Using a serial port in a Labview VI

[melgratra]

I have a VI that I am running on a Windows NT machine using Labview 4.1.  The current inputs are run through a NI-DAQ device (NI 4350 for ISA).  However, I have a new instrument that is connected to my computer using a serial port, RS232.  Is there any way for me to read the data from this instrument from the serial COM port in my VI, or do I need a special interface and software?

[Dennis_Knutson]

You don't need anything special. You have serial functions already. Look on you instrument I/O palette for a subpalette called serial. There are functions for configuring the port and reading and writing data. There is also a shipping example if I remember correctly. One thing to keep in mind is that with these old serial functions, when you want to use a port, the port number you specify is one less than the windows port number. If you want to use windows Com 1, then you use port 0 in LabVIEW.