How to aquire signals from an agilent E8257D signal generator?

[KIZ]

So i have this instrument connected to my computer and i want to display the graph on labView. Currently i can connect it via ethernet and i can ping it from my computer and send commands like IDN? In the measurement and automation explorer it is listed under VISA TCP/IP resources and i can even open the web interface.

Now exactly what i need to do to aquire the signals and display them? I tried to open a read and display template  (listed under instrument I/O GPIB) and when i double click on instrument I/O assistant i cannot see my instrument listed

By the way i also connected it using the GPIB interface and it is the same thing, i can communicate with it via the measurement and automation explorer but i cannot see it in any VI

Thanks

[Dennis_Knutson]

There is an instrument driver for it. Go to the main Instrument Driver Network to find links on what an instrument driver is and how to use one.

Make sure that you have NI-VISA installed. This will be listed in MAX under 'Software'. If you drop a VISA Resouce Control on a front panel and click the little arrow on the right side, you should see it listed. If you decide to use it with a GPIB connection, be sure to do a scan for instruments.

[KIZ]

Thanks for the help

So i installed the NI-VISA http://joule.ni.com/nidu/cds/view/p/id/1370/lang/en, i cannot find it as MAX, i found it as VISA under programs, in that folder theres is a program called VISA interactive control which can see my instrument. Is this the one i need?

I also downloaded the drivers for my instrument. It is a folder with some examples and configuration files, whenever I try to run one of the examples and hit the run button I get an error message 

Error 1073807346 occurred at VISA open in agilent PSG MXG series.lvlib:initialize.vi>agilent PSG MXG series configure frequency power.vi

POSSIBLE REASONS

visa (hEX 0Xbfff000e) The given session or object reference is invalid

Any help plz?

THanks

[Dennis_Knutson]

Did you click on the VISA Resource Name like I said and choose the instrument? If you have it connected as GPIB, it will be something like GPIB0::n::INSTR where n is your instrument's GPIB address. It could also be a TCP\IP resource if you are using Ethernet. This has to be selected before you do anything.

[KIZ]

Yay! I see it. Ok in the Measurement and Automation explorer i see my device as TCPIP0:myip:etc and then I grabbed it and dropped it on a VI and I see it in VISA resource name

Ok so now that I have it on a VI how do a do a query to get the signals to show on a graph?

Thanks again 😃

[Dennis_Knutson]

Look through the examples that are part of the driver and look at the functions. Did you review the link on what a driver is and how to use one?

[KIZ]

Yea i have been digging through the examples and the information on the website on instrument drivers. I managed to create a VI that can control the SG. I can set a frequency on the VI and the device will show that new frequency however, i cannot find anything on the examples that will help me to create a graph of the output of the SG (like if it were an oscilloscope)

Could it be possible to connect my visa resource name (the SG) to a virtual oscilloscope? 

Thanks

[Dennis_Knutson]

I'm sorry, I wasn't paying close enough attention to what type of instrument you are using. The instrument is a source and as far as I know, the only way to capture the output is with another instrument. It has to be a real instrument connected to the output of the signal generator. You could certainly simulate what the generator is outputing with the waveform generator functions in LabVIEW. For example, if you program the generator for a sine wave at a certain frequency, you would use the Sine Waveform function in LabVIEW and wire the output of that to a graph. If it's important to capture the actual signal, then a real instrument is the only option.

[KIZ]

Ah ok, oh well i guess that's less work for me then hehe. Basically we wanted to generate a signal and show it on the screen of a computer because we don't have an osciliscope but I guess we will have to work only with the Spectrum domain. This is for teaching purposes for students who don't have a strong background in signals

Thanks