cDAQ-9185 vs cRIO-9053

[gucho123]

Hello,

So far, I have carried out measurements using only the 1-slot USB cDAQ-9171 (and HBM QuantumX). I usually communicated with the device via Matlab Scripting (daq.getDevices - Data Acquisition Toolbox...) or NI DAQExpress.

Currently, I want to buy a 4-slot chassis. I already have several different measurement cards and I want to be able to use them at the same time. I also plan to create a control and measurement application for my own tester (stepper motor, speed control, force and displacement measurement, limit switches, etc.) using LabView or Simulink.

I noticed that cRIO-9053 costs only slightly more than cDAQ-9185 and that's why I'm wondering whether it's worth paying extra for it.

Is it true that, apart from additional functionalities, it is also possible to use cRIO in the same way as cDAQ? Will I be able to use my old Matlab scripts and control the device through my computer?

Thank you for your help.

[ZYOng]

Is it true that, apart from additional functionalities, it is also possible to use cRIO in the same way as cDAQ? Will I be able to use my old Matlab scripts and control the device through my computer?

The answer is no. cRIO has its own controller and you need to deploy the code onto the cRIO directly. The performance and latency will be much better when compared to cDAQ but the programming is more challenging. You cannot run MATLAB on it as cRIO runs Linux RT OS.

If you don't have LabVIEW and LabVIEW RT to program it, your choice would be:

• GitHub - ni/grpc-device: gRPC server providing remote access to NI device driver APIs.
• Cross-Compiling ANSI C NI-DAQmx Examples for Linux RT Using Microsoft Visual Studio Code

[gucho123]

Thank you for the quick reply.

I'm sad that cRIO doesn't work with Matlab. I saw that it is possible to communicate with cRIO  over Ethernet using TCP/IP, but it all requires more work. I thought that such communication was possible with cRIO-9053 because I found information that it is compatible with NI-DAQmx ( https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA00Z0000019PUNSA2&l=pl-PL ). On the other hand, in fact, the Matlab website does not list this model as compatible with Data Acquisition Toolbox ( NI-DAQmx Support from Data Acquisition Toolbox - Hardware Support - MATLAB & Simulink (mathworks.com... ). 

I have access to both LabVIEW and LabVIEW RT. 

So, to sum up, to use cRIO, you need to create and upload a program to it - just like with a microcontroller or PLC. And the computer is used to communicate with this loaded program, not to directly control the device (as in the case of cDAQ). Is this true?

[santo_13]

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@gucho123 wrote:

So, to sum up, to use cRIO, you need to create and upload a program to it - just like with a microcontroller or PLC. And the computer is used to communicate with this loaded program, not to directly control the device (as in the case of cDAQ). Is this true?

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Yes and no, cRIOs also support a DAQ mode.

https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA03q000000x2ClCAI&l=en-US

[ZYOng]

You could use GitHub - ni/grpc-device: gRPC server providing remote access to NI device driver APIs. to make cRIO behave like a cDAQ, but I wouldn't recommend it. This method basically disregards the low latency performance of cRIO.

[crossrulz]

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@gucho123 wrote:

I have access to both LabVIEW and LabVIEW RT. 

So, to sum up, to use cRIO, you need to create and upload a program to it - just like with a microcontroller or PLC. And the computer is used to communicate with this loaded program, not to directly control the device (as in the case of cDAQ). Is this true?

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That is correct.  You use LabVIEW with LabVIEW RT to create the program that goes on the cRIO.  That program, depending on the cRIO you choose, can use DAQmx to control its modules.  I prefer using the FPGA interface.  As far as the PC communicating with the cRIO, I just use simple TCP/IP.  You can use whatever messaging protocol you want over the TCP connection.

[gucho123]

Thank you for all your replies. I would like to ask about this specific cRIO-9053 model. This is the cheapest cRIO in NI's offer. What are its capabilities? Could you give an example of applications in which it will work and those in which it would be insufficient?