The Panel Meter Communication Library for LabVIEW from Integrated Pro can be used in many RS-485 communication scenarios common in process control, but it can also be useful in a laboratory test scenario for incorporating RS-485 devices into more traditional testing applications.

An example is the use of the Panel Meter Communication Library for LabVIEW to communicate with a lathe tachometer.
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Integrated Pro has released the Panel Meter Communication Library for LabVIEW. This VI library contains VIs (Virtual Instruments) and example code for implementing communication between National Instruments LabVIEW™ and one or more Red Lion® Controls CUB5 series panel meters via RS‐485 serial bus. The library also supports communication via USB or RS-232 serial to a single device.

Communication between LabVIEW and panel meters allows expanded capabilities such as the ability to log and trend input values or to remotely change the configurations, while maintaining an operator readout at the point of measurement

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RS-485 communication has been around for a while, but in case you’re just getting started, you may find the following information helpful.

There are four steps in setting up an RS-485 network to a PC serial interface:
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What is RS-485 Serial Communication?

RS-485 serial communication is an industry standard communications method read more »

Many panel-mounted process or temperature PID controllers have the capability to communicate via RS-485 serial communications. Interfacing with LabVIEW™ is a quick and low-cost way to add supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) to one or more loops using in a process control application, or to integrate DIN-sized controllers into test setups in a laboratory environment. Simplify your automation programming by using our Process Controller Communication Libraries for LabVIEW™ to add drag and drop, instrument driver-style VIs to your LabVIEW programming.

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Non-Contact Speed Sensor Mounted on a Vehicle

The DRS-1000 Non-contact Speed Sensor by GMH Engineering is an OEM Doppler radar-based sensor used in many areas of transportation instrumentation. The sensor is dual purpose and can be used either in a vehicle-mounted configuration to determine vehicle ground speed, or in a ground-mounted configuration to determine the speed of a target object, as in traffic monitoring applications.

Integrated Pro developed and maintains the embedded assembly code that accomplishes real-time processing read more »

One of our customers wanted to upgrade their operation by adding centralized control and monitoring over multiple dryers in a pasta making operation. read more »

The Process Controller Communication Libraries for LabVIEW provide a simple, drag and drop, instrument driver-style interface to DIN-sized, panel-mounted, process or temperature controllers, which have the capability to communicate via RS-485 serial bus. This style of interface is familiar to many LabVIEW™ programmers, who already use it for communicating to data acquisition hardware, stand-alone instruments and other devices.

There are other options for interfacing to these controllers, however. Here is a comparison: read more »