Analyzing and Saving a

3
Signal
LabVIEW includes a set of Express VIs that help you analyze signals. This chapter teaches you
how to use LabVIEW to perform a basic analysis of a signal and how to save the analyzed data
to a file.

Note The exercises in this chapter use Express VIs that are available only in the
LabVIEW Full and Professional Development Systems.

Building an Analysis VI
In the following exercises, you will build a VI that generates a signal, filters the signal, indicates
if the signal exceeds a certain limit, and records the data. After you complete the exercises, the
front panel of the VI will look similar to the front panel in the following figure.

You can complete the exercises in this chapter in approximately 40 minutes.

Figure 3-1. Front Panel of the Save Data VI

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Chapter 3 Analyzing and Saving a Signal

Modifying a VI Created from a Template

Complete the following steps to create a VI that generates, analyzes, and displays a signal.
1. Select File»New to display the New dialog box.
2. From the Create New list, select VI»From Template»Tutorial (Getting Started)»
Generate, Analyze, and Display. This template VI simulates a signal and analyzes it for
its root mean square (RMS) value.
3. Click the OK button or double-click the name of the template to create a VI from the
template.
4. If the Context Help window is not visible, press the <Ctrl-H> keys to display the window.
(Mac OS X) Press the <Command-Shift-H> keys.
5. Display the block diagram by pressing the <Ctrl-E> keys.
6. Move the cursor over the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI, shown below.

The Context Help window displays information about the behavior of the Express VI.
Keep the Context Help window open. It will provide useful information as you complete
the rest of this exercise.
7. Display the front panel and remove the RMS indicator, shown below.

You will not use the RMS functionality of the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express
VI for this exercise. However, you can use the Generate, Analyze, and Display template VI
with the RMS functionality in the future to reduce development time.
8. Display the block diagram and remove any broken wires that result from removing the
RMS indicator. To remove all broken wires from the block diagram, you can press the
<Ctrl-B> keys.
9. Then return to the front panel window and right-click the waveform graph indicator. Select
Properties from the shortcut menu. The Graph Properties dialog box appears.
10. On the Appearance page, place a checkmark in the Visible checkbox in the Label section
and enter Unfiltered Signal in the text box.
11. Click the OK button to save the configuration and close the Graph Properties dialog box.

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12. Run the VI.

The signal appears in the graph.
13. Click the STOP button to stop the VI.

Adding a Signal
The Simulate Signal Express VI simulates a sine wave by default. You can customize the
simulated signal by changing the options in the Configure Simulate Signal dialog box.

Complete the following steps to create an additional simulated signal that adds uniform white
noise to the sine wave.
1. On the block diagram, use the Positioning tool to select the Simulate Signal Express VI.
Hold down the <Ctrl> key and click and drag to create an additional Simulate Signal
Express VI on the block diagram. (Mac OS X) Hold down the <Option> key and drag.
(Linux) You also can hold down the middle mouse button and drag.
2. Release the mouse button to place the copied Simulate Signal Express VI below the original
Simulate Signal Express VI. LabVIEW updates the name of the copied Simulate Signal
Express VI to Simulate Signal2.
3. Double-click the Simulate Signal2 Express VI to display the Configure Simulate Signal
dialog box.
4. Select Sine from the Signal type pull-down menu.
5. Enter 60 in the Frequency (Hz) text box.
6. Enter 0.1 in the Amplitude text box.
7. Place a checkmark in the Add noise checkbox to add noise to the sine signal.
8. Select Uniform White Noise from the Noise type pull-down menu.
9. Enter 0.1 in the Noise amplitude text box.
10. Enter -1 in the Seed number text box.
11. In the Timing section, select the Run as fast as possible option.
12. In the Signal Name section, remove the checkmark from the Use signal type name
checkbox.
13. Enter 60 Hz and Noise in the Signal name text box.
When you change the signal name in the Configure Simulate Signal dialog box,
LabVIEW changes the name of the signal output on the block diagram. Changing the signal
name makes it easier for you to identify the signal type when you view the Express VI on
the block diagram.
The Result Preview section displays a random signal. The Configure Simulate Signal
dialog box should appear similar to the following figure.

