TekVISA and LabVIEW GPIB conflict

[yb1]

I'm using TekVISA to dependably communicate with a Tektronix scope via the ethernet. When installing TekVISA I was prompted to either replace NIVISA or leave it and opted to leave it. I'm also trying to communicate with a GPIB instrument (old HP8175A) using a normal PCI card. TekVISA configuration wants to load itself and find all instruments (LAN and GPIB). That seems fine, but I can communicate with the GPIB instrument only occasionally through Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAE). MAE finds the instrument at the correct address but I usually can't query. Most often I get a timeout. And sometimes after this timeout I'll go back to the TekVISA configuration and, unlike before, it can't see the GPIB instrument. When I am able to communicate with it through MAE -- I can't reproduce the conditions! -- I'm off and running with my programming.

Could it be a conflict between TekVISA and MAE?

[Shawn B.]

It might be possible that TekVISA is conflicting with NI-VISA. Normally only one version of VISA can be installed on a system, however newer versions of HP-VISA, and from what it sounds like Tek-VISA can be installed as a secondary VISA to NI-VISA.

It might be possible though that this is causing the problems you are describing. The good news is that you can use NI-VISA to communicate with your Tektronix scope via the Ethernet. In the Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) right click on Devices and Interfaces and select Create New>VISA TCP/IP Resource. This KnowledgeBase might provide some more information on this topic.

Shawn B.
National Instruments

[Esther.Lopez]

And what about controlling a GPIB instrument connected to an Agilent LAN/GPIB gateway? can I do something like what you exposed?? Thanks in advance...

[Shawn B.]

If I remember right I believe the Agilent LAN/GPIB gateway is a VXI-11 instrument. So you should be able to follow the same steps described in the document linked above to communicate with your instruments.

Shawn B.
National Instruments