Question from the Customer:
I'm working on a project with the following requirements: the SPI master sends requests the SPI slave every 10ms and the slave responds with the data. For some tests, I may need to add a delay after selecting the SPI slave device. I don't see these options within the Control Center Software that comes with the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter - I understand that I can use the Aardvark Software API instead.
It would be easiest for me to write programs in LabVIEW – can the Aardvark adapter be used with LabVIEW?
Thanks for your questions! Yes, the Aardvark adapter can be used with LabVIEW. The Total Phase Aardvark LabVIEW driver is based on the Aardvark API, supports 32-bit Windows and includes example VIs. The Aardvark Software API can also be used to create loops. The API supports a cross platform (Windows, Linux, and Mac OS – 32- and 64-bit) and the following programming languages: C, C#, Python, .NET, VB.NET, and VB6. Program examples are provided. We recommend using the Python bindings as it is a simple language and a good option for scripting. Please note - the Aardvark Software API and the Aardvark LabVIEW Driver are offered as two individual packages that are used separately. The Control Center Serial Software does not support conditional loops.
Figure 1: Aardvark LabVIEW DriverFor additional information, please refer to the readme files that are provided with the Aardvark LabVIEW Driver package and the knowledge base article Sending SPI Messages Between Two Aardvark adapters Using Aardvark LabVIEW.
Note - as an SPI master, the Cheetah SPI Host Adapter provides user-configurable SPI delays; the Aardvark host adapter does not provide that option. More information about signal characteristics for these host adapters is available in the user manuals:
- section 2.5 of the Cheetah SPI Host Adapter User Manual
- section 2.4 of the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter User Manual
Additional resources that you may find helpful include the following:
- Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter User Manual
- Aardvark API Documentation
- Control Center Serial Software User Manual
- Cheetah SPI Host Adapter User Manual
We hope this answers your questions. If you have other questions about our host adapters or other Total Phase products, feel free to email us at sales@totalphase.com, or if you already own one of our devices and have a technical question, please submit a request for technical support.