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Figure 3-2. Configure Simulate Signal Dialog Box

14. Click the OK button to save the current configuration and close the Configure Simulate
Signal dialog box.

Adding Two Signals

To add two signals together to create one signal, you can use the Formula Express VI. Rather
than displaying two signals on one graph, the Formula Express VI adds both signals together to
create a single signal on the graph. You can use this Express VI to add noise to a signal.

Complete the following steps to add the 60 Hz and Noise signal to the Sine signal.
1. In the block diagram window, triple-click the wire that connects the Sine output of the
Simulate Signal Express VI to the Signals input of the Amplitude and Level Measurements
Express VI and to the Unfiltered Signal indicator. Remove the wire.
2. On the Functions palette, click the Search button to search for the Formula Express VI,
shown below, and add it to the block diagram between the Simulate Signal Express VIs and
the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI. The Configure Formula dialog box
appears.

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Note LabVIEW displays a folder glyph to the left of subpalettes in the search
results and displays a light blue glyph to the left of Express VIs in the search results.

3. In the Label column, change the label for X1 to Sine and the label for X2 to 60 Hz and
Noise.
The Formula Express VI automatically enters the first input, Sine, in the Formula text box.
4. Click the + button and then the X2 button to add Sine and 60 Hz and Noise together in the
Formula text box.
5. Click the OK button to save the current configuration and close the Configure Formula
dialog box.
6. Use the Wiring tool to wire the Sine output of the Simulate Signal Express VI to the Sine
input of the Formula Express VI.
7. Wire the 60 Hz and Noise output of the Simulate Signal2 Express VI to the 60 Hz and
Noise input of the Formula Express VI.
8. Wire the Result output of the Formula Express VI to the Unfiltered Signal indicator and
to the Signals input of the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI.
9. Display the front panel by pressing the <Ctrl-E> keys.
10. Run the VI.
The signal with added noise appears in the graph.
11. Click the STOP button to stop the VI.
12. Select File»Save As and save the VI as Analysis.vi in an easily accessible location.

Filtering a Signal
You can use the Filter Express VI to process signals through filters and windows.

Complete the following steps to configure the Filter Express VI to filter the signal using an
infinite impulse response (IIR) filter.
1. Display the block diagram window and remove the wire that connects the Result output of
the Formula Express VI to the Signals input of the Amplitude and Level Measurements
Express VI.
2. Remove all broken wires that result from removing the wire.

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3. Search for the Filter Express VI, shown below, and add it to the block diagram between the
Simulate Signal2 Express VI and the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI. The
Configure Filter dialog box appears.

4. In the Filter Specifications section, change the Cutoff Frequency (Hz) to 25.
5. Click the OK button to save the configuration and close the Configure Filter dialog box.
6. Display the front panel.
7. Click the Unfiltered Signal waveform graph indicator and press the <Ctrl> key while you
drag with the Positioning tool to create an additional waveform graph indicator.
8. Triple-click the Unfiltered Signal 2 label above the new waveform graph indicator and
enter Filtered Signal to change the label of the indicator. You also can change the
label on the Appearance page of the Graph Properties dialog box.
9. On the block diagram, wire the Result output of the Formula Express VI to the Signal input
of the Filter Express VI.
10. Wire the Filtered Signal output of the Filter Express VI to the Signals input of the
Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI and to the input of the Filtered Signal
waveform graph indicator.
11. Select File»Save. The block diagram of the Analysis VI should appear similar to the
following figure.
Figure 3-3. Block Diagram of the Analysis VI

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Modifying the Appearance of Graphs

You can use the Display Format page of the Graph Properties dialog box to specify how the
scales of the x-axis and y-axis appear on the graph.

