TDS 220 External trigger problem

[iainhp]

I have a PC connected via a NI GPIB board (PCI) to 2 Tektronix scopes - a TDS220 and a TDS 224. I am using LabView 6.1 with the NI GPIB drivers for the TDS220. I can talk to the scopes, collect data, set up scope parameters from LabView but I am having one problem. When I try to set the TDS220 to External Trigger (from LabView) I receive an error message. I can set it to trigger off of channel 1 or 2, it is only when I try to set External Trigger that I get the message. The TDS 224 trigger can bet set to any of the 4 channels without problem (external trigger is not an option with the 4 channel scope).

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

[Ray K]

Hello,
Are you using the IVI driver or the traditional driver? Both are available on our website. What is the error code and error message? Is this an error sent from device or an error generated in the NI Software? If it is from the NI Software obtain an NI Spy capture of it and a post it to the thread.

NI Spy Tutorial

Regards,
Ray K
NI Application Engineer

[iainhp]

The link to the NI Spy tutorial reaches a page that says the document is unavailable. Will get back to you on the questions, but a look at the NI Spy tutorial would be useful.

[iainhp]

I am using the IVI driver. Can't access NI SPy tutorial so can't give you the capture.

VI sourcing the error is "tktds2x0 Configure Edge Trigger Source.vi" revision 10. Error code is -1074135024 and error message is:

tktds2x0 Configure Edge Trigger Source.viDriver Status: (Hex 0xBFFA0010) Invalid value.

Secondary Error: (Hex 0xBFFC0003) Parameter 3 out of range, or error occurred while setting Parameter 3.

Elaboration: Level

-----------------------

While we're on the subject, I have another error which is making life difficult. I am trying to read the sample rate from the scope (same result with either TDS 220 or TDS 224) using "tktds2x0 Actual Sample Rate.vi" revision 5. This also gives an error, error code -1074135024 and error me
ssage:

tktds2x0 Actual Sample Rate.viDriver Status: (Hex 0xBFFA0010) Invalid value.

Elaboration: Attribute: TKTDS2X0_ATTR_HORZ_SAMPLE_RATE


Thanks for your help.

[iainhp]

Subsequent to the above post, I have loaded a demo copy of the Tektronix WaveStar software, and can confirm that I can set External trigger for both of my TDS 220 scopes, from the computer, using WaveStar (via GPIB). I can also confirm that both the TDS 220s and the TDS 224 return timebase data correctly when queried from the WaveStar software (via the GPIB).

[iainhp]

Some other comments on the above.

The 3 scopes have different firmware revisions: 2.03, 1.17 and 1.06. The scope with rev 2.03 (dual channel) has either got some serious problems or the stuff in the IVI driver doesn't like this firmware (Wavestar works fine with it). I gets lots of errors back from various VIs.

The get sample rate VI doesn't seem to work unless I write something to the scopes beforehand. Can't be more specific, but if I set up the scopes by hand and have them single trigger, I can read all the waveforms out but the get sample rate vi gives errors. The rev 2.03 firmware scope always gives errors with this vi.

Much flakiness - stuff that worked, stopped working. I completely deleted any reference to LabView plus any instrume
nt drivers on the computer, then did a clean load. This helped achieve consistency again.

Have spent too much time on this. Have dropped all the automation, am setting up scopes by hand, hand typing time base into LabView, then pull data from scopes and save to disk. Not pretty, but it works.

[Ray K]

Hello,
Sorry it took so long to get back to you, we were short staffed last week and I was swamped with support emails. If you are still interested in automation, the following information would be very helpful to you. All instrument drivers required an initialize VIs first, followed by any programming, and a close vi at the end. Note that is the structure of the Getting Started VI that is included with every driver. It does not sound like you are always calling the Initialize VI first.

It looks like the NI-Spy Tutorial is under periodic review. 

Getting NI-Spy captures of both your program and the WaveStar program will enable you to seen the differences bet
ween the communications.
Regards,
Ray K

Note: If you want to print NI-Spy capture, export it to a spreadsheet file and use the following example program to reparse it into a spreadsheet format first.

[iainhp]

The first thing my vi does is call initialize for each scope. I then use that handle for all communication with the scope, until I'm done. Then I run the close vi. Are you saying that after I call a vi to change a scope parameter I must call the close vi, then call initialize again for the next communication with the scope? Or can the handle be left "open" for the duration of the vi?

Did get NI spy running (not that hard to figure out once I started playing with it) but haven't had time to work on this further.