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TDTRP User Guide

Use TDTRP to directly communicate with TDT hardware from MATLAB or Python.

Requirements

  • TDT Drivers

  • TDT ActiveX package

  • Python only: pywin32

About TDTRP

TDTRP is a wrapper for the RPcoX ActiveX control that installs with the TDT ActiveX package. It provides direct access to TDT hardware (connect, load/run circuit, read/write tags on the hardware, send software triggers) and is generally easier to use than calling the RPcoX object directly.

TDTRP installs with the ActiveX controls into:

C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\Matlab
C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\py

or you can download it in the ActiveX Controls example zip.

TDTRP Functionality

This section includes methods, examples, and comparisons to RPcoX.

Note

See ActiveX User Reference for the complete RPcoX programming guide.

Creating a TDTRP object

obj = TDTRP(CIRCUITPATH, DEVICETYPE, 'parameter', value, ...)

obj is what you want the structure to be called for your code. In this document obj will be 'TDT' after we make our first call to TDTRP below. However, obj can be any unique variable name.

MATLAB Python Values
'INTERFACE' interface String, interface type. Can be 'USB', 'USB3', or 'GB' (default for fiber optic interface)
'NUMBER' number Integer, device number as enumerated by zBusMon (default 1)
'FS' fs Float, sampling rate to run the circuit at (otherwise uses circuit default) 
TDT = TDTRP('C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\RP_Files\Continuous_Acquire.rcx', 'RZ6')

TDT is the returned object. The target device is an RZ6 processor. I only have one, so no need to set the 'NUMBER' parameter, and it has a fiber optic interface built into it, so it uses the default 'GB' interface.

from TDTRP import TDTRP

TDT = TDTRP(r'C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\RP_Files\Continuous_Acquire.rcx', 'RZ6')

The Python wrapper takes the same arguments as keywords: interface, number and fs. It can also be used as a context manager, which halts the circuit on the way out even if something raises.

RP = actxserver('RPco.X');
RP.ConnectRZ6('GB',1)
RP.LoadCOF('C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\RP_Files\Continuous_Acquire.rcx');
e = RP.Run

if e == 0
    error('error running circuit')
else
    disp('Circuit ready to run')
end

Setting the mode with TDTRP

TDT.halt % stop any existing processing chain

TDT.load % load the processing chain

TDT.run % run the processing chain

>> circuit = 'C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\RP_Files\Continuous_Acquire.rcx';

>> TDT.halt;

>> TDT.load(circuit);

>> TDT.run;

% Calling TDTRP() does the equivalent of calling halt, load, and run
% load and run the circuit onto the specified device

circuit = r'C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\RP_Files\Continuous_Acquire.rcx'

TDT.halt()
TDT.load(circuit)
TDT.run()

# Creating a TDTRP does the equivalent of halt, load and run

RP.Halt
circuit ='C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\RP_Files\Continuous_Acquire.rcx';
e = RP.LoadCOF(circuit); % Loads circuit

if e == 0
    error('Error loading circuit')
else
    disp('Circuit ready to run')
end

e = RP.Run

if e == 0
    error('Error running circuit')
else
    disp('Circuit ready to run')
end

Software Triggers

Use software triggers to pulse a TrigIn component in RPvdsEx for one sample.

TDT.trg(TRIGNUM) % TRIGNUM is the software trigger index (1-10)

TRIGNUM determined by number after 'Soft' in the TrigIn component.

TDT.trg(1);

TDT.trg(1)

RP.SoftTrg(1);

Writing to Parameter Tags

TDT.write(TAGNAME, VALUE, 'parameter', value, ...)

TAGNAME is a string. VALUE is the single value or array that you want to push onto the tag. Whether the tag is pointed to a scalar component or buffer will determine what is a valid write. Examples of these paradigms are below in the examples below.

MATLAB Python Values
'FORMAT' fmt String, destination format (array only) options are 'F32' (default), 'I32', 'I16', 'I8'
'OFFSET' offset Scalar, offset into buffer (array only). Default is 0
Parameter Tag pointing to a scalar value
% writing a single scalar value to a ConstF component
TDT.write('MyTag', 3.14);

# writing a single scalar value to a ConstF component
TDT.write('MyTag', 3.14)

RP.SetTagVal('MyTag', 3.14); % for single value
Parameter Tag pointing to memory buffer
% writing an array of values to a SerSource, which is a serial buffer
TDT.write('MyTag', 1:10);

# writing an array of values to a SerSource, which is a serial buffer
TDT.write('MyTag', range(1, 11))

RP.WriteTagVEX('MyTag', 0, 'F32', 1:10); % for array of values

Reading from Parameter Tags

TDT.read(TAGNAME,'parameter',value,...)

Similar to the TDT.write method, what the tag is pointed to will determine what a valid read is. A scalar tag must be on a scalar component. An array must be on a buffer.

MATLAB Python Values
'SOURCE' source String, source format (array only) options are 'F32' (default), 'I32', 'I16', 'I8'
'DEST' dest String, destination format (array only) options are 'F64', 'F32' (default), 'I32', 'I16', 'I8'
'SIZE' size Scalar, number of words to read (array only). Default is the entire buffer
'OFFSET' offset Scalar, offset into buffer (array only). Default is 0
'NCHAN' nchan Scalar, number of channels in buffer (array only). Used for de-interlacing data. Default is 1
Parameter Tag pointing to a scalar value

Parameter tags always point towards a component port.

% read single value parameter tags
ScalarVal = TDT.read('ReadMe');

# read single value parameter tags
scalar_val = TDT.read('ReadMe')

RP.GetTagVal('ReadMe'); % for single value
Parameter Tag pointing to memory buffer
% This will read all values stored in the SerStore serial buffer
ArrVals = TDT.read('ReadMe');

# This will read all values stored in the SerStore serial buffer
arr_vals = TDT.read('ReadMe')

RP.ReadTagVEX('ReadMe',0,1000,'F32','F32',1); % for 1 chan array of 1000 values

Examples Using TDTRP

You can find examples of ActiveX code using TDTRP installed with ActiveX in:

C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\Matlab
C:\TDT\ActiveX\ActXExamples\py

or you can download it in the ActiveX Controls example zip.