Using the Multi-Emitter Generation InstrumentStudio Panel

Configure your instruments and run your test through an InstrumentStudio large panel.

The Multi-Emitter Generation InstrumentStudio Plugin provides the User Interface (UI) for the MEG application. Execute the InstrumentStudio plugin on the same controller as the MEG Application or on a remote machine connected through the gRPC interface.
  1. Launch InstrumentStudio by navigating to Start » National Instruments » InstrumentStudio.
  2. Select File » New Panel.
  3. In the Select Panel window that opens, select Add-Ons » Multi-Emitter Generation Software, and click OK.
    A panel opens.
    Figure 30. Multi Emitter Panel


  4. Save the generated panel for future use by selecting File » Save all.
  5. Ensure the MEG application is running, as outlined in Launching the Multi-Emitter Generation Application.
  6. Ensure the IP Address and Port Number are correct and click Connect to establish a connection to the MEG application.
    Note You can edit the IP Address and Port Number fields when not connected to the MEG Application.
    Note Click the Gear icon to specify a gRPC certificate file path.
    The state changes from Disconnected to Uninitialized.
  7. Select a system configuration file.
    The System Configuration portion of the panel provides an interface for interacting with the system configuration file and the User Waveform File Manager.
    • System Configuration File—Select an existing system configuration INI file to use for the system. The folder icon opens to the default location for system configuration files: C:\Users\Public\Documents\National Instruments\NI MEG\System Configuration Files.
    • Query—Click to open the Multi-Emitter Generation (MEG) System Configuration Utility with the current settings of the system. Clicking Query also generates a timestamped system configuration file. Refer to Specifying the System Configuration Parameters for more information.
    • Edit—Click to open the MEG System Configuration Utility using the file specified in System Configuration File. If no file is specified in System Configuration File, the MEG System Configuration Utility opens a default system configuration file. Refer to Specifying the System Configuration Parameters for more information.
    • Reset—Click to set all values in the system configuration settings to the default state.
    • User Waveform File Manager—Click to open the User Waveform File Manager. Refer to Creating and Managing User-Defined Waveforms for more information.
  8. Select the system configuration file and click Initialize.
    When initialization successfully completes, the state changes from Uninitialized to Initializing and then Idle.
    Note The first initialization can take up to 30 seconds to download the waveforms to the system when using larger user-defined waveform files. If subsequent changes do not involve changes to the waveforms, the waveforms are not re-downloaded and initialization is faster.
  9. Set the RF Parameter parameters.

    The RF Parameters section provides an interface to change the VST settings of a selected hardware group. All VSTs in a hardware group must have the same VST settings.

    • Hardware Group Alias—Select a hardware group.
    • Center Freq—Set the center frequency for the hardware group.
    • Power Level—Set the power level, in dBm, for the hardware group.
    • Pre-Filter Gain—Set the pre-filter gain for the hardware group.
    Note If the hardware group has compensation, there must be compensation files for the settings specified.
  10. Click Run to play the MEG command files and generate RF signals.
    The state changes to Running.
    Note If the application encounters an error, the information icon features a red box. Click the information icon and select Error to view the error message from the MEG application. Click Clear Errors to clear any MEG application errors.
  11. Click Stop to stop processing MEG Commands and end RF signal generation.
    The state returns to Idle.
  12. Click Disconnect and close the panel.