HP 8903B, Keysight GPIB software and Peter Millett's software

[erickoester]

I just bought a used HP 8903B and am trying to control it via Windows 7 using Peter Millett's software.

I got a UGPlus USB-to-GPIB adapter made by LQ Electronics
see lqelectronics.com.
see https://www.amazon.com/UGPlus-USB-to-GPIB-Controller/dp/B0174F66AQ

I loaded the included Windows drivers and their UBPlus software can detect and seems to be connecting with the 8903B. When I send the initialize command, the display on the 8903B clears and the REMOTE LED indicator lights up, so it appears that contact with the 8903B is being made via the USB GPIB adapter.

The instructions on Peter's webpage for loading the HP/Agilent/Keysight software appear to be 6 years old, now. I found that the version 5.01 VEE IO Libraries he recommended will not install or run in Windows 7, so I clearly need to use a newer version.

What software version combinations are known to work in Windows 7?
I see that the Keysight Control Bundle from Dec.2016 contains version 17.3 of the IO Libraries Suite.

see Keysight Instrument Control Bundle Download | Keysight (formerly Agilent?s Electronic Measurement)

When I started loading the HP/Agilent/Keysight software last night I was trying to follow Peter's how-to as close as possible, but with newer versions of the software.

I ended up loading:
1. the Keysight VEE Runtime 9.31
VEE Runtime 9.31 Patch | Keysight (formerly Agilent?s Electronic Measurement)
2. IO Lib Suite 16.1
IO Libraries Suite 16.1.14827.0 with .NET 3.5 SP1 | Keysight (formerly Agilent?s Electronic Measurement)
3. Keysight Instrument Control Bundle 12.2016 (contains IO Manager (formerly called Instrument Manager)
Keysight Instrument Control Bundle Download | Keysight (formerly Agilent?s Electronic Measurement)

I am not able to make contact with the 8903B through the HP/Agilent/Keysight software. It doesn't appear to be detecting the 8903B on the GPIB bus.

I'm guessing that "Board Number" is the address of the GPIB adapter?
I'm guessing that VISA address is the GPIB address of the instrument?
I'm not sure what GPIB address the UBPlus is set to. I don't see anything in the UBPlus software that shows the address. I've sent an email to the company to see if they can give me some insight.

I also wonder if I loaded duplicate or conflicting versions of the software?
In looking more closely today, I see that the Keysight Instrument Control Bundle 12.2016 appears to contain IO Lib suite 17.3 and likely the other programs needed.
Perhaps I should go back and uninstall numbers 1 and 2 from my list?

Feedback appreciated.
Eric

 

[erickoester]

got an answer

Well, I can stop trying to get the HP/Agilent/Keysight software to work with the UGPlus USB GPIP adapter. The manufacturer said it isn't compatible.

Thank you for your interests in our products. I'd like to provide some information about UGPlus,
1. VEE Runtime software does not work with UGPlus. Softwares for USB to GPIB Controller are not exchangable.
2. UGPlus takes fixed address, which is 21. It is based IEEE488.1 standard.

If they would just put up this type of compatibility info on their website...

 

[Rax]

Eric - did you register any progress with this? I am looking for a path forward in the same direction... Not sure what the options are.
Thanks!
Radu.

 

[tomchr]

I've used the controllers by Prologix. They're great.

You can find a starting point for how to control the HP8903 here: Neurochrome Audio :: Tools

Tom

 

[erickoester]

Yes. I got the Agilent USB GPIB adapter and it works well.

Eric

 

[syn08]

I just bought a used HP 8903B and am trying to control it via Windows 7 using Peter Millett's software.

I got a UGPlus USB-to-GPIB adapter made by LQ Electronics
see lqelectronics.com.
see Amazon.com: UGPlus USB to GPIB Controller: Electronics

I loaded the included Windows drivers and their UBPlus software can detect and seems to be connecting with the 8903B. When I send the initialize command, the display on the 8903B clears and the REMOTE LED indicator lights up, so it appears that contact with the 8903B is being made via the USB GPIB adapter.

