HP BenchLink XL 54600
Software for the HP 54600-Series Oscilloscopes
Getting Started With
HP BenchLink XL
Warranty
A copy of the specific warranty terms applicable to your Hewlett-Packard product can be
obtained from your local HP Sales and Service Office.
Exclusive Remedies
The remedies provided herein are the Buyer’s sole and exclusive remedies. HP shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages, whether based on contract, tort, or any
other legal theory.
Notice
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Hewlett-Packard
makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the
implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a part icular purpose.
not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with
the furnishing, performance, or use of this material. No part of this document may be photocopied,
reproduced, or translated to another language without the prior written consent of Hewlett-Packard
Company.
Hewlett-Packard shall
Restricted Rights
The Software and Documentation have been developed entirely at private expense. They are delivered
and licensed as "commercial computer software" as defined in DFARS 252.227-7013 (Oct 1988), DFARS
252.211-7015 (May 1991), or DFARS 252.227-7014 (Jun 1995), as a "commercial item" as defined in
FAR 2.101(a), or as "restricted computer software" as defined in FAR 52.227-19 (Jun 1987) (or any
equivalent agency regulation or contract clause), whichever is applicable. You have only those rights
provided for such Software and Documentation by the applicable FAR or DFARS clause or the HP
standard software agreement for the product involved.
Copyright © Hewlett-Packard Company. All Rights Reserved.
Hewlett-Packard Company
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, California 94304 U.S.A.
Printing History
New editions are complete revisions of the manual. Update packages, which are issued between
editions, may contain additional information and replacement pages which you merge into the manual.
The dates on this page change only when a new edition is published.
Edition 1 (Part Number 54600-97030) July 1999
Printed in U.S.A.
HP BenchLink XL 54600
Software for the HP 54600-Series Oscilloscopes
Software Overview
HP BenchLink XL offers a set of connectivity tools that enable you to quickly and easily move data from
your HP 54600-Series Oscilloscopes to your PC. Whether you are an experienced programmer or would
prefer not to program at all, HP BenchLink XL is designed to give you a high-level of instrument control
using software applications that you are probably already using on your PC.
For the Non-Programmer — A Simple Toolbar Add-In for Excel and Word
HP BenchLink XL provides an easy-to-use toolbar that enables you to perform simple waveform data
and image transfers directly into Microsoft® Excel® or Microsoft® Word®. Once installed, the toolbar
is automatically loaded and operates just like any other toolbar in these applications. Use the Tools |
Add-Ins menu to add or remove the toolbar from the application. The toolbar is shown below with a
brief description of each toolbar button.
NOTE: To get started with the toolbar, you will need to open Excel or Word. The toolbar will
automatically load when you open the appl ic ati on.
About HP 54600 Scope Toolbar Returns the software version number and allows you to select the
local language for the dialog boxes and help system.
Connect to Scope Configures the remote interface connection to the oscilloscope.
Save / Load Scope Settings Stores the oscilloscope settings to a file or downloads a previously-
stored settings file to the oscilloscope.
Get Waveform Data Uploads waveform time/voltage data from the oscilloscope to the active
worksheet or document.
Get Screen Image Captures an image of the oscilloscope's display and places it in the active
worksheet or document.
Get Single Measurement Acquires a single measurement (rise time, duty cycle, frequency, etc.)
from the oscilloscope and places it in the active worksheet or document.
Toolbar Help Provides step-by-step explanations to help you learn to use the toolbar.
1
Excel Macro Support
You can create a macro for any of the toolbar operations using the Excel macro recording feature. You
can then run the macro to automatically "play back" the recorded actions.
For the Programmer — An ActiveX Custom Control
For more sophisticated programming, an ActiveX™ Custom Control is provided with HP BenchLink XL to
make it easy to program your oscilloscope using common programming environments such as Visual
Basic®, Visual Basic® for Applications (Excel and Word), and Visual C++®. The HP54600Scope Control
gives you all of the functionality of the toolbar plus the added capability to programmatically control the
operation of the oscilloscope. Within the Microsoft environment, you have complete access to all of the
property pages, context-sensitive help, and persistence.
As shown in the sample below, it only takes a few lines of Visual Basic code to capture the waveform
data and obtain a screen image from the oscilloscope using the HP54600Scope Control.
