Software Overview

The ECU Test System Suite is a pre-defined set of development environments, instrument drivers, and related toolkits commonly required for ECUTS test program development.

ECU Test System Maintenance Software

ECU Test System Maintenance software allows you to monitor system and hardware components of the ECUTS. Use ECU Test System Maintenance Software to verify your system configuration, run self-test, self-calibrate hardware components, and execute continuity-checking to the mass interconnect.

TestStand ECU Software Toolkit

Test program development for the ECUTS occurs in NI TestStand™, allowing you to quickly develop, debug, and deploy characterization and production test programs. TestStand allows you to integrate code modules written in multiple programming languages and offers tools such as test program templates for different development environments.

TestStand ECU Software Toolkit adds automotive industry-specific features to TestStand, helping you to configure, control, and debug supported ECUTS instruments based on configurations defined in InstrumentStudio. InstrumentStudio is a software-based front panel application that allows you to perform interactive measurements on several different device types in a single program. InstrumentStudio is automatically installed when you install TestStand ECU Software Toolkit. For more information on using InstrumentStudio, refer to the InstrumentStudio Manual.

Example test sequences are located in the <TestStand Public>\Examples\NI_ECU_Toolkit directory.

Code Modules

Code modules are program modules, such as a LabVIEW VI or a Microsoft Windows DLL, that contain one or more functions that perform a specific test or other action. Use LabVIEW or .NET applications to create, edit, and debug code modules that control the instruments in the ECUTS, take measurements from the DUT, and publish test results.

NI provides instrument drivers to configure, customize, and implement instrument control applications.

Debugging

NI provides several options for debugging instruments, DUTs, test applications, and code modules.

  • Use the soft front panels (SFPs) included with most NI modular instruments to troubleshoot and debug your instrument or DUTs.
  • Use InstrumentStudio to debug instruments while controlling them from test sequences in TestStand.
  • Use the built-in tools in TestStand to debug sequences and related components in TestStand.