Interfacing with Oscilloscope via USB-A?

[vweltin]

I'm trying to interface my Tektronix DPO 7254 oscilloscope with LabVIEW and I'm having a bit of difficulty doing so. I downloaded the Plug-and-Play driver (found at http://sine.ni.com/apps/utf8/niid_web_display.model_page?p_model_id=8903 ) which supposedly can interface via GPIB, USB, and Ethernet. I've found that GPIB to USB cables are horrifically expensive, and thought that USB would be an attractive alternative. I picked up a USB-A male-male cable and plugged one end into the oscilloscope and the other end into the computer with LabVIEW installed.

I watched a video ( http://zone.ni.com/wv/app/doc/p/id/wv-1649/ ) on how to configure an instrument via USB. According to the video the instrument needs to have a USB-B terminal for it to interface properly. I don't see why this would need to be the case, so I proceeded to watch the video. An install wizard should pop up once the USB instrument is connected to the computer, but I received no such prompt. Seeing as how the DPO 7254 doesn't have any USB-B terminals I seem to be out of luck. Is there a way to interface the DPO 7254 oscilloscope with a LabView-enabled computer without paying ~$600 for a GPIB cable (as the driver interface options suggest)?

Thanks!

[Dennis_Knutson]

The only way to use a USB interface is if the interface is USBTMC. If the scope does not implement this, you are out of luck. Check with Tek as to what the USB connection is for.

[Albert.Geven]

Why not use the ethernet connection, also visa supported?

[SnowMule]

Uhhh... The USB-A connector on the front is so you can plug mass storage devices into it (USB drives or a memory card+reader), not for PC communication.  The connectors are different for a reason.

An A-A cable is not a host-to-device cable.  More than likely you're going to end up connecting power supplies in ways power supplies weren't meant to be connected.  Best case, nothing happens.  Worst case, power supplies short out and you're buying a new $30k scope.

Per the datasheet:

 

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Connectivity

USB 2.0 host ports on the front and side panels enable easy transfer of screenshots, instrument settings, and waveform data to a USB thumb drive. The rear panel contains a GPIB port for controlling the oscilloscope remotely from a computer. An integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port enables easy connection to networks

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USB is host-only, for moving screenshtos, settings, waveform data to USB drives.

Your instrument I/O options are GPIB or LAN. 

LAN is going to be the easiest, plug it in and let MAX find/configure it, then treat it as a VISA port in LabVIEW.