Examining the 10 Most Common PXI Test, Measurement, and Control Applications - Part II

PXI is a rugged PC-based platform that offers high performance measurement and control capabilities in a low-cost deployment package. The modular form factor enables you to mix-and-match PXI modules from NI and other PXI vendors to incorporate the exact measurement and control I/O you need in each system. Integrated timing and triggering features in the PXI backplane provide precise inter-module synchronization. Lastly, National Instruments industry-leading PXI software connectivity with NI LabVIEW graphical programming, NI LabWindows™/CVI (ANSI C), and Microsoft Visual Studio give you complete control of your PXI system to build fully customized graphical user interfaces, measurement and control analysis, and documentation and reporting.

These key features make PXI an attractive platform for a variety of test, measurement, and control applications. This document examines the 10 most common application areas to help you better understand how PXI can meet your current and future needs.

Return to Part I to see applications 1-5.

6 - RF and Communications Test

Use PXI to tackle the ever-changing requirements imposed by the proliferation of wireless capabilities into nontraditional markets.

Engineers involved in wireless design and test are facing the increase of wireless subsystem integration into larger designs. The LabVIEW RF and communications test platform meets this challenge with a modular, commercial off-the-shelf approach to hardware driven by flexible, intuitive LabVIEW graphical programming, NI PXI modular instruments, and traditional stand-alone instruments.

You can use NI LabVIEW add-ons for RF and communications test, including the Modulation Toolkit and the Spectral Measurements Toolkit, to synthesize digital and baseband analog test signals, with channel coding, digital/analog modulation, and impairments. In addition, you can apply robust signal processing to calculate power in band, adjacent channel power, bit error rate, modulation error ratio (MER), and many other RF/communications-related measurements.

National Instruments also offers several PXI-based modular instruments that you can use to transmit and receive into the GHz frequency range. The NI 5660 RF vector signal analyzers and NI 5671 vector signal generators offer a frequency range up to 2.7 GHz, wide real-time bandwidth, and a highly stable OCXO timebase. Using LabVIEW graphical programming, you can easily write custom software to control these PXI-based modular instruments and generate and acquire RF test signals. You also can use LabVIEW with traditional stand-alone instruments for RF and communications test.

Case Studies

• UT and Drexel Use NI PXI and LabVIEW for Wireless Research
• Developing a Mobile Phone Online Test with the NI PXI-5660 RF Signal Analyzer
• Generating Noise and Interference for DSL Design Validation and Test

Additional Resources

• The NI PXI-5660 RF Signal Analyzer Extends Virtual Instrumentation into GHz Applications
• Perform More Effective RF Measurements Using Vector Analysis
• A Tools-Based Approach to Emerging Communications Needs
• RF Switching Considerations
• PXI-5660 RF Signal Analyzer Interactive Tutorial
• Build a PXI System

 

7 - Machine Automation

Solve complex machine automation application challenges with the flexibility of PXI, including sound and vibration monitoring.

The LabVIEW Industrial Control Platform has the flexibility and features to solve complex machine automation applications with requirements such as closed-loop discrete control, custom multiaxis motion control, custom programmable logic, integrated machine vision, interactive human-machine interface (HMI), data logging, Web connectivity, and real-time signal processing. LabVIEW and PXI also help you create machine automation solutions reliable enough to perform time-critical operations and rugged enough to withstand environmental conditions.

Because LabVIEW is a full-featured graphical programming language, you benefit from both rapid development and the ability to program low-level functions. This sets LabVIEW apart from traditional programmable logic languages that lack flexibility and cannot adequately meet complex machine automation requirements. Machine automation system designers can choose from more than 500 built-in analysis routines, including those for common control algorithms such as PID and frequency analysis, and they can program advanced control and connectivity through networking functions.

Case Studies

• NI PACs and PXI Replace PLCs for Advanced Centrifuge Control
• PACs Deliver Faster Response Times with NI PXI and LabVIEW Real-Time to Automate Cold Steel Rolling Process
• Innoventor Chooses PAC Platform for Industrial Automation
• PXI-Based Embedded System Controls Semiconductor Metrology Tool

Additional Resources

• Tutorial - Graphical System Design for Machine Control
• Tutorial - Building Programmable Automation Controllers with LabVIEW FPGA
• PACs for Industrial Control, the Future of Control
• Build a PXI System

 

8 - Machine Condition Monitoring

Take advantage of the fully integrated test and analysis capabilities of LabVIEW and PXI for machinery condition monitoring and machine test for in-plant or factory-test use.

Machinery health and machine vibration are critical to predictive maintenance and reliability programs. Whether you are in-plant or factory-test focused, the LabVIEW Industrial Control Platform has the monitoring and diagnostic tools – online and off-line analysis capabilities, high-speed time waveform logging, Ethernet connectivity with client/server architectures, 24-bit data acquisition, and flexible data presentation options – to evaluate machinery health and performance.

