National Instruments AT-GPIB User manual

© Copyright 1992 National Instruments Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Getting Started with Your AT-GPIB
and the NI-488M™Software for
INTERACTIVE UNIX System V
July 1992 Edition
Part Number 320518-01

National Instruments Corporate Headquarters
6504 Bridge Point Parkway
Austin, TX 78730-5039
[phone]
(800) IEEE-488 (toll-free U.S. and Canada)
Technical support fax: [phone]
Branch Offices:
Australia 03 879 9422, Belgium 02 757 00 20, Canada 519 622 9310,
Denmark 45 76 73 22, France 1 48 65 33 70, Germany 089 714 5093,
Italy 02 48301892, Japan 03 3788 1921, Netherlands 01720 45761,
Norway 03 846866, Spain 91 896 0675, Sweden 08 984970,
Switzerland 056 45 58 80, U.K. 0635 523 545

Limited Warranty
The AT-GPIB is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship
for a period of two years from the date of shipment, as evidenced by
receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option,
repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective during the warranty
period. This warranty includes parts and labor.
The media on which you receive National Instruments software are
warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects in
materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment,
as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will,
at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute
programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such
defects during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant
that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free.
A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the
factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before any
equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will
pay the shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are covered by
warranty.
National Instruments believes that the information in this manual is
accurate. The document has been carefully reviewed for technical accuracy.
In the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National
Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of
this document without prior notice to holders of this edition. The reader
should consult National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no event
shall National Instruments be liable for any damages arising out of or
related to this document or the information contained in it.
EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN, NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO
WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS
ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMER'S RIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES
CAUSED BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF NATIONAL
INSTRUMENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT THERETOFORE
PAID BY THE CUSTOMER. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS WILL NOT BE
LIABLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS,
USE OF PRODUCTS, OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES,
EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. This limitation of the
liability of National Instruments will apply regardless of the form of action,

whether in contract or tort, including negligence. Any action against
National Instruments must be brought within one year after the cause of
action accrues. National Instruments shall not be liable for any delay in
performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control. The warranty
provided herein does not cover damages, defects, malfunctions, or service
failures caused by owner's failure to follow the National Instruments
installation, operation, or maintenance instructions; owner's modification of
the product; owner's abuse, misuse, or negligent acts; and power failure or
surges, fire, flood, accident, actions of third parties, or other events outside
reasonable control.
Copyright
Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or
transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in
whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments
Corporation.
Trademarks
Turbo488®, NAT4882™,and NI-488M™ are trademarks of National
Instruments Corporation.
Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their
respective companies.

FCC/DOC Radio Frequency Interference Compliance
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in strict accordance with the instructions in this manual,
may cause interference to radio and television reception. This equipment
has been tested and found to comply with the following regulatory agencies:
• The limits for a Class B computing device, in accordance with the
specifications in Part 15 of U.S. Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
– This device may not cause harmful interference.
– This device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.
• The limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in
the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of
Communications (DOC).
These regulations are designed to provide reasonable protection against
interference from the equipment to radio and television reception in
residential areas.
There is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. However, the chances of interference are much less if the
equipment is used according to this instruction manual.
If the equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment on and off, one or more
of the following suggestions may reduce or eliminate the problem.
• Operate the equipment and the receiver on different branches of your
AC electrical system.
• Move the equipment away from the receiver with which it is
interfering.
• Relocate the equipment with respect to the receiver.
• Reorient the receiver's antenna.

• Be sure that the equipment is plugged into a grounded outlet and that
the grounding has not been defeated with a cheater plug.
Notice to user: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by
National Instruments could void the user's authority
to operate the equipment under the FCC Rules.
If necessary, consult National Instruments or an experienced
radio/television technician for additional suggestions. The following
booklet prepared by the FCC may also be helpful: How to Identify and
Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems. This booklet is available from
the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, Stock
Number 004-000-00345-4.
Bescheinigung des Herstellers/Importeurs
Hiermit wird bescheinigt, daß die AT-GPIB in Übereinstimmung mit den
Bestimmungen der Vfg. 1046/1984 funk-entstört ist.
Der Detusche Bundespost wurde das Inverkehrbringen dieses Gerätes
angezeigt und die Berechtigung zur Überprüfung der Serie auf
Bestimmungen eingeräumt.

