GPIB-USB-B VISA I/O Library version

I need a GPIB interface that VISA I/O Library version 1.1 compliant to connect to an Agilet 8722ES network analyzer. Is the GPIB-USB-B VISA I/O Library version 1.1 compliant?
Thanks,
Brian Keats

Hi Brian,
The GPIB-USB-B device is simply a hardware device that responds to the driver you have installed for the device. The NI-488.2 drivers which control the device have complete NI-VISA functionality, and there is even an instrument driver on our website available for this device which uses GPIB and VISA. You can click here to go to the download page. The GPIB-USB-B should work great for this application.
John M
Applications Engineer

Similar Messages

Old visa open, error code 1073807343, using VISA with a GPIB device, and VISA resource names

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to get a SRS model SR720 LCR meter (manual on this page) working with LabView, connecting it to my PC with an Agilent 82357A GPIB/USB interface (manual on this page). I'm running MAX version 14.0, and NI-VISA version 14.0. I'm running LabView version 13.0f2, 32 bit.
I followed the directions on this page, and I'm pretty confident I can communicate with my LCR meter, because I can go to NI MAX->GPIB0::17::INSTR under "devices and interfaces", then go to the VISA test panel, go to the I/O tab, and I can enter a few commands from the SR720 manual, like changing the frequency, and I see the light on the LCR meter change to what I just told it to do. Here is a picture, just to illustrate it:
Also, if I do the *IDN? command, it returns "
9: Write Operation (*IDN?)
Return Count: 5 bytes
10: Read Operation
Return Count: 41 bytes
StanfordResearchSystems,SR720,08087,1.03\n
So, that's good too. I also made the alias of this device "MyLCRmeter", but that shouldn't matter for now.
Now I'm trying to get it to work in a more usable way. The SR7xx drivers that LabView found for me came with a couple sample programs, one called "Getting Started.vi". I tried to just simply see if it worked, changing the "instrument descriptor" field to "GPIB0::17::INSTR", since that's the one that seemed to be the right device in MAX. Here is a picture of the front panel of "Getting Started.vi":
Trying to run it like this gave me this error (code -1073807343):
Old VISA Open in SR715/720 Initialize.vi->SR715/720 Getting Started.vi
Doing a bit of searching on these forums, I found these few threads (1 2 3), which seem to tell me that, since this program was written, the way you open VISA has changed. In the 2nd of those links, one guy said:
You just have to replace the Old VISA Open function with the VISA Open that is on the Instrument I/O>VISA>VISA Advanced palette. When you do that, the wire to the string that was used for the resource name will be broken. Delete the string and make the actual VISA Resource Name visible on the front panel. Wire the VISA Resource Name control to the connector pane where the string control was (upper left connection).
So, I went into the sub-VI Initialize.vi, and did that. Here is a picture of what the front panel and block diagram of the sub-VI Initialize2.vi (I changed the name in case I screwed things up, but I'm pretty sure the new one is the one being called by Getting Started.vi) looked like before I changed anything (you can see the Old VISA Open):
and here it is after replacing that with the regular VISA Open, deleting the instrument descriptor string and replacing it with a VISA resource, and connecting that to the VISA Open:
However, as you can see in the image above, and it seems like someone else had this problem in the 2nd thread linked above, I don't see my device listed in the drop-down menu (even if I refresh), only "LPT1" (I don't even know what that is):
No, I wasnt able to select the visa resource from the pull down menu. somehow it seems disabled or something.
If I just enter the VISA resource name from MAX manually, GPIB0::17::INSTR, and save and try running that, I get the error(code -1073807346):
VISA Open in SR715/720 Initialize2.vi->SR715/720 Getting Started.vi
So I'm not sure where to go from there, or why it's not in the drop down menu to begin with. I'm sorry if I've missed something but I've searched about as far as I can go. If I had to guess, maybe one thing could be that in MAX, under Tools->NI-VISA->VISA Options->My System->Conflict manager, I have both Agilent VISA and NI VISA enabled; I know sometimes problems arise from conflicts between different software fighting over the same hardware. Is this okay, or do I need to change it?
Thank you and please let me know if there is any other code/screenshots I could provide that could help!

