How to Display Simulated Signals using Waveforms

Prerequisites

How to Add the Power Electronics Add-On to the System Definition

How to Select a Hardware Configuration

How to Add a Circuit Model to the System Definition

Procedure

NI VeriStand provides two native options to display lossless Waveform data while the engine is executing: the Workspace and the VeriStand Editor.  The Power Electronics Add-On supports both user interface types, and extends VeriStand's Waveform capabilities by providing a way to stream waveforms from the FPGA models to VeriStand Charts and Graphs.  For a comparison of the Workspace and VeriStand Editor, or to learn more about using Waveform Graphs, see the links below.

Differences between Workspace and VeriStand Editor

Displaying Waveform Data in a Graph

VeriStand Editor

1. Navigate to the Waveforms section of the System Definition and select the signals you would like to display as Waveforms.  
2. Save the project and Deploy to start simulating.
3. Create a new Screen by selecting File >> New >> Screen from the menu at the top.
4. Drop a Chart onto the Screen by selecting the ribbon item Charts >> Chart.
5. A Channel Finder widget will pop up automatically.  Select the Waveform channels you wish to view.
   
   

By default, Waveform data will be streamed and displayed on the chart at a rate of 100Hz.  To better visualize high frequency signals, select the chart and navigate to its Item Properties page on the right-hand side to modify the Streaming Rate parameter.  If a high Streaming Rate is required, consider reducing the History Length and Visible Length parameters to avoid lagging and hanging in the user interface. 

Workspace

1. Navigate to the Waveforms section of the System Definition and select the signals you would like to display as Waveforms.
2. Save the project and Deploy to start simulating.
3. Open the Workspace file.
4. Drop a Waveform Graph onto the Workspace by going to Workspace Controls >> Graph >> Waveform.  The Waveform Graph Setting Dialog will appear.
5. Click Select Waveforms and navigate through the tree to find the Power Electronics Add-on >> Circuit Model >> Waveforms section and select the Waveforms you wish to see in the graph.
6. Go to the Screen menu and take the Workspace UI out of Edit mode.

To stream and view the Waveform signals at a higher rate, increase the Data Points per Pixel parameter in the Waveform Graph Settings window.  This value specifies the number of waveform points to display per pixel on the x-axis, and enforces a decimation of the waveform data stream, as displayed in the Calculated decimation indicator.  Lower the setting to reduce stream fidelity and conserve real time CPU and Ethernet performance.