How to control Tektronix TDS3052B?

[notimperial]

I am trying to control a Tektronix TDS 3052B scope connected via an ethernet port. It pings successfully but when I run the Initialize.vi I get a timeout error. To solve this I tried reducing the number of bytes the VISA Read reads during the ID query.  Now it returns "f    " which does not match "TDS 30", which is what the VISA Read vi tries to compare it to so ID query fails.

Do you know what I can do to solve this?

[smercurio_fc]

Which drivers are you using? Is it one of these: http://sine.ni.com/apps/utf8/niid_web_display.model_page?p_model_id=169

I took a look at the project-style ones. From what I can tell, the Initialize VI was written to handle GPIB and serial, but not TCP/IP. The issue is that with TCP/IP you have a situation similar to serial. The VISA Read needs to know when to stop reading. I don't have the manual for that scope, so I don't know what character is appends to its response to indicate the end of a response. I'd guess it's probably the same as serial. If so, you can modify the Initialize VI so that it essentially does the same configuration of the VISA resource as it does for the serial interface.

[notimperial]

I am using those drivers but I took a closer look and now I think the problem is that the oscilloscope is not connected to the pc properly.

It pings, I tried adding it on MAX but I cannot perform the tests on the test panel. I am using a crossover cable.

[notimperial]

I am using those drivers but I took a closer look and now I think the problem is that the oscilloscope is not connected to the pc properly.

It pings, I tried adding it on MAX but I cannot perform the tests on the test panel.

---

@smercurio_fc wrote:

Which drivers are you using? Is it one of these: http://sine.ni.com/apps/utf8/niid_web_display.model_page?p_model_id=169

I took a look at the project-style ones. From what I can tell, the Initialize VI was written to handle GPIB and serial, but not TCP/IP. The issue is that with TCP/IP you have a situation similar to serial. The VISA Read needs to know when to stop reading. I don't have the manual for that scope, so I don't know what character is appends to its response to indicate the end of a response. I'd guess it's probably the same as serial. If so, you can modify the Initialize VI so that it essentially does the same configuration of the VISA resource as it does for the serial interface.

---

I am using a crossover cable.

[notimperial]

I am using those drivers but I took a closer look and now I think the problem is that the oscilloscope is not connected to the pc properly.

It pings, I tried adding it on MAX but I cannot perform the tests on the test panel.

---

@smercurio_fc wrote:

Which drivers are you using? Is it one of these: http://sine.ni.com/apps/utf8/niid_web_display.model_page?p_model_id=169

I took a look at the project-style ones. From what I can tell, the Initialize VI was written to handle GPIB and serial, but not TCP/IP. The issue is that with TCP/IP you have a situation similar to serial. The VISA Read needs to know when to stop reading. I don't have the manual for that scope, so I don't know what character is appends to its response to indicate the end of a response. I'd guess it's probably the same as serial. If so, you can modify the Initialize VI so that it essentially does the same configuration of the VISA resource as it does for the serial interface.

---

I am using a crossover cable.

[smercurio_fc]

Let's back up a second here. Were you able to successfully add the scope to MAX in the Network Devices section? I don't recall if that scope comes with the TekScope software. Does it have a VXI-11 server? Is it running? If it comes with TekScope you can minimize it, and look in the system tray on the scope to see if the VXI-11 server is running.

[smercurio_fc]

Also, if you're using a crossover cable you need to make sure to set the IP addresses of the computer and the scope so they are in the same subnet.

[notimperial]

---

@smercurio_fc wrote:

Also, if you're using a crossover cable you need to make sure to set the IP addresses of the computer and the scope so they are in the same subnet.

---

Yep, you were absolutely right That solved it!

Now this may be slightly off-topic, but what I am trying to do is perform a series of amplitude measurements of a signal fed to the oscilloscope for different sampling frequencies.

Do you know of a good way to do this using LabView to contriol the scope?

[smercurio_fc]

What I would do is look into the built-in measurement capabilities of the scope. You can set up measurements and then you can just query the results of the measurements. I have no idea what your signals look like, or what kind of "amplitude measurements" you are doing, so I can't tell you if the built-in measurements the scope has are adequate.