TDK Lambda Communications Error - NI MAX & LabVIEW 2015

[GavinSheehan]

Hi All,

I have 3 TDK Lambda GEN20-76 voltage/current supplies that I am using in a test system. I have the 3 units connected together through serial and out of a single unit is an RS232 cable going through a BrainBox Serial - USB connector (RS232) into a USB port on my PC. These units allow you to combine them all together and only use the one communications cable to talk to all 3..

My problem is that I cannot communicate with the units. I have installed the Brainbox software which shows that as a COM port in NI MAX and also in LabVIEW ( and Device Manager) but when I select this COM port and use the default GENser LabVIEW instrument drivers, I get VISA errors not being able to communicate with the resource. I have NI VISA and VISA Runtime installed and I know for certain that the Brainbox converter works because I took it from another system with the same TDK supplies and it can control them just fine.

Any ideas on what I could try to debug? The VISA Test Panel doesn't work even to send an ID command on the units. Thanks.

[Gregory]

Did you install any TDK Lambda drivers on the new computer?

[JÞB]

OK First, the serial connection is a bit odd there.  Do you have the right settings?  The Factory default switch settings and device addresses will not work.

SEE Here

The driver does not wire anything to the Language Selector input to "...Write Read instrument.vi"  A total "Fail"  So check the Language the devices are set to use and you may need to modify the initialize vi to use the write language.and the correct term char for the device.

You probably would be better off just using the USB port on the supplies unless the outputs are slaved to one master.