[Test-Equipment] Any GPIB and/or LabVIEW users?

[normn3ykf at stny.rr.com]

John,
Are you trying to do bus level calls?

All you have to do in LV to chat with an instrument is just tell it which visa resource that you're interested in. Pretty straigtforward.

Some instruments requires that a "driver" be built. It's not hard. You do need to write the appropriate loops and have an instrument manual (for the command set). Most of the older stuff "known as r2d2" because of the style of ascii commands.

Always easier to start with something that kinda works or looks kinda like what you'd like to do. Easy to replace the commands that you need. Takes a little fiddling, but not extremely hard.

Have written a driver for the m12+t, the 59309a, hp 5335a and a few others. Some of my drivers use multiple instruments (such as the moto gps and the 5335a).

There are SEVERAL good tutorials on GPIB code out there. Also the HPIB manual (from HP) is floating around.

My last formal programming class was in high school

I spent 17 years working on the railroad as an locomotive engineer.

It is needless to say that programming is not my specialty.

OTOH like any other software, there is a large learning curve.
PM me if you'd like some of the resources. 
BTW www.lavag.org is a great resource in and of itself.

Norm n3ykf