How to use IVI switch driver with relays (34959A)

[Muffin]

I have the 34980A chassis with a 34959A breadboard in it.  I do not understand how to use this IVI driver to close the general purpose relays.  The driver seems to be setup for a crosspoint matrix and wants the two channels to connect.  I simply want to close one relay, is there some default common channel I am supposed to use for the second one?

[Dennis_Knutson]

I don't quite understand. All of the relays have two channels - an input and an output. In the LabVIEW example, they are denoted as SourceChannel and CommonChannel.

[Muffin]

So if I want to close relay 127 for instance; what would the input and output channel names be?  I do not see anything in the documentation that defines this.

[Dennis_Knutson]

If I remember correctly, you assign the names in MAX. I'm using the 34980 right now but I generally avoid IVI so I can't provide exact specifics. 

[Muffin]

I plan to use max too, but for now I am just trying to get it to work so I am hard coding the channel name in.  Any idea what the syntax is for the channel names?

[Dennis_Knutson]

No, I don't think I've ever used anything hard coded, sorry.

[Muffin]

Still working this issue and having no luck.  I am able to initialize the chassis with the initi VI so I think MAX is setup correctly.  But I cannot get the connect VI to work.  It always rejects my channel names and syays there is no path between the two.  I founf in the documentation that the channel nomenclature is "sccc<term>" were "s"= slot the card is in, "ccc" = channel number, and <term> = the terminals to connect.  For a general purpose relay that would be COM, NO, or NC.  Mine is in slot 1 so I tried 1128COM to 1128NO and it still doesn't work.

I did check the card.  I can open and close the relay manually with the front panel on the chassis.  So the card is working.

[Door-C]

Muffin,

Can you see the device in MAX? How does it show it in MAX, if it does? Is there a specific error that is being returned?

[hognala]

hey Muffin,

The following modules/cards are not supported with the IviSwtch class API in the Agilent 34980A IVI driver (as of version 1.5.3.0):

 34945A, 34950A, 34951A, 34952A, 34959A

I updated the driver download page on Agilent.com to add that note (this little detail was not documented anywhere). Sorry it took so long to figure this out...

As an alternative, you can use the Agilent-specific part of the driver, the LabVIEW driver from NI, or just send the SCPI commands directly.

Alan Copeland

Connectivity Support

Agilent Technologies