New-Tech Europe Magazine | Q3 2021 | Digital Edition

Figure 4: The "Script" instrument in WaveForms allows to write user applications in JavaS-cript. Credit : Digilent

Figure 5: In Linux-mode, the Analog Discovery Pro can be accessed via a serial termi-nal. Change username and password after the first startup. Credit : Digilent

messages, and reading data from the SPI. Programmers will also have to define certain keywords and interrupt handlers before using them. The Analog Discovery Pro has four USB ports on the back of the panel that are enabled in Linux mode. This makes it possible to connect peripherals such as a compatible Wi-Fi dongle or a FAT/ FAT32 formatted Flash drive. When scripts are run on the device, data can be stored locally, or streamed over a USB or a wireless interface, for example, to a cloud-based service like ThingSpeak, for storage, display, and manipulation. When running in Linux mode, the device is accessible through a serial terminal program like PuTTY or TeraTerm. Communication between the device and the host computer is supported through USB, Ethernet,

in a highly customizable way. Moreover, GUI actions can be automated, as well as custom data analysis and manipulations. This way, engineers can monitor signals and document the measurement results. With the WaveForms Software Development Kit (WaveForms SDK), even more customization is possible, as the SDK can be used to create custom applications and scripts in Python, C, C++, C#, and Visual Basic. For LabVIEW and MATLAB, third-party toolkits are available. Full Automation in Linux Mode Beside the standard mode, where the device is connected to a host PC running WaveForms using a USB port or the Ethernet interface, the Analog Discovery Pro also operates in a Linux mode. In this mode, the ADP boots into a terminal- based Linux distribution from Debian installed on the device. This allows to run automated test scripts written in Python, C, C++, C#, or Visual Basic through the APIs of the WaveForms SDK without a host computer. The Analog Discovery Pro acts then as an embedded device and adds additional flexibility and connectivity. Figure 6 shows an excerpt from a Python script demonstrating an automated test of the analog-to-digital converter on a Pmod AD5 as an example. When running automated tests, user- defined functions are exercised for repeating tasks like resetting or closing the used instruments, displaying error

and Wi-Fi. Internet access for remote access or the Internet of Things (IoT) is also possible. Through WaveForms and a connected Flash drive, users can update the on-board Linux, keeping the operating system current. Updated OS- images are provided by Digilent. With the different methods of automating tasks – math channels, scripts, and Linux mode – the Analog Discovery Pro supports engineers to research, validate, and test the increasingly complex systems and it helps to reduce the design cycle time. Check out the Analog Discovery Pro Resource Center for more guides, tutorials and applications. Digilent Analog Discovery Pro 3000 series are available in Digi Key, the Digilent authorized distributor in Israel.

Figure 6: Example script for controlling the analog-to-digital converter on a Pmod AD5. Credit : Digilent

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