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.

Weed Out Unwanted Data with Filter Analysis

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For engineers, the faster one can weed out the noise, the more efficiently one can deliver actual solutions.

The software architects at Integrated Test & Measurement have added new plugin technology to  iTestSystem, their proprietary engineering measurement software platform, to enhance the user experience by allowing users to analyze data faster by filtering frequencies simply.

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

Once you’ve configured your test using NI MultiDAQ hardware and begun logging strain gauge and accelerometer data, it is time to do an FFT (fast Fourier transform) Analysis to further analyze your signals for frequency information to learn how the system you are testing is actually vibrating.

As part of that process, the Filter Analysis plugin allows users to filter out unwanted frequencies — say anything over 100 Hz — which only requires checking a simple low-pass filter option, a tool embedded right within TestView Plus.

Without leaving TestView Plus, you can simply choose which signals you wish to view, configure a few options on the screen and click the FFT button to output helpful data files for your report or plot directly within TestView Plus to begin isolating specific vibration issues.

Stay tuned for additional iTestSystem features.

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 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.

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LabVIEW VI Snippets

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If you’ve ever managed or work with a team of programmers, you realize that each person has their own programming style.  If programming team members always use their own code and style, they cannot develop code effectively.

A critical practice for getting programming teams to work efficiently is code re-use.  In LabVIEW there are many ways to implement code re-use.  In this blog I decided to revisit one of these code re-use strategies, the VI Snippet.  

What is a VI Snippet? 

“VI Snippets are a way to store, share and reuse small portions of LabVIEW code. VI Snippets combine the portability of a screenshot with the functionality of a VI file by embedding LabVIEW code in a standard PNG image. When you drag a VI Snippet PNG image onto the block diagram it will drop the snippet as graphical code that can be edited and used in your application.” More on that here (Using VI Snippets to Store and Share Reusable Code Sections – National Instruments) 

Figure 1 – VI Snippet DateTime String

Note: This image is a LabVIEW snippet, which includes LabVIEW code that you can reuse in your project. To use a snippet, right-click the image, save it to your computer, and drag the file onto your LabVIEW diagram. 

Introducing Snippets in my workflow 

At the surface, the Snippet is a cool way to share and reuse frequently used code. Similar to my userlib folder where I store my vi libraries, I have a folder on my computer where I catalog my snippets in subfolders (e.g. general, frameworks, arrays, tdms, SQLite, DAQmx, etc.) so that they can be located with minimal effort. Actually, I have two locations on my computer that I store snippets: A private folder that I use as my personnel sandbox and a public folder that I share with my team. As with any collaboration or shared repository, you must be discipline or you will experience chaos. Our LabVIEW development team meets weekly for code reviews, discusses new projects, and to share best practices. At the end of every meeting, we invite team members to share any new vis and/or snippets they would like to add to the team’s repository.  

My first Snippet 

25 years ago, when I first started wiring G code, it was not such a big deal connecting all of those wires on the Block Diagram. However, as time passes and my eyes require a bigger monitor, I look for any hack that I can muster to limit the time spent wiring clusters and arrays. To that end I offer up the prewired Bundle By Name /Array. 

Figure 2 – Bundle/Unbundle/Build Array – Prewire

What’s next? 

How I use VI Snippets to make quick user dialogs.  

Vehicle Component Testing

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…more than a thousand miles away. A display of gauges, needles and dials showed precisely how their product performed during every day over-the-road stress.

Read more

Introducing the LabVIEW Channel

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I would like to introduce the ITM LabVIEW Channel, a series of blog posts related to building efficiencies in LabVIEW. In the weeks and months ahead my team and I will share past insights, lessons learned, and explore new programming concepts. This will be a sand box of sorts with a focus on solving problems using LabVIEW.

Please join us on our new LabVIEW Channel and subscribe below.

Preview What’s Next: VI Snippets

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Going Old School to Deliver New Solutions

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High-tech measurement systems? Not a problem.

Complex data acquisition or custom software solutions? Right in our wheelhouse.

At ITM, these kinds of challenges have become commonplace in our lab, but one recent project that hit our doorstep stretched our engineers, and not for the reasons you may be thinking.

Our customer wanted an old-school manual operator control station. Think classic-style red and green, push-button start and stop controls, which they wanted to energize various parts of a large test cell for a military marine application.

The ask was a bit out of ITM’s typical range of services simply because most systems they develop don’t require manual control stations to run their equipment. Instead, their customers usually opt for computer-controlled testing, which ITM crafts regularly. Still, the job required a complete CAD design, a custom cabinet enclosure and hundreds of electrical components to be designed and assembled, which our team successfully delivered to the satisfaction of the client.

