USB I/O

[Peter Flynn]

On 03/05/18 22:56, walt wrote:
> Greetings:
> 
> I am running MINT 18.3 on an AMD 64 bit processor. 

Aha. So am I :-)

> I want to control and read data from my Siglent Spectrun Analyzer
> with my computer through its USB port.  How do I accomplish this with
> the C program language? 

First you need to know what protocols the device supports through that
port. This should be in the software development or API manuals that
should have come with it.

Second, if it comes with APIs, use them: don't try to reinvent the wheel.

Third, if you do have to write code to access it, you will have to
address the device as a logical port — follow the manufacturer's
specifications, which again should have come with it, or may be a
downloadable extra.

> I have googled for an answer but haven't
> found an answer that I understand.

Google will not be of any use here.

> Is there a 'usb-open' function that will allow use of the traditional
> character and string functions?

Not as such. There are functions to open many devices but first you need
to know what type of device it presents as. The fact that it has a USB
socket doesn't really have anything to do with what protocols are
supported over the wire. It might just as well have a 9-pin serial port
or a network socket.

///Peter