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Lab Activity
Student Guide
LAB 8 – Introduction to NI-ELVIS
Student Name: ___________________________________________________
S3. Compile data into a test report.
Overview
A1. Appreciate the capabilities, flexibility,
and limitations of a software-based
measurement platform
This lab introduces the student to the
National Instruments Educational
Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite
(NI-ELVIS). The student will perform basic
checks on the NI-ELVIS hardware and
software, and learn to use the Soft Front
Panel (SFP) controls to perform basic
measurements.
Getting Started
Lab Activity and Deliverables:
It should take students approximately 2
hours to complete the lab activity, and 2
hours of homework time to complete the lab
report.
Before Starting This Activity
The reference documents for this activity are
on the GoogleDocs site, and hard copies are
available in the lab:
 Where to Start with the NI ELVIS II
Series
 Introduction to NI ELVIS chapter 1
 NI ELVIS II Series Specifications
Equipment & Supplies
Item
NI-ELVIS
Probes and jumper wires as
required
ESYS 52 Lab Manual (hard copies
of NI-ELVIS documents)
1.0 kΩ resistor, R1,
(brown, black, red)
2.2 kΩ resistor, R2, (red, red, red)
1.0 MΩ resistor, R3,
(brown, black, green)
You should already be familiar with the
basic operation of a DMM, oscilloscope,
and function generator.
Learning Outcomes For Activity
[Try to list outcomes that the student can use
to grasp the “big picture”]
Qty
1
A/R
1
1
1
1
Special Safety Requirements
None
Relevant knowledge (K), skill (S), or
attitude (A) student learning outcomes
Lab Preparation
Verify that the NI-ELVIS power supply is
connected and the USB cable is connected
to the lab PC.
K1. Identify the virtual instruments
available in the NI-ELVIS.
K2. Identify basic precautions and
limitations of the NI-ELVIS hardware.
S1. Verify basic hardware and software
functionality of the NI-ELVIS
platform.
S2. Perform basic measurements with the
NI-ELVIS Soft Front Panel
instruments.
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Lab Activity
Student Guide
Task #1 – “Where to Start with the
NI ELVIS II Series”
Task #2 – “Introduction to NI
ELVIS”
[Short description of activity for this
section]
1. Complete Lesson 1, NI ELVIS II
Workspace, on pages 1-1 through 1-12,
Exercises 1-1 through 1-5. Do not mark
in the Lab Manual! Enter your data on
the Performance Report at the end of this
Activity Guide.
1. Read “Where to Start with the NI ELVIS
II Series.” Verify that the National
Instruments software is already installed
on the PC on your bench. Verify that the
power cables are connected, and that the
workstation and proto board power
switches are ON.
2. Follow the steps in the Testing the NI
ELVIS II Series section on pages 5
through 8.
3. Note any difficulties or problems
encountered during these steps in the
Performance Report section of this
activity guide.
4.
Lab 8 – Introduction to NI-ELVIS
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Task #3 – “NI ELVIS II Series
Specifications”
2. Refer to the specifications for the NI
ELVIS II+. Answer the questions on the
Performance Report at the end of this
Activity Guide
Deliverable(s)
Save your completed Performance Report in
your Lab Activity Binder.
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Lab Activity
Student Guide
LAB 8 – Introduction to NI-ELVIS
Student Name: ___________________________________________________
Note: Print and turn in the performance report pages. Do not turn in the lab activity procedure
pages.
Part 1: “Where to Start with the NI ELVIS II Series”
Were you able to complete the check-out as described in the procedure? List any problems and
how you resolved them.
Part 2: “Introduction to NI ELVIS”
Exercise 1-1
5. Click on the Ohm button [Ω] to use the digital ohmmeter function, DMM[Ω]. Click on the
green arrow [Run] box to start the measurement acquisition. Measure the three resistors R1, R2,
and R3.
Fill in the following data:
R1 _______ (1.0 kΩnominal)
R2 ______ (2.2 kΩnominal)
R3 _______ (1.0 MΩnominal)
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Lab Activity
Student Guide
Exercise 1-2
6. Connect the DMM[V] test leads to Vo and measure the input voltage using the DMM[V]
function.
Press [Run] to acquire the voltage data. V0 (measured) _______________
7. Using the previous measured values for R1, R2 and Vo, calculate V2.
Next, use the DMM[V] to measure the actual voltage V2.
V2 (calculated) ________________
V2 (measured) ________________
8. How well does the measured value match your calculated value?
Exercise 1-3
3. Select the function DMM[A] and measure the current.
I (calculated) ________________
I (measured) ________________
4. How well does the measured value match your calculated value?
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Lab Activity
Student Guide
Exercise 1-4
3. Click on the capacitor button [-||- ] to measure the capacitor C with the DMM[-||- ] function.
Press the Run button to acquire the capacitance value.
C_______(µf)
Exercise 1-5
Copy and paste the RC charge/discharge curve in step 1 to replace the blank display below, or
print the curve on a separate page and include with this report.
Part 3: “NI ELVIS II Series Specifications”
Open the ELVISspec.pdf file. Review the specifications and answer the following questions. Our
units are the NI-ELVIS II+, so where differences are listed on the specifications, use the data for
the II+.
How many single-ended analog inputs are there? ________
What is the resolution of the ADC (analog-to-digital converter)? ________
What is the maximum working voltage for analog inputs? ________
What is the input impedance of the DMM? ________
Which DMM functions are non-isolated?
(Electrically isolated from the rest of the ELVIS circuitry) ___________________________
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Lab Activity
Student Guide
What is the maximum sine wave frequency output of the Function Generator? ________
What is the input impedance (ohms in parallel
with capacitance) of the Oscilloscope input channels of the II+? ________
What is the Oscilloscope maximum sample rate for the II+? ________
What is the maximum current output of the +15 V fixed supply? ________
What is the maximum current output of the +5 V fixed supply? ________
What is the maximum current output of the Positive Variable fixed supply? ________
What other specification(s) do you expect to be significant for using the ELVIS to make
measurements like you have done in previous exercises?
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