Modern Integration

The same customer also wanted to be able to collect complex data from the tests, and ITM, of course, delivered on this challenge as well thanks to its proprietary iTestSystem software, which computer engineer Chase Petzinger deployed to build a custom DAQ. 

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 rugged measurement systems. iTestSystem was specifically designed for use with NI cDAQ or FieldDAQ hardware for data collection and data logging, so it was no stretch to equip it to pull down data from the military equipment test. 

In the end, the job required running new-school modern technology to handle the data collection and reporting simultaneously alongside the old-school analog operator control panel. From successfully assembling hundreds of electrical components to deploying custom software that can handle hundreds of channels of data from a wide variety of sensors at once, ITM truly showed its range on this project.

Control System Video

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

iTestSystem Application: Configuration

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Turn Weeks Into Hours with iTestSystem’s Configuration Feature 

If you are like most engineers, the last thing you want to do is spend hours upon hours configuring your project, your hardware and your sensors before gathering important data.

The team at Integrated Test & Measurement (ITM) has been there. In fact, they grew so tired of repeating all those monotonous configurations when setting up NI cDAQ and NI FieldDAQ hardware that they built their own custom software known as iTestSystem to simplify the experience.

In this blog, a new series by ITM, we’ll share details about Configuration, the core feature of iTestSystem and a driving reason their software engineers first dreamed it up clear back in 2007.

Imagine opening a single screen to set up your entire test — from the hardware you are using to all the sensors you are employing to how you are planning to take the data. With iTestSystem’s Configuration feature these things are not only possible, they are reusable. In other words, you set up your hardware and configure your channels once, and all future applications can reuse the same setup.

iTestSystem users are used to heading to the Configuration screen not just to set up their MultiDAQ tests but also to calibrate, zero and test their sensors to be sure everything is working and connected correctly prior to going into a test. It is also a simple way to preview all your channels.

Managing tests has never been easier, even when taking thousands of channels of data. You can even save and share your test setup with others. And, best of all, iTestSystem is a free download, so anyone can take advantage of the massive time savings — turning weeks of work into hours of work.

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.

Reduce File Size with Resample Analysis

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Going Small Can Yield Big Results Thanks to Resample Analysis Feature 

While it may seem counterintuitive to those used to gathering massive data files to solve complex engineering challenges, certain situations actually require gathering smaller files if you want to run a successful test. 

For example, certain tests require gathering data on remote machinery over multiple months. In that instance, the onboard hard drive that’s storing the data will simply run out of space if you are gathering data at a high sample rate.  

The team at Integrated Test and Measurement anticipated such needs. In this blog, a new series by ITM, we’ll share some details about Resample Analysis, one of the features within TestView Plus, the project based data viewing function within iTestSystem. 

Though simple, the Resample Analysis function allows you to perform a powerful function — to greatly reduce file sizes while maintaining an accurate picture of the information gathered. With one click, raw files that were saving at 20 MB and larger are reduced to less than 1 MB, yet your engineers will still be able to capture an accurate picture of the test. 

The process is easy. Open TestView Plus, add a channel, plot some data and click the Resample feature, just remember to also use the Filtering feature to avoid aliasing your data. Though you are sacrificing frequency content, you are gaining data storage, and the data will still tell you the big picture of what’s happening.  

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. 

Use FFT Analysis in iTestSystem to Pinpoint Vibration Issues

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Simplifying Process for FFT Analysis using iTestSystem to Pinpoint Vibration Issues 

The software engineers at Integrate Test & Measurement are constantly looking for ways to enhance and simplify your experience using iTestSystem, their proprietary engineering measurement software platform.

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

Are you one who tires of gathering vibration data in one tool then having to port it over to a whole separate tool to analyze the signal data? Thanks to plugin functionality in the latest version of iTestSystem, you can now manage both functions all from the same screen.

Once you’ve configured your test using NI MultiDAQ hardware and begun logging strain gauge and accelerometer data, it is time to do FFT (fast Fourier transform) Analysis to further analyze your signals for frequency information to learn how the system you are testing is actually vibrating.  Without leaving TestView Plus, you can simply choose which signals you wish to view, configure a few options on the screen and click the convenient FFT button to output helpful data files for your report or plot directly within TestView Plus to begin isolating specific vibration issues.

Stay tuned for additional iTestSystem features, including a plugin that allows Filter Analysis to quickly weed out unwanted frequencies. 

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.

Video: ITM Delivers Engineering Measurement Solutions

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Check out this awesome video that describes how our testing services group provides engineering measurement solutions to our customers around the world.  We’ve been at it for twenty (20) years today!

For more information about out strain gauging and testing services, contact Ryan Welker at (844) 837-8797 x702.