ITM Blog Posts

The Blog Post category contains blog posts associated with ITM’s testing services, LabVIEW programming, Test & Measurement Hardware, Boiler Monitoring Systems, and iTestSystem applications.

ITM Helps Miami University Students Succeed SAE Baja

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The students and advisors huddled around the computer react as they watch the signal yield an immediate spike within ITM’s iTestSystem software…

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LabVIEW Channel: Splitter Bars

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Figure 1: Example LabVIEW Front panel with Splitter Bars



In some of my earlier LabVIEW channel blogs I showed how to use a subpanel to build scalable module user interfaces.  This blog describes another front panel layout tool for creating professional scalable user interfaces – the splitter bar.  Splitter bars allow the user to resize the adjacent panes while an application runs.  NI explains the functionality of configure of splitter bars here.

The labVIEW example described below shows how splitters can be moved programmatically to create clean professional user interfaces.  This VI contains five (5) controls/indicators and two (2) splitter bars on the front panel.  A listbox is used to select which channels are displayed in the graph, while a table displays each channel’s statistics.  Each splitter bar’s position is controlled by a radio button containing two buttons (left and right for the vertical splitter and up  and down for the horizontal splitter).  When a splitter control button is initially pressed, its respective splitter bar snaps to the edge of the window and hiding the listbox or table.  When pressed again, the respective splitter moves back to its original position revealing the listbox or table.

Figure 2: Programmatically move splitter bars.

Try the LabVIEW snippet above to see the splitter functionality.  When you drop this snippet into a new VI, you will have to add  vertical and horizontal splitters to the VI. See figure 1 for a reference for where to place the splitters. Right click on the splitter to get a reference to each splitter, left pane and bottom pane to run the VI.  Wire these references into the appropriate bundle function.  Set the graph to scale with panel.  Do not set the listbox and table to scale with pane.

For more information about this splitter example, or our LabVIEW programming services contact Mark Yeager @ (844) 837-8797 x7041.  You can also email me at mark.yeager@itestsystem.com if you would like me to send you the example vi or download it here.

Identify Damaging Events with Statistical Analysis

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Quickly Identify Significant Events in Large Data Sets with Statistical Analysis

Use statistical analysis for TestView Plus and Automated Analytics to extract statistics like minimum, maximum, and mean from each sensor.  The results of the selectable analysis is embedded within the data file as searchable meta data.

Automated Analytics users can quickly identify data files within large data sets that contain sensor events of interest.  When paired with Trigger Analysis and the Notification Service, these data files can be automatically selected and sent via email in remote monitoring applications.

About iTestSystem 

iTestSystem is an engineering measurement software platform that enables test engineers to organize, acquire, view, and analyze data from machinery, processes, vehicles and other complex systems.  iTestSystem was specifically designed for use with NI cDAQ or FieldDAQ hardware for data collection and data logging. 

For more information about our iTestSystem or ITM’s testing services, contact Ryan Welker @ (844) 837-8797 x702.

Acosense & ITM Present @ TappiCon 2021

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Come see us in the TappiCon 2021 Exhibit Hall at the Acosense Booth 769!

ITM’s Ryan Welker and Josh Fishback will be there representing both Acosense AB and ITM  to showcase and answer questions about Acosense’s Acospector Acoustic Chemometer, a Clamp-on instrument measuring complex fluids in the process industry, and ITM’s boiler monitoring solutions.

When: October 3-6th

Where: TappiCon 2021

Cobb Galleria Centre
2 Galleria Pkwy SE
Atlanta, GA 30339

LabVIEW Channel: Sorting Cluster Arrays

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Figure 1: Table with Sortable Columns.



Our LabVIEW programmers are often asked to build user interfaces to interact with configuration settings, data sets, file metadata, and databases.  Some examples of these interactive interfaces include, sorting data by parameters, plotting the top ten vibration peaks from a data set, or searching through data files for strain channels that exceed standard limits.

In LabVIEW, these types of data sets can be represented on the block diagram as an arrays of clusters.  A cluster is a LabVIEW data type that groups data elements of mixed types. A cluster is similar to a record or a struct in text-based programming languages.  An array is a group data elements of the same type. An array consists of elements and dimensions.

The VI shown in Figures 1 & 2 contains a table that is sorted when you double click on a column header.  The VI snippet in Figure 2 contains the VI with subvis removed.

Sortable Table VI Snippet Updated

Figure 2: Sortable Table VI Snippet

The VI snippet in Figure 3 contains some example array cluster sorting examples.  By Default A cluster is sorted by the first element and if there is a match the second element is used and so on. To control the sort priority, unbundle the elements you want to sort by then bundle them back above the original cluster. This new cluster can then be sent to the Sort 1D array VI.

Figure 3: Sort Cluster Array Examples VI Snippet.

For more information about interacting with large data sets in LabVIEW, or our LabVIEW programming services contact Chase Petzinger @ (844) 837-8797 x704.

LabVIEW Subpanel

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Figure 1 – Radio Button control of VI insertion into subpanel.

 

One control combination that our LabVIEW development team uses to build modular adaptive user interfaces is the radio button, subpanel pairing.  Using the radio button to switch between vis displayed in a subpanel essentially allows you to  make a tab control that scales with the front panel during resizing events.

