To Control a Power Supply via LabVIEW

Hi,
I am really in the beginning of the learning LabvIEW. I am trying to control a power supply( Ametek XG
1500 ) via LabVIEW through USB cable. I have goggled several websites, but still do not have a clear idea
of how to implement such task. I downloaded COM drivers from www.programmablepower.com. Then, device and
my computer see the USB cable, but I do not have exact clue to make a good program to control power
supply.
I tried to make a program with NI-VISA with SCPI commands. Actually, I am not sure to write true
commands and I can not see the voltage or current value on the front panel. I have never write a program
to control any electronic device. Maybe, I can not see the basic step or not.
Firstly, I want to write a program which makes power on/off to the power supply. I do not know where
should I begin. Please any of you give me an offer to do this task.
Thank you.
Deniz

There is of course, the IVI driver.
I don't understand at all why you would install a different com port driver than the one that comes from Ametek/Sorenesen. In any case, I did not use the IVI driver. I simply created my own using Tools>Instrumentation>Create Instrument Driver Project. Pretty simple for me - I did a basic driver in less than a day. I would suggest you look over the instrument driver tutorial (on main idnet page). The commands are well documented in the manual. Be sure to get the termination characters correct. I can't provide the code I wrote as it was for a customer but if you post what you have written with details on errors you get etc, I'll try to help.

Similar Messages

GPIB-Controlled XHR Power Supply and HP34401A DMM Conflict

Dear Experts,
I downloaded a driver for XHR Power Supply from NI's website and used
it to controlled the power supply successfully via GPIB cable in
LabVIEW. However, when I used HP34401A digital meter to measure the
voltage from the power supply in the same way via GPIB cable, the XHR
power supply was shut down automatically although the meter read the
measurement correctly before shutting down. Since I am a new user of
LabVIEW, I do not know if it is a conflict of GPIB-Controlled
instuments.
I would be most grateful if you could give me some advice and tell me how to solve this problem at your earliest convenience.
Thanks a lot for your attention and help,
James

You can set LLO with the VISA GPIB Control REN function. This is on the Instrument I/O>VISA>VISA Advanced>Interface specific palette.
You do not use the same VISA session for two different instruments. Each must be different and unique. If they were the same, then the be would be using the same address and your program would not work.
To make a sinlg VI that will control both instruments, just take the functions you need from each and put them into a single VI. The author of the XAN power supply drivers did a kind of lame thing. The Getting Started VIs do not have their controls and indicators wired to the VIs connector pane so you would have to change this before using the Getting Started in another VI. I've attached a simple example that shows some of the other functions along with some 34401 functions in a single VI.
Before you get going, I would recomend that you take a LabVIEW programming class. Information can bge found at http://www.ni.com/devzone/lvzone/fundamentals.htm.
p.s. You should know that your email address is not available to forum users. If you wish an example program, you can request it be posted here but you need to provide the version of LabVIEW that you're using and you need to provide the exact name of the XAN driver you're using. I found three and don't know shich is which.
Attachments:
two instruments.JPG ‏51 KB

Pid: give a temperature wave by controlling voltage (power supply)

Hi all.
I have a system like the one attached in the message.
I have two working VIs: one that receive the temperature values and one which can read and write the voltage values.
Now: I need to control the system to have a sort of temperature value/values definied in the beginning (costant, sine wave, etc) by changing automatically ( I think PID is good to do it) the voltage.
I don't know how to "mix" the VIs to make it work, expecially I don't know how to relate the temperature and the voltage.
Hardware:
Temperature: NI 4351 DAQ traditional (NO DAQmx)
Voltage: HP Agilent 6033A (GP-IB controlled)
Thank you all
Attachments:
Capture.PNG ‏13 KB

so.. i'll try to explain me better.
I have a peltier cell that is like a refrigerator (the hot part isn't involved in the system, so not a problem).
Upon it there's a metal box with the termocouple; in labview I see the state of the temperature.
upon the box there's the heater, connected to the power supply.
the power supply is controlled by the program in labview (by controlling the voltage).
How do I want to control voltage?
I want that the temperature follows a determined wave (a costant, a sine wave, etc...). If I do not give voltage to the heater, the temperature's box is going down and down. So I want that the labview program, controlled by a PID control, adjusts the voltage (controlling the Power supply) to make the temperature following the determined wave..
So:
I don't know how to relation the voltage with the temperature, with the PID attached in this message.
Hope this time i explained good.
Attachments:
pid.zip ‏104 KB

Help!!! How to get the recovery time of transient response of a power supply with Labview basic package without analysis option?

