Tektronix OpenChoice Software Release Notes (TekVISA V2.01)
Welcome to the release notes for Tektronix OpenChoice software. The sections below contain detailed
information on installation along with additional information on selected
features of Tektronix OpenChoice software.
In addition to an updated version of TekVISA, this distribution includes
related software that can be used stand-alone or in combination with TekVISA. Software that operates above the VISA API,
such as the TekVISA ActiveX® Control, is typically compatible with other VISA
API implementations.
•
Supported
Operating Systems:
o
Microsoft
Windows 98SE
o
Microsoft
Windows ME
o
Microsoft
Windows NT Version 4.0 SP 6.0 or later.
§
Administrator
rights may be required for installation.
o
Microsoft
Windows 2000
§
Administrator
rights may be required for installation.
o
Microsoft
Windows XP Pro
§
Administrator
rights may be required for installation.
•
Minimum
Hardware Configuration
o
Pentium
III or equivalent or later processor
o
128
MB or more RAM
o
RS-232,
GPIB, or Ethernet connection to compatible Tektronix oscilloscopes
o Keyboard and Mouse
•
RS-232 Serial Support
o
Automatically configures
serial ports (if instruments are connected to them)
o
Identifies whether an
instrument is connected
•
LAN Support
o
Automatic Discovery of
LAN based instruments on your local network.
o
An easy way to specify
searches of non-local networks for LAN based instruments.
o
Conformance with the LAN
support described in the VISA 2.2 specification.
•
Support
For Software Troubleshooting
o
A TekVISA Call Monitor
shows VISA and TVC (TekVISA ActiveX Control) calls as they transact in
connections.
o
All VISA and TVC functions
recorded in the Call Monitor include information showing the time the function
required for completion.
o
Call Monitoring works
with existing user executable code.
•
TekVISA Resource Manager
o
Pop-up Notifier signals
when instrument connections change
o
Add connections with
TCP/IP or alias addressing
•
Enhanced Microsoft
Office Support
o
A toolbar for managing
data transfers into Microsoft Excel
o
A toolbar for managing
data and image transfers into Microsoft Word
•
Platforms
supported by this software distribution include Tektronix open
Windows oscilloscopes and conventional PCs running a 32-bit Windows operating
system. The installer detects the
platform and installs appropriate software components.
•
In many cases, Tektronix
OpenChoice software will be installed in conjunction with another software
installation or will come as part of the initial factory software installation
on a Tektronix open Windows oscilloscope.
Taking full advantage of this software often requires installation on a
conventional PC. For example,
configuring a client connection for the VXI-11 LAN server (see below) will
typically involve installation of the TekVISA software on the PC that is to
serve as the client connection. TekVISA
is a major component of Tektronix OpenChoice software. The installation program for Tektronix
TekVISA software is located in the TekVISA directory in the root of the CD-ROM
containing open Windows oscilloscope software or other Tektronix software. Run the ‘setup.exe’ program found in the
TekVISA directory to install TekVISA software on a conventional PC.
•
The installation program
deals with existing installations of the VISA API in ways that depend on the
specific version of VISA already installed:
If a previous version of Tektronix OpenChoice has
already been installed, then the installation program may enter maintenance
mode. Options to modify the previous
installation, repair (reinstall) the previous installation, or remove Tektronix
OpenChoice software may be presented.
If running setup in maintenance mode is unintentional, exit maintenance
mode by pressing the Cancel button. If
the installation program running in maintenance mode is a different version
from that used to install Tektronix OpenChoice software, it is recommended that
an uninstall via the Control Panel “Add/Remove Programs” applet be done. An uninstall / reinstall sequence is the
best way to avoid mixing files and side effects that may occur from running a
version of the installation program in maintenance mode that differs from the
one currently installed.
Note: Old versions of TekVISA, installed as part of different applications, are handled differently than previous installations of Tektronix OpenChoice software. The installation program removes previous releases of TekVISA by automatically running the uninstaller for the old TekVISA release prior to installing Tektronix OpenChoice software.
