9 Things to Consider When Choosing Automated Test Equipment

Automated test equipment (ATE) have the ability to reduce the costs of testing and make sure that lab teams can focus on other, more important tasks. With ATE, productivity, and efficiency is boosted to a maximum level due to cutting out the unnecessary tasks and daily activities.
However, you should not just cash out and invest in automated test equipment, there are elements that factors that are important to find the system that suits you best. Our team at ReadyDAQ has prepared 12 things you should consider before choosing automated test equipment.

1. Endurance and Compactness

One of the most important things is that the ATE system your company picks is designed for optimal performance over the long-term. Take a careful look at connections and components and make a conclusion whether they will survive over repeated use.Many lab teams are often struggling to find large areas for their testing operations. The automated test equipment should also be compact.

2. Customer Experience

Are other customers satisfied the support and other things they went through? Does the company you bought ATE from provide full support? You don't have to be the expert in automated test equipment, but they do. And their skills and expertise have to be available to you for when you need it. Customer support and the overall customer experience is a huge factor!

3. Scalability and Compatibility

One purchase does not have to be final. It often isn't You should check whether the equipment you ordered can be expanded or scaled over time. Your needs might change and you want ATE to adapt to your needs.
When compatibility comes to mind, we want to make sure that the equipment is built following all industry standards. Cross-compatibility is often important in situations where we no longer need or have lost the access to certain products. Better safe than sorry.

4. Comprehensive

Think of all the elements needed for testing. Even better, make a list. Does the equipment you have in mind cover ALL required elements? Don't forget about power and signaling, are they included too?

5. High Test Coverage and Diagnostics 

The ATE system has to be able to provide full coverage and give insights on all components of the processed product. This can help decrease the number of possible errors and failures later on.
How about diagnostics? Does the testing system provide robust diagnostic tools to make sure the obtained results are reliable and true?

6. Cost per Test

How much does a single test cost? You have to think and plan long-term, so a single test cost can help you calculate and make an assumption whether the system provides real value for the money invested.

7. Testimonials and Warranty 

Are other customers satisfied? Can the company direct you to testimonials from previous customers? What do their previous customers have to say about the systems and their performance?
Also, you don't want to be left hanging in case the systems starts malfunctioning or simply stops working. Does the ATE system come with a comprehensive warranty? Make sure you’re protected against damages that might happen in testing and see that the warranty covers that too.

8. Manufacturer Reputation

When did you first hear about the company? How? Did someone (besides them) say anything good about them? Is the company known for the high quality of their equipment? Discuss their past projects and learn more about the value their products provide.

9. Intuitive Performance

At first sight, is the system easy to use or way too complicated that it would require weeks of training for everyone in the lab? Does it offer intuitive performance within the testing procedure? Your team should be able to begin testing without having to go over every point in the technical manual in pinpoint detail.
Our team at ReadyDAQ is here to help you select the perfect automated test equipment for your lab.

IoT: Summary

The Internet of Things (or shortened ‘IoT’) is a hot topic in today’s world which carries extraordinary significance in socio-economic and technical aspects of everyday life. Products designed for consumers, long-lasting goods, automobiles and other vehicles, sensors, utilities and other everyday objects are able to become connected among themselves through the Internet and strong data analytic capabilities and therefore transform our surroundings. Internet of Things is forecast to have an enormous impact on the economy; some analysts anticipate almost 100 billion interconnected IoT devices. On the other hand, other analysts proclaim that IoT devices shall input into the global economy more than $11 trillion by 2025.

However, the Internet of Things comes with many important challenges which, if not overcome, could diminish or even put a stop to the progress of it thus failing to realize all its potential advantages. One of the greatest challenges is security: the newspapers are filled with headlines alerting the public to the dangers of hacking internet-connected devices, identity theft and privacy intrusion. These technical and security challenges remain and are constantly changing and developing; at the same time, new legal policies are emerging.

This document’s purpose is to help the Internet Society community find their way in the discourse about the Internet of Things regarding its pitfalls, shortcomings and promises.

Many broad ideas and complex thoughts surround the Internet of Things and in order to find one’s way, the key concepts that should be looked into as they represent the foundation of circumstances and problems of IoT are:

- Transformational Potential: If IoT takes off, a potential outcome of it would be a ‘hyperconnected world’ where limitations on applications or services that use technology cease to exist.

- IoT Definitions: although there is not one universal definition, the term Internet of Things basically refers to several connected objects, sensors or items (not considered computers) which create, exchange and control data with next to none human intervention.

