Developing a custom driver for a VISA interface

[Blejdfist]

I currently have a custom instrument running on an Ethernet network. This instrument have a number of functions, the number of functions can change.

I want these functions to show up as individual VISA Resources in MAX/LabVIEW without additional user intervention.

Let me present a couple of analogies that should convey my wishes:

If you connect an Agilent GPIB-USB adapter to a GPIB bus, the different GPIB instruments on the bus show up under "Miscellaneous VISA Resources" which will then show up in LabVIEW as a VISA resource. In my situation, the custom instrument will be the Agilent adapter, and the GPIB instruments are the different functions i want to export.

Another better analogy is adding a NI-VISA server in MAX (the server would be my custom instrument) and every VISA Resource on the server will then show up in MAX (the functions).

So in essence, I would like to develop a driver that would expose VISA-resources that would show up in MAX/LabView, the driver will then in the background handle the communication with my custom instrument.

I hope I'm making some sense 🙂

[Albert.Geven]

Hi

Max is a tool to see instruments on a bus. Not to program them but only to set some basic interface definitions so you don't have to set them in your programming interface. (I hope I don't get too much angry emails from the MAX designers now).

Instruments that have different funtions show these functions in the programming interface not in MAX.

So maybe you need to read something on driver templates for instruments. These are available on NI web.

And maybe a look at the instrument driver wizzard that is part of LabVIEW.

Sorry to disappaoint you but always ready to answer new questions

[Dennis_Knutson]

I agree with Albert. There are ways for the instrument itselft to automatically appear in MAX. Look at the current LXI specs. There is no way to have driver functions appear in MAX (and no reason to) but they will automatically appear in a LabVIEW palette if you install them to the correct place.

[Blejdfist]

I also agree. What I failed to mention though was that the "functions" may actually be other instruments aggregated by this one. So I want those to show up as well.

LXI looks very promising though. I'll take a look at it 🙂

[JÞB]

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Blejdfist wrote:

I also agree. What I failed to mention though was that the "functions" may actually be other instruments aggregated by this one. So I want those to show up as well.

LXI looks very promising though. I'll take a look at it 🙂

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Definately the right direction! creating your insrtument as a PXI or LXI compliant device should allow seamless integration for the users and programmers that will work with it.  Too many times a good idea goes down in flames because the hardware developer re-invented the wheel.  Use the existing instrument standards and you're way ahead of the game.  You'll easilly recover the extra effort ($) to build the hardware as a IEEE-XXX compliant instrument with the time saved by your users and software gurus ability to just run the darn thing without having to research your (hopefully well writen) user's manual to learn the custom communications protocol.

Message Edited by Jeff Bohrer on 10-17-2009 01:20 PM

[JoshuaP]

If your device conforms to the LXI specification than it can return multiple instruments from a single TCP interface (see LXI xml identification) and you will see each of those instruments in MAX and LabVIEW as seperate instruments.  Outside of that there isn't any way for you to add your own custom instrument types to NI-VISA.

-Josh