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Instrument Driver for LabVIEW™ Guidelines

You are reading Aerotech's API documentation for the Automation1 Instrument Driver for LabVIEW™. To view National Instruments™ official product documentation for the LabVIEW™ application, see LabVIEW Documentation.

Overview

LabVIEW™ is a trademark of National Instruments™. Neither Aerotech, nor any software programs, publications, or other goods or services offered by Aerotech, are affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by National Instruments™.

This page tells you about the guidelines that you must obey to correctly use the Automation1 Instrument Driver for LabVIEW™. It also includes information that is important to know when you start to write a large-scale custom application that uses the Instrument Driver.

IMPORTANT: Before you read these guidelines, make sure that you read the About the Instrument Driver for LabVIEW™ page first. This page builds on that information.

Optional Purchase Necessary: To use the Automation1 Instrument Driver for LabVIEW™, you must purchase the LabVIEW MDK license (LV1). Contact your Aerotech sales representative to speak about your licensing needs. See the Contact Sales section of www.aerotech.com.

The Three Controller Categories: Axis, Task, and System

The Automation1 controller is divided into three categories - axis, task, and system.

Each Automation1 controller has a fixed number of axes - 32 axes for a PC-based controller and 12 axes for a drive-based controller. The axis category consists of these axes and their configuration, parameters, and status.

Each Automation1 controller also has some number of controller tasks. The tasks can be different based on the type of controller and your license key. The task category consists of these controller tasks and their configuration, parameters, and status.

The system category consists of the Automation1 controller and its configuration, parameters, and status.

These three categories are important for the Automation1 Instrument Driver because different types of information are available for each one. For example, features such as controller parameters, status, and data collection are divided into these categories. The VIs (virtual instruments) that are related to each feature use variations for the axis, task, and system categories.

Errors and Error Handling

All virtual instruments (VIs) in the Automation1 Instrument Driver have an error wire that lets you know if the operation was completed correctly. For each VI, you must examine the result of this wire to make sure that an error did not occur. Connect the error wire from one VI to the next VI in the sequence.

Axis Faults and Task Errors

Automation1 Instrument Driver errors are different from axis faults and controller task errors. The Instrument Driver sets an error on an error wire if an operation does not complete correctly. An error on the error wire represents an error in one moment in time.

But axis faults and task errors are continuous error conditions that exist on an axis or a controller task.

For Example

If an axis moves into its end-of-travel limit, it will generate an end-of-travel limit axis fault. This axis fault stays until you acknowledge it.

If an AeroScript program divides by zero, it will cause a task error to occur on the task that it was running. This task error stays until you stop the program.

An axis fault or a controller task error might cause the Automation1 Instrument Driver to set the error wire.

For Example

If you execute motion on an axis and that motion causes the controller to generate an axis fault, the Automation1 Instrument Driver will set the error wire.

If you execute an AeroScript command that causes a task error, the Automation1 Instrument Driver will set the error wire.

In these examples, the continuous axis fault or continuous task error causes the Automation1 Instrument Driver to set the error wire. The fault or error continues to stay after you handle the Instrument Driver error.

Match the Instrument Driver Version with the Controller Version

The version of the Automation1 Instrument Driver that you use must match the version of the Automation1 controller that you are connecting to.

For Example

If you want to connect to an Automation1 controller that is running version 2.4.0, then you must use version 2.4.0 of the Automation1 Instrument Driver for LabVIEW™.

Upgrade the Version of the Automation1 Instrument Driver

To upgrade the version of the Automation1 Instrument Driver for LabVIEW™ that you are using, do the steps that follow:

  1. Download and install the version of Automation1 to which you want to upgrade. You can download the Automation1 software from the Software Downloads page of the Aerotech website.
  2. Install the Automation1-MDKSetup.exe file. This file is part of the Automation1 software that you downloaded.

    3. Tip: This file is located in the Installation folder. See the Install the Automation1-MDK section of the Install the Software page for more information.

  3. After you install the software, restart the PC.
  4. Run the Automation1LabVIEWInstaller.exe executable file in C:\Program Files\Aerotech\Automation1-MDK\Bin. The installer tells you how to go through the upgrade process.

For minor versions of the Automation1 and LabVIEW software, compatibility is preserved in the Automation1 Instrument Driver. But major software versions, such as 2.0.0, 3.0.0, or 4.0.0, might contain compatibility changes.

The release notes for each version of the Automation1 and LabVIEW software will tell you if there are compatibility changes.