creating HP 4142b driver

[Robin Torrefiel]

Hello Everyone,

I am trying to build a labview program for HP 4142B modular DC source/Monitor mainframe to VI measurements. I know basics of LabVIEW and I am pretty new with the equipment.

I would really appreciate if anyone could just help me get started. I was able to find drivers for other similar equipments but I am not sure about the steps for modifying them for my requirements.

Again, any help will be a great help.

Thank you,

Robin

[Tim_S]

I would really appreciate if anyone could just help me get started. I was able to find drivers for other similar equipments but I am not sure about the steps for modifying them for my requirements.

Have you checked the instrumentation network on NI's website? You may find the solution already programmed there.

You're asking a pretty broad question. Is this GPIB? RS232 Serial? RS485 Serial? Ethernet? My experience is that Algient/HP uses SCPI commands; the instruction set is listed in their manuals.

I'd start with a simple command like *IDN? (assuming SCPI commands) which returns the devices identifying information. Everything else pretty well falls into place if you can get this command working as it requires you to format a command, send it, receive a response an decode the response.

Tim

[Mark Smith]

Have you checked the instrumentation network on NI's website? You may find the solution already programmed there.

You're asking a pretty broad question. Is this GPIB? RS232 Serial? RS485 Serial? Ethernet? My experience is that Algient/HP uses SCPI commands; the instruction set is listed in their manuals.

I'd start with a simple command like *IDN? (assuming SCPI commands) which returns the devices identifying information. Everything else pretty well falls into place if you can get this command working as it requires you to format a command, send it, receive a response an decode the response.

Tim

Looks like this instrument predates SCPI and is no longer supported by Agilent (and all the documentation referencesHP-IB - not exactly a modern instrument) - here's a link to the manual

http://www.home.agilent.com/upload/cmc_upload/All/04142-90010.pdf

Look at the command sequences in the HP Basic examples and try to figure out how they might work in LabVIEW - good luck, this looks painful.

Mark

P.S - is this just coincidence or a duplicate post?

http://forums.ni.com/t5/Signal-Generators/driver-hp-4142b/td-p/115360

Mark

[Tim_S]

Looks like this instrument predates SCPI and is no longer supported by Agilent (and all the documentation referencesHP-IB - not exactly a modern instrument) - here's a link to the manual

Actually, that's how you implement GPIB (HP-IB) using HP-BASIC. The messages are SCPI. the 'OUTPUT 717;"*RST"' sends a reset (*RST) to node 17 on output port 7, if I'm remembering that right.

Tim

[Mark Smith]

Actually, that's how you implement GPIB (HP-IB) using HP-BASIC. The messages are SCPI. the 'OUTPUT 717;"*RST"' sends a reset (*RST) to node 17 on output port 7, if I'm remembering that right.

Tim

By my comment that this predates SCPI, from a brief glance at the manual it looked to me that the text commands didn't necessarily follow the SCPI standard (which may well have not existed when this instrument was built) but I could be wrong - actually, I'm probably wrong since I only spent 45 seconds or so looking . I agree that's exactly how you would send a reset command (which happens to be SCPI) with HP Basic.

Mark

[Robin Torrefiel]

Hi Tim,

sorry for not providing all the details.

I have actually searched NI website including forums but they dont have the drivers for 4142b. And the instrument is with GPIB - USB controller.

I will try to work on your suggestion.

Thanks

Robin

Have you checked the instrumentation network on NI's website? You may find the solution already programmed there.

You're asking a pretty broad question. Is this GPIB? RS232 Serial? RS485 Serial? Ethernet? My experience is that Algient/HP uses SCPI commands; the instruction set is listed in their manuals.

I'd start with a simple command like *IDN? (assuming SCPI commands) which returns the devices identifying information. Everything else pretty well falls into place if you can get this command working as it requires you to format a command, send it, receive a response an decode the response.

Tim

Hello Mark,

Thanks for your suggestion, I have read the commands and I will try to learn how to use them in LabVIEW.

And I saw that post too. I guess I am not the only one.

Thanks,

Robin

Looks like this instrument predates SCPI and is no longer supported by Agilent (and all the documentation referencesHP-IB - not exactly a modern instrument) - here's a link to the manual

http://www.home.agil...04142-90010.pdf

Look at the command sequences in the HP Basic examples and try to figure out how they might work in LabVIEW - good luck, this looks painful.

Mark

P.S - is this just coincidence or a duplicate post?

http://forums.ni.com...42b/td-p/115360

Mark