Controlling external equipment over GPIB using LabView

[Janit]

Hi All,

I am new to labview and I am trying to control two outputs of HP6624A power supply and one output of Tektronics 2021AWG using labview which I am not bale to do rightly. If some one can help it will be great.

Actually I am trying all this to test an ADC and do some analysis on the results of the same. I have created the VI for analysis and it is working. Now I need to apply supply, clock & data to my device through these equipments. I was initally operating these equipments manually, but now I want to control them using LabView.

I have down loaded the instrument drivers for both of these equipments.

thanks
janit

I am attaching the vi through which I am trying to do so.

[ian_fung]

Hi,

Take HP6624A for example,

Instrument Driver for HP6624A can be downloaded from here

After installing the ID, please open its Application Function Example, "hp662xa Getting Started.vi"
You will find that any working VI should have the followings:

a. Initialisation
b. Action/ Measure etc
c. Close

PS: Initilisation (before entering main loop) and Close (when exiting program) should be executed only once, unless otherwise.

Regards,

[Janit]

Hello Ian,

I have already downloaded the device driver for the same. The applicatin VI you mentioned is good one but only allows to controll one output of the power supply. Whereas I need to controll atleast two outputs of the same.

Please suggest something to do the same.

thanks
Janit

[Janit]

I have created a vi to control one output of HP6624A power supply, but it doesn't works.Can you tell me why.

Same is attached for your refrence.

[Will.D]

Basically all of the apps I've had to program have required GPIB communication. I have tried the drivers written by the manufacturers of all the devices, and found it easier to write my own. For instance, to read the value of an Agilent (HP) multimeter, I have the attached vi.

It's easier to use the manual GPIB communication vi's, than it is to have to deal with the ones writting by HP for instance (*In my experience*...it may be different for other people). You have more control over when and what commands are sent.

[Will.D]

I should add however, that this does take some time to read about and learn the command set for the different pieces of equipment. Most are well documented in the product manuals though.

[Dennis_Knutson]

It seems that you downloaded the IVI driver instead of the native LabVIEW one here. Did you do this on purpose because using an IVI driver requires the installation of few other pieces of software. The LabVIEW driver has the ability to select a channel.

[ian_fung]

Hi,

As what Dennis has pointed out, the link that I had for you will have Plug & Play and |V| drivers.
The one on top (Plug & Play) is of what you really need.

Cheers!

[Janit]

First of all thanks for sparing sometime to unstand my problem.

But Here I would like to clarrify somethings.
I have downloaded the device driver and not the IVI driver and I am able to change channel and control it fully. But this limited to one channel at time only, whereas I require minimum of two channels.

I am not able to view your meter.vi as it is made using LabView 7.1 version whereas I have 7.0 only.

thanks
Janit

[Novatronics]

Sorry 'bout that. Here's a picture. Your problems are the sort of thing that drove me to do everything manually.

Geoff