Virtual Instrumentation

What Is Virtual Instrumentation?

MatDeck’s Virtual Instrumentation (VI) framework enables engineers and scientists to design, deploy, and operate custom measurement, control, and monitoring systems — without traditional hardware programming.

Unlike rigid standalone software, MatDeck embeds virtual instruments directly into its live-document environment (LabDeck Notes), combining:

• Drag-and-drop instrument widgets (gauges, scopes, sliders, LEDs, etc.)
• Real-time data streams from DAQ devices (LabJack, Advantech, ICP DAS, Micro:bit)
• Script-driven logic (MD Script, Python, C++)
• Interactive graphs, tables, and narrative text

This creates a Virtument — a unified virtual instrument panel that behaves like physical lab equipment, but with full programmability and documentation in one place.

The Virtument Panel: A Unified Instrument Interface

A Virtument (Virtual + Document + Instrument) is MatDeck’s signature concept: a live, executable document that functions as a full-featured measurement and control panel.

Core Characteristics of a Virtument

• ✅ Self-documenting — Theory, equations, and design rationale coexist with live controls.
• ✅ Hardware-interactive — Reads/writes to real DAQ channels in real time.
• ✅ Deployable — Export as standalone Windows .exe or web app.
• ✅ Reusable — Save as template; embed in larger SCADA or dashboard systems.

Instruments Widget GUI: Drag-and-Drop Instrument Building

MatDeck includes a rich library of instrument widgets — pre-built UI components designed for engineering and lab use — that can be placed directly onto a LabDeck Note canvas.

Instrument Widget Categories

📊 Measurement & Display

• Analog Gauge — Radial meters for voltage, temperature, pressure, etc.
• Digital Display — 7-segment or LCD-style numeric readouts.
• XY Plot / Oscilloscope Widget — Real-time waveform visualization with zoom/pan.
• Spectrum Analyzer Widget — FFT magnitude plots (leveraging CUDA/OpenCL via ArrayFire).
• Thermometer, Level Indicator, Bar Graph

Knob / Rotary Encoder Widget — For setpoint or gain adjustment.

Slider / Trackbar — Analog control (e.g., duty cycle, frequency).

Push Button / Toggle Switch / LED Indicator — Digital I/O simulation and control.

Waveform Generator Widget — Select sine, square, sawtooth, chirp with real-time parameter tuning.

⚙️ DAQ & Communication

• Comport Widget — Serial (UART) monitor for Micro:bit, Arduino, sensors.
• Channel Selector — Dynamically assign DAQ channels (AI, AO, DI, DO).
• Status Panel — Device connection, error logs, sampling rate monitor.

How It Works

1. Drag a widget from the toolbox onto the LabDeck Note.
2. Configure properties: binding to variables, scaling, range, color, labels.
3. Link to hardware: e.g., bind a gauge to LabJack_AI0 or a slider to Advantech_AO1.
4. Script logic (MD Script/Python) reacts to widget events (e.g., onValueChanged).

Virtument in Action: End-to-End Workflow

1. Design Phase

• Create a new LabDeck Note.
• Insert narrative text, equations (e.g., PID control law), and diagrams.
• Drag instrument widgets: gauge (output), slider (setpoint), scope (error signal).
• Use the DAQ Config Assistant to auto-generate device setup code.

2. Programming Phase

Embed executable blocks that tie widgets to hardware:

// MD Script: Real-time PID loop in Virtument
while (running) {
  double input = LabJack.readAI(0);      // Read sensor
  double setpoint = slider.getValue();   // From widget
  double output = PID.update(setpoint, input);
  LabJack.writeAO(0, output);           // Drive actuator
  scope.push([time, input, setpoint]);  // Update oscilloscope widget
  gauge.setValue(output * 100);         // % full scale
  wait(0.01); // 100 Hz
}

3. Deployment & Sharing

• ✅ Run in-place — Full interactivity inside MatDeck.
• ✅ Deploy EXE — Compile to standalone Windows application (Deploy EXE engine).
• ✅ Embed in SCADA — Use as a panel in larger control systems (e.g., ICP DAS integration).
• ✅ Export to Web — Via Flet or Kivy Web backends (Visionary Deck tier).

Supported Hardware & Integration

MatDeck Virtuments seamlessly interface with industry-standard DAQ and embedded systems:

Platform	Features Supported
LabJack (T7, T4, UE9)	AI, AO, DI, DO, counters, PID control, thermocouple, RTD, database logging
Advantech	Buffered AI/AO, DI/DO (port & bit), PWM, real-time graphing
ICP DAS	SCADA integration, COM devices, DI/DO, Virtument GUI config examples
Micro:bit	Serial (COM port) data streaming, LED/matrix display control, sensor fusion

All hardware APIs are abstracted — users interact via high-level commands like device.readAI(channel), not low-level registers.

Use Cases & Applications

• 🔬 Lab Automation — Automated titration, spectrometer control, environmental chamber monitoring.
• ⚙️ Industrial Prototyping — Motor control panels, vibration test rigs, PID auto-tuning GUIs.
• 🎓 Education & Training — Interactive physics/chemistry labs (e.g., gas law, reaction kinetics).
• 📡 Field Testing — Portable signal analyzers, PPG/ECG acquisition + filtering + database.
• 🤖 IoT & Embedded Dev — Rapid UI for sensor nodes (Micro:bit, Arduino via serial).