contactor switch upon request.
Figure 20: Experimental bench data flow (analog and digital inputs and outputs)
3.2.2 Software The software controlling the system involves MATLAB and LabView (from The Mathworks and National Instruments, respectively). Matlab is used to create control command files for the hardware. These files are input to a LabView visual interface (VI). The VI, in a nutshell, controls the electronic supply, load, and battery isolation relay, while simultaneously collecting current, voltage, and temperature data into an ASCII text file. The VI was extended beyond that of [4] in order to perform RS232 control of the new load (see the previous section on hardware) and to isolate the battery when it was not being charged or discharged. The VI can accept any sample rate. 320 Hz was chosen as an optimal between noise immunity and PC speed. (This rate is extremely high and allowed significant amounts of noise to enter the system.) The actual use of the software will be detailed in an appendix that will be 52