Hi, I did indeed enable NiVisaTulip.dll under MAX->Tools->NI-VISA->VISA Options->My system->Passports->List of passports. Sorry, I should have mentioned that explicitly.
By install as primary, do you just mean as it is here, where it is selected as the "Preferred VISA"?
Or somewhere else? I installed NI-VISA first I believe, and then the Agilent one, and during the installation of the Agilent one, I'm pretty sure I made it not the primary. Here's what I have in the Agilent (it's called Keysight now) Connection Expert software:
I also have this under the "Keysight 488 options" tab:
Should that be checked? I don't actually know the role of VISA vs 488 here...
What could I try?
Thank you!

Use GPIB-USB-HS in place of HP Comm Card (82335)?

Recently had one of my engineers use an old computer, and found it is having hard drive issues. I got the old PC back up and running, but I think that this is a good time to try and upgrade the hardware/software.
Old Computer:
Running Windows 95
Using a HP Communications Card (GPIB) model 82335A
The HP card then connects to a HP 8751A Network Analyzer
This runs software called HP Instrument Basic (iBasic), and has several tests saved
New Computer that I want to upgrade
Basic Desktop PC running Windows 7 32 bit
I have a NI - GPIB-USB-HS cord, from a different testing machine, that I want to use to connect to the same analyzer
With the new computer and the NI cord, I can run the iBasic software, and the test loads, but errors when it runs.
In the code it gives the error message on the line that says "ON TIMEOUT Scode,3" then GOTO the LINE that prints the error
I have installed the drivers for the NI GPIB cord, and even tried installing/testing the Agilent library Suite.
I'm looking for any ideas that someone may have to point me in the right direction, since I am currently stuck.
Thanks

You really need to be talking to agilent about a GPIB controller (please don't call it a chord) to find one of their devices that is compatible with your old software. Agilent and NI GPIB functions are not compatible at the low level.You would be able to swap only if the code used the portable VISA functions.

Obsolete GPIB-USB-A problem again

Hi , all, sorry to bother you but I really do not know how to deal with this,
I have a obsolete GPIB-USB-A cable to connect with an instrument,
this morning I installed NI488.2 V2.2 on WinXP, it works, the instrument responds to my commands.
This afternoon I installed labview 2012, then the GPIB explorer is reporting error,
I can no more communicate with the instrument!
I think there might be some newer versions automatically included in LV2012, which might not be suitable for the obsolete GPIB-USB-A,
so I re install NI488.2 V2.2, it is still reporting error.
I checked the VISA version is 3.0.1,
What is the problem? Is that VISA version not compatible with LV2012?

Hi Julia2013,
Based on this chart: http://www.ni.com/white-paper/5326/en/, GPIB_USB_A is compatible with NI 488.2 Ver 2.2. However, based on this link: http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/2BFCEE471BECB95F862574020059117E, NI 488.2 Ver 2.2 is compatible with LabVIEW 6.1, 7.0 and 7.1. Therefore, to begin with, I believe that the NI 488.2 Ver 2.2 is not compatible with LabVIEW 2012
Based on this link: http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/CF4279A34F855AB186257B1F00003B82, you'll notice that NI VISA 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4 are the only VISA versions that are compatible with LabVIEW 2012.
Therefore in summary, GPIB-USB-A is not compatible with LabVIEW 2012. Based on the first link I have mentioned, GPIB-USB-B and GPIB-USB-HS
uses NI 488.2 Ver. 3.1.1 which is compatible with the LabVIEW 2012 and thus is compatible with the VISA ver 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4.
Hope it answers your enquiry.
Warmest regards,
Lennard.C
Learning new things everyday...

Compatibility of Agilent GPIB/USB adapter with NI

Hi,
I have an Agilent GPIB / USB adapter 82357B, and I'm experiencing some problems for detecting my instruments in the laboratory when I try to use the labview software for capturing the data from the measurement instruments.
I installed the CD with the libraries the adapter has and through this software I can detect the instruments, however once that I open the Labview software from National instruments(NI) for capturing my data, I miss comunication with the devices in both programs, the Agilent one and in the MAX of NI.
I run across a document regarding tip on using Agilent GPIB solutions in National instruments's Labview environment. I have done all the document indicates, but It is not workingt, I experience the problem I outlined above for detecting the instruments.
I hope someone can help me with that.
Regards

