Controlling Harvard Apparatus 11 Elite Syringe Pump with Labview

[apragya@ncsu.edu]

Spoiler

Hey,

Thanks for the prompt reply! I will try to explain my situation the best I can. I have two problems: 1) regarding the syringe compatibility, and 2) issues with writing code.

My end goal is to control two syringe pumps simultaneously. I want them to have a stepped flow profile in increasing and decreasing rates respectively so that the total throughput remains the same but the relative flow ratios vary over time (say, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3). And I need to accommodate this variation in 0.2-0.3ml of fluid. Hence, the LV-control becomes crucial for me.

Since I am just starting out, I want to focus on controlling one pump right now. But I have a few issues before I can proceed:

1. The first pump is an early (now obsolete) model of Genie Touch GT 207395 (RS232 connection) with just three buttons - rate, volume, and diameter (image below). Based on these web pages [1, 2], I think mine is a non-programmable pump that cannot be controlled by LV at all. But for some reason, I can start the pump with my LV program (attached below). However, to stop it, I have to manually press the stop button on the syringe.

2.  The second Genie pump (also an obsolete model) is programmable based on this user manual. Unlike #1, I was able to find the installation driver for this one. But I can't get the pump to interact with LV at all using the program used in #1. It has a USB-A to USB cable connection.

I have seen some introductory videos on LabView. I understand it a bit now but to get what I want, I will need advanced knowledge of LV programming and I'm on a tight deadline. I am afraid that I will not be able to pull this through! Def not trying to look for shortcuts here, but any tips to ease the process are appreciated. I am able to add numeric controls to my program but having trouble connecting it with the COM port to make a plausible flow of data. Also, I am a bit clueless about how to tell my pump to increase its velocity x% after y amount of time (so that I can have a stepped velocity profile). 

[FabrizioDonnarumma]

I have only LV2016 on this machine at the moment, therefore I cannot open your VI. 

Perhaps you can post a snippet of your code?

If you can connect to the pump, and start the flow, then the issue should be something as simple as having the right command sent to the pump. 

I believe the Genie should share the same serial commands as the Harvard Apparatus 11 (old style)

Here the manual. Appendix D describes the Serial Communication

https://www.harvardapparatus.com/media/harvard/pdf/702208_Pump_11_Plus_Manual.pdf

[apragya@ncsu.edu]

Thank you for this. Let me have a look at the manual and see how to proceed.