Is there an RS232 module for the cDAQ?

[labview212]

As far I can tell it is only available for the cRIO, I am trying to build a system to dsiplay and record data from various types of sensors, some analog voltage out, and some that run over rs232. Will this system allow me to build a VI to do that or am I better served going with the cDAQ set up?

Also will I need any specific software that a

NI LabVIEW Full Development System for Windows

 will not cover to set this up?

http://ohm.ni.com/advisors/crio/pages/common/printable_summary.tpl.xhtml?conversationContext=6

Configuration ID: CR5093978

Retrieve configuration at:www.ni.com/advisor/retrieve/

[cody_a]

You are correct, the RS-232 C Series module (NI 9870) is only supported on cRIO.  However, if you haven't used cRIO before, it has a bit of a learning curve, and may be overkill for this application.  Perhaps a PC-based solution with a couple PCIe cards is a better option.

My recommendation: Give someone from our sales team a call about this system (contact info).  They will help you understand tradeoffs of various options and make sure that the system you settle on meets your needs.

[labview212]

I am not completely new to labview, how steep is the curve? While this initial project is fairly straightforward and the cRIO might be overkill, it allows us to buy a data acquisition and system monitoring platform we can build on for the next several years, while meeting the needs of this applicaiton in the interim. (basically we need to spend some money...)

All it would need to do is:

Read in from ~50-70 sensors (mix of analog and rs232), display values on screen, log values.

[cody_a]

If you have done some DAQ and serial in LabVIEW before, then you'll probably be okay.  Additionally, if this is your first project with cRIO or cDAQ, we have a program designed to help onboard new users to those platforms.  It will match you up with an NI Applications Engineer (such as myself) for the duration of the first project so that you have a technical contact at NI who is familiar with your experience level and project needs.

PM me if you're interested and we can discuss next steps.

[labview212]

Is the program free? I will PM you if this goes through, thanks for the offer!

[cody_a]

Completely free! Please let us know if you have any more questions.