To Control a Power Supply via LabVIEW

[deniz_asan]

Hi,

I am really in the beginning of the learning LabvIEW. I am trying to control a power supply( Ametek XG 
1500 ) via LabVIEW through USB cable. I have goggled several websites, but still do not have a clear idea 
of how to implement such task. I downloaded COM drivers from www.programmablepower.com. Then, device and 
my computer see the USB cable, but I do not have exact clue to make a good program to control power 
supply.

I tried to make a program with NI-VISA with SCPI commands. Actually, I am not sure to write true 
commands and I can not see the voltage or current value on the front panel. I have never write a program 
to control any electronic device. Maybe, I can not see the basic step or not.

Firstly, I want to write a program which makes power on/off to the power supply. I do not know where 
should I begin. Please any of you give me an offer to do this task.

Thank you.

Deniz

[Ranjeet_Singh]

You can use the relay for turning PS on / off

[Dennis_Knutson]

There is of course, the IVI driver.

I don't understand at all why you would install a different com port driver than the one that comes from Ametek/Sorenesen. In any case, I did not use the IVI driver. I simply created my own using Tools>Instrumentation>Create Instrument Driver Project. Pretty simple for me - I did a basic driver in less than a day. I would suggest you look over the instrument driver tutorial (on main idnet page). The commands are well documented in the manual. Be sure to get the termination characters correct. I can't provide the code I wrote as it was for a customer but if you post what you have written with details on errors you get etc, I'll try to help.

[abelyaev78]

Hi Dennis

I have relevant question too.

I got stuff to work in NI-MAX using Visa Test Panel, i.e.

successfully querying commands like

*IDN?\r
*ADR\s8\r
OUTP:POW:STAT\sON\r
OUTP:POW:STAT\sOFF\r

BUT

when I try to use same commands in LabVIEW using VISA blocks nothing happens. No error - nothing.

Any idea?

Thanks,

A.

P.S. I'm using Ametek XG300-5.6 one

[Dennis_Knutson]

I can't look at your VI bit I'm going to guess that you haven't set the string control/constant to '\' Codes Display.

[RavensFan]

And of course Dennis is correct.  They end in \r, bu the constants are in normal display mode, which means the are being sent as a literal backslash and "r".

Also, the *RST command is missing any attempt at a termination character.

[abelyaev78]

That was indeed the cause. Thanks