As of the date of this document, NI-VISA 2.5 or newer are
the only non-Tektronix VISA API implementations that are compatible with
OpenChoice software features such as the TekVISA ActiveX® Control and the
VXI-11 LAN server. The installer will
detect the NI-VISA installation and offer the option of skipping the
installation of TekVISA. If the option
to keep the current VISA is selected, the installer will retain the NI-VISA
installation and will install all of the other Tektronix OpenChoice
features—other than TekVISA.
Other, potentially incompatible, non-Tektronix VISA implementations should be uninstalled prior to the installation of Tektronix OpenChoice software. If this is NOT done, the installer will warn the user to select between exiting the installation and overwriting the existing VISA installation.
•
All files, with the
exception of VISA32.DLL and some support files, are installed under the
C:\VXIpnp\Win95 directory (Win9x OS) or the C:\VXIpnp\WINNT directory (WinNT /
Win 2K OS).
•
TekVISA 2.01 contains a
revised version of the Tektronix Excel toolbar. It supports Microsoft Excel 2000 or later. The toolbar has been renamed from TekExcel
to TekXL.
•
The uninstall program
for previous versions of TekVISA do not remove the TekExcel toolbar from the
Add-Ins list. It does remove the
TekExcel file from your system. To
remove the TekExcel toolbar from the Add-Ins list.
o
Enter Excel.
o
Select
Tools->Add-Ins…
o
Click on the TekExcel
Add-In.
o
When Excel asks you if
you want to remove TekExcel from the list, click yes.
•
A utility to add the
TekXL toolbar to your Add-Ins list is provided. It will also allow you to select whether you want to have Excel
start the toolbar when you start Excel.
The utility is placed on your desktop and into the
Start->Programs->TekVISA menu. It
is called Tektronix Toolbar Start Preferences.
It also allows you to configure the TekW Toolbar start preferences.
•
The
TekXL toolbar supports:
o
ASRL (Serial)
communications.
-
Serial ports may not be
shared between the TekXL toolbar and other applications. This is a limitation in the supported
operating systems.
-
Triggered captures are
not supported with serial communications.
o
Multiple channel
acquisition.
-
Multiple Channel
Waveform capture.
-
Multiple Channel
Measurements capture (all selected measurements are captured for all selected
channels.
-
Multiple Channel
Triggered capture (waveforms and measurements).
·
INSTALLATION AND TARGET DIRECTORY: The
installer places the TekExcel Toolbar add-in file and supporting components in
a directory named ExcelToobar. The full
path will be C:\VXIpnp\Win95\TekVISA\ExcelToolbar (Win9x OS) or C:\VXIpnp\WINNT\TekVISA\ExcelToolbar (WinNT / Win
2K OS). The TekExcel Add-In file itself is named TekExcelToolbar.xla.
·
PREVIOUS TEKTRONIX EXCEL TOOLBAR: The previous
Tektronix Excel Toolbar was named TekVISAToolbar.xla. The installer should remove the TekVISAToolbar.xla file. If you go into Tools | Add-Ins and select
the TekVISAToolbar, Excel should ask if you want to remove it from the
list. Select Yes.
·
Testing the Toolbar: The
toolbar has up to six icons (depending on the instrument selected). A quick
review of these icons may be gained by clicking on the help icon (the one on
the far right with a question mark). A
tool tip identifying each of the tools is displayed in a tool tip if you let
your mouse linger over the icon. The
icon on the far left is named “TekExcel Connection” and should be tested
first. It lists all detected devices.
Select a device and click the OK button. Once connected, you may experiment
with the other tools on the toolbar.
·
Source Code: All source code for the TekExcelToolbar.xla
file is available through the Microsoft Excel Visual Basic editor. No password protection has been placed on
the file. For those with Visual Basic
for Applications coding experience, please don’t hesitate in setting
breakpoints and stepping through the code.
The toolbar uses two compiled ActiveX components beyond the TVC.OCX
control: p_ExcelInsert.exe and p_TimedMeas.dll.
·
Excel Versions: The Toolbar was developed
using Excel 2000 and runs under Office 2000. Preliminary testing indicates the
Toolbar runs under Office XP. The testing under Office XP has been very
limited. The Toolbar does not run under Excel 97.
•
TekVISA 2.01 introduces
the TekW Toolbar. It supports Microsoft
Word (Microsoft Word 2000 or later).
