I have a fair amount of experience in using GPIB instruments with Visual Basic to do data capture. Depending on what you want to do, it's relatively easy to do instrument settings, read back data, plop that data into Excel and format it in a meaningful way. Lots of info available on the web for doing VB6 stuff, and I think there's even a freebie version of VB6 available from Microsoft. You will need a GPIB interface... I use one at work from National Instruments, it runs about $500 iirc.
You can check out Aglient's website for info on manuals. What you'll really need is the programming guide, that will give you the proper syntax for sending commands and reading back data over GPIB.
Potentially interesting sidenote: when I was in school I took a class in programming automated test stuff via GPIB. One of the highlights of the class was a guest lecturer (whose name escapes me at the moment) who was one of the inventors of the standard. Apparently, when it was originally devised, they did not expect a lifetime of more than five years for the standard before something better would take its place. Yet, here we are thirty some years later using the same thing!
You can check out Aglient's website for info on manuals. What you'll really need is the programming guide, that will give you the proper syntax for sending commands and reading back data over GPIB.
Potentially interesting sidenote: when I was in school I took a class in programming automated test stuff via GPIB. One of the highlights of the class was a guest lecturer (whose name escapes me at the moment) who was one of the inventors of the standard. Apparently, when it was originally devised, they did not expect a lifetime of more than five years for the standard before something better would take its place. Yet, here we are thirty some years later using the same thing!
Join the HP/Agilent group on Yahoo -- very active.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/hp_agilent_equipment/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/hp_agilent_equipment/
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/PrintCapture.shtml
http://www.printcapture.com/
I used this software with a National Instruments GPIB card in my laptop to capture prints from a HP scope.
http://www.printcapture.com/
I used this software with a National Instruments GPIB card in my laptop to capture prints from a HP scope.
I have an 8903A. I don't believe that it will print from the GPIB port. I have used it to PLOT (not print) to an X-Y plotter through the X-Y outputs.
HP8903B's used to be all over the production lines where I work. The data was extracted over GPIB and stuffed into Excel or other custom software. Those lines are gone, and so are most of the people who did the programming, so there is no one left to ask. I have the 8903A manual, plotting via the "X-Y recorder" is mentioned, but printing is not. We have used the 8903 A and B for the past 20+ years, and I can't remember seing one print in a stand alone application.
HP8903B's used to be all over the production lines where I work. The data was extracted over GPIB and stuffed into Excel or other custom software. Those lines are gone, and so are most of the people who did the programming, so there is no one left to ask. I have the 8903A manual, plotting via the "X-Y recorder" is mentioned, but printing is not. We have used the 8903 A and B for the past 20+ years, and I can't remember seing one print in a stand alone application.
I have an 8903B and use the Prologix adapter ($149). I program with PowerBASIC. The Prologix adapter uses an FTDI chip, and they have excellent programming info. You can download it on-line. I wrote my own instrument control for the thing, and put up nice on-screen graphs of power and THD. Though I've yet to add a print routine, it would be quite trivial to do given the PowerBASIC printing features. Here's a screen shot-
Attachments
Yeah, right, post my code so everybody can see I couldn't even play a programmer on TV.
Ok, caveats- I don't normally use a forms generator, but did here, so the code is a bit more convoluted than it otherwise would be. Still, the subs are very simple and clear.
Second, I was just working on another project for work that uses the same FTID chip for USB communication as the Prologix device. Turns out I need three more statements to make the thing reliable. I've put those three statements and their declares in the code as comments. (I neglected to add the actual constants, but you can get these from the FTID docs.)
My lab is being rebuilt right now, so I can't test this thing at all. I'll also be away for a while, so any questions will have to wait till I get back.
Note that PowerBASIC is much less expensive than VB, and produces faster and smaller exe files. Though the command set is very similar to VB, there is a philosophical difference between the programs- PowerBASIC is not VB (thank goodness), and is designed for people who like to code and use the Windows API functions. I highly recommend it, but the transition can be a bit bumpy for dyed-in-the-wool VB programmers. You'd probably need the forms generator to compile this, or remove the forms related include. Oh, and obviously you should rename the file from .txt to .bas.
Ok, caveats- I don't normally use a forms generator, but did here, so the code is a bit more convoluted than it otherwise would be. Still, the subs are very simple and clear.
Second, I was just working on another project for work that uses the same FTID chip for USB communication as the Prologix device. Turns out I need three more statements to make the thing reliable. I've put those three statements and their declares in the code as comments. (I neglected to add the actual constants, but you can get these from the FTID docs.)
My lab is being rebuilt right now, so I can't test this thing at all. I'll also be away for a while, so any questions will have to wait till I get back.
Note that PowerBASIC is much less expensive than VB, and produces faster and smaller exe files. Though the command set is very similar to VB, there is a philosophical difference between the programs- PowerBASIC is not VB (thank goodness), and is designed for people who like to code and use the Windows API functions. I highly recommend it, but the transition can be a bit bumpy for dyed-in-the-wool VB programmers. You'd probably need the forms generator to compile this, or remove the forms related include. Oh, and obviously you should rename the file from .txt to .bas.
Conrad -- maybe you should post to the HP/Agilent group at Yahoo:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/hp_agilent_equipment/
The performance of PowerBasic looks pretty impressive (compared to VB).
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/hp_agilent_equipment/
The performance of PowerBasic looks pretty impressive (compared to VB).
I check in there now and then, plus the Yahoo GR and Tektronix forums. Though there are some audio people there, this is really where it's at. BTW, PowerBASIC just came out with version 9, which has good COM support (that's not RS232 for the unfamiliar!). That means it can use pretty much anybodies activex and other COM controls. At work I use PB to talk to Gurley rotary encoders, the micro motors we make, and various pieces of test equipment via the Agilent I/O suite. Sometime soon I'll update the audio analyzer program using the additional features of version 9, maybe add some printing and other functions. It's sort of a work in progress that does what I need, but could use some serious polishing. It just hasn't been at the top of my list recently.
Right now I'm having my work room rebuilt, with floor to ceiling bookshelves for all the technical reference books (I collect just about anything technical from 1900 on), and a huge workbench along one wall that's deep enough for full depth test equipment like the old HP 6 1/2 digit meters, and long enough to have several projects going at once. I've been using the vertical method where projects just form a big uncompleted pile of wires and parts. Maybe my minor flood was a good thing, but until the room is put back together, little or nothing is accessible.
Right now I'm having my work room rebuilt, with floor to ceiling bookshelves for all the technical reference books (I collect just about anything technical from 1900 on), and a huge workbench along one wall that's deep enough for full depth test equipment like the old HP 6 1/2 digit meters, and long enough to have several projects going at once. I've been using the vertical method where projects just form a big uncompleted pile of wires and parts. Maybe my minor flood was a good thing, but until the room is put back together, little or nothing is accessible.
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