The instructions on Peter's webpage for loading the HP/Agilent/Keysight software appear to be 6 years old, now. I found that the version 5.01 VEE IO Libraries he recommended will not install or run in Windows 7, so I clearly need to use a newer version.

What software version combinations are known to work in Windows 7?
I see that the Keysight Control Bundle from Dec.2016 contains version 17.3 of the IO Libraries Suite.

see Keysight Instrument Control Bundle Download | Keysight (formerly Agilent?s Electronic Measurement)

When I started loading the HP/Agilent/Keysight software last night I was trying to follow Peter's how-to as close as possible, but with newer versions of the software.

I ended up loading:
1. the Keysight VEE Runtime 9.31
VEE Runtime 9.31 Patch | Keysight (formerly Agilent?s Electronic Measurement)
2. IO Lib Suite 16.1
IO Libraries Suite 16.1.14827.0 with .NET 3.5 SP1 | Keysight (formerly Agilent?s Electronic Measurement)
3. Keysight Instrument Control Bundle 12.2016 (contains IO Manager (formerly called Instrument Manager)
Keysight Instrument Control Bundle Download | Keysight (formerly Agilent?s Electronic Measurement)

I am not able to make contact with the 8903B through the HP/Agilent/Keysight software. It doesn't appear to be detecting the 8903B on the GPIB bus.

I'm guessing that "Board Number" is the address of the GPIB adapter?
I'm guessing that VISA address is the GPIB address of the instrument?
I'm not sure what GPIB address the UBPlus is set to. I don't see anything in the UBPlus software that shows the address. I've sent an email to the company to see if they can give me some insight.

I also wonder if I loaded duplicate or conflicting versions of the software?
In looking more closely today, I see that the Keysight Instrument Control Bundle 12.2016 appears to contain IO Lib suite 17.3 and likely the other programs needed.
Perhaps I should go back and uninstall numbers 1 and 2 from my list?

Feedback appreciated.
Eric

It won't work before you'll see the GPIB adapter and the 28 instrument in the Keysight IO Manager.

The Keysight IO Lib suite knows only about their own adapters, and has a bridge to VISA (allowing NI adapters to work). So it is unlikely you'l ever get it working with a 3rd party GPIB adapter. Get a Keysight USB HS GPIB adapter, they come for pretty cheap today (for what you need even a Chinese knock off clone will work). Or a Prologix, as indicated.

 

[Rax]

Thanks all! I'm likely gonna grab an Agilent 82357B this weekend. Indeed, not as pricey as they used to be.

What are everyone's feelings about the venerable HP 8903B?... I have one freshly calibrated (2015), with long form calibration certificate, and I just checked and it's within -0.16dB @ 100kHz and such, and would rather keep it. But the noise and distortion floor is rather high for these days. I'm wondering how much I should keep investing in it or maybe let is go and get something better than 100dB. I know those don't come very cheap, but used APs are within reach.

 

[Rax]

Thanks all! I'm likely gonna grab an Agilent 82357B this weekend. Indeed, not as pricey as they used to be.

What are everyone's feelings about the venerable HP 8903B?... I have one freshly calibrated (2015), with long form calibration certificate, and I just checked and it's within -0.16dB @ 100kHz and such, and would rather keep it. But the noise and distortion floor is rather high for these days. I'm wondering how much I should keep investing in it or maybe let is go and get something better than 100dB. I know those don't come very cheap, but used APs are within reach.

Well, on further thought, getting the GPIB adapter makes more sense as I also have an HP 54522A... I think that one can also connect to PC via GPIB.

 

[Rax]

further work...

Alright, have been working on this but have not really gotten anywhere yet. Overall, I guess there are two pathways to be explored.