•
A utility to add the
TekW toolbar to your Templates and Add-Ins list is provided. It will also allow you to select whether you
want to have Word start the toolbar when you start Word. The utility is placed on your desktop and into
the Start->Programs->TekVISA menu.
It is called Tektronix Toolbar Start Preferences. It also allows you to configure the TekXL
Toolbar start preferences.
• Triggered captures are not supported with serial communications.
•
Tektronix
TDS 3000 Series Oscilloscopes must be configured with Version 3.27 or later
firmware. This firmware is available on
the Tektronix web site.
§
Tektronix
WaveStar for Oscilloscopes (WSTRO) Version 2.6 have the following compatibility
issues with TekVISA 2.01:
§
WaveStar
for Oscilloscopes requires instrument names in the format “GPIB*INSTR”
and “ASRL*INSTR” (where * is a wildcard).
-
TekVISA
2.01 automatically assigns:
-
GPIBx::yy::INSTR
to GPIB instruments (x is the board number, yy is the GPIB primary address).
-
ASRLx::INSTR
to serial instruments (x is the COM port number).
-
TCPIP::zzzz::INSTR
to Ethernet instruments (zzzz is the TCPIP address/network name).
o
You
can assign alias names to instruments in TekVISA 2.01 Configuration Manager to
accommodate WaveStar. Use the ‘Alias’
field to change connection names.
-
WaveStar
for Oscilloscopes will NOT find GPIB or serial instruments if you change their
names to any format other than “GPIB*INSTR” or “ASRL*INSTR”.
-
WaveStar
for Oscilloscopes will find Ethernet instruments if you assign names in a
format of “GPIB*INSTR” or “ASRL*INSTR”.
• Installing WaveStar for Oscilloscopes Version 2.6 or earlier onto a TekVISA 2.01 system will overwrite TekVISA 2.01 with a previous version of TekVISA. To regain the benefits of TekVISA 2.01, you must reinstall it.
• TekVISA 2.01 Online Help descriptions for the TekVISA Resource Manager Preferences dialog box is for the previous version of TekVISA (2.00e). The new fields in the TekVISA Resource Manager Preferences dialog box are:
o
Enabled
Popup Notifier – when selected, TekVISA temporarily displays a Window for each
resource that it discovers in the lower right corner of the screen.
o
Automatic
Serial Device Scan – when selected, TekVISA monitors the Clear To Send and Data
Set Ready signal lines for changes. If
an instrument is connected to a COM port or powered on, TekVISA will attempt
Automatic Serial Port Configuration.
o
Serial
Devices – This combo box selects the frequency of search for Serial devices.
The options are Never, Find Button Only, UI Change or Find Buttons, 5 minutes,
15 Minutes, 30 Minutes, 45 Minutes, 1 Hour, 2 Hours, 3 Hours, or 4 Hours.
o GPIB Devices - This combo box selects the frequency of search for GPIB devices. The options are Never, Find Button Only, UI Change or Find Buttons, 5 minutes, 15 Minutes, 30 Minutes, 45 Minutes, 1 Hour, 2 Hours, 3 Hours, or 4 Hours.
•
Preferences
are set differently at installation depending upon whether TekVISA 2.01 is
installed on a Tektronix Windows Oscilloscope or a personal computer.
o
Initial
Preferences for a Tektronix Windows based Oscilloscope are:
-
Scan
on Startup – Enabled.
-
Enabled
Popup Notifier – Disabled.
-
Automatic
Serial Device Scan – Disabled.
-
Serial
Devices – Never.
-
GPIB
Devices – Never.
-
IP Discovery – Never.
-
Host
List Search - Find Button Only.
-
Location
Info – Find Button Only.
o
Initial
Preferences for a Personal Computer are:
-
Scan
on Startup – Enabled.
-
Enabled
Popup Notifier – Enabled.
-
Automatic
Serial Device Scan – Enabled.
-
Serial
Devices – Find Button Only.
-
GPIB
Devices – Find Button Only.
-
IP
Discovery – Never.
-
Host
List Search - Find Button Only.
-
Location
Info – Find Button Only.
o
Clicking
the Default Preferences Button will set the preferences to:
-
Scan
on Startup – Enabled.
-
Enabled
Popup Notifier – Enabled.
-
Automatic
Serial Device Scan – Enabled.
