GPIB interface explained

[Simon Weel]

Hi Dave,

Lots of instruments have a GPIB interface, but I have no idea on how they are used? Maybe a video to explain?

Cheers,

Simon

[edpalmer42]

Maybe expand the topic to include all the common systems for remote equipment control & data acquisition.

- GPIB
- ethernet
- serial
- USB

Include hardware (adapters, controllers, cabling) and software ( OS options, drivers, languages).

Damn, that might be too much for one video!

Ed

[free_electron]

sounds like : lots of computers have usb ports ... i have no idea how they are used ...

GPIB is a communication port to transport data and commands between machines. in this respect 'machine' can be an instrument or a computer or a drive or a plotter or a printer or pretty much anything.

GPIB is resembles more to SCSI than to any other 'communication port' out there. serial, printer and usb ports are point to point connections.
GPIB is like a network. traffic is shared on the pathway and there can be more than one controller. the bus is parallel ( as opposed to serial ) and uses handshaking. message cycles are hard defined by control signals.

How do you use it ? simply connect all equipment you want to use together in a daisy chain ( avoid star topology due to reflections on the bus ) and connect one end to the controller.

The controller can be a computer with a GPIB port or a converter like usb to gpib or ethernet to gpib.
Make sure each machine has its own unique address on the bus

then simply open the pipe and start sending messages to the machines. the messages and commands are detialed in the instruments users manual.
most if it is human readable text.

[edpalmer42]

sounds like : lots of computers have usb ports ... i have no idea how they are used ...

But isn't that how we all start?

GPIB is a communication port to transport data and commands between machines. in this respect 'machine' can be an instrument or a computer or a drive or a plotter or a printer or pretty much anything.

GPIB is resembles more to SCSI than to any other 'communication port' out there. serial, printer and usb ports are point to point connections.
GPIB is like a network. traffic is shared on the pathway and there can be more than one controller. the bus is parallel ( as opposed to serial ) and uses handshaking. message cycles are hard defined by control signals.

How do you use it ? simply connect all equipment you want to use together in a daisy chain ( avoid star topology due to reflections on the bus ) and connect one end to the controller.

The controller can be a computer with a GPIB port or a converter like usb to gpib or ethernet to gpib.
Make sure each machine has its own unique address on the bus

then simply open the pipe and start sending messages to the machines. the messages and commands are detialed in the instruments users manual.
most if it is human readable text.

Yes, that's a version 0.0 pre-alpha summary of what would be required for a GPIB tutorial.  Now add VISA, NI488, NI vs. Agilent vs. Prologix, SCPI, issues with old equipment, which high level language, LabView vs. VEE, etc. and maybe you've got a good starting point.   

Ed

P.S.  I also thought that cabling had to be a daisy-chain.  Turns out that the standard doesn't require that.