Exercise 1-1

Concept: Exploring a VI

I. Objective
1. To identify the parts of an existing VI.
II. Introduction
Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) is a
system-design platform and development environment for a visual
programming language from National Instruments. LabVIEW programs-
subroutines are termed virtual instruments (VIs). Each VI has three
components: a block diagram, a front panel, and a connector panel.
III. Discussion

Given Description:

You received a VI from an employee that takes the seconds until a

plane arrives at an airport and converts the time into a combination of
hours/minutes/seconds. You must evaluate this VI to see if it works as
expected and can display the remaining time until the plane arrives.

Front Panel

- Is built using controls and

indicators.

Controls are inputs that allow a

user to supply information to
VI.

1. Total Time in Seconds

Indicators- output

-display results based on

inputs given to VI.

1. Hours

2. Minutes

3. Seconds

4. Warning

5. Message Fig. 1 Front

Panel
 The arrow in the front
panel indicates the run button.
The two boxes in the upper right
part of the panel are the
connector panel and icon.

Block Diagram

- Contains the graphical

source code and it contains
structures and functions
which perform operations on
controls and supply data to
indicators.

Items on the Fig. 2 Block diagram:

1. Free Labels the words that are enclose in a box

2. Control
-Total Time In Seconds

3. Indicators

- Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Warning and Message Fig. 2 Block

Diagram

4. String Constant

- Delay 1 hour or longer and

Delay less than 1hour

5. Numeric Constant

- 3600 enclosed in a box

Context Help

- A tool that can be

access by pressing <CTRL
-H> that will provide the user
the ability to see the
information on where the mouse is. Also, another feature is the detailed
explanation where additional information will be given to the user.
 Fig. 3
Context Help
IV. Conclusion
A VI is composed of the front panel, block diagram and
connecting panel. The front panel is composed of controls which are
inputs and indicators that are outputs. On the hand the block diagram
contains the structures and function which performs operation on controls
and supply data indicators.