Synopses & Reviews
LabTutor, a combined book and software system, provides an introduction to the principles and practice of laboratory data acquisition, experimental control, and data processing using any hardware/software system. It includes specific instructions and examples on how to use LabVIEW, a graphical programming language from National Instruments used for developing automated instrumentation systems. LabTutor allows new users to make effective use of laboratory computers with as little as ten hours of effort and to become accomplished practitioners with less than forty hours of effort. The printed version offers the convenience and readability of an ordinary book, while the hypertext version includes sound and animation to clarify certain concepts and offers the advantage of rapid searching, making it useful as an online manual. LabTutor can be used as a primary package for a course on laboratory computers, as a supplement in traditional laboratory courses, or as a self-guided tutorial for those learning to use laboratory computers on their own.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Getting Started with LabTutor
3. Introduction to Computer Interfacing
4. Interface Boards
4.1. National Laboratories NB-MIO-16
4.2. National Laboratories NB-GPIB-16
5. Learning LabVIEW Basics
6. Laboratory Instruments
6.1. Introduction
6.2. Cabling Systems
6.3. Function Generator
6.4. Oscilloscope
6.5. Digital Multimeter
6.6. Interface Tester
7. Digital to Analog Conversion
7.1. Introduction to D/A Conversion
7.2. DAC Overview
7.3. Selection Criteria
7.4. DAC Software Overview
7.5. LabVIEW Control of DAC
7.6. Hardware Exercises
8. Analog-to-Digital Conversion
8.1. Introduction to A-to-D Conversion
8.2. ADC Hardware Overview
8.3. ADC Auxiliary Overview
8.4. Selection Criteria
8.5. ADC Software Overview
8.6. LabVIEW Control of the ADC
8.7. Hardware Exercises
9. Parallel Digital Interfacing
9.1. Introduction to Digital I/O
9.2. Digital Interface Hardware
9.3. Parallel Interfacing Protocols
9.4. Parallel Interfacing with LabVIEW
10. The IEEE488 General Purpose Interface Bus
10.1. Introduction to the GPIB
10.2. GPIB Hardware
10.3. Transmitting Information on the GPIB
10.4. Operating the Bus from LabVIEW
10.5. GPIB Programming Examples
11. Analysis of Sampled Data
11.1. Introduction
11.2. Random Variables
11.3. The Probability Density Function
11.4. Mean and Standard Deviation
11.5. High Moments of the PDF
11.6. Correlation
Appendix: Index