ME 4600:483 – Lab Manual Revised August 2015

Introduction to LabVIEW and Temperature Measurement

Objective

This lab is intended to familiarize you with the LABVIEW software, the data acquisition hardware used in
this class and with temperature measurements using thermocouples. No report has to be written. However,
your effort will be judged by the instructor and counts towards class participation.

At the end of this lab you will understand, how a thermocouple is used to measure temperature, how cold
junction compensation works and how the data is recorded and displayed using data acquisition hardware
and LabVIEW software. You will also understand how signals can be both recorded and generated with a
National Instruments NIcDAQ-9178 for multiple I/O DAQ (Data Acquisition) modules.

 Whenever you see this symbol, write the answer to the question into the lab notebook. Use full
sentences and illustrations (where applicable) to answer all questions. Use the appropriate letter to
label each response.

Apparatus

1. Personal computer with LABVIEW software

2. National Instruments NIcDAQ-9178 (Compact DAQ)
3. Thermocouples
4. Circuit board with light bulb and fan

GETTING TO KNOW THE DATA ACQUISITION HARDWARE

 The data acquisition (cDAQ-9178) is an eight slot self-contained Chassis unit designed for multiple
I/O DAQ modules. Notice the unit communicates with the LabVIEW software through a USB
connection located in the back of the computer.

cDAQ-9178

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 Open the LabVIEW software. Open Tools →

Measurement & Automation Explorer. On the left
side, click the arrows to expand: My System →
Devices and Interfaces → NI cDAQ-9178. Five
modules should be listed. These modules are
automatically detected by the software. Observe
that these modules are physically present in the
chassis.

 Pull up the manuals for the data acquisition chassis

and modules from the class web-site
(http://gozips.uakron.edu/~dorfi). You can also
access these from the software by right clicking on
an individual module and selecting Help → Online
Device Documentation. The help documentation
built into the software can also be useful. To find
this click the Help tab on the top and then Help
Topics → NI-DAXmx → NI-DAXmx Help. To
navigate the help topics, click to expand the boxes
next to the appropriate topics under the contents tab
in the left pane. Based on the manuals and help
documentation, answer the questions below:

 How many analog input modules are present? 

o If there are multiple modules, name each and state the difference between them. 
o How may single ended channels does NI 9205 have? 
o How many differential channels does NI 9205 have? 
 What is the difference between single ended and differential (besides the number of
channels)? 
o What is the maximum sampling rate (look for the analog to digital conversion time) for the
NI 9205 module in samples per second? 

 How many analog output modules are present? 

o How many analog output channels are there? 
 How many digital input modules are present? 
o How many digital input channels are there? 
 How many digital output modules are present? 
o How many digital output channels are there? 

 When would you use analog input, analog output, digital input and digital output? Give examples 

 What is the number of bits used in the Analog to Digital Conversion for the NI 9205? 
 What is the number of bits used in the Analog to Digital Conversion for the NI9219? 
 What are the allowable voltage ranges for analog input module NI 9205 and NI9219? 

 What is Cold Junction Compensation (CJC) ? 

(NI-DAXmx Help: Measurement Fundamentals → Common Sensors → Overview of
Temperature Sensor Types → Thermocouples → Signal Conditioning Requirements)
o How is Cold Junction Compensation accomplished? 
 Where is CJC accomplished in the NIc DAQ system? 

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o Which module can be used for thermocouple measurements and what is built into this
module that makes this possible? 

 What does FS (Floating Source) - GS (Ground Source) represent ? 

(NI-DAXmx Help: Measurement Fundamentals → Signal Types → Analog Connection
Considerations→ Connecting Analog Input Signals → Floating/Grounded Signal Sources)
 What does AI5 stand for, what does AO0 stand for ? 

 Open the device pinout for the NI 9219 (Right click on NI 9219 and select Device Pinouts). Look at
which terminals are physical wired in the 9219 module in front of you. Draw your own diagram
labeling these terminals and the respective channel. 
 Compare the device pinout with your diagram to determine:
o Which channel is wired for a thermocouple? 
o Which channel is wired for a half-bridge strain gauge? 

Confirm your answers with the TA. Discuss any open questions you may have!

DATA ACQUISITION WITH THERMOCOUPLE

The next objective is to build a simple data acquistion system, which can be used to measure temperature
with a thermocouple.

Simple Temperature Experiment

1. Assemble hardware
Connect a K-type thermocouple to the thermocouple
connector on the junction board.

2. Write a simple data acquisition program

2.1 Start the LabVIEW program.

You should see a screen similar to the one on the
right.

