Question about labview control of oriel monochromator 74125 USB read

[azanutta]

dear dahollings,

first of all thank you for your files.

I am writing because I have problems running the VI for setting the wavelengths.

while the other two programs will return a green button when connected to the cornersone 130 usb, the set-wavelength returns an error as displayed in the attached screenshot.

do you know what can cause the issue? (I think I have selected the cornerstone.dll correctly too)

[dahollings]

Hi Azanutta,

Are you trying to run the set-wavelength file by itself? That .vi is meant to be a sub-vi that is inserted into another program. For it to work you must have already connected to the monochromator using the mono-init vi. That is essentially what is happening the test-structure example program.

I think that is probably what is causing the error but I am not 100% sure. 

-Dave

[Jasampaio]

Hi there!

I tested monochromator 74125 by using Mono Utility 5.0.4 provided by Newport. I have no problem to run it from 200 nm to 800 nm by using steps of 1 nm and delay time was fixed as 0.

I want to do the same to set up a luminescence experiment. I have write a vi to set up the wavelength interval I want. I have used the set step method from cornerstone.dll class.

Basically the sequence is:

1) To connect monochromator (OK)

2) Get Wavelength (OK)

3) Set step (OK) – I have tried 1, 5, 10 nm and it worked just fine.

4) by using add math funcion (previous WL + step) – the  result value controls the new wavelength (OK)

5) When I press run button it works fine, and when I press continuos button it works for a while and after sometime the monochromator stuck. I could go only 100 nm, 120 nm, 200 nm further initial WL

6) I have tried to add a wait sequence but it is not working (100 ms, 500 ms and 1 s). No success.

I have tried to use Labview 2013 and 2015. It is running on windows 7 32bits.

I am new to labview so does anyone has had the same problem or can  hint to fix this.

I am attaching the vi's I am using.

[dahollings]

Hi Jasampaio,

We have actually run into similar problems with the monochromator getting stuck. In our case adding waits at different points in the sequence seems to solve the problem most of the time. We do still have issues occassionally but much less often than we had before.

I imagine that there is a buffer in the monochromator that can get overloaded if commands are received too quickly, but that is just a guess. You can try adding more waits, or adding waits in different locations to see if that helps.

Also, are you simply adding the "wait" function to the frame or are you wiring in an actual "time delay"? In this case the time delay may improve things.

[Jasampaio]

Hi dahollings!

Thanks for your hint!   Actually,  I have added a couple of waits in between sequences and it worked just fine. I have used a cornerstone.dll function, setWaitTime, with 40 ms. I scanned from 200 to 1000 nm wavelength without problem (steps of 1 nm). The scanning time was similar to Newport Mono Utility program.

However,  when the monochromator achieved 1000 nm labview got stuck! I have set up the wavelength to 1000 nm and start over the scanning, sometimes it  got stuck in 1005 nm and sometimes 1010. In Mono Utility it works without problem.

Have you ever had any issue like this? I have tried to change numeric properties , digits, precision type and I was unsucessfull. Attached is the new sequence I have used.

Regards!

Juraci Sampaio

[dahollings]

I'm sorry, I don't think I can be of much help there. I have not run into any problems like that. If you can run a long scan at low wavelengeths, but cannot even run a short scan at higher wavelength (>1000) it sounds like that is the source of the problem. I can't imagine why that would be an issue though...

[orlandonstc]

Hello, I am facing problem to connect cornerstone 130 USB with labview, I wouldn't able to see the instrument via Ni-Max, would you please help me how to solve this,  would you please send me the vi files for labview 2012.  actually  I am trying to connect monocromator and lock in amplifier SR830 together for quantum efficiency measurement, if anyone has labview programming , please help me . regards 

[renee42]

Hello,

I'm trying to control with Labview a Cornerstone 130 Monochromator.

I'm using this tutorial :http://www.ni.com/tutorial/4478/fr/

So I generated a driver with NI drivers and then I'm trying to communicate with the monochromator with visa write and visa read.

I'm able to send commands to the mono through VISA write : for example when I send "FILTER 1" or "SHUTTER C" I hear the filter wheel or the shutter moving.

But when I try to read something from the mono through VISA Read : VISA read makes an error : "timeout expired before operation completed".

Does someone have an idea how to correct this problem ?

Thanks!

[VMancir]

You can verify the timeout of the port or the pipe you're using for the communication.

[tonis77]

Hey, 
I'am running into the same problem as you did. 
were you able to solve it ?