Is it possible to control an instrument with LabVIEW from within itself?

[GasGas]

Hi there.

I'm new to this whole LabVIEW thing and it seems to me that LabVIEW is great for controlling instruments remotely via some sort of external connection (ethernet, GPIB etc), however I would like to know if it would be possible to control an instrument from within itself.

I have written code in Excel using VBA to control a spectrum analyser via ethernet from a LeCroy WavePro 7100. The code sets up the spectrum analyser and commands the oscilloscope to capture, process & display the raw video.

My question is: Is it possible write a single LabVIEW executable application to do what I have done in Excel & VBA?


Thanks in advance,

Franc

[Albert.Geven]

the simple answer is YES.
This is what LabVIEW is meant for.

[GasGas]

Thanks for that Albert.

Just to clarify, I am not controlling these two instruments from an external PC, rather I am controlling the spectrum analyser from the oscilloscope, and using the operating system (Windows 2000) on the oscilloscope to run the Excel VBA code I've written.

All of the documentation I've read so far talks about controlling instruments via ethernet, GPIB etc. I cannot find any information on how to control an instrument from within itself. Can you possibly point me to an application note or tutorial that discusses how this is done?


Cheers,

Franc

[Dennis_Knutson]

I haven't seen any posts about installing and using LabVIEW on a Lecroy scope but there have been a couple about doing the same thing on a Tek scope running windows. Check out this and this. I would think that the LeCroy would offer something similar and if you are able to use Excel to talk to an external instrument, you should be able to use LabVIEW. To control the scope itself, is maybe a question for LeCroy.

Message Edited by Dennis Knutson on 10-02-2006 07:34 AM

[alanjb]

Hello Frank, Albert, Dennis,

Alan from LeCroy Tech Support here...

You can indeed control the scope from itself using LabVIEW, although this mode of operation has not been heavily tested here at LeCroy.  In general, we do not recommend running applications that may interfere with the scope's operation; applications that use too much CPU or memory can cause the scope to operate erratically.  Feel free to install LabVIEW on the scope and to try it out, but if you find that the scope isn't operating properly, then this might not be a viable solution for you.

Note that buiilding an application such that you are not running LabVIEW itself will probably be a smart choice, but, as always, make sure that you are not using CPU-hogging structures (like For loops without a Wait node) or creating any memory leaks. 

Now here's how to setup LabVIEW and the scope to control the scope from itself...

1. Install LabVIEW

2. Install either the "lcwave" or "LeCroy Wave Series" driver that is available at http://sine.ni.com/apps/we/niid_web_display.drv_results?p_app_area=&p_man=lecroy&p_keywords=lcwave&p...=  (it's on www.ni.com/idnet, if the above link doesn't work)

3. Install the VICP Passport from the LeCroy Website (http://www.lecroy.com/tm/Library/Software/LabView/VICP.asp?menuid=8)

4. Setup the scope for TCP/IP communications

5. Use the connection string VICP::127.0.0.1.  This is the VISA resource that is input to the Initialize VI.  (127.0.0.1 is the universal self-referencing IP address)

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Best Regards,

Alan Blankman

[GasGas]

Ahhhh. Ask and ye shall receive. Fantastic. That is exactly what I was looking for. My original question has been answered.

You've in for it now Alan. 😛 I have many questions relating to memory usage within our LeCroy WavePro 7100XXL oscilloscope.

Many thanks to all that contributed.


Franc