VEE vs LabView vs. VB.NET - RF Cafe Forums

 Post subject: VEE vs LabView vs. VB.NET

Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 12:39 am 

Hey RFTEJerry we're in the same neck of the woods. I'm down around Miami.

My issue is with deciding whether to go with HP Vee (now Agilent VEE - just doesn't have that ring to it any more) or LabView or do everything with Visual Basic. I need to automate a rack with the standard suite or RF gear - S/A, N/A, Pwr meter, a couple voltage supplies, PC in the rack, etc. We're testing some WLAN type stuff but I just need to decide for now what software package to choose. I've got old demos of VEE and LabView and played with them a little, but never got good at anything. I know alittle VB. Do you have any suggestions based on experience and if not, do you know anyone that can guide me?

I've got a few weeks before committing, but want to get on it fast. Ths is an open question to anyone out there in RFCafeland. Thanks!

Thanks.

 Post subject:

Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 7:39 pm 

Hello FL Techie,

Both of these tools (HP VEE and Labview) are very common in the industry. So my suggestion to you (Unless you have previous experience with one of them) is to choose just according to the common standards of price, support etc. Most of the RF testing applications I have seen are/were done with HP VEE. This is probably because companies prefer to rely on Agilent that makes the test equipment and think that it have also good drivers for it.

Good Luck!

_________________
Best regards,

- IR

 Post subject: HP Vee vs LabView

Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 8:50 am 

Hi FL Techie,

I have no "real" experience with HP Vee. When it first was introduced, the company I was with at the time evaluated it but I don't remember why we didn't adopt it. In the mid-ninties, in a portable ATE system proposal I worked on, we used LabView as the test environment. I used it for probably 8 months. I liked it but the time involved to create the GUI's I thought was high but once they were done controlling the instruments was like having them on a bench top with the knobs and buttons. We didn't win the proposal so that was the end of my LabView days. For the past 10 years, and still continuing today, the ATE systems I work on use LabWindows/CVI. I like this test environment very much. I started with v4.x and now it is up to v8.0. The programming environment is standard "C" and you can build tests using built in boilerplate functions that you then adjust to meet you test needs. I designed and entire RF ATE system composed of HP/Agilent RF equipment (spec ana, 8510C NA, sig gens, pwr meter, NF meter) and controlled then all using LabWindows/CVI.

I agree with IR in that all of these test environments are good in their own right and that it is just a matter of 1) which one suits your test needs best. 2) which one is the easiest to get up and running for your application (startup & learning curve) 3) which one will be the easiest for test program maintaince/upgrades and , probably the biggest (from the accountants view) the cost (initial & upgrades).

With either the HP/Agilent or National Instrument products the vendors of your test equipment will have to supply drivers for the test language. So that is another consideration that will influence your choice.

Good luck with your choice.

RFTEJerry

 Post subject:

Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:18 pm 

Thanks to RFTEJerry and IR for taiking the time to respond. I guess the real answer is like you've hinted that I really need to evaluate the software and decide based on my actual needs. My main thing was to see if there were any to steer clear of based on any bad experiences anyone might have had.

Thanks again.