How Can I Find and Install an Instrument Driver For My Instrument? Primary Software: Instrument Drivers/IVI>>LabVIEW Plug and Play DriverPrimary Software Version: N/A Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A Secondary Software: Instrument Drivers/IVI>>LabWindows/CVI Plug and Play Driver
Problem: I have a third party instrument and I want to use it with LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI. Where do I find the appropriate drivers? Solution: If you are using your instrument with LabVIEW, you can find instrument drivers by going to Help » Find Instrument Drivers.... You then have to login using your ni.com username and password.  You will then be able to search for an instrument driver by selecting the manufacturer and typing the model of your instrument in the Additional Keywords field. You can also view all the instrument drivers from a specific manufacturer by leaving the Additional Keywords blank. The instrument drivers available will be displayed on the next screen. You can select which version of the driver you want to install and then click on the install button to complete the process. The specific VIs will be located within LabVIEW functions palette at the following location: Instrument I/O » Instrument Drivers » XXXX , where XXXX is the instrument's name.  Another way to find and install third party instrument drivers is by going to Developer Zone: Instrument Driver Network, then click browse driver and type the name of your instruments in the search field. Note: If you are looking for a LabVIEW 6.0 instrument driver and are unable to find it in the Instrument Driver Network, you can email instrument.drivers@ni.com.  You will then have a list of drivers to download. Not all the drivers have been fully tested by National Instruments and therefore are not officially supported. The tested drivers will have a star in the NI Certified field.  Select the driver that fits your application. A new page will open with more details on this driver. If you have problems accessing this page, make sure you are logged in with your ni.com user name. This detail page has a required software section. It is important to make sure you have all the required software installed on your system. Select the correct version of the driver for your system and download it to your hard drive.  Once the file is downloaded, extract the folder to \LabVIEW\instr.lib\ if you are using LabVIEW. Then, close and restart LabVIEW. You will now be able to use the VI's from LabVIEW function palette from the following location: Instrument I/O » Instrument Drivers. If you are using LabWindows/CVI, extract the folder to \CVI\instr. You do not need to restart LabWindows/CVI. You simply go to Instrument » Load... Navigate to the \CVI\instr folder and select the .fp file that corresponds to your instrument. You will now be able to use the driver.   In the case of an unsuccessful search for your instrument in the Instrument Driver Network, it is advisable to contact the manufacturer of your instrument directly. It is often the case where instrument manufacturers make instrument drivers for LabVIEW and CVI available on their websites. If neither the Instrument Driver Network nor the instrument manufacturer has the instrument driver you need, you can submit a driver request to our instrument driver group by clicking on "Request a Driver" on the main page of the Instrument Driver Network. These requests are monitored by the Instrument Driver group at National Instruments and are developed according to popular demand. When all else fails email the manufacturer of the instrument and inquire about the possibility of a future driver. Keep in mind that it is always possible to actually create your own instrument driver. On the Instrument Driver Network website there are many helpful documents that discuss how to create your own driver. These drivers can then be submitted to the Instrument Driver Network for the benefit of others. Please see the below links for more information. Related Links: Developer Zone Tutorial: What is an Instrument Driver? Developer Zone Tutorial: Types of Instrument Drivers Developer Zone Tutorial: Developing LabVIEW Plug and Play Instrument Drivers Attachments:
Report Date: 12/21/2007 Last Updated: 03/20/2008 Document ID: 4GKAT3OH |
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