Use cases

• Adjust the RT system time to accurately reflect the time known to other devices
• Accurate RT system time/date is required for secure TCP/IP services, e.g., to send secured SMTP email messages and access secure (HTTPS) Web sites

Features

• Can be done remotely provided the Academic RIO Device has network access

Keep in mind

• The current time is not saved by simply power-cycling the Device
• A Device reboot requires several minutes

LabVIEW block diagram elements

Locate these elements with "Quick Drop" (press Ctrl+Space and start typing the name); click on an icon to see more sample code that uses that element:

Example code

• Connect your Academic RIO Device to your PC using USBLAN, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi. NOTE: Not all Academic RIO Devices have Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity options.
• Download and unpack the rt-pc_set-rt-system-time-date-from-pc.zip (for use with NI myRIO 1900) or the NIELVISIII-rt-pc_set-rt-system-time-date-from-pc.zip (for use with NI ELVIS III) archive, and then double-click the ".lvproj" file to open the project. NOTE: This project was written for a NI myRIO 1900 or NI ELVIS III connected by USBLAN at IP address 172.22.11.2. If you are using a different IP address or another Academic RIO Device (Example: NI myRIO 1950 or NI RIO Control Module) do the following:
  • If using the NI myRIO 1950 or NI RIO Control Module start with the NI myRIO 1900 Archive.
  • Different IP address: Right-click on the "NI myRIO 1900" Device, choose "Properties", and then enter the new IP address
  • Different device:
    • Right-click on the top of the project hierarchy, select "New Targets and Devices", keep the "Existing target or device" option, and then find and select your particular device
    • Select all of the components under the "NI myRIO 1900" device: click the first one and then shift+click the last one
    • Drag the selected components to the new device
    • Right-click the "NI myRIO 1900" device and select "Remove from project"
• Run the “RT Main” VI; the Academic RIO Device system time and date display continually updates
• Select your Device with the “Session in” variable
• Run the “PC Main” VI
• After a few moments the “current time” indicator should update according to the PC system time, and the indicated time/date in the “RT Main” front panel should now be valid
• Enable the “restart RT?” control to invoke an immediate Device shutdown to save the system time as the initial value for the Device onboard clock each time the Device boots up

Expected results

Developer walk-through

Outline

• Review overall structure of “PC Main”
  • Open a connection to the RT target with “Initialize Session”
  • Get the PC date/time and adjust the RT date/time to match
  • Optionally restart the target to save the date/time as the new “System Start Time” for future reboots
  • Close the connection
• Review overall structure of “RT Main”
  • Display current time once every 0.1 seconds
• Locate the function subpalettes
  • “System Configuration” subpalette
  • “Timing” subpalette

Related content

Tags:

• programmatic
• set time-date
• PC time source

Targets:

• RT
• PC

Communications:

• inter-target
• RT-PC

LabVIEW VIs and block diagram elements:

• Get Date-Time In Seconds
• Initialize Session
• Set Time
• Restart
• Close