Measure Foundry works with all instruments
-- Test & Measurement World, 3/6/2007 6:31:00 AM
Measure Foundry 5, formerly called DT Measure Foundry, has expanded its I/O capabilities beyond Data Translation hardware. It now includes a wide range of instruments and I/O buses.
Measure Foundry 5 uses the VISA communications channel to provide access to instruments such as DMMs, oscilloscopes, function generators, spectrum analyzers, RF generators, and power supplies. I/O buses include IEEE 488, USB, VXI, PXI, and LXI.
To create automation applications, you can write VISA scripts that send SCPI commands to any instrument and receive measurement results. Using the VISA script tool, you can assign names to instruments for easy identification. Measure Foundry works with NI VISA, Agilent VISA, and Tek VISA.
Once you build a VISA script to control an instrument, you can use a feature called Processes to build applications. Your applications can trigger measurements or wait for events before receiving data. Scripts can contain conditional loops and branches and you can develop multithreaded applications, with each thread running independently.
Just retrieving measurement results often isn’t enough. Measure Foundry’s “Melting Pot” also lets you write text-based analysis routines using math such as FFTs. It also gives you access to Matlab scripts for data analysis.
Measure Foundry 5 comes in two editions, Basic and Professional. Both let you develop a full range of applications. The Pro edition lets you compile your applications into Windows stand-alone executables that you can run on any system. With the Basic editor, you can run applications on the development PC only.
Base price: $1995. Data Translation, www.measurefoundry.com.
