National Instruments PCI-GPIB User manual

© Copyright 1996 National Instruments Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Getting Started with Your PCI-GPIB
and the NI-488.2M™Software
for Digital UNIX
March 1996 Edition
Part Number 321182A-01

National Instruments Corporate Headquarters
6504 Bridge Point Parkway
Austin, TX 78730-5039
[phone]
Technical support fax: [phone]
Branch Offices:
Australia 03 9 879 9422, Austria 0662 45 79 90 0, Belgium 02 757 00 20,
Canada (Ontario) 519 622 9310, Canada (Québec) 514 694 8521,
Denmark 45 76 26 00, Finland 90 527 2321, France 1 48 14 24 24,
Germany 089 741 31 30, Hong Kong 2645 3186, Italy 02 413091,
Japan 03 5472 2970, Korea 02 596 7456, Mexico 5 202 2544,
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. 01635 523545

Limited Warranty
The PCI-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-488.2M™and TNT4882C™are trademarks 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
Class A 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. Classification requirements are the
same for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Canadian
Department of Communications (DOC). This equipment has been tested and
found to comply with the following two regulatory agencies:
Federal Communications Commission
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at
his own expense.
Notices 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.
This device complies with the FCC rules only if used with
shielded interface cables of suitable quality and
construction. National Instruments used such cables to test
this device and provides them for sale to the user. The use of
inferior or nonshielded interface cables 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: Interference to Home Electronic Entertainment Equipment
Handbook. This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402.
Canadian Department of Communications
This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian
Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement
sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.

© National Instruments Corp. vii PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
Contents
About This Manual ...................................................................... ix
Organization of This Manual.................................................. ix
Conventions Used in This Manual ......................................... x
Related Documentation .......................................................... x
Customer Communication ...................................................... xi
Chapter 1
Introduction..................................................................................... 1-1
How to Use This Manual........................................................ 1-1
What You Need to Get Started............................................... 1-2
Software Description .............................................................. 1-2
Hardware Description............................................................. 1-2
Chapter 2
Hardware Installation................................................................. 2-1
Chapter 3
Software Installation and Configuration ............................ 3-1
NI-488.2M Software Components ......................................... 3-1
Remove an Existing Driver .................................................... 3-1
Install the Software................................................................. 3-2
Configure the Software with ibconf (Optional)...................... 3-3
Chapter 4
Installation Verification and Troubleshooting ................. 4-1
Verify the System Boot Messages.......................................... 4-1
Run the Software Diagnostic Program ................................... 4-1
Troubleshooting ibtsta Messages ........................................... 4-2
Common Questions ................................................................ 4-3
Chapter 5
Using Your NI-488.2M Software............................................ 5-1
Introduction to ibic ................................................................. 5-1
Programming Considerations ................................................. 5-1
Appendix A
Hardware Specifications ........................................................... A-1

Contents
PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX viii © National Instruments Corp.
Appendix B
Customer Communication........................................................ B-1
Glossary............................................................................................. G-1
Figure
Figure 2-1. Installing the PCI-GPIB ..................................................2-2
Tables
Table A-1. Electrical Characteristics................................................. A-1
Table A-2. Physical Characteristics................................................... A-1
Table A-3. Environmental Characteristics......................................... A-1

© National Instruments Corp. ix PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
About This Manual
This manual contains instructions for installing and configuring the
National Instruments PCI-GPIB interface board and the NI-488.2M
multitasking software for use with a DEC Alpha Station running the Digital
UNIX operating system. This manual is meant to be used with the
NI-488.2M Software Reference Manual.
Organization of This Manual
This manual is organized as follows:
• Chapter 1, Introduction, explains how to use this manual, lists what you
need to get started, and includes a brief description of the NI-488.2M
software and the PCI-GPIB.
• Chapter 2, Hardware Installation, contains instructions for installing
your PCI-GPIB.
• Chapter 3, Software Installation and Configuration, contains
instructions for installing and configuring your NI-488.2M software.
• Chapter 4, Installation Verification and Troubleshooting, describes
how to verify the installation and troubleshoot problems.
• Chapter 5, Using Your NI-488.2M Software, describes the ibic utility
and lists some programming considerations.
• Appendix A, Hardware Specifications, describes the electrical,
physical, and environmental characteristics of the PCI-GPIB and the
recommended operating conditions.
• Appendix B, Customer Communication, contains forms you can use to
request help from National Instruments or to comment on our products
and manuals.
• The Glossary contains an alphabetical list and a description of terms
that this manual uses, including abbreviations, acronyms, metric
prefixes, mnemonics, and symbols.

About This Manual
PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX x © National Instruments Corp.
Conventions Used in This Manual
The following conventions are used in this manual.
bold italic Bold italic text denotes a note, caution, or
warning.
bold monospace Bold text in this font denotes the messages and
responses that the computer automatically prints
to the screen.
italic Italic text denotes a cross reference.
italic monospace Italic text in this font denotes that you must
supply the appropriate words or values in place
of these items.
monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that
are to be literally input from the keyboard. It is
also used for the proper names of disk drives,
directories, programs, device names, variables,
and filenames.
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.
• ANSI/IEEE Standard 488.2-1992, IEEE Standard Codes, Formats,
Protocols, and Common Commands.