Implementation of a networked virtual nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer

Abstract

Virtual instrumentation offers several advantages over traditional instruments, such as the ability to simplify hardware design, the flexibility to easily change device function, and more recently,the ability to operate instrumentation from remote locations. In this article, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) receiver is being developed using virtual instrumentation technology. In lieu of the analog technology used in traditional NMR instruments, a high-speed data acquisition board is used to directly digitize the radio-frequency (RF) NMR signal. This signal is then demodulated and processed from within LabVIEW®. Work is also being done so that the instrument can be operated over the Internet in a client–server mode. The resulting receiver was tested using both hardware- and software-simulated NMR signals. © 1998 National Instruments. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Lab Robotics and Automation 10: 115–118, 1998