Measurement using 34401A

[Dravi99]

Hello,

I want to measure voltage and current using 34401A DMM. I have the instrumentation drivers for the same installed. I am using GPIB to communicate to the instrument. How do I get these measurements? Is there any example that I can look  through and use it to measure ? also is it possible to build a vi that can take multiple measurements in incremental steps.

I am trying to take efficiency measurements. Any help on this will be helpful. Thanks in advance.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Assuming you have LabVIEW 8.x, the 34401 project style driver comes with LabVIEW and there are several examples in the \instr.lib\Agilent 34401\Examples folder.

[Dravi99]

thanks dennis.

[lc2047]

Dennis/ Dravi99

I have same problem too. but the DMM is HP34401A(old one). The sample VI still not work. How come.

could you write a simple VI accessing HP34401A to me? Then let me verfiy in my side.

My address is lc2047@hotmail.com

[O_Proulx]

Hello Dravi99,

Can you verify that you have NI-VISA installed on your computer.  You can download the latest version NI-VISA 4.2. Also, as Dennis mentioned, you will need LabVIEW 8.x to use the project style driver.

Could you provide more detail about the problem?  Are you getting an error message?      

Regards,

Olivier Proulx
Applications Engineer
National Instruments
www.ni.com/support

[Dravi99]

Hello

Thank you very much for all your responses. I had posted this thread when I was very new to labview and as I looked around I could get to know how to take measurements and use message based instruments. I have LV 8.2 installed.

I appreciate all the help. This has been a wonderful place to learn and get going.

Thanks again.

Ravi

[seanp]

Olivier,

I am also having problem with using HP 34401A DMM, I am in the process of downloading and installing NI-VISA link you posted (for good measure).  When I try to run one of the examples right now I get the following error:

Error -1074003951 occurred at Agilent 34401.lvlib:Initialize.vi

Possible reason(s):

The ID Query failed.  This may mean that you selected the wrong instrument or your instrument did not respond.  You may also be using a model that is not officially supported by this driver.  If you are sure that you have selected the correct instrument and it is responding, try disabling the ID Query.


Complete call chain:
     Agilent 34401.lvlib:Initialize.vi
     Agilent 34401 Read Single Measurement.vi

I am running Labview 8.2.  Thanks for any help!!

[Dennis_Knutson]

A couple of questions for you. What type of connection do you have to the instrument? Is it GPIB or Serial. If it's GPIB and assuming you have an NI GPIB controller, what do you see in MAX when you do a scan for instruments? If it's serial, have you tried communicating with it outside of LabVIEW? for example, did you try using Hyperterminal? In either MAX or Hyperterminal, you can try the query yourself. Just send "*IDN?" (without the quotes) and see what you get back.

Also, is this the only instrument on the bus or do you have others connected?

[seanp]

I am using a GPIB with a non-NI controller.  When I use its native program to look for the DMM it is there and displays the same address as programmed into the DMM.

I have one other instrument connected but turned off right now.  It looks like I may have only had NI-VISA 4.1 and am currently finishing installing, I will post on whether it works.

[Dennis_Knutson]

It never hurts to have the latest version of NI-VISA but with a non-NI controller, you may have to do some additional work. You didn't provide the make and model of the controller you are using so you might want to search the forum for mention of it. One of the things you might have to do is enable tulip support in MAX.