98-100 ISSUE 8
36
PC S
OFTWARE
To support the measurement of inductors under different DC load currents, Voltech
has developed a simple PC software application that will enable you to use your
DC1000 and an LCR meter to make inductance measurements with different DC bias
current levels. The results can be displayed graphically on the screen as well as saved
to a file.
Installing the Software
The software is available from Voltech’s web site (www.voltech.com) in the support
section. You should download the “DC1000.zip” file and save this to your PC.
Once downloaded, extract the contents to a temporary folder. The “DC1000
Software.zip” file contains both the PC application and the National Instruments
VISA runtime engine, which is required to run the PC software.
To install the software, run “setup.exe” from the folder to which the “DC1000.zip”
files were extracted. Follow the on screen instructions.
To install the National Instruments run time VISA, run “visa410runtime.exe” and
follow the on screen instructions.
Connecting the Equipment
The DC1000 software currently supports the control of both the DC1000 bias unit,
Voltech’s AT3600 and ATi and an HP 4284A LCR meter. Follow the instructions
earlier in this manual for making the appropriate connections.
The software supports the control of an LCR meter via a GPIB connection. The
DC1000 software works with all National Instruments GPIB cards. Voltech
recommends the National Instruments USB to GPIB converter part number GPIB-
USB-HS.
For information on RS232 support, see the RS232 communications section for
information on USB to RS232 converters.