The first line of code enables Channel 1 on the oscilloscope. The second line of code captures the
waveform time/voltage pairs (200 waveform points) from Channel 1 and stores the data in two arrays.
The third line of code shows the use of Microsoft's "IntelliSense" feature to select the function that places
the screen image into an Image control.
To help you become familiar with the structure and operation of the HP54600Scope Control, we have
included several programming examples with HP BenchLink XL. These files will be loaded on your PC as
part of the installation procedure. For more information, navigate to:
Start | Programs | HP BenchLink XL | HP54600 | Samples
We have also included several getting started documents to help you become familiar with the
HP54600Scope Control in Excel, Visual Basic, and C++. For more information, navigate to:
Start | Programs | HP BenchLink XL | HP54600 | Automation Server Help
2
Toolbar Overview
About HP 54600 Scope Toolbar
The dialog boxes and help system are available in several languages. Use the following dialog box to
select the desired language.
Connect to Scope
HP BenchLink XL makes it easy to establish an interface connection between your oscilloscope and
your PC. Whether you are connecting to the oscilloscope using an HP-IB (GPIB) port or an RS-232
(COM) port, HP BenchLink XL does the work for you. Simply press the Search button (see below) and
HP BenchLink XL determines which instruments are connected to your PC.
3
Save / Load Scope Settings
HP BenchLink XL gives you the ability to store the current oscilloscope settings to a file on your PC or
download previously-stored settings to your oscilloscope. The oscilloscope settings are stored in a binary
format (.scp file extension).
Get Waveform Data
One of the most powerful features of HP BenchLink XL is the ability to capture waveform data
(time/voltage pairs) from the oscilloscope. From Excel, the waveform data is automatically placed in
rows and columns on the spreadsheet and you can also generate a graph using the captured data.
From Word, the waveform data is downloaded, a graph is generated, and both are placed in the active
document.
Excel Dialog Box:
4
A sample from Excel is shown below. When the waveform data is uploaded from the oscilloscope,
the points are automatically plotted using Excel’s built-in charting function.
Word Dialog Box:
5
Get Screen Image
For documentation purposes, you may want to capture a "snapshot" of the oscilloscope display.
With HP BenchLink XL, it just takes a few seconds to insert the image into your Excel or Word document.
Note that you can also save the image to a file (.bmp format).
A sample screen image is shown below.
6
Get Single Measurement
For some applications, you may want to capture a single measurement (rise time, duty cycle, frequency,
etc.) and place it in the active worksheet or document. From the Function drop-down list (see below),
you can select a specific measurement or select "All Functions" to place all 12 available measurements in
the active document.
Excel Dialog Box:
A sample from Excel is shown below. In Excel, the measurement is placed in the highlighted cell.
If desired, you can annotate each reading (mV, kHz, etc.). The sample below shows all 12 available
measurements placed in the active worksheet.
7
Word Dialog Box:
A sample from Word is shown below. In Word, the measurement is placed at the cursor in the active
document. If desired, you can annotate each reading (mV, kHz, etc.). The sample below shows all
12 available measurements placed in the active document.
Toolbar Help
Like most PC applications, a help system is included with HP BenchLink XL to assist you with the
operation of the toolbar. The help system and all dialog boxes are available in multiple languages.
8
Software Installation
Installing HP BenchLink XL
You can install HP BenchLink XL from the CD-ROM included with your oscilloscope’s interface module or
you can download the software from the Hewlett-Packard web site (www.hp.com/go/bi). Software
updates and future releases will also be available from this web site.
After installing the software on your PC, go to the Tools | Add-Ins menu in Excel or Word to enable
HP BenchLink XL operations in the selected application. For more information on using the
HP54600Scope Control with Visual Basic, refer to the help file included with the ActiveX Control.
Note that all of the necessary I/O functionality is also loaded when you install the software, including the
ability to control your oscilloscope using both Hewlett-Packard and National Instruments interface cards
and standard RS-232 (COM) ports on your PC.
