UART in LabVIEW

I recently posted an Instructable on how to use UART in LabVIEW.  This project uses LabVIEW, LabVIEW MakerHub LINX, a chipKIT WF32, and the PmodGPS.  The instructable explains a little about what UART is and the connections it uses.  It then goes over how to read values from the UART device and the most difficult part which is formatting the incoming strings into useful information.

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The most important part about getting readings from a sensor is to read the reference manual.  The reference manual tells you how the device works.  It will tell you if you need to send anything to the device before it will send you back something and it will also say how the information it sends you is formatted so you can rearrange it into something useful.

In the case of the PmodGPS, you can send transmissions to the device to configure it but the most importantly it tells you that the GPS module constantly sends GPS information in NMEA sentences.  All the data is separated by commas and you can use that fact to help you sort your data.  Because of the complexity of the NMEA sentences, the PmodGPS is much more taxing to read than most UART sensors.  Check out the block diagram and front panel below to see how I broke up the PmodGPS sentences and displayed them to the user.

PmodGPSReadd

PmodGPSExamplep

Try using my Instructable as a guide to get your own UART connection going.  Let me know if you have any questions and also check out the LabVIEW MakerHub Forums.

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