- Enabling Technologies: Cloud computing, data analytics, connectivity and networking all lead to the ability to combine and interconnect computers, sensors and networks all in order to control other devices.

- Connectivity Models: There are four common communication models and are as following: Device-to-Device, Device-to-Cloud, Device-to-Gateway, and finally Back-End Data-Sharing. These models show how flexible IoT devices can be when connecting and when providing value to their respective users.

LabVIEW Projects you should Know

STÄUBLI LABVIEW INTEGRATION LIBRARY

The DSM LabVIEW-Stäubli Control Library is created to simplify communications between a host PC running LabVIEW and a Stäubli robotic motion controller so as to control the robot from the LabVIEW environment. 

Stäubli Robots are usually found in the automation industry. The standard Staubli programming language, VAL3, is an adjustable language allowing for a wide variety of tasking. Although the VAL3 language works well in its environment, there are limited options for connecting the robot to an existing PC-based test & measurement system. The LabVIEW language, on the other hand, has been created from the start to run systems found in a research environment. The DSM LabVIEW-Staubli Integration Library lets the user promptly create applications for a Staubli robot using the familiar LabVIEW programming language.

 

 

AUTOMATED CRYOGENIC TEST STATION

A test station was built with the intent in mind to automate cyclic cryogenic exposure.  A LabVIEW program was inserted to automate the process and collect data. The software featured:

• Checked the temperature of up to 8 thermocouples

• Checked the life status of test specimens twice per cycle

• Automated backups to allow for data recovery

• System was integrated with a pneumatic control board and safety features

 

 

TENSILE TESTER CONTROL PROGRAM

This system is able to record high-resolution x-ray imagery of test subjects of aerospace alloys while they are under tensile and cyclic fatigue tests.  This capability can improve understanding of how grain refinement is used to enhance material properties.  The tensile tester can function in multiple modes of operation. The sample can be fully rotated within the tester, permitting three-dimensional imagery of samples.

 

DYNAMOMETER TEST STATION

A test station designed to characterize piezoelectric motors was built, with programmable current source and a DC motor integrated into the system to apply a range of resistive torque loads to the tested motor.  A torque load cell and a high-resolution encoder were used to measure torque and speed, which is collected at each resistive torque level, forming a torque curve. A LabVIEW project was programmed to run the test. Test settings were configured in the program and data was collected by an NI DAQ card. The program also included data manipulation and analysis.

 

OPEN-LOOP ACTUATOR CONTROLLER

The goal is to characterize the actuator's performance in open-loop so that a closed-loop control scheme can be developed. This program can output voltage waveforms as well as voltage steps up to 40V. Voltage duration is programmable down to the millisecond and an encoder is integrated into the system and readings are real time. The encoder features resolution on a micron level and experiences exceptional noise due to the vibrations present in the system. The data is filtered after the test to report accurate, low-noise data.

How Stack Machines Meet the Needs of Various Systems

There are various characteristics which need to be met in order for these machines to be suitable and to be fully and successfully implemented into real time systems. These characteristics are as follows: size and weight, power and cooling, operating environment, cost and performance.

Size and Weight 

It has been observed that stack computers are very simple in regards to processor complexity. However, it is the overall system complexity that determines overall system size and weight. The solution to overcoming the size and weight issue is to keep component count small. That is why stack machines are less complex than other machines and are also more reliable.

Power and Cooling

If the processor is complex, it can affect the amount of power it needs. That amount of power is related to how many transistors there are in a processor and how many pins are on the processor chip. Moreover, processors that need a lot of power-consuming high-speed memory devices can also be burdensome regarding power. Of course, power consumption directly affects cooling requirements, since all power used by a computer is eventually transmuted into heat. The cooler operation of processor components can reduce the number of component failures, thus improving reliability.

Operating Environment

Embedded processing systems are well known for extreme operating conditions. The processing system must deal with heat and cold, vibration, shock, and even radiation. Also, in remotely installed applications, the system must be able to survive without field service technicians to make repairs. The general rule to avoiding problems caused by operating environments is to keep the component count and a number of pins minuscule. Stack machines, with their low system complexity and high levels of integration, do well under these conditions.

Cost

Since the cost of a chip is related to the number of transistors and to the number of pins on the chip, low complexity stack processors are basically low in cost.
Computing Performance. Computing performance in a real time embedded control environment is not simply defined. Although raw computational performance is important, there are other factors which influence the system. An additional desirable feat is a fantastic execution in programs that are filled with procedure calls reducing program memory size.

