How to control Lakeshore 340 temperature controller

[loglong]

I want to use 340# for temperature control,but I don't know how to use labview control it for temperature sweeping .(In my programme,the 340# will be used to control the temperature from T1 to T2,at the same time ,I will use keithley 2182 and 2400 to read the current and voltage.then draw the V-T and I-T curve).I will be most grateful if you can help me with this programme.thanks!

[gagi1]

There is a LabVIEW Plug and Play driver available on IDNet:

http://sine.ni.com/apps/we/niid_web_display.download_page?p_id_guid=E3B19B3E9415659CE034080020E74861

I hope this helps.
Vesna

[Pat_M]

Hi, I would like to use the Lakeshore 340 TC with the serial interface to read the temperatures of several sensors  and to control devices. Can anyone help me? The drivers I could find are only good for use with the IEEE 488.2 interface which I do not have :mansad:

I would appreciate any suggestions! Thanks - Pat  

[Dennis_Knutson]

Since the driver was written with VISA, you only have to make a few minor changes in order for it to work with RS-232. In the Initialize function, you add some code to see if the VISA session (instrument descriptor) is type serial and if it is, initialize the serial port. This would be to configure the baud rate, data bits, etc. and terminator. There's a lot of serial/GPIB drivers that you can look at for an example. One that I've used is for the HP34970.

[Pat_M]

Thanks a lot for your prompt answer I will try this!

Pat.

[Pat_M]

Hi again Dennis,

I did replace the code for IEEE 488.2 with that for the serial stuff, actually I took all the first part (i.e., "Open Instrument" and " Set Serial Visa Attribues") of the Hp 34401A Initialize.vi block diagram for initializing the LakeShore T.C. which worked fine. Then I wanted to replace the "Initialize Instrument" Section of the "Getting Started Temperature Controller.vi" for the Lakeskore 340, but I received following error messages when I replaced the : "Instr. Descriptor" with the "Visa Resource" and tried to wire it to the "LSCI 340 Initialize"-box: "You have connected two terminals of different types. The type of the sources is VISA sessions of class. The type of the sink is void". What's wrong. I very much would appreciate your help 🙂

Thanks in advance

Pat

[Dennis_Knutson]

In the Initialize VI, there is the "Old VISA Open" function. This should be deleted and replaced with the Open VISA function that is on your VISA palette. The more recent Open VISA will accept either a string or actual VISA Resource Name but I would recomend you use an actual VISA ref so you would delete the string control called Instr. Descriptor etc., make visible the VISA session control, and wire it to the connector where the string control was.

[Pat_M]

Hi Dennis, hi everybody

I did use the new VISA Open function by taking the first part of the hp 34401A  Initialize.vi routine, i.e., I think I successfully changed the Initilaze.vi for my device. But now I have to change the other vi's which actually control the instrument. I have therefore tried to alter the relevant part of the "Getting Started Temp. Contr.vi" for my instrument. It look like this:

When I am trying to link the missing wires from the "VISA Resource" and "error in" to the box LSCI 340 Initialize (which has three inputs) I get the  following error messages: "You have connected two terminals of different types. The type of the source is visa session of class. The type of the sink is boolean",  or"...The type of the source is cluster of three elements. the type of the sink is boolean( TRUE or FALSE)". What can I do to solove this problem?

Thanks a lot!       Pat

[Dennis_Knutson]

There should have been no need to change any of the other VIs. The VISA Resource control on the front panel of the Initialize VI should be wired to the top left connector where the old string control was. In your picture, your'e trying to connect to the one of the Boolean (ID Query or Reset).

[Pat_M]

Thanks a lot for your help, Dennis! :manhappy:

I got many features running now, but still the Getting Started.vi has to be changed somehow, because it won't work w/o changes: The old Instr. Descriptor and error in have to be connected to the initialize box somehow, but since the data types have obviously changed, I have to figure out how exactly to do that. Actually I found out that I was having troble with my USB 2.0 --> Serial adapter (Digitus Accessories). I wonder if that is a common issue, maybe someone could give me some feedback for that issue, too.

Bye

Pat_M