3rd International Conference on Management, Education, Information and Control (MEICI 2015)

The Design of Teaching Experiment System Based on Virtual Instrument

Technology

Dayong Huo
Department of Physics, Kashgar Teachers College, Kashgar, 844006, China
hnnyhdy@163.com

Keywords: Virtual Instrument;; LabVIEW; Teaching Experiment;Data Acquisition

Abstract. In the paper, a set of teaching experiment system based on virtual instrument technology is
developed. Because the current experimental teaching system in technological college faces many
important challenges, for example, the equipment gets obsolete, and the cost to construct or maintain
the laboratories becomes higher, etc. Therefore, it is essential to improve the current teaching
experimental system effectively. In the system, LabVIEW software serves as the development
platform, and the external data acquisition is realized by DAQ card. This system can apply to the signal
testing technology courses, so the researchers can simulate the signal system response, digital filters,
signal generators, oscilloscopes and signal processing experiments, and the operation result can be
stored, shown, or printed.

Introduction
Experiment is an extremely important tool to improve the students' practical ability and innovation
capacity in engineering colleges. In recent years, the expansion of college enrollment has brought
tremendous pressure to experimental teaching. Traditional practice education has been unable to meet
the teaching requirements under the new situation. The current experimental teaching system in
college faces many important challenges, for example, the equipment gets obsolete the cost to
construct or maintain the laboratory becomes higher, and theoretical knowledge and practical teaching
becomes separated. Therefore, it is urgent to look for the experimental apparatus with low cost, high
performance and good scalability, which can stimulate students' interest [1].
The laboratory based on virtual instrument technology can meet the demands of various
experiments with the computers and matching software. This laboratory will reduce the construction
investment, while it improves laboratory utilization with the use of powerful computers. Most
experiments can be realized only in the PC virtual front panel, and the students simply use the mouse to
make the experimental options. Therefore, the equipment damage due to misuse of the instruments
may be avoided. Furthermore, the physical impairment of the instruments can be eliminated [2].

Virtual Instrument and Development Software ‘LabVIEW’

National Instruments had proposed the concept of virtual instruments at first in 1980s, and at the same
time they launched the corresponding development software named LabVIEW. LabVIEW is one of
the graphic programming languages written in G program, which is produced in block diagram form.
The term, icons and concepts used in the program are familiar to the technical personnel, scientists and
engineers as far as possible, thus the programming process becomes simple and intuitive [3].
"Software is the instrument". This idea became a reality because of the emergence of virtual
instruments. The virtual instruments combined the hardware with application software through the
computers. The users can operate this computer via a friendly graphical interface, just like they handle
an instrument by their own definition or design. Then the virtual instruments can achieve the functions
including data collection, analysis, judgment, display, storage, etc. Thus the instrument panel is virtual,
and the measurement functions are realized by the software. The function of the virtual instruments

© 2015. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press 53

can be divided into three modules including data acquisition, data analysis and result display, as shown
in Figure 1.

DAQ card network

signal processing
transmission

GPIB instrument digital

copy
filtering
VXI instrument statistics file I/O

RS322 graphical user

analyzation
interface

Date Collection Data Analysis and Processing Result Display

Figure. 1 Virtual Instrument Function Module Partition

Overall Functional Design

This system uses a modular idea to design three signal input modes with the software LabVIEW. The
input modes include the data acquisition card hardware input mode, NI DAQ assistant analog
hardware input mode, and LabVIEW signal processing mode. The software can analyze the input
signals, and the output result is indicated on the front panel in data or graphical form. The main
function of the system is illustrated in Figure 2.
one order system
system response
analysis
second-order system

digital filter
teaching waveform
experiment subtraction
system
oscilloscope
based on waveform combined
virtual
instrument
signal generator correlation analysis

FFT spectrum
digital signal
processing waveform measurement

modulation and
demodulation

Figure. 2 The Whole System Functions Framework

The main features of the system include the following five categories: response analysis, digital
filters, oscilloscopes, signal generators and digital signal processing function. In the module of system
response analysis, the paper can complete the first-order and second-order system response analysis. In
the digital signal processing module, the paper can complete the multi-channel input signal analysis,
such as signal spectrum analysis, correlation analysis, modulation and demodulation, etc. Each module
has been designed with data storage capacity in order to facilitate further processing of data, and then
the paper can save the result in the form of graphics or data [4].

