Developing A Test Program - Agilent Technologies e6601a Application Note

Developing a Test
Program
Test programs can be developed using either the embedded PC or an external
PC. For best results, Agilent recommends developing and debugging test
programs on an external PC, then uploading the program into the E6601A's
embedded PC for use in testing. The following instructions apply to test program
development on an external PC. Loading the program into the test set is
explained in a later section.
Set up the programming environment – Many programming environments can
be used with the E6601A, including C++, Visual Basic
®
more. Today Visual Studio
the examples given in this application note use the Visual Studio .NET
environment and the Visual Basic programming language. You can learn more
about these programming tools at the Microsoft Web site
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/.
Install IO Libraries Suite – The IO Libraries Suite is an Agilent application for
connectivity. It needs to be installed when you plan to connect instruments to a
PC. The program helps you configure your system to control instruments from
the PC and to transfer data. You can download the suite software from the IO
Libraries Suite Web site: www.agilent.com/find/iolib. Under the Software
menu, select IO Libraries Suite and then IO Libraries Suite 14.1 (or above)
Product Download. After downloading, follow the installation instructions.
Connect and set up the test set – Different options are available for connecting
the external PC used for programming to the E6601A test set.
• GPIB connection
• Connect a GPIB cable from your computer's GPIB interface to the GPIB
connector on the test set's rear panel.
• On the test set's front panel, under Screens, press the Config key.
• In the Configuration Main window, under Instrument Connections, type
the GPIB address you want.
• LAN connection
There are two ways to connect the PC and the E6601A over a LAN. One
method is to connect the PC to the E6601A directly using a cross-over
cable—in effect, setting up a small, PC-to-test-set-only LAN. The other
method is to connect the PC to the E6601A over an office or other existing
LAN or hub. In this case a regular LAN cable is used. Whichever approach
you choose, the following steps apply.
• Get the IP address of the E6601A
On the E6601A desktop, click Start, then select Run. A Run window pops
up. Input CMD in the command bar, then click OK. A black command
window is displayed. Type ipconfig after the flashing cursor and press the
Enter key. The Windows IP configuration is displayed. The IP address,
which is located under Ethernet Adapter Local Area Connection, is the
address for connection.
• On your computer, click on the Agilent IO Control icon in the taskbar and
select Agilent Connection Expert from the pop-up menu. When the Agilent
Connection Expert is launched, select E6601A in the LAN folder. Click the
Change Properties button, which is on the right side of the window. A
Change Configurable Properties of This LAN Device window is displayed.
Type in the IP address of the E6601A, which you located in the previous
step, and then click OK.
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is a popular tool for program development, so
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