TAMS 61488 Guide

TAMS 61488/64487/64488/
65488 GPIB Cards for
Windows XP/Vista
Installation & Operation

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TAMS 61488/64487/64488/65488 GPIB
Interface Installation & Operation
Test & Measurement Systems Inc.
750 14th Street SW
Loveland, Colorado 80537
USA
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Web Site www.tamsinc.com
Copyright © Test & Measurement Systems Inc. 2007-2008

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TableofContents
Introduction .....................................................................................4
HardwareWarranty .......................................................................5
Installing the 61488/64487/64488/65488 GPIB Interface ...........6
SoftwareInstallation .....................................................................6
HardwareInstallation ....................................................................6
Configuring the Equivalent Loads (Resistor Packs) ....................7
Installing the GPIB Interface .........................................................8
Connectingthe GPIB Cable ..........................................................9
NewHardware Wizard ..................................................................10
Using the Device Manager ............................................................13
Configuring the Card for Windows 2000/XP ..............................15
Usingthe Interface withTransEra HTBASIC..............................19
Using the Interface with HP VEE .................................................19
AppendixA- Software LicenseAgreement ..................................20
AppendixB -HardwareWarrantyInformation ..........................22
Appendix C: Specifications ...........................................................23

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Introduction
TheTAMS 61488/64487/64488/65488GPIBInterfaces areintendedto addIEEE-488
capabilities to any computer with PCI or PCI-Express sockets. The 64487 and 64488 cards
provide a single GPIB bus, and differ only in their mounting bracket (low-profile or
standard). The 65488 is similar to the 64488, but provides two independent GPIB busses.
It is available with a standard height bracket only. The TAMS 61488 provides a single
GPIB bus, with a 32 bit, 33 MHz PCI 3.0 implementation. The otherTAMS Interfaces are
one-lane PCI-Express implementations that can be used in sockets from 1X to 16X that
support PCI-Express standards 1.0a, 1.1, or 2.0.
The TAMS cards take full advantage of the PCI and PCI-Express bus performance and
deliver the highest possible level of throughput.
Whether you are using HP-VEE, BASIC forWindows, or programming in C with the SICL
library, your code will now run at full performance without modification.

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Hardware Warranty
All TAMS products use the highest quality components and are assembled to the highest
specifications. Should a defect exist, or a failure occur, we apologize.Any defective unit
willbe repairedor replacedimmediately.
Please follow the instructions below for service response.
!In the US please return it to TAMS. Please call or Fax for return instructions.
!Internationally, please contact the local distributor for return instructions.
Any customer may contact TAMS, or return products directly to TAMS, but for customers
outside the US, this may cause a delay, which could be avoided by working with the local
distributor.
The complete hardware warranty information is found inAppendix B located in the back of
this manual.
For software warranty information see the Software License inAppendixA.

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Installing the 61488/64487/64488/65488 GPIB
Interface
This section describes the installation process for the 64487/64488/65488 PCI-Express/
GPIBInterfaces, aswell asthe 61488PCI/GPIBInterface.
Software Installation
These interfaces use same driver, refered to here as the 6x488 software. Minimum software
rev is 1.2, forWindows XP/Vista. TheTAMS 6x488 software depends upon theAgilent IO
Libraries. You need to have installed theAgilent IO Suite 14.2 or later before you can
install the TAMS 6x488 software or hardware. For more information and to download the
IO Libraries, please refer toAgilentTechnologies IO Libraries web page at:
http://www.agilent.com/find/iolib
Software installation requires you to haveAdministrator privileges. Next, install the
TAMS 6x488 driver software. Installing the 6x488 software before the hardware ensures
that Windows will be able to find the correct driver that is associated with the TAMS PCI/
PCI-Express/GPIB interface. If the IO Libraries are reinstalled or updated, then the 6x488
driver software must then be reinstalled.
Hardware Installation
Once the TAMS 6x488 software is installed, the TAMS GPIB card can be physically
installed in the computer.
You should note the following guidelines to avoid equipment damage when handling any
interface cards.
!Make sure the computer’s power is turned OFF and the power cord is removed
from theAC power outlet, before removing or installing interfaces.
Caution Plugging or unplugging an interface with the power on can damage the
interface and the computer.
!Most interfaces contain components that are sensitive to damage from
electrostatic discharge. Use protective measures including anti-static
workstation and personal grounding devices, if possible. When installing an
interface, do not leave the interface exposed longer than necessary.
Caution Whenever you remove, install, or handle an interface, hold it by its support
bracket only. Do not touch its electrical components or traces.

