If you have NI card(s) it is easy. National makes the simple SW available for free. Last time I looked there is a console command line utility and a VB and C interfaces.
Labview is a different story. A new version is $$$. You can sometimes find older versions on eBay. Some versions are PW keyed, so be careful. NI has a stunning selection of virtual instruments for free, I think. The HP-IB cards are much more problematic. AFAIK, there is little to no SW support. I have a couple, but only because they are required to run a specific instrument (a Laser Interferometer) with a PC and HP system SW. There are also 2nd source GPIB cards (Prologix, etc). The SW support is spotty, although I'm told that Prologix is pretty good. FWIW, -John ============== > I would agree. GPIB (aka HPIB) is ubiquitous and is a great place to > start. > Unfortunately, I haven't gotten that up to the top of my 'to-do' list yet. > I have a computer, HP and National interface cards, cables, but no time to > find the software to make everything communicate yet. I think it has a > lot > to do with the fact that I have relatively old HP equipment that is > relatively 'tongue-tied' but I think I will be able to figure it out once > I > get the time. > > Certainly the right place to start though, IMO. > > Joe > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of J. Forster > Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2010 5:24 PM > To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement > Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Basic question regarding comparing two > frequencies > > ".. more generic interface." ?? > > The vast majority of professional test equipment has GPIB. Virtually > anything else is an "also ran". > > FWIW, > > -John > > ============ > > >> Thanks, I'm glad to hear I am on the right track. At some point >> it would >> be >> nice to obtain a counter that can measure the drift of the time base in >> the >> 5328A. The 5328A has a GPIB interface but as the display only varies by >> a >> few >> counts I'm not inclined to track down a GPIB adapter just to plot >> this.) >> Hopefully a newer counter would have a more generic interface. >> >> Best regards >> Mark Spencer >> >> >> ----- Original Message ---- >> From: J. L. Trantham <[email protected]> >> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement >> <[email protected]> >> Sent: Sat, July 24, 2010 1:49:51 PM >> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Basic question regarding comparing two >> frequencies >> >> Sounds about right. One cycle per 5 seconds or about 0.2 Hz difference. >> Therefore, 9,999,999.8 Hz. >> >> I would feed the GPSDO to trigger your scope and look at the output of >> the >> time base on one channel of the scope. You could also look at the GPSDO >> on >> the other channel. Then you could adjust your counter time base to >> 'freeze' >> the display. Probably good to 'align' the counter time base but for >> long >> term comparison, probably better to use a counter and plot the >> difference. >> >> Joe >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On >> Behalf Of Mark Spencer >> Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2010 12:29 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: [time-nuts] Basic question regarding comparing two frequencies >> >> Hello: >> >> Just for grins I decided to compare the frquency from my GPSDO to the >> time >> base >> in my 5328A counter. >> >> >> I connected the 10 mhz time base from the counter to channel A of my 100 >> Mhz >> >> scope, fed the 10 mhz signal from my GPSDO into Channel B and with a T >> adaptor >> also fed this signal into the input of the counter. I scope to >> trigger >> from >> Channel B. >> >> >> The drift betwen the two signals on the scope seems to match the error >> in >> the >> displayed frquency on the counter. (ie. if the counter shows 9999.9998 >> it >> takes >> approx 5 seconds for the the wave form on channel A to slip a full cycle >> realitve to channel B.) >> >> >> Is this a reasonable approach or is there a better way to compare two >> frequencies using a scope ? >> >> Best regards >> Mark Spencer >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe, go to >> https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts >> and follow the instructions there. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe, go to >> https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts >> and follow the instructions there. >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe, go to >> https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts >> and follow the instructions there. >> >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > > > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
