Idiots guide needed for setting up my 3456a GPIB to PC  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: valley001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2020, 03:47:54 am
content: Hello all,Not sure if this is the correct place, but my intentions with this are metrology related. I want to generate plots with my 3456a, like monitoring/recording noise on the Fluke 845 I am working on. I am not a computer programming expert, but I am a quick learner and willing to dive in where possible.What will I need besides the GPIB to usb interface to get my PC and 3456a talking with one another?

author: MiDi
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2020, 09:31:14 am
content: You will need:- Driver for GPIB-Adapter for your particular OS (maybe installed automatically)- Logging-Tool that can talk to the GPIB-Adapter and configurable log the Data- To tell the 3456A what it has to do: GPIB-Commands- Visualization Tool for the logged DataThere are a couple of options for Logging-Tools and Vis (depending on OS).What to choose depends on your preferences, how much money you want to spend and how much you prefer to program/parametrize.

author: Grandchuck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2020, 12:37:06 pm
content: Have you looked at this:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/metrology/3458a-logging-via-windows-app-revisited/

author: valley001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2020, 03:53:09 pm
content: Thanks all.Will this and its software work to export data to excel?https://www.ebay.com/itm/UGPlus-USB-to-GPIB-Controller-Made-in-USA/282749731986?epid=10010424984&hash=item41d5328492:g:V2gAAOSwZVlXp-Kb

author: dietert1
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2020, 08:36:26 am
content: If you can afford, better buy some brand product like NI or HP. At ebay they come around 100 $ now. Search for "GPIB-USB-HS" or "82357B". Then there will be all kinds of drivers for different operating systems and example programs. And you can begin with a free VISA-based data logger app.Regards, Dieter

author: kj7e
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2020, 02:51:11 pm
content: See this thread, I did the same with my 3456A, wrote a python script to collect the data then generate plots;https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hp-3456a-gpib-comand-fun/Here is the USB to GPIB adapter I used;https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-In-Box-HP-Keysight-Agilent-82357B-USB-GPIB-Interface-High-Speed-USB-2-0/192183274642?This is the video series I used to get me started;

author: valley001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2020, 04:48:54 pm
content: Awesome. Thanks all this will get me started.

author: guenthert
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2020, 12:30:53 am
content: Quote from: valley001 on January 15, 2020, 03:53:09 pmI had not much luck with the UGsimple (some devices work, others, including the 3456A, not or not reliably; Linux software is poor), can't speak about the UGplus, but that looks actually pretty similar.I still recommend PCI based GPIB adapters. Brand name products are now cheap on the 2nd hand market, they have proper, i.e. standard compliant, driver chips assuring compatibility even with old gear. And with the linux-gpib library there is mature software support (in Windows land it might be challenging to find a driver compatible with recent versions of that OS).

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2020, 02:14:55 am
content: Here is my Excel based logging application for 3456A voltmeter and 5334A frequency counterhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/metrology/data-logger-for-legacy-hp-instruments/msg1138738/#msg1138738You have to have Keysight IO Libraries Suite installed before using this application.

author: maat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2020, 04:02:47 pm
content: Quote from: guenthert on January 19, 2020, 12:30:53 amYes the UGSimple/Plus is a pretty buggy adapter. The firmware is different for both controllers and their are weird bugs in each. These bugs include stuff like too many bytes sent (the last one is simply garbage), which would indicate a buffer overflow and occasional hangs, after which the controller drops a byte at the beginning - maybe the same root cause. These bugs can be fixed in software, but they are a sign for a bigger problem underneath. I did reverse-engineer the protocol of the UGPlus and (hopefully) fixed all those nasty bugs on the client side in a pure Python implementation. I also did some logging with different gear, including an HP3458A, without issues for days. So in principle they 'work', but I wouldn't recommend them if you have a choice.

author: valley001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2020, 08:21:44 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on January 19, 2020, 02:14:55 amI managed to combine the two files and I have the IO suite installed. Will it recognize the GPIB adapter and 3456a automatically?