Getting started with the Universal Library............................... 28
Getting started with the ULx for NI LabVIEW .......................... 30
Opening your hardware user's guides ..................................... 32
Page 4
About Omega Data Acquisition
Software
This User's Guide contains the latest information on installing
the Omega Engineering data acquisition software you received
with the OMB-DAQ-2416 Series and OM-USB Series
hardware. Please read this booklet completely before you install
any software or hardware.
The Omega Engineering data acquisition software includes the
following software packages:
and test utility, and programming library for OMB-DAQ2416 Series and OM-USB Series hardware.
TracerDAQ® — Professional grade Strip Chart,
Oscilloscope, Function Generator, and Rate Generator
applications.
ULx for NI LabVIEW™— Library of virtual instruments
(VIs) used with supported Omega hardware to develop
applications with NI LabVIEW.
Hardware User's Guides— Hardware user's guides for
OMB-DAQ-2416 Series and OM-USB Series data
acquisition hardware.
You select the packages that you want to install from the
software installation dialog.
■
System requirements
■
You can install the Omega Engineering data acquisition
software package on a computer running one of these operating
systems:
Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows VISTA (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows XP (32-bit with Service Pack 2, or 64-bit)
Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4
These operating systems are the only requirements for running
InstaCal. The hardware and software requirements for the other
packages are listed next.
4
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About Omega Data Acquisition Software
Universal Library
32-bit application development software that supports one or
more of these 32-bit languages:
If you have questions that you cannot answer by reading this
booklet, refer to these resources:
Tech support contact information:
Web site – www.omega.com
Omega Engineering product manuals (PDF) at
®
Adobe Reader is automatically selected if you select to install
the hardware user's guides and do not have this program
currently installed.
Email: das@omega.com
Phone: 1-800-USA-WHEN (1-800-848-4286) and follow the
instructions for reaching Tech Support.
www.omega.com/manuals.
Reader
®
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Installing the Omega
Data Acquisition software
The Omega Engineering installation program consists of a series
of easy-to-follow dialogs that lead you through the installation
procedure. To install the Omega Engineering software, do the
following.
1. Insert the Omega Engineering CD in your CD drive and wait
for the installation program to start.
If the installation program does not start automatically, use
Windows Explorer to browse to the root of the CD, and
double-click on Install.exe.
The DAQ Software dialog opens.
All software packages are selected for installation ( ) by
default if the requirements for the package are met.
○ When you click on a package, a brief description of it
appears in the Description frame, along with the
requirements to install that package.
○ After you click on a package, you can click on the View
ReadMe button to view the readme file for that package.
2. If you do not want to install a software package, click on the
check box next to it to uncheck it ( ).
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The Required dependencies area lists the software packages
needed to run the Omega Engineering DAQ software you
selected to install. This area may be blank, or may list one or
more of the following packages:
○Adobe Reader - Adobe Reader is required to read the
hardware user's guides. If you do not have Adobe
Reader installed, it is listed in the Required
dependencies area and the checkbox is checked. If you
have an earlier version already installed, installing the
latest version is optional. Deselect the Adobe Reader
check box to keep your currently installed version.
○Microsoft .NET framework - The .NET Framework 2.0
is required to install TracerDAQ and the hardware
user's guides. If the framework is not detected on your
PC, this package is listed and the checkbox is checked.
In this case, it is recommended that you leave the
Microsoft .NET framework check box checked. If you
uncheck the Microsoft .NET framework check box, the
TracerDAQ and Hardware Manuals check boxes
become disabled, the Adobe Reader check box
becomes unchecked, and these packages are not
installed.
3. Click on the Install button and follow the instructions on the
installation dialogs.
If Microsoft .NET framework was checked in the Required
dependencies area, the install program installs version 2.0 of
the .NET framework before launching the InstaCal &
Universal Library installation program. The installation
program automatically installs each selected software product
in succession. After all selected Omega Engineering DAQ
components are installed, a dialog opens which lets you install
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
You are prompted to restart your computer after installing all
of the selected products.
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Installing the hardware and
detecting it with Windows
After you install the Omega Engineering data acquisition
software, install your hardware and let it be detected by
Windows.