-
Serial
Devices – Find Button Only.
-
GPIB
Devices – Find Button Only.
-
IP
Discovery – Find Button Only.
-
Host
List Search - Find Button Only.
-
Location
Info – Find Button Only.
• TekVISA 2.01 supports assigning alias names to instruments. Click in the Descriptor Alias column (next to the instrument you want to assign an alias name to) and key in the alias name for the instrument.
o The alias name is the name that TekVISA will return to VISA compatible applications.
o Some applications look for certain patterns in the instrument names and, therefore, may not operate correctly.
o Do not use the semicolon ‘;’ in these names.
• Some applications may not support names with embedded spaces or other punctuation.
• You must be running NI 488.2 Version 2.10 or later. Previous versions cause erratic behavior on the Toolbars.
·
Virtual GPIB (V-GPIB) resource modules
are provided for all supported Tektronix open Windows scope models. The V-GPIB resource is a functional
equivalent of the external hardware GPIB connection, but is implemented using
internal hardware / software data paths.
Typically, use of the V-GPIB connection results in improved convenience
and performance. For example, V-GPIB
enables applications running on the scope to access Tektronix scope control and
data. V-GPIB is also the connection
used by the VXI-11 LAN server (see below).
·
Two distinct implementations of V-GPIB
are provided: for NI-VISA version 2.5 or newer and for version 2.0 of
TekVISA. The external behavior and
performance provided by the two V-GPIB implementations are essentially
identical (less than 10% performance difference was observed during benchmark
testing). In both cases, the V-GPIB
resource is opened via the resource string “GPIB8::1::INSTR”.
·
The V-GPIB resource for NI-VISA 2.5 is a
passport DLL. Passport DLLs are an I/O
extension facility supported by newer versions of the National Instruments VISA
implementation. NI-VISA version 2.5 or
newer is required for passport DLL support.
·
The V-GPIB resource for TekVISA 2.0 is a standard TekVISA resource
module. It is therefore equivalent to
other TekVISA resource modules such as those supporting asynchronous or
hardware GPIB connections.
·
INTRODUCTION: TekVISA provides LAN-based oscilloscope connectivity via client
and server support of the VXI-11 network instrument protocol. The VXI-11 LAN server is a Tektronix OpenChoice software feature that may be run on the oscilloscope to
provide TCP/IP network access for controlling and collecting data from the
instrument. The TekVISA API provides a
VXI-11 client as a VISA instrument resource.
The resource must be configured in advance via the TekVISA Configuration
program (VISAConf.exe), but it
is otherwise virtually indistinguishable from any other instrument resource
accessed by any standard VISA-based application.
·
INSTALLATION: The VXI-11
LAN server is installed by default on supported oscilloscope platforms by the Tektronix
OpenChoice installer. As part of the
installation, the VXI-11 Server Control program is automatically configured to
exist in the Windows system tray at system power up (except on PC/client
workstation installations, which do not include the VXI-11 LAN server).
·
STARTUP: To
automatically start the VXI-11 LAN server with system power up, it must
initially be manually activated via the Server Control program's "Start
VXI-11 Server" menu selection.
This is available via a popup menu from the system tray. However, using the Server Control program, a
preference setting may be turned on that will automatically start the VXI-11
LAN server with any future system power up; select the "Server Properties"
item from the system tray popup menu. Whether
started manually or automatically, the VXI-11 LAN server can run without the
Server Control program being active.
If the Server Control program is not running in the system tray, it also may be started manually. Locate the Server Control application under the Start -> Programs -> TekVISA menu and run it. It will appear as a new icon in the system tray.
·
IDENTIFICATION: The VXI-11 server on a Tektronix
instrument may be identified by right-clicking on the VXI-11 server in the
system tray and selecting Server Properties. The text edit field “Location” may
be changed to include information helpful in identifying this instrument from a
network connect. The text in that field will be displayed in the “TekVISA
Configuration Manager” in the information field for this VXI-11 device.
·
CLIENT ACCESS: The VXI-11
LAN server may be accessed via any VXI-11 client implementation. For TekVISA clients, the server may be
configured as a remote VISA instrument resource on the client
workstation.