© National Instruments Corp. vii AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
Contents
About This Manual ..........................................................................xi
Organization of This Manual......................................................xi
Conventions Used in This Manual .............................................xii
Related Documentation ..............................................................xiii
Customer Communication ..........................................................xiii
Chapter 1
Introduction.........................................................................................1-1
What Your Kit Should Contain ..................................................1-2
Optional Equipment....................................................................1-3
Hardware Description.................................................................1-3
Software Description ..................................................................1-3
Chapter 2
Software Installation .......................................................................2-1
Step 1. Prepare to Install the Software .....................................2-1
Step 2. Install the Software.......................................................2-2
A. Set Up a Working Directory .................................2-2
B. Install the Utility Files...........................................2-3
C. Install the C Library ..............................................2-3
D. Install the NI-488M Driver and Build the
New Kernel ...........................................................2-3
Using the Installation Script...........................2-3
Choosing the Software Settings.....................2-4
Using the kconfig Utility ...............................2-6
Ending the Installation Procedure..................2-7
Resolving Conflicts Found While Building
the New Kernel ..............................................2-7
Chapter 3
Hardware Configuration and Installation..............................3-1
Step 1. Unpack Your AT-GPIB ...............................................3-1
Step 2. Configure the Hardware...............................................3-1
Choose the Switch and Jumper Settings ......................3-2
Set the Base I/O Address .............................................3-3
Set the Interrupt Request Line .....................................3-5
Set the DMA Channel ..................................................3-6
Set the Shield Ground Configuration...........................3-8
Step 3. Install the Hardware .....................................................3-9

Contents
AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX viii © National Instruments Corp.
Chapter 4
Software Verification and Configuration ..............................4-1
Verify the Software Installation .................................................4-1
Configure the Software with ibconf (Optional)..........................4-2
Using the NI-488M Software with Your Application
Program.......................................................................................4-3
Removing the NI-488M Software ..............................................4-4
Appendix A
Additional NI-488M Functions ...................................................A-1
IBDEV(3) ...................................................................................A-2
IBLINES(3) ................................................................................A-4
IBLN(3) ......................................................................................A-6
Appendix B
Hardware Specifications................................................................B-1
Appendix C
Customer Communication............................................................C-1
Glossary.................................................................................................G-1

Contents
© National Instruments Corp. ix AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
Figures
Figure 1-1. AT-GPIB Board...................................................................1-1
Figure 3-1. AT-GPIB Parts Locator Diagram ........................................3-2
Figure 3-2. Base I/O Address Switch Settings.......................................3-4
Figure 3-3. Interrupt Jumper Settings to Match Software Defaults .......3-5
Figure 3-4. DMA Channel Jumper Setting ............................................3-7
Figure 3-5. DMA Jumper Setting for No DMA Channel.......................3-8
Figure 3-6. Ground Configuration Jumper Settings...............................3-8
Tables
Table 2-1. Software Default Settings and Possible Settings.................2-5
Table 2-2. INTERACTIVE UNIX Default Configuration for
DMA Channels....................................................................2-6
Table 3-1. Hardware Default Settings and Your Software Settings .....3-3
Table 3-2. DMA Channels for the AT-GPIB .......................................3-6
Table B-1. Electrical Characteristics.....................................................B-1
Table B-2. Physical Characteristics.......................................................B-1
Table B-3. Environmental Characteristics.............................................B-2

