how do you see the instruments on Labview?

[beginner00]

Hi, I'm just starting the Labview on my own. I've got a Windows 10 PC and a Keithley 2400 connected via a Keysight 82357B USB-GPIB connector. PC's control panel recognizes the Keysight connector. Labview does not show the 2400 under Tools - Instrumentation - Find Instrument Drivers - Connected Instruments. It shows <no connected instrument detected>. Can someone tell me what I may be doing wrong? I'm a very beginner, and I'm not a PC power user either. Thank you, 

[RTSLVU]

Well to begin with all instruments and interfaces have to be "found" in NI-MAX before LabVIEW can see them. 

I have never use that exact USB-GPIB but my experience using an Agilent USB-GPIB adaptor you need to enable the "Tulip Driver" in NI-MAX.

[beginner00]

RTSLVU, thank you very much for your advice. My connector is actually an Agilent brand; just PC shows it under the keysight brand. (The "LSTN" indicator on my Keithley unit front panel comes on and off without me doing anything, which I don't understand why so.)

I had tried NI-MAX but all it showed was my PC. Upon your advice I tried to find the tulip driver and I realized I don't have "NI VISA" under "Tools" of NI-MAX. I looked around but could not find "NI VISA" or "Visa Options." Where else should I look for "NI VISA" or "Visa Options" or it is maybe conditional to have those options shown? Could I get a little more advice please?

 

[RTSLVU]

You need to download and install NI-VISA and maybe NI-488.2

That should give you everything you need, remember to enable the Tulip driver in NI-MAX.

[beginner00]

Thank you, I managed installing those two and am now back to here: "Well to begin with all instruments and interfaces have to be "found" in NI-MAX before LabVIEW can see them."

My Keithley 2400 now shows up in Instrument Driver Finder (on the left in the image below), but it is not very obvious in NI-MAX (right in the image below). In NI-MAX I see a bunch of GPIB items listed in the tree. Is this the way it's supposed to be? I was expecting 2400 would show up here as well...

My first goal is to do the same as in this tutorial video, and the code still gives me errors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTvoqTrtMTg

[RTSLVU · Accepted solution]

Okay let's focus on NI-MAX because all instruments need to show up in NI-MAX one way or another.

You can kinda think of NI-MAX as a NI-VISA configuration tool.

Here an example of what NI-MAX could look like:

 under "Devices and Interfaces

1. The GPIB interface shows up under "Devices and Interfaces"
2. All of the instruments connected to that GPIB interface show up under that interface
3. Your instrument should should show up here too.

If it doesn't make sure your instrument is set to use its GPIB interface and try hitting "Scan for Instruments".

 Forget the "instrument driver finder" you can download the LabVIEW drivers for the Keithley 2400 here.

[beginner00]

Thank you again RTSLVU. After a few trials Labview is happily talking to my 2400, like I've been able to reproduce the vi shown in the YouTube video. NI_MAX on the other hand is not showing the 2400. I can't tell why, but at least I can now move forward, and find out more about NI-MAX. So, thank you again and I'll close this discussion. 

Happy coding!

[RTSLVU]

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@beginner00 wrote:

Thank you again RTSLVU. After a few trials Labview is happily talking to my 2400, like I've been able to reproduce the vi shown in the YouTube video. NI_MAX on the other hand is not showing the 2400. I can't tell why, but at least I can now move forward, and find out more about NI-MAX. So, thank you again and I'll close this discussion. 

Happy coding!

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That's very strange as what NI-MAX does when searching for instruments is simply a *IDN? query on every possible GPIB address. Any instrument that is IEEE 488.2 compliant (pretty much anything with a GPIB port manufactured in the last 20+ years)  it should respond with the model number and possibly the serial number of the instrument.

It is possible that your instrument has a setting for 488.2 enable or disable as some of our older Yokogawa power analyzers have that setting and when it's disabled they will not respond to any of the IEEE 488.2 "common commands" like *IDN?.