Repackaging an instrument driver with CVI

Is it possible to create a distribution in CVI with out any source code to be compiled ?
Background : We want to port a program which uses an old HP 8712 analyzer to Windows 7 ( 64bit edition) . The installer for the instrument driver is a 16bit program . So it doesn't run on Windows 7 any more. The instrument driver itself is a 32bit dll. But the source code provided is written in C++.So you can't recompile from sources in CVI. The Idea is now to install the driver on XP (32bit) and create an CVI distribution, which only contains the files installed by the old installer.
Is this possible ?

Well I created a new worksspace/project in CVI 2009 with all needed files included:
Then I created a distribution:
When building the distribution it complains about a wrong output path:
And trying to look into the output directory with with "explore output directory" shows that the output directory wasn't created:

Similar Messages

Import CVI Instrument driver with void pointer

Hi,
I would like to use a CVI instrument driver that contains void pointers as parameters in LabVIEW. There are additional parameters which declare the kind of data where the void pointer points to.
If I try to import this driver to LabVIEW I get warnings that the void pointer paarameters are converted to I32 since LabVIEW do not have the void pointer.
Does anybody know if it is possible to import a CVI function with void pointers that will work properly in LabVIEW? How do I have to handle this converted void pointer?
Thnaks,
erik.

Erik,
you may have a look at this discussion forum thread.
Best regards,
Jochen Klier
National Instruments Germany

Instrument driver's API

Hi guys!
I need help with one question. I have a number of devices with the same control meaning but with slightly different functionality (list of settings) and different APIs (it's a number of detectors of radiation). I need them all in my programm, and I need the ability to extend the number of devices and it's functionalities in future. The question is, do I have to create instrument driver for each one and then use it in case mode or can I try to create one extendable instrument driver with the common high-level API based on the other APIs?
Thanks!

Hello Err,
I agree with Paul that if would be good for you to look at the concepts that are implemented in IVI drivers. (ni.com/ivi) Your instruments most likely don't fall under one of the current IVI classes, but there is a tool in CVI that helps you create a custom class driver. If your instruments have an overlapping command set, you could just create one driver, with consessions made for the different models. If your instruments have different command sets, you should probably create separate drivers. My recommendation is that you start with the Generic LabVIEW Plug and Play Driver Template in LabVIEW and add your well thought-out radiation detection API to it. You can then use that driver as a template and run the Driver Wizard for each instrument and then customize the generated driver.
I highly recommend investing some time in your API design, so that you won't have to change it later in the development cycle. It also really helps to have someone else to talk to about the API to see what makes sense to someone less familiar with the instruments.
If you would like, please let us know the following:
Instrument models and quantity of each
Average number of commands for each instrument
Communication buses (GPIB, Serial, Ethernet, etc)
Will you be using VISA?
Do the instruments already have dlls that are used to programmatically control them?
Timeframe of project
Cheers,
NathanT

Does LabWindows/CVI: IVI Instrument Driver Development Course contain subject like Communicating with Instruments(SCPI commands)

HI, I am having query regarding; Does LabWindows/CVI: IVI Instrument Driver Development Course contain subject like Communicating with Instruments(SCPI commands)
LabVIEW: LabVIEW Instrument Control Course Day 1 coves subject like Communicating with Instruments This lesson describes how you can use LabVIEW tocommunicate with instruments. You will learn how touse NI-VISA, NI Spy, SCPI commands, and theInstrument I/O Assistant to perform instrument I/O. My question is to you,Does LabWindows/CVI: IVI Instrument Driver Development Course covers similar kind of training like Communication with Instruments? I am more interested in learning How to use SCPI commands to perform instrument I/O. Will you please guide me? So I can choose correct training course. Thanks & Regards,Jay +91 90110 62790EXFO Electro Optical Engineering India Pvt. Ltd.701, 7th floor The Ceribrum IT Park,Kalyani nagar. Wadgaown Sheri India, Maharashtra, Pune 411014

stick to the original thread.

