GPIB conductivity to the computer , and few questions  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: eevblogfan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 08:55:20 am
content: HeyI have few GPIB completible devices and I was wondered how hard can it be to connect them to A computer ..cables are not cheap , thought I might gonna get 10 of them for cheap price . so that's not the case here ...Is this going to suite ?Link :http://www.ebay.com/itm/S82357-GPIB-USB-interface-compatible-with-Agilent-82357B-/181219124466?hash=item2a318064f2I am trying to get one Agilent used for 100$ .. but if it fails , is the above linked one will work ?also , in order to plot , how exactly I should be able to do so ? ..I haveHP34401AHP6632Band few more , should I open thread for each one conductivity to the computer ? ..thank you in advance

author: Mr Simpleton
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 09:09:32 am
content: I have just gone through this phase... I ended up with a NI488-2 HS for $200. My reasoning was that the compatibility issues reported with clones, I rather have a branded one and save frustration. The NI software allows for easy monitoring on the bus and helps to find problems. The Prologix dongle seems quite popular and have a fair price, even new! There are even cheaper PCI-cards that will allow faster transfer too, but then you are stuck with that PCYou should be able to find cheap HP-IB cables on ebay, $10-15, and of course you only need one controller, as the cables are daisy chained to each instrument. Just make sure each instrument has it own ID.But as always YMMW...

author: eliocor
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 09:32:33 am
content: I own the GPIB interface you are referring to: at this date I hano no problems at all using it.BTW, I use the compatibility DLL made by Agilent: in a such way I can use it with almost any program written for NI interfaces.

author: eevblogfan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 01:24:52 pm
content: Heylink :http://www.ebay.com/itm/300957005184?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649Is that compatible with old and new GPIB devices ? ( HP3478A--< Old ) ( HP34401A,34410A,34461A---< NEW )my real application I am after is plotting the data ...Is it the same with Keithley's instrument ?I heard about Labvew , But don't have A clew on how to get into it .thank you in advance

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 03:00:35 pm
content: Take a look at the free GPIB Toolkit :http://www.ke5fx.com/gpib/readme.htmIt works well for me using both NI and cloned IEEE-488 interfaces.The HP 7470 GPIB plotter emulation gives you the ability to print from your instrument to a PChttp://www.ke5fx.com/gpib/readme.htmI own a couple of HP plotters as well as they are great to watch whilst doing their 'magic'

author: eevblogfan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 03:30:44 pm
content: HeyI am real Noobie to that field so if you can clarify few things I'll thank you*in order to communicate with few instruments , I think I need to download they're drivers - is it ? m the software is aware of them all ? . is it possible to plot few plots simultaneously ? . actually , doing real math ? . what are the limitations of mathematical equations ? ( say one meter is measuring voltage and the other is measuring voltage drop on known resistance shunt , then multiply for power over time , now that times 2 ( Keithley with 20CH card ... ) and plotting temperature change(s) over one or more places .. ,*do I need to learn anything related to complex coding ? , or are they simple commands ?I am looking for this as earning new experience , I can see where it can be mostly handy , not real essential for me , but although handy , It is fairly complex to me to first setup , hence I think to try it now and see how it goes , as long as I got time for that ...I got offer for 120$ for NI GPIB/TNT PCI card , including shipping , I may consider that one as long as it do support wht I need ( and perhaps any idea of any hidden faults ? )thank you in advance

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 03:56:18 pm
content: Make sure you can get (download) the drivers for a "NI card" before buying it.Rumours are that some NI card drivers aren't downloadable anymore from NI , but might be found on the "net".I have a NI "PCI Card" never used , because my current 24/7 server has a PCI-E slotSo i got a cheap Beiming S82357 off *Bay (50€ incl ship) , unfortunately it didnt work under linux (linux-gpib).I then bought a "real" Agilent-82357B-USB (*Bay $160 incl ship) adapter that works fine with linux-gpib.And now i'm currently testing a new Beiming driver (downloadable firmware) , that seems to function with the Beiming S82357 under linux.Edit: Unless you need the speed, i'd go for a USB adapter. All PC's have USB , even a low power laptop./Bingo

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 04:34:21 pm
content: Quote from: eevblogfan on September 27, 2013, 03:30:44 pmI tend to agree with bingo about going usb-gpib but also add that its more portable in that you can use it with a laptop.As for programming you'll either have to write your own software and use an API to read write commands to the devices or you can use something like labview.The instruments themselves don't need drivers you simply send them ascii commands and the read back data. The commands are described in the user manuals and for older instruments, generally SCPI(Standard Commands for Programmable instruments) wont be understood. For example the ID command returns the device ID, manufacturer, version etc and is "*IDN?" but older instrument will only accept "ID?" and then only return the instruments model number