Setting up LabVIEW Project

Complete the following steps to set up the LabVIEW project:

 

1. Launch LabVIEW by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»LabVIEW.
2. Click the Empty Project link in the Getting Started window to display the Project Explorer window. You can also select File»New Project to display the Project Explorer window.
3. Select Help and make sure that Show Context Help is checked. You can refer to the context help throughout this process for information about items in the Project Explorer window and in your VIs.
4. Right-click the top-level Project item in the Project Explorer window and select New»Targets and Devices from the shortcut menu to display the Add Targets and Devices dialog box.
5. Make sure that the Existing target or device radio button is selected.
6. Expand Real-Time CompactRIO.
7. Select the CompactRIO controller to add to the project and click OK.
8. Select FPGA Interface from the Select Programming Mode dialog box to put the system into FPGA Interface programming mode.
9. Tip Tip  Use the CompactRIO Chassis Properties dialog box to change the programming mode in an existing project. Right-click the CompactRIO chassis in the Project Explorer window and select Properties from the shortcut menu to display this dialog box.
10. Click Discover in the Discover C Series Modules? dialog box if it appears.
11. Click Continue.
12. Drag and drop the C Series module(s) that will run in Scan Interface mode under the chassis item. Leave any modules you plan to write FPGA code for under the FPGA target.

Getting Started with CompactRIO - Performing Basic Control

 

The National Instruments Compact

An advanced embedded data and control acquisition system created for applications that require high performance and reliability equals RIO programmable automation controller. The system has open, embedded architecture, extreme ruggedness, small size, and flexibility, that engineers and embedded planners can use with COTS hardware to instantly build systems that are custom embedded. NI CompactRIO is powered by National Instruments LabVIEW FPGA and LabVIEW Real-Time technologies, it gives engineers the ability to program, design, and customize the CompactRIO embedded system with handy graphical programming tools.

This controller fuses a high-performance FPGA, an embedded real-time processor, and hot-swappable I/O modules. Every I/O module that grants low-level customization of timing and I/O signal processing is directly connected to the FPGA. The embedded real-time processor and the FPGA are connected via a high-speed PCI bus. A low-cost architecture with direct access to low-level hardware assets is shown by this. LabVIEW consists of built-in data transfer mechanisms that pass data from both the FPGA and the I/O modules to the FPGA to the embedded processor for real-time post-processing, analysis, data logging, or communication to a networked host CPU.

FPGA

A reconfigurable, high-performance chip that engineers may program with LabVIEW FPGA tools is the installed FPGA. FPGA designers were compelled to learn and use complex design languages such as VHDL to program FPGAs, and now, any scientist or engineer can adapt graphical LabVIEW tools to personalize and program FPGAs. One can implement custom triggering, timing, control, synchronization, and signal processing for an analog and digital I/O by using the FPGA hardware installed in CompactRIO.

C Series I/O Modules

A diversity of I/O types are accessible including current, voltage, thermocouple, accelerometer, RTD, and strain gauge inputs; 12, 24, and 48 V industrial digital I/O; up to ±60 V simultaneous sampling analogue I/O; 5 V/TTL digital I/O; pulse generation; counter/timers; and high voltage/current relays. People can frequently connect wires directly from the C Series modules to their actuators and sensors, for the modules contain built-in signal conditioning for extended voltage ranges or industrial signal samples.

Weight and Size

Demanding design requirements in many embedded applications are size, weight, and I/O channel density. A four-slot reconfigurable installed system weighs just 1.58 kg (3.47 lb) and measures 179.6 by 88.1 by 88.1 mm (7.07 by 3.47 by 3.47 in.).

“Other” types of DAQ I/O Hardware - Part 1

This article portrays the "other normal" sorts of DAQ I/O — gadgets, for example, Analog Outputs, Digital Inputs, Digital Inputs, Counter/Timers, and Special DAQ capacities, which covers such gadgets as Motion I/O, Synchro/Resolvers, LVDT/RVDTs, String Pots, Quadrature Encoders, and ICP/IEPE Piezoelectric Crystal Controllers. It likewise covers such themes as interchanges interfaces, timing, and synchronization capacities.
Analog Outputs Analog or D/A yields are utilized for an assortment of purposes in data acquisition and control systems. To appropriately coordinate the D/A gadget to your application, it is important to consider an assortment of determinations, which are recorded and clarified beneath.