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Configuring the Equivalent Loads (Resistor Packs)
As shipped, there are two resistor packs installed in sockets RN1-RN2 for the 64487/
64488 cards. With the 65488, there are four packs installed in RN1-RN4. The 61488 card
has sockets labeled J2 and J3 for the resistor packs. These provide 10 additional
equivalent loads, as defined in the IEEE 488.1-1987 standard. For systems with few
devices and long cable lengths, the additional loads are required to provide increased
signal integrity and better transfer rates on the cable. In most situations, they can be left
installed, which gives a total of 11 loads for the card.
However, there is a maximum of 20 equivalent loads per bus system. Most devices have
one equivalent load, so a maximum of nine additional devices can be used while the
resistors are installed. If your bus system will have more than nine additional devices,
carefully remove both of the resistor packs and store them.
If the resistors need to be reinstalled later on, be sure that the visual key aligns with pin 1
on the sockets. Pin 1 is denoted with either the number “1”, or a circle. The resistor
packs are equivalent, and can be interchanged.
J2 and J3 are a pair, RN1 and RN2 are a pair, and RN3 and RN4 are a pair, and pairs must
be installed together.
For full details on the constraints in configuring a bus system, refer to section 5.2.3 in the
IEEE 488.1-1987 specification. The TAMS cards are capable of operation at 1 Mbyte per
second, and therefore the constraints in that section apply. This requires 48 mA tri-state
drivers be used in all devices, all devices must be powered on, and cabling must be a
maximum of 15 meters total length with at least one equivalent load per meter of cabling.
The 65488 provides two separate GPIB busses, so 15 meters of cabling can be attached
to each bus.

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Installing the GPIB Interface
Before installing the GPIB card note the settings of the rotary switches on the
card. Each channel of every 61488, 64487, 64488, and 65488 card installed in the computer
must have a unique switch setting. The 65488 has two channels, so the two switches
must have unique settings. By default, the 65488 ships with the rotary switches set to
zero and one for SW1 and SW2. If you have multiple cards, you need to manually
change the rotary switch settings to ensure that each channel has a unique value. For
installations with multiple cards, it is a good idea to write the switch setting on the metal
support bracket with a felt tipped pen.
Refer to the Owner’s Guide of your computer for instructions on opening your computer
and installing interface boards. Follow the instructions being careful to handle the
interface board only by its edges. After the board has been plugged in and the retaining
screw installed the computer should be reassembled.
Depending on the computer, it may be advisable to connect the small Cannon connector
of the required GPIB cable to the interface card prior to fully seating the PCI board.
Reassemble the computer. Ensure that the thumbscrews and the small connector are tight
for a good connection.
GPIB cable required by the TAMS GPIB cards

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Connecting the GPIB Cable
The IEEE 488 specification is for a daisy chain configuration, and so the standard
connector on the cable supplied can be attached directly to any GPIB device or to any
device in a chain of GPIB devices.
The following illustrations show possible connections.
The lower illustration shows two connectors daisey-chained without being attached to an
instrument. This is discouraged, since the jackscrews do not securely hold the
connectors together in that configuration.

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New Hardware Wizard
After the PCI or PCI-Express card is installed in the computer, New Hardware Wizard will
detect the card and associate the appropriate driver at the next bootup.
ClickonNext.