2.2 We want to write a new “Virtual Instrument” or VI.

Therefore click on “Blank VI”. At this point, you
will have two windows, a block diagram and a front
panel. The front panel will display the “GUI” part
of the program and the block diagram shows the
logic of the instrument.

2.3 Click on the block diagram or use Ctrl-E to switch

to the block diagram window. Right click in the
block diagram window, select Express → Inputs →
DAQ Assist. This will place a new DAQ block into
the block diagram. After a few seconds the DAQ
assistant appears (as shown on the right). We want
to record temperature, which is an analog input
signal. Therefore select Acquire Signals → Analog

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Input → Temperature → Thermocouple. The system will analyze which input channels support
thermocouples. Since thermocouples produce an electric voltage, any analog in channel could be
used. Select the channel that you determined was wired for a thermocouple and press Finish.

2.4 You should now see a window similar to the right.

We need to tell the software a few more settings:
what kind of thermocouple, what is the temperature
range and units and how is CJC (cold junction
compensation) done.

2.4.1. The default temperature range of 0 to 100

°F is okay. Select K Type thermocouple.
2.4.2. The CJC source is built into each channel
of the module, so select built in.
2.4.3. Under the Device tab change the ADC
Timing mode to High Speed.

2.5 Task Settings refers to how often the software asks

the board for an update on the temperature. Select
Continuous Samples at a rate of 100 samples at
100Hz (or samples/sec). That means that the
software requests 100 samples every second and
does that continuously. While continuously
sampling, the Samples to Read value is the buffer
size. The buffer size indicates the number of
samples that will be stored in the computer
memory. Set this value to 100 as well. Select Ok.
The VI will now be configured.

2.6 Due to selecting continuous sampling, a prompt will

now ask to place the VI in a loop. Select Yes.

2.7 Add a Chart: Select the Front Panel Window or use

Ctrl-E to switch to it. Right Click on the window,
select Graph → Waveform Chart. Click on the
window to place the chart, adjust its size and
location as needed. Double click the text
“Waveform Chart” and replace it by
“Temperature Chart”. Double click the text
“Amplitude” and replace it by “deg F”. The Front
Panel should now look as the figure to the right.

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2.8 Add a temperature indicator: Right click in an

empty are of the front panel and select Numeric →
Numeric Indicator from the menu. Click to place
the indicator. Double click on “Numeric” and
replace it with “Temperature”. Now the front
panel should similar to the one on the right.

2.9 Wire the data into the indicator and temperature

chart: Switch to the block diagram. Point at the
arrow next to “data” in the DAQ Assistant. The
mouse changes to a wire spool. Click to connect
a wire to the DAQ data output and run the wire
to the temperature chart input. Repeat for the
temperature indicator.

2.10 Repeat measurement until stopped: We need a

continuous “While Loop” to repeat the data
collection until it is stopped. This gives the
continuous “strip chart” effect. If you already
set the VI in a loop, continue to the next step.
Otherwise, in the Block Diagram Window right
click, select Express → Exec Ctrl → While
Loop. Drag a rectangle around all objects in the
block diagram. This indicates that everything
inside the rectangle takes part in the while loop.
You should have a picture as shown on the
right. Notice, how a stop button was added to
the front panel. The “Virtual Instrument” is
ready. Save the instrument by selecting “File →
Save As” and save to the desktop as “TempVI”.

2.11 Run the VI : Switch to the Front Panel and press

the “Run icon” in the tool bar on the left or
press Ctrl-R. A picture similar to the right
should appear.

 What do you notice? Why is there so much noise?

What could you do? Right click on the DAQ Assistant
and select Properties. Experiment by changing the
Timing Settings and the Timing Mode. Read the
module manual to be able to explain the difference
between the Timing Modes. Print a copy of the GUI panel from the Block Diagram and the temperature
chart using the File → Print Window option. Clip and staple it NEATLY into your lab notebook.

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2.12 Change Scale: Right click on the chart

to turn off auto-scaling for the y-axis.
Click on the top and bottom temperature
labels and overwrite them with the
limits 60 and 100. Scaling is now
manual and set to the limits of 60-100
°F.

2.13 Measure temperature / Experiment with

the VI: Use the VI to measure body
temperature and temperature of objects
such as next to cooling vents.

WARNING: Do not insert temperature probes into electric components.

Electric shock and damage to equipment may occur.

Demonstrate your work and VI to the TA. Discuss any open questions you may have.
Make sure you have a functional VI and save your work as TempVI.

