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HP4142B control

I am new to LabVIEW, and I am trying to control an HP4142B with LabVIEW 7.0. I have extablished communication with the 4142 and can control it with the Instrument I/O Assistant, but I need the flexibility to have the user input paramaters such as channel #, voltage, current, limits, etc. When I did this in VEE, each time I created a variable in the control block for the 4142, it automatically created an input pin for that variable. I think when I figure out how to do this in LabVIEW, I'll be able to add knobs or whatever I want to control the variables. I plan to create a front panel that looks like the 4142 except has controls, but if someone has already done this (or something close) I'd love to see it. Thanks.
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I/O Assistant is easy, but this is not what you want to use in this case. What you want to do in Labview will be somewhat similar to what you do in VEE. Instead of using I/O Assistant, use the basic GPIB functions. Create your controls on the front panel. You can wire these controls as inputs to the GPIB functions. Example: create a Numeric control called voltage. On the block diagram, create a string with the GPIB command except leave out the voltage setting. Use the Number To String function to convert the control value into a string. Concat the GPIB command with the voltage control string. Use this as input to the GPIB write function. If you are familiar with VISA, you do not have to look up the GPIB command string. You can use the VISA instrumen
t drivers and wire the front panel voltage control directly to the VISA function for setting up the instrument. I am sure there are some examples for the 4142 on the NI website. Good Luck.
- tbob

Inventor of the WORM Global
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For details on how to create a LabVIEW instrument driver, go here. And welcome to LabVIEW.

Message Edited by SarahM on 05-18-2007 10:16 AM

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Thanks, bob, but I'm sure I'll be back later for more help.:-)
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The comments from the others are excellent, and worth pursuing. I also checked Agilent's web site. In this article, they made it sound like the 4142B is very similar to the 4155/4156 series.

NI has a driver for the 4155/4156 series here.

You might want to try using that driver as a starting point; it might be easier than starting from scratch.

I hope this helps. Post back here to let us know if this worked for you. (And if you create your own driver, con
sider submitting it back to ni.com/idnet.)

Brian
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hello All,

I'm also trying to find a driver for the HP 4142B. I realise this thread is kind of old. Has anyone come up with a driver in the meantime ? I'd be most appreciative.

thanks

jamie
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Jamie, I have a driver but it's proprietary. You have several options, however. There is a company called Metrics that makes control software http://www.metricstech.com/icv/moreicv.shtml  and according to the Agilent web site the E5270A is code compatible with the 4142 so you should be able to use something from here: http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/facet.jspx?c=152879.i.2&to=80045.k.1&cc=US&lc=eng&sm=g Hope this helps. kph
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Hi Kphite,

Your driver is proprietary. Can I purchase the driver from you ?

My biggest issue with the HP4142 seems to be the termination required by the instrument. I had it working a while back but I forget  the termnination I used to get it going. Could you by any chance just show me the string you send to the GPIB VI ??

thanks,

jamie
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hi tbob,

 

  I am trying to communicate the hp4142b with labview using gpib USB controller. Before this i communicated fluke metre by changing to keeping it to remote mode. But, for hp4142 i am not finding the instructions in the manual for changing to remote mode. Please help me, how to keep hp4142b in remote mode.

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I have developed application to control 4142B USING LAB VIEW 2010. I have used a GP -IB to USB CONNECTOR TO CONNECT 4142B WITH A WIN XP SYSTEM. It is working fine.I am able to do automated FET IV ,CV WITH 4284A AND EVEN CONTROLLING A SEMIAUTOMATIC PROBER WITH LABVIEW. All these in a single application.

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