DCU STUDENT wrote:
Yes I am. According to documents it is possible. But I don't know want else to do, since I have done what document indicated. I as mentioned in previous message, now I can see the measurement instrument with Labview and using the Agilent cable adapter, and I can stablish communication with device since that when I select the device in the labview program, a led in the instrument is ON, indicating communication. However when I try to capture the data on screen, there is not data at all.
Hello DCU STUDENT,
It sounds like there may be some conflict between the NI VISA and Agilent drivers, which can occur between certain models; considering when you use the NI cable data can be collected when when you're using the Agilent you cannot. Please tell me what versions of both drivers you are using so I can determine whether or not there are any known incompatibilities between the two if you're still receiving the same error after following these instructions.
Can you also please go through this instrument troubleshooting guide to see if your installation matches the expected configuration of a functional device so we can confirm that your driver has been installed correctly from the previous guides.
For a IEEE488 Agilent Device Card, as you mentioned that you have the NIVISATulip.dll enabled, for this GPIB configuration to work you must ensure that the 488 Programs must be activated with NI 488.2 (At the Enable Agilent GPIB cards option) through the Agilent Connection Expert.
You've mentioned that you've been able to establish a connection with the device and see communication transfer, yet you are getting no returned communication. Do you see a similar response when you view the device through the Measurement and Automation Explorer?
If it is possible, could you test your configuration with any other Agilent devices with your current configuration and see if the error persists?
Alex Thomas, University of Manchester School of EEE LabVIEW Ambassador (CLAD)

Setting up a DS345 with GPIB-USB-HS

Quick guide to how to set up a Stanford Research Systems (SRS) DS345 synthesized function generator.
1) Ensure you're not going to shock anything (i.e. having the computer and device on two different grounds), then plug in the GPIB-USB-HS cable to device.
2) On the front panel of the DS345 set gpib to on (address default should be 19).
3) Open NI's Measurement and Automation Explorer, and ensure the device shows up.
4) Open NIvisaic.exe and send a query "*IDN?\n". You should get the device info back.
5) Using NIvisaic, write "FUNC\s1\n" this should change the function type generated to Square Wave type.
6) Use Labviews VISA library. For still unknown reasons, I could not get the normal GPIB library to control the DS345 over GPIB-USB-HS. This means the entire driver library for the DS345 didn't work for me. This means you'll have to do some more work learning the DS345's communication protocol (see http://www.thinksrs.com/downloads/PDFs/Manuals/DS345m.pdf). But I only needed to change 2 things on the DS345 so that fit my needs.

Quick guide to how to set up a Stanford Research Systems (SRS) DS345 synthesized function generator.
1) Ensure you're not going to shock anything (i.e. having the computer and device on two different grounds), then plug in the GPIB-USB-HS cable to device.
2) On the front panel of the DS345 set gpib to on (address default should be 19).
3) Open NI's Measurement and Automation Explorer, and ensure the device shows up.
4) Open NIvisaic.exe and send a query "*IDN?\n". You should get the device info back.
5) Using NIvisaic, write "FUNC\s1\n" this should change the function type generated to Square Wave type.
6) Use Labviews VISA library. For still unknown reasons, I could not get the normal GPIB library to control the DS345 over GPIB-USB-HS. This means the entire driver library for the DS345 didn't work for me. This means you'll have to do some more work learning the DS345's communication protocol (see http://www.thinksrs.com/downloads/PDFs/Manuals/DS345m.pdf). But I only needed to change 2 things on the DS345 so that fit my needs.

Does GPIB-USB-B controller not recognize device Aliases in Instrument I/O Asst express VI ?

Hi everyone,
I'm currently having problems with my device. I'm trying to communicate with the instrument simulator through the Instrument I/O express VI but the device alias I designated wasn't being recognized. After selecting the Alias from the pulldown menu and tried the "query and parse" command, there was no response. The "write" and the "read" commands also did not work. I'm suspecting that the problem is from my GPIB-USB controller card. I have the GPIB-USB-B controller. It recognizes only the instrument descriptor but not the alias. My NI 488.2 is of the 2.46 version and NI VISA is v4.2. I think everthing was configured correctly but the card might be the problem. Does anyone know how to fix this problem?. Is there some kind of driver upgrade that could help rectify it.
Thanks

Aliases have nothing to do with GPIB controllers and their software though if you cannot communicate to the instrument in MAX, then there might be problem with either one. Aliases are part of VISA. You can try upgrading to 4.5. Also search your entire pc for a file called visaconf.ini. Post back with the location and whether you found more than one instance. You can also try deleting the file and then go into MAX and do a refresh. You will have to recreate all aliases.
I am confused about something. Are you saying that if you use something like GPIB0::address::INSTR, communication works just fine but the exact same command with an alias does not work? If that's the case, there is nothing wrong with the GPIB controller. If that is not what you mean, then what does it mean when you say 'it only the instrument descriptor'? Another test of the gPIB controller is to use MAX to communicate with the instrument. Do not select VISA for communication. Just right click on it in MAX. This does not use VISA at all and if it works, then the controller and software are just fine.

