Quickly View, Manage and Configure Devices and Channels in LabVIEW SignalExpress – Channel View
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LabVIEW SignalExpress introduces many new features to simplify data logging. One of these features is the Channel View. The Channel View allows the user to quickly view, manage and configure devices and channels on one panel view. This tutorial will introduce some of the functions of Channel View and showcase how it is useful when dealing with multi-channel data logging applications.
Table of Contents
Channel View - What does it do?
The Channel View in LabVIEW SignalExpress provides the user with an integrated environment that allows them to view and configure hardware channel information. The Channel View is accessible by selecting View»Channel View on the toolbar.
Figure 1. The Channel View can be accessed by selecting View>>Channel View.
Channel View displays all channels from supported NI-DAQmx devices in the system or simulated devices. By default, the devices and channels are sorted by their device name in Channel View. The view can be changed to sort channels by the type of measurement performed. This is done by right-clicking in the Channel View and selecting View by»Measurement Type. This is useful when dealing with multiple types of measurements.
Figure 2. The channels are usually sorted by the device name in Channel View. This can be changed by selecting view by Measurement Type
This makes it easy to view all the channels that you have configured. In the figure below you will see the the expanded view for all the physical channels making strain measurements.
Figure 3. Channels can be grouped by the Measurement Type.
Acquiring Signals from Hardware Channels with Channel View
In the Channel View, the user can now place a checkmark in the Acquire checkbox to specify which channel to acquire data from. When you specify a channel that you would like to acquire from, LabVIEW SignalExpress will automatically place a DAQmx Acquire step in the Project View and configures the step to match the options you have specified in your Channel View.
Figure 4. Placeing a check mark in the acquire checkbox places a data acquisition step in the Project View.
This is a way to configure each of the channels. You can scan through the different attributes and set them using drop-down menus or by typing in values.
Configuring Multiple Channels in Channel View
Another feature of the Channel View is the Property View. If the Property View is hidden, click on the tab to the right labeled Properties. The Property View displays all the attributes valid for the selected channel(s). This allows you to quickly change attributes and configure them.
Figure 5. Property View allows a user to select and change multiple channels.
As you make changes to the attributes in the Properties View by clicking on them, LabVIEW SignalExpress will update the columns in the Channel View accordingly. This makes it easy to configure acquisitions, especially when multiple channels are selected.
Summary
Channel View makes managing and configuring multi-channel data acquisition in LabVIEW SignalExpress easy. Channel View allows channels to be sorted by Measurement Type. Placing a checkmark in the Acquire checkbox automatically adds a step to your Project View. The attributes can be changed on multiple channels in one view, with the Property View.
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