Keithley
Instruments
ExceLINX-1A
ExceLINX
software for the Model 2700, 2701 and 2750
Release
Note for Version C03
IMPORTANT:
To work properly with ExceLINX, your instrument must have a compatible version
of firmware. Refer to section 2 (System
Requirements) below for specific details regarding the required firmware
version for your instrument. Visit
Keithley.com for upgrade instructions if your instrument’s firmware is not a
compatible version. The instrument’s
firmware version is shown on the display when the instrument is first powered
up, immediately to the right of the model number.
This
document provides additional information for the installation and use of
ExceLINX for the Model 2700, 2750, and 2701.
Please review the contents of this file before installing or using the
software.
For the
purpose of brevity, ExceLINX for the 2700, 2750 AND 2701 is referred to simply
as "ExceLINX" in the remainder of this document. Keithley offers versions of ExceLINX that
support other instruments and Data Acquisition Products. Visit www.keithley.com
for details.
Table of
Contents
----------------------------------------------
1.1.2 KE2700 IVI Driver for the 2700,
2701, and 2750
1.1.3 Keithley
Configuration Panel and Wizard (Part of the Keithley I/O Layer)
1.2 New Features in this Release
1.2.1 New
Features in ExceLINX C03
1.2.2 New
Features in ExceLINX
1.3 Additional available software
1.3.1 Integra
Up&Running TestPoint Runtime Software
1.3.2 TestPoint
Professional Development System..
2.1 Supported Operating Systems and
System Software
3.1 GPIB Controller Installation
3.1.1 Keithley
and INES PCMCIA Controller Installation
3.2 Connecting your Computer to your
Instrument
3.3.1 Opening
Saved Worksheets after Upgrading
3.4.1 Installing
the Software from CD
3.4.2 Installing
ExceLINX from the Web
3.4.3 Installing
only the KE2700 IVI Instrument Driver from the CD
3.4.4 Installing
only the Keithley I/O Layer from the CD
4 Configuring Instrument
Communications
4.2 Specifying a Virtual Instrument
5.2 Using the ExceLINX toolbar
5.3 Detecting the presence and type of
switching modules
5.4 ExceLINX and front panel
interaction
5.7 Recovering from power loss or
network disconnect (2701 only)
6 Access to advanced IVI Driver
features
7.1 Instrument features that are not
supported in ExceLINX
7.2 Instrument not configured when
out-of-range settings exist
7.3 Large data sets overflow sheet
7.4 Data location reset when changes
are made to tasks
7.5 Change tracking not supported
7.6 Data not written to last row or
last column
7.7 Invalid options for Continuity
function
7.8 Large trigger counts treated as
infinity
7.9 Can not configure display digits
per channel
7.10 Configuration values are cached
7.11 Invalid values for alarm limits
accepted
7.12 Invalid values for filter count
accepted
7.13 Invalid limit values problems
7.14 Cannot configure threshold value
for frequency measurements
7.15 Reference value for DB and RelDB
not channel based
7.16 Large trigger delay or timer values
do not work
7.17 Math functions disabled for
Totalizer function
7.18 Disabled channels shown in Monitor
Channel List
7.19 Task allows invalid data location
7.20 Reading count of 0 not flagged as
invalid
7.21 Adding new task after delete gives
error
7.22 User not warned when paired channel
used
7.23 When logging to floppy, no disk
full warning
7.24 Scaling units not stored in buffer
7.25 Limits cannot be used with
continuity
7.26 Quitting ExceLINX while task
running causes error
7.27 Trigger delay and timer have wrong
upper limit
7.28 Relative Acquire does not work
-------------------------------------------------
The
components described below are provided as part of the CD version of ExceLINX-1A.
The Web version just contains the ExceLINX software. The Ke2700 IVI driver and
Keithley I/O Layer must be downloaded separately from the Keithley Web site.
ExceLINX
is a Microsoft Excel add-in for the 2700, 2701, and 2750 systems. Within
minutes of installing ExceLINX-1A on a PC, users can acquire data dynamically
within Excel, then employ the familiar Excel graphics,
charting, and analysis capabilities. No Programming is required to use ExceLINX
- a few mouse clicks are all it takes to configure channels, set parameters,
triggers, scan lists, etc.
ExceLINX
uses the KE2700 IVI driver and the Keithley I/O layer (VISA) to communicate
with your instrument. IVI (Interchangeable Virtual Instruments) and VISA
(Virtual Instrument Software Architecture) provide a common foundation for
application development across multiple communication buses and multiple
instrument vendors. This software driver
supports many Application Development Environments under Windows, such as
Visual Basic, C/C++, LabView, LabWindows CVI, and TestPoint.
Numerous
examples and an on-line help utility are provided to help programmers build
their custom applications. A shortcut
for the driver help is added to the Keithley Instruments folder on your Start
Menu.
The
Keithley Configuration Panel is provided to allow you to setup or modify the
communications between the driver and your instrument.
For an IVI
driver to be truly interchangeable you need to create a virtual instrument
configuration which points to the VISA resource to use, the name of the DLL to
use and the prefix for the function calls in the DLL. The Configuration Panel
and Wizard allow you to do this.
The
installation pre-configures instruments for Serial ports COM1 and COM2, and for
a GPIB instrument at GPIB address 16. If you are using one of these, you may
skip the configuration panel. Otherwise, you must create a new instrument
configuration using the Keithley Configuration Panel and Wizard. See
instructions below.
Version
C03 is the same as version C02 except the installer is repackaged to include a
newer version of the Keithley I/O Layer.
Version
C02 is a maintenance release that fixes several problems discovered in version
C01. The following issues have been
corrected in version C02.
ExceLINX
now installs properly in all supported foreign language versions of Windows. See section 2 for system requirements.
Relative
and absolute time stamps now work properly under foreign language versions of
Windows.
The Read
Task now works properly under foreign versions of Windows.
Several
miscellaneous installation and un-installation issues have been corrected.
TestPoint
Runtime is an executable start-up application written in TestPoint,
an Application Development Environment for Windows. TestPoint
Runtime is an easy-to-use point and click application that demonstrates the
most commonly used features of the 2700, 2701, and 2750 systems. Source code
for Runtime is also provided so you can purchase TestPoint
and modify or extend the application to meet your specific needs. The TestPoint Runtime software is provided free of charge with
every 2700, 2701, and 2750 Instrument.
TestPoint
Professional Development System is a complete package for creating test &
measurement applications, including support for GPIB and serial instruments,
control, math, graphing, A/D and many more features. TestPoint
uses object-oriented, drag-and-drop technology to bring both power and
simplicity to data acquisition and test & measurement. TestPoint
offers three optional toolkits that can be added to the base version: Internet
Toolkit, Database Toolkit, and Statistical Process Control (SPC) Toolkit. TestPoint is sold
separately.
Check www.keithley.com or call 1-888-KEITHLEY (534-8453) for more
information on TestPoint.
Pentium-class
PC.
2700
firmware release B03 or later.
2701
firmware release A01 or later.
2750
firmware release A02 or later.
Supported
GPIB controller (see section 4.1), RS-232 Serial, or Ethernet (2701 only) port
for communications with the instrument.
ExceLINX-1A
supports the following switch cards: 7700, 7701, 7702, 7703, 7705, 7706, 7707,
7708, 7709, 7710, 7711, and 7712. Not all features of all the cards are
supported. See section 3 below.
NOTE: It
is strongly recommended that your computer and instrument be powered by an
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) when running a critical application. If a computer running Excel loses power, all
your data may be lost.
Windows XP
Professional service pack 1 or later
Windows
2000 Service pack 3 or later
Windows NT
Service pack 6a or later
Windows 98
Second edition only
Note:
Windows 95 is not supported.
Excel 2003
SP1
Excel 2002
(XP) SP2
Excel 2000
SP3
Excel 97
SR1
ExceLINX
has been tested with a variety of International versions of Windows and Excel,
including Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, German, and
French. Note that Windows 95 is not
supported in any language.
If you
will be using GPIB to communicate with your instrument, you must have a
compatible GPIB controller card and associated software driver installed in
your computer before installing ExceLINX
ExceLINX
is compatible with the following GPIB controller cards:
Keithley Instruments GPIB cards
(ISA, PCI, PCMCIA)
CEC GPIB cards (ISA, PCI)
National Instruments GPIB cards (ISA, PCI, PCMCIA)
INES GPIB cards (PCMCIA)
When using
Keithley Instruments or CEC ISA or PCI GPIB cards, you must have driver
software version 6.00 or later. The
latest driver for these cards is available from the CEC WEB site: www.cec488.com.