Can I use a USB hub to connect to multiple USB ports from one GPIB-USB-HS?

I have one instrument which has a GPIB-USB-HS connected and the USB cable is connected to a USB hub. Can I have multiple PCs to connect using USB hub at their respective USB ports? If so, how many PCs can I connect using the USB cable?
I have downloaded the latest NI-VISA from the website.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

You would first need a hub that allows you to switch between multiple pc's and then only one pc at a time would be connected and in control.
When you buy this special type of hub, one of the specs is how many pc connections it has.

GPIB-USB libraries that need to be included with Installer

Hi,
I need to make a small application executable, and the application needs to communicate with a power supply over a GPIB-USB-B connection. MAX can communicate with the power supply on this PC, and the second PC that I have my Base LabVIEW 7.1 installed on runs the executable application successfully. When I try to run the executable on the first PC, however, the process hangs. I included an Installer in the original executable build for the first PC, and in this build all the options under LavVIEW Run-Time Engine were checked (although LabVIEW RT Support wasn't available for checking.) However, none of the other options (Remote Panel License Support, Serial Port Support, Port I/O Support, and Hardware Configuration) are checked because I didn't think that I needed any of these for the basic GPIB communication I'm performing (just VISA Open, Read, and Write). Do you have any idea which of these libraries I need to include in the Installer to make this work? Or is there some other problem I'm not thinking of?
Thanks,
Mark

What makes the situation odd is that MAX was capable of communicating with the device, but my application was not. In the interest of making it work, I stuck a spare license of Base LabVIEW onto the PC, and then the application (even the compiled, executable one) worked fine. So clearly something wasn't loaded along with the GPIB-USB-B drivers (or my application installer) that WAS loaded by the full installation of LabVIEW. But, again, the oddness of the situation stems from the fact that before loading the full LabVIEW, MAX (loaded by the GPIB-USB drivers) could communicate fine with the device. This set of circumstances doesn't make any sense to me, but maybe someone else can come up with something.
The PC is a W2K box, and I assume whatever driver information that came in the installer and the GPIB-USB drivers has been overwritten by the full LabVIEW that's since been installed on the machine. I didn't actually oversee the installation of the GPIB-USB drivers, so it's possible the engineer who did that put the card into some odd state--it's also possible he didn't reboot after the driver installation. If the resources come free I'd like to clear out the machine and start fresh and recreate the sequence of events to see if I get the same result. I wouldn't be surprised if the problem stemmed from issues in the driver installation. But I want to hear if anyone's been in a situation like this before I go and do everything over again.
Thanks for your help, and for the additional installer information,
Mark

We cannot capture GPIB traffic using GPIB-USB-HS

We are trying to monitor a GPIB bus using the GPIB-USB-HS device. The version of MAX we have is v4.5 and the version of GPIB Analyze is v2.6. I have attached some screenshots that may aid in a resolution.
The first screenshot (GPIB Analyzer Error) shows the error that comes up when we start the GPIB Analyzer tool whether we have the GPIB-USB-HS plugged into the pc or not.
The second screenshot (Unknown GPIB+Card) shows that the Analyzer tool does not recognize the GPIB-USB-HS device and has disabled all of the controls/indicators.
The third screenshot (Instrument Not Found) shows that MAX indicates that it sees the GPIB-USB-HS device but has an error message in the bottom of the screen indicating that "Instruments not Found".
We are using NI Spy (version v2.6) to capture traffic and cannot see the traffic on a GPIB bus and are not sure what to do at this point. Please advise.
Thanks,
Steven
Attachments:
GPIB_Error.xls ‏109 KB

The first error really explains it well. The only supported cards for the GPIB Analyzer are the "+" series of cards. Obviously, you do not have one of those.
If an instrument is not found, then I would recomend that you try a different instrument and a different cable.
In the future, you would also want to post to the correct board. This does not have anything to do with the program called "Measure".

