Isco pump communication issues

[Sholyoake]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to write a simple-ish VI to automate the programming of Teledyne Isco syringe pumps (the user inputs a function, time duration and number of steps and the program generates the pressure/flow values and uploads them automatically)

That part is simple enough, just some basic maths and a 1-D array, however when I format the requisite string to send to the pump, it returns the error: "R018PROBLEM=INVALID OPERAND 77"

I'm pretty sure this is a formatting issue, otherwise I'm fairly sure I'd be getting invalid command rather than operand, and sending other strings like G& and LOCAL result in the correct response from the pump, I can manually set pressures, run and stop the pump etc, so the connection is just fine.

the test string I'm trying to send is: “LGUL,F:01,S:01,I:05000,F:05155,D:0001.0,”

According to the manual for the pump, that is the correct formatting, but there is little guidance on resolving the problem code

Anyone with any experience using these devices care to offer some advice?

thanks in advance

[jay0909]

Hi,

        Post some vi. Attach some document.

[Sholyoake]

This is the VI I am using to send the test strings to the pump

I'm unsure what else you require? the string is formatted exactly as shown, the two sub-VI's are tried and tested (they have been used to communicate with Isco devices in our software for the last 15+ years)

As I said, I think it's a formatting issue rather than a coding one, and I've not seen the error code I'm recieving before

[jay0909]

Hi,

      Can you please attach the pdf of the pump. I want to see the protocol. 

                                               OR

    Try some manufacturer software, use the sniffer(wireshark) and see the right format of the string.

[Sholyoake]

there is a manual for the pumps here:

http://www.teledyneisco.com/en-us/pumpproducts/Pumps%20Documents/Manuals/D-Series%20Syringe%20Pumps%...

section 8 has the serial information

I don't think I have any software which uses the serial interface to send programming commands, but I'll have a search around

[RavensFan]

Page 8-34 on that manual says:

PROBLEM=INVALID OPERAND

The operand (character(s) following the = sign) is missing or is incorrect; e.g. , the number was too large  

Is there a chance you left out a decimal point on the F value because 5000 seems like it could be too large of a number.

[Sholyoake]

The pump is set to use kPa rather than PSI, it's rated up to 26500 kPa so 5000 is well within the operating range

I've also tried reducing the value to 50 and still get the same response

[jamiva]

---

@RavensFan wrote:

Page 8-34 on that manual says:

PROBLEM=INVALID OPERAND

The operand (character(s) following the = sign) is missing or is incorrect; e.g. , the number was too large  

Is there a chance you left out a decimal point on the F value because 5000 seems like it could be too large of a number.

---

Sholyoake, are you absolutely sure the parameters are OK. It looks like the valid range for "I" and "F" are from 00.00 to 100.0 (page 8-31). As RavensFan wrote, check your values

[jamiva]

Oops! Should have looked a few pages farther in then manual. Here is the syntax and your values look in range.

 EDIT: Actually the Initial pressure minimum is 00010 and you use 00000. Could this be the problem?

[Sholyoake]

yes, I'm using the string formatting from figure 8-11 rather than 8-9 as posted

I think I've had a breakthrough, it seems the D value prefers to be 4 figures rather than 5....