Stanford Research Systems RGA100, Operating Manual And Programming Reference

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2 Appendix D
SRS Residual Gas Analyzer
What does the kit include?
The VIs in the kit are divided into three layers. The lowest layer, termed a ““communications layer””,
simply encapsulates the RS232 interface commands. The next layer, an ““operations layer”” draws on
several of the communications layer VIs and adds some data manipulation to allow rapid development of
custom LabVIEW experiments that incorporate the SRS RGA. The last layer, an ““applications layer””, is
provided as an example of what can be created using the operations layer. A stand-alone application is
included in this layer which allows analog, histogram and table scans. The source code for this
application, as well as simplified examples of each of the scan types is included.
What goals can the kit help me accomplish?
The kit was designed to let you quickly :
i
Develop new custom applications using the SRS RGA
i
Incorporate the SRS RGA into your existing LabVIEW applications
i
Integrate data from other sources (temperature, flow rate, etc.) with RGA data
i
Publish your RGA data on the world wide web (using LabVIEW 6i)
The kit was developed in part to accommodate users who asked for more features in our RGA Windows
software. While many users asked for similar features, each had their own special requirements beyond
those common features. The development kit allows users to customize the software to fit their own
individual needs. Groups that had input into this kit (and who should benefit from it) include :
Analytical Chemists
Industrial Refrigerant Engineers
Scientists performing ““hyphenated measurements”” (e.g. Temperature Programmed Desorption)
Surface Scientists
Scientists performing ion counting measurements
What is required to use the kit?
In order to develop custom applications, you will need to have LabVIEW version 5.1 or 6i. The software
is available from National Instruments Corporation; see their web site at
www.ni.com . The kit was
developed under LabVIEW 5.1. In LabVIEW 6i, National Instruments dropped the use of data range
coercion, which causes warnings when you load the VIs in 6i. If you are using 6i, disregard any warnings
about data range coercion; the VIs should function normally.
The requirements for running LabVIEW are :
Windows 9x,ME, NT or 2000 (for Windows NT, Service Pack 3 or later)
32 MB RAM minimum, 64 MB recommended
170 MB disk space for full LabVIEW installation