For plug-and-play USB devices, connect a USB cable between
the device and the PC.
A "Found new hardware" message appears as the device is
detected by Windows. A New Hardware Wizard automatically
runs and installs the drivers required to operate the device.
Additional New Hardware Wizard may appear
When installing some Omega Engineering devices — such as
the OMB-DAQ-2416 Series — an additional New Hardware
Wizard may appear when you install the hardware. This wizard
is required to install additional drivers specific to this hardware.
DO NOT CANCEL THIS WIZARD or installation of the
hardware will not be completed properly.
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Adding new hardware to
InstaCal
After the device is detected with Windows, run InstaCal from
the Windows Start Menu or from the installation directory
(inscal32.exe) so that it can detect the new hardware and add it
to its configuration file.
OMB-DAQ-2416 Series hardware cannot be used with
Universal Library programs until they are first detected by
InstaCal and added to the configuration file.
■
InstaCal overview
■
InstaCal is an installation, configuration, calibration, and test
program for use with OMB-DAQ-2416 Series and OM-USB
Series hardware. With InstaCal, you can change device
configuration settings, calibrate analog inputs and outputs, and
test the device's analog channels and digital ports.
■
Installation
■
InstaCal automatically detects and adds OMB-DAQ-2416
Series and OM-USB Series devices to the board list after
they are plugged in/connected to the PC.
InstaCal also detects removal of a USB device that is no
longer connected to the PC, and prompts you to remove the
device from the board list.
The DEMO-BOARD is a virtual ISA data acquisition
board which you must manually add to InstaCal.
From InstaCal's drop-down menu, select Install > Add Board
to display a group of tabs. Each tab lists the devices you can
install. Once selected, the device is added to InstaCal and the
board list, and remains there until removed.
InstaCal's main form lists each device that it automatically
detects or that has been manually added to the board list.
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Adding new hardware to InstaCal
■
Configuration
■
To change the configuration settings of a device, double-click on
the device name to open a Board Configuration dialog. The
settings which appear are specific to the device selected.
A common configuration task for A/D boards is to set the analog
input channel mode to either single-ended or differential.
InstaCal stores hardware configuration settings in a
configuration file which is read by the Universal Library when
you run an application. To change device settings, stop the UL
application and run InstaCal.
Multithreading is not supported
Only one application program that calls the Omega
Engineering driver can be running at a time. If the device is
used by a Universal Library program, changes to device
configuration settings can only be made when the program is
not running.
■
Calibration
■
InstaCal can calibrate the analog input or output channels for
DAQ devices that support field calibration. Select the device
from InstaCal's main form, and choose A/D or D/A from the
Calibrate menu. A Board Calibration dialog appears. Follow
the instructions on the dialog to calibrate the desired channels.
■
Test
■
InstaCal provides analog and digital tests to determine if the
channels analog inputs and digital bits are working properly. To
test the device, select either Test > Analog or Test > Digital. A
Board test dialog opens with options specific to the selected
device.
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Analog input tests may include a Loopback test and a Scan
test.
○ Perform a Loopback test to verify the analog
connections, and that the basic analog measurement
operation is working properly. With this test, one
channel at a time is tested in a slow (non-clocked)
sampling mode. You can loop back one of the onboard
signals or use an external signal.
○ Perform a Scan test to sample multiple channels at the
same time at a specified clock rate. The Scan test is a
good test of the DMA and IRQ resources assigned to
the card. Acquired data can be displayed graphically or
numerically.
Digital tests may include an External DI and External DO
test which verify the input or output operation of each
digital bit.
Depending on the hardware, additional tests may also be
available, such as Internal CTR and External CTR.
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Running InstaCal and adding
DEMO-BOARD hardware
This section contains hands-on examples that show you how to
use InstaCal to configure and test the DEMO-BOARD, which is
a virtual ISA data acquisition board.
■
Running InstaCal and adding the
■
DEMO-BOARD
This section explains how to run InstaCal and add the DEMOBOARD to the InstaCal configuration.
1. To run InstaCal, click on Start►Programs►Omega
Engineering►InstaCal.