Complete the following steps to change the format of the x-axis and y-axis of the Unfiltered
Signal and Filtered Signal graphs.
1. In the front panel window, right-click the Unfiltered Signal graph indicator and select
Properties from the shortcut menu. The Graph Properties dialog box appears.
2. On the Display Format page, select Time (X-Axis) from the top pull-down menu.
3. Select the Default editing mode option.
4. In the Type list, select Automatic formatting.
5. In the Digits field, enter 6 and select Significant digits from the Precision Type pull-down
menu.
6. Place a checkmark in the Hide trailing zeros checkbox.
7. Select Amplitude (Y-Axis) from the top pull-down menu and repeat steps 3 through 6 so
the y-axis configuration matches the x-axis configuration.
8. On the Scales page, select Amplitude (Y-Axis).
9. Remove the checkmark from the Autoscale checkbox.
10. Enter -2.5 in the Minimum text box and 2.5 in the Maximum text box.
11. Click the OK button to save the configuration and close the Graph Properties dialog box.
12. Repeat steps 1 through 11 to configure the Filtered Signal graph indicator.
The x-axis and the y-axis on the Unfiltered Signal and Filtered Signal graph indicators
change to reflect the new configuration.

Analyzing the Amplitude of a Signal

You can use the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI to analyze the voltage
characteristics of a signal.

Complete the following steps to reconfigure the Express VI to measure the peak-to-peak
amplitude values of the signal.
1. On the block diagram, double-click the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI to
display the Configure Amplitude and Level Measurements dialog box.
2. In the Amplitude Measurements section, remove the checkmark from the RMS
checkbox.
3. Place a checkmark in the Peak to peak checkbox. Peak to peak appears in the Results
section with the corresponding value of the measurement.

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4. Click the OK button to save the current configuration and close the Configure Amplitude
and Level Measurements dialog box.
The RMS output of the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI changes to reflect
the new Peak to Peak output, shown below.

You will use the Peak to Peak output in a later exercise.

Controlling the Speed of Execution

To plot the points on the waveform graphs more slowly, you can add a time delay to the block
diagram. A time delay slows the speed at which a VI runs.

Complete the following steps to control the speed at which the VI runs.
1. On the block diagram, search for the Time Delay Express VI.
2. Place the Time Delay Express VI inside the While Loop. The Configure Time Delay
dialog box appears.
3. Enter 1.000 in the Time delay (seconds) text box and click the OK button.
4. Display the front panel and run the VI. The VI runs more slowly.
The loop iterates once every second.
5. Stop the VI.
Another way to control the speed of the VI is to alter the rate of data acquisition. On the
block diagram, double click the Simulate Signal Express VI to display the Configure
Simulate Signal dialog box. Locate the Timing section in the dialog box. The Timing
section contains a number of ways to alter the rate of data acquisition and the speed at which
a VI runs.
For example, one of the default settings of the VI is Simulate Acquisition Timing. This
means that the VI mimics the acquisition rate of a hardware device. You can select Run as
fast as possible to display data more quickly. In the Samples per second (Hz) text box, the
default value is 1000, while the default value in the Number of Samples text box is
100. This means that the VI will output 100 data points spanning 0.1 second. You can
change these values to change the amount of data the VI displays, as well as the rate at
which the VI displays the data.

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Adding a Warning Light

If you want a visual cue to indicate when a value exceeds a specified limit, you can use a warning
light.

Complete the following steps to add a warning light to the VI.

1. Display the Controls palette by right-clicking any blank space in the front panel window.
2. On the Express palette, select the LEDs palette.
3. Select the round LED indicator and add it to the front panel to the left of the waveform
graphs.
4. Double-click the Boolean label above the LED and enter Warning to change the label of
the LED.
You will use this LED in a later exercise to indicate when a value has exceeded its limit.
5. Select File»Save As to display the Save As dialog box.
6. Read the various dialog box options. Select the Copy and Substitute copy for original
options to create a copy of the original VI and immediately edit the copy.
7. Click the Continue button and save the VI as Warning Light.vi in an easily accessible
location.

Setting a Warning Level Limit

To specify the value at which you want the LED to light, use the Comparison Express VI.

Complete the following steps to compare the peak-to-peak value to a limit you set.
1. On the block diagram, search for the Comparison Express VI and place it to the right of the
Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI. The Configure Comparison dialog box
appears.
2. In the Compare Condition section, select the > Greater option.
3. In the Comparison Inputs section, select Value and enter 2 in the Value numeric control
to assign a constant value at which you want the LED to light.
4. Click the OK button to save the current configuration and close the Configure
Comparison dialog box.
The name of the Comparison Express VI changes to reflect the operation of the Express VI,
shown below. Greater indicates that the Express VI does a greater than comparison.