Composition of Virtual Experiment System

The system comprises of software and hardware components. The hardware includes the data acquisition
card, external input, and PC machines. The PCI data acquisition card is the core component of the system

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hardware, which is used to transfer and process the data of external input. The main part of the software is
based on LabVIEW 8.6 to develop the necessary procedures.
Hardware configuration. The system utilizes a PCI-1802H multifunction data acquisition card,
which can be plugged into the computer's PCI slots directly. The performance of the card affects the
running accuracy and timeliness of the whole system. The PCI-1802H card can achieve a smooth
continuous data acquisition 330KHz under DOS and windows environment. It includes two 12-bit D / A
output channels, 16 digital input channels and 16 digital output channels. Meanwhile, the PCI-1802H
card offers 32 single-ended or 16 differential inputs.
The „Magic Scan‟ function is an innovative design in this DAQ card. Under the function, the system
can scan the different input channels at a huge difference rate, and its gain is different. Even when the
system scans the multi-channels, the sampling rate can be maintained at 330KS / s.
Software constitutes. Through the use of LabVIEW 8.6, the software system can drive data
acquisition card. In addition, the software system can accomplish the input signal analysis, processing,
storage, and complete the system interface design.
The system has three optional modes to input signals. External hardware input mode is offered to the
students. External hardware can be a variety of sensor signals or student-produced circuit signals. For
example, the circuit signals designed by the students can be verified and displayed in the oscilloscope of
the system, and the corresponding signal analysis can be proceeded simultaneously. The signals can be
collected by the data acquisition card through the I/O channels, then they are inputed into the system after
the A/D or D/A conversion. The flow of data acquisition is illustrated in Figure 3. The data acquisition
card can work in various drive modes. In this system, LabVIEW provides call library functions (CLF).
Then the paper can use the dynamic link library to drive the data acquisition card [5].

Figure 3 The Flow of Data Acquisition

If you do not have the data acquisition card, you can use NI-DAQ to simulate the desired voltage or
current signal input as generated by the hardware. NI-DAQ can simulate various types of data acquisition
card, and set the parameters of the analog channels with the LabVIEW software.
Because LabVIEW has a powerful signal analysis function, the other signal sources in this system are
the signal module of the software.
The main interface of the system is convenient for the students to apply. LabVIEW can bring together
the various sub-functions of the system to the main interface for teachers and students to choose.

Application Examples
This example is an experiment with signal processing functions. The experiment can analyze the single or
dual channel input signals, and students can choose as needed.
The signal processing module can display and analyze each input signals. Compared with the
traditional oscilloscope or signal analyzers, the module has many advantages of low price, multifunction,
programmability and visual display, etc. This system can display the collected signal in real time through
“Waveform Graphs”, then save the waveform as LVM file with “Write To Measurement File”. Therefore,
the basic "store" function is realized. Vice versa, the system can read the display via “Read To
Measurement File LVM”, thus complete the "echo" function.

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 If the system is built on the PC and capture card, the oscilloscope may have some restrictions on the
sampling rate, bandwidth, resolution and other parameters. The response time of the procedures depends
on the PC configurations. The main functions are listed as follows.
 Real-time Display: The input signals can be collected by the signal acquisition card, and displayed
on a PC terminal in real time.
 Digital Filter: This digital filter is used to process the signals and display the result in real time.
Arbitrarily we can set all kinds of parameters including the best approximation function type, the
filter type and order, upper and lower cut-off frequency, etc.
 Waveform Display: The system can realize the transient waveform display, and you can save the
transient waveform.
 Waveform Storage: At any time we may store the original signals or the processed signals on the
local hard disk in LVM file form, which is unique in the LabVIEW. The transient signal can be
saved on the local hard disk in BMP image formats for later viewing or analysis.
 Waveform Reappearance: The waveform files stored in LVM format can be read at any time, then
displayed on the PC side.
 Spectrum Analysis: After the filter process of the signals, the amplitude-frequency response
analysis and phase-frequency response analysis are performed, and the real-time waveform
display is realized.

Conclusion
The paper has established a virtual instrument experimental teaching system, which facilitates the
students‟ experimental operation on the same computer interface. Given the enormous data computing
and signal processing functions of the computer with LabVIEW software, the paper can also connect
the system to other software, such as MATLAB, VC + +, etc. Compared to the conventional laboratory
equipments, the system can save instrument hardware costs significantly. At the same time, the system
is convenient for the operator to process further development, which provides a new method to
develop students' practical ability, design ability and creativity.

References
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