Acquire S11 data with HP8510c

[tBlum]

Hello,

I want to use LabVIEW to communicate via GPIB with an HP (now agilent) 8510c to acquire S11 (real and imaginary part) with a frequency span from 7 to 13 GHz with say 401 points. My problem is that I don't have the device to try my vi, as it belongs to a lab where I have to go sometimes to perform my experiments. I've been looking for something easy to program, I've downloaded the driver available on this website, and they are a lot of setup parameters I don't understand (as I'm not very familiar with this device), so I'd like to know if someone can tell me easily just how to acquire and transfer the data if the device has correctly been set manually before.

Thanks,
Thomas

[Dennis_Knutson]

Have you looked at the example in the driver called HP8510C Application Example? One of the options there (the Action control) is for Measure Only. However, I would recomend that you provide a means of programatically configuring the instrument. How can you always depend on the instrument being manually setup correctly? At some point, you are just going to have to sit down next to the instrument with the manual and learn how it works, Then, using the functions in the driver should be much easier.

[tBlum]

Thanks for your advice. The application example seems indeed to be a good choice for what I need. I know it would be better to understand the instrument, but again it's not mine, and a student from the lab I'm working with knows it and is suppose to help me perfoming my experiments, and I'm afraid I don't have too much time to spend on it. Anyway, thanks again, and I hope this will be enough for what I need.