© National Instruments Corp. xi AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
About This Manual
This manual contains instructions for installing and configuring the
National Instruments AT-GPIB interface board and NI-488M multitasking
software for use with the INTERACTIVE UNIX System V Release 3.2
operating system. The hardware and software are intended for use on a PC
AT compatible computer with a 386 or higher processor. This manual is
meant to be used with the National Instruments IEEE 488 Multitasking
UNIX software reference (NI-488M Software Reference Manual, Part
Number 320062-01).
The material in this manual is for users who have extensive knowledge of
the INTERACTIVE UNIX operating system and have super-user privilege.
This manual also assumes that the user has already received an AT-GPIB
board along with a user manual.
Organization of This Manual
This manual is organized as follows:
• Chapter 1, Introduction, contains a picture of the AT-GPIB board, lists
the contents of your NI-488M kit and optional equipment, and briefly
describes the AT-GPIB board and NI-488M software.
• Chapter 2, Software Installation, lists all the programs and files located
on the distribution disk and contains the steps for installing the NI-488M
software.
• Chapter 3, Hardware Configuration and Installation,contains
step-by-step instructions for unpacking, configuring, and installing your
AT-GPIB board in a PC AT after you have installed your NI-488M
software.
• Chapter 4, Software Verification and Configuration,describes how to
verify the software installation and configure the software. It also
contains information about using the NI-488M software with your
application program and removing the NI-488M software.
• Appendix A, Additional NI-488M Functions, describes three additional
NI-488M functions included in the NI-488M software. These functions
are not described in the NI-488M Software Reference Manual.

About This Manual
AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX xii © National Instruments Corp.
• Appendix B, Hardware Specifications, contains a description of the
electrical, physical, and environmental characteristics of the AT-GPIB
board and the conditions under which it should be used.
• Appendix C, Customer Communication, contains forms you can use when
requesting help from National Instruments or to comment on our products
and manuals.
• The Glossary contains an alphabetical list and description of terms used
in this manual including abbreviations, acronyms, metric prefixes,
mnemonics, and symbols.
Conventions Used in This Manual
The following conventions are used in this manual.
enter Enter is reserved to mean that the commands
immediately succeeding the word must be typed
into the computer and then executed by pressing
the <Return> key on the keyboard.
IEEE 488 and IEEE 488 and IEEE 488.2 are used throughout
IEEE 488.2 this manual to refer to the ANSI/IEEE Standard
488.1-1987 and ANSI/IEEE Standard
488.2-1987, respectively, which define the
GPIB.
INTERACTIVE UNIX The term INTERACTIVE UNIX is used
throughout this manual to refer to the
INTERACTIVE UNIX System V Release 3.2
operating system.
italic Italic text denotes emphasis, a cross reference, or
an introduction to a key concept.
monospace Lowercase text in this font denotes text or
characters that are to be literally input from the
keyboard, sections of code, programming
examples, and syntax examples. This font is also
used for the proper names of disk drives, paths,
directories, programs, subprograms, subroutines,
device names, functions, variables, filenames,
and extensions, and for statements and comments
taken from program code.

About This Manual
© National Instruments Corp. xiii AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
monospace Italic text in this font denotes that you must
supply the appropriate words or values in the
place of these items.
NI-488M software The term NI-488M software is used throughout
this manual to refer to the NI-488M software for
INTERACTIVE UNIX unless otherwise noted.
PC AT The term PC AT is used throughout this manual
to refer to the PC computer with an AT bus and a
386 or higher processor.
[ ] Square brackets enclose optional keystrokes,
words, or values that you might need to
supply.
Abbreviations, acronyms, metric prefixes, mnemonics, symbols, and terms
are listed in the Glossary.
Related Documentation
The following documents contain information that you may find helpful as
you read this manual.
• ANSI/IEEE Standard 488.1-1987, IEEE Standard Digital Interface for
Programmable Instrumentation
•INTERACTIVE UNIX System V/386 Release 3.2 Operating System
Guide
•INTERACTIVE UNIX Software Development System Guide and
Programmer’s Reference Manual
Customer Communication
National Instruments wants to receive your comments on our products and
manuals. We are interested in the applications you develop with our
products, and we want to help if you have problems with them. To make it
easy for you to contact us, this manual contains comment and configuration
forms for you to complete. These forms are in Appendix C, Customer
Communication, at the end of this manual.

