ZTEC Instruments announces dramatically improved ZWave control software and drivers for its ZT530 C-Class Function / Arbitrary Waveform Generators.
First and foremost, the new ZWave soft front panel (SFP) application for ZTEC’s C-Class function generators is easier to use and looks and operates like a traditional benchtop signal generator. According to Boyd Shaw, ZTEC Instruments’ Director of Marketing, “Over the years, we receive a lot of feedback on our original ZWave function generator software. Customers were telling us that the hardware was great, but that the accompanying software was not as easy to use as they would like. Customers wanted ZWave to look and operate like a benchtop function generator. We gathered the customer inputs and developed a completely brand new user interface. And in the process, we added a number of other improvements.”
The new ZWave is a class-level application and connects to and controls any ZT530 instrument. The new drivers that are part of the ZWave installer also provide class-level support. Users can change instrument platforms, if necessary, without re-writing any software. For example, if a user has written code for a ZT530 PCI instrument, they can then use that same code for a ZT530 PXI instrument without rewriting any code. The new drivers also provide hooks into key programming environments such as: C, LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, COM, Visual Studio and others.
The original ZWave only ran on Windows 2000 and XP. Additionally, the new ZWave also runs on Windows Vista and Linux 2.6.x.
ZFind is also included as part of the ZWave application and driver installer. The ZFind utility enables users to easily identify what ZTEC instruments are installed on the current host.
The new ZWave and instrument drivers are available for free, and can be downloaded from the ZTEC Support Center. Even if you don’t have a ZTEC function generator, you can still download the software and evaluate the ZWave interface.
