Writing Software for an IC 5 controller

[DavidLederman2025]

Hello I'm trying to write a LabVIEW to communicate with my IC 5 thin film deposition controller. I'm currently experiencing significant issues simply connecting the controller with the RS-232 port. When I open NI-Max I can see the device and even open the Visa test panel. I've checked that all the serial parameters are in order and yet non of the commands I am sending work. I keep getting a timeout error. I've also gone on the controller itself and done an RS-232 test and I keep getting the message that the loopback test has failed. I'm using a standard RS-232 to usb connector. Please let me know what I should do. 

Thank you so much

[ZYOng]

How did you do the wiring?

Can you show the wiring diagram?

[rolfk]

Difficult to say a lot with the very little information you give. However, the fact that the loop back test on the device itself fails seems to indicate that the serial port on the device itself somehow is faulty. Did you do the loopback test with or without anything connected to the device?

Normally the loopback test is internally routed but some devices do not disconnect the external pins during such a test, saves a few logic gates on an expensive test device! So try to disconnect everything and do a loopback test again.

But if the loopback test really fails, that does not bode well for the health of the serial port on that device!