Number of Channels 

As it's a genuinely clear necessity, we won't invest much energy in it. Ensure you have enough yields to take care of business. On the off chance that it's conceivable that your application might be extended or adjusted, later on, you may wish to determine a system with a couple "safe" yields. In any event, make certain you can add yields to the system not far off without significant trouble.
Resolution As with A/D channels, the resolution of a D/A yield is a key particular. The resolution depicts the number or scope of various conceivable yield states (regularly voltages or streams) the system is equipped for giving. This detail is all around given as far as "bits", where the resolution is characterized as 2(# of bits). For instance, 8-bit resolution relates to a resolution of one section in 28 or 256. So also, 16-bit resolution relates to one section in 216 or 65, 536. At the point when joined with the yield go, the resolution decides how little an adjustment in the yield might be summoned. To decide the resolution, essentially separate the full-scale scope of the yield by its resolution. A 16-bit yield with a 0-10 Volt full-scale yield gives 10 V/216 or 152.6 microvolts resolution. A 12-bit yield with a 4-20 mA full scale gives 16 mA/212 or 3.906 uA resolution.

Accuracy 

Despite the fact that precision is frequently compared to resolution, they are not the same. An analog yield with a one microvolt resolution doesn't really (or even regularly) mean the yield is precise to one microvolt resolution. Outside of sound yields, D/A system precision is commonly on the request of a couple LSBs. Be that as it may, it is critical to check this detail as not all analog yield systems are made equivalent. The most noteworthy and basic error commitments in analog yield systems are Offset, Gain/Reference, and Linearity errors.

Common Problems with LabVIEW Real-time Module: Part 2

The second part of our series will address the difficulty with setting up a connection with a Compact Field Point and SQL Server 2000.
Let’s set up a possible scenario:
You have a SQL server with which you would like to communicate with directly (preferably no software in between).).
There is more than two way to try and solve this problem, but we’ve narrowed them down to two that are most likely to be a perfect solution:

1.  FTP files using cFP onto IIS FTP server (push data, then DTS).

This should be fairly easy to accomplish. As an alternative, you can write a LabVIEW app for your host computer (SQL Server Computer) that uses the Internet Toolkit to FTP the files off the cFP module, and writes the data from the file into the SQL Server using the SQL Toolkit. As another alternative, you can use DataSockets to read the file via FTP, parse it, and write the data to the SQL Server using the SQL Toolkit.

2. Write a custom driver/protocol (which will run on the cFP)

You can accomplish this, however, it is a subject to some limitations/difficulties One approach would be a modification of the first solution, where you create a host-side LabVIEW program that communicates with the cFP controller via a custom TCP protocol that you implement to retrieve data at specified intervals and log the data directly to the database.
How do you like solutions are LabVIEW experts are providing? Are you working on a LabVIEW project at the moment? Let us know in the comments.

Common Problems with LabVIEW Real-time Module

This is the first part of the series where we address problems users occur with LabVIEW real-time module.
If the instability of Windows appears to be a concern, we recommend a fault tolerant design that could handle the Windows platform going down occasionally.
Here’s what we’re talking about
Three machines:
1) DB Server
2) DB Writer
3) RT Data collection
Notes:
1) DB Server of your choice. Preferably SQL based.
2) Responsible for pulling readings from RT and writing to DB. The buffer between two systems. More on this below.
3)RT Data Collection and short term storage. More below.
The DB writer acts as a buffer between the short term storage on the RT platform and the server. The data collected from the RT system will be coming in at a steady rate. The updates going to the DB should be viewed as being asynchronous.
Break RT app into two parts, Time Critical (TC) and other. The TC loop reads data and queues to the other loop. The other loop should read the queued data and write to LV2 style globals. These LV2 globals should maintain an array of the data. If the array exceeds some predetermined level, newest data goes to buffer file. This journaling to file will allow the Windows based DB writer to fall behind, re-boot etc.

Meanwhile, on the Windows platform...

DB Writer could periodically use a call by reference node to execute a read operation to the LV2 global written by the "other loop" on the RT platform. Read data is then used to write DB using SQL Toolkit or whatever.
The data collection rate will determine the amount of local disk storage you will need on the RT platform to handle buffering backlogs while the Windows app is down. The size of the cached array in LV2 global should be large enough to handle the non-periodic nature of the DB Writer's read operations. When the LV2 global on the RT platform is read it should return the contents of the cached buffer when a read operation is performed (by the RT Writer). If there are samples waiting in the RT's buffer file, a read of the oldest values should be read from the file and placed in the buffer waiting for the next read. The LV2 global should also return a boolean or similar flag that indicates more reading are waiting to be read.
We realize that this article does not tell you how to write to a DB from the RT platform but it does represent an architecture that will allow you to harness the stability of an RT based app while taking full advantage of the functionality that is already in place. Our LabVIEW experts will try to provide answers to your questions. Do you have any?

