LabVIEW-based spreadsheet interpreter simplifies TPS generation

Controlling test hardware with user-friendly test scripts, instead of obscure test languages, lowers the cost of TPS generation and maintenance. Writing the test scripts with a COTS spreadsheet program and programming the script interpreter in LabVIEW produces a flexible, low development cost test environment. This environment is ideally suited for rapid prototyping on new test systems as well as engineering generation of low-cost TPSs. This paper discusses the trade-offs in implementing various types of script interpreters, considerations for defining a script language and an example of a LabVIEW/Excel-based test environment.