TestDrive is a tool that oversees the Console of an RT-LAB project by replacing it with an NI LabVIEW panel for Control and Acquisition Signals.

It is used essentially in Courseware to offer to professors and students a real-time interactive experience to discover and learn the topic in question.

Building a TestDrive Pack

To build a TestDrive Pack the user should have in advance:

• An RT-LAB project composed of a console and other subsystems (one or more)
  Signals transmitted from/to Console should pass by a bus.
  For that refer to Bus Creator and Bus Selector in Matlab/Simulink.

• A GUI built in LabVIEW
  The GUI in LabVIEW might contain binary logic, such as, Exclusive-OR buttons or graying a control signal when the corresponding tab is deselected.
  Here is an example of the exclusive-OR buttons implemented in LabVIEW:

• It is up to the user to decide if the whole logic is to be centralized inside Simulink and the RT-LAB model or if it is to be split between LabVIEW and RT-LAB

Launching TestDrive

• To launch TestDrive:

Creating a New Configuration

• Click New Configuration
• The window on the right opens
• Enter the Name and Model Path
• Click on Ok

Assigning a Panel

• Right-click
• Select a panel
• Click Ok

Linking Control and Acquisition Signals 

• Click on the Control button

You will obtain the following:

• In the Control and Acquisition Signals you will retrieve the same labels of signals transmitted From and To Console respectively, as shown below:

• Assign Control and Acquisition signals one by one to the panel

For instance the Control signal: source Va_induit_MCC is assigned to DCM – Armature Voltage Va (V)

• To check that assignation is done properly, click the panel

Right-click that control in the panel and select Find Signal as shown here:

Packing a TD Project

The following window opens:

Unpacking a TestDrive Project

The following window opens: