RE: Getting started with VISA - Agilent 33622A BP #3

Robert Peter Oakes — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 14:12:52 GMT

Actually VISA is very useful in that it can provide working drivers for brands that are badly or even unsupported by their own vendors. I have a Siglent E-bay special and the only way to get the USB to run on Widows 7 or 8 in 64 bit was to use VISA drivers. and not the ones from Siglent either (As they don't have any). Even the free BenchVue software from Agilent will load up enough VISA drivers to provide support for numerous none Agilent devices (You actually don't have to load BenchVue, just the driver part)

to clarify, BenchVue will not talk to none Agilent devices but it will show them and the drivers will support them

I have been working on my oscilloscope PC software to allow it to send the captured waveform to the 33622A to be re-produced using VISA interface it is one of the final blog entries I am planning for the review but i'm not sure if it will be finished in time. (You beat me to the punch with the blog [View:/resized-image/__size/16x16/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-14a369b8-fd4d-4a91-b7e0-844c0bdb2786/7183.contentimage_5F00_1.png:16:16] but good for you it is a fun area to play in)

nice clear instruction on its use btw.. good work

RE: Getting started with VISA - Agilent 33622A BP #3

michaelkellett — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 09:46:23 GMT

Useful info Razvan - thanks.

I would never use VISA if I can avoid it since it invloves the installation of huge closed source third party chunks of code. As you nicely demonstrated it's very simple to control modern instruments by simple commands sent directly though the socket interface. If you code in Python you can easily run the same code on an RPi or a PC without the worry of VISA and it's associated closed source bloatware.

It's not just Agilent instruments that expose a socket interface of course - my Rigol DG1032Z Signal generator (like the 33622A but 1/10th the price and not as lovely!). Rigol don't actually tell you the socket ID (not anywhere I could find) so I had to sniff for it but it works fine once you get there.