KRYPDAQ For LabVIEW

Product Overview

KRYPDAQ is a low cost yet flexible and a multifunction USB DAQ that can be used for LabVIEW programming. Most of the pins of this USB DAQ device is not only limited to a single function but can also perform several of its features depending on the user and that makes it literally a multifunction device. Basically, it has 30 usable pins (excluding the 5V and GND pins) which can become instantly a 30 digital I/O pins or can be assigned 10 analog input pins with 10-bit resolution out of its 30 pins and many more. This cheap DAQ comes with a lot of features as well as examples developed under LabVIEW platform. And most of all, it comes with a FREE KRYPDAQ library than can be downloaded from this page. This USB DAQ device was developed to help hobbyist, students, LabVIEW programmers and even expert LabVIEW developers to develop their own LabVIEW projects and or automations using a cheap DAQ. As the name implies, this DAQ device can be used to acquire readings from sensors and transducers as well as to control actuators.

KRYPDAQ uses PIC18F4550 IC as its microcontroller by Microchip and is pre-loaded with a special firmware that makes it a computer-based DAQ allowing it to communicate with PC and other peripheral devices under LabVIEW environment.

Features

  • 30 Digital Input/output TTL Pins
  • 10 Analog ADC Inputs with 10-bit resolution
  • 1 Frequency Counter (Up to 50MHz)
  • 1 UART Interface
  • 1 I2C Master Interface
  • 1 SPI Interface with up to 6 Slave selection
  • 1 Shift Register Interface
  • 2 LCD Display
  • 2 PWM Outputs
  • 4 Stepper Motor Interface (ABCD Phase)
  • 4 Stepper Motor Interface (L297 Circuit)
  • 13 Servo Motors
  • 2 Impulse Counter
  • 192 Byte Internal EEPROM

Hardware

PCB Component Layout

The PCB component layout of KRYPDAQ is exactly the same as KRYPIC-4550 development board as shown above. Though they share the same hardware and component layout, KRYPDAQ functions totally different from KRYPIC-4550. At this point, the ICSP connector is no longer usable for user’s application since KRYPDAQ is already flashed with a special firmware dedicated for LabVIEW communication use.

Though KRYPDAQ is developed to operate under LabVIEW software, KRYPDAQ is not a product by NI therefore using KRYPDAQ is not similar to using NI hardware of LabVIEW. The NI hardware of LabVIEW communicates through DAQ driver while KRYPDAQ communicates using its own KRYPDAQ LabVIEW library which was developed solely for this device. This means that MAX, DAQ assistant and or similar NI wizards cannot be used upon KRYPDAQ device. Even so, the library of KRYPDAQ is very easy to use with a lot of useful features and examples thus users do not have to start from a scratch.

The usable pins of each port are laid out on both sides of the board by utilizing a screw-type terminal connector for ease of accessibility while another set of expansion port for 5VDC and GND is provisioned which are directly connected from USB’s supply and ground.

PIN FUNCTION

The table above summarizes all functional features of KRYPDAQ with their corresponding pins to be accessed in order to use them. This table also suggest which functions cannot work in parallel with other functions if they are sharing the same pin. For example, it is not possible to use the SPI function in parallel with I2C, LCD, Shift register or UART interface since there will be a conflict in use of pins.

Software

LABVIEW Software

The KRYPDAQ USB device was designed to operate under LabVIEW platform. LabVIEW stands for Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench which is a programming platform developed by NI (National Instruments). It is different from other programming languages as it is a graphical programming environment instead of a text-based code platform. LabVIEW is used to developed automated program, validations and production test and measurement systems. It is easy to use, debug and design simple to complex programs and there are a lot of functionalities it supports including integrating third party hardware and third party languages/codes.

KRYPDAQ LabVIEW Library

The KRYPDAQ library is a LabVIEW project file which contains all the necessary VIs to operate each function of KRYPDAQ device. It also contains sample programs for each function at which the user can use or copy to create his/her own program. This library is under continuous program to develop more examples using other peripheral devices and functions not stated above to make KRYPDAQ even more multifunctional yet cheaper in cost than other DAQ devices.

This library is downloadable for free in this page.

KRYPDAQ Driver

Since KRYPDAQ uses PIC18F4550 Microchip microcontroller and mpusbapi.dll to interface and communicate with PC via USB, this device uses a modified Microchip Custom Driver to make it sound more proprietary to KRYPDAQ. As a VID sub-licensed under Microchip, KRYPDAQ uses Vendor ID of 0x04D8 and a Product ID of 0xE71A. And in order to recognize the KRYPDAQ device by its own driver, these VID and PID is listed inside the modified KRYPDAQ INF file or the driver itself. The modification also includes changing of device manager category, mfgname, instdisk and description inside the INF file.

Due to this modification in the INF file, the existing WHQL signature was invalidated causing the driver to become digitally unsigned. Because of this, normal driver installation of KRYPDAQ will cause a Windows pop up box to prevent it from getting installed. To install KRYPDAQ driver, the driver signature enforcement of Windows must be disabled prior to installing the driver. Here’s how to do it.

Wanna Know More About This Product?

Read This —> KRYPDAQ USER’S MANUAL

This document describes in details the parts and features of this USB DAQ device as well as the description of each available VIs of the library, instruction of driver installation and sample LabVIEW program for each functions.

Downloads

How To Order?

To get your own KRYPDAQ USB device, just reach the following pages/website

Related Products

KRYPIC-4550 DEVELOPMENT BOARD

This KRYPDAQ hardware shares with the same component layout and schematic to KRYPIC-4550 device that is also available in this site and its associated store. KRYPIC-4550 Development Board is an electronic prototyping platform which allows any electronic enthusiasts, hobbyists, students or even professionals to prototype and develop their own microcontroller-based projects either USB applications or stand-alone projects using PIC18F4550 microcontroller.

KRYP SIGNAL RELAY BOARD

This signal relay board provides a convenient interface for KRYPDAQ device to automate switching of signal lines during data communication with other devices and/or acquiring signal measurements during test systems development.

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