How to get the recovery time of transient response of a power supply with Labview basic package without analysis option? Does anyone have any idea or some similar function SUBVIs?
Recovery time of transient response is defined as the time from the beginning of the transient to the voltage point on the waveform fallen into 10percent of the overshoot. Well, the waveform is something like a pulse with a soft slope.

I recommend plotting your data on a graph on paper. Take a look at the data, and determine what is unique about the point you are looking for. Look for how you can teach your program to look for this point.
I have written several algorithms that do similar, one in fact being for a power supply, the other being for RPM. Neither algorithm used any advanced analysis tools. They are just a matter of determining, mathematically, when you achieve what you are looking for. Just sit down with your graph (I recommend multiple copies) and draw horizontal and vertical lines that determine when you get to the point you are looking for. You are probably going to have to reverse the array and start from the end, so think in those terms.
If you have trouble, emai
l me a bitmap of the graph, and what you are looking for and I will try to be of further assistance. Don't do that however; until you you have given this a few tries. Your solution should be involve a lot of logic on analog levels.
Good luck

The output of a power supply in labview using a Magna Power LXI over RS232 to simulate a periodic voltage.

How can I toggle the output of a power supply in labview using a Magna Power LXI over RS232 to simulate a periodic voltage? Any help would be apreciated?

LXI is Ethernet communication.
Does the power supply have an RS232 port?
Are you looking for an RS232 to Ethernet (LXI) Converter
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=rs232%20to%20ethernet%20ip
But to simulate a periodic voltage you need to send the SCPI "Source" command to the power supply in a loop.
Changing the Voltage setting in periodic value.
How fast of a periodic voltage do you need?
You may be limited to how fast LabVIEW, Windows and your power supply can respond to commands.
Use VISA writes. It is the same for LXI as it is for RS232. The LabVIEW code would be the same.
After you select the corrent VISA Ref, either a com port or an IP address, LabVIEW does not care if it is LXI or RS232.
From a Magna manual I found
Command Syntax
[SOURce]:VOLTage[:LEVel][:IMMediate][:AMPLitude] <nrf+>
[SOURce]:VOLTage[:LEVel]:TRIGgered[:AMPLitude] <nrf+>
Examples
VOLT 200
VOLTAGE:LEVEL 200
VOLTAGE:LEVEL:IMMEDIATE:AMPLITUDE 2.5

Labview 6.0 run-time engine will not control BKPrecision power supply.

I created a test program in Labview 6.0 to control a BKPrecision power supply and Measurement computing DAQ in our test system. I am able to control both intsruments from my PC which has Labview loaded on it. I created an executable from the application builder tool for distribution. When i install the run-time engine and executable on a new PC (Labview not installed), i am unable to control the BKPrecision power supply. The BK power supply is connected to the serial COM port of the PC.
Do i need to install drivers that are not included in the executable build?
Do i need to install VXIpnp (VISA interactive control)?
thanks,
Tim
Solved!
Go to Solution.

tmann-
The API Drivers are often times for more specific Operating Systems than the others (Linux, Pharlap, etc.) and they are more easily accessible for programmers that want to (and have enough time to put up with the headaches ) of building speciality drivers off of ours. 99% of the time you just want the drivers that come up first when you type in your driver name (NI-VISA). As to versions, issues can crop up later from not using the exact same driver version but all the drivers are built off of each other (they hardly ever scrap an entire driver and start over) so the problems should be minor. Its up to you about switching. Unfortunately to downgrade version you have to completely uninstall the driver from Add/Remove Programs>>National Instruments Software>>Your driver and then reinstall the correct one. If you have time, I think it is well worth it to do it right the first time. Hope this is helpful!!
Grant H.
National Instruments
LabVIEW Product Marketing Manager

Help Using Labview to control Kikusui power supply with a PIA4850 controller

HI I need some help using Labview to control 4 Kikusui power supplies. We have a PIA4850 Kikusui power supply controller. I can use the visa test panel and see the PIA4850 but can see any of the power supplies. I have very limited use of Labview and only wrote a couple programs using GPIB. The PIA4850 is a USB controller and can control up to 32 PS. I can get it to work with a Excel demo software that came with the controllers so I know that it is working. Any help will be appreciated. I am using LabView 8.2 and have updated to the Ni-DAQ 9.0. I have a program that I need to incorporate the PIA4850 into once I figure out how to operate it. Thanks in advance.

