WinGPIB - Windows GPIB App (multi-purpose)

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.20 available in post #1.
Screenshots update.

Tidied up the GUI and limited the number of digits shown after the D.P. across the board.
Added an ABOUT section on the main screen.
Tidied up the Playback screen.

NB. Have still got to test & validate the PPM Dev. graph properly on the Playback Chart etc.

Ian.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.21 available in post #1.

Slight tweak to PPM Dev. scale in Playback Chart.

NB. Have still got to test & validate the PPM Dev. graph properly on the Playback Chart etc. I am playing with PPM Deviation and also Tempco calcs (ppm/degC)

Ian.

[blackdog]

Hi Ian, 

This is a picture of software V1.18 afther four after four hours of logging, blue is the 34461A DMM and yellow is the 3458A DMM both set to 10plc.


And this is a test with the 1.20 version of the software,  again the settings are such that I use 10PLC for both instruments and both instruments measure my LAB reference.


Is it not possible to create a configuration file for an instrument, a simple text file
In which you enter the settings you want to use for a 34461A or a Racal Dana 1991.
And that you choose the configuration file in your software via a load button?

The order for a LM399 testboard is from me, for your hard work 

Kind Regards,
Bram

PS,
The Chart is working better now.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.22 available in post #1.

A slight GUI change to the Devices selection on the main app.

I have done a bit more work to the PPM Deviation functions on the Playback Chart, work on the calculations and work on the PPM scale (tough to code outside of the VB Chart object!).
Now able to select between PPM Deviation and PPM Tempco (ppm/degC) plotting.

Still not finished and still not working properly, I have still got some work to do and then to test & validate the PPM data properly.

Ian.

[Grandchuck]

Hello all,

A screenshot of two instruments running.  It was straightforward to get a 34465A added as instrument #2.

Thanks again Ian.  This is a valuable asset to my home lab.

I have ordered the temperature/humidity sensor.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.23 available in post #1.

I have identified a problem reading the .CSV into the Playback Chart.........i.e. it does work, but some CSV's are dual device logs, some are single devices logs.......and it can trip up the code if you don't select properly.....so I need to re-write the sub that loads in the CSV so that it always gets it right.

I have started to do this but it's not finished so for now just select careful.

Ian.

[IanJ]

Hello all,

A screenshot of two instruments running.  It was straightforward to get a 34465A added as instrument #2.

Thanks again Ian.  This is a valuable asset to my home lab.

I have ordered the temperature/humidity sensor.

You'll not regret the temp/hum probe.......probably the most reliable thing of the whole project......:-)

Ian.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.24 available in post #1.

The problem with the Playback Chart CSV file loading is fixed.
The way the CSV is loaded is now slightly different. The DEVICE NAMES are automatically pulled from the CSV and the entry boxes on the Playback chart populated.
If it's a dual device recorded CSV then both are pulled in (yellow and blue), if it's a single device CSV then it just loads the one accordingly (yellow).

Ian.

Hi all,

V1.23 available in post #1.

I have identified a problem reading the .CSV into the Playback Chart.........i.e. it does work, but some CSV's are dual device logs, some are single devices logs.......and it can trip up the code if you don't select properly.....so I need to re-write the sub that loads in the CSV so that it always gets it right.

I have started to do this but it's not finished so for now just select careful.

Ian.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.25 available in post #1.

Fixed issue where RESET button remained hidden when STOP pressed on main app.

Ian.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.26 available in post #1.

I have made an attempt add adding an x-axis scale to the Playback Chart, units are Minutes.
It's not perfect, but it's a start. Also, it's only compatible with log files made in the past 7 or 8 versions (when I made a change to teh time stamp in the CSV).

I have left V1.25 available for download as there are quite a few mods to make this new version work.

Ian.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.27 available in post #1.
V1.28 available in post #1.

I have tidied up the x-axis scale functionality on the Playback Chart.

I have left V1.25 available for download as there are quite a few mods to make this new version work.

Ian.

[blackdog]

Hi Ian, 

The Autoscale is still troublesome in the main program.
If i configure my 34461A as device-2 alone, it wil never work...

