Block transfer in Labview 2021 for an Agilent E4440A Spektrumanaylzer work via GPIB not viaEthernet

[rf_antenna_guy]

Hello Community,

I can transfer pictures in Gif Format in Labview 2021 via  NI USB-GPIB Adapter with the attached VI from a Keysight E4440A Spectrum Analyzer without issues with the Block Transfer function. 

I have an Dell Laptop that runs on Windows 10.

 It use that VI that someone in this forum give me a example years ago for transfer pictures from old GPIB vintage stuff.

But to improve the speed I want use the Ethernet function of the E4440A instead.

I can controll the E4400A via Ethernet without issues (ping in  DOS shell, MMEM Load etc., with Port 5025) over TCP:IP.

I added to the GPIB VI additional carriage return that is works without failure message maybe there is also a better way to to it.

But with this attaced VI I can't transfer the .GIF files via Ethernet and get a failure message that the VI is still not fineshed.

The pictures are safe inside the E4440A but not transfered to my PC.

The same VI via GPIB works fine.

Is there a timing problem or what kind of modifikation must I do that I can storage pictures via Ehternet works properly.

If someone has an other better example  or share an  Idea (vi) to transfer Data or pictures via Ethernet instead of using GPIB or the 3.5 Floppy disk it will be very welcome to improve my stuff in the lab.

Thx

Antenna guy

[Albert.Geven]

Try to have a number of blocks less then 64 kB. I remeber not the blocksize anymore but blocks on ethernet should be smaller than on gpib.

[rf_antenna_guy]

Hello,

thanks for your help, do you have a examplr  how I reduce it that you can Share with Me ?

in which Part of the command sequence  with what visa funtion syntax?

regards

Antenna guy

[crossrulz]

Back in the day, I had to do something similar with a Tek scope.  Even over GPIB, I had to read the data in blocks. I think I read in 2k blocks.  In a more recent application (now with Ethernet), I went with 4k (4096 to be more exact).  I have ran into enough instruments that transfer large binary blocks (some just data, most screen shots) that I have this guy sitting in my reuse library.  This VI only does the read part, not request for the data nor the decoding the number of bytes to read.  It is just the read process.

[Albert.Geven]

Thanks Crossrulz

I was checking an old E4440 manual but did not see the memory cmds.

This should be sufficient for a new user, replace the read call.

[rf_antenna_guy]

Hello,

thanks I  modify my programm with your input.

See attached VI.

And I still get this failure message also attached.

The data in the front panel contailns only 0000.

The test.gif file in the Spektrum anayzer has a size from 16086 bytes.

I works fine If I copy that to a 3.5 floppy disk and open it on the Windows 10 PC.

Additional stuff what I should modify or what do I wrong ?

Thx and Regards

antenna_guy

[crossrulz]

It looks like you are trying to get data from the wrong file.  You have a semicolon where it should be a period when requesting the file data.

[rf_antenna_guy]

Hi,

I modify this error with the : in the file name, thank you for that tip.

So now it transfer files to the PC but the .GIF files are not readable from Windows

Every time I rund this program the file size of the Spektrumanalyzer .GIF varies a little bit must I has some sequence before to ask before transfer the right byte size ?

See modified VI.

Thanks again 

Antenna_guy

[crossrulz · Accepted solution]

Well, you are including the data block header in your read.  You still need to do the process to get the number of bytes to read.  You read the '#' plus another byte.  Then read the number of bytes designated by that extra byte.  That value is the block size in ASCII characters.  You did this before.  I thought I was specific with the code I gave you that it was just for reading the massive block.  Here is the full code I use to read the data block.  The Read Binary VI call in there is the VI I posted before.

[rf_antenna_guy]

Hi thank you for your tips

Can you also attached or mail me the complette VI ?

Is VISA Query  and VISA Binara a special VI or a regular stuff in Labview ?

I didn't find it so far ... ok I am more a Newbi as a labview wizard but I try to improve my skills 🙂

I learned much in the last mounths to control the vintage expensive stuff from R&S and Agilent in our lab.

And Google and this forum is also a good teacher, thank you for that.

Regards

Antenna guy