5. Wire the Peak to Peak output of the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI to the
Operand 1 input of the Greater Express VI.
6. Move the cursor over the wire that connects the Peak to Peak output to the Operand 1
input.

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7. When the Positioning tool appears, right-click the wire that connects the Peak to Peak
output to the Operand 1 input and select Create»Numeric Indicator from the shortcut
menu.
A Peak to Peak terminal, shown below, appears on the block diagram. If the Peak to Peak
terminal appears to be on top of the wires between the Express VIs, move the Express VIs
and Peak to Peak terminal around to create more space. For example, move the Peak to
Peak terminal into blank space above the Express VIs.

Tip You also can press <Ctrl> and drag a rectangle in open space to add more
working space to the front panel or block diagram.

Warning the User

After you specify the values at which you want the LED to light, you must wire the LED to the
Greater Express VI.

Complete the following steps to provide a visual cue when the peak-to-peak value of the signal
exceeds a specified limit.
1. In the block diagram window, move the Warning terminal to the right of the Greater
Express VI. Make sure the Warning terminal is inside the While Loop, as shown in the
following figure.
Figure 3-4. Block Diagram of the Warning Light VI

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2. Wire the Result output of the Greater Express VI to the Warning terminal.
The block diagram should appear similar to Figure 3-4.

Note Red coercion dots appear automatically at the Peak to Peak and Warning
input terminals to alert you that you wired two different data types together and
LabVIEW converted the value passed into the node to a different representation. The
block diagram places the coercion dots on the border of the terminal where the
conversion takes place. For this exercise, the conversion does not affect how the VI
runs. Refer to the LabVIEW Help for more information about coercion dots.

3. Display the front panel.

A numeric indicator labeled Peak to Peak appears in the front panel window. This indicator
displays the peak-to-peak value of the signal.
4. Run the VI.
When the peak-to-peak value exceeds 2.0, the Warning indicator lights.
5. Click the STOP button to stop the VI.
6. Save the VI.

Configuring a VI to Save Data to a File

To store information about the data a VI generates, use the Write To Measurement File
Express VI.

Complete the following steps to build a VI that saves peak-to-peak values and other information
to a LabVIEW data file.
1. Search for the Write To Measurement File Express VI and add it to the block diagram below
and to the right of the Amplitude and Level Measurements Express VI.
The Configure Write To Measurement File dialog box appears.
The Filename text box displays the full path to the output file, test.lvm. A .lvm file is
a tab-delimited text measurement file you can open with a spreadsheet application or a
text-editing application. LabVIEW saves data with up to six digits of precision in a .lvm
file. LabVIEW saves the .lvm file in the default LabVIEW Data directory. LabVIEW
installs the LabVIEW Data directory in the default file directory of the operating system.
When you want to view the data, use the file path displayed in the Filename text box to
access the test.lvm file.
2. In the Configure Write to Measurement File dialog box, locate the If a file already exists
section and select the Append to file option to write all the data to the test.lvm file
without erasing any existing data in the file.
3. In the Segment Headers section, select the One header only option to create only one
header in the file to which LabVIEW writes the data.

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4. Enter the following text in the File Description text box: Sample of peak to peak
values. LabVIEW appends the text you enter in this text box to the header of the file.
5. Click the OK button to save the current configuration and close the Configure Write To
Measurement File dialog box.

Saving Data to a File

When you run the VI, LabVIEW saves the data to the test.lvm file.

Complete the following steps to generate the test.lvm file.

1. On the block diagram, wire the Peak to Peak output of the Amplitude and Level
Measurements Express VI to the Signals input of the Write To Measurement File
Express VI.
2. Select File»Save As and save the VI as Save Data.vi in an easily accessible location.
3. Display the front panel and run the VI.
4. Click the front panel STOP button.
5. To view the data you saved, open the test.lvm file in the LabVIEW Data directory with
a spreadsheet or text-editing application.
The file has a header that contains information about the Express VI.
6. Close the file after you finish looking at it and return to the Save Data VI.

Adding a Button That Stores Data When Clicked

If you want to store only certain data points, you can configure the Write To Measurement File
Express VI to save peak-to-peak values only when a user clicks a button.

