Are you excited about NIWeek? Here at VI Shots, we definitely are and to prepare you for what's to come. I assembled 3 session speakers for you to talk about their sessions and what to expect. I also go through a run-down of some sessions that I recommend. There are also some activities that are not part of the official schedule which we talk about as well.

You can watch the video below or listen to the audio above. To get notified of future VI Shots Live episodes, please join the mailing list at vishots.com/subscribe.

What to do and see at NIWeek 2014

Link to session scheduler. You can search the scheduler for the titles below or by speaker.

Recommended Sessions:

• Tips and Tricks for Highly Productive Programming in LabVIEW
  • Darren Nattinger
• LabVIEW Champions Live: From Specification to Design
  • Christopher Relf
  • Rebecca Linton
  • Christopher Roebuck
  • Justin Goeres
  • Michael Aivaliotis (me)!
  • Tim Robinson
• LabVIEW Hacker: Hacking the Real World
  • Sam Kristoff
• LabVIEW OOP: Computer Science for the G Programmer
  • Stephen Loftus-Mercer
• Implementing Gang of Four Design Patterns in LabVIEW
  • Yves Lemay
  • Joseph Des Rosier
• Creating Highly Innovative User Interfaces With LabVIEW
  • Samuli Bergstrom
• Hands-On: Code Review Best Practices
  • Nancy Hollenback
  • Brian Powell
• How to Create Truly Reliable LabVIEW Real-Time Applications
  • David Staab
• Save Time and Money With Unit Testing
  • Fabiola De la Cueva
• Standard and Nonstandard Inter-Thread Communication
  • Piotr MAJ
• How to Eat the Elephant: Turning Ideas Into Architecture
  • Jon McBee
• Going Large: Tools, Tips, and Tricks for Developing Large Applications as a Large Team
  • Christopher Roebuck
• Featherweight: Sustainable Application Architectures for LabVIEW
  • Jack Dunaway

Unofficial Events:

• LAVA BBQ
• Meetup at the Gingerman on Sun Aug 3 8pm (301 Lavaca St, Austin)

 

NI recently announced a small form factor instrument that packs a punch called VirtualBench. I interviewed Chris Delvizis, a Senior Product Manager at National Instruments about this new hardware. Aside from containing several instruments essential to a typical benchtop lab setup. It also works right out of the box with built-in software for the PC that loads when you plug in the USB cable. The NI VirtualBench iPad app is now available. Click the player above to listen to this weeks podcast episode, where we break down what VirtualBench is and if it's the right hardware for you.

Functionality:

• Mixed-Signal Oscilloscope
• Digital Multimeter
• Function Generator
• Programmable DC Power Supply
• Digital I/O

Joel Shapiro, Leader of Emerging Markets Marketing at NI, said, “Many entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists don’t always have easy access to the instruments they need. Due to the excellent functionality, affordability and portability of VirtualBench, every engineer can immediately be equipped with the tools they require to bring their ideas to life and take it to market.” “We are building on what NI does best, which is our software-based approach to test and measurement,” said Chad Chesney, Director of Data Acquisition Marketing at NI. “VirtualBench’s software user experience is more intuitive, creating efficiencies that go above and beyond simply having these five devices in a single device.”

Links to content mentioned:

• Official Site for NI VirtualBench
• NI VirtualBench Spec Sheet (pdf)
• iPad App

The Actor Framework, is a LabVIEW framework that has a growing following. It allows you to build powerful applications that can contain asynchronous processes and allow them to communicate in a more robust manner. Jack Dunaway and I talk with Allen Smith, Dr. James Powell and Dave Snyder about what exactly is the Actor Framework and how they've been using it in their work.

You can watch the video below or listen to the audio above. To get notified of future VI Shots Live episodes, please join the mailing list.

What is your opinion on the Actor Framework? Do you use it in your projects? If you don't use it then why? Let me know in the comments below.

Links to content mentioned:

• Actor Framework Community

How do you support your LabVIEW applications remotely? Have you found the right tools and methods that make your job easier? In this episode of VI Shots Live, we look at some of the benefits and pitfalls of remote collaboration and support. Jack Dunaway and I talk with Fabiola De La Cueva and Justin Goeres on the topic of being a remote developer.

You can watch the video below or listen to the audio above. Listen to the end of the audio recording for a funny behind the scenes moment from the podcast version. To get notified of future VI Shots episodes, please join the mailing list at vishots.com/subscribe.

Past episodes of VI Shots Live

Links to tools I recommend:

Collaboration Tools

• Google Hangouts – This is a collaboration tool that I use to record VI Shots Live.
• JoinMe – Lightweight meeting tool. Also has a web interface.
• GoToMeeting – Highly recommended meeting tool. They also have GoToWebinar, which I've used many times for webinars.
• Skype – Audio & Video over the Web. This is the main tool I use here at VI Shots for my interviews.

Remote Control & Support

• TeamViewer – Powerful remote control software. This is expensive but it allows for unlimited hosts with one client.
• LogMeIn – Remote Control software. This is a lower cost but you pay depending on the number of computers you control.

Waterloo labs is at it again with another creative project that merges LabVIEW, NI hardware and the maker mind-set. How about standing in front of 3 paintball guns as they automatically “draw” an outline of you? How about if the software controlling them was written by an NI intern? It turns out, this system is pretty smart and fun. Check out the video below and then listen to the interview above I gave with Hunter Smith who mentored several members of Waterloo Labs throughout this project.

In the interview we discuss in detail the hardware and software used and developed. Hunter also talks to some of the challenges encountered.

Links to Content mentioned:

• Waterloo Labs Paintball Picasso
• NI MyRIO
• TechShop

I'd like to thank everyone for the positive feedback on our first VI Shots live, both in personal emails and also on our Google+ page. We're back with a new live episode which was recorded on Feb. 26, 2014. You can listen to the podcast version of the show above or watch the embedded video below.

 

Are you looking for a LabVIEW consultant for your next project? I'm a Certified LabVIEW Architect with over 20 years of experience in developing automation powered by LabVIEW. Contact me today for a free code review or project evaluation.

Our guests this episode:

David Thomson who's based in Colorado, is the founder of and systems Integrator at Original Code Consulting, which provides LabVIEW programming and system integration all the way from device drivers to complete systems. Dave is also a LabVIEW Champion since 2005.  Dave runs a user group meeting in Colorado, the Advanced LabVIEW Architects of the Rocky Mountains (ALARM).

Neil Pate is a Certified LabVIEW Architect (CLA) and Certified Professional Instructor (CPI). He’s a founder and systems development engineer at Premier G Solutions Limited in the United Kingdom. Neil is based in the United Kingdom. Neil is very active on LAVA: http://lavag.org/user/7375-neil/

Steen Schmidt is the founder of GPower in Denmark. Steen is a Certified LabVIEW Architect (CLA), a Certified TestStand Architect (CTA), and was recently nominated as LabVIEW Champion just this month, so congratulations, Steen!

All video recordings can be found on  vishots.com/live

We've all heard of the Agile Software development methodology; but how many of us are actually using these principles while developing LabVIEW code? My guest, John Sextro is an Agile coach and an expert in the field of Agile Software development. Listen to this episode of the VI Shots podcast where I ask John about the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, and we walk through the 12 principles behind the Agile manifesto. This conversation is just the beginning of an exploration of this topic. I'm planning on having John back on in the future to discuss Scrum, which is the leading agile development methodology.

I believe LabVIEW is by-design, a language that can thrive within an Agile development environment. You can quickly get software working and data displayed on a UI within a short time frame. I'd like to hear your feedback on this topic. Do use Agile? If not, then why not? Post you concerns and questions in the comments below and John will visit this post to answer your questions.

The Agile Manifesto

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

12 Principles behind the Agile Manifesto:

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous deliver of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
10. Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Links to content mentioned in this podcast episode:

• Contact John Sextro on Twitter
• Agile Evidence – John's website on Agile
• This Agile Life – John's podcast on Agile
• iOhYes Podcast

I've started something new here with Jack Dunaway from Wirebird Labs. We've decided to host monthly Google hangout sessions to discuss the business of software engineering with LabVIEW. The first one this month was held on Jan 29th, 2014 and was called: Sustainable Careers in LabVIEW. You can listen to the podcast version of the show or watch the embedded video below.

Our guests on our first episode were Christopher G. Relf, chief Architect at VI Engineering (a National Instruments Platinum Alliance Partner). He's also a CLA, CTD, CPI and a LabVIEW Champion. We also had Darren Nattinger, principal engineer, CLA and part of the LabVIEW R&D team at National Instruments.

• All of the shows can be found at vishots.com/live
• Google+ show page: Click on Q&A link in the video to view all the questions posted during the live event.

Using Subversion with LabVIEW is a challenge when it comes to some of the most popular free tools like Subversion (SVN). Eric Metzler from Viewpoint Systems took on the challenge of updating an older version of an internal company tool. The new free version of the TSVN tool won  the LabVIEW Tools Network Product of the Year award at NIWeek 2013. Eric talks with me about his journey through the LabVIEW world and his newfound passion for working on LabVIEW-based products.

Links to items mentioned in this episode:

• TSVN Toolkit from Viewpoint systems
• Subversion Source Code control
• CLA Summit
• VI Shots Live

 

Jack Dunaway from Wirebird Labs is on this episode where we discuss his Deploy product and what it takes to develop great software products. Jack also announces a new “framework” he will be releasing in 2014 called Featherweight.

Links to Content Mentioned:

• Deploy – LabVIEW Tools by Wirebird Labs
• Inspired –  Book by Marty Cagan
• VIPM Idea Exchange
• Wirebird Labs Idea Exchange

If you think you know everything there is to know about functional globals, then you're wrong. In this episode of the VI Shots podcast, Nancy Hollenback and I take functional global variables to the next level. Find out how to safely use native globals, have multiple instantiation capabilities and speed optimize your look-up tables.

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. Leave me a comment below and tell me what you think of this episode, or if you have any questions. You can support this podcast by subscribing on iTunes (for iOS) or giving us a rating and review in the platform of your choice.

Links to the topics mentioned:

• Nancy's presentation at NIWeek 2013 (pdf)
• Example Code for the above
• CLD Summit 2013
• NI LabVIEW Developer Days
• NI Days
• NI LabVIEW Certifications