delaying with GPIB interface

[marleen]

Hello,

I am using Laview GPIB read function to send trig orders to a waveform generator (Agilent 33250A) used in burst mode (External Trig by GPIB BUS is available with this generator).
I'd like to set the time delay between two trig orders to a precise value, ranging from a few hundreds microseconds to a few seconds.
Unfortunately, by using "GPIB wait" functions or Labview wait functions, I don't observe the right time delay between two burst emitted by my generator. Sometimes it is too long, sometimes, too short!!  Do I need to use Labview RT?
Please give me a hand if you have already encountered this problem or if you have any clue...

Thanks in advance!

[Dennis_Knutson]

Precise waits in software are just not possible when running under windows. If you have access to some piece of hardware (i.e. pulse gnerator or a coutner timer board) then you could use that as a trigger source with a high degree of precision.

[ElRambo]

Hi,

Like said Dennis, you cannot have precision timing functions under Windows and even with GPIB functions which are not deterministic at all. I advise you to use hardware timing with triggers which would be more accurate.

Regards,

[marleen]

Thank you very much for these answers. As a solution to my problem, I think that I will further exploit the "arbitrary functions" possibilities offered by my generator.