No longer able to import CVI Instrument Driver in LabView 2010

Hello,
I used to be able to download the Import CVI Instrument Driver Wizard in LabView 2009, but there is no wizard for 2010?
I also tried importing the driver with the shared library import, but then Binary, Slides and Rings do not come up with their values i.e. if my slide in CVI has 3 positions :
Description      Value
Item 1                 1
Item 2                 2
Item 3                 3
or if my Binary has
Description      Value
On                        1
Off                        0
they do not import the description into LabView 2010?
I tried copying the directories created by the 2009-wizard to the directories of 2010 i.e.:
from     C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2009\resource\CVIFpConv
to          C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2010\resource\CVIFpConv
and
from     C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2009\project\_DriverCtoLV
to         C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2010\project\_DriverCtoLV
and the wizard loads and runs until I specify a .fp file and then I get the error in the jpeg attached. When I try to open the block diagram (FC_RFL_Initialize.vi), it says you need a password to view it, so that stops my debugging.
Attachments:
Error using Instrument Driver Import Wizard in LabView 2010.JPG ‏88 KB

HI,
I downloaded the wizard and when I tried to import a driver I got this message shown below...(labview 2010)
Thanks...Ness
Attachments:
Error message.JPG ‏140 KB

Import CVI Instrument Driver failure

Using the "LabVIEW Interface Generator for LabWindows/CVI Instrument Drivers" utility, I successfully converted (wrapped) an IVI-COM instrument driver for use with LabVIEW 8.2.1. However, I have a customer who insists on using LabVIEW 6.0. When I attempt to use the "Import CVI Instrument Driver" tool of version LabVIEW 6.0, I get a crash: Failure: "funcmenu.cpp", line 1873. (Specifically, the error occurs after pressing "OK" to the "CVI Function Panel Converter" dialog and selecting the DLL.) The pop-up suggests to navigate to www.ni.com/failure for assistance in resolving the problem, but when the proper data is entered in that web page, it errors also.
1. Is it possible to do what I'm attempting to do?
2. Any ideas on what is causing my problem?
Thanks

The import tool for CVI drivers only supported IVI-C with LabVIEW 6. If there is no IVI-C driver available, you might be able to write C wrappers around the IVI-COM functions or manually write all of the ActiveX calls to the IVI-COM driver.

Import CVI instrument driver in 8.0

I have CVI instrument driver which just has some c funstions and it does not communicate to any instrument.
It always worked for me in 7.1.
After getting 8.0 and I had to download and install LabVIEW Interface Generator for LabWindows-CVI. It did not work.
I get following error.
The following instrument driver VI(s) cannot be created. This may indicate that the function in the CVI function panel (.fp) file is not consistent with VXIpnp and IVI standards. For example, the function has user-defined data types or has a duplicate function name in the .fp file.
But this works in 7.1.
What do I have to select in Class group?
Which step am I doing wrong?
LabVIEW Interface Generator for LabWindows-CVI is different from 7.1's built in generator.
Sheetal
Thanks.
CVI 2010
LabVIEW 2011 SP1
Vision Builder AI 2011 SP1

I've been playing some more and here is where I'm at.
I
downloaded DriverCtoL.exe from ftp.ni.com. I
forget where exactly I got it and I can’t find it again. I run the program and
it installs the tool/convert cvi to vi command. When I run the command and find
the 2533.fp file it asks for, I get and error message.
“Error
-43990 occurred at Not a valid function panel file.
Verify that
the function panel file is valid and attempt the conversion again.”
Is there
another way to convert the cvi to vi? Or, what step am I doing wrong?

How can I use a labview VI as a CVI instrument driver

I have a VI for the Keithley 485 that would like to convert into a form usable by CVI. I don't have labview so I cannot generate a DLL based on the VI.

daquiry:
I've downloaded the 485 driver from both the NI Instrument Driver Network and the Keithley site, any they are both written natively in G (LabVIEW). The driver is rather simple, and is just making 488.2 / VISA calls. Keithley's site also doesn't offer drivers for the 485 in any language other than LabVIEW. This surprises me. I would suggest contacting Keithley and verifying that no C driver exists for the 485. If that's the case, then you may have to write a driver yourself. The 485 Quick Reference guide should have a description of all the available GPIB commands, along with sample code. Since you probably won't need the full range of functionality of the GPIB interface, writing a driver for what you do need shouldn't be t
oo bad.
I've written a short instrument driver which contains only a simple read() function. In implementing this, I've endeavored to translate the G code into C, but unfortunately, I don't have an instrument, so I haven't been able to test it.
Hope this helps..
-- Chris
Attachments:
cviKe485.zip ‏5 KB

Is there a USB Instrument driver developer tool for CVI

Is there a USB instrument driver developer tool/guide for CVI?
Thanks
Chip B.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi! ASIC LabRat,
I agree with your comment. IVI drivers take too much overhead and the executing speed can be very slow compared to the drivers developed using VISA platform. The previous link sent by the NI engineer was very old (2001) and doesn't really help you at all.
Please take a look at this one instead: http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/4713.

