GPIB Write Timeout to EC-10

[jaysmall]

I am trying to remotely control a Sun Systems EC-10 Environmental Chamber (aka Oven) through a GPIB interface using LV8.5

Only problem is I am constantly getting a timeout error. I've used the same GPIB interface to communicate with a VNA no problem, so I'm not sure what the difference is here. Is there anyone who has used this hardware setup before and can help?

[Dennis_Knutson]

You are getting a timeout on the write? That would indicate to me a problem with the instrument handshaking. When you did a scan for instruments in MAX, did it show up there? You are specifying an access mode of 4. What are the configuration settings that you created in MAX and how is it different than the defaults?

[jaysmall]

The instrument shows up in MAX, but does not respond to a *IDN? command, though I'm not sure if it is programmed to or not. I do have a list of commands it works with, and none of them work, they all timeout.

Access mode is 4, and I didn't change any of the configuration settings from default (attached).

[Dennis_Knutson]

If you did not customize the settings in MAX, you should not use access mode of 4.

It probably does not matter that it does not respond to the *IDN? query. Many older instruments do not. Before trying any LabVIEW code, I would recomend that you write/read in MAX. You are sending a CR/LF and newer GPIB instruments do not require this but you might need to experiment with different termination strings. Is this what the manual says to use? The termination mode of a GPIB Write and Read is one of the legitimate reasons to modify settings in MAX.

[jaysmall]

After I couldn't get the code to work, I went striaght to MAX and that is all I have been testing with since. When I couldn't get that to work is when I first posted this issue.

The manual states "To send a command to the EC1x you will send the ASCII string for the command, as given in this manual, with a line feed and/or EOI terminator, a carriage return if sent will be ignored. Data sent by the EC1x to the bus controller will be ASCII characters terminated with carriage return then line feed with EOI set." So shouldn't matter, but I will modify it so that there is only LF and/or EOI terminator used.

Problem is I'm not even sure where to go about testing next to find the problem. It's not the USB-GPIB adaptor that's the problem, because I hooked it back up to the VNA previously being used and had no problems. It does recognize an instrument is attached to the adaptor when attached to the Oven, so I don't believe it's the connection. So the only thing left is that it's internal to the Oven maybe?