README.TXT
Agilent 33250A 80 MHz Function / Arbitrary Waveform Generator
Universal Instrument Driver (UID)
Driver Revision A.00.02
November 2002
Revision History
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A.00.00 March 2000 Initial Release.
A.00.01 June 2002 Second Release.
A.00.02 November 2002 Third Release.
Added pass-through functions.
Corrected problem in ag33250a_init call.
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Contents:
1 Introduction
2 VTL/VISA Specific Information
2.1 Instrument Addresses
2.2 Language Specific Features
3 Using the 33250A UID in Application Development Environments
3.1 Microsoft Visual C/C++
3.2 Microsoft Visual Basic
3.3 LabWindows/CVI
4.0 Known Defects
5.0 Online Information
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1. Introduction
The help file included with the 33250A Universal Instrument Driver contains
instrument and programming information. This readme file contains additional
information concerning the driver.
The 33250A Windows 95 and Windows NT drivers are actually a single 32-bit
driver.
This 33250A driver conforms to all portions of the VXIplug&play driver
standard which are applicable to conventional GPIB and RS-232. Two
elements of the standard do not apply to the 33250A since it is not a
VXI instrument. First, there is no soft front panel, as the 33250A
can be controlled from it's hardware front panel. Second, there is no
knowledge base file, which is primarily a description of a VXI board.
This driver features:
1. Conformance with the VXIplug&play standard. The only exceptions are that
it does not have a soft front panel or a knowledge base file.
2. It is built on top of, and uses the services provided by VISA. VISA
supports GPIB and VXI protocols. The driver can be used with any
GPIB card for which the manufacturer has provided a VISA DLL.
3. It includes a "Function Panel" (.fp) file which allows it to be used
with visual programming environments such as Agilent VEE, LabWindows,
and LabVIEW.
4. It includes a comprehensive on-line help file which complements the
instrument manual. The help file presents application programming
examples, a cross-reference between instrument commands and driver
functions, and detailed documentation of each function, with examples.
5. Source is included so that the driver can be modified if desired. The
source conforms to VXI Plug & Play standards. Modifications should only
be done by people who are familiar with the VXIplug&play standard.
6. It includes a Visual Basic include file (.bas) which contains the function
calls in Visual Basic syntax, so that driver functions can be called from
Visual Basic. If you use Visual Basic with this driver, you should be
familiar with C/C++ function declarations. In particular, care must be
taken when working with C/C++ pointers.
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2. VISA Specific Information
The following topics refer to instances when the driver is used with
different versions of VISA.
2.1 Instrument Addresses
When using VXIplug&play instrument drivers, instrument addresses must
be all uppercase letters. Implementation of the addressing scheme is
vendor specific and some vendors support mixed cases. However, for
maximum portability, the instrument address should use uppercase
characters only.
For example: use "GPIB0::10" instead of "gpib0::10"
2.2 Language Specific Features
Language Specific features are not supported with this driver.
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3. Application Development Environments
For general instructions on using the driver with Agilent VEE,
Microsoft Visual C++, Borland C++, Microsoft Visual Basic,
LabVIEW, and LabWindows/CVI, see the online help file.
Additional notes:
3.1 Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 (& higher) and Borland C++ 4.5 (& higher)
Refer to your Microsoft Visual C++ or Borland C++ manuals for information
on linking and calling .DLLs.
A.) The driver uses Pascal calling conventions.
B.) Do not build the driver in the directory in which it was installed.
3.2 Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0 (& higher)
Refer to the Microsoft Visual BASIC manual for information on calling DLLs.
The BASIC include file is hp33250a.bas, which is contained in the directory
~win95include or ~winntinclude. The ~ refers to the directory in the
VXIPNP variable. By default this is set to C:VXIPNP or C:Program FilesVISA,
depending on what version of VISA you are using. You may also need to
include the visa.bas file that comes with your VISA DLL.
3.3 Agilent VEE
Your copy of Agilent VEE contains a document titled "Using VXIplug&play
Drivers with Agilent VEE for Windows." This document contains the
detailed information you need for VEE applications.
3.4 LabWindows CVI/(R) 4.0 (& higher)
The 33250A driver is supplied as both a source code file and as a dynamic
link library file (dll). There are several advantages to using the dll
form of the driver. These include:
1. Transportability across different computer platforms
2. A higher level of support from Hewlett-Packard for the compiled driver
3. Faster load time for your project
Labwindows/CVI (R) by default will attempt to load the source version
of the instrument driver. To load the dll you must include the file
hp33250a.fp in your project. This file can be found in the ~win95hp33250a
or ~winnthp33250a directory. DO NOT INCLUDE hp33250a.c in your project.
You must also provide an include path for hp33250a.h. This is done by
adding the directory ~win95include or ~winntinclude to the include
paths (CVI Project Option menu) if you have not already done so. The ~
refers to the directory in the VXIPNP variable. By default this is set
to C:VXIPNP or C:Program FilesVISA, depending on what version of
VISA you are using.
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4.0 Known Defects
There are no known defects in the 33250A driver.
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5.0 Online Information
The latest version of this driver and other Agilent drivers are available
on the Internet at
http://www.agilent.com/find/inst_drivers
The 33250A driver is located in a self-extracting archive file called
33250a.exe.
If you do not have internet access, the drivers can be obtained by contacting
your country support organization. In the U.S., the phone number is
800-452-4844. A list of contact information for other countries is available
on the Agilent Technologies website at
http://www.agilent.com/find/assist
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LabWindows/CVI is a registered trademark of National Instruments.