The LabVIEW Sound and Vibration and LabVIEW Order Analysis toolkits complement general-purpose LabVIEW measurement analysis and determinism functions for PXI with analysis and displays for applications involving vibration analysis and rotating machinery. With these toolkits, you can calculate overall vibration level (RMS, peak, crest factor); integrate from acceleration to velocity or displacement; operate online order analysis such as order tracking, order extraction, and order spectra computation; process digital and analog tachometer signals; apply limit testing on time data or power spectra; and draw spectral maps, color maps, waterfall plots, cascade plots, bode plots, polar plots, orbit plots, timebase plots, shaft centerline plots, and Campbell (intensity) plots.

Case Studies

• Monitoring Compressor Performance Using NI Data Acquisition Boards
• Using LabVIEW and PXI for an Online Mechanical Parameters Monitoring System for a Diesel Generator Unit Set

Additional Resources

• 10 Questions to Ask When Selecting Your Sound and Vibration Measurement System
• Common Machine Condition Monitoring and Machine Vibration Test Resources
• Interactive Tutorial - Order Analysis for Machine Monitoring
• Build a PXI System

 

9 - Power Monitoring

Perform power metering and power quality measurements with the test and analysis capabilities of LabVIEW and PXI.

In each step of a power chain, you need to measure and control the quality and amount of power. NI provides tools to perform power quality monitoring, power metering, and distribution monitoring. Whether you are in-plant or factory-test focused, LabVIEW and PXI deliver the test and analysis you need all in one platform, including online and offline analysis capabilities; high-speed time waveform logging; Ethernet connectivity with client/server architectures; synchronized measurements for electrical power voltages, currents, and digital switchgear; power quality measurements, including power factor, power metering, harmonic distortion, and transient events; extensive graphical plotting capabilities, including polar plots, time waveform plots, and statistics; alarming, reports, and data management; sequence of events recorder; and an extensive math analysis toolkit for advanced analysis.

Case Studies

• Using LabVIEW and PXI for an Online Mechanical Parameters Monitoring System for a Diesel Generator Unit
• PXI Real-Time Monitoring and Analysis System for Power Quality
• Creating a Power Acquisition Network with LabVIEW and PXI

Additional Resources

• Analyzing Signals with Frequency Domain and Spectral Analysis (PDF)
• Understanding Power Quality Measurements (PDF)
• Power Quality Primer
• Power Quality Monitoring and Power Metering Tutorial
• Total Harmonic Distortion Analyzer/Data Logger Start-Up Kit
• Digital Time Interval Analyzer Start-Up Kit
• Power Definitions and Power Factor Correction in Single-Phase AC Circuits
• Powers in Three-Phase AC Circuits
• Build a PXI System

 

10 - Integrated Test and Control

Use NI LabVIEW and PXI to develop applications that integrate test and control such as electromechanical test, environmental test, and fatigue testing.

LabVIEW and PXI are ideal for developing applications for electromechanical test, environmental test, and fatigue testing. LabVIEW software flexibility combined with powerful, rugged NI real-time PXI hardware and an extensive array of I/O helps you create applications that feature the high-accuracy measurements of advanced instrumentation with precise, deterministic control. By performing the test and control portions of an application with the same hardware and software, you can significantly reduce development time and cost.

The LabVIEW parallel dataflow programming model is optimized for programming control applications. Using LabVIEW add-ons such as the LabVIEW Real-Time and LabVIEW FPGA modules, you can ensure reliable, deterministic execution of your applications for precise control of mechanical structures, environmental chambers, motion control, and emergency shutdown procedures. By using real-time OSs and rugged PXI hardware, you also gain the reliability you need for long, extended-duration test runs.

Case Studies

• Lockheed Martin Reduces Costs and Time Testing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with LabVIEW Real-Time
• Determining Multioutput Power Supply Unit MTBF with LabVIEW and PXI
• NI PXI and PACs Deliver a Portable, Real-Time Engine Life-Cycle Test Facility
• LabVIEW Real-Time Manages an Endurance Test Bench for Renault Engine Components
• Implementing State-of-the-Art Test Systems for Toyoda TRW Automotive Pumps
• LabVIEW Real-Time Reduces Development Time of Hydraulic Actuator Test Cells

Additional Resources

• Webcast - Creating Highly Reliable Test Systems with LabVIEW Real-Time
• Techniques for Extended Duration Tests
• Build a PXI System

 

For More Information

To learn more about PXI and its common applications, return to Part I of this document or go to ni.com/pxi.

 

The mark LabWindows is used under a license from Microsoft Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

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