Serial to USB communication

[Ionica]

     Maybe this question is not very important for you, but I would really need some help because I'm only at the beginning in using Labview. I am using  Labview 7 and I need to receive data from a 1604 Digital Multimeter from Thurbly Thandar Instruments and store the data into a file. 

      The multimeter already has it's own software, but it's transfer rate is very poor and I want to communicate with the instrument using Labview 7. I would like to give me some support in setting the interface with the multimeter because it uses a serial to USB connector ( the USB end enters in the computer) that is recognised as COM 3 and I don't have the knoledge of doing this.

     The only problem I encountered is at the communication part and there, as I said, I need some help.

[Dennis_Knutson]

There are a couple of shipping examples for serial communication. Just start the Example Finder and from the Search tab, enter serial. You'll find Basic Serial Write and Read and Advanced Serial Write and Read. The major difference between the two is how the write termination character is handled. Most serial instruments require a termination character at the end of each command in order for the instrument to know when to start processing the command. Termination characters are usually a CR, LF, or both. The Basic Serial Write and Read shows a \r\n. This is CR\LF and you embed this into the command by right clicking on a string control and selecting '\' Code Display. The actual commands and termination character will be in the instrument's programming manual. I would recomend that you first experiment with the instrument's commands with something like Hyperterminal before you try to write your own program.