1. Prologix adapter. Tom's tools seem to cover the field pretty well. What I am unsure at this point - as I don't have the adapter and can't try hands on - is if they provide the graphic ability Pete's tools bring. Can I plot a frequency response? Etc. The Prologix cards are a bit more expensive than what an Agilent device can be had for these days, but it seems to be a bit more platform-agnostic than them. The HP/Agilent ones I believe require the darn VEE tools which will spring white hairs on my bald head pretty soon.

2. HP/Agilent adapters. I have the 82357B, which seem to work perfectly with its Agilent IO tools included with the kit. But I can't get Pete's tools to work with any VEE platform at all. One issue is the VEE runtime - Pete states on his site the tools allow re-distribution: does this mean anyone can use them for free under Pete's re-distribution? I've tried all the way back to direct download from his site (5.0, I think) on an old XP computer, but am getting the error I enclose. Going further in versions (other) errors keep popping up until I get to 9.33, which under Win 10 at a minimum returns correct interface from Pete's tools, but there's no indication I could run that past trial. And they're not doing anything even in that case if I try to run FR, or any other one.

I've changed the name of the device (an HP 8903B) to be "Audio Analyzer," as it seems to be mandatory for the tools to run.

Thanks all for your help!

 

[Rax]

Jeez! KaboooOOooom! It's alive!

Thank you Pete - amazing guy he is - but there's both a Runtime (free) version of VEE, and the Pro ($2k) version. Running Pete's vxe code costs nothing and relies only on the free VEE program: VEE Runtime | Keysight (formerly Agilent’s Electronic Measurement).

Also, required were the following steps I found on the GBIP-USB Adapter google group (Google Groups):
1. Install Agilent IO Library [version].
2. After installing Agilent IO library, run Agilent Connection Expert, select tools-> Option -> Agilent 488 Option and check 'Enable Agilent GPIB cards for 488 programs'
3. Install Agilent VEE runtime [version].
4. Open IO Configuration under VEE runtime folder, select find instrument. If the 8903B is connected to your PC now, the default address should be 28, and the software will ask you whether send "*IDN?" to the instrument at address 28, select No because 8903B not recognize this command
5. right click on the new instrument(@GPIB0::28::INSTR) , select instrument properties, and change the name to Audio Analyzer (case sensitive here!!!).
6. Pressed the save I/O configuration button in the Instrument Manager (very important!!!)
7. Select Advance and change the timeout to 20 sec
Usually, this will make your 8903B works with Pete Millet's software. If you got error message as following:
"Configuration Error: Driver for "Audio Analyzer" not found error number 801
Use the instrument manager to add it"
Pls check step 5/6 and make sure you use the right name/GPIB address and saved the configuration

This is it.

 

[steveu]

I worked for HP/Agilent/Keysight and wrote a lot of test programs. Although we got 82357x at a fraction of the retail price, GPIB is an old and expensive and slow interface that I only used because I had to. We had a lot of old test equipment. I managed to make connection more or less automatic but most GPIB software does not. GPIB belongs with HP BASIC (rocky mountain basic) where the user interface is a DOS screen with function keys. VEE was an attempt to make that RMB language into a "visual" interface, but it just complicated the task. I salute Pete and others who were able to make VEE useful, but I avoided layers of software and the limitations of VEE by controlling instruments directly from MS office vba. Charts and data were directly created in Excel and word documents, ready for management review. No extra software was required to read test results since everyone already had Office on their computer.
Newer instruments no longer support GPIB. They use USB and LAN connections. Most support HTML so you can treat an instrument as a web page and/or dedicated remote software so you can run the instrument from your computer.
But in the case of an audio analyzer, a quality sound card can be programmed to do a better job for a fraction of the price.
So playing with an 8903 would be fun but I wouldn't spend serious money (> $500) on it and a GPIB interface.