HI and thanks for the help. I did get one power supply to work but have another problem. I need to control 4 power supplies at the same time and can only operate the one that is addressed N5!C1. If I set the other to N6!C1 and so on I get an error stating
“Error -1074135008 occurred at ki4800_2 Configure Voltage Level.vi Possible reason(s):IVI Error in the method "get_Item" in the component "Kikusui4800". E_IVI_UNKNOWN_CHANNEL_NAME: Unknown channel name (N6!C1)”
I am assuming that I should be able to change the node number and that will change the supply that I need to use. Everything works great if I use N5!C1 I can change any of the supplies to address 5 and can control it with no problem. I can even have multiple supplies with the same address N5!C1 (don’t think I should do that) and change them all at once. I need independent control of each supply.
I am in a pinch here and need to figure it out but could use some help. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
GBlair
Attachments:
KIKUSUI PS.llb ‏179 KB
Kikusui Ps Controller.JPG ‏63 KB

Finding Address of Ethernet Controlled (VXI) Power Supply

I have a PXI system, and a TTI CPX400 power supply connected via Ethernet. In order to initialize and control these power supplies with the premade VIs, I need to supply a resource name in the form of: TCPIP0::<IP>::9221:OCKET. The concern I have is that each power supply has a different IP address, and in order to determine it, I need to connect the supply to a computer and run an LXI Discovery tool (http://tti-test.com/go/psx/psx-downloads/lxi-discovery_tool.zip), which is a windows, GUI based tool. I would like to know if anyone has a solution for identifying such a device and finding its address in some way that can be implemented from within a labview program, so that if a power supply is replaced, communication can be established without having to manually run the discovery tool and then enter that address into my configuration file. Also, the power supplies have unique host names, so I can't just look up the address that way.
Thanks for any suggestions.

By far the easiest is to just set a static IP address for each of your supplies. It is just let setting up a GPIB address. Most supplies have menus on the front panel so that you can set them to have a static address. I do this for all of my LAN instruments.
There are only two ways to tell somebody thanks: Kudos and Marked Solutions

Looking for software driver for HP 6655A Power Supply with Labview 5.1

Hi, trying to control an HP 6655a Power Supply but the version of Labview in the PC is the old Labview 5.1.
I don't want to upgrade it for fear that the program will no longer function. Does anyone have the driver for the HP6655a that will work with labview 5.1?

Hi demo,
Try the drivers directly from Agilent.
Here is a couple of links:
http://we.home.agilent.com/cgi-bin/bvpub/agilent/editorial/cp_MiscEditorial.jsp?OID=536913992&NAV_ID=-536891584.536882066.03&LANGUAGE_CODE=eng&COUNTRY_CODE=ZZ
Click on> Driver: 665xA Series Instrument Drivers
Maybe this one is better... it's older...
http://we.home.agilent.com/cgi-bin/bvpub/agilent/editorial/cp_MiscEditorial.jsp?OID=536917365&NAV_ID=-536891585.536880265.03&LANGUAGE_CODE=eng&COUNTRY_CODE=ZZ
Click On > Driver: DC Power Supply Instrument Driver (1.13 MB)
You may have to import the instrument driver after you install the libraries. This is done by selecting from the pull down menu:
Tools > Instrumentation > Import CVI Instrument Driver
JLV

How to control HV power supply (0-5V control voltage)?

Hey there,
I (LV newbie) wonder how to control my DELTA ELEKTRONIKA Powersupply with Labview. The control interface is a 0-5V analog input to set the power supply's output current.
Also I want to get some feedback of the set power supply current from an second (GPIB-controlled) instrument.
So how do I have to program a closed loop contol (application is not time critical), cause it would be mixed up of controlling by analog out (0-5V) and feedback loop driven on the GPIB-Card?
For a first step a simple control loop to set the current and monitor it on an analog input would also be an assistance .
THX for anyone helping

Look in the example finder for DAQmx functions for analog input and analog output.

