GPIB extender
GPIB Products Overview
General-purpose interface
bus (GPIB) based products that support on GPIB protocol. Being general purpose GPIB products are common in
industrial networks or other industrial applications. GPIB products solve almost all the problems associated with GPIB systems. Most commonly used GPIB products are GPIB expanders, GPIB extenders, GPIB controllers and interface boards, GPIB switches, and
GPIB converters.
GPIB expanders
According to IEEE 488.1 standard a GPIB system can contain or interface with only fourteen devices at a time. So in order have a GPIB system with 28 devices it requires some other equipment. This equipment is GPIB expander. GPIB expander containing two ports allows the communication between two GPIB systems. This is the cascading of GPIB systems. GPIB systems are connected to GPIB expander ports. Each port in the GPIB expander can control 14 devices.
GPIB extenders
According IEEE 488 specifications a GPIB system cannot use a cable longer than 20 meters. To solve this problem GPIB extenders are used. GPIB extenders increase the cable length to several kilometers. GPIB extenders work in pairs. One extender receives the data from the network, translates it and sends to other extender at a distant location (at 20 meter distance). Second GPIB extender receives the data and transmits to the other GPIB system. Cable options for connecting GPIB extenders include coaxial, fiber optics, and multi conductor.
GPIB controllers and Interface boards
GPIB controllers control the communication between GPIB buses and other GPIB devices. GPIB interface boards allow various devices to connect to the GPIB system. GPIB interface board refers to GPIB adapter. Fourteen devices can be connected to GPIB adapter in a GPIB network.
GPIB controllers and GPIB interface boards can communicate with various computer buses including the industry standards. These include
VMEbus, VXIbus,
PCI,
Compact PCI bus, PXI, and
Extended ISA (ESIA).
Data transfer rates and number of ports or interface are different for different boards. GPIB controllers and interface boards are compliant with FFC (federal Communication Commission) and EU (European Union) certifications.
GPIB Switches
In a standard GPIB
network one GPIB controller can control single GPIB bus system. GPIB <
switches allow a GPIB controller to run multiple GPIB bus systems. GPIB switch also allow multiple controllers to share multiple GPIB devices. With GPIB switch four users can share single device.
There are three types of switches based on three various technologies. These are relay switch, RF (radio frequency) switch, and solid-state switch. GPIB switch serves in two ways. One is the multiplexer and the other is bus switch. As multiplexer GPIB switch allows the control to access common bus so the devices at the bus. As a switch it offers the GPIB controller access to the other ports and so the devices attached to the ports.