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 04:34:46 pm
content: I would prefer USB to PCI, since USB is going to be around for a long time, but PCI is on its way out. I would also prefer genuine to clone. NI tends to be my first choice, even Agilent tends to have more issues. Nothing's wrong with a NI PCI card if you have a computer available to use it, however.One thing you should keep in mind that GPIB only prevents a low level transport that allows you to send bytes to the connected devices, somewhat similar to what RS-232 provides for two devices. GPIB drivers have commands like 'send this command to device at address X' or 'read n bytes from the device at address Y'. The GPIB drivers do not handle the higher level protocol, for example how to change the voltage on a power supply, or how to read back the current it's drawing.Sometimes the manufacturer offers software, like the Agilent IntuiLink software. This is generally only for fairly recent instruments. For example you can probably download something from agilent.com that supports the 34401A multimeter. The old 3455A won't be supported, since it generally shipped with some BASIC software for an early computer / programmable calculator. This is the easiest, but generally limits you to the few devices supported by that particular piece of software.KE5FX's GPIB toolkit is a set of programs that offer one particular function (eg. fetch results from a spectrum analyzer) for the few instruments he chose to support (or had access to). There are a few other programs like this.If you want more complex setup, eg. stepping the power supply through voltage settings and measure the effect on the DMM, you'll need some sort of programming environment. A popular option in industry for instrument control is LabVIEW. LabVIEW is a visual programming language which kind of makes programming closer to circuit design. Although I wouldn't say it's really easier to learn, just different. The advantage of LabVIEW is that basic UIs and graphs are trivial, and that NI offers a huge amount of (user-contributed) instrument drivers that abstract the interface with the instrument with varying degrees of success. So you can just use a 'set power supply voltage' command instead of having to look up the correct SCPI command in the instrument manual. NI also offers SignalExpress which allows some instrument control and math without real programming. Downside is that the NI software is very expensive, unless you're able to find an educational version. LabVIEW is also a quite large and complex tool for something as simple as controlling a power supply.You can also many other programming languages for GPIB control. Just look for VISA bindings. A somewhat popular programming environment for GPIB control isEZGPIB(some examples). It offers a Pascal-based scripting environment. In general you'll look up the correct commands in the instrument channel, and then send these commands for the program.Another useful link:Using the GPIB port on test instruments

author: Kappes Buur
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 06:34:04 pm
content: There is also this:http://www.elektor.com/magazines/2011/april/gpib-to-usb-converter.1738967.lynkx

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 06:58:09 pm
content: I agree about the USB GPIB controllers. They are the way forward BUT I have been able to buy the once very expensive PCMCIA GPIB controllers very cheaply recently. The reason is simple, modern laptops do not normally have the old tech PCMCIA port. These interfaces were some of the most expensive and are a quality, reliable product if you have a PCMCIA port. I use several Dell X300's in my lab. They are plenty powerful enough for my tasking and I love the build quality (Magnesium alloy case).If you are just experimenting with GPIB/IEEE-488 you may wish to consider buying one of the cheaper PCI or PCMCIA controllers as they will be a lower investment if you then decide against GPIB use. Consider how long you will be keeping your present PC and make a judgement on which type of NI solution best meets your needs. For info, I bought an NI TNT PCI card for $60 and the price has been dropping over the past 2 years as USB takes over.

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 07:06:10 pm
content: Quote from: eevblogfan on September 27, 2013, 08:55:20 amBtw...If going DIY or "Non Visa" adapter ... As in the above elektor suggestion.The 2 above instruments both have RS-232.So another option is (for those) are 2 x USB-Serial adapters.Nothing you can do via GPIB can't be done vis RS-232 (well Group Poll excluded) , but if you have to do your own programming anyway it might be worth considering.GPIB isn't the "Holy Grail" of measurement ...You might run into trouble if not ll instruments are powered up (active on the bus) , and cables are expensive and bulky (almost impossible to fit/bend if your instrument is close to the wall).I have instruments with GPIB only , so i have no other option.Else i would seriously consider getting some cheap USB->RS-232 adapters and a 7-port HUB/Bingo

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 07:18:02 pm
content: Good point about the non-VISA stuff. DIY designs or Prologix GPIB adapters are not generally (well) supported by software from test equipment manufacturers or NI. So don't expect to use Agilent IntuiLink with a Prologix GPIB adapter. If you're writing your own software it doesn't really matter, except that you'll have to use a different API (eg. write commands to a serial port) than the standard VISA/GPIB32 stuff.The problem with RS-232 is the 'few more'. RS-232 starts to get painful once you've got multiple instruments. Especially since some OS's seem to like randomly shuffling COM port assignments around. Apart from that, RS-232 is just fine for most work as long as you don't care about throughput (GPIB is a parallel bus which can do a few MB/s). Neither a power supply nor a DMM are going to be very bandwidth intensive, though.GPIB is not the holy grail, but it's ubiquitous on most equipment starting in the seventies and up to and including many current products. RS-232 is actually not that common on test equipment. It started to appear in the early nineties and got displaced by USB in the 2000s.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2013, 04:28:59 pm
content: If I were you I wouldn't waste money on GPIB. I would use LXI instead: much more cheap and available than GPIB...

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2013, 06:55:54 pm
content: @OracleWhen you have designed the LXi I/F for OP's 6632B , please make one for me also./Bingo

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2013, 12:42:50 pm
content: Quote from: bingo600 on September 27, 2013, 03:56:18 pmI just got word from Beiming that they have released the linux (linix-gpib) support firmware for their two USB GPIB adapters - S82357 and F82357 (DMA).They got the "OK" from the linux-gpib maintainer , where he writes :QuoteAccording to Beiming , the firmware should support "Visa" with HP drivers under windows , and now also linux-gpib.Nice to know there is a $79 / $99 unit with both Win 6 Linux support/Bingo