Programming temperature ramp for hot plate

[jsu_]

Hi,

I need help with programming a temperature ramp for the hot plate from Torrey pines HP60. Would I be able to just connect it to the hot plate and run the program on the computer? 

I do not have a program to run at the moment and am new to Labview. 
I watched the Labview tutorials but still not sure where to begin. I tried to look up for example program but am unable to find any. 

[terickson]

How are you communicating to the hot plate?  Is it a communications bus (RS-232) or an output from a data acquisition device (analog, discrete)?

[jsu_]

It's possible to use a USB serial cable and connect it between the hot plate and the computer. Would I be able to just write a program thorugh that connection only or do I need an output from a data acquisition device?

[terickson]

You should be able to control the hot plate through the RS-232 connection.  See if the manufacturer has LabVIEW drivers and examples for controlling it.  This will save you a lot of time.  The manual should also describe the communications protocol over RS-232.

[jsu_]

I tried to look up for LabVIEW examples too on their site but wasn't able to find any. I'll look at the manual again.

Thanks!