Communication between instruments and Labview using GPIB/USB interface

[lord051]

I'm doing a project, goal of project is to enable communication between digital oscilloscope and Labview program, using
GPIB/USB interface. My first mission was to configure function generator Agilent 33220a, and my second mission was to configure digital oscilloscope HP54645D.

This is how i configure function generator Agilent 33220a:

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/9004/gennn.jpg

This is how i configure digital oscilloscope HP54645D:

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/6021/scop.jpg

i connected my instruments with computer, using GPIB/USB cable, everything works perfect, i can control instruments using Labview. Now, i have to show send and received GPIB commands on front panel of my virtual instrument, and also i have to write few orders which are sent throw communication interface for both instruments. I don't know how to do that, can you help me about it, any ideas how to do that???

Sorry for my bad English.

Best regards...

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

LabVIEW 101

[Dennis_Knutson]

Don't link images on some odd third party site. Attach them here.

What do you mean by ' write few orders'? And do you need to show the actual SCPI commands and responses?

[lord051]

I attached photos on this forum.

"What do you mean by ' write few orders'? " -, i think that is important for my report, i assume that i will just copy few command for different orders.

"And do you need to show the actual SCPI commands and responses?" - , i am not sure a know what this represents 🙂 , i just know that i have to show send and received GPIB commands on front panel of my virtual instrument, and i don't have u clue how to do it.

[smercurio_fc]

What is the point of showing the actual GPIB commands and responses on the front panel? Are you testing the drivers? Are you testing the instrument? Are you doing this for fun? NI Spy will show you all of the commands that are sent and all of the responses received.

[lord051]

Exactly, NI Spay does it. I did it using NI Spy, and show it to professor, but he told me that that is not good way... Yes, it look like that is for fun, there is no special reason for it, i am not testing any drivers, i am not testing any instruments...

[Dennis_Knutson]

Well, you can programatically start NI-Spy/I/O Trace and read the file in your program. Otherwise, you would have to modify each and every subVI to capture the strings passed to each VISA Write and the strings returned by each VISA Read. You could write these strings to a global variable. You would just need to make sure to append the new data to the old.

This professor of yours is mistaken if he thinks NI-Spy is not a good way. It is really the best tool to capture all of the data.

[lord051]

Yes, i can see that he is mistaking... i asked him for help,but he doesnt know the answer... but he wants me to put some block od front panel where Labview will list comands which are used for communication between instruments and Labview. I also need to explain few lines of that code...

and also if you can help me with this:

Can you tell me GPIB command for reading waveform from dig. scope?

[Dennis_Knutson]

You can read the manual for the scope to get all of the commands. The commands are also on the block diagrams of the VIs in the driver.

[lord051]

OK, thank you.

Analize GPIB communication. I found instrument manual, here is link(file is too large for upload):

http://f6fzk.free.fr/DOCUMENTATION/DOC%20HP/CD6/54645a_d_prg.pdf

 Can you please look it and tell me on which page are GPIB command???

I need to write and explain command which do next:

1. initialize using dig. scope and function generator

2. reading waveform

3. setting up output parameters of function generator.

Also, i need to show and describe block which is used for receiving GPIB command which we send by bus. Which blok is that?

Were can i found code of virtual instrument which is in charge for communication with instruments? I have to write and describe part of that code.

Many questions, i am sorry, but i am completely nub for this... i hope i will learn it here, so next time i can help someone.

Thanks you.