Project Overview
Developed a distributed data logging and control application using the National Instruments cRIO platform to monitor and acquire data from multiple test cells. The system interfaced with additional devices, including the Watlow temperature controller, Keithley SMC meter, and various lab-specific serial devices.
System Architecture
Numerous cRIO units were deployed across different test labs, with a standard PC acting as the host to connect to these devices, monitor operations, and extract data for post-processing. Typical tests spanned several weeks, and the host interface enabled users to configure complex test recipes.
Recipe Interpreter
A recipe interpreter was developed that processed commands like "soak" and "ramp" while managing user-defined variables, allowing the application to read and write values to these variables. This functionality permitted a value set in one test step to be reused or adjusted (using basic arithmetic functions) in later steps.
Data Streaming & Results
Once a recipe was configured, the cRIO would start the test and continuously stream data to the connected host. This ensured no data loss across multi-week test runs and provided real-time visibility into test cell status for engineers monitoring remotely.
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