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You will get a screen that looks like this:
ClickonNext

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This will bring up this screen:
Clickon Finish.
This completes the driver installation process for a 61448, 64487, or 64488. For a 65488, the
process is repeated for the other GPIB channel.
In order to use the TAMS GPIB Interface, theAgilent IO Libraries needs to be configured
to recognize the added interfaces. This process is explained in the next section.

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Using the Device Manager
The Windows Device Manager can be used to determine the status of the PCI/PCI-
Express/GPIB card. To Start the Device Manager, click on theWindows ‘Start’Button and
select ‘Run’. This will bring up a ‘Run Dialog’, enter:
devmgmt.msc
Then press the ‘OK’button. This will start the Windows Device Manager. It will bring up
a new dialog that shows all the devices that are in the system.
Allof theTAMS 61488,64487, 64488,and 65488 cardswill belisted under“TAMS PCI/
PCI-Express/GPIBInterfaces”. Click onthe ‘+’iconnext to“TAMS PCI/PCI-Express/GPIB
Interfaces”, to see all of the interfaces that are installed. The 65488 will show up as two
interfaces. Right click on the specific interface that you want more information on. This
will bring up a menu. Select ‘Properties’. This will bring up a tabbed Dialog Box.

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Select the “Hardware Information” tab:
The hardware status indicates the condition of the hardware. It should indicate that the
TAMS GPIB is operational. The Setting indicates the position of the Rotary Switch as
well as the Firmware Revision. Firmware revision will be 6 or greater for a 61488 card, and
17 or greater for one of the PCI-Express cards.
You set other GPIB configuration settings, using theAgilent IO Configuration Utility. You
can Run IO Config by pressing the “Run IO Config” button. The configuration process is
described in the next section.

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Configuring the Card for Windows XP/Vista
Configure the interface by executing the IO Config program (iocfg32.exe), which will be
located in the IO Libraries bin subdirectory. If you are running I/O Libraries Suite 14 or 15,
then you need to manually run iocfg32.exe from the IO Libraries Suite bin directory.
Note If theAgilent IO Libraries were installed using the default values the IO Libraries
bin subdirectory will be found here:
C:\Program Files\Agilent\IO Libraries Suite\bin\
Upon execution, the IO Config program will present a window like: this:

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To configure your PCI-Express interface, please highlight the TAMS 61488/64488/
65488 GPIB entry under Available Interface Types and double click on it or click on
Configure.
The following window will appear if you have multiple interfaces to configure, such as
witha 65488card:
Select the interface you wish to configure. Each number corresponds to the unique rotary
switch position that is set on each 6x488 interface. Click on OK.

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Now the following dialog will appear:
In this window you will select all of the configurable parameters for the card. If you have
existing applications that specify a different SICL or VISA name, then you may need to
change these parameters to match the configuration name that the program is expecting.
Typically, the logical unit does not have to be changed. Traditionally, the first GPIB
interface has been assigned the logical unit of 7.
The BusAddress, which by default is 21, is the GPIB Primary address of the GPIB
Interface. Please make sure that this GPIB address does NOT conflict with any other GPIB
device on the same bus. The 65488 card, with two separate busses, can use the same
address for both busses.
The Minimum T1 Delay affects the transfer rate when the card is talking. T1 Delay for the
interfaces is from 360 ns to 2000ns. This does not alter the speed at which data
handshakes into the interface card on a read. If all of the devices on your bus are capable
of high speed (1 MB/sec) transfers, then you can set the Min T1 Delay to 360 ns.
Otherwise, use the default of 500 ns. Since most instruments have a fixed T1 delay time of
350 ns, the constraints of section 5.2.3 in IEEE 488.1-1987 generally apply, regardless of
the Min T1 Delay setting on the TAMS card.

