Getting Started with an Example Project

In this tutorial, we will configure and deploy the SCIM Local Control example onto a Real Time PXI system with either a PXIe-7868R or PXIe-7891 FPGA card.  For an in-depth overview of this and other examples, please refer to the Examples Section of the documentation.  The steps described below can be performed on any of the shipping examples to quickly configure and run them.

The SCIM Local Control example uses the eHS Solver to simulate a two-level inverter circuit that will drive a squirrel cage induction machine model on the FPGA.  An open loop controller model executes on the Real Time CPU of the system to provide gating signals to the inverter through the FPGA-based PWM signal generators.

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Step 1: Confirm Target Configuration

1. Open the NI Measurement and Automation Explorer (NI MAX).

2. In the configuration tree, expand Remote Systems and locate your Real Time PXI target to confirm that it is properly connected.

3. Click the target and make note of its IP Address. Confirm that the Operating System is NI Linux Real-Time.

4. Expand the Software section under the target and confirm that the NI VeriStand Engine and FlexRIO is installed.  The version of VeriStand installed on the target must match the version installed on the development machine.

   • For more information about connecting and installing software to a target, refer to the NI documentation for Linux systems.

5. Expand Devices and Interfaces and locate the NI PXIe-7868R or the NI PXIe-7891 card under the PXIe chassis.  Confirm that the card to be used is named FPGA0.

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NI MAX

Step 2: Open the Example

1. Navigate to <Public Documents>\National Instruments\<NI VeriStand 20xx>\Examples\OPAL-RT\Power Electronics Add-On\SCIM Local Control\Project\<PXIe-XXXX>

2. Click SCIM Local Control.nivsprj to open the VeriStand project.

Step 3: Configure the Example

1. In the tab for the SCIM Local Control.nivssdf System Definition file, click Configure... to launch the System Explorer.

2. Navigate to the Controller section of the tree.

3. Configure the IP Address field with the information obtained in Step 1.3.

4. If permissions are configured on your Real Time target, enter the credentials in the Username and Password fields.  National Instruments targets are programmed with the following credentials by default:
   
   Username: admin     Password: <blank>
   
   

5. Click Save and close the System Explorer.
   
   

Step 4: Deploy the System Definition

1. In the VeriStand Editor, select Idle >> Deploy.

2. Navigate to Main.nivsscr file to view the main user interface.

3. Experiment with the UI controls to monitor the simulation results.

4. In the VeriStand Editor, select Connected >> Undeploy to stop the simulation.