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Download 8510C Raw Data File via GPIB

Hello all, hoping that someone can enlighten me a bit here.

 

I have an old HP8510C Vector Network Analyzer that I'm trying to automate raw data dumps from.   Currently, the operator has to insert a 3.5" floppy into the VNA, then name and store each file individually....over 50 times.

 

Ideally, what I'd like to do is bypass the 3.5" floppy, and take the Raw Data file via GPIB directly to a modern host computer.  That may not be possible?

 

I have downloaded the current Plug and Play drivers (located here) for LabView 2014...but have some questions about comments around this forum:

 

1)    Several posts refer to a "Getting Started.vi".....  I could not locate that file in this Driver set.   Was this example file removed, and perhaps resides in an earlier version that I could still download?

 

2)   I appear to have a good setup to configure the VNA remotely, and I found a function OutputRawData.vi that I believe contains what I need.   Is there a help file for this VI that could give me enough information to configure this, and create an equivalent test output file?   

 

3)  Can I force menu inputs into the VNA (particulary set & increment filenames), and then prompt the User to save the file to the 3.5" disk instead?

 

Any advice would be appreciated.    Thanks,

 

 

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 Hi SparkyOne,

 

Although Getting Started isn't in the downloads available, there are various examples that still allow you to take basic measurements.  Have you been able to look at them and see if they suit your needs?

 

In regards to the help documentation, I'm assuming you've been able to look at the Context Help for the Output Raw Data.vi?  That information will be the best resource for understanding how those VIs operate.

 

For the last item, have you considered saving to your computer?  Is there a reason you need to save to a floppy disk?

 

 

Chris
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  1. Getting Started.vi is a very old naming convention.  Current practice is to have a few Examples in the project.
  2. Looking through the vis they appear to have good vi documentation.  Just hit Ctrl+H and hover over the vi icons.
  3. Don't do that! Simply take the I and Q data, convert them Back to the sgl precision floats they really are, (The coersion to dbl in output data Raw.vi is silly) wire them to "Re/Im to Complex" and fire it out to a TDMS file.

In Fact I would consider copying  output data Raw.vi to your projetc with a new name and simply wiring the IQ data to Re/Im to complex and outputing that insted of the I and Q arrays.


"Should be" isn't "Is" -Jay
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Rah,   Yes, I have been able to look at the examples....and i'm slowly figuring-out how to do some things.    I just thought that the Plug-n-Play Driver was missing some files.    In this driver, the example Frequency Sweep appears to be helping me the most.

 

The Context Help has worked for me a little bit....but there are some gaps in the documentation.   Take the VI "Response" while trying to set a "Reference Position".....you actually need constants wired to both the Display Scale and Mag Offset terminals to set the Reference position correct.

 

Yes, I have considered saving directly to my PC.....I'm just not sure how to pull down all four parameters in one sweep (401 points)....then append my calculations to a Text or Excel file that I can format into a Test Data sheet.   

 

At the moment, yes, I'm pigeon-holed into using the 3.5" floppy.   I'm working with a team to complete a "rough" test....so there is a Software Engineer that is creating an Excel spreadsheet with Macros to parse the Raw Data text files (so the file format is critical...or the parsing will not work correct).    If I can get that file to go directly to my PC....that would be excellent, I just have not determined which VI will do that for me yet.   Right now, I'm using the Disc.VI to remotely save to the 3.5" disk.   Then we remove the disk, and copy the files to our Controller PC.

 

Jeff, thanks for clearing that up for me.   I thought I had a file missing.   The Output Raw Data function created those default as DBL.   I just took the terminals, right-clicked and "Created Indicator".    I assumed it would put that into the correct format for me.

 

Can you explain this statement a little better, I'm not sure I understand?   


 

In Fact I would consider copying  output data Raw.vi to your projetc with a new name and simply wiring the IQ data to Re/Im to complex and outputing that insted of the I and Q arrays.


 

I have attached my latest Test VI.    There are quite a few things on here that i'm actually not using at the moment.....they're just me trying to make sense of the VI functions.

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@SparkyOne wrote:

 

 

 

Can you explain this statement a little better, I'm not sure I understand?   


 

In Fact I would consider copying  output data Raw.vi to your projetc with a new name and simply wiring the IQ data to Re/Im to complex and outputing that insted of the I and Q arrays.


 

I'll tackle that one first Having the IQ data is simply not as convienient as the complex data. Its a bad idea to modify a existing device driver so, create a customized easier for you, copy outside the existing driver and put it in your project with a new name.

Output Raw Data CSG.png

 

Now we work with formating into a file you can bring into excel

Example Main.png

TDMS is designed exactly for test data measurment storage (No wonder it is called TDMS)

That example:

  • loops through all four measurements
  • Writes all the raw data to Chanels named after the measurement in Group X(I just used the iteration count)
  • Has a place holder for calculations (I don't know what calcs you need)
  • Then writes those calculated values by chanel and group as named properties.

Next step is to open excel and use the free TDMS import addon (installed with LabVIEW) and everythig displays in a very nice spreadsheet

 

There are a lot of advantages to TDMS- A Search on NI.com will yield several articles.

 

In addition to those Code Capture Snippets I attached the zipped Example.lvproj 


"Should be" isn't "Is" -Jay
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Absolutely awesome response Jeff....    I'll need a day or two to wrap my head around that, but on the surface....that looks like the prime solution.

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Is there a trick to working with these TDMS files?    I may just be overlooking the instructions....but I don't know how to create a new blank file.    I'm using an example file at the moment, but I cannot seem to clear the original data....and any new data just appends to the old data.

 

Also, is there any way to ensure that all of my data is coming off the same Analyzer sweep?   I think it currently is....but I'd like to verify, just for my sanity.

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Sorry, completely missed your other question  -

 

We're measuring the following parameters 65 unique times:

 

S11  -  VSWR

S22  -  VSWR

S21  -  Insertion Loss (Center Freq, Min, Max, Linearity)

S21  -  Phase Delay (Center Freq, Linearity)  -  Measured relative to the first data point.

 

All 65 data points for each measurement have to be analyzed together to get the Linearity.

 

Then we have a Similarity requirement (for Unit matching)....which I have to compare Data Sets between units.     So that said, I'm struggling a bit with the TDMS format.    Apparently I missed the section of documentation on how to work in this file format?  (Create new files, edit existing files, clear data)

 

I used an example TDMS file to get me started, but I cannot seem to clear the original data, and my new data just appends to that file?

 

At this point, it may be easier just to let LabView handle my calculations above (rather than dumping the Raw data), then use TDMS to save actual measurements.   The program has their first cut of data....and I'd like to get away from that "dictated" solution (brute-force Raw Data dump), to something more elegant.

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For the TDMS Open, you can configure one of the terminals to open, open/create, create/replace, create, or Read-Only-- this will help you make new files.

Chris
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Is there any particular reason why the base TDMS file would be blank?    If I do no calculations, at least the raw data should be on the spreadsheet tabs, correct?

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