I want to make a hardcopy of the screen of a Tektronix 11801A. It is possible to read out the binary file - but I do not know how to convert this in a.bmp or any grafical format. Can anybody help?

[smercurio_fc]

With a scope there's usually a separate command for saving an image of the screen in BMP or JPEG format. Are you using this command or are you using the command that retrieves the trace data? Are you using an instrument driver, or did you write your own code? What does the manual say?

[doro]

It is a TEK 11801A scope.

With this type it is not possible to read out bmp or tiff.

There is just the possibility to read aout binary, binary compacted, binaryhex and binaryhex compacted.

Actually it is only possible for me to read out binary. The other possibilites give me same strange errot.

But my proplem now converting the binary date to .bmp or anything else.

I do not have an instrument driver. Reading out the binary data works ok. with the own code and the programming manual

[Dennis_Knutson]

There is a driver for the 11800. You should use that. With either the driver or your own code, you can display the trace data on a waveform graph. Once that is displayed, you can get an image of the graph and print that.

And really, you shouldn't try to put your entire question in the message subject.

Message Edited by Dennis Knutson on 05-15-2007 08:20 AM

[doro]

Hi Dennis

thank you for the comment.

Well I can read out the waveform data. But in that special case - I want to print out eye diagrams- I really have to have the screenshot.

The trace data itself is not sufficient.

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

How is the waveform data different than eye diagram?

Read out what binary file? If this binary file has the data you need then you need to write a VI to convert
the binary values to values usable by LabVIEW.

I am working now with an old Tek curver tracer which sends out the waveform in binary format.
The NI instrument driver had an example for converting it to usable format.

My suggestion is that you read the manual thoroughly and see if there is a command that you are overlooking.

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

I didn't realize that the 11801A is a cousin of the CSA 803 Awhich I had used before.

I don't recall exactly what I did, but I suggest reading the programmers manual carefully and try out a few of the commands.

And definitely try out the instrument driver linked above.

You're going to have to do a little experimenting and engineering.

[doro]

An eye diagram is not only one trace, it is the accumulation of many traces. They are not stored in the scopes memory.

Therefore you heve to have a hardcopy of the screen.

My problem is how to converst this -so called bin Data of the screen dump into any graphical format.

And I work now with labview6.1. I could not find a usable example to convert this data.

Could you please tell me where you found this example?

thanks

[Dennis_Knutson]

And, I just looked at the manual. The command to dump a bitmap of the screen has an option to do this in tiff format.

[doro]

Well - in my manual I can see that as well, but the manual is good for the CSA 803 as well. And this one has the optin for tiff format.

Unfortunately the 11803A does not have this format. (But the manual does not tell you that 😞