WinDev is an Integrated Development Environment, created by PC Soft, used to develop software in WLanguage. Mainly, It is used to develop data software.
Category: Software
Definitions of technical software terms for the development of mechatronic test, measurement, control, simulation and monitoring systems and technologies from National Instruments.
TestExec is a test sequencer software, available in G language for LabVIEW or in C for LabWindows/CVI.
He was replaced by TestStand of National Instruments, offering more flexibility and is compatible with the latest technologies.
SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments) is a standard that defines a language for communicating with instruments based on messages. The majority of the GPIB instruments use the SCPI but also RS-232, Ethernet, VXI, PXI may use it. Several measurement instrument manufacturers have adopted this standard as HP / Agilent for example, allowing some communication uniformity between several devices.
Some examples of SCPI commands:
- Instrument identification querry: *IDN?
- Instrument reset: RST
- Measure querry: MES?
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OLE for Process Control (OPC)
OPC, OLE for Process Control, is an unified communications technology between industrial control process and Windows. It is generally used for the communication of PLCs and HMI or SCADA software. It runs on the client-server mode.
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IVI driver
IVI (Interchangeable Virtual Instrumentation) is a specification of instrument driver published by the IVI Foundation, formed by the biggest names in the instrumentation as Agilent, National Instruments, Rohde & Schwarz, Aeroflex, Tektronix, Teradyne, Pickering and other.
This specification defined instument classes (multimeter, oscilloscope, power supply, …). All drivers in the same class have the same exported functions. This ensures instruments compatibility and interchangeability: measurement software is linked to the driver class that needle to the specific driver of the used instrument.
Example: I have a test application which measures voltage with a multimeter. My software calls the driver of the multimeter class. IVI refers to the specific driver for the X model from Agilent. Thus, we can change this multimeter by the Y model from Agilent or the Z model from Tektronix with a simple configuration without modifying the software (for since we have installed the IVI driver of these three instruments).
List of instrument classes defined by IVI:
- Digital multimeter (DMM)
- Oscilloscope
- Arbitrary waveform/function generator
- DC power supply
- AC power supply
- Switch
- Power meter
- Spectrum analyzer
- RF signal generator
- Upconverter
- Downconverter
- Digitizer
- Counter/timer
Some specific instruments do not fall into this classification. In this case it is possible to create a new class.
LabWindows/CVI provides wizards for developing drivers and adding a new class.
IVI driver scan be called by any type of programming language. However TestStand, LabVIEW, and Measurement Studio can offer all the key functions in hand for their use.