The LabVIEW Real-Time Module

As you already know, ReadyDAQ is developing a program for real-time systems. ReadyDAQ for real-time will be based on the LabVIEW Real-Time Module which is a solution for creating reliable, stand-alone embedded systems with a graphical programming approach. In other words, it is an additional tool to the already existing LabVIEW development environment. This module helps you develop and debug graphical applications that you can download to and execute on embedded hardware devices such as CompactRIO, CompactDAQ, PXI, vision systems, or third-party PCs.
Why should you consider real-time module? Well, there are three advantages that will change your mind:

1. Stretch out LabVIEW Graphical Programming to Stand-Alone Embedded Systems 

LabVIEW Real-Time incorporates worked in builds for multithreading and real-time string planning to help you productively compose strong, deterministic code. Graphically program remain solitary frameworks to run dependably for developed periods. ReadyDAQ Real-time has utilized this choice splendidly and it is actualized in the arrangement we offer.

2. Exploit a Real-Time OS for Precise Timing and High Reliability 

Universally useful OSs are not enhanced to run basic applications with strict planning necessities. LabVIEW Real-Time underpins NI installed equipment that runs either the NI Linux Real-Time, VxWorks, or Phar Lap ETS real-time OS (RTOS).

3. Utilize a Wide Variety of IP and Real-Time Hardware Drivers 

Utilize several prewritten LabVIEW libraries, similar to PID control and FFT, in your remain solitary frameworks. Real-time equipment drivers and LabVIEW APIs are likewise accommodated most NI I/O modules, empowering deterministic data obtaining.
According to the points made above, you realize that real-time module can only bring benefit for you and your company. In the upcoming weeks, you can read about common problems user experience using LabVIEW Real-time module as well as solutions to those problems from our professional LabVIEW experts.

Future of IoT

A large part of the Internet of Things is wireless transceivers combined with sensors, which can exist in almost anything physical – devices, machinery, infrastructure, even clothes. Normally, saying “wireless transceiver combined with sensors” every time would be at least awkward, so such a bulge of the IoT is called a mote. Every mote must have addressability, the state of being uniquely identifiable as well as traceable. The whole system that runs this is known as the Identity of Things (IDoT).

Our cars are already equipped with hundreds, if not thousands of sensors. Soon, they will communicate with the manufacturer for update checks, with other cars (V2V, or vehicle-to-vehicle), with the driver, of course (V2P, or vehicle-to-person), and with basically everything around them (V2I, or vehicle-to-infrastructure), which leads to the creation of IoV – Internet of Vehicles. Our health will be monitored constantly with dozens of both external and internal sensors. I’ve heard this being called BAN – Body Area Network.

Apparently smart TVs and refrigerators are only an introduction to what’s about to come in our homes. Things like Internet-connected security systems, automation systems, robots, and many others are about to go through our door step. You’d like to watch the game or eat out? You’ll be notified which of your friends want to do the same thing, or if they already did it, so you can ask if it’s worthy.

You get the idea. In the end, we’ll have Internet of Everything (IoE), which takes us to the new level and surpasses the nature of IoT where only machines will communicate with each other. We’re also part of the equation.  Welcome to the future, stay connected.

C# Class Libraries in LabVIEW Applications

Knowing how to incorporate C# libraries into a LabVIEW based project can be an extremely helpful apparatus. There are many reasons why you would need to incorporate C# dll's into a LabVIEW extend however the two that surface frequently for me is reusing legacy code that was at first written in C# and composing a C# wrapper when needing to utilize an outsider driver or library.
Some of the time it's less demanding to compose the wrapper in C# and afterward actualize the library specifically in LabVIEW. While interfacing specifically to an outsider driver/library, the LabVIEW code to finish a moderately straightforward assignment can be extremely chaotic and bulky to peruse; subsequently the C# wrapper with basic usage in LabVIEW is my favored technique.
Adding a frame application to your answer permits you to test the library in the environment that it was composed. By testing the dll in C#, you can get prompt input to your dll improvement. On the off chance that there are issues with the dll when you move to LabVIEW, you realize that the usefulness is working so the issue is more than likely in the LabVIEW execution.
A typical bug in LabVIEW is that the callback vi stays held for execution even once the references are shut, the occasion has been unregistered and the application has been halted.
An approach to get around this is to incorporate a summon hub once every one of the references have been shut. Right tap on the conjure hub and select the accompanying: Select Class >> .NET >> Browse >> mscorlib (4.0.0.0) >> System >> GC >>
When this technique is put on the square chart, the callback occasion vi will never again be saved for execution.
In synopsis, this is an extremely straightforward usage of making a C# Class Library, testing it utilizing a C# Form Application and afterward utilizing the Class Library as a part of a LabVIEW extend.

