Measurement Computing LabVIEW Rev.3.0 - Manual (Page 16)

4-2 10-03-02 IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs
Questions and Answers
Q: Who should I contact if I have questions that are not answered by my documentation?
A: If you believe you are having a problem with IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs or IOtech Hardware,
contact IOtech. Contact information is provided at the end of this chapter.
Q: What is meant by “IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VI”?
A: IOtech has developed a series of the VIs that emulate the NI-DAQ VIs. These IOtech VIs are referred
to as IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs.
Q: How do I install VIs?
A: Refer to chapter 1 of this document for installation instructions.
Q: How are Substitution VIs accessed and where are they physically located?
A: Substitution VIs can be accessed from within LabVIEW through the Function Palette.
The VIs are physically located under
...\Program Files\National Instuments\Labview(X)\IOtech Data Acquisition\
Q: What version(s) of LabVIEW do I need to have?
A: IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs are supported by LabVIEW versions 5.1 and higher.
Q: What operating systems are supported?
A: IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs are supported by Windows 9x, Me, NT, 2000, and XP.
Q: Are there any examples on how to use IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs? If so, where are they?
A: Program examples exist for each function. They are located in the sub-palette, or sub-directory, below
the major function. For example: IOtech Data Acquisition\Analog Input\Examples)
Q: Can I use both IOtech and NI devices?
A: You may use IOtech and National Instruments boards in the same machine and even within the same
program as long as (1) the IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs are used to control IOtech boards, and (2)
the NI-DAQ VIs are used to control the National Instruments boards. You cannot mix VIs.
Q: Can I use boards other than those manufactured by IOtech and National Instruments, providing these
devices have LabVIEW support?
A: Yes, but you will need to use NI compatible virtual instruments that were developed for those specific
devices, providing those VIs exist.
Q: What do I have to do to my existing LabVIEW application to make it work?
A: If you have an existing National Instruments board-based test system, and you want to convert it for use
with An IOtech DaqBoard/2000 Series board, you must replace all the NI-DAQ Device Specific VIs
with the corresponding IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs.
Q: Can I use the IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs with National Instruments examples, or with higher
level VIs?
A: Yes, refer to the examples.
Q: How do I determine that a VI substitution operation was successful?
A: Test the modified application using known input and output values.
Q: Will using IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs change the performance of my LabVIEW application?
A: Under most circumstances, no. The IOtech LabVIEW Substitution VIs do not introduce any additional
processor overhead. If you must have absolute peak performance consider using the IOtech API
LabVIEW VIs. Note that these are stand-alone VIs that cannot be used with the Substitution VIs.