InstaCal's main form opens.
2. Click the right mouse button on the PC Board List, and select
Add Board… from the popup menu.
The Board Selection List dialog opens.
3. Click on the ISA tab.
4. Scroll down to select DEMO-BOARD, and then click on the
Add button.
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The DEMO-BOARD is added to InstaCal's main form.
Now that you have added the DEMO-BOARD you can use this
form to configure and test the DEMO-BOARD.
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Configuring and testing the
DEMO-BOARD with InstaCal
You can configure and test the DEMO-BOARD with InstaCal.
For other OMB-DAQ-2416 Series devices, the available
configuration settings and testing options vary depending on the
type of device and the features it offers.
■
Configuring channel 0 on the DEMO-BOARD
■
In the following example, you use InstaCal to change the
configuration of channel 0 on the DEMO-BOARD.
1. On the PC Board List, double-click the DEMO-BOARD item.
The Board Configuration dialog for the DEMO-BOARD
opens.
2. Change the input type for channel 0 from Sine Wave to
Damped Sine Wave, and click on the OK button to close the
dialog.
Now, you can run a test using InstaCal to make sure the DEMOBOARD's channel 0 generates a damped sine wave.
■
Testing channel 0 on the DEMO-BOARD
■
InstaCal includes options to test the analog and/or digital
features of your Omega Engineering hardware.
For the DEMO-BOARD, you can run an analog loop back test
to make sure a channel is generating the proper waveform.
1. Make sure the DEMO-BOARD is still selected on the PC
Board List.
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2. From the Test menu, select Analog.
The Board Test: DEMO-BOARD at 0h dialog opens.
3. Make sure Ch 0 is selected in the Input Ch drop-down list,
and a damped sine wave shows on the display. Then click on
the OK button to close the dialog.
4. From the File menu, select Exit to close the InstaCal.
Next, you will learn how to run TracerDAQ's Strip Chart
application to acquire, plot, and log data from four channels on
the DEMO-BOARD.
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Plotting and generating data
with TracerDAQ
TracerDAQ includes the following applications:
Strip Chart with data logging functionality
Oscilloscope
Function Generator
Rate Generator
Hands-on examples for each TracerDAQ application are
included in the following sections.
After you configure and test your hardware with InstaCal, you
can run TracerDAQ and use the DEMO-BOARD with the Strip
Chart and Oscilloscope.
To run TracerDAQ, click on Start►Programs►Omega
Engineering►TracerDAQ►TracerDAQ. The TracerDAQ
dialog opens. You can run any of the four TracerDAQ
applications from this dialog.
■
Acquiring and logging data with the Strip
■
Chart
Use the Strip Chart to acquire and log data from up to eight
analog input, temperature input, digital input, or event counter
channels
To run the Strip Chart, highlight it on the application list, and
then click the Run button.
The Strip Chart window opens.
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Configuring the Strip Chart
Once the Strip Chart window is open, you need to select the
hardware, channel(s), and data range used as the data source.
1. From the File menu, select New.... The DAQ Hardware
Settings dialog opens.
2. From the first row of the DAQ Device column, select the
DEMO-BOARD from the list-box.
The drop-down list shows the device ID and device name for
all boards that are configured by InstaCal. When you select a
device, the first channel and range supported by the device
appear in the DAQ Channel and DAQ Range/Mode columns.
3. Right-mouse click on the first column, and select AutoFill All
from the popup menu. This automatically configures the DAQ
Device, DAQ Channel and DAQ Range/Mode for the
remaining channels on the dialog.
The dialog automatically becomes configured to acquire data
from four channels on the DEMO-BOARD.
4. Click on the OK button to save the settings and close the
dialog.
5. From the Edit menu, select Scan Rate/Trigger Settings….
The Scan Rate/Trigger Settings dialog opens.
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Plotting and generating data with TracerDAQ
6. Change the Acquire data for settings so that the scan runs for
5 seconds, and then click on the OK button to save the settings
and close the dialog.
7. To view plots that don't overlap, click on the scan mode
hotspot ( ) on the upper right side of the strip chart window
until it turns to (non-overlap mode).
