tmtool doesn't detect Agilent 4339b over GPIB or VISA, can't communicate

Hello,

I have an Agilent 4339B connected to my PC (Windows 7 64x) through an Adlink USB/GPIB interface.

I have the instrument control toolbox (2.11) and MATLAB (7.11). The toolbox tmtool does not detect the presence of the GPIB device.

instrhwinfo('visa') returns: InstalledAdaptors: {'agilent'}

and

instrhwinfo('gpib') returns: InstalledAdaptors: {'agilent' 'ni'}

tmtool after a scan has no devices under GPIB.

However, I have NI-VISA installed and it detects the device at the address GPIB0::1::INSTR. I can communicate with it using the *IDN? command.

However, the command: HWObj = visa('agilent', 'GPIB0::1::INSTR') returns Invalid RSRCNAME specified. Type 'instrhelp visa' for more information.

and the command: HWObj = gpib('agilent',0,1); returns an OBJ but: fopen(HWObj) returns GPIB: AGILENT: The specified board is not installed or configured properly.

Feeling pretty stuck. Help! Thanks.

Answer 1

[Ankit Desai]

Hi Wes,

You must configure vendor's VISA utility before those instruments can show up in MATLAB. For NI VISA the utility is called "Measurement and Automation Explorer" while for Agilent VISA it is "Agilent Connection Expert".

Looks like the device is configured correctly for NI VISA since you are able to communicate with it. If you plan to use the instrument using Agilent VISA or Agilent GPIB, you will have to first configure the instrument in Agilent Connection Expert (ACE) utility. ACE is a part of Agilent IO Libraries suite.

Here's a quick start guide on using ACE.

Also check if there is no Adlink configuration utility that you are required to setup up prior to seeing the connected instruments in ACE.

Just curious, since you are already able to use NI-VISA to communicate with the instrument - is there any particular reason why you plan to use Agilent VISA and/or Agilent GPIB?

-Ankit

[Wes Hermann]

Hi Ankit,

Thank you so much for responding, i really appreciate it.

I talked to Agilent this morning and they said ACE doesn't support the Adlink. Sigh.

I just ordered the Agilent USB/GPIB adapter that should work with ACE.

Question is, what does MATLAB recognize? Maybe the Adlink was the problem? I could find the GPIB address with NI-VISA, but wasn't able to create a hardware object with the "visa" or "gpib" commands of the Instrument Control Toolbox.

Maybe i'll have better luck with the Agilent adapter? I'm worried that ACE and NI-VISA will be able to recognize the 4339b instrument but MATLAB still won't.

Yes, thanks, I tried using the 'ni' vendor argument as well, same results:

HWObj = visa('ni', 'GPIB0::1::INSTR')

Also, I know there are issues with installing multiple VISA applications, but you'd think ONE of them would work for MATLAB. Another thing to try would be to uninstall them all, then just install ACE, and try it from MATLAB.

Thanks again for your thoughts and time.

Wes