Minimum System Requirements
PC Operating System Requirements:
Windows® 95 or Windows® 98
486DX/66
16 MB RAM
20 MB free disk space
Windows NT
Service Pack 3
Pentium-90
32 MB RAM
20 MB free disk space
®
4.0
Environments Supported:
Applications
Microsoft Excel 97
Microsoft Word 97
Software Development
Visual Basic 5.0/6.0
VBA 5.0
HP VEE 5.0 or greater
LabVIEW 5.0 or greater
Visual C/C++ 5.0/6.0
9
Supported Instruments
Oscilloscope Models Supported:
HP 54600B
HP 54602B
HP 54603B
HP 54610B
HP 54615B
HP 54616B/C
HP 54620A/C
HP 54645A/D
Interface Modules Supported:
HP 54650A
HP 54652B
HP 54657A
HP 54659B
Supported PC-to-Instrument Interfaces
HP-IB (GPIB) Interface
Supported using HP SICL (Standard Instrument Control Library):
HP 82335B
HP 82340A/B/C
HP 82341A/B/C/D
HP 82350A
Supported using National Instruments NI-488.2 Library:
National Instruments AT-GPIB/TNT
National Instruments PCI-GPIB
National Instruments PCMCIA-GPIB
RS-232 Interface:
COM1
COM2
COM3
COM4
10
Task Reference: HP 54600 Scope Toolbar for Excel
HP BenchLink XL provides an easy-to-use toolbar that enables you to perform simple waveform data
and image transfers directly into Excel. Once installed, the toolbar is automatically loaded and operates
just like any other toolbar in these applications. Use the Tools | Add-Ins menu to add or remove the
toolbar from the application.
Connect to the Scope and Verify Communication
1. Click Connect to Scope on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. From the Search Instruments tab, click Search to find all instruments connected to your PC. If this
is your first ’Search’, all interface ports on your PC will be checked. To exclude any ports or
instruments from future searches, click the Search Criteria tab.
3. Select the desired HP 54600-Series Oscilloscope from the list.
4. Click Test to verify the interface connection.
5. Click OK to save the connection.
Note: If the dialog box shows an HP 54600-Series Oscilloscope selected, then the connection has
already been establishe d.
Get Waveform Time / Voltage Data from the Scope
1. Click Get Waveform Data on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. Select New sheet to place the waveform data in a new Excel worksheet or Selected sheet to use the
active worksheet.
3. From the Number of Data Points drop-down list, select the number of points to be downloaded from
the Scope.
4. Click OK.
11
Make a Graph of the Waveform Points Obtained from the Scope
1. Click Get Waveform Data on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. To create an Excel graph of the waveform data obtained from the Scope, check Make Excel graph.
3. Select New sheet to place the graph in a new Excel worksheet or Sheet with data to use the active
worksheet.
4. Click OK.
Insert an Image of the Scope Display in the Spreadsheet
1. Click Get Screen Image on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. Select Place in active sheet to place the image in the active worksheet. Note that you can also save
the image to a file (.bmp format).
3. Click OK.
Capture a Single Measurement from the Scope
1. Click Get Single Measurement on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. From the Scope Channel drop-down list, select an enabled (’On’) scope channel.
3. From the Function drop-down list, select the desired measurement (or ’All Functions’).
4. Select the cell in which you want to place the measurement. If desired, select with Engineering
Units to annotate each reading (mV, kHz, etc.).
5. Click OK.
Save the Current Scope Settings to a File
1. Click Save / Load Scope Settings on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. Select Save Scope Settings to File and then click OK.
3. Navigate to the desired directory on your PC and enter a file name (.scp file extension).
4. Click Save to store the file.
12
Download Previously-Stored Settings to the Scope
1. Click Save / Load Scope Settings on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. Select Load Scope Settings From File and then click OK.
3. Navigate to the desired directory on your PC and open the previously stored file (.scp file extension).
Note that you can also download a file stored from HP BenchLink Scope (.stp file extension).
4. Click Open to open the file and download the stored settings to the Scope.
Note: An error may be generated if you attempt to download to a different Scope than was used to
create the original settings file.
Delete the HP 54600 Scope Toolbar from Excel
1. From the Tools menu in Excel, select Add-Ins.
2. Clear the check box next to ’HP 54600 Scope Toolbar’. Make sure that the box is not checked.
3. Click OK.
Automate Tasks Using an Excel Macro
You can automate any of the operations on the HP Scope Toolbar using an Excel macro. You can then
run the macro to automatically "play back" the recorded actions. Refer to the Excel help system for more
information on using m ac ros .
The recorded macro automatically lists the required arguments. You may want to record the macro in
several different ways to see how the arguments are actually used. All descriptive arguments use English
(non-translated) text inside the quotation marks. Numeric arguments, such as a channel number, must
be enclosed in quotation marks ( "1" ) as demonstrated in the recorded macro.
