HP4145B data extraction to PC

[mere@idaho]

I have an HP4145B connected to a PC that has Labview 8.2 running on it.  I've installed the drivers for it according to the instructions, and I can get the virtual instrument to control the HP4145B, for the most part.  I can get it to change settings for a measurement, and when I run the Take Measurement VI, the instrument responds and takes a measurement.  However, I haven't been able to figure out how to have the data stored to the computer so I can analyze it.  I tried the Save and Get VI, but that seems to save the data to the floppy in the instrument instead of to the computer.  I also tried the Data Output VI, but I'm not sure how to get it to extract the data that I'm looking for.

I downloaded the driver for Labview 8.0 from this page.

Also, I've never used Labview before, so I'd appreciate a little bit of detail in any help.

Thanks!

[Joe D.]

Hi Mere,

Are you trying to write the measurement data to a file? If so take a look at the file I/o examples in the NI Example Finder under Help >> Find Examples. If not, then could you explain what you are trying with as much detail as possible.

[mere@idaho]

I think we want to change the write path for data measurements.  We'd like the data to be saved to the PC instead of the HP4145B floppy.  We looked at the examples for file I/O, but I don't understand what the VIs want as input. They seem to look for a file that's already saved on the PC, instead of getting data off the HP4145B and putting it on the computer.  Do you have any more specific advice regarding what we're looking for?

[Dennis_Knutson]

Look at the example VI. Look at the button called 'Display Graphics and Plot'. Look at the VI in that case statement. The data from the instrument is transferred to the pc and displayed on an XY Graph. If you want, you can take that data and save to a file. The file write functions do NOT depend on a file that already exists. If you wish, the file write functions will create a file in the folder of your choice. The instrument will only save to the floppy if you command it to.

The driver is old (written first with LabVIEW 2.5) and not at all what a current driver standard is written to but you can always create your own, more modern style if you want.

[mere@idaho]

Ours doesn't transfer the data and display it on the graph though.  We can see it taking a measurement on the instrument, but nothing appears on the graph on the PC.  Do you think we have an incorrect setting?

[Dennis_Knutson]

Perhaps. Since the driver is unsupported by NI and you are the one with the instrument, you'll have to do the debug of the commands that are in the driver versus the commands that are in the manual.