Setup help with NI GPIB-USB-A and -B on Windows 7 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Hifi Necromancer
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2022, 05:17:05 am
content: I recently acquired a NI GPIB-USB-A and a GPIB-USB-B interface and I'd like to use them with Labview under windows 7. Both devices appear to be genuine articles. I've successfully connected the -B model using the 488.2 v17.6 driver, as it's detected by MAX and passes self-test, but I'm unable to connect the -A. From what I can gather, the -A model only works with driver versions 1 thru 2.2, which are not available on the NI site.NI states that if I need the older drivers I can contact them, but in order to do so I need a service program membership which I do not have. I'm not sure how to proceed from this point...any ideas?

author: Aiy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 08:17:52 pm
content: Hello there,In my experience the NI GPIB-B can be used with quite recent 488.2 drivers, although the device support has ended (last version is somewhere around VISA/488.2 version 18.0)The NI GPIB-A has not worked under Windows 7/10, they dropped the support at win2k/XP.I have uploaded Version 2.2 of NI 488.2 here in case you want to try anyway:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dcfW1ImCTfmQZN1h6X9nfT7FJKcVRtF9Best regards

author: rfclown
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 09:35:55 pm
content: poking around in ftp.ni.com/support I see some older versions. Notes seem to indicate maybe 2.0 will work? Weird that 2.0 is in a file named 377119.zip (in support/gpib/archive)

author: rfclown
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 11:01:45 pm
content: got home from work. I have a GPIB-USB-A in my stash. Unfortunately the drivers I have installed on my Win7 and WinXP PCs are both Ni-448.2 3.0 which don't work with the A. I normally use a GPIB-USB-HS (at work and at home). Sorry I'm not up to downgrading my drivers to see if it works. I don't want to break anything in these systems.I got into the ni ftp site using Filezilla with anonymous login

author: gslick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2022, 09:28:22 pm
content: Quote from: Hifi Necromancer on March 22, 2022, 05:17:05 amThe ReadMe file for NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.4 says this:Code:Enhancements and Bugfixes in Version 2.4----------------------------------------NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.4 adds support for GPIB-USB-HS, NIExpressCard-GPIB, and a revised version of the PCI-GPIB+Controller/Analyzer board. Support for the obsolete GPIB-USB-Ainterface has been dropped in this release.If support for the GPIB-USB-A was dropped in Version 2.4, then maybe that means support for the GPIB-USB-A is present up through Version 2.3, even though the ReadMe file for NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.3 doesn't include the GPIB-USB-A in the list of supported interfaces?Code:Supported Interfaces--------------------NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.3, supports the following hardware onWindows 2000/XP. Windows 98/Me is no longer supported.AT-GPIB/TNT(PnP)GPIB-ENET/100GPIB-USB-BPCI-GPIBPCI-GPIB+PCI-GPIB/LPPCI-8212PCI Express(TM) Interface for GPIBPCMCIA-GPIBPCMCIA-GPIB+PMC-GPIBPXI-GPIBPXI-8212PXI-8232This thread has a pointer to where CD images of old NI-488.2 for Windows release can be found:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/ni-gpib-vintage-driver-for-windows98se/msg4130899/#msg4130899