To use a binary counter in LabVIEW [FPGA](https://www.ampheo.com/c/fpgas-field-programmable-gate-array), you'll design a simple counter that increments a number every clock cycle (or based on an enable signal) using LabVIEW FPGA blocks. Here's a step-by-step guide:

**What You Need**
* LabVIEW FPGA Module
* An FPGA-compatible target (e.g., NI myRIO, sbRIO, PXI FPGA card)

**Steps to Create a Binary Counter**
**1. Open a New FPGA VI**
* In your LabVIEW project, right-click the FPGA target → New → VI.
* This VI runs on the actual FPGA hardware.

**2. Create Counter Logic**
**Basic Binary Counter (Free-Running)**
1. Place a Loop: Use a While Loop or Timed Loop to continuously run the counter.

2. Add an Integer Register:

* Use a Feedback Node or a Shift Register on the loop boundary.
* Set the data type to an appropriate width (e.g., U8, U16, or U32) depending on your required bit width.

3. Increment the Value:

* Inside the loop, wire the current value to an Add block and increment by 1.
* Feed the result back into the feedback node or shift register.

4. Output the Value:

You can wire the output to front panel indicators, DMA FIFO, or digital outputs for debugging or visualization.

**Example Logic:**

plaintext

[Current Count] → +1 → [Next Count]
       ↑                       ↓
    (Feedback Node or Shift Register)

**3. Optional: Add Enable or Reset**
To control the counter:

* Enable input: Use a Boolean control to enable/disable counting.
* Reset input: Use a button to reset the counter to 0.

**Example:**

plaintext

if (Enable) {
   if (Reset)
      count = 0;
   else
      count = count + 1;
}

**4. Compile and Deploy**
* Save the FPGA VI.
* Click "Run" → "Run on FPGA", or compile and deploy the bitfile to your FPGA target.

Note: Compilation can take several minutes depending on the [FPGA](https://www.ampheoelec.de/c/fpgas-field-programmable-gate-array) type.

**Summary Table**