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

[J. Forster]

Yes, but LabVIEW is supposed to take messing with the instrument specific 
control strings.

If possible, I'd like to avoid that,

-John

================


> Program to read VAC from a fluke 8840A/AF DMM
>
>
>
> EZGPIB_BusWriteData(fluke1_addr,'* F2 R0 S0 T0 Y0');   //set up DMM for
> VAC
> and some other parameters (all documented in the DMM manual!)
>
> EZGPIB_BusWriteData(fluke1_addr,'?');                  //instruct DMM to
> take a reading
>
> EZGPIB_BusWaitForData(fluke1_addr,Response,TimeOut);   //read measurement
> into "response"
>
>
>
> EZGPIB_ScreenWriteLn(Response);                        //write result to
> screen
>
>
>
> EZGPIB_FileAddToBuffer(Response);                      //write to buffer
> for
> file dump
>
> EZGPIB_FileWrite(Filename);                            //write data to
> file
>
>
>
> Couldn't be easier!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 73 Eugene W2HX
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: test-equipment-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:test-equipment-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of J. Forster
> Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 1:27 PM
> To: Discussion of Electronic Test Equipment
> Subject: Re: [Test-Equipment] Any GPIB and/or LabVIEW users?
>
>
>
> I'm in roughly the same situation. I loved the 'quick and dirty' HP 85
>
> appreoach, but anything longer than a simple loop or two was really hard
>
> to edit on the tiny screen. The later HP 98xx did solve that but I never
>
> had one.
>
>
>
> Some months ago, I bought a NI PCMCIA GPIB card (if you go looking, there
>
> are THREE DIFFERENT, all incompatible, cables. Be warned).
>
>
>
> I was also able to get an older version of LabVIEW and have been trying to
>
> learn it. It is non-trivial.
>
>
>
> First off, LabView is radically different in most every way from something
>
> like HP 85 BASIC. There are a ton of conventions to learn and you have to
>
> do things "their way" or you get very obscure error messages. After a
>
> couple of days work, I now understand basically how it works, but so far I
>
> cannot read a DMM or flip a physical switch. I can process simulated
>
> signals in complex ways though.
>
>
>
> The reason I went with LabVIEW is the Instrument Driver library. I naively
>
> thought I could type in an instrument ID and talk-listen to it almost
>
> plug-n-play. This would save having to learn every instruments'
>
> instruction set. This now looks like an illusion, but I'm not sure.
>
>
>
> There are versions of the HP Test Basic that runs on PCs which are
>
> supposed to be like the HP 85 SW, but I don't think they run w/ the PCMCIA
>
> GPIB cards.
>
>
>
> My current feeling is there are no really simple ways to control a few
>
> instruments, except with something like an HP 85.  :((
>
>
>
> FWIW,
>
>
>
> -John
>
>
>
> ======================
>
>
>
>> At 02:26 AM 11/18/2010, you wrote:
>
>>>I'm looking to a little bit of "amateur experimenting" in physics. To
>
>>>monitor my results I want to connect 3 pieces of test equipment (arb.
>
>>>wave. gen.; scope; DMM) and control them via a feedback loop program
>
>>>(modify the gen. depending on readings from the other 2).
>
>>
>
>> In the good old days, I used an HP85 computer with GPIB port to write
>
>> HP Basic programs to control test equipment. Worked really well but
>
>> was slow, couldn't accept much data (limited to something like 65
>
>> KILObytes memory), and didn't have any way to port the data to a PC,
>
>> could only print a strip of paper with the data.
>
>>
>
>>>The only ways I know to do this is with National Instruments' LabVIEW
>
>>>or to write a custom program.
>
>>>
>
>>>LabVIEW is the off-the-shelf answer, but the controllers are spendy
>
>>>(US$800-plus and up) unless I go with e-Bay, but the software is also
>
>>>pricey.
>
>>
>
>> That's why I won't touch labview.
>
>>
>
>>>There are several other hardware options (ie, third-party
>
>>>controllers). Most are re-labeled Prologix USB or Ethernet
>
>>>controllers. The Prologix drivers provide a virtual serial port
>
>>>through which you can communicate using a terminal program. This is
>
>>>different from the NI controllers, but I'm not clear on the
>
>>>differences.
>
>>
>
>> Using KE5FX's free software, you can use a Prologix to download plots
>
>> from many test equipment. But I'm unaware of any software to control the
>
>> stuff.
>
>>
>
>> Steve K0XP
>
>>
>
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