8. Click the Run button ( ) on the Strip Chart to acquire data
from the DEMO-BOARD.
The Strip Chart acquires and displays data from the first four
channels (0 -3) of the DEMO-BOARD.
That's all there is to it! The Strip Chart provides many options
for working with Strip Chart data and customizing the Strip
Chart display. To learn more about the Strip Chart, select Help
Topics from TracerDAQ's Help menu.
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Want to remove the DEMO-BOARD before you start
using your Omega Engineering device?
The DEMO-BOARD is a teaching tool to help you get up and
running with your Omega Engineering DAQ software. Once
you feel comfortable enough to start using the device you
purchased, you can remove the DEMO-BOARD from the main
InstaCal screen by clicking on it with the right-mouse button
and selecting Remove Board from the popup menu.
■
Acquiring data with the Oscilloscope
■
Use the Oscilloscope to acquire and plot data from up to two
analog input channels.
To run the Oscilloscope, highlight it on the application list, and
then click the Run button.
The Oscilloscope window opens.
Configuring the Oscilloscope
Once the Oscilloscope window is open, you need to select the
hardware, channel(s), and data range used as the data source.
1. From the File menu, select New.... The DAQ Hardware
Settings dialog opens.
2. From the first row of the DAQ Device column, select the
DEMO-BOARD from the list-box.
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Plotting and generating data with TracerDAQ
The drop-down list shows the device ID and device name for
all boards that are configured by InstaCal. When you select a
device, the first channel and the default range supported by
the device appear in the DAQ Channel and DAQ Range/Mode
columns.
3. Right-mouse click on the first column and select AutoFill All
from the pop up menu. This automatically configures the
DAQ Device, DAQ Channel and DAQ Range/Mode for the
remaining channel on the dialog.
4. Click the DAQ Range/Mode column's down arrow and select
+/-5V. The range automatically updates for both channels.
5. On the Oscilloscope window, click the Start button ( ).
The Oscilloscope acquires and displays data from the first two
channels (0 - 2) of the DEMO-BOARD.
6. To stop the scan, click on the Stop button ().
That's all there is to it! The Oscilloscope provides many options
for working with Oscilloscope data and customizing the
Oscilloscope display. To learn more, select Help Topics from
TracerDAQ's Help menu.
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Want to remove the DEMO-BOARD before you start
using your Omega Engineering device?
The DEMO-BOARD is a teaching tool to help you get up and
running with your Omega Engineering Data Acquisition
software. Once you feel comfortable enough to start using the
device you purchased, you can remove the DEMO-BOARD
from the main InstaCal screen by clicking on it with the rightmouse button and selecting Remove Board from the popup
menu.
■
Generating waveforms with the Function
■
Generator
Use the Function Generator to output sine wave data to one
analog output channel.
To use TracerDAQ's Function Generator application, you first
need to install an Omega Engineering device with analog output
channels and add it to InstaCal.
In order for the Function Generator to detect this device, you
must add it to InstaCal when TracerDAQ is not running.
1. If you are running any TracerDAQ application, close the
application by selecting Exit from the File menu.
2. Close TracerDAQ by clicking on the Exit button on the main
TracerDAQ dialog.
Adding an analog output device to InstaCal
This section explains how to run InstaCal and add an analog
output device to the InstaCal configuration.
1. Follow the steps in the analog output device's user guide to
install the device in your computer.
2. Run InstaCal by selecting Start►All Programs►Omega
Engineering►InstaCal.
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Plotting and generating data with TracerDAQ
The Plug and Play Hardware Detection dialog opens with
the analog output device listed.
3. Select the analog output device you want to add to the
InstaCal configuration file, and then click on the OK button.
This example shows the USB-OMB-DAQ-2416-4AO device
detected.
The Plug and Play Hardware Detection dialog closes, and
the InstaCal main form becomes active.
4. Use InstaCal to perform any configurations and tests on the
device. When you are done, close InstaCal by selecting Exit
from the File menu.
Configuring and running the Function Generator
Now that your analog output device has been added to InstaCal,
you can run TracerDAQ and access the device from the
Function Generator.
