first timelabview user wants to control lab instruements throught gpib??

[anroop]

hey,

I am an undergraduate student in my junior year. I am working in a research group at columbia universtiy for about 4 months.What theve asked me to do is that they have alot of lab instruments that they use..They want me to control them using gpib so that they can use them from labview and automate the testing process they use to test a silicon plasma waveguide they make..i have never used labview before and frankly quite lost..i need help and fast..if someone could point where i should start learning labview for the requirements i have it would be nice.. i downloaded the drivers for the machine but couldnt get them to run they are 3rd party drivers...how would i  install them as well...help is greatly appreciated. i am uploading the drivers for one of the machines i working on..

[NIquist]

Here's a good starting point for LV:  http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/12302

Once you come to terms with the basics, try to talk to your simplest GPIB device and get it to answer a simple IDN (Returns instruments name) command.  Start with the shipping examples (Help > Find Examples...  Hardware IO > GPIB.

The rest depends on how complicated the testing process is that you wish to automate.

[LV_Pro]

In fact I would go one step before the talking to the instrument through LabVIEW and that would be trying to talk to it through National Instruments' Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) which you will have to install to have access to the LabVIEW hardware drivers to talk to the GPIB adapter. If you can talk to an instrument through MAX then you will have confirmed correct cabling, addressing, etc., which is nice to know before trying to make software you have written work.

[billko]

Once you get the hardware set up, you'll find it ridiculously easy to communicate with your instruemnts.  🙂