User Manual 2460 Series
Racal Instruments
2003
Using the 2461 Module 3-1
Chapter 3
OPERATION OF THE 2461 VIA
THE VXI
plug&play
DRIVER
VXI
plug&play
Driver
Use of the VXIplug&play driver allows the operator to develop
programs without intimate knowledge of the command set, SCPI
or IEEE 488.2 standards.
The driver consists of a number of functions, help files, soft front
panels, knowledge base and help facility. The front panels give the
programmer an easy conversion of front panel settings into
function calls. Alternately, the functions calls can be written directly
by the programmer. The soft front panel is an application that
allows interactive control of the 2461 using the driver functions.
The driver consists of a series of functions, some of which are
mandatory in the VXIplug&play standard. The remainder of the
functions are device defined.
To use the driver it is first necessary to first to establish a link to
the 2461. This is done by the ri2461_init function. This function will
return a handle for future access to the 2461 plugged into the VXI
system. All other functions will require this handle as a passed
parameter. If more than one 2461 exists in a VXI system then this
function must be called for each instrument using the instrument
descriptor to differentiate between instruments. The instrument
descriptor is generated by the resource manager. A device defined
function, ri2461_autoFind, is provided to determine the number of
2461 instruments together with their descriptors and slot numbers.
Using The Soft
Front Panel
The soft front panel (shown in Figure 3-1) gives the operator
interactive control over the 2461 allowing the user to become
more familiar with instrument operation. All major functions are
provided.
To use the soft front panel the driver must have been installed as
previously described. The soft front panel application should be
launched. The soft front panel application will now search for a
2461, or multiple 2461, in the VXI system. If a window appears
with the message ‘No 2461 found in Chassis. Do you want to run
in Demo mode?’ and a 2461 is plugged in then the
troubleshooting guide in the help file should be followed.
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