National Instruments AT-GPIB User manual

© Copyright 1991, 1995 National Instruments Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Getting Started with Your AT-GPIB
and the NI-488M™Software for
SCO UNIX System V/386
October 1993 Edition
Part Number 320374-01

National Instruments Corporate Headquarters
6504 Bridge Point Parkway
Austin, TX 78730-5039
[phone]
Technical support fax: [phone]
[phone]
Branch Offices:
Australia [phone], Austria [phone], Belgium 02/757.00.20,
Canada (Ontario) [phone], Canada (Québec) [phone],
Denmark 45 76 26 00, Finland (90) 527 2321, France (1) 48 14 24 24,
Germany 089/741 31 30, Italy 02/48301892, Japan [phone],
Mexico 95 800 010 0793, Netherlands 03480-33466, Norway 32-84 84 00,
Singapore 2265886, Spain (91) 640 0085, Sweden 08-730 49 70,
Switzerland 056/20 51 51, Taiwan 02 377 1200, U.K. 0635 523545

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
NI-488M™is a trademark of National Instruments Corporation.
Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their
respective companies.

WARNING REGARDING MEDICAL AND
CLINICAL USE OF NATIONAL
INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS
National Instruments products are not designed with components and testing
intended to ensure a level of reliability suitable for use in treatment and
diagnosis of humans. Applications of National Instruments products
involving medical or clinical treatment can create a potential for accidental
injury caused by product failure, or by errors on the part of the user or
application designer. Any use or application of National Instruments
products for or involving medical or clinical treatment must be performed by
properly trained and qualified medical personnel, and all traditional medical
safeguards, equipment, and procedures that are appropriate in the particular
situation to prevent serious injury or death should always continue to be
used when National Instruments products are being used. National
Instruments products are NOT intended to be a substitute for any form of
established process, procedure, or equipment used to monitor or safeguard
human health and safety in medical or clinical treatment.

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 two regulatory
agencies:
Federal Communications Commission
This device complies with Part 15 of the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Rules for a Class B digital device. A Class B device is
distinguishable from a Class A device by the appearance of an FCC ID
number located on the Class B device.
Canadian Department of Communications
This device complies with the limits for radio noise emissions from digital
apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian
Department of Communications (DOC).
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques
dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de classe B
prescrites dans le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le
ministère des communications du Canada.
Instructions to Users
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 installed and 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.
• Reorient or relocate 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 Detuschen Bundespost wurde das Inverkehrbringen dieses Gerätes
angezeigt und die Berechtigung zur Überprüfung der Serie auf
Bestimmungen eingeräumt.

© National Instruments Corp. ix AT-GPIB for SCO UNIX
Contents
About This Manual ..........................................................................xiii
Organization of This Manual......................................................xiii
Conventions Used in This Manual .............................................xiv
Related Documentation ..............................................................xv
Customer Communication ..........................................................xv
Chapter 1
Introduction.........................................................................................1-1
What You Need to Get Started...................................................1-1
Software Description ..................................................................1-1
Chapter 2
Hardware Configuration and Installation..............................2-1
Step 1. Configure the Hardware...............................................2-1
Switch and Jumper Settings .........................................2-2
Base I/O Address Selection..........................................2-3
Possible Conflicts...........................................2-6
Interrupt Selection ........................................................2-8
Possible Conflicts...........................................2-11
DMA Channel Selection ..............................................2-13
Shield Ground Configuration.......................................2-18
Step 2. Install the Hardware .....................................................2-19
Chapter 3
Software Installation and Configuration ................................3-1
Step 1. Prepare for Software Installation .................................3-1
Step 2. Install the NI-488M Software ......................................3-2
A. Set Up a Working Directory...................................3-2
B. Install the Utility Files ............................................3-3
C. Install the C Library ...............................................3-3
Step 3. Load the NI-488M Driver ............................................3-3
A. Change the Software Settings.................................3-4
DMA Channel................................................3-4
Base I/O Address and Interrupt Vector
Number ..........................................................3-5
B. Install the Driver.....................................................3-5
Automatic Installation ...................................3-5
Manual Installation ........................................3-6

Contents
AT-GPIB for SCO UNIX x © National Instruments Corp.
Step 4. Configure the Software ................................................3-7
Running ibconf.............................................................3-7
Exiting ibconf...............................................................3-7
System Configuration Information...............................3-8
Step 5. Verify the Installation...................................................3-8
Removing the Driver ..................................................................3-9
Developing Your Application..................................................... 3-10
Appendix A
New NI-488M Functions ................................................................A-1
IBDEV(3) ...................................................................................A-2
IBLINES(3) ................................................................................A-4
IBLN(3) ......................................................................................A-6
Appendix B
Special Instructions for Changing the
Software Settings...............................................................................B-1
Using a Base I/O Address Different from the Software
Default Setting ............................................................................B-1
Using Interrupt Vector Number 11 or DMA Channel 5.............B-2
Appendix C
Hardware Specifications................................................................C-1
Appendix D
Customer Communication............................................................D-1
Glossary.................................................................................................G-1

Contents
© National Instruments Corp. xi AT-GPIB for SCO UNIX
Figures
Figure 2-1. AT-GPIB Parts Locator Diagram ....................................2-1
Figure 2-2. Base I/O Address Switch Settings ...................................2-4
Figure 2-3. Interrupt Jumper Settings................................................. 2-10
Figure 2-4. DMA Channel Jumper Setting......................................... 2-15
Figure 2-5. DMA Jumper Setting for No DMA Channel...................2-16
Figure 2-6. Ground Configuration Jumper Settings ...........................2-18
Tables
Table 2-1. Software and Hardware Default Settings and Available
Hardware Configurations.................................................2-2
Table 2-2. Software Default AT-GPIB Base I/O Addresses.............2-3
Table 2-3. Possible Base I/O Address Switch Settings for the
AT-GPIB..........................................................................2-5
Table 2-4. PC AT I/O Address Map .................................................2-7
Table 2-5. Software Default AT-GPIB Interrupt Request Line ........2-9
Table 2-6. PC AT Interrupt Assignment Map...................................2-11
Table 2-7. Software Default AT-GPIB DMA Channel.....................2-13
Table 2-8. DMA Channels for the AT-GPIB ....................................2-14
Table 2-9. PC AT 16-Bit DMA Channel Assignment Map ..............2-17
Table 3-1. Software Default Settings ................................................3-4
Table C-1. Electrical Characteristics .................................................C-1
Table C-2. Environmental Characteristics.........................................C-1
Table C-3. Physical Characteristics ...................................................C-1