Re: S-parameter test sets

Mike Monett wrote:
[...]

Seems prices have gone up since the 300k GPIB is now a whopping 285
Euros. These used to be around $100 or so. They also have a USB-GPIB but
that's really expensive.

Regards, Joerg 

thats consistent with what I found - perhaps a dozen unknown brands, all
around the US$300-$400 mark, and NI & agilent at $500.


Terry,

The GPIB bus is really simple. You can ignore most of the commands and just use the ones you need. There are plenty of examples that use the parallel port on your pc and a bit of glue logic to interface. Here's one, and google has lots more:

  http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/djg/wwwhpr/gpibpage.html

The trick in working with the gpib is to have a simple way to monitor the bus and set the data and command bits. Ziatech used to sell an inexpensive box for about $250 with a bunch of leds and switches that allowed you to act as a talker or listener and walk through all the bus transactions. It was very easy to use. You could make one yourself for the cost of the leds and switches. It is invaluable for debugging the interface.

Mike Monett 

Hi Mike,

thanks for the link. I have also toyed with the idea of using a TUSB3210 (A USB micro I have used for other projects) to roll my own usb-to-HPIB converter. Then I have to write software to make it all go :{

If I could get the agilent USB interface for, say $200 it would be a no-brainer. Even at $500, it takes less than a days work to pay for it. I doubt I could get a system up and running in less time, so I'll probably just buy one.

Cheers
Terry
.

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