 Check your understanding:

 What do you need to do, if you want to replace the thermocouple with one of a different type (say J
to K)?
 What physical quantity is the data acquisition board measuring?
 How is this physical quantity converted to temperature?
 What would happen, if the temperature at the cold junction reference changes but the temperature
sensed by the thermocouple temperature did not? Explain what quantities would change and how
that would affect the measured temperature.

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DATA ACQUISITION WITH THERMOCOUPLE AND HEAT SOURCE

The next step builds on the temperature VI. So far, you have learned, how to record an analog signal (Analog
In). Now we will add an output signal. The data acquisition board can not only be used to record signals but
it can also produce signals as output (Analog Out or Digital Out). The analog out feature is used to adjust
the voltage to a light bulb through a “virtual dimmer switch” and thus adjust the heat output from the light
bulb.

Temperature Adjustment with Light Bulb and Dimmer

3. Assemble hardware
3.1 Connect a thermocouple to the thermocouple connector on the junction board, if not already
assembled.

3.2 Connect the light bulb/fan circuit

board as shown in the figure below.
There are four cables to connect. +5V Supply
Light Bulb Voltage

The light will be controlled by the LED

NI-9263 module through AO0 of the Analog Out
junction board.
GND GND
The fan will be controlled by the NI-
9472 module.

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4. Write the data acquisition program

4.1 Open the TempVI from the previous experiment. Save it as “LightBulbDimmerVI”.

4.2 Add an Analog Out Channel: Go to the block diagram panel, right click inside the “while loop”
container and add a DAQ assistant (Express → Input → DAQ Assist). Select Generating Signals →
Analog Out → Voltage. The window on the right appears. Choose ao0, the analog out channel 0 as
output. Click Finish.

4.3 Configure Analog Out Channel: Set the signal output range to 0 to 5V. This is the voltage range,
which will be used to control the “dimmer” transistor. Select 1 sample on demand for task timing.
Click “Ok”.

4.4 Review block diagram: The block diagram should be similar to the one below with a second DAQ
Assistant added. This DAQ block can now be used to provide an output voltage on Analog Out
AO0.

4.5 Add Dial to adjust output voltage:

Switch to front panel. Right click and
select Numeric → Dial. Place the dial on
the front panel. Double click on the word
“Dial” and replace it by “Dimmer Output
Voltage”. Double click on the min and
max values on the dial and set them to
0 and 5 respectively. The Front Panel
should now look similar to the one on
the right.

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4.6 Wire Dial into Analog Out: Switch back

to the block diagram and run a wire from
the dimmer dial to the data arrow of the
DAQ assistant for analog out. The block
diagram should look like the one in the
figure to the right. Save your work. The
VI is now ready.

4.7 Experiment with the VI: Start the VI by

pressing Ctrl-R or clicking on the Run
icon. Rotate the dial and make sure that
the brightness of the light changes as you
adjust the switch setting. Watch the
temperature rise as the bulb heats the
thermocouple.

Demonstrate your work and the VI to the TA. Discuss any open questions you may have!
Make sure you have a functional VI and save your work as LightBulbDimmerVI.

Cooling using a Fan

The purpose of this exercise is to add a cooling

fan to lower the measured temperature and use
a digital output to switch the fan on/off.

5. Modify data acquisition program

5.1 Save As the LightBulbDimmerVI as
LightBulbDimmerAndCoolingFanVI.

5.2 Add a Digital Out Channel: Add another DAQ Assist to the block diagram and configure it as
Digital Line out, NI-9472, Channel 0.

5.3 Add a Fan Switch: Go to the front panel, right click and select Boolean → Pushbutton. Rename it
“Fan Switch”.

5.4 Wire the Switch to the Digital Out: Go back to the block diagram and run a wire from the fan
switch to the DAQ Assist block. Note that the wire appears to be broken. This is because the output
from the fan switch is a Boolean, while the input to the digital out channel is a 1D Boolean array
(on/off). In order to fix the wire, right click on the wire and select Insert → All Pallets → Array →
Build Array. This converts the Boolean to a 1D Array. Compare your VI to the VI shown below.

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5.5 Run the VI: Start the VI and press the Fan Switch. The fan should come on. Turn the light bulb on
and heat the thermocouple. Turn the fan on/off and watch as the temperature changes due to the
cooling effect of the thermocouple.

YOU ARE DONE

STORE ALL EQUIPMENT AND LOG OFF FROM THE
COMPUTER!

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