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The Rotary Switch indicates what position the switch associated with this channel is set
to on the PCI card. This field can only be changed by physically changing the Rotary
Switch Setting on the PCI card. Only change the Rotary Switch setting when the
computer is turned off and power is disconnected. The two switches on a 65488 card
must be set to unique numbers, and must not conflict with switch settings on other 61488/
64488/65448cards in thesystem.
The System Controller checkbox indicates if this interface is the GPIB System Controller.
Typically, this checkbox is checked.
Additional information on these functions is provided through the HELP button.
When you are finished setting the configurable parameters, click OK. You will then see
your interface listed on the screen.
Now, repeat this procedure to configure the other channel if using a 65488 GPIB interface,
and click OK to exit IO Config.

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Using the Interface with TransEra HTBASIC
Load the SICL version of the GPIB/HPIB driver with your desired options, e.g.:
LOADBIN“HPIBS; DEVgpib0 ISC7TIMEOUT 5”
Note: By default, theTAMS GPIB interface uses a SICLName of ‘gpib0’. Historically
‘hpib7’is the SICLname of the first GPIB Controller. If you change the SICLName in IO
Config, then you need to change the example above to match your selected SICL name.
For multiple gpib interfaces, such as you have with the 65488 product, it is necessary to
make a copy of the HPIBS.dW6 driver file (such as HPIBS1.dW6), and load that file also:
LOADBIN”HPIBS1;DEVgpib1ISC8TIMEOUT 5”
Typically these lines are installed in theAUTOSTfile by editing with HTBASIC.
Using the Interface with HP VEE
Configure at least one instrument per interface, using the Logical Unit number assigned to
the TAMS GPIB interface as the prefix, and then perform I/O as usual. The refresh button
will not report that the card is present: this is normal and does not indicate malfunction.

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AppendixA- Software LicenseAgreement
Software LicenseAgreement
Please carefully read this LicenseAgreement before installing the software. Rights in the
software are offered only on the condition that the Customer agrees to all terms and
conditions of the License Agreement. If you do not agree to the terms of the License
Agreement, you may return the unopened software package and the hardware for a full
refund.
In return for the payment of fee TAMS grants the Customer a license to use the software,
until terminated subject to the following
Customer may use the software on any one computer.
Customer may not reverse assemble or decompile the software.
Customer may make copies for archival purposes.
Customer has no other rights to copy.
All copies of the software must bear the copyright notice(s) contained on the original.
OWNERSHIP: Customer agrees that they do not have any title or ownership of the software, other than
ownership of the physical media. Customer acknowledges and agrees that the software is copyrighted and
protected under the copyright laws.
Customer Acknowledges and agrees that the software may have been developed by a third party software
supplier named in the copyright notice(s) included with the software, who shall be authorized to hold
Customer responsible for any copyright infringement or violation of this License Agreement.
TRANSFER OF RIGHTS IN SOFTWARE: Customer may transfer rights in the software to a third party
only as part of the transfer of all their rights and only if Customer obtains the prior agreement of the third
party to be bound buy the terms of this License Agreement.
Upon such transfer, Customer agrees that their rights in the software are terminated and that they will either
destroy their copies and adaptations or they will deliver them to the third party.
Transfer to a US government department or agency or to a prime or lower tier contractor in connection with
a US government contract shall be made only upon their prior written agreement to terms required by
TAMS.
SUBLICENSING AND DISTRIBUTION: Customer may not subliscence the software or distribute copies
or adaptations of the software to the public in physical media or by telecommunications without the prior
written consent of TAMS
TERMINATION: TAMS May terminate this software license for failure to comply with any of these terms
provided TAMS has requested Customer to cure the failure and Customer has failed to do so within thirty
(30) days of such notice.
UPDATES AND UPGRADES: Customer agrees that the software does not include updates and upgrades
which may be available from TAMS under a separate support agreement.
EXPORT CLAUSE: Customer agrees not to export or re-export the software or any copy or
adaptation in violation of the US Export Administration regulations or other applicable regulations.