NI SwitchExec with 3499 and IVIDriver

[OnlyOne]

Hello,
did someone ever used the "Agilent 3499 Switch" together with "NI SwitchExec"?

On the NI-Homepage there is an IVI-Driver for this instrument.
After installing the driver i can see a new entry in NI-Max -> IVI Driver -> Driver Sessions.
I can also add a logical name for this driver

But when i try to add the switch under virtual device with "Add IVI Switch" i get the error:

*************
An error has occured while trying to access device xxxx3499
Primary Error: (Hex 0xBFFA003D) Unable to find any channel or repeated cacbility strings
*************

What do i have to do to use the 3499 with NI SwitchExec?

Thanks for any hints.

[Srđan_Zirojević]

Your problem may stem from ht efact that this driver supports more than one type of modules. You may need to specify which modules you have via a driver setup field in the IVI configuration. Please check out the OptionsString parameter help in the driver's help file. It lists the possible combinations of driver setup strings.

I quickly downloaded the driver, put "slot1:N2260A:1" in MAX for the driver setup field (w/o quotes) in the ag3499x driver session, and I was able to successfully add the switch device to my switch executive configuration.

I hope this helps,

-Serge

[OnlyOne]

Thanks for this tip, I thought that it has to be something with this field.
One more (easy) question: WHERE is this driver's help-file?
Thanks and have a nice day

[Srđan_Zirojević]

I found one in the \drivers\ag3499x folder, where is your IVI root, e.g. c:\program files\ivi.

The help file is ag3499x.hlp (generated from the CVI function panel file, so if you have CVI you may opt to look into ag3499x.fp instead).

The function to get the help on is Initialize With Options, that one has the options string parameter I talked about...

regards,

-Serge

[Srđan_Zirojević]

Ahh I apologize for using less than and greater than in my previous post. I did not intend on writing any html, but it got interpreted as such anyway. Here I go again, this time without angle braces:

'ivi'\drivers\ag3499x, where 'ivi' is your ivi root dir, e.g. c:\program files\ivi

[OnlyOne]

Which driver have you downloaded? Also the one from the NI-IDNet? Or one from the Agilent-Website?

[Srđan_Zirojević]

I used the driver that I downloaded from NI's devzone/idnet site. I picked the MS version (the measurement studio one I guess). The installer added all the files plus a driver session, I had to create a logical name and add driver setup option string.

-Serge

[OnlyOne]

Is there also a driver for the Agilent 34970 (3-slot mainframe) and its modules (34901A, 34902A, 34903A, 34904A, 34905A, 34906A, 34907A, 34908A)?
On the NI-IDNET-Website there is only a plug-and-play-driver listed.
And SwitchExec works only with IVI-drivers i think.

[OnlyOne]

On the Agilent-Website there is an IVI-COM driver for download.
This is the readme of the file. Do you think it will work with Switchexec? (I cant test it right now by myself)

[quote]
Agilent 34970 IVI-COM Driver Read Me

--------------------------------------------------
Agilent34970 IVI=COM Driver Version 1.0.0.4
--------------------------------------------------
This instrument driver provides access to the functionality of the
39740A Data Acquisition/Switch unit through COM interfaces which
comply with the IVI specifications. The driver works in any
development environment which supports COM programming including
Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft .NET, Agilent
VEE, National Instruments LabView, National Instruments LabWindows,
and others.

Supported Instruments
---------------------
34970A

Installation
-------------
System Requirements - The driver installation will check for the following
requirements. If not found, the installer will either abort, warn, or
install the required component as appropriate.

Disc Space:
Shared Components: 4,843 k
Driver: 1,668 k
The shared components are installed with the first driver
installed.

IVI Shared Components Version 1.0.0.0 or later.
The driver installer includes the IVI Shared Components.

Agilent IVI Driver Shared Components
The driver installer includes Agilent additions to the IVI
Shared Components.

Windows Installer (MSI) Version 2.0 or later
Required to install MSXML below. If the MSXML install won't run
or gives you an error, try installing the latest MSI from the
appropriate url. Download from:
For WinNt4/2000/XP:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseId=32832

Agilent I/O Libraries Version L.02.01 or later
I/O Libraries are required to configure and enable instrument I/O.
Download from:
http://www.agilent.com/find/iolibsforivicom

Agilent VISA-COM Version 2.2.2.5 or later
Any compliant implementation is acceptable, but one is required
for instrument I/O. Agilent drivers may require VISA-COM for
simulation mode as well.
Download from:
http://www.agilent.com/find/visacomforivicom


IVI Shared Component Revisions
------------------------------
1.3.1.0 IviConfigServer.dll
1.0.2.0 IviConfigServerCAPI.dll
1.0.237.0 IviCShared.dll
1.0.237.0 IviCSharedSupport.dll
2.0.0.0 IviDCPwrTypeLib.dll
3.0.0.0 IviDmmTypeLib.dll
1.0.0.0 IviDriverTypeLib.dll
1.1.1.0 IviEventServer.exe
1.1.1.0 IviEventServerDLL.dll
1.1.1.0 IviEventServerDLLps.dll
1.1.1.0 IviEventServerps.dll
3.0.0.0 IviFgenTypeLib.dll
1.0.236.0 IviFloat.dll
1.0.0.0 IviPwrMeterTypeLib.dll
1.1.0.0 IviRfSigGenTypeLib.dll
3.0.0.0 IviScopeTypeLib.dll
1.0.1.0 IviSessionFactory.dll
1.0.3.0 IviSharedComponentVersion.dll
1.0.0.0 IviSpecAnTypeLib.dll
3.0.0.0 IviSwtchTypeLib.dll

IVI Compliance
--------------
(The following information is required by IVI 3.1 section 5.21.)

IVI-COM Custom Instrument Driver
IVI Instrument Class: none
Group Capabilities: n/a

Optional Features: This driver does not support Interchangeability
Checking, State Caching, or Coercion Recording.

Driver Identification:
(These three strings are values of properties in the IIviIdentity
interface.)
Vendor: Agilent Technologies
Description: Agilent Technologies
Revision: 1.0

Component Identifier: Agilent34970.Agilent34970
(The component identifier can be used to create an instance of the COM
server.)

Hardware: This driver supports instruments manufactured by Agilent
Technologies. The supported model numbers are:
34970A

This driver supports communicating with the instrument
using either GPIB or SERIAL.

Software: See the section on installation in this document for
information on what other software is required by this driver.

Source for this driver is not available.

More Information
----------------
For more information about this driver and other instrument drivers
and software available from Agilent Technologies visit:
http://www.agilent.com/find/ADN

A list of contact information is available from:
http://www.agilent.com/find/contacts00 (two zeros at the end)

Trademarks
----------
Microsoft, Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Windows Installer are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries.

LabVIEW and LabWindows are trademarks of National Instruments
Corporation.
[/quote]

[Srđan_Zirojević]

Did you already decide on an instrument to use? I mean, do you still have an option, or are you trying to make your existing hardware work well with NISE (NI Switch Executive)? I am only asking this because you already mentioned two different instruments.
In general, NISE works only with IVI-C compliant instrument drivers. An IVI-COM driver can be used if you can provide a C wrapper on top of it, so it will look like an IVI-C driver to NISE. NI IDNET does not have the IVI-C driver for the 34970, and from what I could read in your posting, neither does Agilent. Maybe someone else in this forum has experience with 34970 and have already used it with NISE.
If you are still specifying your system and the signal specs can be met with NI switching modules, niSwitch instrument driver has been tightly integrated and well tested with NISE, and would eliminate at least some of the configuration quirks such as option string settings... just a thought.

regards,
-Serge