Follow the
manufacturer's instructions for installing the controller card and software,
and for verifying correct operation of the card and software driver.
When
installing the INES driver software, do NOT install the HP I/O libraries or
select HP SICL emulation.
When
installing the INES driver software, DO select NI compatibility mode.
When
installing the INES driver software, if the hardware test fails, change the
Interrupt selection to none.
Connect
your Keithley 2700 or 2750 to your computer using a standard GPIB interface
cable or a "straight through" (not null-modem) serial RS-232 cable.
For 2701
Ethernet Connections, refer to the quick start guide that is provided with the
instrument.
After you
have upgraded ExceLINX, you can view any worksheets that were saved using the
older version, but you will not be able to edit or execute any tasks on the old
worksheets. If you want to execute any
tasks saved under the old version, you must recreate the tasks using the new
version of ExceLINX. Before you upgrade,
you may wish to print out any existing worksheet that you wish to duplicate so
you have a record of all the task settings.
If you prefer, after upgrading, you can view the old worksheet in one
instance of Excel, and open a second instance of Excel to create the new tasks
and enter the same settings used in the old version.
When you
open a worksheet saved using a previous version of ExceLINX, you will receive
two error messages:
1. ExceLINX cannot update task sheet. Please do not edit Excel workbooks until the current ExceLINX task has finished.
2. Cannot write value to host. Host is busy.
Press the
OK button after each error message is displayed. After you acknowledge the second error
message, all menus and controls will be disabled. Once you are finished viewing the old
worksheet, you can close Excel.
If you
have an earlier version of the software installed on your computer, uninstall
it by following the steps below before installing this version.
Important
Note: If you have ExceLINX for another instrument also installed on your
computer (e.g. ExceLINX-1A for 2700 or ExceLINX for Data Acquisition Cards),
you should answer
"no" when prompted to remove shared components during
the uninstallation.
Otherwise, answer "yes" when prompted to remove shared
components. You may receive this prompt more than one time; answer the same way
each time.
Using the
Add/Remove Programs Wizard in Control Panel, uninstall the following
components:
If performing upgrade from web, do not uninstall ExceLINX-1A.
If performing upgrade from cd, uninstall
the following component:
ExceLINX-1A Supporting 2700, 2750 & 2701 meters
For both cd and web upgrades, uninstall
the following components:
Keithley 2700 IVI Driver.
Keithley I/O Layer.
NI-VISA x.x.x Runtime (If present) (x.x.x will be the VISA version)
Reboot
your computer.
Important
note: When installing the software on Windows NT, 2000, or XP, the logged in
user must have administrator privileges.
The
ExceLINX software is included on the Software CD provided with the Instrument.
If you
have a previous version of the software installed on your computer, uninstall
it as described above before installing the new version.
Before
installing from the CD, it is recommended you visit www.keithley.com to see if
a newer version of the software is available.
Insert the software CD into your computer. The installation
utility will start automatically.
The opening screen of the installation utility provides a
menu of options:
Read ExceLINX-1A Suite Release Notes
(this file)
Install Suite Software
Access Supplementary Files
After reviewing the entire release notes document, begin
software installation by selecting "Install Suite Software".
Once you have selected "Install Suite Software"
from the main menu, the software will begin the installation process.
Follow the
instructions on the screen to install the software.
Reboot
your computer during installation if so instructed by the installation utility.
If you
have a previous version of the software installed on your computer, uninstall
it as described above before installing the new version.
Download
the software from the Keithley Web site, www.keithley.com. The software is a single compressed file,
approximately 43 MB in size, and should be downloaded to a temporary directory.
Installing ExceLINX automatically installs the
Keithley KE2700 IVI Instrument Driver, the Keithley I/O Layer and NI- VISA
runtime.
Run the
downloaded file from the temporary directory.
Follow the
instructions on the screen to install the software.
Reboot
your computer during installation if so instructed by the installation utility.
When the
installation is complete, reboot your computer.
Installing
ExceLINX automatically installs the Keithley KE2700 IVI Instrument Driver, the
Keithley I/O Layer and NI- VISA runtime.
If you wish to install only the instrument driver, run the setup.exe
file in the KE2700 subdirectory of the CD.
Installing
ExceLINX automatically installs the Keithley KE2700 IVI Instrument Driver, the
Keithley I/O Layer and NI- VISA runtime.
If you wish to install only the I/O Layer and not ExceLINX or the
instrument driver, run the setup.exe file in the KeithleyIOLayer
subdirectory of the CD.