SCPI Instrument driver for LabWindows/CVI ?

Is there somthing like a plain SCPI instrument driver for LabWindows/CVI
that works with all SCPI-DMMs ?
Thanks,
Manfred

Manfred Schininger wrote:
> "Kevin B. Kent" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> news:[email protected]..
> > Manfred Schininger wrote:
> >
> > > Is there somthing like a plain SCPI instrument driver for LabWindows/CVI
> > > that works with all SCPI-DMMs ?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Manfred
> >
> > SCPI like any other standard is typically non-standard.
> > You can try to get a DMM driver and it will probably work
> > for the most part with any DMM. There may be some
> > slight differences and some features may not work on all DMMs.
> >
> > I might suggest you look into IVI drivers. These follow SCPI for the most
> > part. You get the drivers for each DMM you want and then you have a
> > configuration
file that tells the program which DMM you are using.
> > It then loads the appropriate driver.
> >
> > Kevin Kent
>
> Hello Kevin,
>
> thank you for your answer.
> Unfortunately there is no specific instrument-driver for the DMM I'd like to
> use (Keithley 2700). As I understand this would be the precondition for the
> IVI base classes to work. My hope was to find a simple SCPI instrument
> driver to get into the advantage of instrument independence. But you are
> right, I also once made the experiance that the "SCPI standard" isn't
> completely perfect.
>
> Manfred
Manfred,
You could look for a driver for another Keithly model or try one for a
different brand. They may be similar enough to modify easily. I realize this
goes against the idea of SCPI and standards but it is the best we have now.
Good Luck
Kevin

SM240 CVI spectrometer instrument driver

Hi,
I'm looking an instrument driver for SM240 spectrometer (CVI Laser company)
to use it in Labview enviroment.
Thanks,
Miguel.

National Instruments has many instrument drivers on its webpage (follow link below to Downloads). If you cannot find it there, you can follow the link to "Other Driver Resources" where other companies place their drivers for use.
http://zone.ni.com/idnet/
If you cannot find it, you may consider finding one for a similar instrument and modifying it to work with your instrument.
Kim L.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

Teststand call cvi instrument driver

I'm new to working with instrument drivers in TestStand. I'm trying to use TestStand to call a CVI instrument driver dll (for Agilent N5767 power supply), and then perform a specific function (init, set voltage, set current, etc.) All of the instruments in my test bench are connected via LAN, and they are configured in NI MAX too. I thought it was pretty straight forward, but I'm obviously missing something. Attached is the simple TS 3.1 seq file with the steps I'm trying perform.
Attachments:
N5700_on_off.seq ‏20 KB

Hi Bkoch1,
Please elaborate on the problem you are experiencing. I am able to open the sequence file you have attached and view your steps and on the surface, this seems like it should work just fine. What indications are you experiencing that it does not work fine? Have you tried setting breakpoints and using the Watch Window to monitor variables to ensure that they are being passed into the DLL? Please explain what the problem is and try to narrow down where the problem occurs and we would be happy to help you.
Regards,
Jackie
DAQ Product Marketing Engineer
National Instruments

"Import CVI Instrument Driver" doesnt work when parameter is viSession pointer

Why does "Import CVI Instrument Driver" menu selection generate a LLB that has VIs which have not been generated correctly when a VI function parameter returns a ViSession pointer. The only one generated correctly was "initialize", however, "autoConnectToFirst" was not. They both have similar prototypes in the .FP file. When I look at the block diagram of the init VI, there is a "IVI New Session" control, but in "autoConnectToFirst", there isn't. Therefore the session returned in Labview is 0, but the session returned in C (through debugging) is a valid session.

