serial communication Sontek ADV LabVIEW 6.1

[Nick_Kehler]

Hello.

I am trying to set up a VI in LabVIEW 6.1 to control a motion control system and take reading using a Sontek MicroADV. The adv is connected through serial and I have no idea how to make things work. I am really not getting anything out of the example files. Could someone please give me a small outline of the steps I need to do and/or send me a comparable VI that I can relate. Thanks.

Nick

[MXI Master]

Nick,

What examples files are you using to try to get this going? What steps did the documentation that came with the ADV suggest? I don't know a lot of details about your specific system, but here are a couple good places to get started.

Developers Zone: Fundamentals of Motion Control

Developers Zone: Designing a Motion Control Project

Cheers,

[Nick_Kehler]

Hi,

I have looked at the examples "serial communication for labview 6.1". These are helpful but I feel that I don't understand the basics of how serial operation works. In the documentation for my adv it says that it can be controled using direct command interface. and with that is gives me a bunch of commands that it accepts. (ie start, and all sorts of inputs necessary for operation). I understand how to operate the adv but i don't understand yet the basics of what i am doing in labview to send these commands to the adv.

Secondly, while using one of the example programs for communicating through a serial port it is reading a bunch of stuff from the adv which tells me it's working (i imagine). But everything it is reading is little characters,( ie boxes, letters with squiggles on top). Is this normal?

I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this area. I am an engineering graduate student trying to streamline my experimentation with labview.

NIck

[Albert.Geven]

Hi

You probably have 8 bit in your protocol while your device is sending 7 bit with some form of parity
check this in the serial settings
 

[MXI Master]

Nick,
Are you trying read your data as ascii characters? Many times devices send back codes in binary or Hex and if you try to translate them into ascii all you get is gibberish.  Try switching your indicator type to something like unsigned 32-bit integer instead.

[Nick_Kehler]

Hi,

These are all lots of help. I have figured out how to send commands to my devices. And I found out that is does send it's data back in binary so that's very helpful too. Thanks very much.

Nick