 

[steveu]

I see there are some cheap GPIB adapters based on Arduino and PIC controllers. I note that this one
https://www.ebay.com/p/Ugsimple-USB-to-GPIB-Controller-Made-in-USA/1276098141?iid=171631337518
has a 10mS timeout which causes problems with (old) slow instruments.
I also doubt that this kind of adapter could drive a long GPIB cable, vs being plugged directly into one instrument. That's fine because GPIB cables are heavy and expensive so who needs them.
One strange feature of GPIB is the EOL signal. GPIB has a wire that functions as "End Of Line", equivalent to CR-LF in a serial interface. If I made a GPIB interface, I would automatically convert EOL to CR-LF, but I know that a 82357 does no such thing. So you can get strings sitting in the buffer never processed and your system hangs. This was a problem with an old HP RF power meter, but otherwise rare.

 

[steveu]

Edit:
One strange feature of GPIB is the EOI signal. GPIB has a wire that functions as "End Of Line", equivalent to CR-LF in a serial interface. 82357 requires this signal unless you program it to accept CR-LF alone. So you can get strings sitting in the buffer never processed and your system hangs. This was a problem with an old HP RF power meter, but otherwise rare.

 

[tomchr]

What are everyone's feelings about the venerable HP 8903B?...

It's a great instrument. Rock solid and easy to use. But limited by its 80 dB dynamic range. To get better you're looking at the Audio Precision APx analyzers. That's $6500 minimum (last I checked), and ~$10k+ by the time you have the options you need for bench work.

You can extend the dynamic range of your 8903 with Bob Cordell's Distortion Magnifier (or similar). That's probably the most attractive option for the DIYers.

Tom

 

[Rax]

You can extend the dynamic range of your 8903 with Bob Cordell's Distortion Magnifier (or similar). That's probably the most attractive option for the DIYers.
Tom

Tom - do go on. I'm very interested in ways to improve this instrument. I do love it, and figuring out Pete's tools just put a couple of cherries on top. I've been plotting frequency responses to everything I can easily hook to it the past few nights with the same oblivion my 5 year old daughter exhibits in a toy store. But its dynamic range is indeed underwhelming and getting that dealt with would be a huge step forward.

My other recent built is Pete's interface hooked to an E-MU 0404 which I modified to fix its left channel issues. Very quiet rig this is.

I just ordered Volume 0 of the Linear Audio Magazine to find out more on Cordell's kit.

Radu.

 

[Rax]

1. Install Agilent IO Library [version].
2. After installing Agilent IO library, run Agilent Connection Expert, select tools-> Option -> Agilent 488 Option and check 'Enable Agilent GPIB cards for 488 programs'
3. Install Agilent VEE runtime [version].
4. Open IO Configuration under VEE runtime folder, select find instrument. If the 8903B is connected to your PC now, the default address should be 28, and the software will ask you whether send "*IDN?" to the instrument at address 28, select No because 8903B not recognize this command
5. right click on the new instrument(@GPIB0::28::INSTR) , select instrument properties, and change the name to Audio Analyzer (case sensitive here!!!).
6. Pressed the save I/O configuration button in the Instrument Manager (very important!!!)
7. Select Advance and change the timeout to 20 sec
Usually, this will make your 8903B works with Pete Millet's software. If you got error message as following:
"Configuration Error: Driver for "Audio Analyzer" not found error number 801
Use the instrument manager to add it"
Pls check step 5/6 and make sure you use the right name/GPIB address and saved the configuration

In case anyone wonders, current [version] is 9.33.

 

[tomchr]

Tom - do go on. I'm very interested in ways to improve this instrument. I do love it...

It's a nice box indeed. If you haven't already, get the service manual for it. There's a thread on here somewhere that is dedicated to improving the performance of the 8903, mostly by swapping opamps for more modern versions. I'm not sure how much can be gained from that, but it could be worth entertaining. You'll get more dynamic range extension out of the Distortion Magnifier, though.

Tom