System Programming and Computer Control

CT047-3-2-SPCC

Method of Communicating Devices

Degree : Level 2
 Topic & Structure of the lesson

• Methods of communicating devices,

including serial, parallel, GPIB (General
Purpose Interface Bus).
• Extensions of PC technology.
• VISA (Virtual Instrument Software
Architecture).

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 Learning Outcomes

• At the end of this session, you should be

able to:-
– Know about the serial, GPIB and VXI
communication with measurement through
VISA driver.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 Key Terms you must be able to use

• If you have mastered this topic, you should

be able to use the following terms correctly
in your assignments and exams:-
– Serial
– GPIB - General Purpose Interface Bus
– VXI - VMEbus extensions for instrumentation
– VME - Versa Module European
- VISA - Virtual Instrument Software
Architecture
CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control
 What is Serial?

• Serial is a device communication protocol

that is standard on almost every PC.
• Most computers include two RS-232-
based serial ports.
• Serial is also a common communication
protocol for instrumentation in many
devices, and numerous GPIB-compatible
devices come with an RS-232 port.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 What is Serial?

• The serial port sends and receives bytes

of information one bit at a time.
• For longer distances engineers use serial
to transmit ASCII data.
• The important serial characteristics are
baud rate, data bits, stop bits, and parity.
For two ports to communicate, these
parameters must match.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 Serial Parameters

• Baud rate is a speed measurement for

communication that indicates the number of bit
transfers per second.
• Data bits are a measurement of the actual data
bits in a transmission.
• Stop bits are used to signal the end of
communication for a single packet.
• Parity is a simple form of error checking used in
serial communication.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 What Is RS-232?

• RS-232 (ANSI/EIA-232 Standard) is the

serial connection found on IBM-compatible
PCs.
• Used to connect a mouse, printer, or
modem, as well as for industrial
instrumentation.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 What Is RS-232?

Pin functions
Handshake: RTS on pin 7, CTS on pin 8, DSR on pin 6,
DCD on pin 1, DTR on pin 4
Common: Com on pin 5
Other: RI on pin 9
Simple three-line set of Tx, Rx, and ground
RTS – Request to Send
CTS –Clear to Send
DSR – Data Set Ready
DCD - Data Carrier Detect
DTR - Data Terminal Ready Data Set Ready
RI - Referential Integrity
TxD - Transmit Data
RxD - Receive Data

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 GPIB

• The General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB) is

an industry standard published by the Institute
of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) as
ANSI/IEEE Standard 488.

• GPIB defines the electrical, mechanical,

functional, and software specifications of an
interfacing system to connect PCs to
programmable instruments.
CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control
 GPIB

• GPIB products fall into six broad categories:

– Plug-In Controllers: GPIB controllers for plug-in buses such as PCI
Express, PCI, PXI, and PCMCIA.

– External Controllers: GPIB converters for control of GPIB instruments

through buses such as USB, Ethernet, RS232, and IEEE 1394.

– Support Products: GPIB extenders, expanders/isolators, and mechanical

switches.

– Software: NI-488.2 host-side and NI-Device device-side software.

– ASICs: TNT high-performance and NAT drop-in replacement GPIB

controller chips.

– Cables and Accessories: GPIB cables, adapters, and rack-mount kits.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control
 What is VXI?

• VXI (VMEbus eXtensions for Instrumentation).

• VXIbus is an exciting and fast-growing platform
for instrumentation systems.
• VXI is used in many different applications
ranging from test and measurement and ATE,
to data acquisition and analysis in both
research and industrial automation.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 The Need for VXIbus

• The demand for an industry-standard

instrument-on-a-card architecture has
been driven by the need for:
– physical size reduction of rack and stack
instrumentation systems
– tighter timing and synchronisation
between multiple instruments
– faster transfer rates than the 1 Mbytes/s
rate of the 8-bit GPIB.
CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control
 The Need for VXIbus

• The modular form factor, high bandwidth, and

commercial success of the VMEbus made it
particularly attractive as an instrumentation platform.
• The tremendous popularity of GPIB also made it
attractive as a model for device communication and
instrument control protocols.
• The VXIbus specification adds the standards
necessary to combine the VMEbus with GPIB to
create a new, modular instrumentation platform that
can meet the needs of future instrumentation
applications.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 VXI

• VXI brings the following benefits to instrumentation users:

– Open, multi-vendor standards maximise flexibility
– Increased system throughput reduces test time and/or increases
capabilities
– Smaller size and higher density reduce floor space, enhance mobility
or portability, and give close proximity to devices(s) being tested or
controlled
– More precise timing and synchronization improve measurement
capability
– Standardised VXIplug&play software eases system configuration,
programming, and integration
– Modular, rugged design improves reliability, increases mean-time
between failure (MTBF), and decreases mean-time to repair (MTTR)
CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control
 What is VISA?

• VISA is a driver software architecture

developed by National Instruments to unify
communication with serial, GPIB, and VXI
instruments and simplify your instrument control
programs.
• The VISA API accesses serial, GPIB, and VXI
instruments through operating system calls and
the NI-488.2 and NI-VXI driver software.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 What is VISA?

• VISA Structure

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 VISA

• VISA offers the following benefits:

– Interface independence, whereby VISA uses the same
methods to communicate with instruments, regardless of the
interface type. For example, the VISA command to write an
ASCII string to a message-based instrument is the same for
serial, GPIB, and VXI. With this feature, you can use a single
API to work with different instruments.

– An object-oriented architecture that can easily adapt to new

instrumentation interfaces as they are developed in the future.
You can easily include new interfaces.

– Built-in functionality for instrumentation programming in a very

compact command set.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 What is CWVISA?

• CWVISA is an ActiveX control that abstracts the

VISA API, so you can interface with serial,
GPIB, and VXI instruments through interactive
property pages and a simplified API.
• For example, use the CWVISA property pages
to interactively find and communicate with your
instruments, uncover interface problems, or
verify communication with your instrument
during design time.
CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control
 Summary

• GPIB – General Purpose Interface Bus

• VISA – Virtual Instrument Software
Architecture
• VXI – Virtual Machine Interface (VME)
eXtensions for Instrumentation.

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control

 Question and Answer Session

Q&A

CT047-3-2 Systems Programming and Computer Control