I built the vi shown in Figures 1 & 2 (linked here) to demonstrate how to insert dynamically called vi’s front panels into a subpanel.  In this example each radio button inserts a different 3D graph example vi into the subpanel by its reference.

Since the vis used in the subpanel are called dynamically, some extra steps may be required to build the exe.  The link below shows how to build an exe that uses dynamically called vis using the application builder.  I have also included some path tips that are useful when building LabVIEW executables (exe).

Related Link: Integration of Sub-Panel in the Front Panel of LabVIEW Executable – National Instruments (ni.com)

Figure 2 – Inserting a VI into a subpanel block diagram.Steps for Inserting a VI into a Subpanel

  1. Assign VI Name to a Button or Tree Item.
  2. Insert File Name into the Relative Path containing VIs to show in the Sub Panel.  See Notes
  3. Open a reference to the VI.
  4. If the VI is in the Idle state then run the VI.
  5. Insert VI into the Subpanel via a reference.

Notes

  • “..” will cause the Build Path VI to strip path once.
  • \ One extra \ is required per folder because the format into string function interprets backslashes as escape characters.

You can also use a tree control instead of a radio button to control which vi is inserted into the control panel.  An example of this method is illustrated in a previous blog titled “Building a Modern User Interface in LabVIEW“.   The vi shown in that blog uses a similar technique for building and selecting the which vi will be inserted into the subpanel.

Figure 3 – Insert VI into subpanel snippet.

Figure 3 above is a vi snippet of the Insert VI invoke node for a Subpanel. If you already have a subpanel, right click on the subpanel, create a reference and wire it to the subpanel invoke node.

To learn more about subpanels, other LabVIEW programming techniques, iTestSystem or our LabVIEW programming services contact Mark Yeager  @(844) 837-8797.

Vibration Data Integration Analysis

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Simplify Acceleration Conversions with iTestSystem’s Integration Analysis Tool 

Like many features in iTestSystem, the Integration Analysis tool was created because customers requested it. After all, who doesn’t like features that make the math easier?

In this blog, a new series by ITM, we’ll share some details about Integration Analysis, one of the features within TestView Plus, the project based data viewing function within iTestSystem. 

For engineers who are gathering vibration data, it makes perfect sense to have a simple way to convert acceleration into units of velocity or units of displacement since those are the most common specs.

Enter the Integration Analysis function. Simply open TestView Plus, drop down the “Analysis” tab and select “Integration.” Once there, adjust the settings to either “Single Integration” for velocity or “Double Integration” for displacement. In a couple of additional clicks, you can also specify your desired units and adjust the high cutoff frequency to filter low frequency data. 

The next time you are gathering data using accelerometers, let iTestSystem simplify all those conversions with Integration Analysis.  

About iTestSystem 

iTestSystem is an engineering measurement software platform that enables test engineers to organize, acquire, view, and analyze data from machinery, processes, vehicles and other complex systems. iTestSystem was specifically designed for use with National Instruments (NI) cDAQ or FieldDAQ hardware for data collection and data logging.    

For more information about our iTestSystem or ITM’s testing services, contact Ryan Welker @ (844) 837-8797 x702. 

LabVIEW Dialog Snippet

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Figure 1 – Framework for Simple Dialog VI Snippet

Here is a trick for creating a simple dialog in LabVIEW. Follow these simple steps to quickly create your next dialog in less than a minute. 

  1. Create a New VI .
  2. Drop the VI Snippet (Figure 1) above on the block diagram.
  3. Update the Window Appearance setting in VI properties to dialog (see Figure 2 below).
  4. Optional: Update with a Custom Window title.
  5. Save and run the VI.

Figure 2 – VI Properties/Windows Appearance

In the dialog template snippet I also used another useful snippet – the error case structure.  This simple VI snippet will help you save time with your next project.

What’s next? 

Common snippets for folder creation and cluster sorting.

Engineering Data Acquisition Tools: NI-9237 Bridge Input Module

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For bridge type sensors and most strain gauges configurations (full and half bridges), our engineers will opt for the NI-9237 C-Series module to acquire strain and bridge data instead of the NI-9235 or NI-9236 modules.  Unlike the NI-9236 module, the NI-9237 can acquire data from:

  • Any resistance strain gauge (not just 120 or 350 Ohm)
  • Quarter, half, and full-bridge strain gauge configurations
  • Torque and load cells (off-the-shelf and custom)

The NI-9237 is a 4-Channel C Series strain/bridge input module that contains circuitry to power, scale and calibrate strain and load sensors .  For quarter and some half bridge measurements a bridge completion module must be used in conjunction with this module. The NI-9237 module provides internal bridge excitation (2.5V, 3.3V, 5V, or 10V) and shunt calibration resistors for sensor scaling verification. To collect synchronized and scaled high-speed (50kHz) structure strain and load cell data, use our iTestSystem engineering measurement software.

For more information about the NI-9237, DAQ module rental, strain gauge installations or our data logging solution iTestSystem, contact Ryan Welker via email: ryan.welker@itestsystem.com or phone: (844) 837-8797 x706.