Lab .4 (b) How to Measure Sound Signals Using LabVIEW

The LabVIEW software platform allows engineers to create a wide variety of virtual instruments, or VI, that allow the analysis, testing and design of different machines. Measuring sound is ideally done with the LabVIEW add on, Sound and Vibration Toolkit, which provides several VI for measuring sound signals. Depending on what kind of input you want to measure and the output that provides useful data, there are unlimited configurations within LabVIEW. However; the basic setup for each type of measurement you perform is the same.

Instructions

Sound Signals Measurement Setup
1. Determine the sound signals you want to measure and pick a virtual instrument within LabVIEW to produce the sound, or a real-world sound producer such as a microphone. Attach your sound device to the computer, if applicable.

2. Launch LabVIEW, then click "Blank VI." Build your VI in the diagram by connecting three types of elements from left to right: an input device, which may be a real audio instrument or a virtual instrument in LabVIEW, a LabVIEW measurement device, and an output device in LabVIEW. There are unlimited combinations. Pick the devices that measure sound based on your requirements. For example; use the "Tone Measurement" device and "Fundamental Tone" output device to measure frequency and amplitude of an input signal.

3. Right-click on the output device in your block diagram, then click "Create." Pick the name of the indicator from the Sound and Vibration palette, such as "Waveform," to display a graphical representation of the sound measurement on the front panel.
Configuring LabVIEW to Measure Hardware Input

4. Launch Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) by clicking on the application in the "LabView" folder in the "Programs" list.

5. Click "NI-DAQmx Devices, then click "Create New DAQmx Device, and click "NI-DAQmx Simulated Device."

6. Click on the arrow next to the "USB DAQ" menu, then click "USB-9233." This prepares LabVIEW to accept an analog input through an audio optimized USB driver.

7. Right-click on "Data Neighborhood" in the MAX configuration list and click "Create New."

8. Click on "NI-DAQmx Task" and click "Next."

9. Click on the "Analog Input" drop down menu, then click "Sound Pressure." In the list that appears, click "ai0" under "USB-9233" and click "Next."

10. Type the name of your analog signal in the text box, then click "Finish." LabVIEW is ready to accept your sound device as an input signal.