Important
Note: If you have ExceLINX for another instrument also installed on your
computer (e.g. ExceLINX-2A for 6485 or ExceLINX for Data Acquisition Cards),
you should answer
"no" when prompted to remove shared components during
the uninstallation.
Otherwise, answer "yes" when prompted to remove shared
components. You may receive this prompt more than one time; answer the same way
each time.
Using the
Add/Remove Programs Wizard in Control Panel, uninstall the following
components:
ExceLINX-1A Supporting 2700, 2750 & 2701 meters
Keithley 2700IVI Driver.
Keithley I/O Layer.
NI-VISA x.x.x Runtime (If present) (x.x.x will be the VISA version)
Reboot
your computer.
Before
ExceLINX can communicate with your instrument, a virtual instrument
configuration must exist in the VISA software. ExceLINX pre-configures
instruments for Serial ports 1 and 2, and for a GPIB instrument at GPIB address
16. If you are using one of these, you
may skip the rest of this step. Otherwise, you must create a new instrument
configuration using the Keithley Configuration Wizard. Open the Wizard by
selecting Start>Programs>Keithley Instruments>Keithley Configuration
Panel, and wait for the Wizard to start.
Follow the Wizard instructions to create a new virtual instrument
configuration or modify an existing one.
After making changes in the Keithley Configuration Panel, you must
restart Excel so that ExceLINX recognizes the changes.
When you
use ExceLINX, you must specify which virtual instrument ExceLINX should use to
communicate with your instrument. This
is done by selecting a virtual instrument in the "Device" field of
the ExceLINX configuration task. You
must also select the appropriate instrument in the "Model" field.
If you
created or modified a virtual instrument configuration in step 4.1 above, you
would select that virtual instrument in the "Device Field". Otherwise, select one of the default virtual
instruments according to the following guidelines:
Note: The default virtual instruments all have KE2700 as part of the name, but may be used for 2700, 2750 & 2701 model instruments. If you prefer, you may change the default name using the configuration panel and wizard.
If your instrument is at GPIB address 16 and you are using a National Instruments GPIB card, select KE2700_GPIB16 as your device. If KE2700_GPIB16 does not appear in the "Device" field list, then select KE2700ExampleInstr. KE2700ExampleInst is a logical name equivalent to KE2700_GPIB16 by default.
If your instrument is at GPIB address 16 and you are using a
Keithley Instruments or CEC ISA or PCI GPIB card, select KE2700_GPIB1_16 as
your device.
If your instrument is at GPIB address 16 and you are using a
Keithley Instrument or INES PCMCIA GPIB card, select KE2700_GPIB2_16 as your
device.
If you are using
Refer to
ExceLINX help if necessary to perform the following tasks. ExceLINX help may be accessed via the
ExceLINX menu in Excel.
A) Start
Excel.
B) Create
a new Configuration task and a new Scan task.
C) On the
Configuration Task page, in the Device field, select the device corresponding
to your instrument. Use KE2700_COM1 if your instrument is connected to the
first serial port or KE2700_COM2 for the second serial port. There are three default device configurations
for GPIB. All three are for an
instrument at GPIB address 16, if your instrument is not at address 16, you
will need to create a new or modify one of the default configurations as
described above.
If you are using a National
Instruments GPIB card, select KE2700_GPIB16 (or
KE2700_GPIB0_16)
as your device.
If you are using a Keithley
Instruments or CEC ISA or PCI
GPIB card, select
KE2700_GPIB1_16
as your device.
If you are using a Keithley
Instrument or INES PCMCIA GPIB card, select
KE2700_GPIB2_16
as your device.
There is
no default device configuration for Ethernet.
If you are using an Ethernet connection to a 2701, you must create a
device configuration using the Keithley configuration panel and wizard as
described above.
D) From
the ExceLINX menu, select DMMConfig and then Detect
Device. If your communications
connection is properly configured and working, ExceLINX will display
information about the switching modules installed in your instrument on the
Configuration Task Page. You are now
ready to begin using ExceLINX.
When you
run an ExceLINX task, the status of the command and any error messages that are
returned are displayed in the Status/Cmds field of
each ExceLINX task spreadsheet. If the
message is truncated because of the limited size of the Status/Cmds field, click on the field to select it. The entire text of the message may now be
viewed in the Excel edit bar at the top of the spreadsheet. Error messages are displayed in red, while
normal status messages are displayed in black.
