TDS2012, TDS2CM with LabVIEW

[POWER-Morzh]

Hello everybody.

I have Tektronix oscilloscope TDS2012, TDS2CM module, RS232 cable and NI GPIB-USB-HS controller (cable). The problem is that I can’t make it work with LabVIEW.

First of all I want to apologies for my English (it’s not my native language).

Secondly I spent almost whole week to find the answer on my question, but I found nothing what could help me. It my first device of such type and it does not want to work. That’s why when I was using some programs like HyperTerminal to check communication I didn’t really know which answer I should receive.

What I have:

1)      TDS2012(firmware FV. 2.06) long time(half a year) was not in use but it works;

2)      TDS2CM(firmware FV. 1.04) module is second hand(not new, I don’t know it condition), was bought one week ago to make TDS2012 communicate with Computer;

3)      NI GPIB-USB-HS is new;

4)      RS232 old but working(I took it from other connection because with GPIB my Oscilloscope didn’t work);

5)      Windows 7 with LabVIEW 2011 installed.  LabVIEW 2009, 2010.

What I have done:

1)      I’ve connected Module to Oscilloscope. Oscilloscope shows all information (firmware) about both. And I can enter setups for RS232 and GPIB.

2)      I’ve installed NI LabVIEW 2011 SP1, MAX 5.01, NI-488.2 3.0.2, NI-VISA 5.1.1, NI Instrument I/O Assistant.

3)      I connected GPIB-USB-HS cable (PC installed it). In Oscilloscope GPIB options I chose Address: 1 and Bus Connection: Talk-Listen. I can see GPIB in MAX, but when I chose it and push the button “check for instruments” it’s telling me that “instrument not found”.

4)      I used VISA to send ID?\n and *IDN?\n commands. I can see that GPIB is sending a signal by blinking LED, but I have no answer from Oscilloscope.

5)      In HyperTerminal and in LabVIEW instrumental driver I can’t choose GPIB-USB, only COM1.

6)      I found RS232 in laboratory and tried communication with it but I have the same problem. When I’m trying to sent *IDN?\n command it show Hex 0xBFFF0015(Timeout) on the reading.

Setup of RS232 on Oscilloscope:

-          Baud rate: 9600

-          Data flow control: hardflagging

-          Parity: None

On PC:

-          Baud rate: 9600

-          Data bits: 8

-          Parity: None

-          Stop bits: 1

-          Flow control: hardware

7)      I tried HyperTerminal: I printed *IDN? command and then pushed Return but I did not see an answer. Then I tried PowerShell, but when I’m doing command $port.ReadLine() it freezes and I can only close the PowerShell.

😎      Then I tried to check COM port of oscilloscope with using of PROBE and shorting pin 7 and pin 8. When I push print button I see a message in Oscilloscope that printer is not connected and I see no impulses on screen.

What can I do next? I will be grateful for links. What can be the problem? Thank you all in advance.

[Dennis_Knutson · Accepted solution]

If you want to get GPIB communication working, forget about the RS-232 communication. It just complicates things.

Unless you can get MAX to recognize the instrument, nothing you try with LabVIEW or VISA is going to work so concentrate on that. Double check the settings on the scope and make sure GPIB is selected and that you are not using an address already in use (i.e. the address of the USB-GPIB). Try changing the address. Are you connecting the USB-GPIB directly to the scope or are you using another GPIB cable? Do you have another GPIB instrument you can test the USB-GPIB controller with?

[POWER-Morzh]

Good day. Thank You Dennis for quick response. As You told me I left rs232 and start to work with GPIB. I checked it with another Scope and PC and it works! I found Tektronix NI. I deleted NI-VISA and installed Tektronix NI, and it works, but it is interesting that Computer sees the Scope only under address 24 when in Scope it is 1. I installed the same software on another PC and it works fine even with address 0. Should I delete this topic?

[Dennis_Knutson]

There is no such thing as Tektonix-NI. Do you mean Tek VISA?

I also don't understand your comments about the addresses. The controller should be address 0 and the scope something else like 25.

[POWER-Morzh]

Yes You are right. Tek VISA. About address - in GPIB setups of scope it was 1 and in the Computer(MAX) it was 24. When I changed address on PC(MAX) it did not want to work. Then I installed everything on the another PC and it worked with all addresses in MAX without changing of address in GPIB setup of Scope(it was always 1). What do You mean about controller address? Are controller address and the address in MAX the same thing?

[Dennis_Knutson]

What is listed in MAX is the addres..s of the GPIB controller and the address of the instrument. The only thing you can change in MAX is the address of the controller and that is something you should not do. Sounds like you made the address of the controller to be the same as the instrument and that is the reason it did not work.

[POWER-Morzh]

I thought that address in MAX (address of controller) must be the same as address of the instrument.

[Dennis_Knutson]

No, not at all. That would make it pretty hard to communicate to multiple instruments, wouldn't it? Each device must have a different address.