Kikusui PLZ303W Syntax Error w/ LabVIEW Program

[AnthonyMN]

Hey everyone,

I am working with load settings on a Kikusui during switching operations, and it is inconsistently generating a "Syntax Error" message on the front panel. Occasionally it is also causing an issue with load setting. The VI causing the issue is an instrument maker VI from NI (KIKPLZ3W Switching Operation (Configure).vi). I checked to be sure they are all valid commands, and I have tried adding delay time in between commands and it hasn't fixed the issue. The inconsistencies make me think something else is going on there, but I can't figure it out.

Has anyone encountered this issue before?

Thank you,

Anthony

[thuyanhl]

Hi Anthony,

Do you get an error code with the Syntax Error?

[JÞB · Accepted solution]

If I recall correctly.  (It caused me enough pain that I think I remember it well enough)

This is an insideous beasty you can actually be sending a "PATH O:" in front of the write data.  Someone decided to jamb a -1 value into the VISA User Data property that is used in the ...Write 2 property way back when Kikusia started offering serial and GPIB interfaces.  The trouble is: since LabVIEW 6.i VISA Open and VISA Close became optional since VISA sessions could be created and cleaned up under the hood.  so, if every vi that uses a specific VISA session goes idle the session is actually destroyed.  Guess what? the next vi that runs has a default 0 in user data.

The most elegant way around that bug? User Data.vi (yup use a global instead)

[AnthonyMN]

T - It doesn't generate an error code, or at least I not that I have seen, and it doesn't save it in the error memory of the instrument. The only evidence is the audible beep, and the <Syntax Error> message on the front panel.

Jeff - Are you saying to use a global variable for the visa session for the kikusui? (Sorry, I've never used a User Data.vi before)

[JÞB]

No, i'm suggesting that you modify the buggy driver to use a global variable rather than the property VISA.User Data. That property does not persist when vi's go idle (finish execution).  its a PITA property