LabVIEW launches
21 Sep 2006
LabVIEW 8.20 is the 20th anniversary edition of National Instruments' graphical system design platform for control, test and embedded system development. It enhances industrial measurement capabilities with new features designed for advanced analysis and control, improved distributed system management and new targets for human-machine interfaces (HMIs).
The new LabVIEW Touch Panel Module, along with shared variable capabilities for communicating with hand-held devices, makes it possible for automation engineers to quickly add Windows CE-based HMIs to their measurement and control systems. Engineers can display values from the real-time controller code directly onto custom operator interfaces often used in embedded machine control and monitoring systems. This, claims NI, further simplifies the development of hand-held systems for field monitoring applications.
NI said the latest version of LabVIEW improves execution speeds of PID control loops by up to 14 times and execution speeds of the LabVIEW Simulation Module for advanced control algorithms by up to nine times. This makes it possible for engineers to develop and complete complex control modules of more than 1,000 nodes.
LabVIEW 8.20 also improves the performance of Ethernet-based communications for distributed systems by two times and provides open communication to existing hardware and software through native Modbus and OPC support.
NI has also officially launched the new LabVIEW toolkit for Lego Mindstorms NXT robotics systems. The toolkit enables users to create and download VIs to operate and control the toy and is "intuitive enough for an audience it has never before engaged - children," the company said.
