[time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-NET, HP 5370A, HP5334A problem?

[John Miles]

>
> I just got one of the new networked GPIB controllers, and I've been
> having some issues. I'm not sure if it's the Prologix or the
> instruments, or both.
>
> With the 5370A, I can get samples for some period of time ranging from
> about 2 to 4 hours before the GPIB controller stops responding. I
> suspect this one might be the 5370A -488 controller bug I've heard of.
> However, there is no way to recover without power-cycling the Prologix.
> Even if this is the 5370A, the Prologix should really have an
> asynchronous reset capability.
>
> With the 5334A, I can get samples for as long as I want, no problem.
> However, if I set the 5334A to 'WA1' mode, which is supposed to wait
> until the counter is addressed before taking each sample, what happens
> is that I can read one value. Every successive read returns the same
> value; the 5334A never triggers for a new sample. Either I don't
> understand the behavior of WA1, although HP's sample program indicates
> that what I've described is proper, or there is some incompatibility
> between the Prologix and the 5334A.
>
> Unfortunately, the documentation for the Prologix is scanty at best.
> There is no description of the actual IEEE-488 handshake process that's
> going on. For example, does the Prologix do an unlisten after a read?
> The HP docs seem to indicate that in WA1 mode, a sample starts when the
> 5334A is addressed. So, if it's never unlistened, perhaps it never takes
> a new sample?
>
> Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Bill, what commands and queries are you using with the 5370A?  I have a
couple of those new Prologix LAN dongles here and could try to repro it here
on my 5370B, if it turns out that Abdul needs to see it happen in person.

I don't have a 5334A, but it might help to send it a ++trg trigger command.
If not, you'd probably need to switch auto-read mode off for that one, and
use manual ++read commands.

-- john, KE5FX