Perl Scripts in LabVIEW

As Perl is not locally upheld by Windows and LabVIEW , different instruments are required keeping in mind the end goal to execute the scripts accurately. As the scripts were produced on Linux, there was never an issue running them building up the LabVIEW application.
Initially, we should have the capacity to execute the Perl scripts on Windows, then we can proceed onward to LabVIEW. The device I am utilizing is called Cygwin.Cygwin is a vast gathering of GNU and Open Source instruments which give usefulness like a Linux circulation on Windows and a DLL (cygwin1.dll) which gives significant POSIX API usefulness.
These steps are all you need to do to install it:
•    Download and install the version you need for your PC
•    Select the Root Directory (C:\Users\gpayne)
•    Select the Local Package directory (C:\cygwin)
•    Select Available Download Sites: http://cygwin.mirror.constant.com
At the point when selecting bundles to ensure you select Perl(under Interpreters Group) and ssh (under Net Group) bundles.
Guaranteed to add the easy route to the desktop . Once introduced, running the easy route on the desktop will open a terminal. The PWD order will give you the area and ought to be the same as set by the Root Directory above. Make a Perl script in that catalog
To execute an outer application from LabVIEW, one path is to utilize the System Exec vi. This spreads executing the application/script, however, Windows is still not ready to run a Perl script in the event that it is just called. The bash help records are additionally useful so from the terminal sort bash - help or bash - c "set".
This would execute the Perl script with bash running in Mint. This was all great until the standard yield was not being accounted for back to LabVIEW.
This is effectively explained by funneling the standard yield from the script to a record and after that get LabVIEW to peruse the document once the script exits. This adds an additional progression, yet by executing the script thusly, it runs and exits neatly without fail, being a great deal more dependable than utilizing the clump document.

How to Make Sure Your LabVIEW Based Project will Succeed

Freelance LabVIEW projects do not have to be a nightmare if you do all the steps necessary and plan ahead. We've prepared this article to help you become a better LabVIEW expert.
Have a procedure, proclaim it, create to it and enhance it. That way your client knows how you work, your engineers comprehend what you anticipate from them. In the event that you go into a venture without a procedure it will be heedless and the more muddled activities will truly battle. On the off chance that you are utilizing contractual workers, you ought to guarantee that they comprehend your procedures.
The hardest part of any venture is completing it off. In any case, this is really the most imperative thing, I know it sounds absurd yet we've brought home the bacon recouping deserted activities. Since forsaking activities is, terrible for client relations!
Not all undertakings go well, we are in the matter of prototyping and bespoke programming is troublesome. It's why professional LabVIEW experts charge a lot.
You will undoubtedly endure a fizzled extend by doling out 5 recently qualified CLAs, straight out of college, with no earlier venture involvement, to anything complex. On the off chance that you relegate a group of architects that have effectively finished different tasks, it will most likely succeed.
Chiefs by and large battle with this idea and I have seen many new LabVIEW developers put under intolerable weight in light of the fact that their organization has paid for the preparation and LabVIEW is simple!
There is an excessive amount of dialog about how some system is better. In all actuality any strategy is superior to none, a system your designers are OK with is a greatly significant thing.
One thing I would add that your strategy should have the capacity to adapt to changes toward the end of the venture.
Discussing hazard, your procedure ought to dependably push hazard to the front. Continuously, dependably, dependably. This can be uncomfortable and normal human intuition is to get moment delight by doing the simple stuff first. So on the off chance that you presume that the clients necessities are not being communicated, then supply models. In the event that equipment issues require comprehending, illuminate them first.

Time Sensitive Networks

In spite of emerging from the stagnant and typically slow moving field of standards bodies, time sensitive networks did not take long to enter the game and bring some key IoT applications,from electrical power grids to autonomous vehicles.
First of all, the difficulties that can exist amongst IT and OT aggregates inside associations aren't simply basic or philosophical—they can be specialized as well. By interfacing a control arrange running a few electrical "fans" to an IT system that conveyed some video movement without incorporating support for the sort of basic planning synchronization abilities that Time delicate systems offer, the operation of the control system was adversely affected. In any case, by utilizing the TSN bolster, alongside an arrangement of TSN-empowered switches, the two systems could gently exist together. The time-delicate control information was conveyed in a synchronous way over the system to keep up smooth operation of the fans, and the video activity proceeded too.
It is vital to synchronize free power sources keeping in mind the end goal to keep up a steady power framework. New wellsprings of force being added to the matrix, for example, wind and sun oriented, frequently touch base out of the stage with the current framework, making it hard to exploit these undeniably imperative new assets. In any case, by utilizing the planning and synchronization work, the augmentations can be made flawlessly.
Thinking about the future, it’s not hard to picture that time sensitive networks are going to be an essential part of industrial IoT applications in manufacturing and a whole lot of other areas. From the customer’s point of view, time sensitive networks will be the crucial part of the automotive world. Seems like great news for data acquisition and all LabVIEW experts.

