I can' t communicate with my INES GPIB Card

[Cannibal]

Hi,

My test device sends data to the PC (HP 9836), printer (HP2932A) and the plotter (HP7475A) via HPIB. I want to compose a software that must take and analize the data. i'm using LabVIEW 7.0 and my card is INES PCI-GPIB IEEE 488.2. 

I don't know how i can communicate with the device. Test device has HPIB ports to communicate with the other devices. Even though i set up my card to the PC, In my Control Panel, NI 488.2 Configuration program says no GPIB interfaces present in the system. But i can see it in the Device  Manager and it says it works properly. MAX don't see the card in devices and interfaces section. Consequently, I need a starting point. For example, if i use simple GPIB READ command in LabVIEW how can i  configure the settings (address, port etc.)? Or with some programs like NI Explore GPIB, MAX etc. how can i configure my system?

Thanks for informations...

hikmetkangal@mkek.gov.tr

[Makoto]

ines GPIB card is not hardware-compatible with NI, therefore NI-MAX and NI-VISA can't detect it as is.  Recent ines GPIB-PCI-XL card seems like supporting GPIB-32.DLL, which is ines version of NI-compatible DLL.  It may be included in the accompany CD-ROM or can be download at the ines web.

http://www.inesinc.com/gpib-pci.html
http://www.inesinc.com/N00082.html

As I remember, old GPIB-PCI model (without "XL" on its model name) might support HP-IB compatible mode.  It had a plug-in for HP/Agilent SICL driver.  I have ever used an old ines PCI card with Agilent IO Libraries Revision.M several years ago in Win2k.  (Sorry but I am not sure if the HP-IB style plugin might support recent Agilent IO Libraries Suite 14.x running under XP and .NET.)

[Cannibal]

Makoto thanks for informations.

My card is INES GPIB-XL Series. So it must be support GPIB-32.DLL and it must be an ines version of NI-compatible DLL. I tried many times, but nothing changed.

If my test device is unplugged or not connected with the pc, can i test my GPIB card. or i can't see and communicate with the card. do you have any information about this?

[Dennis_Knutson]

Did you follow the directions in this and replace the NI driver and try to manually install an AT-GPIB/TNT board? If you did, and it doesn't work, I would suggest you contact INES to see if they have a solution. The instructions mention LabVIEW 6 and the version of MAX and other NI software from that version are pretty old and you may need INES to update their software. If the card is recognized by windows, then that may be sufficient. Have you tried using the VISA functions in LabVIEW. I don't think the native GPIB functions will work according to the above document. I've never heard of a GPIB controller that required an instrument to be connected in order to configure or communicate to the card.

[Dennis_Knutson]

I just wanted to add that the document above has details on the INES programming library so you should be able to access that with the Call Library Function Node.

[Cannibal]

INES said that only LabVIEW 6.1 and under versions are compatible with this card and GPIB-32.dll isn't updated anymore.

What is the meaning of this? Won't i communicate whit any of instruments? I think this is all bullshit.

NI is the best.Thats all.

[Adam W]

Hi,

You may want to talk to INES again and check your version of the NI 488.2 driver against their dll for compatability.  I am not sure what their specifications would be for LabVIEW compatability.

I do know that a NI PCI-GPIB board will show up in MAX and work just fine

Good luck with your application!

Adam W
Applications Engineering
National Instruments