comunicate with instrument using MAX 2.0

[Peteris]

We have got an SR400 photon counter, but it does not respond properly to comands without beeing restarted. it does not respond to the *IDN?and ID comands, but it should not be the reason of problem. Perhaps it hangs up because of some comands that are used to startthe comunication via NI 488.2, but the counter is older and I think it's usnig the IEEE 488.1 version.

What must be dane to make it respond to comands without being restarted?

Best regards Peteris.

[Ebele_Obijiofor]

Hi Peteris,

I am not sure I understand exactly what you mean when you say you have to restart the instrument to get it to respond. Could you please be a little more specific. What commands are you sending to the instrument? I am not familiar with that instrument, but more information might give some insight as to what is going on.

Thanks.

[Peteris]

1) I am not sure I understand exactly what you mean when you say you have to restart the instrument to get it to respond

It means I have to turn it off and then on again. And after that it responds well. To all comands.

2)What commands are you sending to the instrument?

At first I did the standart "comunicate with instrument" procedure: right click on the instrument in explorer menu, and chosed the "comunicate with instrument". It sends some comands (ibdev 0 23 0 13 1 0) to the instrumant, I tried this myself with the "interactive control" and got a nice response. But the default "comunicate with instrument" comand recieves an error after trying to identify the instrument with *IDN? . And after ibclr gets EBOS error mesage. In interactive control i did on my own it this way:

ibdev 0 23 0 10 1 0  

ibwrt "cm0"

and I got all I want - the machine understod the comand cm0 (specific comand for SRS400 photon counter) and everything else.

The problems begin after the standart ibdev procedure, when it is done through "comunicate with instrument". The MAX is sending something that SRS400 does not like at all. It shows that it has recieved something, but hangs up, I think after the first ibwrt comand the Max is sending, and I could not find what is it.

Perhaps the problem is with eos or syntax. The SRS400 uses (uderstands) ASCII code (comands must be in this code) and must have an carriage return or line feed character or bouth.

3)I am not familiar with that instrument, but more information might give some insight as to what is going on.

The SRS 400 is a photon counter, provided by Stanford research systems. The instrument is made in 1987. Quite old, but good enough to operate with. It has two character comand system, for example: cm j, where  cm is comand, and j - a variable.

I think it does not like the identification procedure done by max, because the standard ibdev inicialization procedure goes well.

Peteris. 

[Peteris]

And after ibclr gets EBOS error mesage.

Not EBOS but EBUS.

The ibclr comand does not do any harm in interactive control. Th ibclr makes the SR400 recall the default settings, but does not stop respons of other comands, and ni spy does not show any error mesages. The SR400 does not like the standard "comunicate with instrument" procedure end i think the things that are sent with *IDN? comand.

It would be nice if you told me how to change the settings of max that by "comunicate with instrument"  it would do only ibdev 0 23 0 13 1 0, and nothing else, and wait for further comands. With no *IDN? being sent to the instrument.

Peteris

[ScottieB]

MAX cannot be changed to send something other than *IDN?.  If this command locks up your instrument, you should not click the "scan for instruments" button.  It's not required that instruments be recognized in MAX for any other GPIB functionality.  If you need to send other commands to your instrument, you should use interactive control or write a program in LabVIEW or another development environment to suit your needs.

Hope this helps.

Scott B.
GPIB Software
National Instruments

[Peteris]

Thank You for helping me.

I got that idea myself as well, but I hoped that there is a way to change those properties in MAX.

Peteris