Say NO to Fixed Price Jobs and Tight Deadlines

Yes, the headline is both for employers looking for LabVIEW experts as well as for LabVIEW developers. Why stop there, this may be applied to all freelance programmers. Now, giving such an advice cannot finish here, you’re probably asking why.

Quality?

I’ve seen hundreds of employers looking for high-quality work with either a low budget or a fixed amount. It doesn’t work that way. Excellence is achieved after hours and hours spent programming, testing, debugging, pulling your hair and nervously holding your hand not to punch the screen. A fixed price project will tie the hands of any professional LabVIEW expert. Hours bring value.

Deadline?

Similarly to the paragraph above, the tight deadline will not provide the quality you’ve wanted. And we all know that LabVIEW based projects cannot end well when the deadline is tight, which is usually the case with fixed-price jobs.

Earnings?

Requesting to be paid per hour is not a cheap trick to pull out as much money as possible, it’s simply to ensure that LabVIEW consultant or expert, as well as the employer, receive what they deserve – A product worthy of what it’s paid for.

Why?

Like you’ve (probably) asked this question at the start of the article, you need to ask the same question over and over again. Why does it need to be finished by this date? Why do you need so many hours to work on it? It goes on both sides and it should remove the slightest possibility of any misunderstandings that may occur.
At the end, none is going to remember you as the guy who delivered work on time, you get remembered by delivering the highest possible quality. That’s how LabVIEW freelance projects will allow you to create a name to  remember.

Quick Drop

What’s the tool in LabVIEW that most new users don’t even know about, and experienced LabVIEW developers don’t appreciate enough? It’s Quick Drop. Let us try to introduce the tool to you and change the way you work with LabVIEW, for better, of course.
Quick Drop was introduced in 2009 with a mission to improve our productivity. Those who are not familiar with the tool are probably placing every new element on Block Diagram or Front Panel through Control Palette. The whole experience of placing a new node is pretty long.
On the other hand, Quick Drop makes this process extremely simple and it takes only a few seconds to learn how to use it.
Here are the basic steps of using Quick Drop:
•    Go to the Block Diagram (or Front Panel in case you want to place a control or an indicator)
•    Press Ctrl + Space shortcut
•    Name the function and hit enter
•    Place it at the desired location
Yes, it’s that simple. Why not try it now?

Quick Drop Shortcuts

Quick Drop’s default settings come with some extra keyboard shortcuts, and all of the are thoroughly described in LabVIEW help section.
Although it is difficult to understand for most of the new users and even for some of the more experienced LabVIEW experts, the advantages of using these shortcuts are huge.
The strength of Quick Drop is huge, and we hope you find this introductory guide helpful. However, this is not the end of it. Quick Drop comes with dozens of other, useful features which we may preview in some of our future blog posts.
Until then, work hard on your way to becoming a professional LabVIEW expert, who knows, you may be soon working as a freelance LabVIEW consultant!

What Could Happen During an Attempt to Hire a LabVIEW Consultant – The Answer

Truth be told, after more than fifteen years required in the test and estimations industry, I do see that connection between's various LabVIEW developers. Presently, we should comprehend what this distinction means with more substantial numbers. For straightforwardness of examination, we might expect that a specialist in LabVIEW and test and estimations, in this alluded as Programmer An, is 10 times more effective than a lesser master, named Programmer B. How about we now expect that Programmer A's going rate is $150/h, though Programmer B charges $15/h for his time. These are numbers that are not absolutely out of reality, as one can conceivably discover seaward LabVIEW software engineers charging figures near $15/h.

In considering the productivity calculate, an errand that would take Programmer A 100 hours and cost the organization a sum of $15,000, would be finished by Programmer B at 10 a.m. and cost the team the same $15,000. Presently, there are a few great contrasts in the yield of the two methodologies. The primary evident one is the open door cost. It would take the organization two and half weeks to achieve the right objective if utilizing Programmer A. It would take software engineer B more than six months to achieve the same purpose. In today's market surroundings of outrageous rivalry, this additional postponement in finishing a venture can cost an organization a huge number of dollars.

