Python how-to: AndroiDAQ and Serial Communications

One thing that sets the AndroiDAQ module from other data acquisition products on the market is its use of the industry standard FTDI UART to USB conversion integrated circuit for USB serial communications. This allows the designer to use one easy to use USB driver for programming with the AndroiDAQ module in the various popular programming languages and on various operating system platforms, which at times can be a very taunting task with other commercially available data acquisition products. This also makes it easy to develop your application for the AndroiDAQ module in not only Android, Java, and LabVIEW, but for other popular programming languages like Python, which can also be used on multiple platforms. This article is going to present to you how to set up Python for serial communication, via the USB port, so that you can add Python to your list of tools for controlling and reading the AndroiDAQ module.

Using the AndroiDAQ oScope for LabVIEW®.

The AndroiDAQ oScope for LabVIEW is a new LabVIEW application VI that is now included in Controlled Capture Systems’ AndroiDAQ DEMO for LabVIEW library project. oScope allows you to acquire a user set number of analog to digital samples at user set time-based intervals, much like a digital oscilloscope. oScope uses LabVIEW’s Waveform graph to plot the received sample data from the AndroiDAQ module to give you a visual representation of the signal on channel zero of the AndroiDAQ ADC.

The Wonders of Analog to Digital Conversion

In the digital world, information is shared through software using multiple digital patterns of ones and zeros. These digital patterns can represent alphanumeric characters, mathematical operations, memory commands, or any other representative data that when decoded by software, corresponds to understandable information based on an agreed upon model of the digital patterns and data manipulation methods. This is all well and good for applications of math calculation, word processing, database entry, and other symbol based system uses, however, one can ask: how does one get real world physical data into a format of digital patterns that can be used by computers to measure, display, calculate upon, and manipulate the data?

A New Paradigm for Data Acquisition

Like many design engineers and makers versed in open source, I wanted a development board that would allow me to eliminate the compromises in my designs due to manufacturer propriety hardware and software. I was never really happy with the number of channel offerings, firmware limitations, physical size, and costs per channel of commercially available data acquisition products currently on the market today. I was also not satisfied with other simplistic project platforms like the Ardruino and IOIO for use on projects like hexapods, quadcopters and other complex robotic systems that need parallel processes, vice linear processes. There had to be a better way and a better development board that could also be open source. So in 2013, I developed an entirely new data acquisition module and prototyping paradigm that I call AndroiDAQ.

LabVIEW How-to, with the AndroiDAQ Data Acquisition Module

The AndroiDAQ module was designed as an easy to use and complete data acquisition module for multiple platforms. Not only can it be used with the Android operating system, but it can also be easily used with National Instrument’s LabVIEW, as well as JAVA, Python, and other programming languages. To demonstrate this, Controlled Capture Systems offers a complete data acquisition suite for AndroiDAQ and LabVIEW called AndroiDAQ DEMO for LabVIEW. The term DEMO is short for Dream, Engineer, Make, and Operate. The open source nature of DEMO allows users of LabVIEW to open and view the LabVIEW source wiring diagrams to understand the functions of how to control the AndroiDAQ module under USB, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth to measure the 8-channels of its analog to digital converter (ADC), or control, as inputs or outputs, the 16-channels of digital IO. The wiring diagrams also show you how to read and/or clear or set the built-in AndroiDAQ micro-SD card and AndroiDAQ’s real-time clock. This article is going to explain several of the sub-VIs (or sub-virtual instruments, which are what LabVIEW methods or functions are called) of the DEMO for LabVIEW application, so that you can apply these sub-VIs to your own custom application with the AndroiDAQ module.

Controlled Capture Systems

We believe there is a better way to do everything, to challenge the tried and true; to think outside the box of normal.

These beliefs allow us to provide to you cost effective and complete solutions to bring your product dreams into reality. 

We provide project specific solutions in a complete and confidential manner. Our solutions include:

Data Acquisition for the Internet of Things

Introducing AndroiDAQ: Data Acquisition for Android, LabVIEW and more.

This is a new paradigm in data acquisition for Android, JAVA, Python, and LabVIEW: AndroiDAQ, an eight-core parallel processing data acquisition system used for creating products for the Internet of Things.

AndroiDAQ Compatible with xBee Form Factor Radios 

Prototyping -From Dreamscape to Reality

In 1984, Joseph Ruben directed a science fiction film called “Dreamscape”. In this movie, you are taken to a lab where scientists and system integrators are busy developing head gear, to aid in the monitoring and control of dreams. The first appearance of this head gear is very crude, as it is cumbersome, bulky, and heavy, with wires and leads sticking out everywhere, but later, as the development on the head gear continues, it becomes a sleek, fully functional, and lightweight head set.

Time-lapse, a Window of Opportunity

There is a question of what the term time-lapse means exactly, when referenced to photography and or imaging. According to the website Webopedia, the definition of time-lapse is: “In digital photography, it's the name of the process used to capture a set of images at preset intervals of time.” This seems to be a reasonable definition for either digital or analog image capture, which can go further as the preset intervals of time can be also termed as the frame rate of image capture.

The Importance of Business Integrity in the 21st Century

Integrity. This simple noun is defined as: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; consistency of actions, values, methods, measures and principles. Honest and trustworthy people strive to ensure that their integrity is intact. They remain accountable for their own and their business' actions. Though seemingly, in this 21st century, integrity is becoming something of an antiquity, which is very troubling to me and it should also trouble you.

Electronic Hardware Development in the Now.

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." -Alan Kay

Everyday new electronic hardware and devices are announced and made available on the market. There is a plethora of electronic devices available that not only vary in their capabilities and functions but also in their pricing and product age. Careful selection of devices must be made to avoid end-of-life parts. If perchance an inexperienced designer selects one of these parts for product development and when the part is discontinued, the product's viability and cost will be greatly affected due to the necessity of having to redesign the product. With over 25-years experience in Electronic Design I can help you in avoiding these costly mistakes. 

Intellectual Property More Than Just Patents

"To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect." -Oscar Wilde

Having several Patents, I am well versed in creating and protecting Intellectual Property. Intellectual property does not only imply patents, trademarks, and copyrights, as many well-meaning business seminars and books lead small business owners to believe. Intellectual Property is: