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What Is LabVIEW FPGA?

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The NI LabVIEW FPGA Module can help you program a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) with a LabVIEW block diagram. Under the hood, the module uses code generation techniques to synthesize the graphical development environment to FPGA hardware. This block diagram approach to FPGA is well-suited for an intuitive depiction of the inherent parallelism that FPGAs provide. Use this module with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware to create FPGA-based measurement and control hardware whether you have worked with hardware description languages (HDL) or not.


  • Support for hardware targets including both PCI/PXI boards and modular stand-alone systems
  • More than 100 FPGA IP blocks for quick development
  • Built-in I/O direct memory access (DMA) provides fast communication with a host system
  • Create logic that can execute in one cycle of 40Mhz, 80MHz, or faster clocks
  • Manage memory, FIFOs, clocks, and I/O in the LabVIEW project
  • Use available Wizards for quick-start or begin from a blank slate

FPGA Technical Benefits

FPGA Technical Benefits Description
Software Reconfigurable Create a chip that is reconfigurable with changes in software, creating new hardware anytime
Hardware Reliability Once the FPGA is programmed, it becomes a hardware chip with all of the associated reliability
High Speed Create logic that can execute in a single clock cycle
Highly Deterministic Implement code that synthesizes deterministic hardware down to the tens of nanoseconds
Parallel Hardware Because it is a matrix of logic blocks and interconnect, an FPGA can massively implement parallel processing

Applications

On-Board Processing

Acquire signals and implement inline processing for data reduction, filtering, or other digital signal processing (DSP).

High-Speed Control

Use single point I/O with PID or other control algorithms to implement onboard control with loop rates up to hundreds of KHz.

Digital Communications and Protocols

Interface with standard and/or custom digital protocols.

Off-Load CPU Processing

Communicate with direct memory access (DMA) by outsourcing the many processing algorithms that are well suited for FPGA hardware but CPU intensive on processor-based systems.

Complex Timing and Synchronization

Implement complex triggering schemes, multi-rate acquisition, or supply clock signals to synchronize external devices.

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Testing

Simulate sensors, emulate protocols, and implement important parts of HIL systems that are difficult to implement on processor-based systems.

View a complete list of what you can do with LabVIEW FPGA