interface gpib OSCILLOSCOPE

[OscarG]

Hello, I have doing an interface for a HP5430 oscilloscope, with labview and using the gpib bus and an Agilent LAN Gateway. I try to use the gpib commands like gpib write or gpib read and i can´t find the correct adress to comunicate with the oscilloscope. With the Visa commands i can, but i dont understand why i dont with the gpib commands. Is a project for the University, I am electronic engineer. Could anyone help me about the problem of gpib commands and the realization of the oscilloscope interface?
Thanks of all.
Oscar

[Dennis_Knutson]

I've never used the gateway so I went to Agilent's web site and it says there that a driver will be shipping in September to make it compatible with NI-488 which is the driver that the LabVIEW functions use. So, you can wait and see if that works. But, If VISA works, why do you want to use the GPIB functions? Writing a driver with VISA is the recomended method. All of NI's new drivers and the ones that Agilent write, all use VISA.

And, are you sure of that model number? I couldn't find a scope of that number on Agilent's web site.

[OscarG]

Many thanks.
Sorry, the correct model is Agilent 54621A oscilloscope; my girlfriend shouting me has disturb me...
About the interest about doing with gpib functions is because is an academic project but if you say that the driver gpib for the gateway in labview will came in September I think I will do with Visa functions.
I wish to send the scpi commands necessary to control the oscilloscope with an interface in labview.
Regards.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Is the aim of the project to write an instrument driver or is it to use the scope in LabVIEW? A driver that uses VISA already exists.

[OscarG]

The project consist to do a interface in labview with the elemental controls of the oscilloscope and control it without touch the oscilloscope, only with the simulate panel done in labview. Have you any ideas to do it? I think i must use the visa functions for example and send the scpi commands with visa write and visa read, and use the differents construtions of strings...Not?

[OscarG]

Any recommended library? I have a manual of labview and documentation over gpib.

[OscarG]

Any recommended bibliography? I have a manual of labview and documentation over gpib.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Well, like I said, this has already been done. The driver is here. Download it and put the files in your \instr.lib folder. The functions will be on your palette after you restart LabVIEW. There's a top level example called HP546XXX Getting Started.

[OscarG]

The example is good but i would to do the same but with the visa libraries: visa write, visa read etc, not in the top level programming.

[Dennis_Knutson]

The driver DOES use VISA for all of the communication to the instrument. Did you actually look at the code? A driver is organized into subVIs that perform specific functions such as channel config, trigger config, timebase config, read waveform, etc.

If you don't like the driver or you want to write your own as a learning experience, that's fine and I wish you luck.