GPIB-USB-HS vs PCI-GPIB

Hi,
I have LabVIEW code that is using VISA to communicate with a PCI-GPIB interface card/instruments. I replaced the PCI-GPIB card with a GPIB-USB-HS interface for ease of use.
Now the code does not work...I thought the code(VISA session) should work for both interfaces? Do I need VISA for GPIB-USB-HS too?
What is wrong?
Thanks for your help...
NY

Look in MAX (Measurement & Automation Explorer) to see if the USB-GPIB shows up in the list of devices. If it does, try to communicate with an instrument from there. If it doesn't, your drivers were not installed properly. If you can talk to instruments from MAX, you should be able to do so from Labview also.
- tbob
Inventor of the WORM Global

MAX does not see PCMCIA-GPIB or GPIB-USB-B

I am using a legacy Windows XP SP3 system with MAX 3.1 and NI-488.2 V2.1. I use either a PCMCIA-GPIB card or a GPIB-USB-B.
When logged into an administrator account there are no problems; both devices appear in MAX and in the WIndows device manager.
When logged into a user account with limited privileges, the devices appear in the WIndows device manager, but not in MAX, but the VIs and compiled EXEs I user still operate correctly. However, if I convert the user account to an admin account the devices are visible, but this is not a solution because 'Security'.
The problem lies within the compiled EXEs as their respective VIs have been lost over time and the address of the PCMCIA or USB interface are hardcoded, and are not the same in all EXEs. I would appreciate any insight you may have.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi Maelmorde,
If some features aren't working for users with reduced privileges you may need to grant them privileges to the National Instruments installation directory, the method is detailed in the KB article here.
I'd recommend trying this to see if it helps.
Regards,
Adam Brown
Applications Engineer
National Instruments UK

What kind of changes I have to do when I move from GPIB Controller to GPIB-USB Controller.

I want to know some information about GPIB-USB Controller. We are using National Instruments GPIB Controller to read and write data in a Instrument called Diagnostic Readout Box(DRB III) which will hook up with the Engine controller of the car. Now we plug-in the GPIB card in to the I/O slots of the Computer. Now, we want to use GPIB-USB Controller instead of GPIB Controller because of its portability and other features. However, we have developed some C++ applications which are available in the form of DLLs that will interact with the DRB III. Do we have to do any modifications in the coding of these applications when we move into the GPIB-USB controller?.

Once the GPIB-USB is configured, it behaves exactly like a PCI-GPIB board so you should not have to change your program. The GPIB-USB is only supported on Windows 95 and 98. If you are planning on using the GPIB-USB on 95\98 you would still use driver version 1.6 or 1.7. If you need to work on Windows Me or 2000, then you will need the GPIB-USB-A and driver version 1.0. The GPIB-USB is not supported on NT.
The USB-A driver does not allow you to use GPIB device templates. This issue is covered in Knowledge Base 266CNP00 (see link below).
http://ae.natinst.com/operations/ae/public.nsf/fca7838c4500dc10862567a100753500/862567530005f09f862569ec006c8bef?OpenDocument
Kim L.
Applications Engineering
National Instruments

Creating exe with GPIB-USB

When I create an application that uses my GPIB-USB-A interface it is not included as one of the VISA selections when the application is installed. Which files do I have to add to application installation to have my application work with GPIB-USB?

You would need to install the GPIB and VISA driver,
For GPIB, follow the steps from www.ni.com/support/install. You can download the latest visa driver from, ftp://ftp.ni.com/support/visa/drivers/

GPIB-USB-A-- NI488.2 2.0

Installing a GPIB-USB-A, installs okay and the NI 488.2 2.0 software
installs
okay. The NI488.2
"Add GPIB Hardware" and
"Getting Started Wizard" both find and detect the GPIB-USB-A hardware and
it
passes the tests.
But MAX does not find it or recognize it in the "Devices and Interfaces:
Section of MAX.
Refresh does not find it either.
OS: Windows XP Professinal
This is on a new DELL 8250 computer with 2 USB ports on back and two on
front.
I have it plugged into one of the front USB ports. Could that be a problem?
NI Software : LabVIEW version 6.1
NI Hardware : GPIB/IEEE 488 device GPIB-USB-A
Driver Version : NI 488.2 2.0
OS :Windows XP
CPU :2.4 GHz
RAM :512 MB
Vendor : DELL

Hi,
Try this: go to Tools >> Install Legacy Driver Support. This seems strange but it should update the installed drivers. If this fails, there are some good suggestins at this thread:
http://exchange.ni.com/servlet/ProcessRequest?RHIVEID=101&RNAME=ViewQuestion&HOID=506500000008000000D8520000&ECategory=LabVIEW.LabVIEW+General
Hope this helps out! Let me know if this works for you.
Best Regards,
Aaron K.
Application Engineer
National Instruments

GPIB-USB-B VISA I/O Library version

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