© National Instruments Corp. 1-1 AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
Chapter 1
Introduction
This chapter contains a picture of the AT-GPIB board, lists the contents of
your NI-488M kit and optional equipment, and briefly describes the
AT-GPIB board and NI-488M software.
Figure 1-1 shows the AT-GPIB board.
Figure 1-1. AT-GPIB Board

Introduction Chapter 1
AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX 1-2 © National Instruments Corp.
What Your Kit Should Contain
Your NI-488M software kit should contain the following components:
Component Part Number
NI-488M Distribution Disk for AT-GPIB and
INTERACTIVE UNIX System V/386 Driver and C
Interface
3.5 in. disk
5.25 in. disk
422884-55
420884-55
Getting Started with Your AT-GPIB and the
NI-488M Software for INTERACTIVE UNIX
System V 320518-01
NI-488M Software Reference Manual 320062-01
Make sure each of these items is in your kit. If any item is missing, contact
National Instruments.
Note: To complete the hardware and software installation, you need the
AT-GPIB board (part number 181060-01).

Chapter 1 Introduction
© National Instruments Corp. 1-3 AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
Optional Equipment
You can call National Instruments to order the following optional
equipment to go with your kit:
Component Part Number
Double Shielded Cables*:
GPIB Type X2 Cable – 1 m
GPIB Type X2 Cable – 2 m
GPIB Type X2 Cable – 4 m
763061-01
763061-02
763061-03
* In order to meet FCC emission limits for a Class B device, you must
use a double shielded (Type X2) GPIB cable. Operating this
equipment with a single shielded (Type X1) cable may cause
interference to radio and television reception in residential areas.
Hardware Description
The AT-GPIB board is a full-function, high-performance IEEE 488
interface for use on a PC AT compatible computer with a 386 or higher
processor (herein referred to as the PC AT) that is equipped with 16-bit
plug-in slots. The AT-GPIB board makes the PC AT a high-performance
IEEE 488 Controller.
Software Description
The NI-488M software is a comprehensive package of programs and drivers
that transforms any computer running INTERACTIVE UNIX System V
Release 3.2 into a GPIB Controller with complete communications and bus
management capabilities. The NI-488M software also includes a C
language interface and an interactive control utility, ibic.

© National Instruments Corp. 2-1 AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
Chapter 2
Software Installation
This chapter lists all the programs and files located on the distribution disk
and contains the steps for installing the NI-488M software.
Step 1. Prepare to Install the Software
Before installing the NI-488M software, consider the following:
• You must have super-user privilege.
• The INTERACTIVE UNIX Kernel Configuration Subset, which is
needed for adding device drivers, must already be installed. Install the
subset now if you have not already done so.
• The NI-488M Distribution Disk for AT-GPIB and INTERACTIVE UNIX
System V/386 Driver and C Interface is in tar format.
Note: This disk will be referred to as the NI-488M distribution disk
throughout the remainder of this manual.
The files contained on the NI-488M distribution disk are as follows:
ibinstall Installation script for the driver
Driver_16dev.o NI-488M driver for AT-GPIB with 16 device
entries
Driver_32dev.o NI-488M driver for AT-GPIB with 32 device
entries
Space.c NI-488M driver data structure for AT-GPIB
ibconf Software configuration utility
ibic Interactive control utility
ibtsta Installation test part A
ibtstb Installation test part B
ugpib.h Include file for user programs
cib.c C language library
bcsamp.c Example C program using NI-488M board calls
dcsamp.c Example C program using NI-488M device calls

Software Installation Chapter 2
AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX 2-2 © National Instruments Corp.
Step 2. Install the Software
Follow these procedures to install the NI-488M software.
The term enter is used throughout the remainder of this manual to mean that
the commands immediately succeeding the word must be typed into the
computer and then executed by pressing the <Return> key on the keyboard.
A. Set Up a Working Directory
1. Log on as root.
2. Create a working directory (for example, /usr/gpib) and change to
that directory by entering the following commands:
cd usr
mkdir gpib
cd gpib
3. Copy the files from the NI-488M distribution disk to your working
directory using the tar command shown in Step 3a or 3b, according to
the size of your distribution disk.
a. For a 3.5 in. disk:
• Enter the following command to copy files from drive 0:
tar xvf /dev/dsk/f0q9dt
• Enter the following command to copy files from drive 1:
tar xvf /dev/dsk/f1q9dt
b. For a 5.25 in. disk:
• Enter the following command to copy files from drive 0:
tar xvf /dev/dsk/f0q15dt
• Enter the following command to copy files from drive 1:
tar xvf /dev/dsk/f1q15dt