The strict answer to "Why?" is because we only implemented the special initialization code for the Initialize function. "autoConnectToFirst" is optional in VPP 3.2, and we chose not to implement it as a special case.
You'll just need to fix the Call Library Node in your VI wrapper to use the proper prototype. I'm not sure how best to handle the "IVI New Session" call; it really expects both a name and viSession, and "autoConnectToFirst" doesn't seem to return the name of the resource it chose. The "IVI New Session" function is what tells LabVIEW how to connect the VISA (or IVI) resource names with your viSession. You could call "VISA Find Resource" to get the first name and see if it's a supported device; this is supposed to match what "autoConnectToFirst" does.
Along those lines, you might be better off implementing "autoConnectToFirst" yourself in LabVIEW. I.e., call "VISA Find Resource", and loop through the results calling your "Initialize" function until you don't get an error.
Let me pull up a soapbox for a moment...
There's a common misconception that "Import CVI Instrument Driver" creates a perfect LabVIEW wrapper around a VXIpnp WIN or IVI-C driver with no manual intervention. The reality is that you will almost always have to do some manual fixups of the converted driver.
In LabVIEW 7, we improved the converter somewhat, and converting an IVI-C driver is now a three-step process: pre-processing the IVI-C driver, importing into LabVIEW, and then doing some programmatic fixups of the results. The resulting wrapper is better than earlier versions of LabVIEW, but it's not uncommon that you will still have to manually fix something up to make it a good, usable wrapper.
That's why we consider "Import CVI Instrument Driver" to be a tool for instrument driver developers. If a vendor creates an instrument driver for an instrument in C, it doesn't make sense for each end user to have to create the LabVIEW wrapper, including all the manual fixups.
Of course, if a vendor wants the best LabVIEW connectivity, they should write a LabVIEW-based driver. But if they're going to only write C- or COM-based drivers, they should create and distribute high-quality LabVIEW wrappers and not force end users to figure out how to do it on their own.
My two cents.
Brian

Conversion of an Instrument Driver from LabWindows/CVI to LabVIEW

Hello All,
Conversion of an Instrument Driver from LabWindows/CVI to LabVIEW
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/9A93316BEBEDB17786256FA300675A0A
But I can not find any hyperlinkt to download
"LabVIEW Interface Generator for LabWindows/CVI Instrument Drivers"
Is there any evaluation version for downloading?
Thanks,
nonomiya

So strange,
I go through three pages but does not find any entry for download,
hmm...,
1. After press the hyperlink,
See Also:
LabVIEW Interface Generator for LabWindows/CVI Instrument Drivers
2. and for a resuest info. form.
3. press download..
====
LabVIEW Interface Generator for LabWindows/CVI Instrument Drivers
System Requirements
NI LabVIEW 7.1 or later
Windows 2000/NT/XP
Use the LabVIEW Interface Generator for LabWindows/CVI Instrument Drivers to create LabVIEW VIs for VXIplug&play and IVI-C instrument drivers from function panel (.fp) files.
Instrument Driver Network
Before using the conversion utility to create a new instrument driver wrapper, please visit ni.com/idnet to see if a LabVIEW Plug and Play instrument driver is available for your device. The Instrument Driver Network (IDNET) provides support for more than 3,000 different instrument models from over 170 different instrument vendors.
Recommendations
This utility was created for developers of C-based instrument drivers who wish to provide a LabVIEW interface, but do not develop a LabVIEW Plug and Play driver. By developing the C and LabVIEW interfaces together, it keeps the components synchronized, and eliminates the need for customers to create their own LabVIEW interfaces. Vendors should distribute the LabVIEW wrapper files with the associated VXIplug&play or IVI instrument driver, so that end users do not have to visit multiple web sites to download the complete driver.
If you are not an instrument vendor, we recommend that you use this utility only if you have instrument driver expertise. Access to the instrument driver source code is preferred, in case you need to edit the C instrument driver in LabWindows/CVI.
After generation, the wrapper VIs should be tested with the instrument.
Instructions
Once you install the software, simply access the utility from the Tools>>Instrumentation>>Import CVI Instrument Driver...menu in LabVIEW. This software replaces the built-in tool and provides feature enhancements.
For additional information on this utility, view the resources below.
Readme for the LabVIEW Interface Generator for LabWindows/CVI Instrument Drivers
Submit your Driver
Visit the Instrument Driver Network
nonomiya

Is it possible to convert a LabView .ldd Instrument Driver into a dll that can be used with MAX and visual basic?

I got the following problem. I'm using a Stanford DS360 UltraLow Destortion Function Generator, and would like to access it with the CwIVIFgen ActiveX Controll. In the driver database i found a instrument driver for LabView (ds360fg.llb). But its a llb file and i am not sure what to do.
Is it possible to convert it?
Is it possible to use it anyways?
Maybe i overread the answer, but i search the forums for quite a while now and i am not a bit wiser.
Thanks in advance
Felix

If you have LabVIEW and the application builder, a dll can be created from it but it cannot be used as an IVI driver. The only way to create an IVI instrument driver is with LabWindows/CVI. I personally don't have the time right now to create the dll but maybe if you post to the LabVIEW forum and get someone there to do it. Another other option is to hire an Alliance member to create either a dll from the LabVIEW code or to create an IVI driver from scratch.

Repackaging an instrument driver with CVI

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