Abstract:

Although LABVIEW is well known for its ability to generate custom applications with graphical user interfaces, its main strength lies in its compatibility with a wide variety of third-party hardware and software. LABVIEW instrument drivers exist for hundreds of devices from manufacturers such as Hewlett--Packard, Tektronix, Keithley, B&K, Wavetek, and Tucker--Davis. These instrument drivers and its support for OLE, DDE, and the GPIB protocol enable LABVIEW to control complex measurement systems containing a wide variety of devices. Data analysis is facilitated by built-in functions for digital filtering, signal processing, and many common statistical operations. This paper discusses some of the basic features of LABVIEW as well as a specific application: the use of LABVIEW to control an integrated testing environment developed to measure the acoustically-induced motions of the peripheral auditory organs in bony fishes using a noninvasive ultrasonic measurement system. In this application, a personal computer running LABVIEW was used to control and coordinate the measurement system, which included a DSP board, motorized positioning system, and video capture board. The PC also contained a GPIB interface, which was used to interface LABVIEW with a spectrum analyzer, lock-in amplifier, oscilloscope, digital multimeter, and function generator. [Work supported by ONR.]