The VXI-11 devices on the local network will automatically be discovered in the “TekVISA Configuration Manager” during a Find operation. If you’ve placed a VXI-11 device on the network after the Find operation has occurred on the client, you can initiate a Find operation by selecting Start > Programs > TekVISA > TekVISA Configuration and then pressing the Find button. If the VXI-11 device is not on the local network for the client computer, it will be necessary to add the either the LAN based instruments hostname, IP address, or IP address range to the Remote Host list in the TekVISA Configuration Manager. This can be done by selecting Start > Programs > TekVISA > TekVISA Configuration and then pressing the Add button and adding the hostname or IP address.
·
TROUBLESHOOTING: If
your client application cannot access the VXI-11 LAN server, or if the TekVISA
Configuration Manager does not find any instrument resources on the server,
verify that the server is in fact installed and activated on the remote oscilloscope. If the Server Control program indicates that
the server is already running, try stopping it and restarting it. If client access problems still persist,
power down the oscilloscope and restart it.
·
Two collections of sample applications
are included with Tektronix OpenChoice software. Each of these sample applications is associated with one of the
Tektronix OpenChoice books: Oscilloscope Analysis and Connectivity Made Easy
or TekVISA Programming Manual.
·
A typical installation includes Adobe
Acrobat® (.pdf) versions of the books Oscilloscope Analysis and Connectivity
Made Easy and TekVISA Programming Manual along with the TekVISA
Quick Reference Card. These on-line
documents are accessible via the Start -> Programs -> TekVISA menu once
software development files have been installed. (Software development files are
part of a typical installation.)
·
Sample applications associated with Oscilloscope
Analysis and Connectivity Made Easy are provided on the CD-ROM associated
with printed versions of this book. To
access the sample applications, browse the SAMPLES directory in the root of the
CD and copy applications that are of interest.
·
Sample applications associated with TekVISA
Programming Manual are part of a typical Tektronix OpenChoice
installation. These samples will appear
in a directory hierarchy under the C:\VXIpnp\Win95\TekVISA\VISASamples
directory (Win9x OS) or the C:\VXIpnp\WINNT\TekVISA\VISASamples directory
(WinNT / Win 2K OS).
·
Most of the sample applications
associated with TekVISA Programming Manual are simple C-based command
line applications that illustrate a specific VISA programming topic. In addition to a single source file, the
directory containing each command line sample includes Visual C++ version 6
project files. A compiled version of
the sample application is included in the Release sub-directory. The following command line samples are
provided:
attraccess —
demonstrates use of viGetAttribute() and viSetAttribute() to access a few
common VISA attributes including VI_ATTR_TMO_VALUE to set the VISA timeout.
exlockexam —
demonstrates use of viLock() with the VI_EXCLUSIVE_LOCK flag.
findrsrcattrmatch — demonstrates use of viFindRsrc() and viFindNext() to iterate through
available resources that match a pattern that includes an attribute expression.
rwexam —
demonstrates use of viWrite() and viRead() to perform a GPIB “*idn?” query.
sharedlock —
demonstrates use of viLock() with the VI_SHARED_LOCK flag.
simple —
demonstrates use of viWrite() and viRead() to perform a GPIB “*idn?” query.
simplefindrsrc
— demonstrates use of viFindRsrc() and viFindNext() to iterate through
available resources that match the pattern “GPIB?*INSTR”.
srq —
demonstrates use of viInstallHandler() / viUninstallHandler() and
viEnableEvent() / viDisableEvent() to set up a callback type handler for the
VI_EVENT_SERVICE_REQ event (service request).
Note: this example may be somewhat scope family specific due to the GPIB
command set used.
srqwait — demonstrates use of viEnableEvent() /
viDisableEvent(), viWaitOnEvent(), and viReadSTB() to set up a queued event for
VI_EVENT_SERVICE_REQ (service request).
Note: this example may be somewhat scope family specific due to the GPIB
command set used.
·
A somewhat more complex sample—an MFC
dialog box application—is also associated with TekVISA Programmer Manual:
VISAApiDemo
— supports interactive access to commonly used VISA operations including viOpenDefaultRM(),viFindRsrc(),viOpen(),
viGetAttribute() / viSetAttribute(), viWrite(),viRead(), and viClear(). A release build of this application is in
the Release sub-directory.