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Chapter 1 Generating Functions with the NI 5401
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National Instruments Corporation 1-9 NI 5401 User Manual
Waveform Editor
You use the Waveform Editor to create, sketch, and edit complex
waveforms that the VirtualBench-FG player can then generate. A library of
standard waveforms for creating complex waveforms is included, and you
can also write equations to create arbitrary waveforms and view the
waveforms in a time or frequency domain.
NI-FGEN Instrument Driver
To create your application, you need an industry-standard software driver
such as NI-FGEN to control your instrument. The NI-FGEN driver
includes a set of standard functions for configuring, creating, starting, and
stopping waveform generation. The instrument driver reduces your
program development time and simplifies instrument control by
eliminating the need to learn a complex programming protocol for your
instrument.
NI-FGEN is in a standard instrument driver format that works with
LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, and conventional programming languages
such as C, C++, and Visual Basic.
Refer to the NI-FGEN
readme.txt file for more details on the NI-FGEN
instrument driver. This file can be launched from the
Start»Programs»National Instruments FGEN menu.
Note
An NI-FGEN Instrument Driver Quick Reference Guide is included in your NI 5401
kit. This reference guide helps you program your NI 5401.
Additional National Instruments Development Tools
The following sections describe several additional tools that you can use to
develop complex applications for your NI 5401. The NI-FGEN instrument
driver exposes the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to these
development environments.
LabVIEW
LabVIEW is a graphical programming language for building
instrumentation systems. With LabVIEW, you quickly create front panel
user interfaces, giving you interactive control of your software system. To
specify the functionality, you assemble block diagrams—a natural design
notation for engineers and scientists. LabVIEW has all of the same
development tools and language capabilities of a standard language such