4 point resistance measurement with Agilent/HP 34401A

[nahidmorshed]

Hello everyone,

I have Labview 2011 [ version 11 (32-Bit)] which is running with windows 7. Also, Agilent 34401A and HP 34401A 61/2 Digit mulimeters are conncected with it through GPIBs. What I want to say is that, everything is okay. I just need to design my program and run it. Since I'm a fairly new user of the Labview, I'm asking for the help. 

I want to measure resistance of my samples with 4-point method with Agilent/HP 34401A multimeter. I want to collect the data in every hour for several days. So, I want to design the program so that the front window shows a plot of resistance vs time as the data is collected and then I want to save the data in a specified folder so that I could export the data to Origin and so on. 

Now, I need to design the program. Can any of the good souls here tell me (in a step-by-step basis)-how I would design the program ????? If so, please, help me!!! Please!!!

Thank you in advance.

/Nahid

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

Design the program?

Do you mean WRITE the program for you????

Seems to me that is what you are asking.

[Dennis_Knutson]

You have 34401 examples that come with LabVIEW. Help>Find Examples>Hardware Input & Output>Instrument Drivers>LabVIEW Plug and Play. All of the 34401 functions are on the Instrument I/O>Instrument Drivers palette. See the Instrument Driver Network for information on what a driver is and how to use one. See LabVIEW 101 for a beginning tutorial.

[johnsold]

Nahid,

If you are completely new to LabVIEW, start by going through the on-line tutorials for Getting Started with LabVIEW.

Next download the drivers for your instrument.  Check first.  It may already be included.  The driver includes 4-wire resistance meausrements.

Designing the program before writing it is an excellent plan - one which many people neglect.  You have a nice description of what you want the program to do.  Specify the details clearly: Does the hourly data collection occur on the hour (10:00 for example) or one hour after the program starts?  (Start at 10:17; collect next data at 11:17). Are you going to collect only one measurement each hour or will you take several measurements at close intervals and average the result to reduce noise?  Specify the file format including any headers. Specify how the file will be named (by the operator or through some automatic naming method).  Specify how the program will stop: after a time limit, after a number of measurements, when the user pushes a button?  How will errors be handled? What should the system do if the power fails while the experiment is running and then comes back on?  What else will the computer be doing between measurements? Any other relevant items.

After you have a complete specification, you can select a program architecture.  Often measurement systems are well suited to the Producer/Consumer architecture, but because of the long times between measurements you may be abel to use something simpler.  Also look at state machines.

Define tasks which are separable from other parts of the program and create subVIs for those tasks.  Look at the 34401 drivers for examples.  Configuration and reading are in separate subVIs.  Similarly creating the file and writing the file header may be handled separately from writing measurement data to the file.

... and many more details.

Get started.  As you have specific questions, post them here or in the LV Board.

Lynn

[nahidmorshed]

Hi nyc,

Thank you for your response.

What I want from you guys is to give me an outline on how to design the program. As far as I can say, I need to communicate with the multimeter, then configure VISA write, Measure VISA write, collcet data from VISA read, conncect with a plot, make a while loop....am I write? Please correct me if I'm wrong or tell me what I need to do.

Thank you very much.

/Nahid

[nahidmorshed]

Hi lynn

Thank you for your reply with this much detail. 

I'll try the way you described and post here.

Thank you once again.

/Nahid

[nahidmorshed]

Hi Dennis

Thank you. I'll look that up. 

/Nahid

[nahidmorshed]

Hi all,

Thank you very much everyone.

I've desighed the program and it's working now.

/Nahid