Another indicate that requirements are made the official establishment of the LabVIEW code base that is made by Programmer A versus the one created by Programmer B. Proficiency typically accompanies years of involvement in executing certain activities. An amazingly skilled software engineer realizes that a decent design is a thing that spares time toward the end. In this manner, Programmer A will in all probability convey something that is efficiently expandable, viable, particular and reusable. While, Programmer B will in all likelihood have burrow vision to the job needing to be done and will convey utilitarian code to the necessities, yet the code base will presumably not be as robust as the one created by his partner. The additional cost the organization will need to acquire with approach B will get to be evident in any overhaul or retrofit extend that obliges somebody to adjust the first code base.

What I am proposing here is that you get what you pay for. Hence, an hourly rate is not the most ideal approach to choose will's identify the best pick for a LabVIEW extend. Ensure you see how balanced the advisor is on test and estimations. In handy terms, take a gander at the expert's experience past simply the LabVIEW aptitudes. Comprehend the ventures the expert has encounter working with and also his investment administration abilities. Attempt to adjust your industry to an expert who took a shot at applications for the same business and ones who had the chance to work at a venture chief limit too. The most balanced experts will be the ones who will expand the arrival of the venture to the organization.

What Could Happen During an Attempt to Hire a LabVIEW Consultant – The Question

With LabVIEW rapidly turning into the standard application environment for test and estimations applications, clearly, a much higher number of LabVIEW software engineers are presently accessible to be procured than in past years. National Instruments has made an extraordinary showing with regards to in elevating LabVIEW to more active and more youthful children from school age the distance down to center school. The repercussion of that exertion is a much more noteworthy reception of LabVIEW by the up and coming era of researchers and architects.
This is admittedly impressive for the general test and estimations group as I am a major devotee to the force of solid rivalry as an approach to enhance an industry. Be that as it may, one quick propensity that is beginning to come to fruition is the commoditization of LabVIEW software engineers. This is fundamentals financial matters, the all the more something is made accessible, the less expensive it typically gets to be.
Also, with the lever globalization our reality has, and it will keep on achieving, it has gotten to be workable for individuals from all edges of the planet to associate by and by and professionally. The straightforwardness in association in addition to the way that LabVIEW has now an exceptionally solid worldwide client base have made accessible an incredible number of LabVIEW software engineers to organizations needing administrations.
So the question turns out to be how to procure the best LabVIEW software engineer for the occupation?
With LabVIEW turning into consistently and all the more capable programming dialect, it is reasonable for doing an examination of productivity in light of numbers from the Software building group. Numbers from the Software designing group recommend that a to a high degree capable master in a programming situation can be anyplace between 100-500 times more proficient than somebody who is only acquainted with the same environment.

The Traits of a Quality Software Engineer

Programming advancement (or PC writing computer programs) is much similar to understanding the Rubik's Cube. I'll clarify what I mean.
There are two sorts of "Rubik's Cubist." The first type likes to discover from others how to understand it (utilizing a standard arrangement of moves), yet then practices these moves until they can unravel it without fall flat unfailingly.
The second sort responds to the call of unraveling the confuse sans preparation without offer assistance. This is clearly entangled and requires some serious energy and tolerance.
Programming improvement is a blend of these two procedures. By far most of the projects require a considerable amount of standard capacities, for example, record taking care of functions. The engineer needs to know these, much the same as the first kind of cubist needs to know the standard moves.
Be that as it may, practically every program has highlights that are interesting to it, and that should be made sense of precisely. A case of this would be the abnormal state structure, which is typically extraordinary to every program. A decent designer knows the standard instruments and can utilize them fittingly, however, can likewise take care of precarious rationale issues that are exclusive to the program he or she is creating.
A few cubists of the first sort have taken things to extremes and unravel the 3D shape in only a few moments, the present world record being 4.9 seconds.
Correspondingly, the best engineers are constantly quick to do things in the speediest and most efficient way. Strangely, when speed cubists tackle the solid shape, they concentrate on it for maybe 20 or 30 seconds before beginning. Similarly, great engineers realize that a lot of planning, as outlined work, is required before jumping into coding.
Finally, the cubist works autonomously of others. However, the best programming engineers are great at teaming up with other individuals who are included in the venture in general, for example, advertising specialists, administration and at times clients and different designers.
So in rundown, my attributes of good programming engineers are:
•    A decent learning of their dialect, including the standard building pieces they will utilize
•    A capacity to tackle precarious rationale issues
•    A cointense work rapidly and efficiently
•    A capacity to work together adequately with different experts who are included in the venture