Instrument Control Toolbox

Getting Started

Preface

What Is the Instrument Control Toolbox?

Exploring the Toolbox

Related Products

System Requirements

Associated Products

Using This Guide

Expected Background

Learning the Instrument Control Toolbox

How This Guide Is Organized

Installation Information

Toolbox Installation

Hardware and Driver Installation

Typographical Conventions

Getting Started

Toolbox Components

M-File Functions

The Interface Driver Adaptor

Communicating with Your Instrument

Communicating with a GPIB Instrument

Communicating with a GPIB-VXI Instrument

Communicating with a Serial Port Instrument

Understanding the Toolbox Capabilities

The Contents M-File

Documentation Examples

Demos

Examining Your Hardware Resources

General Toolbox Information

Interface Information

Adaptor Information

Instrument Object Information

Getting Help

The instrhelp Function

The propinfo Function

Using the Instrument Control Toolbox

The Instrument Control Session

Creating an Instrument Object

Configuring Properties During Object Creation

Creating an Array of Instrument Objects

Connecting to the Instrument

Configuring and Returning Properties

Returning Property Names and Property Values

Configuring Property Values

Specifying Property Names

Default Property Values

Writing and Reading Data

Writing Data

Reading Data

Disconnecting and Cleaning Up

Disconnecting an Instrument Object

Cleaning Up the MATLAB Environment

Controlling GPIB Instruments

GPIB Overview

What Is GPIB?

Important GPIB Features

GPIB Lines

Status and Event Reporting

Using Vendor Tools to Identify and Test Your Resources

Creating a GPIB Object

The GPIB Object Display

Configuring the GPIB Address

Writing and Reading Data

Rules for Completing Write and Read Operations

Example: Writing and Reading Text Data

Example: Reading Binary Data

Example: Parsing Input Data Using strread

Example: Understanding EOI and EOS

Using Events and Actions

Example: Introduction to Events and Actions

Event Types and Action Properties

Storing Event Information

Creating and Executing Action Functions

Enabling Action Functions After They Error

Example: Using Events and Actions to Read Binary Data

Triggers

Example: Executing a Trigger

Serial Polls

Example: Executing a Serial Poll

Controlling Instruments Using the VISA Standard

VISA Overview

Using Vendor Tools to Identify and Test Your Resources

The GPIB Interface

Creating a VISA-GPIB Object

The VISA-GPIB Address

The VXI Interface

Creating a VISA-VXI Object

The VISA-VXI Address

Register-Based Communication

The GPIB-VXI Interface

Creating a VISA-GPIB-VXI Object

The VISA-GPIB-VXI Address

The Serial Port Interface

Creating a VISA-Serial Object

Configuring Communication Settings

Controlling Serial Port Instruments

Serial Port Overview

What Is Serial Communication?

The Serial Port Interface Standard

Connecting Two Devices with a Serial Cable

Serial Port Signals and Pin Assignments

Serial Data Format

Finding Serial Port Information for Your Platform

Creating a Serial Port Object

The Serial Port Object Display

Configuring Communication Settings

Writing and Reading Data

Asynchronous Write and Read Operations

Rules for Completing Write and Read Operations

Example: Writing and Reading Text Data

Using Events and Actions

Event Types and Action Properties

Storing Event Information

Example: Using Events and Actions

Using Control Pins

Signaling the Presence of Connected Devices

Controlling the Flow of Data: Handshaking

Saving and Loading the Session

Saving and Loading Instrument Objects

Saving Instrument Objects to an M-File

Saving Objects to a MAT-File

Debugging: Recording Information to Disk

Example: Introduction to Recording Information

Creating Multiple Record Files

Specifying a Filename

The Record File Format

Example: Recording Information to Disk

Reference

Function Reference

Functions Grouped by Category

Base Functions

Object-Specific Functions

Alphabetical List of Functions

clear

clrdevice

delete

disp

fclose

fgetl

fgets

flushinput

flushoutput

fopen

fprintf

fread

fscanf

fwrite

get

gpib

instraction

instrcomm

instrcreate

instrfind

instrhelp

instrhwinfo

instrreset

instrschool

isvalid

length

load

memmap

mempeek

mempoke

memread

memunmap

memwrite

obj2mfile

propinfo

query

readasync

record

save

serial

serialbreak

set

size

spoll

stopasync

trigger

visa

Property Reference

Properties Grouped by Category

Base Properties

Object-Specific Properties

Alphabetical List of Properties

BaudRate

BoardIndex

BreakInterruptAction

BusManagementStatus

ByteOrder

BytesAvailable

BytesAvailableAction

BytesAvailableActionCount

BytesAvailableActionMode

BytesToOutput

ChassisIndex

CompareBits

DataBits

DataTerminalReady

EOIMode

EOSCharCode

EOSMode

ErrorAction

FlowControl

HandshakeStatus

InputBufferSize

InterruptAction

LogicalAddress

MappedMemoryBase

MappedMemorySize

MemoryBase

MemorySize

MemorySpace

Name

OutputBufferSize

OutputEmptyAction

Parity

PinStatus

PinStatusAction

Port

PrimaryAddress

ReadAsyncMode

RecordDetail

RecordMode

RecordName

RecordStatus

RequestToSend

RsrcName

SecondaryAddress

Slot

Status

StopBits

Tag

Terminator

Timeout

TimerAction

TimerPeriod

TransferStatus

TriggerAction

TriggerLine

TriggerType

Type

UserData

ValuesReceived

ValuesSent

Selected Bibliography

Getting Started