Complete the following steps to add a button to the VI and configure how the button responds
when a user clicks it.
1. Display the front panel and search the Controls palette for a rocker button. Select one of
the rocker buttons and place it to the right of the waveform graphs.
2. Right-click the rocker button and select Properties from the shortcut menu to display the
Boolean Properties dialog box.
3. Change the label of the button to Write to File.
4. On the Operation page of the Boolean Properties dialog box, select Latch when pressed
from the Button behavior list.
Use the Operation page to specify how a button behaves when a user clicks it. To see how
the button reacts to a click, click the button in the Preview Selected Behavior section.
5. Click the OK button to save the current configuration and close the Boolean Properties
dialog box.
6. Save the VI.

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Saving Data When Prompted by a User

Complete the following steps to build a VI that logs data to a file when the user clicks a button
on the front panel.
1. In the block diagram window, double-click the Write To Measurement File Express VI to
display the Configure Write To Measurement File dialog box.
2. Change the filename test.lvm in the Filename text box to Selected Samples.lvm
to save the data to a different file.
3. Click the OK button to save the current configuration and close the Configure Write To
Measurement File dialog box.
4. Right-click the Signals input of the Write To Measurement File Express VI and select
Insert Input/Output from the shortcut menu to insert the Comment input.
5. Right-click the Comment input of the Write To Measurement File Express VI and select
Select Input/Output»Enable from the shortcut menu to replace the Comment input with
the Enable input.
The inputs and outputs of an Express VI appear in a predetermined order when you add new
inputs and outputs. To select a specific input, you might need to add an input first, and then
change the input to the specific one you want to use by right-clicking the input and selecting
Select Input/Output from the shortcut menu.
6. Move the Write to File terminal to the left of the Write To Measurement File Express VI.
7. Wire the Write to File terminal to the Enable input of the Write To Measurement File
Express VI.
The block diagram should appear similar to the following figure.
Figure 3-5. Block Diagram of the Save Data VI

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Chapter 3 Analyzing and Saving a Signal

Viewing Saved Data

Complete the following steps to view the data that you save to the Selected Samples.lvm
file.
1. Display the front panel and run the VI. Click the Write to File button several times.
2. Click the STOP button.
3. Open the Selected Samples.lvm file with a spreadsheet or text-editing application.
The Selected Samples.lvm file differs from the test.lvm file. test.lvm recorded
all the data generated by the Save Data VI, whereas Selected Samples.lvm recorded
data only when you clicked the Write to File button.
4. Close the file after you finish looking at it.
5. Save and close the VI.

Summary
The following topics are a summary of the main concepts you learned in this chapter.

Controls and Indicators

You can configure front panel controls and indicators to perform tasks depending on what you
want a VI to do. In this chapter, you learned to use controls and indicators in the following ways:
• You can build VIs that perform a task when certain conditions occur, such as displaying a
warning light when a value exceeds a certain limit.
• You can build VIs that let users control when an Express VI executes by using buttons and
the Enable input. You can configure the buttons to operate in one of six ways using the
Operation page of the Boolean Properties dialog box.

Filtering Data
The Filter Express VI processes signals through filters and windows. You can use the Filter
Express VI to remove noise from a signal.

Saving Data
The Write To Measurement File Express VI saves data that a VI generates and analyzes to a
.lvm, .tdm, or .tdms measurement file. The text-based measurement file (.lvm) is a
tab-delimited text file you can open with a spreadsheet application or a text-editing application.
LabVIEW saves data with up to six digits of precision in a .lvm file. In addition to the data an
Express VI generates, the .lvm file includes headers that contain information about the data,
such as the date and time LabVIEW generated the data. The binary measurement file (.tdm) is
a binary file that contains waveform data. Binary .tdm files provide higher accuracy for
floating-point numbers, take up less space on disk, and perform faster than text-based
measurement files (.lvm). The TDM Streaming file (.tdms) is a binary file that provides faster
writing performance than the .tdm file format and allows a simpler interface for defining
properties.

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LabVIEW installs the LabVIEW Data directory in the default file directory of the operating
system to help you organize and locate the data files LabVIEW generates. Refer to the LabVIEW
Help for more information about writing data to and reading data from .lvm and .tdm files.

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