Gaussmeter (GM05)

[marco666]

Hi

I feel I already know the response to this question but has anyone ever tried programming using a GM05 Gaussmeter (Hirst magnetic Instruments). The software the company provides for the device is nothing short of 18th century and Labview drivers are non existent.

Regards

Marc

[LV_Pro]

This is a Rimbaldi device isn't it? (sorry a little US TV humor). Do you have any progamming information from the manufacturer? How do you communicate with it (serial,GPIB, etc.)? Many instruments, particularly those that don't return a too complex response (unlike, say, a Spectrum Analyzer) can be fairly easily "talked to" _if_ you know their protocol. If you can give us a little more info on the device we may be able to help.


Putnam Monroe

[LV_Pro]

Their site describes it pretty well, but doesn't have its manual posted, so I don't know how much info you have about communicating with it, but with it talking over an RS232 port it shouldn't be too terribly difficult.

Putnam Monroe
Certified LabVIEW Developer
Senior Engineer
North Shore Technology, Inc. A National Instruments Alliance Company

Message Edited by LV_Pro on 05-25-2005 07:53 AM

[marco666]

Hi

The GM05 when switched on basically just flashes up value after value for magnetic field, measured using a handheld probe. I am able to get these values to flash up on the screen in labview using the basic serial example provided.( using baud rate etc provided in the manual) The problem I am having, and I am not sure whether it is possible, is to write to the device since at present values are simply downloaded into labview from the instrument. There is a hold button on the instrument which holds the current value of magnetic field on the instruments screen until pressed again.

Idealy I want to be able to construct a Vi which reads the value from the instrument when the instrument hold button is pressed and stores the value straight into microsoft excel then takes a reading each time the hold button is again pressed after releasing. The instruction manual is very basic and apart from basic settings gives little information about serial communication but focuses more on the software provided by the company as shown by the link below. The instrument also has the ability to store 99 readings in onboard memory so another possibility would be to read these recorded values straight into an ecel spread sheet but again it is knowing how to access this through labview.


http://www.gaussmeter.co.uk/software.shtml



Any advice or similar suitable Vi's looking at serial coms would be much appreciated.

Thanks Marc

[tst]

---

@LV_Pro wrote:
This is a Rimbaldi device isn't it? (sorry a little US TV humor).

---

A Rambaldi device?
Nah...
Something as sophisticated as a Rambaldi device would surely have an LV interface, right?

[marco666]

The only interface is RS232

[LV_Pro]

The zip file from their site contains a bunch of stuff that may help you. It has a programming manual describing the serial protocol, their included .dll and a COM object (ActiveX to most of us). Any of the three may be used to connect to the device with LabVIEW, with the serial being the easiest and then probably the COM, then .dll in order of increasing technical difficulty. Another option, that I'm loath to promote on this LabVIEW board is to use VBA to insert the measurements directly into Excel, if that is the ultimate goal. They give some examples, I don't have the time at the moment to look at them.


Good Luck, let us know how you are progressing


Putnam Monroe


Rimbaldi or Rambaldi, I didn't go to the official site, but saw both spellings in the same posts. Of course spelling in the 1500's was rather flexible (and seems to be now days too!)

[marco666]

Hi,

I am able to utilise the free software provided to get values from the device into excel via visual basic, however other than simply reading from the instruments display I am unable to communicate in any other way to say change the range or units as is possible through the visual basic program. Is it possible to link visual basic code into labview to control writing to the instrument.

Regards

Marc