Installing Linx and other drivers on Mac

[Bbails1155]

Hello,

I have successfully installed the full version of Labview 2023 on my Mac, and installed VISA. I need to now install LINX from makerhub in order to use my Arduino Uno 3 with the program in the way that I need to. I see a lot of conflicting information on whether or not I should install VIPM, and what the steps are in order to install it. 

I have all of this downloaded on my home PC, but really need it on my laptop. Any ideas?

[rolfk]

While Linx is an interesting software, it doesn't offer a lot of advantages if you want to use it with Arduinos. Basically Linx requires you to install a specific firmware (*.ino) file on your Arduino. This needs to use the Linx specific extensions, written in C, to be accessible as Linx device. So the firmware wizard in Linx compiles and creates this ino file but relies on the Arduino compiler toolchain. It is very unlikely that the Linx Toolkit will install any such support for anything but Windows, so you would have to install that yourself from somewhere and even then it is not clear how the Linx firmware wizard could locate it correctly.

Instead it is usually a lot easier to write your own Arduino compatible firmware for what you want to do and provide it with a more or less complex command interface using a serial port, that you can then connect through from LabVIEW through NI VISA serial port functions.

[RTSLVU]

In general there are three ways of using LabVIEW with an Arduino

1. Program the Arduino in the native Arduino language.
   1. LabVIEW can communicate with an Arduino using VISA just like any other instrument on a serial port.
   2. IMHO: This is the best way as you have full control over the communications protocol and access to all of the of Arduino libraries and LabVIEW toolkits that are already out there.
   3. I highly recommend watching this video on serial communications: VIWeek 2020/Proper way to communicate over serial
2. Use LINX Now called the LabVIEW Hobbyist Toolkit (LIFA has long since been deprecated)
   1. Full LabVIEW integration
   2. Limited amount of Arduino libraries and peripherals directly supported
   3. The Arduino runs a special sketch and basically becomes a USB DAQ device that always needs to be connected to a computer.
3. TSXperts Arduino compiler for LabVIEW
   1. Actually turns LabVIEW into compiled Arduino code. (A real feat on its own)
   2. Limited subset of LabVIEW vi's and primitives
   3. Very limited support for Arduino libraries 
   4. Development has stopped, so those annoying bugs are here to stay

For the reasons rolfk gave #1 is your only real option and honestly it is the best option.