To connect a Power Supply over RS-232 in LabView

Have a nice day,
dear friends, I have done some basic programs before in LabView, my project is now to connect Agilent E3631A DC Power Supply serially and sending/recieving data(my aim to change input voltage from the computer without touching the hardware device).
I actually already connected the Power Supply to my computer ,I also downloaded driver of it from Agilents web site.
So the only thing is now to establish the connection in LabView.
hmmm. can you please tell me what to do now ? I have no idea if I should choose VISA or DAQ or sth else.. how can I let the LabView to send a new voltage to the hardware.
With best wishes
Message Edited by Support on 11-09-2007 08:29 AM

After installing LabView 7.0 and VISA Now I have concrete questions. Do I need some more program to install ? ( drivers I already found from ni.com )
You should have everything you need to do serial communications installed. The drivers you downloaded should help you get started with your applicaition, so I'd install them as well.
first of all I installed LabVIEW Evaluation version 7.0 , and I can`t open sources which are written with ver. 7.1 , how can i handle this problem ? ( because somebody sent me some codes which are written in 7.1 and I definetely want to see them )
You can save VIs to the previous version only. So will need to have somebody save the code to 7.0 for you.
second; should I use VISA or IVI ? whats the difference between them ?
At this point, I wouldn't worry about IVI. The drivers you downloaded are probably "IVI Drivers" but use VISA to communicate with your instrument. If you want to know a bit more about IVI in general, just do a search on ni.com for "IVI".
third; lets concider that I use VISA . From the IO Config menu, I choose COM 2 and VISA interface name is than ASRL2(automatic). And than from VISA Assistant, I choose the place of the driver of my Power Supply. Up to now everything seems to be ok. what is the next step after here ? Do i forget some configurations?
The first step is to initialize the port and instrumnet. If you look on your functions palette from the block diagram, there's a sub palette named "Instrument I/O" and a sub palette of that one named "Instrument Drivers". In this drivers palette, you should see a palette for the drivers you installed for the power supply. There should also be a sub palette in there named "Applicaiton Examples" that can help you get started. There should be one or two examples that will allow you to control the power supply, and you should be able to open the block diagram and see how it's put together.
Ed
Ed Dickens - Certified LabVIEW Architect - DISTek Integration, Inc. - NI Certified Alliance Partner
Using the Abort button to stop your VI is like using a tree to stop your car. It works, but there may be consequences.

Power supply freezes after running vi second time

Hello,
I am just starting my adventures in brave new world of LabView and I run into a problem with my first serious vi which is controling CPX400DP power supply and DPO4104 oscyloscope.
What my vi should be doing:
First it sets current levels of both channels of power supply (e.g. 5V on first, 0V on second) and size of the jump (e.g. 0.5V). Then vi should change both current levels by size of the jump and repeat till the current levels of both channels would be reverse to the start value (in this case, 0V on first channel, 5V on second). Also before every current change the vi would save to file mean of measurements out of the waveform from oscyloscope.
What my vi is doing:
At first run it seems that it's doing everything in order (new text file with resonable numbers is created). However, when I try to run the vi a second time my power supply freezes short after few current changes. I can stop the execution of the vi in LabView (it does take a while though) but to successfully run the vi again I must reset my power supply (turn it off and on).
I tried to go around this problem by modyfing the vi in a way that it would do what I want multiple times during running the vi only once but unfortunately that didn't work.
If anyone would have any suggestions about what I am doing wrong or how to help fix this problem feel free to share I don't bite... much But seriously, I'm stuck with this problem for over a week and I'll be glad for any tips
Thanks!
Waldek.
PS Sorry if I am not clear somewhere but I'm not used to talk about programing in English
PSS In attachments are my main vi and two sub vis.
Solved!
Go to Solution.
Attachments:
controling_power_supply_NEW.vi ‏29 KB
current_changer.vi ‏17 KB
waveform_reader_saver.vi ‏21 KB

Revan-Ghost wrote:
Thanks for a suggestion Bill but could you elaborate a bit on "try inserting ;*OPC? after every setup command"? I understand what that would do, concept wise, but as a new user I don't know how to do that in LabView. And Good Uncle Google doesn't say anything about " ;*OPC? " and insist on talking about OPC servers instead.
I'm sorry - I was looking at the manual and failed to realize that the missing subVIs from your code were actually drivers for your power supply, so you may not be able to implement this (unless the drivers themselves have the "Operation Complete" capability - hopefully the drivers came with documentation). Else, you may be stuck having to hardcode waits after each command.
If you wrote your own drivers, this is how you would send the command to set output 1 to 1 Volt:
V1 1;*OPC?
The V1 1 sets your voltage to 1 Volt. To tack on another command, you use the semicolon. The *OPC? command forces it to return send a "1." SInce the commands are acted upon sequentially, the power supply can't send the "1" until it is done processing the command to set it to 1 Volt. After that command is complete, the "1" is sent, you read the 1 out of the buffer and move on. This avoids issues where you pile on too many commands at once. I checked the manual and it supports this feature.
Bill
(Mid-Level minion.)
My support system ensures that I don't look totally incompetent.
Proud to say that I've progressed beyond knowing just enough to be dangerous. I now know enough to know that I have no clue about anything at all.

