To test and evaluate SPI devices, I have been using the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter and the Control Center Software. For my next project, I need to use LabVIEW and I'll need a special application. What can you tell me about the API software? Can I use the Aardvark API Software to create a LabVIEW application?

Thanks for your questions! You can use the Aardvark API Software to control the Aardvark adapter and to write a custom program for your specifications. The API comes with support for multiple operating systems (Windows, Linux, and Mac) and multiple languages (C, Python, Visual Basic, and C#), and includes software examples. For more information about the Aardvark API Software, please refer to section 5 of the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter User Manual.

However, we do offer LabVIEW drivers for the Aardvark adapter, which is based on the Aardvark API Software. Like the Aardvark API Software, the Aardvark LabVIEW driver also provides examples, which can also be customized to create a custom program for your specification. For an example of using Aardvark LabVIEW for SPI devices, please refer to the knowledge base article Sending SPI Messages Between Two Aardvark adapters Using Aardvark LabVIEW.  The following is a summary of that article.

This example uses two Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapters (one SPI master and one SPI slave) and two of the LabVIEW examples, connect and spi:

• connect: Indicates if the I2C/SPI/GPIO functions are available, and displays the following information about the connected Aardvark adapters: port number, Aardvark handle, serial number, hardware version, and firmware version.
• spi: Reads and writes SPI data between two Aardvark adapters.

Instructions:

1. Download and install the latest version of Aardvark LabVIEW Driver.
2. Connect the two Aardvark adapters to the computer via the USB connectors.
3. Connect the two Aardvark adapters to each other via the I2C/SPI connector.
4. Install LabVIEW for Windows from the LabVIEW website.
5. Launch the Aardvark LabVIEW Driver.
6. Run the original connect Aardvark LabVIEW Driver example that is provided in the Aardvark LabVIEW Driver package.
   Figure 1: Aardvark LabVIEW Connect Driver

    

7. Send the SPI data between two Aardvark adapters, using the Aardvark LabVIEW Driver SPI example.

Figure 2: Aardvark LabVIEW SPI Driver

We hope this answers your question. If you have other questions about our host adapters or other Total Phase products, feel free to email us at sales@totalphase.com or submit a request for technical support.