Free Wavetek 178 GPIB control program.

[lmester]

This program allows you to control the instrument and also to save and load configuration files.

This is a Windows program and requires a Prologix or Prologix compatible GPIB-USB adapter.


If you have a Wavetek 178 programmable waveform synthesizer you already know that the user interface is not the best. Also, after about 30 years, the metal dome type pushbutton switches are intermittent, bouncy and nearly unusable.


I've dealt with these switches on other equipment. I didn't waste my time trying to clean them. You spend hours cleaning the switches and six months later they're getting bad again.


This software has been tested with a Prologix adapter and with Emanuele Girlando's Arduino based adapter.

Emanuele's GPIB adapter is the least expensive way that I've found to to get your GPIB instrument connected to your computer. You only need an Arduino nano and a 24 pin Centronics connector. The connector was more expensive than the cheap Arduino nano clone that I used! The total cost was less than $5!

More info on Emanuele's GPIB adapter:
http://egirland.blogspot.com/2014/03/arduino-uno-as-usb-to-gpib-controller.html


It'll be interesting to see if I get any downloads of this software. I expect that this huge boat anchor Wavetek is not a very popular instrument.

Here is a link where you can get more info and download the program:
https://mesterhome.com/gpibsw/Wave178/index.html

[mk_]

If you have a Wavetek 178 programmable waveform synthesizer you already know that the user interface is not the best. Also, after about 30 years, the metal dome type pushbutton switches are intermittent, bouncy and nearly unusable.

It'll be interesting to see if I get any downloads of this software. I expect that this huge boat anchor Wavetek is not a very popular instrument.

Yes, a nice waveformsynthesizer with a huge outputvoltage, IIRC+/-10V into 50Ohm with a unusable keyboard...

 if the 178 is willing to boot after 4 unused years I`ll try it during the next weeks