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Can't connect to some instruments

Hi all,

I am a new user of Labview. I'm using version 8.2.1 with windows XP and have a NI GPIB-USB-HS to connect to a HP5335A counter and a HP3325A Synth/Function generator. I can use Communicate with instrument to control both instruments and when I run the driver for the 5335A counter all works well I can read frequencies and control the instrument. When I load the 3325A driver it doesn't communicate with the instrument.

Any suggestions?

Regards,

Nic

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Message 1 of 6
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You should be getting some sort of error if you can't communicate. Why don't you provide the error code as a minimum to help figure out what might be wrong.
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Message 2 of 6
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Thanks for your reply Dennis,

I'm not getting any error messages. Nothing on the front panel of the 3325A and in Labview if I click on View and then Error list it reports No VI's with errors.

Another question if I may; how do the Labview drivers know what the HPIB address is for the instruments? I haven't told Labview that the 5335A counter is address 3 (but it works) and nowhere can I find a feld to fill in to tell the software that the 3325A is address 17.

Regards,

Nic


Ozzienic wrote:

Hi all,

I am a new user of Labview. I'm using version 8.2.1 with windows XP and have a NI GPIB-USB-HS to connect to a HP5335A counter and a HP3325A Synth/Function generator. I can use Communicate with instrument to control both instruments and when I run the driver for the 5335A counter all works well I can read frequencies and control the instrument. When I load the 3325A driver it doesn't communicate with the instrument.

Any suggestions?

Regards,

Nic


 

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Message 3 of 6
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I had a look at both drivers and they are both pieces of junk. That is why the download pages say that they are not supported. Whoever wrote them had no idea on how to write a driver. For both drivers, the address is a constant on the block diagram. For the 3325, the VI is HP 3325A Function Generator and the address is set to 1. Change the constant to a control or change the constant to match the actual address (a control would be better).

 

p.s. Doing a View>Error is NOT the way to see if a VI generates an error. Normally, a VI will have an error out cluster on the front panel that is wired  to the error out of functions/subVIs. The View>Error is used to indicate when the VI itself has a compile error (i.e. for a broken wire).I would recomend that you have automatic error handling turned on or add the error out indicator. For the 5335, unless you want to rewrite it and eliminate the stupid sequence structure, you will have to add sequence locals to pass the error from one frame tothe next.

Message 4 of 6
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Thanks again Dennis,

You have set me in the right direction. Changing the constant from 1 to 17 and running it gets some response from the generator (it changes frequency and level to some presets) but the frequency level and other controls do not work correctly. I need to read the book and learn some more before I can rewrite the driver. Is there a good tutorial available on the web on how to write a good driver? I am keen to learn how to do this properly!

Regards,

Nic

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Message 5 of 6
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Here's the Instrument Driver Network. There are links there that explain what a driver is, how to use one, and how to create one. Good luck.
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