Blower fan controller

Community General Discussions
1

I am currently looking for a controller that can be used by a blower fan that needs to be manipulable using a computer (The RPM or the V of the fan needs to be changeable using a computer program). And I am not sure whether I should connect the blower unto a motor controller (such as this one: instructables.com/id/Use-Ard … trol-moto/). I have heard that a motor controller requires interface programming, and I was wondering which system will be easier to if we are using the compute control software Labview?

Thank you!

2

Also, I have the same question about a ultrasonic range sensor, if I want to be able to connect the measured distance to a computer, should I use a microcontroller such as the following
and then link that directly with a USB cable to a computer, or should I use a DAQ USB to transfer the distance signal from the ultrasonic sensor to a computer? Also, this product here: robotshop.com/ca/en/vex-iq-u … ensor.html , does it come with a build-in USB? So can it be directly linked into a computer? And lastly, if I use the microcontroller, can it be programmed using Labview?
Thank you!

3

Hi,

The RB-Pol-154 mentions using the device with various software, including LabVIEW, on page 96 of its user guide (found under Useful Links on the product page). If you need more details, we recommend that you contact the manufacturer directly here.

If you decide to take the Arduino + LabVIEW approach, we recommend that you check the NI LabVIEW Interface for Arduino Toolkit, available here. If you have any issues with this or LabVIEW itself, you can obtain support here.

Concerning the RB-Inn-325, it uses a proprietary protocol, probably over an I2C connection. It does not have a built-in USB connection, but these do: RB-Max-39, RB-Max-42, RB-Max-69, RB-Max-73.

Since you seem like you wish to integrate multiple sensors using different interfaces, it would make sense to go for an Arduino-LabVIEW setup and have the Arduino take care of all the various sensors and send updates by the serial interface back yo LabVIEW (either using a simple general serial port interface/module or the special Arduino toolkit mentioned above).

Good luck!

4

Thank you,
I was wondering if those sensors with built in USB can be used with LabView as well?
If yes, can they be directly connect to a computer using an USB cable without anything else?

5

Hi,

Yes, all you need is a USB connection.

The output is in the format of “Rnnn Pm*<ÇR>***”, where nnn is the range and m is parameters. The string is ended by a carriage return character. The sensor constantly output these as fast as possible.

The connection is done through a VCP (Virtual COM Port) and the settings are 57600 baud rate, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit no parity.

You can read more about it here.

Concerning LabVIEW, like most software of this kind, it has a generalized interface for serial ports. Therefore, anything that uses a serial can, in theory, be used with LabVIEW. Of course, some devices are much easier to use than others. One that is simple would be these sensors, since all you need to do is open the serial port and read the data, without having to send anything to the sensor.

We do not have any LabVIEW sample code for this but we are sure you can find plenty of help in the tutorials for using serial ports.

Sincerely,