Controlling an Agilent E4426B over GPIB

[internguy10]

I'm trying to change the frequency and amplitude of the E4426B Signal Generator remotely, but I can't for the life of me figure out these commands.  The device shows up in NI Max and I can open an "Interactive Control" with it, but none of the commands get me anywhere.  I tried to use "ibcmd" but I get an ECIC error because "The interface is not the Controller-In-Charge", then I fix that with a command and get an ENOL error because "No listeners are on the GPIB," which doesn't make sense to me.  The GPIB address of the sig gen is 1, and in the GPIB Settings in NI Max the Primary Address is also 1.  I realize this device is very old but I have nowhere else to go.  Any help would be appreciated.

[GovBob]

If it were me I would first open MAX and find your GPIB interface. Select that then scan for instruments. If your Signal Generator shows up select it then select communicate with instrument. It should default to *IDN? and click query. You should see its response. According to the manual it is 488.2 compliant. From there using NI I/O trace and the other tools in MAX you can test your commands from the manual. 

[internguy10]

Ah, thanks, I was under the impression that the device I was seeing in Max was the sig gen, but that's just the GPIB cable/adapter.  Well, now I see that it can't find any instruments on that connection.  The computer the GPIB is connected to is offline, so I downloaded a few driver/firmware packages on another computer and transferred them over, but I'm afraid the software is just too old.  The computer is running Windows 7, and the Plug and Play drivers for the E4426B only supports up to Windows 98; when I try to install them, Windows 7 says this file is not compatible with the version of Windows I'm running.  Is it possible that this sig gen can't be controlled by a computer running Windows 7, or is there somewhere I can download drivers that will work on that OS?

[GovBob]

If you are talking about LabVIEW drivers they can be found here.

[internguy10]

I meant whatever driver I need to see the sig gen in NI Max.  The driver I tried to install, but couldn't, was this one: http://www.keysight.com/main/software.jspx?ckey=2262403&lc=eng&cc=US&nid=-32463.536880792&id=2262403

[GovBob]

VXI is a different bus technology then GPIB. In MAX under software make sure it lists NI-488.2. That is the driver you need to begin with. Make sure your instrument is set up according to the manual I linked earlier Page 1-5. What GPIB controller do you have attached to the computer?

[internguy10]

I'm not sure of the actual name of the device, all I can find on the packaging is "GPIB-USB-HS WITH NI-488.2 FOR WINDOWS".  It's this: http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/ni/09060710?$ni-card-lg$

I'm just about to leave for the day, I'm going to try those drivers you linked to tomorrow.  If you have any more advice before then I'd still very much appreciate it. Thanks for your help.

[GovBob]

Well that is good as it is a NI product which makes it easier. I would definitely check the configuration of the E4426B first. Once set to SCPI you should be able to use MAX to establish communication to it using the *IDN? command. 

[internguy10]

I should mention I don't have a license for LabVIEW, which I'm hoping isn't necessary to control the sig gen remotely.  Currently I'd like to be able to just see the sig gen in NI Max, but it's still saying no instruments found.

[GovBob]

Don't worry about LabVIEW for the moment. You need to establish communications first. If you right click on your GPIB controller in MAX and run the NI-488.2 troubleshooting utility does it pass?