And is it posible to load the settings for device-1 and device-2 via a config file like your notepad button but then for 1 instrument.
so i wil have in de directory where your program is, say 10 different cdevice files, like this: 34461a-DC10V-100PLC.conf, 3458A-1V-10PLC, etc.
Than you can quickly chose device settings for a instrument.

Have a nice weekend, and i do not mean a coding weekend

Kind regards,
Bram

[IanJ]

Hi Ian, 

The Autoscale is still troublesome in the main program.
If i configure my 34461A as device-2 alone, it wil never work...

And is it posible to load the settings for device-1 and device-2 via a config file like your notepad button but then for 1 instrument.
so i wil have in de directory where your program is, say 10 different cdevice files, like this: 34461a-DC10V-100PLC.conf, 3458A-1V-10PLC, etc.
Than you can quickly chose device settings for a instrument.

Have a nice weekend, and i do not mean a coding weekend

Kind regards,
Bram

Yes, I found a bug in the AutoScale sub which meant values from Dev1 were being carried to the Dev2 routine. Fixed.

Note: There's a small problem with the Zoom In & Zoom Out controls on the main app. If there is very little noise on the source signal and the min/max recorded is extremely small then those two buttons don't appear to do anything. I can see what's going on and will fix it in a later version if I can.

V1.29 available in post #1.

PS. I hear what you are saying about the config file, but I doubt I will implement anything further there.......file handling is a pain to do (for me) as it means parsing the data, making sure it's all formatted correctly, and what to do if it isn't etc.

Ian.

[blackdog]

Hi Ian,

I understand, coding for me is very difficult, because I have dyslexia.
So coding it for myself wil not happen, its a hell for me.

It is very difficult for me to struggle through the HP3458A and the KeySight GPIB code.
There are so many differences between the different instruments and so few simple examples of how to apply the code.
I find analogue electronics much simpler...

I have searched myself crazy for my 34461A to put it on 100PLC mode via GPIB and I can't find it...

The way I do it now for this measuring instrument is to enter this string in your software: CONF:VOLT:DC 10,0.000003
This gives a 10V DC range with a 100 PLC value, not really clear to me.
I know the last part of the string: 0.000003 sets the resolution, but why not something like *PLC100,
Maybe I haven't searched well or it's in my blind spot... 

Kind regards,
Bram

[alm]

I have searched myself crazy for my 34461A to put it on 100PLC mode via GPIB and I can't find it...

Try VOLT:DC:NPLC 100 in DCV mode. You'll need to set range and function via separate commands.

[blackdog]

Hi Alm 

Thanks, i will try it tomorrow, at the moment version 1.29 is running to see if it is stable.
I also upgraded my measuring computer, is is a Windows-7 machine, DELL Precision T1500 with a early I7 processor, 860 at 2.8GHz and 12 GB work memory.

The system load is verry low, below 5%, nice.



Kind regards,
Bram

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.30 available in post #1.

Playback Chart updates:
- Bug fix to the SHIFT UP / SHIFT DOWN buttons where the operation was a little slow and the calculated new max/min scale positions were beyond 7 dp's.
- Added "warning" pop-up when an old format CSV file is loaded and as a result the x-axis "mins" scale doesn't render (all zeros).

Ian.

[alm]

Bram,

The full commands to set an SCPI-compatible meter to measure 10 V DC at 100 NPLC will be something like:

Code: [Select]

FUNCTION 'VOLT:DC'
VOLT:DC:RANGE 10
VOLT:DC:NPLC 100


[noname4me]

Nice thread...quick question...why not use labview? 

Might it not be an easier solution?

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

[IanJ]

Nice thread...quick question...why not use labview? 

Might it not be an easier solution?

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

I have never used Labview......plus doesn't it cost a minimum of £320 per year?
I would suspect also that Labview would not offer the complete and utter flexibility (and hardships!) of writing in VB (Visual Studio).

Ian.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

V1.31 available in post #1.

Playback Chart updates:
- PPM Deviation - Added the optional ability to pull the Median Values from the 1st entry in the CSV instead of typing it it manually. In the case of Dual Device CSV's, it will pull from the relevant device line as selected.