To generate a waveform with the Function Generator:
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1. Run TracerDAQ by selecting Start►Programs►Omega
Engineering►TracerDAQ►TracerDAQ. The TracerDAQ
dialog opens.
2. To run the Function Generator, highlight it on the application
list, and then click the Run button.
3. The Function Generator window opens.
4. Select New... from the File menu. The DAQ Hardware
Settings dialog opens.
5. From the first row of the DAQ Device column, select the
analog output device from the list-box. An OMB-DAQ-24164AO is used for this example.
The drop-down list shows the device ID and device name for
all analog output devices that are configured by InstaCal.
When you select a device, the first analog output channel and
the default range supported by the device appear in the DAQ
Channel and DAQ Range/Mode columns.
6. Click on the OK button to save the settings and close the
dialog.
7. Click the Run button ( ) on the Function Generator to start
an output scan that sends waveform data to the configured
channel.
The Function Generator sends a sine wave pattern with the
amplitude and DC level option settings shown in the example
below.
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Plotting and generating data with TracerDAQ
8. To stop the scan, click on the Stop button ( ).
That's all there is to it! The Function Generator provides many
options that let you change the properties of the waveform,
DAQ hardware, and the Function Generator display. To learn
more about the Function Generator, select Help Topics from
TracerDAQ's Help menu.
■
Generating waveforms with the Rate
■
Generator
Use the Rate Generator to output data to one counter output
channel.
Rate Generator requires a counter output device
To use TracerDAQ's Rate Generator application, you first need
to install an Omega Engineering counter output device and
configure it in InstaCal.
The OMB-DAQ-2416 Series and OM-USB Series currently do
not include a device with counter output functionality.
In order for the Rate Generator to detect this device, you must
add it to InstaCal when TracerDAQ is not running.
1. If you are running any TracerDAQ application, close the
application by selecting Exit from the File menu.
2. Close TracerDAQ by clicking on the Exit button on the main
TracerDAQ dialog.
Adding a counter output device to InstaCal
This section explains how to run InstaCal and add a counter
output device to the InstaCal configuration.
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1. Follow the steps in the counter output device's user guide to
install the device in your computer.
2. Run InstaCal by selecting Start►All Programs►Omega
Engineering►InstaCal.
The Plug and Play Hardware Detection dialog opens with
the counter output device listed.
3. Select the counter output device you want to add to the
InstaCal configuration file, and then click on the OK button.
The Plug and Play Hardware Detection dialog closes, and
the InstaCal main form becomes active.
4. Use InstaCal to perform any configurations and tests on the
device. When you are done, close InstaCal by selecting Exit
from the File menu.
Configuring and running and the Rate Generator
Now that your counter output device has been added to InstaCal,
you can run TracerDAQ and access the device from the Rate
Generator.
To generate a square waveform with the Rate Generator:
1. Run TracerDAQ by selecting Start►Programs►Omega
Engineering►TracerDAQ►TracerDAQ.
The TracerDAQ dialog opens.
2. To run the Rate Generator, highlight it on the application list,
and then click the Run button.
3. The Rate Generator window opens.
4. Select New... from the File menu. The DAQ Hardware
Settings dialog opens.
5. From the first row of the DAQ Device column, select the
counter output device from the list-box.
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Plotting and generating data with TracerDAQ
The drop-down list shows the device ID and device name for
all counter output devices that are configured by InstaCal.
When you select a device, the device's first counter output
channel appears in the DAQ Channel column. The DAQ
Range/Mode column is disabled.
6. Click on the OK button to save the settings and close the
dialog.
7. Click the Run button ( ) on the Rate Generator to start an
output scan that sends waveform data based on the frequency
option settings to the default channel.
By default, the Rate Generator sends a square wave pattern
with the option settings shown in the example below.
8. To stop the scan, click on the Stop button ().
That's all there is to it! The Rate Generator provides many
options that let you change the properties of the waveform,
DAQ hardware, and the Rate Generator display. To learn more
about the Rate Generator, select Help Topics from TracerDAQ's
Help menu.