If you
enter an invalid value into an ExceLINX field, ExceLINX will change the invalid
value's color to red. Invalid entries do
not prevent the task from executing, but the invalid value is not sent to the
instrument. To rectify an invalid value,
change the value to a valid value, and click on any other cell to trigger the
validation logic.
Note,
because some values are related or interact, it is possible for a value in one
cell to cause other cells to be marked invalid.
If cells marked in red appear to be correct, examine other related cells
for correct values. (PR16035, 15612, 15933, 19201, 15516)
ExceLINX
provides a toolbar for executing commonly used functions. The toolbar may be left floating or docked
similar to any other Excel toolbar. Refer
to Excel help for details on displaying, hiding, docking or un-docking the
toolbar.
When using
the toolbar, you must first select an ExceLINX task in the list box on the left
end of the toolbar. Once you have
selected a task in the list, the applicable toolbar buttons will be
enabled. All commands issued using the
toolbar apply only to the task selected in the list box.
In the
Instrument section of the configuration task spreadsheet, there are five fields
for display of the switching module type.
The first two fields are valid for 2700 and 2750,
the remaining three fields only apply to 2750s.
When a new
configuration spreadsheet is created, the Slot 1 and Slot 2 fields will display
"Undetected", while Slot 3-5 are blank. ExceLINX assumes you are using a 2700 until
you actually communicate with the instrument.
To populate these fields with the actual module types present in the
instrument, select the proper device in the device field, and then execute the
Detect Device command from the toolbar or the ExceLINX menu.
After
performing the Detect Device function, the Slot fields will list the model
number of the module present in that slot.
If there is no module in the slot, "Empty" will be displayed. A blank field indicates that that slot is not
present on your instrument. (PR15607, 15893)
When using
ExceLINX to configure and operate your instrument, you should not use the
instrument's front panel to view or modify configuration. ExceLINX does not determine when changes have
been made on the front panel, and incorrect operation can result.
Furthermore,
ExceLINX does not send all configuration information to the instrument every
time a configuration task is executed.
Only items that have been changed within ExceLINX since the last time
the configuration task was run are written to the instrument. This means that if the instrument is turned
off or settings are changed from the front panel while ExceLINX is in use, the
instrument may become configured incorrectly.
To avoid this problem, avoid turning the instrument off or using the
front panel while ExceLINX is in use. (PR15996)
To make it
easier to prevent inadvertent changes via the front panel, ExceLINX can
optionally lock out the front panel when ExceLINX is using the instrument. This is controlled using the Front Panel
Lockout field on the Configuration task.
By default, Front Panel Lockout is set to on, meaning the front panel is
locked out while ExceLINX is using the instrument.
When Front
Panel Lockout is set to on, the front panel will be locked out the first time
ExceLINX access the instrument. To
release the front panel lockout, close Excel.
The first
time a scan task is executed, it automatically executes the associated
configure task. If no configuration data
is changed, the configuration task may not be executed on subsequent runs of
the scan task. The configuration task
can always be run by itself to configure the instrument without executing any
measurements. See also the note in the
known issues section of this document regarding configuration data caching.
Although,
for convenience, ExceLINX allows you to display data on the scan or read task
work sheets, it is recommended that you configure the tasks to place the data
on a separate spreadsheet. Because the
ExceLINX cells are protected from revisions and format changes, and because
Excel protects the entire column not just certain cells, you cannot alter the
format of cells on the task worksheets.
This means that date information can be displayed in an undesired
format. Furthermore, when cells are
first used to display one type of information, such as a date, and then a
different type of data, such as a reading, the format will be incorrect, and
the protection prevents altering it to the desired setting.
By always
placing data on a separate work sheet, all these problems are avoided.
(PR15733)
If your
2701 loses power while in use by ExceLINX, or if the Ethernet connection is
interrupted, you must close and reopen Excel to reestablish the network
connection.
ExceLINX
uses the KE2700 IVI Instrument driver for communication with the
instrument. IVI drivers support several
features and functions that can improve performance and error checking. Advanced users can access these settings
using the Keithley Configuration Panel.
Several important advanced features are described below.
If this
feature is enabled the driver will query the instrument after every function
call to see if there where any errors. This is useful while you are writing
your application but once it is finalized then you can disable this feature to
gain extra performance.