For the HP54600_Measurement macro, use one of the following strings in the measureFunction
argument:
"Rise Time", "Fall Time", "Frequency", "Period", "Volt Average", "Volt RMS", "Volt Min",
"Volt Max", "Volt PkPk", "PosPulseWidth", "NegPulseWidth", "Duty Cycle", "All Functions"
Select the Local Language
1. Click About HP 54600 Scope Toolbar on the toolbar.
2. Click the Select Language tab.
3. Select the desired language. The dialog boxes and help system will appear in the selected language.
4. Click OK.
13
Task Reference: HP 54600 Scope Toolbar for Word
HP BenchLink XL provides an easy-to-use toolbar that enables you to perform simple waveform data
and image transfers directly into Word. Once installed, the toolbar is automatically loaded and operates
just like any other toolbar in these applications. Use the Tools | Add-Ins menu to add or remove the
toolbar from the application.
Connect to the Scope and Verify Communication
1. Click Connect to Scope on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. From the Search Instruments tab, click Search to find all instruments connected to your PC. If this
is your first ’Search’, all interface ports on your PC will be checked. To exclude any ports or
instruments from future searches, click the Search Criteria tab.
3. Select the desired HP 54600-Series Oscilloscope from the list.
4. Click Test to verify the interface connection.
5. Click OK to save the connection.
Note: If the dialog box shows an HP 54600-Series Oscilloscope selected, then the connection has
already been establishe d.
Get Waveform Data from the Scope and Make a Graph
1. Click Get Waveform Data on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. From the Number of Data Points drop-down list, select the number of points to be downloaded from
the Scope.
3. Click OK.
14
Insert an Image of the Scope Display in the Document
1. Click Get Screen Image on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. Select Place in document at cursor to place the image in the active document. Note that you can
also save the image to a file (.bmp format).
3. Click OK.
Capture a Single Measurement from the Scope
1. Click Get Single Measurement on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. From the Scope Channel drop-down list, select an enabled (’On’) scope channel.
3. From the Function drop-down list, select the desired measurement (or ’All Functions’).
4. Note that you can display the measurement with a variety of annotations (units, decimal places, etc.).
5. Click OK to place the measurement at the cursor in the active document.
Save the Current Scope Settings to a File
1. Click Save / Load Scope Settings on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. Select Save Scope Settings to File and then click OK.
3. Navigate to the desired directory on your PC and enter a file name (.scp file extension).
4. Click Save to store the file.
Download Previously-Stored Settings to the Scope
1. Click Save / Load Scope Settings on the HP Scope toolbar.
2. Select Load Scope Settings From File and then click OK.
3. Navigate to the desired directory on your PC and open the previously stored file (.scp file extension).
Note that you can also download a file stored from HP BenchLink Scope (.stp file extension).
4. Click Open to open the file and download the stored settings to the Scope.
Note: An error may be generated if you attempt to download to a different Scope than was used to
create the original settings file.
15
Delete the HP 54600 Scope Toolbar from Word
1. From the Tools menu in Word, select Templates and Add-Ins.
2. Clear the check box next to ’hp54600.dot’. Make sure that the box is not checked.
3. Click OK to delete the toolbar from the current session of Word.
Note: When you first install the software, the HP 54600 Scope Toolbar is automatically loaded each time
you start Word. An opening dialog box is displayed which allows you to disable automatic loading of the
toolbar.
Select the Toolbar Startup Options in Word
When you first install the software, the HP 54600 Scope Toolbar is automatically loaded each time you
start Word. An opening dialog box is displayed which allows you to disable automatic loading of the
toolbar. If you have disabled automatic loading of the toolbar and now want to re-enable the feature,
follow the steps below:
1. Locate the file named ’hp54600.dot’ in the following default directory:
\ Program Files \ Hewlett-Packard \ HP BenchLink XL \ HP54600
2. Select the above file, click the right mouse button, and then select Create Shortcut.
3. Move the shortcut copy of the file to the Microsoft Office Startup folder:
\ Program Files \ Microsoft Office \ Office \ Startup
Select the Local Language
1. Click About HP 54600 Scope Toolbar on the toolbar.
2. Click the Select Language tab.
3. Select the desired language. The dialog boxes and help system will appear in the selected language.
4. Click OK.
16
Technical Support
Complimentary Start-Up Assistance
Terms and Conditions
Hewlett-Packard (HP) will provide Start-Up Assistance at no charge to resolve questions relating to the
installation, operation, and use of this software product. Start-Up Assistance is available to help you
install the software on your PC, establish communication with a compatible instrument, and answer
questions relating to the functionality of the software components provided by HP. Start-Up Assistance
does not support requests to modify or enhance the functionality of the software. For services not
covered by Start-Up Assistance, you may be referred to fee-based services for advanced assistance.