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Getting started with the
Universal Library
The Universal Library (UL) is a programming library used to
develop 32-bit applications that control Omega Engineering
hardware.
The Universal Library supports programming in Visual Basic,
VB .NET Visual C/C++, C# .NET, Borland C++, Delphi, and
other languages.
The Universal Library is automatically installed with InstaCal.
The default installation directory is \Program Files\Omega Engineering\DAQ.
Universal Library example programs
You can install example programs for supported languages when
you install the Universal Library software.
On Windows XP and Windows 2000, the example
programs are installed by default to \Program Files\Omega Engineering\DAQ.
On Windows 7 and Windows Vista, the example programs
are installed by default to \Users\Public Documents\ Omega Engineering \DAQ.
Note: The VB .NET and C# example program projects were
generated with Visual Studio 2005 and will not open in Visual
Studio 2003. To run the example programs in Visual Studio
2003, add the .vb or .cs source files to an empty project and
reference the mccdaq.dll assembly.
When you install the example programs, an Examples shortcut is
added to the directory where you installed the UL software.
When selected, the directory containing the example programs
opens in Windows Explorer.
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Getting started with the Universal Library
Online help
To learn about the UL functions and how to use them with
Omega Engineering hardware, refer to the Universal Library Help file. You can run this help file by selecting
For information on your specific Omega Engineering device,
use the Search tab in the help file. The help topic for your
device lists the subset of Universal Library functions that your
device supports.
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Getting started with the ULx for
NI LabVIEW
The ULx for NI LabVIEW (ULx) is a library of virtual
instruments (VIs) used with supported Omega Engineering
hardware to develop instrumentation, acquisition, and control
applications in National Instruments LabVIEW 8.21 and later.
The ULx library syntax is consistent with NI LabVIEW
DAQmx VIs.
The ULx library is task-based. Every measurement or output
operation performed in a DAQ operation, such as analog input,
digital output, and so on, is a separate task. Each task is
associated with one hardware device and one or more channels
of the same type.
ULx example programs
The ULx for NI LabVIEW provides example programs that
demonstrate how to perform data acquisition tasks using the
ULx VIs in NI LabVIEW. You should run the example
programs before creating your own VIs or programs. You can
modify the example programs to suit your needs.
You can open a ULx example program from its default
installation directory (\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW <version>\examples\ULx) or with the NI
Example Finder utility in NI LabVIEW.
Note: You must configure your Omega Engineering hardware
with InstaCal before it can be recognized in NI LabVIEW.
Adding a ULx VI to NI LabVIEW
To add a ULx VI to NI LabVIEW, do the following:
1. Start NI LabVIEW and open a blank VI or empty project.
View the Block Diagram if it is not already open.
2. From the Functions palette, click User Libraries and then
click the ULx icon to show the ULx for NI LabVIEW palette.
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Getting started with the ULx for NI LabVIEW
3. Click to select a ULx VI, and then click on the Block
Diagram where you want to place the VI. Repeat to add
additional ULx VIs to the Block Diagram.
4. Wire the ULx VIs together to create an application.
Online help
For detailed information on each ULx VI, refer to the ULx for
NI LabVIEW Help file. You can run this help file by selecting
Start►Programs►Omega Engineering►ULx for NI
LabVIEW►ULx for NI LabVIEW Help.
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Quick-Start-Guide-OMG (
2).doc
Opening your hardware user's
guides
If you installed the Omega Engineering hardware user's guides
during the DAQ software installation, you can open your
hardware manual right from within InstaCal.
You need Adobe Reader to open the user's guides. You can
install this software from the AcrobatReader folder on the CD.
1. Select User's Guides from InstaCal's Help menu.
2. From the Open dialog, double-click on the folder for the type
of board whose manual you want to install (USB).
3. Double-click on the PDF hardware manual you want to open.
Accessing hardware user's guides from the Omega
Engineering DAQ Software CD
If you did not install the Omega Engineering hardware user's
guides during the DAQ software installation, you can open or
copy these documents from the
ICalUL/Documents/UsersGuides folder on the Omega
Engineering DAQ Software CD.
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