If enabled
the IVI engine will check to see if the parameters you are passing in are
within range. Disabling this feature in the final application will also gain
some performance increase.
The driver
has the option of caching all the settings it sends to the instrument so that
it doesn't send a setting to the instrument a second time if it hasn't changed.
By default this is enabled.
This
release of ExceLINX does not support analog outputs, digital outputs, or
digital inputs on any module.
In certain
circumstances, when an out-of-range value is specified on the configuration
task sheet, the instrument will not be configured properly. With a few exceptions described elsewhere in
this document, ExceLINX marks out of range values by showing them in red. Correct any red settings before running an
ExceLINX task. (PR19717, 16035)
Excel
worksheets are limited to a maximum of 256 columns and 65536 rows. It is possible with certain combinations of
settings for ExceLINX to overflow one or both of these limitations. The current version of ExceLINX may overwrite
data or may not record some data points if these limits are exceeded. Make
certain that the combination of settings you select for Scan list length,
reading count, Display location, and Data organization, and auto wrap will
allow all your data to fit on a single sheet.
If you must collect more data than will fit on a single Excel worksheet,
you may turn on logging to a file. When
file logging is enabled, all data is written to the file, regardless of whether
or not it fits on a worksheet. If more
data is logged than can fit on the worksheet, the message "Not all data
displayed" will appear in the status area.
In
addition to the limits described above for spreadsheet size, Excel can run out
of memory if you attempt to create a very large spreadsheet with all the cells
containing data. Excel will run very
slowly or generate error messages if it begins to run out of memory. The point
at which this happens is dependent on the amount of primary and virtual memory
available on your computer. (PR15897, 15991)
ExceLINX
maintains a data location pointer so it knows where to write the next data item
read back from the instrument. When a task is executed for the first time, the
pointer is set to the value specified in the Starting Row and Starting Column
fields. After each data item is stored
in the spreadsheet, the pointer is incremented one row or column depending as
required by the Organize by rows or Organize by columns setting and other
factors.
You can
manually reset the pointer to the initial settings using the Reset Data
Location function on the toolbar or ExceLINX menu.
However,
changing any of the settings in the Data Location or Data Display sections of
the Scan Task may reset the Data Location pointer to its initial value. This means that the next time the scan task
is run, it will begin writing data in the cell
specified by the Starting Row and Starting Column parameters. This can
overwrite any data that might have been previously written to that
location. Changing the list of channels
to be scanned by modifying the channel list in the configuration task can also
cause this problem.
To avoid
this problem, it is recommended that you use a trial run to make sure you have
the proper channels configured and the Data Location and Data Display
parameters adjusted to your desired settings. Then clear the trial run data
using the ExceLINX erase function or Excel's clear contents function. Finally, reset the data location to its
initial setting using the Reset Data Location function, You can now run the scan task to
acquire data. (PR15988, 14738, 15898, 15764)
ExceLINX
will not work properly if you have change tracking enabled. Do not enable Excel Change Tracking when using the
ExceLINX software. (PR18991)
The
current version of ExceLINX will not write data to column IV or row 65536. Adjust data location settings to avoid writing
data into those cells. (PR16105)
The
current version of ExceLINX allows you to specify sampling rate when the
function is set to continuity. This is not allowed by the instruments and the
setting is ignored. (PR14771)
Valid
trigger count values are 1-55,000 and infinity for the 2700, 1-110,000 and
infinity for the 2750, and 1-450,000 for the 2701. ExceLINX allows you to enter values above
55,000, and
110,000 respectively, but they are treated as infinity. Therefore, if you set the trigger count to a
value greater than the above limits, the task will run until you manually stop
it. (PR15897, 15773, 16023, 16024, 16025)
The 2700
and 2750 allow you to specify a different value for the Displayed Digits
setting for each channel. ExceLINX only
allows one setting for all channels. (PR15792)
ExceLINX
attempts to maximize performance by only sending configuration values to the
instrument when they have been changed.
For example, when a configuration task is run for the first time, all
configuration values are sent to the instrument. If the task is run again without changing
anything, most of the values will not be written again. This improves performance.
Caching of
configuration values can cause problems if the instrument is turned off, or
values are changed from the front panel instead of using ExceLINX. This can cause unexpected results. To avoid this problem, following a power
interruption to the instrument, or manual alteration
of settings from the front panel, you should close and re-open Excel, and then
run the configuration or scan task. This
will force ExceLINX to send all configuration data to the instrument. The optional local lockout setting allows you
to configure ExceLINX to block access to the instruments front panel when
ExceLINX is using the instrument. (PR15937)
Invalid
alarm limit values are not flagged in red.