HP will make reasonable efforts to respond to each customer request for Start-Up Assistance within two
working days, but is under no obligation to respond within a prescribed time frame. Requests for Start-Up
Assistance are handled in the order in which they were received. HP will make reasonable efforts to
solve customer problems, but cannot guarantee success.
Hewlett-Packard reserves the right to terminate Start-Up Assistance at any time without notice.
17
Contacting HP for Technical Support
Country Telephone Fax E-Mail
Australia 1 800 629 485 03 9272 0749 info_hptmo@aus.hp.com
Austria — (0180) 524-6335 Messtechnik_support@hp.com
Bangladesh 880-2-9130480 880-2-871034 jiu@bangla.net
Belgium 32-2-778.59.50 32-2-778.59.51 —
Brazil (+55 11) 7297-8600 (+55 11) 7297-8171 Tmobrasil@hp.com
Canada 877 894-4414 (905) 206-4120 —
China 86 10 65645261 86 10 65668250 HPAcademy_China@hp.com
Czech Republic +420 2 61307111 — —
Denmark 45 99-15-15 +45 45 82 06 30 test_measurement@hp.dk
Europe — 31 20 547 7700 ots_europe@hp.com
Finland 358-9-8 872 210 0 358-9-8872 292 3 Tmodirect@ fin land .hp. com
France — 01 69 82 6535 —
Germany — (0180) 524-6335 Messtechnik_support@hp.com
Hong Kong (852) 2599 7889 (852) 2506 9256 —
Hungary (36) 1 4618111 (36) 1 4618222 —
India 011-6906216 011-6826027 Sujata_sharma@hp.com
Indonesia 62-21 3800902 62-21 3518814 Tmomarketing@berca.co.id
Ireland 01 615 8222 — —
Israel 03 53 80 377 03 53 76 505 —
Italy — 02 92 10 40 69 hpi_direct@hp-italy-gen3.0m.hp.com
Japan 81-426-56-7832 81-426-56-7840 mac_support@om.jpn.hp.com
Korea 82/2-769-0800 82/2-784-5839 asia_ots-korea@hp.com
Luxembourg 32-2-778.59.50 32-2-778.59.51 —
Malaysia 1-800-88-8848 603-298 9157 hp-direct_my@hp.com
Mexico (5) 258-4209 — —
Netherlands 020 547 6669 020 547 7765 —
New Zealand 0800 738 378 04 802 6881 info_hptmo@aus.hp.com
Norway +47 2273 5759 +47 2273 5629 test_measurement@norway.hp.com
Pakistan 92-51-818-959 92-51-816-190 Mushkoib@isb.compol.com
Philippines (632) 814-1066 (632) 811-1080 HPPDirect-sales@hp.com
Poland +48 (022) 6087700 +48 (022) 6087600 —
Portugal — 91 631 1469 —
Russia +7-095-797 3500 +7-095-797 3787 —
Singapore 3744242 2754709 Mindy-ml_chee@hp.com
South Africa +27-11-806 1000 +27-11-444-1725 —
Spain — 91 631 1469 —
Sri Lanka 941-597-860 941-597-863 Dayankaru@sscomp.co.ae
Sweden (08) 444-2277 46 8 444-2525 test-measurement@sweden.hp.com
Switzerland — (0180) 524-6335 Messtechnik_support@hp.com
Taiwan 0800-47866 — —
Thailand (02) 661-3900 (02) 661-3946 —
Turkey (90/312) 468 87 70 (90/312) 468 87 78 —
United Kingdom 01344-366666 01344-362852 Uktmo_sales@hp.com
United States 800 452 4844 888-900-8921 —
Viet Nam 844-8-229808 844-8-229553 Sysco.vn@hn.vnn
Note: In all other countries, please contact your local HP Representative or go to the
HP web site at www.tmo.hp.com.
18
Loading...