ARM7, ARM9, and Cortex-M3 microcontroller families. ARM is the industry’s leading provider of 32-bit embedded reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, with more than 75 percent of the market share and more than 10 billion ARM core-based devices shipped to date. ARM licenses intellectual property (IP) to many of the world’s leading semiconductor companies including Analog Devices, Atmel, Luminary Micro, NXP, Freescale Semiconductor, Intel, and Texas Instruments.
Benefits of Microcontrollers
Microcontrollers are integrated microprocessors that include the memory, peripherals, and interfaces – as well as the CPU – on a single chip, making them a cost-effective solution for embedded systems and ideal for control and interrupt-driven applications. ARM microcontrollers are deployed in a wide range of applications, from popular consumer goods such as the Sony PlayStation 3 to industrial and medical applications such as the BIAC portable muscle stimulator.
A More Streamlined Approach to Programming
The LabVIEW Embedded Module for ARM Microcontrollers programs more than 260 microcontrollers from 10 silicon vendors. This module includes LabVIEW drivers so you can graphically program all components of the ARM microcontroller including the analog and digital I/O. The module also features desktop simulation capabilities for running the programs you develop for an ARM microcontroller on a desktop PC without any additional hardware. You also can use the desktop simulation with NI Multisim, interactive SPICE simulation and circuit analysis software, to simulate the entire signal design chain for a comprehensive embedded system simulation environment. Other features of the LabVIEW Embedded Module for ARM Microcontrollers include a project wizard that automates configuration and overall setup to help you establish projects quickly and an interrupt manager that simplifies interrupt-driven programming by setting up LabVIEW code to run when specific hardware interrupts occur. In addition to the software, NI offers two development options: a Keil MCB2370 evaluation board with an NXP ARM7 microcontroller, or a Stellaris LM3S8962 evaluation kit with a Luminary Micro Cortex-M3 microcontroller.
“The intuitive, graphical design capabilities of LabVIEW make it an ideal platform for developers with limited C/C++ programming experience who need to develop applications around ARM processor-based microcontrollers,” says Alistair Greenhill, ARM director of mass market tools. “Additionally, for the more experienced developer, it provides a faster and more streamlined approach to programming.”
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This article first appeared in the Q2 2008 issue of Instrumentation Newsletter.
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