Chapter 2 Software Installation
© National Instruments Corp. 2-3 AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
B. Install the Utility Files
1. Copy the file ugpib.h to /usr/include/sys by entering the
following command:
cp ugpib.h /usr/include/sys
2. Copy the files ibic, ibconf, ibtsta, and ibtstb to a directory
in the command search path (for example, /usr/bin) by entering the
following commands:
cp ibic /usr/bin
cp ibconf /usr/bin
cp ibtsta /usr/bin
cp ibtstb /usr/bin
C. Install the C Library
Compile and convert the file cib.c to a C library file. To compile cib.c
and create a C language library, enter the following commands:
cc -c cib.c
ar rv /usr/lib/libgpib.a cib.o
You can also add cib.o to an existing library or include cib.o during the
link phase of each compile operation.
D. Install the NI-488M Driver and Build the New Kernel
The NI-488M driver must be installed into the kernel configuration, and a
new kernel must be built with the new configuration.
Using the Installation Script
The following steps explain how to use the installation script.
1. To install the NI-488M driver, go to the working directory
(/usr/gpib) that you created earlier in this chapter under
Step 2A. Set Up a Working Directory, and enter the following
command:
./ibinstall

Software Installation Chapter 2
AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX 2-4 © National Instruments Corp.
2. Choose your software settings when the installation script prompts you.
Use the default settings if possible. The script prepares the files in the
current directory for installation.
3. The insdriver system utility is called by ibinstall to insert the
information for the NI-488M driver into the kernel configuration.
insdriver is user-interactive.
4. The kconfig system utility is called by insdriver to rebuild and
install a new kernel with the NI-488M driver installed. Choose the
BUILD menu from the kconfig main menu. You must also choose
the INSTALL menu if you are not explicitly prompted to install the
kernel. kconfig is user-interactive.
The following sections contain some helpful information about running
ibinstall, using kconfig, and resolving potential conflicts.
Choosing the Software Settings
You can install up to four AT-GPIB boards. For each AT-GPIB board you
install, you must select a unique base address, DMA channel, and interrupt
request line. Use the software default settings if possible. Table 2-1 lists
the software default settings and other possible settings.
Record the software settings that you choose in Table 3-1 in Chapter 3 of
this manual, and on the configuration form in Appendix C, Customer
Communication. You should record the settings so that you can refer to
them when you set the jumpers and switches on your AT-GPIB boards.

Chapter 2 Software Installation
© National Instruments Corp. 2-5 AT-GPIB/NI-488M/INTERACTIVE UNIX
Table 2-1. Software Default Settings and Possible Settings
Possible Software Default Settings
AT-GPIB Settings gpib0 gpib1 gpib2 gpib3
Base I/O Address (hex)
(stop address = start or
base address + 1F hex)
100 to 3E0
(in 20 hex
increments)
2C0 2A0 280 260
DMA Channel 5, 6, 7, and
NONE 6 7 NONE NONE
Interrupt Request Line
(IRQ) 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12,
14, 15
10 12 9 11
The NI-488M driver shares the system resources with other device drivers,
so not all possible settings may be available.
The system checks your base I/O address and interrupt request line settings
to make sure they are unique for each AT-GPIB board installed, but it
checks the DMA channel setting for gpib0 only. The INTERACTIVE
UNIX operating system specifies only one DMA channel for each device
driver, so the DMA channel specified for the NI-488M driver is used by
gpib0. You are responsible for potential conflicts if you choose a DMA
channel for a board other than gpib0. You can change the AT-GPIB DMA
channels for boards other than gpib0 by running the installation script
ibinstall.
Table 2-2 shows the default configuration for available DMA channels in
the INTERACTIVE UNIX operating system.