Comand power supply through GPIB

Hi I am Michele De Santis,
I am trying to command a elind 500 KL power supply through GPIB with a NI PXI. I can easily read the values of current and voltage of the instrument with the VISA read block in LabView environment. The problem presents when I want to use the write VISA block, in other words when I want to put a voltage and current values from my PXI. The instrument put itself, after I send the command, in CCM (current costant mode, before it was in VCM voltage costant mode) at 0 V and 0 A and from this moment on, I can't switch the status of the power supply unless I dont turn the instrument off. Anyone knows why?
Thanks!

Hi Michele,
have you tryed to control yours Power Supply from another GPIB controller?
Cheers,
Matteo Brunella
Application Engineer
NI Italy

Test Equipment for Power Supply

Hi ,
I want to develop a test software for power supply using LabVIEW which we can use for our mass production.
We are currently using the following for the development stage.
1. Digital Multimeter(Topward 1330)
2.Oscilloscope(Agilent DSO 6054A)
3.Programmable AC Source(Chroma 6430)
4. DC electronic Load (Chroma 63030)
We are using GPIB as the programming interface.We also use NI-VISA, NI-488.2 from LabVIEW to communicate.
Since I am new to this domain, I need an expert help in programming this software.
Thanks

Dennis_Knutson wrote:
And for follow up questions, please don't post to this board. You have nothing related to NI's pxi chassis/boards.
p.s. And after the test specification is complete, perform the tests manually. You can't understand a programmatic approach if you don't understand the instruments and their capabilities.
"You can't automate what you can't do manually" is one of my favorite maxims.
Now is the right time to use %^<%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%3uZ>T
If you don't hate time zones, you're not a real programmer.
"You are what you don't automate"
Inplaceness is synonymous with insidiousness

How do I use LabVIEW to control and vary the voltage on my Agilent Power Supply and simultaneously record temp from 1 DMM and voltage from another DMM?

I am using an Agilent Power Supply to apply a voltage to a
thermistor to heat an Al chassis. I want to use LabVIEW to tell
the power supply to apply 5V for 10 minutes, then step to 7V for 10
minutes, etc. I am completely new to LabVIEW, so any help would be greatly appreciated!
In addition to that, I want to place a type J thermocouple onto the Al
surface and use a Keithley 2000 DMM to monitor the temperature (it has
a built in conversion from V to Temp for type J). I will also be
using another Kelthley 2000 DMM to record the output voltage of a new
uncalibrated thermocouple. I would like to collect the output
voltage for this uncalibrated thermocouple and the temperature reading
from the type J simultaneously. How should I go about doing this
in LabVIEW? I will be using version 6.1. The power supply
and DMMs will be connected to a PC using GPIB.
Again any suggestions would be greatly appreciated- I have no idea
where to begin on such a project. I have taught myself how to
make a basic VI- converting temp in oC to oF, but that is as far
as my knowledge goes.

What you want to do should be fairly straightward and a good way to learn labview.
First off, if you haven't already, I would download the drivers for the Keithley and Agilent instruments. I found the keithley drivers at the link below. You will need to find the labview drivers for the Agilent PS at their website. Drivers are the VI's you will use in your program to control the insturments.
http://sine.ni.com/apps/we/niid_web_display.download_page?p_id_guid=E3B19B3E90B0659CE034080020E74861
If you open Labview and go to the help menu and click on Labview bookshelf there is alot of information on getting you started coding labview. This should get you started, if you have anymore questions just ask in this same thread and I am sure you will get all the help you need.
Brian
Message Edited by BrianPack on 09-14-2005 05:21 PM
Message Edited by BrianPack on 09-14-2005 05:21 PM

To Control a Power Supply via LabVIEW

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for