README.TXT
Magna-Power Electronics, Inc. DC Power Supplies VXI Plug & Play Instrument Driver

Driver Revision Rev 1.2, 8/2004

Contents:

1    Introduction

2    Prerequisites

3    VISA Specific Information
3.1    Instrument Addresses
3.2    Using Callbacks

4    Using the mpexxx Driver in Application Development Environments
4.1    National Instruments LabWindows/CVI
4.2    National Instruments LabVIEW

5.0  Known Defects

6.0  Revision History

7.0  Files Installed
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1.   Introduction

This driver is compatible with Magna-Power Electronics, Inc. DC Power 
Supplies. The included help file contains the application programming
interface (API) information. This readme file contains additional 
information for the user/installer.

This mpexxx driver conforms to all portions of the VXI driver standard
which are applicable to conventional GPIB, VXI and RS-232.  Two elements
of the standard do not apply to the driver since it is not a VXI instrument.
First, there is no soft front panel, as the MPE DC Power Supply can be
controlled from it's hardware front panel.  Second, there is no knowledge
base file, which is primarily a description of a VXI board.

This driver features:

1.  Conformance with the VXI standard.  The only exceptions are that
    it does not have a soft front panel or a knowledge base file.

2.  The driver utilizes the API of the VISA communication library.  VISA
    supports GPIB, Serial, VXI and Ethernet protocols.  The driver can 
    be used with any GPIB card for which the manufacturer has provided a 
    VISA DLL.

3.  It includes a "Function Panel" (.fp) file which allows it to be used
    with visual programming environments such as LabWindows and LabVIEW.

4.  It includes a comprehensive instrument manual. This manual presents
    detailed documentation of each function.

5.  Source is included so that the driver can be modified as desired. The
    source conforms to VXI Plug & Play standards.

6.  It includes Visual Basic modules (.bas) which contain the functions in
    the Visual Basic syntax. 
 
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2    Prerequisites

- National Instruments VISA 3.0 (or higher)
- National Instruments NI-488.2 Software 1.60 (or higher) (GPIB only)
- National Instruments GPIB board (GPIB only)
   
LabWindows/CVI Users

- National Instruments LabWindows/CVI 6.0 (or higher)

LabVIEW Users

- National Instruments LabVIEW 6.x (or higher)


3.   VISA Specific Information

The following topics refer to instances when the driver is used with
different versions of VISA.

3.1    Instrument Addresses

When using VXI Plug & Play instrument drivers, the instrument addresses
should always be uppercase letters. This enforces for maximum portability.

For example:  use "GPIB0::1" instead of "gpib0::1"

3.2   Using Callbacks

Callbacks are not supported with this driver.

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4.   Using the mpexxx Driver in Application Development Environments

This section offers suggestions on using the source code within
various application development environments.

4.1   National Instruments LabWindows/CVI(R) 6.0 (or higher)

Refer to the National Instruments LabWindows/CVI manual for information on
adding the desired modules (.fp, .c and .h).

4.2   National Instruments LabView 6.0 (or higher)

Refer to the National Instruments LabVIEW manual for information on converting
the .fp module.

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5.0  Known Defects

		None

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6.0  Revision History
	Rev 1.0, 1/2004, CVI 6.0
	- First release

	Rev 1.1, 3/2004, CVI 6.0
	- Incorporated PQA, SQA, MQA and MTA series.

	Rev 1.2, 8/2004, CVI 6.0
	- Incorporated modulation functionality into LabView driver
	  for the PQD, SQD, MQD and MTD series.

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7.0  Files

The following files are are in the zip file:
	mpexxx.h   - Header file for driver
	mpexxx.c   - Source code for driver
	mpexxx.fp  - Function Panel file for use with LabVIEW/LabWindows
	readme.txt - This file that contains general information
	mpexxx.doc - The file that contains the API information about the driver

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Should you have any technical questions please contact 
	Magna-Power Electronics, Inc. technical support,
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LabWindows/CVI & LabVIEW are registered trademarks of National Instruments.