(PR19718)
Valid
range for the filter count setting is 1-100.
ExceLINX accepts values outside this range, but the instrument will
report an error. (PR15657)
If invalid
values are entered for the limit values, but the limits are disabled, the
invalid values will still be sent to the instrument resulting in an instrument
error. Do not enter invalid values for
the limit settings.
ExceLINX
allows entry of invalid values for limit settings, but they will result in an
instrument error when the task is executed. (PR16031, 16032)
ExceLINX
does not provide a way to specify the threshold setting for frequency
measurements. (PR19685)
ExceLINX
allows you to specify a different value for DB reference or RelDB
reference for each channel, but the instruments do not support this. Only one
global reference value is allowed.
Specify the same reference value on all channels using DB or RelDB. (PR16111)
ExceLINX
does not correctly handle
trigger timer values over 999,999. (PR16164)
ExceLINX
does not allow you to use math functions when the measurement function is set
to totalizer, although the instrument supports this.
(PR16170)
The drop
down list for the monitor channel selection will include any disabled
channels. Do not select a disabled
channel or the ExceLINX task will run without collecting any data until
manually stopped. (PR16113)
Under
certain unusual circumstances, the scan task will not flag an invalid Starting
Row or Starting Column. Starting row
should be 36 or greater when data will be placed on the scan task worksheet.
(PR14739)
If the
reading count on the scan task is set to zero, it is not flagged as
invalid. If the task is then executed,
it will run until manually stopped, and will then display an error
message. The reading count must be
non-zero. (PR15583, 16219)
If a task
sheet is deleted, and then a new task is created, ExceLINX incorrectly warns of
a duplicate name. Clicking yes on the displayed dialog will force ExceLINX to
use the name. (PR15904)
When
performing 4 wire measurements, the instruments automatically pair two
channels. ExeLINX
does not warn the user if an attempt is made to separately configure the paired
channel on the same configuration spreadsheet. Exercise care when configuring 4
wire measurements so the paired channel is not configured separately. (PR15925)
When
logging to a floppy disk, no warning is generated when the floppy becomes
full. It is recommended that logging be
to hard disk. The file can be
transferred to floppy when required. (PR15967)
ExceLINX
allows you to specify the scaling units character for
each channel. The instruments will
display this unit while scanning, but the character is not stored in the
instruments buffer with the reading.
Therefore, using the DMM Read task to upload buffer contents will not
display the proper units. (PR15987)
ExceLINX
allows you to specify limits settings when the function is set to continuity,
but the instrument does not allow this.
Do not enable limits when using continuity. (PR15994)
Under
Excel 97, quitting ExceLINX while a task is running will cause a run-time
error. After the error occurs, ELXSDMMI.dll
is left loaded and will prevent ExceLINX from functioning when it is
restarted. Restart your computer, or use
the Windows task manager to stop ELXSDMMI to recover. Stop any running tasks
before quitting Excel. (PR16106)
The
trigger delay and timer fields accept values up to 99,999,999.0 but the
instrument's maximum allowed value is 999,999.999. Do not exceed the instrument's maximum value.
(PR16161, 16163)
Setting the
Rel filed on the configuration task to ACQ is
intended to take a reading from the specified channel and then use that as the
relative reference for subsequent measurements.
In this release, when ACQ is specified, the relative reference is set to
zero regardless of the input signal value.
Specifying
a relative reference manually by entering a value in the Rel
field works properly. (PR19846)
When using
manual trigger from within ExceLINX, if either the "Add Channels" or
"Add Units" options are set to yes in the Data Display Section of the
Scan task, the Trigger Icon on the toolbar will be disabled and a manual
trigger cannot be sent to the instrument.
When using manual trigger mode, set Add Channels and
Add Units to off. (PR19769)
The
ExceLINX software is Copyright (c) 2001-2005 Keithley Instruments. All Rights Reserved.
The VISA
software supplied with ExceLINX is Copyright (c) 2001-2003 National Instruments
Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
The KE2700
instrument driver supplied with ExceLINX is Copyright (c) 2001-2005 Keithley
Instruments. All Rights Reserved.
End of
Release notes.