Using the GPIB-32 Library with
National Instruments LabView or LabWindows
The following procedure requires that version 1.70 of
National Instruments GPIB 488.2 library must be installed
before continuing since later versions of the 488.2 library
no longer support the "AT-GPIB/TNT" board type.
To configure Measurement Computing's GPIB boards for use with
Labview, please follow the steps below. When the steps below
have been completed, you can test your configuration using the
VISA Interactive Control that is packaged with your VISA
software.
Step 1)
You need to ensure that the system has access to the
Measurement Computing gpib-32.dll. Note that this DLL has the
same name as the National Instruments version. If you have
installed the NI GPIB library, you must remove or rename the
National Instruments gpib-32.dll and make sure the Measurement
Computing version of gpib-32.dll is in the \Windows\System
directory. The Measurement Computing GPIB installation program
will do this if you answer "YES" to the prompt "Copy the file
to the \Windows\System directory" during the setup.
Step 2)
Configure the GPIB board and devices using Measurement
Computing's cbconf32.exe utility program. When you configure
the board using this utility, set the option "Disable Auto
Serial Polling" to "NO". You can verify the board and
device setups using the cbtest32.exe and cbic32.exe programs
to test communications. For additional information on our
cbconf32, cbtest32 and cbic32 utilities please reference the
GPIB Library documentation that shipped with your hardware.
Completing steps 1 and 2 will allow you to use the low level
Labview GPIB I/O instructions for all Labview versions and
the VISA instrument drivers for Labview versions up to 5.x.
Enabling the VISA drivers to recognize Measurement Computing
GPIB hardware in Labview 6 requires the additional steps
detailed in Step 3 below.
Step 3)
The newer versions of Labview use a configuration utility to
manage installed GPIB interfaces and instruments in the system
when using the VISA drivers. The following describes the steps
to take using the configuration utilities that are included
with Labview version 6.
Labview 6.0i uses a configuration program called
"Measurement and Automation Explorer 2.0" or "MAX 2.0". You
must use this program to install a NON Plug'N'Play type GPIB
interface board from the list of National Instrument GPIB
boards. Select the "AT-GPIB/TNT" model. When you choose the
AT-GPIB/TNT board you will be brought into a configuration
procedure for the board setup. Accept the default choices.
When done, you will see a GPIB interface installed in the
configuration tree of the MAX utility. If you highlight this
item and then click "Scan for Devices" the program should
detect the devices connected to your GPIB bus and they can
now be addressed using the VISA instrument drivers.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.