TO-DO:
Need to add tooltips on all the various buttons etc.....the app is getting quite complicated without a manual!

Ian.

[blackdog]

Hi Ian,

I can do what i want, but it is not posible for me to get any useful information out of the playback chart.
It doesn't matter if I use one of your .csv or one I made myself...
This is a picture where you can see something at the bottom, I can't make anything else with it.
I have tried many settings but none of them provides a useful piece of software.
What am I doing wrong?



Kind regards,
Bram

[IanJ]

Hi Ian,

I can do what i want, but it is not posible for me to get any useful information out of the playback chart.
It doesn't matter if I use one of your .csv or one I made myself...
This is a picture where you can see something at the bottom, I can't make anything else with it.
I have tried many settings but none of them provides a useful piece of software.
What am I doing wrong?
Kind regards,
Bram

Manually edit your CSV and delete the first entry or so......you seem to have a rising voltage right at the start of the log......which is effectively giving your min and max a huge range.....thus the Playback chart resolution ends up quite low as a result (9.9 to 10.1 Vdc).
Don't worry about losing the first index numbers of the CSV, they aren't used for anything really.

To avoid this in the future, when you start logging the LAST thing you should do is hit ENABLE CSV and when the Data Log is showing good data.

Example of a CSV which need the first line deleted:

Code: [Select]

1,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:31:49,0.00000000,24.9,30.8
2,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:31:49,9.999999730,24.9,30.8
3,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:32:49,9.999999735,24.9,30.6
4,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:33:49,9.999998419,25.0,30.6
5,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:34:49,9.99999779,25.0,30.6
6,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:35:49,9.999996985,25.1,30.7
7,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:36:49,9.999997014,25.1,30.8
8,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:37:49,9.999996883,25.1,30.3
9,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:38:49,9.999996546,25.0,30.3
10,HP3458A,2018-12-05_21:39:49,9.999995932,25.0,31.0

Ian.

[blackdog]

Hi Ian,

Friday night I had your software work on the 34461A and the 3458a.
And it was the second night that the software got stuck.

The software runs here on a 64 bit Windows -7 computer without unnecessary software.
Meanwhile I have also been able to solve all the remarks and errors from the windows logs.
Only the WMI 10 eror that is in almost every Windows-7 computer i cant kill, but this is not important.
The following screenshots contain some Dutch text, but the important information consists of English text.

I hope these pictures helps to find erors in your software.








Kind regards,
Bram

PS

Your remarks workt, see the picture below.
The wave is the temperature dependency of the instruments and a little of my 10V LAB reference. (draf and switching on and off of the heater in my lab)
The LAB reference will come in a second oven of about 40C and the inner oven is about 43C, but that is a job of the beginning of 2019.

[IanJ]

Hi Ian,

Friday night I had your software work on the 34461A and the 3458a.
And it was the second night that the software got stuck.

The software runs here on a 64 bit Windows -7 computer without unnecessary software.
Meanwhile I have also been able to solve all the remarks and errors from the windows logs.
Only the WMI 10 eror that is in almost every Windows-7 computer i cant kill, but this is not important.
The following screenshots contain some Dutch text, but the important information consists of English text.

I hope these pictures helps to find erors in your software.

Kind regards,
Bram

PS

Your remarks workt, see the picture below.
The wave is the temperature dependency of the instruments and a little of my 10V LAB reference. (draf and switching on and off of the heater in my lab)
The LAB reference will come in a second oven of about 40C and the inner oven is about 43C, but that is a job of the beginning of 2019.

I will look into the warning error....but if you can click on the DETAILS tab so I can see more.

Your PPM graph is offscreen (almost).....so change your PPM SCALE to say 6 or 7 instead of 5 and you should be fine.
Also, see the latest version to make it easier to set the MEDIAN VALUE for PPM Deviation.......if it's of interest to you.

I am adding Tooltips to all the buttons for the next version which will help usability.
Also, I am adding another button to the Playback Screen....."SAVE SCREENSHOT" which generates a PNG file of the Playback screen and the filename will be the log file name etc.

Ian.