LabVIEW and CloudDot

Title:  No VI is an Island: Connect It to the Cloud

Abstract:  Have you ever wanted your LabVIEW application to send you a text message? Drop in simple, platform-independent VIs to establish a two-way link between LabVIEW and CloudDot, LabJack’s hosted service for measurement, automation and control. Once connected to the cloud, learn how to easily implement browser-based HMIs, email, SMS, RSS, and Twitter.

Background:

Cloud computing refers to applications that run on a remote server and interact with the user via Internet.  Examples of well-known cloud applications are Gmail and Google Docs.  LabJack has developed cloud-based software for measurement, automation, and control called CloudDot (cloud.labjack.com or www.clouddot.com).

CloudDot provides the user with their own hosted database.  The reliable, always-connected database has built-in visualization and analysis tools.  Access, update, and share your data using your browser, and move data in and out using web standards.  CloudDot provides an environment to run Python scripts that operate on your data.  Scripts can control hardware, trigger alerts, and interact with the web.  A basic CloudDot account is free, and paid accounts are available for more intensive needs.  For more information see the CloudDot Flyer.

Moving data between LabVIEW and CloudDot is easy with the CloudDot REST API. See the examples page for free LV6+ VIs, that use only the native TCP ability included with any version/platform of LabVIEW.

Any computer that can connect to the web through a browser can use CloudDot.

Benefits of connecting to the cloud:

1. No software to maintain or upgrade.
2. Data is automatically backed up and protected.
3. No need for a static IP address or to punch holes a firewall to connect.  If your computer can open a browser and connect to the Internet, it is ready to move data in and out of CloudDot.
4. No IT staff needed to manage.

You should use CloudDot if

1. You want notifications when anything about your system fails, including power or Internet access.
2. You want to use your phone or a browser to view current or historical data.
3. You want to send remote commands to LabVIEW.
4. You want to implement browser-based HMIs.
5. You want to move data between LabVIEW and email, SMS, RSS, or Twitter.
6. You want to easily implement an Internet-based LabVIEW shared variable.

CloudDot is designed for data rates of 1 Hz or slower.  If your system is faster than that, you would send summary data to CloudDot at a slower rate.  For higher speed applications, LabVIEW Web Services would likely be needed.

Try It Out:
Using the test account noted in step 1 below, you can move data both ways between LabVIEW and CloudDot in less than a minute.

1.  First, you need a CloudDot account.  Start by using the premade "apitest" account.  This account has the API Key "abcdefghijklmnopqrst" and has 5 public virtual channels ready to go with the nickname "TestChannelx" (where x = 0-4).

Go to the Dashboard to view current values.  Click on a particular channel name to show a sparkline for that channel, and click repeatedly to toggle between 1 hour and 24 hour sparklines.  Click on the latest reading for a particular channel, and it will start live updates, refreshing every couple seconds for 1 minute.  There is also a special Dashboard for an iPhone.

If you would rather make your own CloudDot account (free for basic accounts), follow the instructions here.  From the Account screen, note your API Key.  One the Channels screen, make a virtual channel and note the nickname.

2.  Download and unzip the LabVIEW_CloudDot Drivers/Examples.  Open "Simple Post Example.vi", and run it once.  Whatever you put in the "Value" control is posted to TestChannel1 on the apitest account.

Open "Simple Get Example.vi", and run it once.  The latest reading from TestChannel1 on the apitest account is retrieved and shown in the "Value" indicator.

With that, you have transferred data both ways between a LabVIEW VI and CloudDot.  These VIs use native TCP only, so will work on any LabVIEW platform that supports TCP.  These VIs could be run on any machine anywhere, as long as that machine has Internet access.  No special firewall/network settings, just a machine where you could open a web browser and get to the Internet.

Here are the front panels and wiring diagrams of these simple example VIs: