Hands-On Introduction to LabVIEW for Scientists and Engineers 2nd Edition

This is a great hands-on book, from page one you'll be using Labview. This is a book that cant really be read on its own, you need to have a computer available at all times while you read, everything is made to be applied to Labview from the start, you dont need to go through chapters and chapters of theoretical background before you start using Labview, its like a first day lab class with a great instructor.That being said, you need to know and own a couple of things in order to get the best out of this book. First you obviously need a scientific background, meaning, you need to know physics, electronics, and math. The author assumes you already know all these things and the problems at the end of the chapter are in their majority physics/math oriented, now dont worry these are all considerably basic, but you need to know at least the concepts, also knowing a bit of Matlab syntax will help a lot in the usage of the MathScript function included in Labview.Now onto the stuff you need to own: besides having a computer with Labview you need a NI DAQ interface such as myDAQ, ELVIS, etc... to really get the best from this book you'll also need a digital multimeter, a power supply, function generator, oscilloscope, breadboard and assorted electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, opamps, LEDs, transistors, etc...You really need to solve all the problems at the end of every chapter dont just read the main chapter and skip the problems at the end, a lot of the information of the book is in the problems, information that may not be covered in the main chapter is covered in the problems so its not enough to just read and follow the main chapter, you really have to go through the problems at the end, this book relies on the students practicing a lot, its not a technical manual made to describe Labview, im sure there are better books in that respect.Eventhough you'll learn a lot with this book im afraid you'll only scratch the surface of what Labview is capable of, you may want to own a more technical Labview book, a lot of the technical concepts are not covered in depth, for example you may know how to use a particular function but not fully understand what that particular function does, however I believe this is ok for a first approach into Labview, in my opinion its much better to start using the software than having to go through pages and pages of technical information before you get your hands on the software.The projects in this book are very fun, again they are mostly electronics/physics oriented so they will really appeal to scientists and engineers just like the book says in its cover.In short: Get this book if you want to learn how to use this amazing software.

This is one of the better books for either self-instruction or classroom learning of LabVIEW. Since it is aimed at working engineers and scientists it is written in a clear, concise technical manner but not over the head of its intended audience. While not as encyclopedic as some other introductory books, the manner of exposition makes the reader ‘Think LabVIEW’ so that some of the topics not covered become self-evident. While a high degree of computer knowledge is not necessary, the reader should have some notion of how programs are written and structured. The problem sets at the end of the chapters are the books strongest and weakest points. Most of the problems illustrate the objectives of the chapter. The author gives the path for unfamiliar functions so that time devoted to problem solving is devoted to problem solving and not looking for a specific function. The reason why the problem sets are the weakest part of the book is that the author provides answers for only the even numbered problems on his web site. If you are a valid instructor you can send in your credentials and get the answers for the odd numbered problems. I am sorry, but this is totally unacceptable in a book that has for its targeted audience a substantial number of people who are using it for self-study and it is what costs this book a star. Anyone teaching any course who is incapable of creating their own homework or test problems has no business teaching that course. Not having all of the answers to the problems available cripples what would be an excellent instructional text for LabVIEW.

LabView is a programming "language" that uses icons as opposed to writing out computer code. While you would think that would be easier than typing out lines of code, it can get very tricky and involved, especially when you are trying to do something fairly advanced. When I was working on my Electrical Engineering degree I had a couple of classes that used LabView, one was an "introduction to LabView" class and the other was Computer aided measures and controls, which covered LabView, C++, and MatLab. The same professor taught both courses and he was notorious for showing very simple examples during class, and then assigning homework and having test problems that were much harder than anything he showed us how to do. So, I used this to get through the LabView material and come up with ideas for projects, etc.It is not a traditional textbook (although it can be used as one), so it has a lot of examples and enough explanation to understand what is going on. It is mainly for beginners to intermediate users, which is perfect for most people who are taking a college course. And, if you get an older version of the book it is much less expensive than some of the other books out there. So, if you are looking for help in using LabView, this is a good resource.

I am preparing to teach a LabView-based engineering course soon, and it is tempting to assign this textbook to my students and say Go For It, instead of trying to teach them myself in the lab class setting. It is sometimes hard to judge an educational tool when one already knows the material, but this book's pace, tone and coverage seem just right. I have learned a few things from it, too, especially about VISA and the MathScript command window. The author provides examples using four well-chosen DAQ platforms (USB-6009, PCI-6000 series, ELVIS and MyDAQ). I would like it to provide more information on array handling, which is a pain in LabView, and about buffering data for filtering, which NI means to be invisible to the standard LV user, because those two topics aren't easily learned from the NI help files. However, if a student gets the basics from this book then an instructor can address those additional topics in the class or research lab.

I was completely Labview newbie. The book is very clear and gives also some intuitive theoretical backgrounds (FFT, sampling therorem).Even some hardware aspects are highlighted. Excellent INTRODUCTORY book.

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This is a really excellent book for LabView beginners. The author breaks you in gently and gives you lots of exercises to attempt which help to cement your learning points. Constructing a VI is like solving a puzzle. (He gives you hints to help you out!). It reminded me of trying to make contraptions in the classic old computer game "The Incredible Machine". Anyone remember it?Anyway I would thoroughly recommend this book. I havent finished it yet but intend to work through every exercise. Challenging, fun and very educational!